Chapter Twelve: The Alacrity of Treachery
Now
Residence Palace, Brussels, EU, July 2018 ATB
"So," President Richard Dressler scanned his eyes around the people seated in his office. "They've made contact."
"Confirmed." Joseph Rico, Commissar-General of EUROARMPOL, slid a photograph across Dressler's desk. "This shows one of Zero's associates, a certain Ougi Kaname, talking with Jiro Yamada. It was taken a few hours ago."
"So he's cooperating with the Maquis" Manuel Lacroix, leader of the Pacifist caucus in the Central Hemicycle, spoke up. "He's obviously trying to disrupt the peace process. We should arrest them all immediately."
"If we do that," snorted Elek Kacynski, the Minister for Electoral Affairs, "it'll lead to uproar. Our research shows a 15% shift away from peace after Zero arrived. He's having a significant effect on public opinion."
"Why was he even allowed to enter!" Lacroix snapped back. "We knew this would happen!"
"The Elphbergs outmanoeuvred us," Dressler replied levelly. "It's too late to do anything about it now. What matters is ensuring that the negotiations are concluded quickly."
"That's getting harder all the time," Kacynski opened his dossier. "We barely had a popular mandate for peace before he arrived, and what we have is slipping away by the hour. At this rate, peace with Britannia will be in defiance of the popular will."
"That cannot be!" Lacroix protested. "The people cannot want more war, not after everything that's happened. I cannot accept it!"
"That's what the opinion polls say," Kacynski retorted condescendingly. "Or is it only the popular will if it says what you want it to say?"
"Mister President!" Lacroix turned to Dressler, seeking his support.
"What Minister Kacynski says is true," the President said, after a brief pause. "Minister Prichard, what is your department's estimation of the situation?"
"We have examined the situation using the best available intelligence," replied Eloise Pritchard, representing the Ministry for Strategic Affairs. "I'm afraid we must confirm what Prince Schneizel confided to you, mister President. If the fighting continues, it will take Britannia at least another two years to decisively defeat us, assuming things mostly go their way. At current rates, compared to known stockpiles and observable rates of extraction, processing, and transport over the past eight years, we have concluded that Britannia's sakuradite reserve will be expended in the space of one to two years. Without immediate austerity measures, such as those Prince Schneizel has described, we can expect Britannia's economy to shrink drastically over the next ten years, primarily due to infrastructure degradation and resultant issues. If the most crucial measures are implemented, then he stands a fighting chance, so long as he maintains control."
"And he can't even get that far if the negotiations break down," Kacynski spoke up. "If public opinion moves further away from peace, more Representatives will withdraw themselves and some may go over to Gandolfy's War party."
"I have explained the situation to Prince Schneizel," Dressler replied, "and he has made a new offer that may be more palatable. He offers to dismantle Britannia's presence in Africa in stages over twenty years. In return, we must reduce our entire military capability to 50% of its current strength, disband EUROFORCE and EUROSEC, sign a pledge never to recreate those organisations in any shape or form, and turn over all of our latest weapons, along with all relevant technical information." He fell silent, awaiting their response.
"Those are harsh terms," Prichard replied, her face wooden.
"They have to be," Dressler explained. "Africa is too expensive in the short term for Britannia to colonize, but withdrawal would be unpopular. If he can give the illusion of having broken us forever, then he might be able to get away with it."
"An illusion indeed," Garin Fischer, the Minister for Economic Affairs, commented. "There's no way they can keep up their current military spending. They'll be in the same boat no matter the outcome."
"True," Prichard admitted. "Nonetheless I feel I must warn you mister President. EUROFORCE and EUROSEC won't take this lying down."
"We can't let ourselves be intimidated by them!" LaCroix interjected again. "Their very existence is an affront to democracy and national sovereignty! It's about time they were brought to heel!"
"Once the treaty is signed, they won't be able to do anything," Dressler said, his tone soothing. "We need only keep them in check until then." He glanced around the office, the assembled Ministers staring back at him. If anyone objected, they didn't say so aloud.
The meeting broke up, and all left except Dressler and Rico.
"I think," Dressler began, "we might just pull this off."
"You've almost certainly lost Pritchard," Rico replied coldly. "But it's probably too late to worry about something like that."
"Gandolfy was a far greater loss, but we got this far," Dressler retorted pointedly, trying not to remember the circumstances of their parting. "The best you can do for now is to make sure EUROFORCE cooperates. Do you have the names?"
"We have names, but not enough evidence. I suspect that Colonel Constantian may have pledged his support to their plot."
"Constantian," Dressler growled. "The one the Britannians call Death Spectre. Funny you should mention him."
"Why is that?"
"Because it was another condition, which I decided not to mention to the others," Dressler went on. "The Britannians want him. They didn't give a reason, but they want him. Alive."
"Propaganda most likely," Rico commented. "I imagine there's a great many well-connected Britannians baying for his blood. But I can't just arrest him without evidence."
"Don't worry." To Rico's surprise, Dressler actually smiled. "I have the evidence, care of Zero himself. I have to say he's quite the acrobat."
"You spoke with the terrorist!" There was a distinctive hiss to Rico's tone.
"You're in no position to be picky," Dressler snarled. "Zero has provided comprehensive evidence against Constantian." He slid another dossier across the desk. "His only price is that we allow him to interview Constantian in private before we transfer him to Britannian custody. After which he will provide us with additional information." Rico opened the dossier and flicked through it, his dark eyes darting back and forth across the pages.
"It won't stand up in Court," he commented. "Guilt by Association generally doesn't. At best I can hold him on suspicion for forty-eight hours without charge. The rest, mister President, is up to you."
"You need not worry about that, Commissar-General. But we also need to ensure that all the necessary hardware is ready for inspection by the Prince's staff, so that they can pick their fancy. The selection will of course include the Adler."
"That…" Rico's face was carefully expressionless, "could prove a problem. Constantian is overseeing the project. If we make a move against him, he'll almost certainly guess your intentions and warn them."
"I sincerely doubt that EUROFORCE personnel would fire on your Gendarmes," Dressler replied patiently. "We haven't quite reached that point. But we still need to defang this conspiracy before it gets any further out of hand." Dressler took a sheet of paper from his dossier and handed it to Rico. "This is your warrant. Do what must be done." Rico took the warrant, saluted, and left the office.
City Centre, Brussels, July 1st 2018 ATB
"CC, this is your doing!" Lelouch seethed. "You did this deliberately!"
He had intended to take Kallen out in order to apologise. He remembered how she had taken it when he all but ordered her to attend the Soiree as his date. He had, after a while, come to understand that he had quite seriously hurt her feelings. She seemed to have gotten over it, but he could not shake a sense of obligation. He had felt as though he should do something, encouraged by the simple but even more bewildering fact that he enjoyed her company. He had meant as a purely professional gesture, a restitution of sorts.
Unfortunately, he had trusted CC and Sayoko to sort everything out. The result was that upon returning to the Hotel Excelsior, he had found a glowing Kallen, herself the recent recipient of a dozen red roses, with a table for two booked at La Belle Madelon, probably the most expensive restaurant in Brussels, and also the most discreet.
"Red roses! That woman! She's playing with me again! How can I get out of this!"
Kallen was still glowing, or so Lelouch thought. Her dress was pink, a shade close to her gown from the Soiree, knee-length with spaghetti straps. She wore some of the silver jewellery too, and her face was delicately painted. They sat in a booth, one of several set into one of the walls of the restaurant. The lights were turned down low, giving a sense of intimacy and privacy. Romantic piano music tinkled away in the background. Everything seemed perfectly calculated to give Kallen the wrong idea.
"Be careful!" His thoughts were racing. "Keep the conversation conventional and she won't get the wrong idea!"
The food, at least, was good. It came in small, artistically-arranged portions, unaffected by wartime shortages. The skill of its making was enough to tickle his extremely demanding palate.
"You never told me," he said, conversationally. "How did you get involved anyway?"
"Involved?"
"In the resistance." Kallen paused a moment.
"It was mostly because of my brother Naoto. He started the old group, and I wanted to join but he wouldn't let me."
"He wouldn't?"
"I was only ten," Kallen admitted. "I don't think I would've been very useful, but I didn't see it that way. I guess I just wanted to be with him."
"What was he like?"
"He was…complicated." Kallen paused again as the memories arose. "He had a rough time before I was born, and when I was very little. He didn't fit in with the other kids." Her lip curled slightly, and a hint of anger slipped into her tone. "They used to call him a half-breed."
"I see," Lelouch's interest was aroused.
"He was really angry and bitter most of the time." The anger was replaced with sadness. "He never took it out on me, but I couldn't understand what his problem was. Nothing like that ever happened to me."
"Maybe the climate changed," Lelouch replied. "Socially I mean."
"Probably," Kallen agreed. "But he was always a great brother to me. After the invasion I got stuck with my father, and I desperately wanted to see him again."
"So when did you join?"
"When I was fifteen," Kallen went on. "I wanted to join sooner, but Naoto wouldn't allow it. They managed to get a Glasgow, and they let me try it. I could handle it better than anyone else, so Naoto had me train on it while everyone else was on missions."
"I'm not surprised," Lelouch smiled. "You were always an excellent pilot."
"I wanted to get good," Kallen insisted, suddenly serious. "After he died, all I did was train. I just…" She trailed off. Lelouch felt a pang of concern.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"No, no it's okay," Kallen dabbed at her eye with a handkerchief. "It's not as bad as it was."
"Even so…"
"No, seriously." Kallen seemed to recover. "I'm the one who should apologise. It's been such a nice night, and here I am getting all weepy."
"No, it's my fault," Lelouch insisted. "For what it's worth, I know what it's like to loose someone."
"Who was it?" There was no force or insistence in Kallen's tone, just a genuine curiosity. Lelouch faltered. He had not intended to mention that. On the other hand, it gave him an opportunity to allay some of her suspicions.
"My mother," he said. Fortunately he had thought to plan his 'past' beforehand.
"Oh." Kallen looked surprised. "What happened?"
"She was murdered," Lelouch said, feeling the familiar darkness in his heart. "I don't know by whom."
"I see," Kallen replied, her tone grave. "And your sister?"
"She was crippled." To Lelouch's surprise, he found he wanted to tell her.
"That's why you were so protective of her, isn't it?"
"It's all I can do," Lelouch admitted, lowering his eyes as he forced back the tears. "I couldn't protect her, and she can't defend herself." He looked up, and saw Kallen looking back at him with concern and sympathy.
"I never knew," she said, and he could see her sincerity. "The other girls used to joke about it, like you were going to marry her or something."
"They can make fun of me all they want," Lelouch replied, his lip curling slightly. "I don't care."
"I always liked how you took care of her," Kallen said gently. "It reminded me of Naoto, the way he took care of me."
Lelouch stared into her eyes, as the flash of irritation faded away. He had never believed that he might feel the way he felt there and then. To believe that someone might understand, that she might understand.
"Kallen, there's something I have to tell you." Kallen started at this, visibly shocked.
"L…Lelouch," she gave him a sideways look, blushing in surprise. "I…"
"Kallen, it's not what you think." He couldn't let this get any further out of hand. "I didn't mean this to be a date. I…I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done." He paused, readying to force out the rest of his words.
"I…just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treated you over the Soiree. I shouldn't have just ordered you like that."
"Lelouch…" Kallen was stunned. "Lelouch…it's…it's nothing to get upset about."
"Even so…"
"Lelouch, I'm not going to bite your head off," Kallen chuckled. "I thought CC might be messing us around, but I don't care. Not after I got to have dinner in a place like this," she gestured around them.
"It's just that you seemed so offended." Lelouch sounded bewildered, and he was, for he had lost the initiative. "I heard you thump the wall."
"Okay, I was angry at the time, but I'm not bitter" Kallen insisted, eyes sparkling. "Of course, I could get stroppy, yell that you don't understand a maiden's feelings, and slap you if you'd prefer."
"No, no, it's fine." That was an understatement. He was about to speak again, until a vibration below distracted him. Lelouch pulled out his phone, checked the caller ID, and flicked it open.
"Yes? I see…that's fine…tell them to keep it there for now…yes…good. We'll be along later." He flicked the phone shut.
"And that was?"
"Sayoko," Lelouch kept his voice low. La Belle Madelon was known to be reliable when it came to such matters, and he had checked the table for bugs himself, but there was no sense in taking pushing his luck. "The second package has arrived. We're all set for tomorrow."
"Second package?" Kallen cocked her head. "What's that?"
"That's for me to know," Lelouch grinned slyly, "and you to find out later."
"Well if you're going to keep secrets from me," Kallen pouted, "you could at least order more wine."
"Kallen, we've had a whole bottle already." Lelouch's amusement was replaced with nervousness. He had never seen Kallen drunk, and they had a lot to do tomorrow.
"Don't be a wet blanket!" Kallen retorted, smiling too much. "I'm finally in a country where I'm legal, so I'm not missing this chance."
Lelouch started wondering if he was going to get through the evening alive.
The next morning
EUROARMPOL Maximum Security Prison, northern Belgium, EU, July 2nd 2018 ATB
Magnus Constantian did not feel well.
He did not know why they had brought him to this particular prison. It seemed odd, considering that they had flown him there overnight. The only possible reason he could think of was that someone important wanted to interrogate him without travelling too far from Brussels.
So there he was, sitting on a chair in an interrogation room, feet manacled to the floor.
His uniform jacket had been taken, as had his boots, but he retained his trousers and shirt. They had searched him, and taken everything they found, including his ampoules of Quiescence. He suspected that this was the reason for his discomfort, for he had gone without his usual dose for well over twelve hours.
He supposed he knew what those unfamiliar emotions were called. Despair, frustration, anxiety. Them, and any bizarre combination of them, conspiring to suck him down, to render him passive and unable to think or act.
He had never valued Quiescence more in all his life than at that time. To be without it reaffirmed a decision he had made many years ago, the decision that had caused him to keep on taking the drug. Without it, he could not function. Without it, he could not live.
A clunk from the door drew his attention, dispelling the soporific. A grey-clad arm held the door open.
"Bang when you're done."
"Thank you."
The depression was gone as his visitor entered the room. A wave of shock had washed it away, followed on by something else. Something hot and malign, energizing him, grinding his teeth together. It was an emotion he understood, one he had experienced a great many times, even through the dulling of the drug.
Anger.
"I hope they have not treated you too badly," Zero said with apparent sincerity, sweeping his cloak aside to sit down opposite Magnus. "I asked that you be treated kindly."
"You asked?" The anger surged.
"A small favour of the President," Zero replied. "He wants to have you interrogated and handed over to the Britannians, but I convinced him to let me talk to you first."
"Really," Magnus' tone was as sour as his mood. "For what purpose?"
"To convince you to join me." There was a long pause.
"Join you!" Magnus was incredulous. "You seek my allegiance by stabbing me in the back? When we were already on the same side?"
"This was not the way I wanted us to meet," Zero insisted. "I understand your anger, but this was the only way. I'll make it up to you in time."
"Make it up to me?" Magnus' eyes flashed. "You would have me betray that which I fought for, and you would make it up to me?"
"The EU is not worth your loyalty!" Zero snapped. "It's nothing but a pack of self-serving bureaucrats who care nothing for the hopes and dreams of others!"
"If I had a Euro for every time I heard that," Magnus sneered, "I could buy the whole of Japan. I never took you for an ultranationalist."
"Do not misapprehend me," Zero went on. "I care nothing for nationalism. Instead answer me a question. What is the EU?"
"It is an economic and political union of states," Magnus replied. "These states have pooled their sovereignty and joined their economies together for the prosperity and peace of all."
"You say the words so coldly," Zero said. "Yet you have no idea of what they truly mean, of what the EU means to the world."
"And what does it mean?"
"You said so yourself!" Zero exclaimed, his voice almost aching with passion. "All those states, with all their history and quirks and animosities. That they should come together as they have is totally unprecedented! People said it would never work, that they could never give up their hatreds, or look past their suspicions and identities! And yet here is the European Ultra-Union, a superpower bestriding the world as Britannia does."
"Your point being?"
"Has the EU given its hand to Africa?" Zero went on. "To Asia? The EU has brought peace to the peoples of Europe, but it does nothing to bring peace to those beyond its borders!"
"And why should we?" Magnus retorted. "We have learned from bitter experience the limits of power. The world is too big for us to rule, and too big for us to save."
"Tell that to the people of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Japan!" Zero barked. "They cried out for someone to save them, and the EU left them to be conquered! And what of the Africans you failed to protect!"
"We could not save them." Though he tried, Magnus could not keep regret from his tone. "No one could."
"I know you are better than this, Magnus Constantian," Zero managed to lower his tone. "I know your heart longs for a righteous cause. I know, because Akiko and Lukas told me so."
"Leave them out of this!" Magnus demanded. "They have nothing to do with this!"
"Oh but they do," Zero insisted. "They are close to you, so they had the information I needed. They were legitimate targets."
"Legitimate targets!" Magnus snarled, straining in frustration against his manacles. "You're just another terrorist! It doesn't matter what you destroy or who you kill so long as you get your way! I'd rather die than follow a man like you!"
"Still you do not understand!" Zero roared back, crashing one clenched fist down on the table. "It is Quiescence that keeps you from understanding!" His mask slid open to reveal one eye. "Never use Quiescence again!"
Magnus would not remember the sight of a winged bird swooping towards him. He would not remember the feeling of having his brain refashioned by forces unknown. He would not remember the command planted within, a command that was beyond his power to disobey.
All he remembered was a sensation of déjà vu, as Zero placed a single ampoule of Quiescence on the table before him.
"Take it," he said.
But Magnus could not. He knew that he needed it. But his body would not move. He thought of taking it, and yet he did not.
"Don't you want it?" Zero cocked his head. "Here," he picked it up. "Let me inject it for you." He reached out his hand. Magnus' hand flew up of its own accord, slapping the proffered hand away. The ampoule smashed against the wall, the precious medicine dripping down to pool on the floor.
Magnus stared at Zero in stark terror, unable to make sense of it.
"What…" his hands clenched into fists, terror replaced with fury. "What have you done to me!"
"I have saved you," Zero replied, his tone reasonable and almost kindly. "Now nothing can keep you from hearing the voice of your heart."
"Is this your new world!" Magnus snarled. "How many others have you decided for! How many others have you saved! Did you do this to Syzmanowski!" Inside he was raging, fury and helplessness combining to fuel the inferno within.
"I will destroy the EU tomorrow," Zero continued, apparently unaffected. "But the ideals it represents will live on, in the United Federation of Nations." With a dramatic flourish, Zero held out his hand."
"Come with me, Magnus Constantian." His voice was strangely gentle. "Let Japan be your new home. Embrace a cause worthy of your noble heart. Take my hand, and be free."
Magnus stared up at him for a long time.
"You are a clown, Zero," he said, no longer angry, for the flame had burnt out to leave only cold fury. "You are an amusement, a bit player in a never-ending tragedy. You are Punch, the fool who was made King for a day, an honour only a fool would accept. And the greater fool is the fool who follows."
Zero did not reply. For a few moments there was only a bitter silence.
"If you can dream of anything, I suggest you dream of the stars," he said eventually, sounding sad. "You will not see them again."
"And your dreams will end in blood and fire," Magnus retorted grimly. "So it was with us, so it will be with you."
Zero turned, banged on the door, and was let out.
And Magnus was alone.
EUROFORCE military base, German Confederation, EU, July 2nd 2018 ATB
"Captain Kobayashi, you will explain yourself!"
Major Ishida fitted the stereotype of the Japanese army officer almost to a tee. His posture was stiff, almost statuesque, his uniform spotless and meticulously arranged. The rest of his face did not move, but his mouth twisted and flared as he shrieked anathema at whatever unfortunate subordinate had managed to annoy him.
This time it was Captain Takato Kobayashi. The younger man stood stock-still before his Colonel, eyes focussing straight ahead, face carefully expressionless. Behind him stood several of the Japanese Legion's officers, whose leisure time he had disturbed with the terrible news.
Actually Ishida was not his Major strictly speaking. Both were officers in EUROFORCE's JL Brigade, but Takato Kobayashi was the Captain of White Tiger knightmare squadron, whereas Ishida was the Major of one of the two mechanized-infantry battalions. By all rights it should be Major Takahashi who should be chewing him out, but that didn't mean Ishida couldn't if he happened to be there.
"What did you think you were doing!" Ishida went on. "Stirring up your junior officers like this!" He was careful not to mention Kobayashi's senior officers, for several of the Brigade's Majors were also present. Ishida found their failure to stop Kobayashi profoundly irritating.
"They have a right to know, sir." It was all Kobayashi could do to keep his anger in check.
"It was your duty to bring this directly to Lieutenant-Colonel Morisato!" Ishida barked. "Not spouting it in the Officers' Mess! It is for him to decide whether the rest of the Legion is to know!"
"They've arrested Colonel Constantian!" Kobayashi's temper was about to get the better of him.
"So you claim," Ishida retorted. "Might I ask how you came about this information!"
"My sister from EUROMED told me."
"And on that basis you spread rumours and imperil discipline! You are out of line, Captain Kobayashi!" The last he added in a manner that hinted not for much longer. The Legion was already mutinous because of Cent-Hem's negotiations with Britannia, and this would only make things worse.
"Major we have to act!" Kobayashi blurted out. "We have to save Colonel Constantian! He'd do the same for any of us!" None of the others spoke, but he knew that they agreed.
"That is not for you to decide, Captain Kobayashi!" Ishida roared, trying to gain control of the situation. "Especially not on a flimsy basis like that!"
"Unfortunately it is not so flimsy, Major Ishida." Ishida spun round, then snapped to attention and saluted as he saw Lieutenant Colonel Ichijo Morisato standing in the doorway. The other officers did likewise.
"You acted properly, Major Ishida," Morisato added, so as not to wound his pride. "But the situation is already beyond control. I have just received a message that confirms what Captain Kobayashi's news. Colonel Constantian has been arrested by EUROARMPOL eight hours ago, on the charge of conspiracy to violate the chain of command. In other words, President Dressler and his followers are seeking to rein in or otherwise stave off the War party until the proposed Peace Treaty can be signed, at which point it would carry the force of law."
Anyone who saw Lieutenant Colonel Morisato and Major Ishida together could tell that they were very different men. Unlike Ishida, Morisato rarely raised his voice. Nor did he possess Ishida's aura of barely-restrained fury.
"He is being held in a EUROARMPOL facility in Belgium," he went on, dreading what he was about to say. "I have also been informed that Zero was seen visiting the facility a few hours ago, and that he left alone." That got a reaction out of them. Most of his assembled subordinates were visibly bewildered, but some of their countenances darkened. He had already known which would be which.
"Sir!" Major Satoshi Fukuyama was one of the bewildered ones. "Are you saying that Zero is responsible?"
"I know of no other explanation. The opinion of EUROFORCE Command is that Zero intends to use this situation to destabilize the EU and absorb the member states into his alliance. Obviously, they are not happy about this, and neither is the War party as a whole. As for why he saw the Colonel, I can only assume that he sought to recruit him. Evidently he failed."
"Lieutenant-Colonel, what does this mean?" Fukuyama had been one of the most enthusiastic about Zero and the Black Knights, especially after the news of the Black Rebellion. Now he looked as though the bottom had fallen out of his world.
"It means that Zero is our enemy after all," said Major Sai Kimura, her narrow face radiating outrage. "It is obvious that neither he nor the Black Knights can be trusted."
Morisato eyed his subordinates. He allowed them to speak up like this, to make suggestions, so long as they did so in a professional and respectful manner. Decorum had been maintained thus far, but tensions were running high.
"He must have betrayed Colonel Constantian to Dressler and EUROARMPOL," Captain Minoru Sohma cut in. "If he can do that, he can betray others."
"But he has not betrayed us," Fukuyama insisted, grasping at straws.
"How can you say that!" Kimura shrieked, rounding on him. "Magnus Constantian was one of us!"
"He led us well," Fukuyama replied. "But he is not Japanese. And Zero leads the Black Knights, who liberated Japan. We should join forces with him.""
"We're the Legion! We're the strongest!" Sohma roared. "We're stronger than the Black Knights! It should have been us!"
"Enough!" Morisato's voice cut through the argument, ending it there and then. He understood the pain his subordinates felt. They had fought and suffered for so many years, won prestige and respect, dreaming of being the first onto Japanese soil when the liberation came. But the Black Knights had stolen that dream from them.
"It is true that Zero's intentions are not clear," he said, projecting serene authority. "But that does not mean we should do nothing. Even if we must join with him for the sake of Japan, we cannot abandon Colonel Constantian." He paused, looking each one of them in the eyes.
"It is true that he is not Japanese. But he led us, fought with us, bled with us. He took us seriously when no one else did, and with his help we became what we are today. He helped keep our dream alive. I for one will not abandon him to petty men who gamble with all our lives, and our country's future, for their own selfish ends."
"Sir," Major Ishida's tone was grave. "The Brigade is ready to move on your order."
"The order is given." Morisato saw the anticipation in their eyes. "I have received word from Aerie Base that our heavy equipment has been loaded onto the Adler, along with the new Lupo knightmares, the Gamelons, and the Charlemagne." The latter mention told them all they needed to know. It was his knightmare, after all.
"To your units. We leave within the hour."
Heels clicked together. Hands snapped to temples in salute.
The JL Brigade was going to war.
Arras, occupied France, July 2nd 2018 ATB
The stars were bright.
Faramond stood on the grass, enjoying the cool night air on his face, his cloak fluttering in the breeze. He enjoyed doing so, for it allowed him to think of things other than the work he was doing for his uncle Schneizel.
He thought of the strange destiny that had brought him there. He wondered at the odds of meeting with Suzaku Kururugi, the man who had been so close to his beloved aunt Euphemia. He wondered at how he had been changed by that meeting. For the first time in years he had left his seclusion, asking his uncle to allow him to visit the base. He remembered how surprised his uncle had been, how surprised everyone had been.
He felt himself smile at the memories. He remembered how Arthur the cat had jumped onto his shoulder, how he had bitten Suzaku when the knight tried to lift him off, and how everyone had laughed. He remembered the delicious food provided by Cecile, how it had made him sick, and how mortified she had been. He remembered Earl Asplund's droll humour, and the enthusiasm with which he showed of the Lancelot.
Faramond knew that his uncle's work would soon be over, and that he would soon return to Britannia. That meant going back into seclusion.
The idea no longer comforted him as it once had.
He had gone into seclusion of his own free will. He had not wanted to deal with the world any more. It seemed so cold, so empty, after she left. Already the Lady Marianne, who had been as a mother to him, had been brutally murdered, and his Uncle Lelouch and Aunt Nunnally sent away. To lose her on top of all that…
Something had broken inside him, something for which he had no name. It had withered, drooped, decayed, like a flower deprived of water and sunlight. When it was gone, he could no longer play music, nor compose in his head as he once had. Beauty seemed beyond him, so he made do with fact.
There was a part of him that didn't want to go back into seclusion. It was making itself heard, shouting louder and louder. It wanted more days like that wonderful day. It wanted not merely to know about all the things and people in the world, but to see and experience them. It wanted to experience friendship, and to not be alone.
It wanted to experience love.
But that was not possible. For there had been only one person who truly loved him. Someone whose love was not familial obligation or selfish desire.
He didn't expect to hear a voice on the evening wind.
Yoru no sora ni matataku
Tooi kin no hoshi
Yuube yume de miageta
Kotori to onaji iro
He knew that voice. It was the voice that hadlifted him from despair, and shown him a glimpse of joy. It was the voice that had healed his wounded heart, and convinced him that true happiness was possible. It was a voice that had lingered in his dreams for nine years.
Faramond dashed across the lawn, his cloak billowing around him. He followed the sound of her voice, over the lawn and into the maze. He raced between the leafy barriers, following the sound that called to his heart.
Nemurenu yoru ni
Hitori utau uta
Wataru kaze to issho ni
Omoi wo nosete tobu yo
He began to panic. The song was nearing its end! If he didn't find her soon, then he would surely loose her again! His legs aching, he rounded a corner and ran through an arch entwined with flowers.
And there she was.
There she stood, sideways to him, hands clasped together, eyes closed. The eyes opened, saw him, turned to see him. That face, so beautiful, yet so like the one he remembered, looking somewhat surprised.
"Faramond?" That voice, the voice he knew, that stilled his pounding heart.
"Tomoyo?" Faramond still couldn't quite believe it. "Are you real?"
"Faramond," Tomoyo felt tears prick at her eyes. Most of him was swathed in a black cloak, but she knew his face. His face, with its slightly feline aspect. Those bright blue eyes, that looked upon her with such longing, and such pain. "Faramond…my Prince."
She approached him, on legs that felt like jelly.
"You left." The words barely made it out. "You didn't say goodbye."
"I didn't want to leave you." Tomoyo's normally dulcet voice was hoarse as joy and anguish warred within her. "I didn't want to leave you all alone. Can you forgive me?"
"Tomoyo," Faramond sniffed, his cheeks glistening in the moonlight. "I'm the one who should apologise . I…I couldn't shine the way you wanted me to."
"How could you shine?" Tomoyo reached up a trembling hand to caress his cheek. "They left you alone."
Faramond flung his arms around her, and she wrapped hers around him. There they stood, alone in a world of their own, for them and them alone. Faramond felt the anguish and self-hatred drain out of him, as though he were seated beneath a waterfall to cleanse his soul.
"Tomoyo," he pulled back, to look at her again. "Tomoyo, how did you get here?"
"Get here?" Tomoyo was suddenly bewildered. "I…I don't know."
"It was my doing," came a voice from the darkness. Faramond glanced around in surprise. He could not see anyone, but he had heard that voice before.
"I apologise for what I did, Lady Tomoyo Daidouji," Zero said, stepping through the opposite arch. The moonlight gleamed off his mask. "But there was no other way."
"What do you mean!" Faramond exclaimed, half-afraid, half-appalled. "If you are Zero, then why do this?"
"Because I need to speak with you, Faramond u Britannia. And this was the only way I could be sure of you."
"Sure of me?"
"Sure that you are as I knew you," Zero brought one hand up to his mask and took hold of it. "That you had not changed for the worse," he lifted off the mask, "…nephew."
Faramond's eyes widened in recognition.
"Yes, Faramond, it's me." Lelouch's grim expression softened as he looked on the nephew he had not seen in eight years. He did not appear to be in poor health, but his skin was pasty, more so than he remembered. The hair, brown and curly like his father's. The face, reminding him so much of Nunnally. Those blue eyes, questioning, wondering, not quite believing.
"I thought you were dead," Faramond said, his under-stimulated vocal chords croaking the words. "I thought they'd killed you."
"In a very real sense, they did," Lelouch admitted. "I lived these last years without meaning, cursing my powerlessness, until I donned this mask."
"But then, why did you come?"
"To set you free, my nephew." Lelouch extended a welcoming hand.
Faramond faltered, his mind frozen by indecision.
"Faramond," Lelouch fought down his nerves. "What good has it done you to stay with them? What can they offer you but loneliness and pain? Come with me, and I'll show you the life you should have known."
"But…" Faramond trembled, and Tomoyo squeezed his hand. "What of Papa…and aunt Nunnally?"
"You've seen her!" Lelouch burst forward and grabbed him by the shoulders, eyes bulging. "Your aunt Nunnally! Where is she!"
"At the palace," Faramond managed to say. "I met with her before I came here. She spoke of you." Relief and outrage warred within Lelouch. His beloved sister was alive, but retrieving her from St Darwin Boulevard would not be easy.
Then again…
Lelouch forced himself to calm down, pulling Faramond into a quick hug.
"We have to hurry," he said, pulling back to look Faramond in the face. "We can talk as much as we want later, but we must go now."
"I won't allow you to do that." All looked up to see Suzaku standing under the arch, handgun aimed straight for Lelouch's heart, eyes flashing with hate.
"Suzaku," Lelouch hissed, burning with frustration.
"Drop your gun and step away from the Prince," Suzaku growled back, his aim unwavering. Lelouch gritted his teeth, but complied, knowing he had no choice. His draw was nowhere near fast enough for this situation. His handgun dropped to the grass with a clatter.
"Your Highness, your Ladyship, come here!" Suzaku barked. "That man is extremely dangerous!"
"Don't listen to him!" Lelouch snapped back. "He'll only send you back! He'll make you lonely again!"
"Prince Faramond, he isn't who you think he is! He's not the kind person you remember! He'll only use you."
"Faramond!" Lelouch turned again to his bewildered nephew. "Have I ever hurt you! Have I ever lied to you!"
"I…" Faramond blurted out, looking desperately from one to the other.
"Your words betray you!" Suzaku snarled. "You've never loved anyone! People are nothing but chess pieces to you! You'd even drag an innocent girl into your schemes!"
He turned his attention to Tomoyo, who was off to one side with Faramond.
"Tomoyo oujo-sama, do you by any chance have any strange memories from the last few days?" Suzaku wondered aloud. "Moments of déjà-vu? At Strelsau perhaps?" Suzaku saw her eyes widen just slightly, and knew he was right.
"At the palace," Tomoyo said. "He came to my room, saying it was to congratulate me on my singing. I remember…it was as if my attention had wandered, and I couldn't remember what he had said."
"One of your time-delay commands?" Suzaku returned his attention to a glowering Lelouch. "Did you command her to come to you and cooperate with you? Can you be any more cheap, Zero?"
"Cheaper words from a man who murdered his own father and abandoned his country!" Lelouch retorted quickly. "Faramond, Suzaku Kururugi is your enemy. He changes allegiances as others change their underwear!"
"No, Uncle Lelouch!" Faramond protested. "Sir Suzaku is a good man! He is my friend!"
"I called him friend once!" Lelouch growled back. "Then he betrayed me! And Nunnally!"
"You betrayed me first!" Suzaku retorted. "And I never betrayed Nunnally!"
"You were supposed to be her knight! You were supposed to protect her! Instead you chose Euphemia!"
"The sister you both loved, or at least you said you loved." Suzaku narrowed his eyes. "Or was it your jealous heart that wished her dead!"
"That's not true!" Lelouch shrieked, his voice rising as his emotions ran wild. "You know it's not true! I didn't murder her!"
"Santa Euphemia!" Suzaku accused. "A martyr to us all! Your own personal goddess! Not bad for one bullet!"
"I DID NOT MURDER HER!" Faramond and Tomoyo recoiled as Lelouch's face twisted, eyes bulging, skin stretching, flecks of spittle flying from his mouth.
"I know you didn't do it," Suzaku said, his voice low. "I know you didn't order it. But you as good as did it. After all, you created the Black Knights. You tried to make the world change through violence." Lelouch did not reply.
"Did you think you could control it?" Suzaku raised his voice. "Did you think you could ride the wind, or hold back the sea, or stop the sun from rising? Did you really think life was just a game of chess?"
"I won't leave him here," Lelouch replied. He was no longer shouting, but his countenance betrayed something far worse, something darker. "He's not your nephew, not your blood, he's mine. And I won't let them destroy him the way they destroyed my mother!"
"And I won't let you make a pawn of him!" Suzaku snapped back.
"STOP IT!"
Lelouch and Suzaku fell silent, out of shock more than anything else. They looked, and saw that the sound had come from Faramond.
"Why must you fight over me?" Faramond looked from one to the other, hurt and accusation in his eyes. "Were you not friends? Were you not like brothers?"
"Like brothers!" Suzaku snarled. "We are brothers!" He raised his left hand to his teeth, ripped off the glove, and upon the middle finger was a gold ring, with a pink jewel set into it.
"That ring…" Faramond's eyes widened. "It was…"
"Euphie's" Suzaku said, glowering. "Given to me by her, when we made our pledge, the night before she died."
And inside Lelouch's mind, the memory came flooding back.
"Oh, my secret?" Euphemia replied, vacantly, as the Geass took effect. "Suzaku and I are engaged."
"You're…!" Lelouch could not believe it. The shock of it sent his mind into turmoil.
"We are." She smiled. "We made our pledge last light."
"You…" Lelouch backed away, trying to order his thoughts. "You…and Suzaku…"
"It's a secret for now, until all the formalities are dealt with. We'll get married after the announcement." She reached out her hand. "You'll come, won't you?"
Lelouch dropped to his knees. He clutched his head, trying to keep the memories down, to deny the truth. But he could not, and all was made clear.
He flung back his head and screamed like a damned soul. The sound rolled over the grounds, and seemed like it would set the air on fire. All but Suzaku flinched from him, as if their souls feared to be snatched away by the sound.
His breath gone, Lelouch slumped forward, head hanging.
"No…" he whimpered, barely audible. "Don't let it be…true…"
"What's this?" Suzaku sneered in mock surprise. "Remorse? From the infallible Zero?" He aimed at Lelouch's head, hand steady.
"Sir Suzaku, enough," Faramond pleaded.
"Have pity," Tomoyo added. "For your sake if not for his."
"Why?" Suzaku sounded distant, almost dreamy. "He has none."
In the corner of his eye he saw something emerging from the opposite arch. Already he was moving, diving sideways as a bullet whistled through the empty air where his head had been. He rolled to his feet, turned to face his attacker, saw the JSDF issue handgun aimed straight at him.
"Kallen!" For it was she. Kallen Kozuki stood framed in the arch, her face set in determination.
"Give it up Suzaku." Her voice was hoarse, as if she had been crying.
"Kallen," Suzaku hissed. "You were listening?"
"Oh yeah," Kallen advanced, her aim still on Suzaku, though he could see her hand trembling just slightly. "I heard." Lelouch, having been shocked out of whatever nightmare he had been cast into, rose to his feet.
"Kallen…" At the sound of his voice Kallen spun, aiming her gun at Lelouch. "Kallen…"
"I…" Inside, Kallen was in turmoil.
She had disobeyed his order and followed him into the maze, suspected that he would get himself into trouble and need backup. She had listened, as the reunion of two young lovers warmed her heart. She had listened, hearing every word, as Zero had revealed his true identity, blissfully unaware that she could hear him.
Zero, her leader, the man she revered, had kept secrets from her. Her, the one he professed to trust, to value above all others. To think that the man she had followed to war, trusted with her life, had been a Britannian Prince. One who obviously had some kind of terrible grudge against his own family, but nonetheless a Britannian Prince. A Britannian Prince who had tempted her, lied to her, concealed his true face from her. A Britannian Prince who had driven Britannia from Japan only to rule it himself. A Britannian Prince who had risked all their lives to save his own sister, and again for his nephew.
By all rights she knew she should gun him down where he stood. But there were other thoughts, other feelings. He had kept secrets from her, but she too had kept secrets from him. She had pretended not to know who Nunnally was, though he seemed to have let it slide. He might have put them all at risk for the sake of his loved ones, but would she not have done the same for her mother? For Naoto?
"Why didn't you trust me!"
She realised that she had been staring at Lelouch for several seconds, wondering at the look of anguish on his face. She also realised that she had given Suzaku just the opening he needed.
She began to turn, but too late. Suzaku barrelled into her, his shoulder driving against her stomach. She crashed to the ground, the wind knocked out of her, her gun flying from her hand. Suzaku pressed his advantage, squatting on top of her to hold her in place, aiming his gun at her head. Kallen stared up at him, and saw not his usual look of grim determination, but one of unfettered hate.
"Watch ,Lelouch!" Suzaku shouted in dire exultation. "As you took my Princess, I'll take yours!"
Lelouch couldn't move, couldn't think straight, his mind racing out of control as his world collapsed around him. Kallen had been listening. She knew everything. She knew his secret, the secret he had kept from her. She hated him. She would kill him. She would tell the others. They would turn on him. They would kill him. She would kill him. She would die.
She would die. Suzaku was on top of her, pointing a gun at her, ready to kill her, for what he had done.
Then he was back there again, a little boy of nine summers, looking down the grand staircase to see his mother lying there, broken and bloodstained. The image that had haunted his nightmares for nine years. The image that had driven him to remake the world no matter what the cost.
She would die. He would lose her. And he would be alone…
Suzaku never saw him coming. Lelouch screamed as he flung himself forward, knocking Suzaku off Kallen, the two rolling over and over as they grappled.
Even enraged as he was, Lelouch was no match for Suzaku. It was a matter of a moment for Suzaku to throw him off. But he had given Kallen the opening she needed. She thrust her elbow into the ground, pivoting on it as he kicked sideways with all her might. Her toecap caught Suzaku in the face, knocking him back down with a wet crunch. There he lay, stunned, as Kallen scrambled away from him and snatched up her handgun.
A roar like ocean waves filled her ears, and a blast of wind knocked her to the ground. She felt it pass over her, forcing herself to look up, to see what had caused it. She made out a narrow shape arcing up into the night sky. She thought it might be a fighter jet, but then as it crossed the face of the moon she could see its split nose, bulbous fuselage, and short wings. There wasn't a fighter jet that looked remotely like it.
Tristan.
Suzaku's reinforcements had arrived.
Realising that they were out of time, Kallen turned to look at Tomoyo and Faramond, who were clambering to their feet.
"Oujo-sama!" she shrieked. "Get him out of here! Use this!" She pulled off her earpiece and tossed it to Tomoyo. The girl caught it, gave her a sharp nod, then grabbed Faramond by the hand and led him into the maze at a run. The Prince followed without apparent resistance. Kallen turned back to Suzaku, only to be knocked down again as another knightmare came in to land. The blast of air pinned her to the ground as it landed, spreading its legs to stand astride the fallen Suzaku.
It had not been in China, Kallen was certain. It looked somewhat like the Lancelot, but its armour was differently styled, its colours silver and red. It could not be Tristan, or Lancelot, or Mordred, for all these she had seen. That left Luciano Bradley's Percival or Aramis Custer's Palamedes.
It had to be Palamedes. She knew nothing of Custer, but the Vampire of Britannia would never protect an Eleven.
The knightmare half-turned, an emerald Blaze Luminous shimmering into being from its upper-left arm. Bullets flashed and cracked as they impacted it, but Palamedes ignored its enemy, instead reaching down to scoop up the prone Suzaku in both hands. The narrow vanes of its float unit gleamed, and Palamedes leapt into the sky, the rush of displaced air knocking Kallen flat once again. This time she landed on her back, and saw Tohdoh's Zangetsu blaze overhead, still firing as it pursued the fleeing Palamedes. She could hear more gunfire from the trees.
She got to her feet, allowing herself no time to feel disgruntled at being tossed around like a ragdoll. Glancing around, she saw Zero's discarded mask, picked it up, and walked over to Lelouch, who sat disconsolately on the grass.
It was hard to believe that only the night before they had been on a date, of sorts. They talked, laughed, gotten to know each other better. She might have woken up with a thumping headache and unable to remember much after the main course, but it had been special all the same.
She had no time to deal with this now. She had no time to be uncertain, to be questioning her actions, her loyalties. She had to act, or they would both die.
"Lelouch." He didn't reply, or even look up. He seemed to be in shock. But Kallen had no time for his problems, any more than she had time for her own.
"Dammit Lelouch!" She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet, shoving the mask into his hands. "You are going to put this on and do your damn job, do you hear me!" Lelouch looked at her, then at the mask, then back at her. Seeing the determination in her eyes, he crammed the mask onto his face.
"Yes, of course," Zero said, a little of his usual poise returning. "We should get out of here."
"Yes," Kallen replied pointedly. "We should."
(I finally got this done. I'm sorry if I seem to be rushing things, but I need to get this plot moving.
I was particularly worried about the chemistry between Lelouch and Kallen. I'm sure she'd be pretty shocked to discover that Lelouch has been keeping secrets from her, but I didn't think she would simply turn on Lelouch there and then. After all, she went back to him in R2 despite knowing everything (and this time she didn't have to dress as a bunny-girl for him). I always thought she was quite a strong character, that she'd be able to put her immediate issues aside for the greater good, so I had her keep it together this time. That doesn't mean she's dropped the matter altogether though.
I originally planned to have Suzaku and Euphemia be secretly married, but decided that this was going too far. A secret engagement would make more sense, since she would be free to marry him once her demotion from the Imperial family was confirmed.
I think I should explain Zero's reaction. He suppressed the memory because he blamed himself for her death, feeling responsible for having trained and armed Tenryo. The fact that he lost control of Tenryo is also significant, because it reminds him that not everything is under his control, and that things may happen for which he can be blamed, even though he did not desire or order them. Considering how obsessed Lelouch is with control (his geass is derived from it), and that he considers the Black Knights to be an extension of his own will, I thought this would shake him up quite badly.
Doubtless some of you will also find Zero's treatment of Magnus very odd. Unfortunately I can't explain this without giving away the rest of the plot for this arc. I must request your forbearance on this.
Just to confirm, Captain Takato Kobayashi is indeed the younger brother Akiko mentioned earlier.)
