14: The Phoenix

Kewell Soresi stood before the Viceroy, garbed in a prisoner's uniform, and his hands bound behind his back. He was in dire straights as his hair and face were disheveled, and dirtied from his thrashing on the bridge. "There are no reasons for me to keep you around, Soresi." Cornelia frowned angrily, "Your deplorable behavior not only dishonored yourself as a member of the Purist faction, but also as a Knight of Britannia. And to make matters worse, you involved innocent civilians in what was supposed to be a one on one duel, of which you brazenly accepted upon yourself instead of allowing me to choose a fighter myself that may have bested Zero's, leading to a humiliating defeat in a one-sided battle, superior machine or not!"

With each word Kewell felt a stab of shame.

"As it stands, you have given me every right to issue the execution order," the princess said, which made the man flinch, "But, I am not going to do that." She went on, "Death is, as far as I feel, an easy way out. If you had made such a foul up on the battlefield, I would have shot you myself. As it is, you lost a duel with an enemy champion. And since you have dishonored yourself as a Knight, you will be demoted to nothing more than a foot soldier. I will need all the aid I can get with the threat that is 'Zero'." Cornelia nodded, "Yes, I now view this Zero as a threat to the Imperial family, not only for his admitted murder of my brother, Clovis, but for his ambition of calling out to our very own people to join his cause against the Homeland. The EU is bad enough, even though Second Prince Schneizel is slowly but surely wearing them down to the barest of bones. If this man is able to turn our own people against us, then others will certainly come to bare arms against us."

"So, until my personal Knights arrive within a few days' time, your fate is to live with your shame," she said, and smiled grimly, "Unless you'd like take a card from the Elevens, and take your own life?"

Kewell said nothing only growing paler.

"So I see," Cornelia said, lacing her fingers together, "You wish to live with the shame. Now, return to your room, and await your orders, I will have Jeremiah come to remove your restraints."

"Yes, Your Highness." Kewell nodded slowly, quietly moving out of the room.

Cornelia sat back, turning to her desktop computer, images of the battle on the bridge playing over and over. She watched in grim fascination as the blue and golden feline machine torn Kewell's Sutherland to pieces.

She then clicked on the file marked for the Shinjuku Ghetto, and proceeded to watch images of the battle. From the first appearance of the Black Tiger, to the Red Lion. These beast-like machines were far superior to the Sutherlands, perhaps even a Gloucester frame. Still, she couldn't help but have a healthy respect for them, and their pilots, terrorists or not.

The Black Tiger was obviously Zero, given his choice of clothing. She had yet to guess which one was the Red Lion, as she had only seen it in the battle of Shinjuku, but the other Lion was a mystery. But she had seen one other machine that was different than the Wolves she had seen. The body, as it appeared in front of Clovis' G1-base, was decidedly streamline, like that of a cheetah, though it lacked a tail for balance as it ran, which she noticed provided an extremely fatal flaw. The canon mounted on its back could not be turned when it was running, or else it would overbalance, and send the machine to the ground, and possibly kill the pilot in the process. It also seemed to be unable to make sharp turns as she watched it make such large loop back towards a Sutherland, and fire its rifle to take it down.

'What to do about these Knightmares,' she wondered to herself, thinking of how to keep her little sister safe, as this Area had already claimed the lives of three of her siblings. Zero had outright admitted to killing Clovis, but he had also...

She looked down at the flash drive on her desk. 'All of those things that he was accused of...did he really...' she picked the drive up, looking to her computer. Dare she look upon its content?

She sighed and turned back to her computer, and plugged it in. Within a few moments a window appeared reading "Project-G". "G?" She wondered aloud, and clicked on it.

A video appeared, showing the naked body of a woman, her face censored out, strapped down to an operating table.

"Subject-C has been sedated heavily to assure minimal resistance to the procedure," a warped voice said as masked doctors entered the seen, "Subject has shown no adverse effects to the massive dose of narcotics used to put her under. Brain activity is normal. Heart rate, normal, pulse, normal. Operations will proceed without delay."

For the next fifteen minutes, she watched as the woman was...butchered. She watched as much as she could before she shut it down, looking pale, and disgusted by what she saw. And through it all, the woman's organs, limbs, and skin regenerated as if never touched.

Clovis, she now knew, was guilty of his crimes, and justly executed...at least by her standards. Which is what shocked her the most. She loved her family dearly...but she herself would have executed her brother for what he had done.

"First Zero," she muttered, "Then this damned Cardinal...and now this..." she said, her hand rising against her forehead. "It seems that I have my work cut out for me...but...I do so love a challenge."

There came a knock at her door which made her take the drive from the port and drop it into her desk drawer, "You may enter." She called out.

The door to her office came open, revealing the green-haired Margrave. "Forgive me for disturbing you, Your Highness," he said as he entered.

"Think nothing of it," Cornelia said, waving her hand in dismissal, "You seem to have something on your mind, as do I...is it the Cardinal?"

Jeremiah nodded slightly, "In a way, but it has more to do with a family matter," he said, a slight smile on his face, "I was intending to take a small leave of absence tomorrow to see my niece."

"I had no idea you had family out in this area," Cornelia said in bemusement, "How old is she?"

"Fourteen this year," Jeremiah said, smiling fondly, "The poor little mite's only just gotten back on her feet, literally. She's been stuck in a wheelchair for the past seven years, and you can imagine my surprise when I got the call not three days ago that she was trying to walk on her own!"

Cornelia smiled, "A happy occasion, then," she said knowingly, "Unfortunately, I can only give you a limited time away from the base, what with all that's going on, but I can give you until three o'clock tomorrow to see her."

Jeremiah nodded, "I know that it's poor timing, but I hadn't had the chance to see her with everything happening so fast," the man said, frowning, "Still, even that amount of time would be a welcome respite from all of these failures that keep racking up on my shoulders."

"Sir Gottwald, if you're still blaming yourself about the incident at Aries Vila, then please don't." She said, frowning, "Lady Marianne knew that something was about to happen, other wise why would she have sent you and the rest of the guards away as well as myself."

"I will never forget, nor will I forgive myself for what happened to My Lady," he said with a slight incline of his head, "Thank you for allowing me a short time of leave. I'll leave you be, My Lady."

"A moment if you would, Jeremiah," she said before he could leave, "I'm placing Kewel under your command as a foot soldier, so would you mind going to him and removing those restraints?"

"Of course not," Jeremiah said, "But I highly doubt he'll be as civil with me as he was with yourself."

"Then it would be a good idea to remind him that his life is well within your hands," Cornelia said, smiling, "Feel free to execute him if he steps out of line again, for I rarely give second chances, I never give thirds."

=RoR=

The door to Nunnally's room cracked open by a small fraction to allow a small amount of light to stream into the room. Lelouch smiled at what he saw. Shirley had kept her word about keeping Nunnally company for the night. Both girl's were curled up on the bed together, fast asleep. The room was a disaster zone, with cushions and pillows strewn all over the place, leading him to believe that Nunnally had started one of her previously famous pillow fights.

Slowly, he crept into the room, smiling down at the girls as they slept, reaching down to pull the blanket over them. He leaned down and kissed Nunnally's forehead, hearing her sigh in her sleep as she snuggled down into the blanket. His eyes fell next on Shirley. The girl was dressed in flannel pajamas, much like Nunnally, and was sleeping peacefully. Her hair was in a comical mess around her head, even having a few feathers in it from a torn pillow.

Almost as if aware of him staring at her, the girl rolled over onto her back, mumbling...and then let out the loudest snore he'd ever heard. Lelouch clapped his hand over his mouth to stop the laugh that nearly burst forth, and hurried for the door lest he wake them.

He couldn't help the chuckles that followed, though, "I wonder if I can hold that over her?" He wondered aloud, smiling. Thinking again on what Milly had told him, he realized something...Shirley meant a great deal more to him than he ever imagined. Sure, she had been a pain at times, such as chastising him over his gambling habits, and frequent bouts of absence from school, even though now she knew that he had completed his required terms. There was always, however, a smile waiting for him at the end of it all.

"And with this," he grumbled dejectedly, "I am no different than my father, or my two older brothers...wonderful..."

"Is being attracted to three different women such a bad thing?" C.C. asked him as she came out of the shadows, spooking him, though he didn't outwardly show it.

Lelouch looked at her in irritation, though that was ruined by the blush that rose to his face when he saw that she was wearing one of his shirts, "I had planned to forego any sort of relationships until I was able to make a place my sister could live happily," he said on a huff, "But now, thanks to Milly's meddling, I am forced to admit not only my feelings for her, but for Shirley and you as well."

C.C. batted her lashes at him, "My, my, Lelouch, you certainly know how to make a lady blush," she said haughtily, "But I was speaking of Kallen, not me, you silly boy."

Lelouch grimaced, "I've barely had any contact with her, so any romantic feelings there might be haven't even risen to the surface," he protested, "And even if there were, then it would most certainly be for 'Zero', not Lelouch Lamperouge."

"And yet you intend to eventually reveal your true self to them at some point." She pointed out with a slight smirk, "How do you know that she won't have feelings for you then?"

"I'm actually more worried about her friends finding out that I'm a former Britannian prince." Lelouch admitted, frowning, "That's not going to go over very well unless I get Lord Kirihara's blessings, though I highly doubt that they'll trust me as much as I'd like even then."

"You didn't answer my question," she pointed out as she went over to him and encircled him with her arms, "But I think that you will at least have more than just Milly and Shirley in your bed."

Lelouch smirked at her, "Are you counting yourself among them?" He asked, bringing his hands to her hips, drawing her closer. "Or are you still going to be difficult?"

C.C. shook her head, "You seem to forget, Lelouch, I'm immortal," she said, her smile falling, "Even if I were to love you as the others do, it would be for nothing. You would grow old, and eventually die, as would everyone else in my life while I remained here...alone again."

"And what would I have to do so that I may banish that immortality?" Lelouch asked, "You can't have been this way all of your life?"

"No," C.C. relented, "It was granted to me...and I was unwilling because I didn't know what was happening to me." She looked up at him, "Lelouch, you asked me once what wish I wanted you to help me fulfill; my wish is to die, Lelouch. To end my eternity."

Lelouch looked at her in shock, "But...C.C. why -?!"

The immortal giggled, "Why wouldn't I?" She asked, no hint of jesting, "Lelouch, I'm well over seven hundred years old," she told him with a completely straight face, "I knew Joan of Arc, I was her best friend for most of her life," she said, "I was also there the day Washington sparked his rebellion." She reached up and stroked his cheek in an almost tender gesture, "And now here I am watching yet another young revolutionary trying to save the masses from a mad monarch." She then stepped forward, in a rather bold move in his opinion, and wrapped her arms around his middle, "Why do I want to die? Because I'm so tired of it all, Lelouch," she breathed against his chest, "I'm tired of living through all of the pain of watching everyone around me, whether I call them my friend or my enemy, wither away to nothing only for me to keep going." Lelouch raised his arms and held her against him once more, "You have no idea how...how lonely it is to face each day knowing that it'll be the same as the one before. Never changing, never able to move on and forget everything that ever caused me pain. In the end I have nothing but solitude to look forward to. Nothing more than that, except for perhaps pain." She looked up at him with more emotion in those amber eyes than he'd ever seen before, "I'm so tired of it all, Lelouch; of pain, of sorrow...of life...I want it all to end."

Lelouch smiled sadly, "I think I can understand to a degree," he said, reaching up to stroke her cheek with his left hand, "But I'm afraid, just like my father, I'm quite selfish." he leaned down, his lips hovering over hers, "I don't want you to die, C.C., not until you've actually lived."

C.C. giggled at him, "Lelouch, I'm centuries old," she reminded him, her breath warm on his lips, "I can assure you, I've lived enough for both of us."

"But you haven't enjoyed it," Lelouch frowned, "You may have seen many things most would give their lives to see, or perhaps long to forget, but you've never taken the time, in all these seven hundred years, to actually enjoy any of it."

"You try staying one step ahead of a witch hunting mob," she scowled, "My life's been hell - "

"Up until now?" Lelouch smirked, and pecked her on the lips, which she reciprocated. Again, she was falling for this boy's charisma again! She knew that she shouldn't, but dammit it was hard to resist him! He drew back, his arms tightening around her, "I won't allow you to die, not until you've found some joy in life."

"Really?" C.C. questioned, giving him a slightly seductive look, "And how do you plan to do that?"

Lelouch smiled devilishly at her, "Well, if you're willing, I could think of a few things." He leaned in again, and she rose to meet him this time for the long, lingering kiss. A small hum escaped her as her hands unconsciously slid up his chest and into his hair, her fingers tangling in the soft tresses.

She then gave him a gentle push back, smiling at him, "You're really pulling out all the stops, aren't you?" She asked, "Maybe when we're away, but for now, not tonight."

Lelouch couldn't hide his disappointment, "Well, since Shirley's here, I wouldn't want to wake her with all the noise you'd make." He said, smirking.

C.C. snorted, and turned toward her room, "You're so sure that I'd be the one making a racket?" She said, "Now to bed with you, boy. You've a busy day tomorrow."

=RoR=

The Next Morning

It was mid-morning when Jeremiah Gottwald marched himself up the steps of the clubhouse, a bouquet of pink lilies in one hand, and a bottle of Italian wine in the other. He felt a slight bout of nervousness rush through him, but he stomped it down just as quickly as it appeared. This was not some Knight of the Round he was meeting. It was his sweet young miss from his memories of Aries Villa.

Smiling, he pressed the doorbell.

He didn't have long to wait before he was answered by his favorite maid, "Lord Jeremiah, what a pleasant surprise!" Sayoko smiled, "I was wondering when you'd drop by."

"As much as I wanted to see our little miss's eyes again, I fear that the duties of my station will keep me ever busy until our Lord deigns otherwise," he said, dramatically, making the woman giggle, "Are they in? I was hoping to surprise her."

"Lelouch was actually expecting you," she said, stepping aside to allow him in, "He's in the back yard with the little miss."

Jeremiah smiled as he stepped inside, "Lead the way, m'lady."

Sayoko giggled at his flamboyancy, and led him into the house.

He was led through the house with ease by the maid/bodyguard, and he was greeted by the sight of Lelouch sitting under an umbrella-table, sipping tea while he watched as a green-haired woman slowly helped Nunnaly walk on the grass, bare-footed. Such a sight filled the Margrave with joy.

Lelouch caught sight of the man, and smiled, "Ah, Jeremiah, it's good to see you again."

Jeremiah gave a curt bow to the young man, "My duty to you, Young Lord," he said dutifully, smiling, "I see what Miss Sayoko told me was true; our little cherub is back on her feet again."

Lelouch nodded, gesturing for him to have a seat, "Yes, and I'm glad to say that she's getting stronger each day," he said as he went back to watching the two young women, Nunnaly having not noticed the visitor yet. "I take it you didn't just come to see her, though?"

The man took a seat in the shade of the table, and nodded, setting the bottle in front of him, "For your triumphant debut, and victory over Shinjuku," he said in a hushed tone, "Thirty years old, perfectly aged." He said, and placed the flowers next to it, "The flowers are for Lady Nunnaly, but she seems preoccupied at the moment." He smiled as Nunnaly stumbled a bit while she was caught by the other. "And you are right...I do have something grave to tell you."

Lelouch's eyes hardened, "I see." He said, looking toward his sister, "Then you'd best tell me before Nunnaly catches sight of you."

Jeremiah nodded, and began to recount his encounter with The Cardinal. Lelouch frowned with each word that fell from the man's lips. Shock more so than anything, though he didn't show it. Hearing that The Cardinal had abilities similar to his own was worrying, but not all that surprising. C.C. had been in the Imperial Courts for a long time, so it was only natural that she may have given the gift of Geass to others. But she had mentioned that she wasn't the only one with the ability, which meant that someone else may have given the masked man his abilities.

"He also hinted that you had abilities yourself, Young Lord," Jeremiah said in a hushed tone, leaning in, "Is this true, Lelouch? Do you have an ability similar to Lord Cardinal?"

Lelouch nodded, allowing his Geass to flare to life briefly in his left eye, making the man across from him flinch, "Yes, I do." He said evenly, "With this eye I can command the absolute obedience of anyone that meets my gaze." He said, "I'm sorry to say that I had to use it on one of your subordinates,Villetta Nu, I believe, but I'm confident that I can undo the command with a simple command phrase."

Jeremiah was slightly horrified at the admittance, but was glad that the young man hadn't done any permanent damage to the woman, "I'm glad you weren't forced to kill her," the man relented, palming his face, "I will admit that these powers of yours and Lord Cardinal frighten me, My Lord. In an instant, I watched as four of my best men were slaughtered without even a chance to raise their weapons."

Lelouch frowned, "I'll have to ask C.C. about this," he said, motioning to the young woman leading Nunnaly around, "She's the one that gave me mine, and I'm sure I'm not the only one she's contracted to."

Jeremiah regarded the woman for a moment, "I take it that this young lady was what was really inside that container you procured in the ghetto?" He said, gaining a nod from the young man, "Can she be trusted?"

Lelouch smiled at this, "I trust that girl with my life." He said, and waved at them, "Nunnaly," he called out, "look who's here!"

Nunnaly turned toward the two men, and broke into a smile, "Uncle Jeremy!"

=x=

Theta Base

Milly followed her grandfather into the base of Lelouch's operations, wondering what the man had in store for her. "Um, Grandfather, not that I'm unhappy to be here, but why are we here again?"

Reuben chuckled, smiling over his shoulder at the girl, "Well, Millicent, my dear," he said, stroking his mustache, "I've heard tale from Lelouch about your intentions to join him on the battlefield."

Milly huffed and crossed her arms, "You're not changing my mind about that anymore than my mother could change my mind about loving Lelouch." She said firmly.

Again, Reuben chuckled, "Oh, I know that, my dear," he said as they entered the elevator, "And that is why I wish to make sure that you are well prepared for what's to come." The elevator began its descent, "You see, the Zoid I initially brought to the Emperor was one of the few aerial models, and was very well equipped, but alas, she was rejected and left here to gather dust."

Milly looked at him with bright, wondering eyes, "Grandfather, are you -?"

"Yes, my dearest," the elevator stopped, and the exited, "I made her with you in mind."

In the factory area, many of Lelouch's men and women were working diligently on the new models. But Reuben bypassed them all in favor of a hangar to the far end of the factory with Milly tailing after him. The door to the hangar was shut tightly until Reuben punched in a code. Milly's birthday, she noticed with a small blush.

"This," the door began to open, revealing something beautiful, "is for you, my dearest treasure. Whether or not you enter the fray, you will raise us from the ashes just as this beauty's name suggests."

Milly stepped forward, speechless, as she took in the large predatory machine. It..'she' was painted red and gold, just like the true bird of legend. Her wings were folded to allow her storage, but her size was twice that of a fighter jet. She reached up and touched the cool metal of the frame, her fingers leaving dust trails over the body. The eyes of the machine glowed dimly at her touch, and Milly couldn't fight the smile that came to her lips.

"Hello there."

Milly joins the fight.

Be kind and leave a review, even though this chapter was subpar :p