Code IVANO: Omni Rising
Disclaimer:
I don't own the rights to anything related to the anime: Code Geass
The rights to it belong to…other people…
I do (for what it is worth) own myself…maybe…
Chapter 14: The Black Light
-August 26th, 2018 (Friday)-
- Black Knights Airship: Absolution (Dining Room)-
There was applause once Zero finished.
Many of the tourists rose from their seats and gathered by the windows. Some even took him up on his offer and joined Zero onstage.
It did not take long for the roar of engines to be heard.
The floor shook ever so slightly.
Faint waves of dust and dirt were blown away from the belly of the ship.
The engines roared louder and the ship gently rose from its earthly bed.
A feeling of weightlessness washed over all who were aboard it.
The ground drifted further and further away from the view of its spectators. The city -a beautiful jewel embedded in the crown of nature- was a sight to behold from this view.
The sky spread out before them. Its fiery eye set its near limitless gaze upon the ship.
-IiI-
The crowd had settled down and returned to eating and/or chatting with each other. Lelouch and his companions lingered by the windows whilst Brandon took a few more pictures.
"I think I got some pretty good shots." He mumbled as he fiddled with his camera. He then turned Aaron. "Are we going to get to see some KFs after dinner is over?"
"Yeah… The tour guide from before will take you guys back to the lower levels. We have some Knightmare Frames setup for you guys to play in."
The youngest Wise brightened at this. Aaron sighed and glanced around the room. His attention shifted to the stage and -upon seeing him- focused on Zero. He was busy talking to the few reporters (and some students) allowed to attend the tour.
"We have been working diligently with Prime Minister Ohgi in regards to the incident that occurred not too long ago. The Empress supports the revamping of the Britannian troops in Japan." Zero said towards a woman wearing a summer dress.
"But under whose authority are those troops? Yours? Commander Auron?"
"They are under the authority of the Britannian Cell Leader of Japan, who is under the authority of Commander Auron. However, we have also used the change to create greater collaboration between the Black Knights and Britannian Armed Forces of Japan."
The woman looked up from her notepad, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"…And that could not be achieved without assimilating the Britannian Armed Forces into your organization?" Her question was rhetorical and the words that formed it were laced with accusation and ire.
Zero let out a quiet and nervous chuckle. He and Commander Auron had been warned that someone would ask this. They had gone over a suitable answer… They had rehearsed this… But the words were slow to resurface and even slower to leave his mouth…
"It could have… but the Japanese people have grown weary of Britannia… This was determined to be the best solution. Commander Auron hopes to make the Japanese more comfortable with the Britannian Forces that look over the predominantly Britannian settlements there. It is merely a temporary solution."
There were more questions and more answers. Ten or so minutes passed when someone finally asked a question that prompted the second eldest Wise to cringe.
"You claim that your terrorist ways are over and that they had been brought about by your predecessors… then why have you hired a murderer who has an extensive history of violence?"
Zero scoffed at the question. "Why do you call him a murderer?" The reporter shrunk back as those ire laced words left Zero. "He defended himself and an officer of the law from a violent criminal… and he has proven that he holds no pride over what he did or his previous history of school brawls. The Empress has given me a second chance. I believe he deserves one as well…"
He looked to his right and nodded towards Aaron. The second eldest Wise returned the gesture thankfully.
"I must now excuse myself. Please enjoy whatever food is left."
He and the Absolution Commander left the stage after that.
Lelouch felt a ting of nervousness strike him when he realized that the two Black Knights were heading towards him and his companions. Aaron and his family had not yet deciphered his identity despite him living with them… but Suzaku had been a close friend of his since they were young… if anyone could see through his disguise…
His lips curled into a sly grin as he considered the various ways he could handle this situation.
He could turn and hide. He could head to the bathroom or go to grab some more food.
Or he could do what he does so well: "Play the Part"
Lelouch Lamperouge/vi Britannia -the 99th Emperor of Britannia- was "dead". The curtains for that particular act fell the moment Suzaku his pierced his heart with unforgiving steel.
Alucard ViRogue has taken his place…
Aaron turned to face Zero and gave him a proper salute. "Lord Zero."
The Black Knights Commander returned the gesture. "Corporal Wise. At ease…" A quiet chuckle escaped him once Aaron returned to his usual slouching posture. He apologized for any embarrassment he might have caused the second eldest Wise.
"Nah… kinda annoying how some people won't let go of something that happened eight months ago, and how they keep ignoring what actually happened…" The second eldest Wise chuckled before directing his superiors' attention to his companions. "Oh, hey, these are my guests: Brandon and Alucard."
Zero turned his attention towards the two. He extended his hand towards Alucard.
An introduction nearly left his mouth… but he froze…
They say that everyone has their own twin out and about in the world… but this man was nearly a mirror image of the recently deceased 99th Emperor of Britannia… There were differences -blue eyes and long hair as opposed to purple eyes and chin length hair- but their facial structures and features were eerily similar…
Zero briefly considered whether or not he was hallucinating.
The man standing before him might as well have been a ghost…
Lelouch smiled and readied his voice before grabbing the extended hand of his childhood friend. "Hi. My name is Alucard ViRogue."
Zero flinched at the unexpected touch and nearly recoiled in shock.
"Uh… yes… I am Zero…"
It was a silly response and Zero mentally slapped himself when he noticed the amused smile this 'ghost' was now giving him. His grip tightened and he firmly shook the hand of his new acquaintance. "It is nice to meet you."
Lelouch chuckled and their hands loosened. "Likewise."
The Absolution Commander watched this display from a few inches away. She ran her fingers along the side of her helmet -a technologically advanced piece of equipment Rakshata had designed after waking from a strange dream- and pursed her lips.
It felt oddly rude to be left out of-
"Brandon Wise: Trinity Representative."
She nearly jumped at the voice of the youngest Wise. He was smiling with his right hand extended towards her. The initial shock passed and she held his hand in her own. "Um… Captain Elizabeth Polis: Commander of the Black Knight Airship Absolution…"
"So! You guys must have a lot of KFs on this ship."
The Absolution Commander stood a bit straighter as a feeling of pride surged within her. "Yes. We have approximately 30 Frames on the lower deck. All of them are seventh generation models that share some qualities with the Lancelot model. Of course… Lord Zero is the only person capable of piloting the Lancelot efficiently… so these models are vastly inferior versions."
"The Lancelot is that difficult to pilot? Like 'getting Zweilous to evolve ten levels early' difficult?"
"You just had to go there." Aaron groaned as Brandon laughed.
"Uh ha ha ha… Yes… the Lancelot is a rather difficult machine to control efficiently." The Absolution Commander responded. "It takes a certain type of person to handle the strain a Knightmare Frame like the Lancelot puts on them… Huh… we also have a technical machine that is just as difficult to use efficiently as the Lancelot is."
Lelouch cocked an eyebrow at this.
"What do you mean by 'technical'?"
"It means that the machine requires the user to be proficient in…" Zero paused as he tried to come up with the write words. "It requires the user to…"
"Be proficient at tweaking its inputs to produce desired/maximum output in any given situation…" Lelouch chimed in with a smile. "…to put it simply."
Zero gave him a nod and praised his apparent technical knowledge.
"Will we be able to see this machine?" Brandon asked excitedly. "It must have a pretty interesting design."
"Well… the Shinkiro is…" Zero trailed off as a thought crossed his mind. "…Would you like to come and see the Shinkiro right now?"
The youngest Wise brightened at this. "Really? Are you sure?"
Zero nodded. "Yes. This will be a private tour for just you three."
-August 26th, 2018 (Friday)-
-Black Knights Airship: Absolution, Shinkiro Lab-
Rakshata stood before a computer terminal. On it were scans of the Shinkiro –updates and calculations and schematics- that she studied lazily. A frown crinkled her brow as she dryly noted that they were the same as last time.
"Has boredom really reduced me to this?" She bit down on her pipe and turned away from the terminal. There was nothing she could do for her child at the moment. "Zero ought to find someone who… oh? Guests?"
She removed her pipe and gently held it between her fingers as the lab doors slid open. "Zero… I see you took me seriously…" She stated as the Black Knights Commander and four other people entered the room. "I am familiar with Miss Polis and Mister Wise… but who are these young men?"
"This is my little brother: Brandon." Aaron responded as the aforementioned boy walked up to the Indian woman. He extended his right hand towards her and she delicately took it.
"Huh." She mouthed as his grip lightly tightened and they shook. The weight of his grip -even for a male- coupled with his slim stature was a bit heavier than average. It was a familiar weight.
"A prosthetic arm… reminds me of work..."
"You could tell that just from shaking my hand?" Brandon asked as if what had occurred was the most amazing thing he had ever heard. Rakshata smiled and let out a quiet chuckle.
"You tend to pick up a few odd things when you work with medical cybernetics as long as I have."
She turned towards Lelouch and an odd feeling struck her. It was a mixture between surprise and interest with a sprinkle of amusement. "Hello there." She laughed as she shook his hand. "Lelouch."
Her laughter died a bit as she felt his hand briefly flinch in hers. She looked at him curiously, but he quickly realized his knee-jerk reaction and laughed at her joke.
"Haha... I prefer to be called 'Alucard' nowadays." He smiled at her. "Lelouch has such a negative connotation nowadays."
After the introductions were all said and done, Aaron and his two companions took pictures of the Shinkiro and themselves. Most of this was done at the behest of Brandon, who even convinced the three other occupants of the room to join in for a couple of pictures. A few minutes or so passed and the group had settled down, with Aaron and his companions being given a lecture on Knightmare Frames by the Absolution Commander whilst Zero and Rakshata conversed nearby.
"Is this the best you can do?" She dryly asked the masked man. It was a joke -of course- but Zero had a bit of a surprise for her.
"I believe the man in white -Alucard- may be capable of piloting the Shinkiro."
"Because he resembles Lelouch?"
"Ha. No. He seems to be somewhat knowledgeable of what it takes to operate a machine like the Shinkiro." Rakshata cocked an eyebrow before shrugging her shoulders. "Is the Shinkiro still in Simulation Mode?"
"Yes."
"I would like you to open the hatch so that they can get in and try it out…" He paused upon noticing the enthusiasm of the youngest Wise. "…But I believe Brandon should go first. I believe it would mean a great deal to him."
Rakshata merely shrugged her shoulders before making her way towards the terminal she had been eyeing several minutes ago. Zero approaches the group of four and invites Brandon to pilot the Shinkiro. The youngest Wise was a bit hesitant to take the offer (due to not being acquainted with KF piloting) but Zero reassured him. "Miss Chawla has initiated its Simulation Mode. All you have to do is follow her instructions for starting it."
"Oh. Alright!"
With that, the youngest Wise the station staircase that housed the Shinkiro and watched with amazement as its hatch whirred open, quietly hissing a barely visible steam escaped. He climbed in and the hatch closed.
The pilot pit and its communication screen were a bit larger than he expected. He settled comfortably into the somewhat chilly -yet comfortable- pilot seat and gently gripped the controls in front of him. "I was hoping for something more along the lines of G Gundam… but beggars ought not to be picky…"
"Um… Brandon… Can you hear me? Speak into the device on the left side of your seat."
The youngest Wise groped the side of the seat before pulling on a corded walkie-talkie. "I hear you loud and clear, Miss Chawla."
"Good… the key to the Shinkiro is already in the ignition. You should see it directly in front of you. Turn the key clockwise to activate the Shinkiro."
The youngest Wise spotted the black KF key and a grin spread across his face. "Shinkiro…" he whispered as his hand lightly gripped the key. "Showtime." He twisted it and the machine shook with life.
Rakshata stared at the terminal. "Good… The startup sequence is performing at maximum efficiency…" She noted with a nod and a slight smile. She pressed a button and a separate communication screen rose from behind the terminal. The screen flickered on and she and Brandon could now see each other.
"Brandon. There is a keyboard in front of you."
"Oh. This is what that is?" He said as he placed the walkie-talkie back where it belonged.
"This is some pretty futuristic stuff."
"There are several Command Buttons that are labeled on it. Choose whichever one you want."
"…Hmmm… Uhhh… I guess… The one that says 'Defense Prompts'?"
"Press the button."
He did as he was told. Amazement marked his features as the keyboard layout changed somewhat. Rakshata walked him through the process of setting up the defense parameters for the Shinkiro and he was eventually able to simulate an Absolute Defense (albeit one that would not have lasted long in combat).
"I would like you to now… Is there something wrong?"
The boy looked distressed and his breathing appeared to be heavy. He was also clutching his arm tightly. "Yes… no… my arm just acts up…!" He let out a surprised grunt as the Shinkiro began to shake in a somewhat violent fashion.
"Rakshata."
"I know."
She looked the current terminal readings over. An annoyed look formed on her face. There was nothing wrong on her end. The readings were normal and… The Core Luminous was suffering from an energy spike. It appeared to be spinning faster with each passing second and-
A deafening roar filled the room and the Shinkiro appeared to be attempting to move.
"Rakshata!"
"I know!" She growled before furiously typing something into the terminal. "No Energy Filler… Good… alright… cutting off all external power sources… done!" A satisfied smile crossed her lips as the machine appeared to return to its previous state of dormancy…
But it was quickly replaced by utter surprise when the Shinkiro simply let out another roar and the entire lab shook. Aaron called out for his little brother as the Shinkiro shook with greater violence and pleaded with Rakshata to open the hatch.
"I cut the power sources… It will take a few minutes to reestablish a connect-ah!"
The lab shook again and nearly floored its occupants.
-Shinkiro-
"Lelouch…"
His blood ran cold at the sound of his name.
"Master…"
It was a voice meant for him alone.
"Core…"
The black machine lifted its hand with clear aim.
"Heart…"
It held a gaze that was cold as stone.
"Consume…"
I gently gripped his shoulder and he turned to face me.
The Beast is stirring… A fact none plainly see…
-August 26th, 2018 (Friday)-
-Africa, Fasa City; City Council Hall-
Ridley stood in the middle of a circular room. His head was lowered and his eyes were set firmly on the ground beneath his feet. He could not bear to look at the council of thirteen people who surrounded him.
"Ridley of the Bishara clan…"
One of them -an old man- spoke.
"The people of Fasa City have called for your return. We and they have grown weary of Scar and his evil."
Yet they willingly put Scar on the throne.
"You have shown your dedication to your people through the war you waged against Britannia."
Yet they condemned him and funded Scar and his thugs when they decided Zuma was no longer fit to rule as War Lord.
"Your exploits are legendary and your skills are great."
Ridley wondered how someone could spew such excrement from their mouth without flinching.
"We bestow upon you the title of War Lord and all the privileges that come with it. You are the hand of justice and vengeance. You are an agent of god."
Ridley scoffed at this and the perpetual smile he wore widened ever so slightly.
"Do you accept this responsibility?"
He raised his head and set his eyes upon the elderly man before him. "I accept it."
His voice boomed throughout the room. It was rather frightening.
"Then go and claim your home as your own… Scar will no longer need it."
Ridley spun around and made his exit.
Zuma had watched this display from beginning to end.
"Is this what it looks like when the farmer places a fox in charge of the chicken coop? It would be amusing if… Ha… it is amusing…"
They called him an agent of god.
Yes.
Justice and Vengeance.
There will be hell to pay.
-Author-
Charles: "Alright, missed the deadline a bit, but you're trying."
Author: "The pace is still somewhat slow (to me). The next chapter will deal with Reebop and Lelouch discussing the Beast and what is bound to happen. I don't want to give too much away. Anyways, I'll try to work in a bit more humor and cut down on unnecessary. I'm working on a short story, so the next update will come on November the 4th (11/04/11). It felt odd writing what happened in the lab after what happened in the dining room, but this sort of thing isn't going to happen for awhile."