A/N: Sorry it's late . I got busy yesterday :P here we go :D I'm glad you guys like this :D heeee~ *squeals*
Lelouch: *stares at author in disbelief*
Kari: *sharply glares back*
Lelouch: *twitches and looks away boredly yet slightly scared*
Linamae: Karichan-senpai only ow-
Kari: I think they get it already *sweatdrops* I don't own any recognizable.. uh.. things.. thanks Lina!
Linamae: *grins* R&R Please~
The three figures in the control room turned towards the tracking screen sharply, watching the approaching enemies as C.C. had spoken of.
Kallen ran up to the screen in shock, "They're coming in from above too!"
Linamae's eyes softened as she unhooked her cape from around her, having slipped it on before she got out of the Rosen, and walked over, draping it over Kallen's revealing figure.
Kallen looked back in slight surprise, then her features softened and she nodded with a smile at Linamae who smiled back.
Lelouch stepped forward beside them, still half disliking Linamae's revealing pilot outfit and draped his school blazer over Linamae's shoulders, making her turn to him in her own surprise, "That's right.. Viceroy Calares must've arrived. Escape would be difficult. That's why.. I'm going to win.. " Lelouch's features twisted into an arrogant smirk before turning around, grabbing Linamae's hand in the process and walking to the stairs to go back to their knightmares, "Kallen to the Guren"
"Roger" Kallen spoke, running off to her knightmare. Linamae followed Lelouch down the stares, her hand barely showing from the length of Lelouch's blazer sleeve which she had slipped her arms through. Once the two were boarded into their knightmares, Lelouch started speaking to the Black Knights once again.
"The Britannians must feel certain of their victory.. that clears all tasks at hand" he smirked as the cockpit of his knightmare hissed closed.
Linamae smiled at the familiar line from Lelouch, her own cockpit closing as she started up the Rosen, 'I missed you.. Lelouch.. '
"All that's left is your level right?" Lelouch asked through the mic.
"We'll be finished in ten minutes" C.C. replied.
"Understood" Lelouch spoke back, "We'll make a stand here to buy you time"
"What about Diethard's set up?"
"The system's still running, everything is going according to plan.. " inside his knightmare, Lelouch loosened his collar as he smirked in his still lingering triumph.
"This is B2! A single enemy knightmare- uh! AH!" Linamae blinked in surprise at the sudden report.
Lelouch held his mic that was on his ear in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"But that's- it was just there!"
"B2? What's going on? An enemy deactivating his IFF?" Lelouch trailed off near the last sentence but Linamae managed to hear it.
"A knightmare operating on its own?" Linamae asked, watching the screen as the Black Knights' units were appearing lost rapidly.
"Zero! This is B6! The enemy is- it's- AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Linamae jumped in surprise at the report.
"What's going on over there?!" Linamae spoke through the mic, "Report! B6!"
"This is R5! They destroyed R1!"
"This isn't good!" Linamae grit her teeth, "Lelouch! He's heading right for us!"
The two teenagers had driven out from where they were and were standing in a secluded room. They were soon joined by Urabe's Gekka and the Guren, both knightmares sliding in front of the two teenagers in a protective stance.
"Princess Li- er.. I mean Infinity! Get Zero out of here! At the very least you two have to get out of here! We can move in and act as decoys. Sacrificial pawns for the plan. So please.. " Urabe tried to explain.
Linamae's eyes widened, then set into an angry expression, "No! That's wrong Urabe!"
"Hm?"
"You're mistaken Urabe.. if you consider yourselves disposable, you'll never beat the Britannians.. " Lelouch spoke, causing a small silence among the four.
"Captain Urabe" came a soldier's call into the mic.
"Can you get there?" Urabe asked, turning his attention to the reports.
"Yeah, the cargo loading dock right?"
"Yes. It's a shortcut to this level"
"Confirmed" after a moment the soldier spoke again, "Yes I see it. This looks like a mass produced prototype based on the Lancelot"
"I see.. still this is not the type to try capturing it. Destroy it" Lelouch commanded.
"Understood. Huh? It vanished?!" Linamae blinked in surprise, turning to the voice only radio screen in front of her.
"Disappe-"
"How'd it get over here?!"
Linamae's eyes widened as she heard Lelouch's shocked reaction, "Hold on! Are you saying the knightmare disappeared?!"
"Hey! What's going on over there?!" Linamae asked helplessly, earning her a response of a lost knightmare on her radar, "Kh!"
"C.C.! Aren't you finished preparing that level yet?!" Lelouch asked through the radar.
"Why are you panicking.. ? You have Kallen, Urabe, and even Infinity there with you.. " C.C. calmly replied.
A blast through the wall made the four knightmares look up at the yellow, red, and silver knightmare that jumped through the smoke rubble, "Kh! That's it?! The aberration!" 'You're out of your league! You're not Suzaku! And you're maneuvers are no match for real strategy!'
Linamae looked at the knightmare in both shock and anger, "Dammit! Lelouch move away!" she rushed the Rosen forward to attack the new knightmare, followed right away on her flanks by Urabe and Kallen.
"We've got the advantage in close range combat!" Kallen announced, raising the Guren's extendable arm as Urabe raised his MVS. Linamae activated the Rosen's MVS as well and sped right for the yellow knightmare.
The said yellow knightmare pulled out twin blades from its side and crossed them together to look like an 'X' to defend itself, making Linamae stop halfway to it and speed off to the side.
Kallen and Urabe continued forward, "Too slow!" Urabe yelled, striking his MVS down at the knightmare at the same time Kallen swung her arm at it.
"No, wait!" Linamae tried to yell, but it was too late, the said knightmare had disappeared and ended up near Lelouch's knightmare, its swords twirling dramatically before being connected into one like a double-sided spear, also leaving Urabe's and Kallen's knightmares' arms damaged from the swords, and the pilots confused as to what happened. Linamae's eyes widened, "I-It really.. disappeared.. "
"Fast as a god!" Urabe yelled in shock.
"It can't be.. " Linamae whispered.
"It's not physically possible.. " Lelouch mused as well.
"Unless.. "
"It's something else.. Lina stay back and study it" Lelouch spoke only to her, "Learn its movement patterns"
"Understood" Linamae nodded before readying her Rosen into a defensive stance, only to gasp in surprise as the yellow knightmare sped for Lelouch, disappearing and then reappearing beside him to strike.
"Gh! It's closing in!"
"Lelouch!" Linamae yelled before Urabe sped in, pushing Lelouch out of the way and blocking the new knightmare's strike with his own MVS.
"Urabe!"
"Captain Urabe!" Linamae yelled out.
"Oh no!"
"Zero! I don't care if you're really a student of what your background is! And I know you meant it when you said we're not expendable. I know that every fighter we've got counts. Kozuki!" Urabe spoke, causing Linamae to slowly go into shock.
"Y-Yes?!" Kallen stuttered.
"Protect Zero and Infinity.. they're our last hopes.. and hope is what our people need.. Zero, protect my princess, or even in death I'll haunt you" he spoke in a slightly joking manner at the end.
"U-Urabe.. " Linamae breathed out, instinctively pushing her controls forward.
"Forgive me.. Rakshatta.. Zero! Save Japan! Help our people to lift their heads again.. and FIGHT!" Urabe deflected the other knightmare's sword, then swung his own sword upwards and struck it through the belly of his Gekka, straight into the other knightmare's shoulder, cutting right through it.
"NO! URABE!" Linamae cried out, tears in her eyes as she rushed forward.
"The Four Holy Swords.. have proven their worth.. farewell my princess.. forgive me.. and renew our Japan.. " were Urabe's last words before his knightmare exploded.
The Rosen continued to rush forward, forcing Kallen to stop it by blocking its way and clutching at its shoulders, "Infinity stop! You'll get caught in the explosion!"
"No! Urabe! We have to save-"
"Lina.. he's gone.. " Lelouch's voice snapped her out of her daze and made the Rosen slowly collapse to the ground. Lelouch looked down in sorrow, "Urabe.. " after a moment a beeping sound alerted him and he looked at his radar again, "Kh!" he turned his knightmare to the side and found the yellow knightmare on its knee, its shoulder indeed damaged but the rest still in tact, "Damn! It used that teleportation again! Kallen get Infinity out of here!" but it was too late, Kallen had already rushed in front of Lelouch's knightmare in a battle stance, "No! Wait!"
"I have to make my move now.. this one's for Zero.. " Kallen mused in a response.
Linamae snapped her head up to Kallen, "No! Kallen stop!" she made to move the Rosen forward but the radio interrupted her, making her turn her attention to it as C.C.'s voice came through.
"I have more bad news for you.. we're all finished here.. "
"Then it's done. Lina.. I won't let Urabe's sacrifice be in vain, hope begins now!"
Linamae slowly smiled at Lelouch's words, hearing the faint click of a trigger in the background, 'Lelouch.. '
After a short moment, explosions were heard underneath the building and the floor under the Guren's, Rosen's, and Lelouch's knightmare's feet collapsed, causing them to fall through. Reports came in throughout the communication lines, some Black Knights soldiers lost, but the rest safely below the floors in safety where the Guren, the Rosen, and Lelouch's knightmare landed using their slash harkens.
"That's it! The tower will smash the enemies above us and crush them as it falls!" Kallen spoke in both surprise and amazement.
"Not just that Kallen.. " Linamae smiled gently as she also watched the Babel Tower radar on her screen.
Lelouch smirked inside his knightmare as the building collapsed on its side, both him and Linamae knowing what the after effect of it was as it crushed the new Viceroy's carrier under it, Calares still inside.
'Your mistake was sealing off your escape route. And signaling your like that made you so easy to target.. ' Lelouch smirked in triumph before his familiar cackle sounded throughout, "Goodbye, Viceroy Calares!"
A direct call to Linamae interrupted her amazement. She picked up her cellphone from a compartment in the knightmare and attached it to her ear, "Hello?"
"Lina, his identity" Z.Z.'s voice reminded.
Linamae nodded, her attention shifting, "Right" she hung up and made direct communication to Lelouch, "Lelouch you have to get back to school"
"Right.. " there was a pause as he shifted channels to the Black Knights, "Black Knights follow the bridge and head straight for the Chinese Federation Consolate!" he commanded, leading the way through the tunnel, flanked by the Guren and the Rosen, then followed by the rest of the Black Knights, including C.C. just behind the Rosen.
As soon as they arrived, the Guren turned into the main knightmares' wing along with the other soldiers and C.C., while Lelouch led the Rosen into a closed off wing, having given them their orders already. Once the two teenagers had gotten off their knightmares, Lelouch walked over, taking Linamae's hand and placing a small recording device inside, then closed her hand over it with his own.
Linamae looked up at him once he finished; Lelouch gave her a rare gentle smile and leaned over to kiss her forehead, "You can it.. I believe in you. I always have.. " He then walked toward a black car, ready to go in; just before he opened the door, he looked back at Linamae who was looking after him, holding the device close to her chest, and smiled at her once more, "Thank you Lina.. I owe you my life.. we'll talk when I get back. Use the Omega line that Diethard set up, the password is on the back of the recording device"
The corner of Linamae's lips twitched up into a small smile before Lelouch stepped into the driver's seat, started the car and drove away. Linamae stood where she was for another moment before looking back down at the device, putting on a determined face and rushing off toward her private quarters.
She rushed inside and went to the closet, reaching up and taking down Zero's outfit. She quickly shed what she was wearing, placing Lelouch's jacket neatly on her bed. She smiled once at it before stripping off the rest of her clothes and picking up Zero's outfit, just as Z.Z. walked in.
"How come you get to be Zero.. ? I'm the male here, I have the right body shape for it" Z.Z. pouted, slumping down on the couch, his arms crossed as he faced Linamae's back who was currently slipping on Zero's suit, bringing it over her shoulders, zipping it up and fixing the chiffon collar.
"Lelouch doesn't trust you enough to make this speech. He's afraid you might mess something up"
"Pft! I did it last time.. with C.C.!"
"Yes.. but for one, like you said.. " she picked up the cape and slung it around her shoulders, clipping it at the front as the paddings inside the suit made it so she had the right body figure of Zero, though not as tall, but the television broadcast wouldn't capture that, "C.C. was with you to keep you in check, and you didn't have to do anything but sit or stand there. This time there are actions involved" she spoke, not once looking away from what she was doing. She walked over to her dresser, ignoring the silenced and pouting Z.Z., and pulled out a hair tie, grabbing her hair, gathering it up and putting it up in a bun so that it fit inside the mask. She picked up said mask and looked at herself in the mirror before turning to Z.Z., "Where's Sora?"
"With C.C., I should go back and take him from her, C.C.'s not very good with children" he smirked, walking out of the room.
Linamae sighed, shaking her head and turning to the mirror once more before slipping on Zero's mask and walking out the door, heading straight for the broadcasting room.
Meanwhile, Z.Z. walked in on C.C. trying to calm a tearing up Sorale.
C.C. looked up in a panic at him, "Finally! Take him and make him calm down! I can't do anything for this child!" she stood up and made her way over to the camera screens, sitting down on the black chair and watching the screens in frustration.
Z.Z. chuckled and walked over to Sorale, picking him up and tossing him up in the air slightly, making the child giggle, "How are we ever going to have our own children hm C.C.? If you can't even take care of this well-behaved child. He rarely ever cries~" Z.Z. walked over, playing with Sorale in his arms.
C.C. turned and glared at him, "Who said we're having children? And besides who even said we were together that way.. " she turned away to hide the small blush on her cheeks.
Z.Z. smiled knowingly at her, "But C.C… that's my-"
"I know.. just cut it out for now.. We have to help them first before both of ours can come true.. "
"Right of course~" he went back to playing with Sorale.
Linamae stood in front of the camera, having already prepped herself beforehand. She took a deep breath as the camera came on, closing her eyes for a moment inside the mask before opening it again as she heard the recording of Lelouch's voice come on, facing both the camera and the small crowd of Kallen, a few soldiers, one member of the High Eunuchs of the Chinese Federation, Gao Hai, and Li Xingke, also part of the Chinese Federation, but part of a faction that is extremely and strictly loyal to their current Empress. She immediately reacted in the actions that she knew Lelouch would make as Zero and predicted almost easily what he was about to say next.
"I am.. Zero!" the broadcast ran throughout Area 11 and even throughout Britannia, the Black Knights, and most of the rest of the world, "People of Japan! I have returned!" she extended her arms out in a majestic manner upwards, in a way to accept glory for a moment before lowering back down under the high collared cape, "Here me Britannia! All you who have power, heed my words carefully! I am burdened by sorrow, war, and discrimination. Malicious deeds carried out by the strong. The same abhorrent interplay of tragedy and comedy. The world has not changed, the people still suffer. That is why the resurrection of Zero was necessary. So long as the strong oppress the weak, my rebellion will continue to grow. It begins today with the divine punishment I have wrought upon the inept and foolish Viceroy Calares" she raised her hand and brought it up in a dramatic action, "I shall fight, against all those who abuse their power! Therefore once again," she threw the cape backwards dramatically, making it flare out, "Here and now," she glared, feeling the emotion and power in Lelouch's words like they were her own, "I declare the establishment of the United States of Japan!" she ignored XIngke as he walked out of the room, "Starting from this moment, this room shall be the first of dominion of the U.S.J! Race, ideology, and religion will not matter! Being a citizen will have but one requirement. To do that which is just!" she closed her eyes and signalled for the broadcast to end. Once it did she immediately walked forward and out of the room, heading straight for the main room where C.C. and Kallen currently waited, watching a live news broadcast, though only Kallen was paying attention while C.C. sat on one of the couches, both turning to Zero's figure when Linamae walked in.
Kallen smiled at the masked figure before turning back to the broadcast, "You have the town jumping Lelouch"
Linamae smirked and reached up to take off the mask, "Naturally"
"Uh?" Kallen turned back to look at the figure of Zero with a feminine voice. C.C. just ignored it, already knowing the plan.
"A new nation has just been created in their own territory, and not to mention of course, that it also just declared war on Britannia.. " Linamae pulled off the mask, shaking out her hair from the bun it was in and fixing it casually, before looking at a startled Kallen. C.C. smirked from where she sat, looking at Kallen as well, "What's the matter?"
"When did you two switch places?" Kallen asked.
"Before the speech" Linamae replied, placing the mask down on the couch beside C.C.
"But I-" Kallen started.
Linamae reached up to take off the rest of the outfit, starting with the cape, "His voice was pre-recorded"
"The moment he appeared it was already her" C.C. explained, "Just like in a magic show~" she picked up the mask and played with it while Linamae draped the cape off of her, hanging it on the side of the couch.
Kallen's features turned into anger and irritation as she glared at Linamae, "You planned it on your own. The three of you. We don't like it when you keep secrets from us"
"We don't like it? You mean you don't like it, do you?" C.C. smirked at her, Linamae just watching in slight interest as Kallen glared harder, "Besides, I had no part in their planning, I just wasn't surprised that it happened. Blame the couple, not me" she closed her eyes and turned her nose up in the air as she continued playing with Lelouch's mask.
Linamae sighed and stayed out of the conversation, "Why did he have to say we were pre-engaged.. ?" she mumbled so only C.C. could hear, making the said witch smirk in amusement at her; Linamae glared at her.
A/N: Probably a double update toda Sorry about the late again guys XD Hope you like it~
Lelouch: Please R&R
Kari: *glares* THAT'S LINA'S LINE!
Lelouch: *rolls his eyes and walks away*
Kari: *lassoes him with a rope and pulls him back* *grins* woot!
Lelouch: *struggles* OI!
Linamae: *sweatdrops* Yes please R&R