Chapter Thirty-Six: Hunting Party
Marianne and her various daughters, the one she bore, the two she took in, and the one who would wed her son, all sat in the gardens looking up at the night sky.
"This reminds me of the times you two girls would come over to stay with us at the Aries Villa," said Marianne. "Clovis did a wonderful job recreating it. It's a shame he did what he did otherwise he could be here with us as well."
Kallen looked at her future mother-in-law and future sisters and saw slightly fallen expressions on their faces. Recalling good memories of Clovis, Kallen had none of those. Clovis had been her enemy and committed a terrible injustice against her people. An injustice which Lelouch had settled. But Clovis had still been Lelouch's brother and it couldn't have been easy for him to execute his own half-brother. It hurt for Kallen to have to do the same to her own brother Naoto when he came back as that monstrous Questing Beast.
'I hope we never have to do such horrible things again,' thought Kallen, lying on her back with her future sisters. 'I never want to have to fight my family again.'
Suzaku had dragged Lelouch further away from the hideout, hoping to earn more privacy as to avoid what they discussed getting out.
"Lelouch...what you're suggesting is..."
"Insane? Suzaku, no one knew about V.V before he came to usurp my father," said Lelouch. "He had influence in the Geass Order. I was delivered by midwives belonging to the Geass Order. It would have been all to easy for him to take my brother and fake his death right under my father's nose."
"Alright, alright, I'll admit it's a fair possibility," said Suzaku. "But what if this is just a trick played by V.V? To try and keep you here in Pendragon instead of leaving?"
"I won't deny that's a possibility as well," said Lelouch. "But...what if it is my brother?"
"Then he's an enemy," said Suzaku. "Lelouch, the Eden Elite are fanatics who worship V.V. Even if that man is your brother then he's one of them. Any true humanity he had was nurtured out of him. There might have been a time he could have been your brother but now he's nothing but V.V.'s pawn."
"And how should I say that to my mother?" asked Lelouch. "Suzaku, she's spent years mourning my twin's death. If he is alive don't you think she deserves to know?"
"To know that her son was stolen from her and turned into a monster?" asked Rivalz, walking up to the two. "To suffer like Kallen's mother and Lady Maria?"
"Rivalz? How did...the communicators," said Lelouch, realizing how Rivalz listened in.
"Relax, I haven't told anyone," said Rivalz. "I wanted to check in on you guys and weigh in. Lelouch if that guy is your brother what can you do? He's with the enemy and you know that if..."
"When," Suzaku interjected.
"When, we win this war," said Rivalz, slightly annoyed, "then any of the surviving Eden Elite will be put on trial for war crimes. You know what that means."
"I do not need to be lectured on having to put family to death in the name of justice," said Lelouch. "I've done it before."
"Yeah, the proof is one third of that Chimera thing," said Rivalz.
"And Clovis was only your half-brother," said Suzaku. "We're talking about your twin. Someone you share both parents with. Exactly how do you think your mother would respond to the idea of one of her children facing execution? Especially if you're going to be the executioner?"
Lelouch cringed at the very notion of his mother being forced to witness such a thing. They made good points about the situation, if Marrybell's would be executioner was indeed his twin brother Julius, then he was still an enemy.
"I know what you're saying is true," said Lelouch. "Both of you, but if that man is my brother, stolen from my mother at his birth then he is the victim of an injustice. I have to at least try to correct that. For my mother's sake I have to try. She deserves to know that her other son may be alive. And maybe I can help him, I know this must sound naive but I have to try."
"And if you fail?" asked Suzaku, his eyes narrowed in seriousness.
"If I cannot help him...I will do as my duty commands," said Lelouch. "Even if it breaks my mother's heart."
Rivalz and Suzaku looked at each other and then back to Lelouch.
"You're not going to leave Pendragon until you know for sure if he's your brother or not are you?' asked Rivalz.
"No," said Lelouch. "Not until I know for sure."
"I could very well force you to come with us back to Japan," said Suzaku.
"You could," said Lelouch. "But that still won't stop me for searching for the truth of the matter. If he is my brother I have to know and I will find out."
Suzaku and Lelouch stared down each other with Rivalz darting back and forth between them. Eventually Suzaku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Fine, we can send Marrybell along with Orpheus, Akito, and Rai back to Japan along with some of the Knights Underground," said Suzaku. "Since I'm not leaving you here and I doubt Rivalz's going to be leaving himself."
"Pretty much," said Rivalz.
"And we're not going to debate this Lelouch, if you're going to be an idiot and stay here then so are we," said Suzaku.
"There was a time I could force you to lave but...I still can't use my original Geass," said Lelouch.
"Of course you know by the time we do get back to Japan, Kallen is going to murder you right?" asked Suzaku.
"That...has crossed my mind," said Lelouch.
"Don't worry, I'll tranquilize her before she does permanent damage," said Suzaku.
"You're kidding? Right?" asked Rivalz.
Suzaku's expression gave no room for humor.
"So you'd really drug the Empress of Japan?" asked Lelouch. "My future wife?"
"Only to keep the peace," said Suzaku. "Besides it wouldn't be that strong of a dose. She'd just get calmed down and take a nice little nap."
"You really have thought about this haven't you?" asked Lelouch.
"You have seen her fight haven't you?" asked Suzaku. "If anything it'd probably do her some good to get mellowed out a bit."
"And I suppose I have a drug waiting for me as well?" asked Lelouch.
"No I'll just punch you," said Suzaku. "The only reason I'm not punching you now is because if we don't settle this issue now it'll come back to complicate matters later."
The three stood silent for a few minutes before Lelouch actually began to chuckle. Suzaku soon joined, as did Rivalz, and it did the three of them good to laugh. They laughed for several minutes, until finally they died down and caught their breath.
"God...we're a bunch aren't we?" asked Lelouch.
"Yeah, we are," said Suzaku.
"So it's reckless and we might get in trouble. So what? It's what we've been doing from the start," said Rivalz.
"The three founders of the Color Guard," said Lelouch. "It really started with us, hell even the Atlas Fleet itself began when we three first stood at each other's side. Three sworn brothers as one. A Holy Trinity of great symbols. The Symbol of Virtue, the Symbol of Law, and..."
"Glory," said Suzaku. "Lelouch...you may think because you got beaten before you're lesser than us but...we wouldn't be who we are without you. You showed us the best of what we could be and inspired us to reach for glory. The glory of being better than the shit world we live in. The glory of what we can all be if we put forth the effort of spirit. That makes you a Symbol of Glory, the one who inspires the rest of us.
Rivalz suddenly drew his sword and raised it aloft.
"To the Holy Trinity," said Rivalz. "Virtue."
Suzaku caught on and quickly drew his sword, meeting with Rivalz's.
"Law," said Suzaku.
Lelouch looked at this and smiled and drew the imperial sword.
"Glory," said Lelouch.
"The Holy Trinity," all three young men yelled before going back to their laughter.
The other three members of the rescue party had begun readying the convoy to leave to where the Knights Underground had secured a ship to take them all to Japan.
Marrybell had made herself aloof and kept away from her knights as getting near them made her ill.
"It's that Dumas man," said Marrybell, taking a cup of water from Orpheus. "He cast some horrible Geass on me. Anyone I've ever held an emotional connection toward when I get close to them or even think about them my body weakens and I get sick. Even just thinking about my love makes me...makes me..."
Oldrin dropped her cup and vomited onto the ground.
"I'm sure Lady Marianne will be able to help you," said Orpheus. "I promise you and Oldrin will be able to be with one another. Then I will fulfill my promise."
Marrybell smiled weakly even though she still felt ill.
"Try and get some rest," said Orpheus. "I'm going to make sure everything is ready."
Orpheus left the tent to let Marrybell regain her strength. As he went to the others he noticed the eyes of Monica looking towards him. He had known her through his interactions with the Knights Underground over the years. He had even worked with her during some missions in Britannia. She was skilled and courageous, and quite beautiful. They worked well together and it was obvious to Orpheus the feelings that Monica had developed for him.
But he could not return them. He could never return them. He swore he would never love again. Not since his uncle took his last love away.
The Holy Trinity as they now referred to themselves as sheathed their swords and began to form a plan.
"If we can make any safe bet it's that we're going to be hunted," said Lelouch. "Chimera will probably be heading it along with whatever other forces V.V feels like sending. Given Naoto's history it makes sense and he's probably be skulking underground."
"Meaning he might already be on his way," said Suzaku. "We should tell the others to leave now."
"I can make drones that can search the underground," said Rivalz. "We'll at least know what's hunting us down and...we don't have much time."
"What do you mean?" asked Suzaku.
"I'm sensing tech," said Rivalz. "A lot of it roaming the underground. They've already started hunting."
Waiting anxiously for Lelouch to come home wasn't sitting easily for Kallen. She decided to work out that anxiety with training. Dressed in only a sports bra and black trunks Kallen swung around her burning maces, striking down dummy after dummy.
In her mind she imagined them as that monstrous Chimera, which her brother was made part of. She thought she had freed Naoto from the horrible life as a monster when she and Lelouch killed him after discovering Lovecrest's laboratory. But now her brother was apparently back and was even more of a monster than before.
'Can my brother ever rest?' thought Kallen.
Kallen's fury increased the amount of fire she released and before she knew it the sprinklers came on in the training hall.
"Damn it," said Kallen, throwing down her maces as the water rained down on her.
The door to the hall opened and Sayoko stood with a towel ready for her Empress to dry off.
"Not just yet Sayoko," said Kallen as she stripped. "I may as well take a shower."
"Of course your majesty," said Sayoko, taking Kallen's wet clothes as few they were.
The Empress of Japan walked to the showers and once again water sprayed onto her body. Warmer than the water from the sprinklers. She took a handful of shampoo and ran it through her crimson locks.
As she dragged her fingers through her hair she suddenly felt something run down her back. She looked back and saw Milly holding a brush and scrubbing her back. She too was naked and she wasn't alone.
"Hello," said Euphemia.
"What are you two doing here?" asked Kallen.
"We were on our way to speak with you when we caught Sayoko leaving with your clothes," said Milly. "So we just stripped down and decided to join you?"
"This isn't going to be a thing is it?" asked Kallen.
"Oh that we form a bathing club just like your mother and Lady Marianne and Lady Maria?" asked Milly. "Why shouldn't we? After all we're the future wives of the three original members of the Color Guard. Just as they are sworn brothers to one another so we are sworn sisters."
"Exactly," said Euphemia.
"And besides, how better for us to bond than when we stand bare before each other? Concealing nothing but the naked truth," said Milly.
"As the Empress of Japan I forbid this," said Kallen, trying to cover herself.
"Overruled my duckling," said Marianne, bursting into the showers with Hisako and Maria in tow.
"If it helps dear...I tried to talk her out of this," said Hisako sheepishly. "It didn't work."
"No it did not," said Marianne cheerfully. "Now who wants me to rub them clean?"
The convoy had been forced to make an early departure at the urging of Lelouch and the other two. Orpheus didn't need much to drive off quickly after securing Marrybell. The other vehicles were filled with Glinda Knights and Knights Underground members who wanted to flee to Japan.
One of these included Nonette, who was happy at the idea of meeting her old friend Cornelia again. Akito didn't object to the idea of Rivalz staying in Britannia. Rai tried to talk Lelouch out of staying, for the sake of Nunnally, but Lelouch commanded him to go on.
He watched on as the convoy left the underground before turning back to those who had remained.
"You should go too Lady Ernst," said Lelouch. "My mother could use heroic souls like yourself."
"It would be an honor to fight at her side again," said Dorothea. "But I will not abandon another Emperor. We will leave whenever you desire, your majesty."
Kewell snorted, which led Gino to strike him upside the head.
"Very well," said Lelouch. "How are the drones coming?"
Rivalz stood at an old work bench where he had already prepared several disguised drones, making them look like blue insects.
"I've got a few but given what I'm sensing we might not have enough to check the entire underground," said Rivalz. "But if I spread them out I should get a decent enough feed of enough of the underground to give us some insight."
"That's good," said Lelouch. "We don't even need to see all the underground. We just need to know where they are and where they aren't."
After the shower Marianne had led their little impromptu party into full body massage for them all. Each woman lying nude on a table as Sayoko and several other maids rubbed out their stress.
"Well done Sayoko," sighed Marianne as the maid ran her hands along Marianne's back.
"Thank you my lady," said Sayoko.
"I really hadn't anticipated this would be how my day would play out," said Kallen, uncomfortable as one of the other maids ran her hands long Kallen's back.
"If it helps just think of some of us as your ladies in waiting," said Milly."Someone for you to gossip with when not busy with the running of the nation. And of course we can't really wed without your blessing so we have to be especially good or you'll have us be old maids forever."
"I wouldn't..."
"Now, now ducklings no teasing," said Marianne. "At least not until my darling son returns. So we can embarrass him too."
"I'm surprised Lelouch can even get embarrassed when you're his mother," yelled Kallen, her face as red as her hair.
"All the same was forced out of me my dear," said Marianne. "The training of a concubine. In fact one of my greatest moments of glory was when I earned my spot in the Knights of the Round. Beating down Bismark and several others before Charles, as naked as the day I was born with all eyes on me."
"Heavens," moaned Hisako.
"And you know it wasn't long after I was made Charles's concubine that a few of the others tried to humiliate me by stripping my clothes," said Marianne.
"I'm guessing it didn't work," said Maria, finding it slightly amusing.
"Well it was a bit of a plan for those foolish women," said Marianne. "You see I was quite popular with Charles but unpopular with them. As well as other nobles and even other knights. Apparently this lovely little conspiracy had been hatched between a number of them to try and shame me."
"Really?" asked Euphemia, not knowing this story.
"It was before your time sweetie," said Marianne. "Cornelia was even still a child when it happened."
"When what happened?" asked Kallen, legitimately intrigued.
Marianne smiled and all the gathered women listened in.
"It had been like any other day," said Marianne. "I had been retired from the Knights of the Round once I was made a full concubine to Charles. It was about a year before Lelouch had been born. By then I already had quite the reputation built up for better or for worse. I had been invited to a brunch with the other consorts on a Sunday I believe. Charles had been away at the time, so I was on my own. When I met with the other ladies in the palace courtyard the decided to spring their little trap. They clawed at me like a pack of wolves and stripped me bare. That part was actually quite fun."
Every other woman, with the exception of Milly, turned blue and sweated at Marianne's idea of fun. Hisako and Maria were at least getting used to their friend's eccentricities after spending so much time with her.
"Of course that wasn't the end of their little plot," Marianne continued. "A few knights came along and tied my arms behind my back and held me while more of their men dragged out a tub of hot tar. You see their plan was to have me tarred and feathered and sent to run around the palace like a frightened chicken. However they made a crucial mistake."
Marianne raised her long, smooth legs as if to offer evidence to her point.
"They forgot to bind my legs," said Marianne. "Thus with the grace of a dancer and the speed of a cheetah I managed to get out of the grips of the men who held me and made quick work of the men who were about to pour hot tar all over my body. That just left me buck naked and tied up with a bunch of over spoiled little bitches who had hoped to hurt and humiliate me."
"What did you do next?" asked Kallen, desperate to hear the rest of the story.
"I turned and walked right back to my Villa," said Marianne. "Still tied up and then I just sat in my bed room waiting for Charles to come that evening as it was our scheduled night together. Me being tied up made the evening...memorable."
Kallen raised an eyebrow in dumbfounded confusion, Euphie's face was as red as Kallen's hair, Milly laughed, while Hisako and Maria merely smiled, not expecting anything less.
"In fact...perhaps you and Lelouch could try..."
"NO," cried Kallen as the other women, and the maids, laughed themselves silly.
The Chimera ran on all fours, behind it more of Lovecrest's failed experiments. Corpses merged with machinery, this time giving them a more animal-like appearance. They followed along the lead of the hybrid creature along the darkened corridors of the city's subways and maintenance tunnels.
The horde that followed Chimera held long claws on their hands and feet, hunched, and prowled along the ground like the beasts they now were. Long iron canine-like jaws at their mouths and wide artificial eyes. In truth they were somewhat more successful as they were technically alive. Alive but mad, all humanity stripped away from them.
The Chimera and its hunting party ran on, going in the direction where soon they would pounce upon the lair of the Knights Underground, when at their back a voice called out.
"When I first saw you, you at least seemed human Naoto," said Lelouch, standing at the end of the pack.
The whole pack turned and parted as Chimera walked through them to its prey.
"You were a beast then," said Lelouch. "At least now you look the part, even more than before. And I'm sure you're happy Bradley. A veritable vampire instead of a man, nature's mistake corrected. And Clovis...Clovis I am sorry. If I could have I would have let you join me but...but you had committed an act of evil. You killed innocent people and someone needed to make sure you faced justice for it."
The animal faces shifted to human faces and bore down on Lelouch.
"You murdered me," yelled Clovis.
"Like Father, like Son," said Bradley.
"You say we are a beast but what are you?" asked Naoto. "Is there no evil you will not commit to destroy your uncle? Do achieve your glory?"
"I would do whatever I needed to do to secure peace for the world," said Lelouch. "But I can tell you one thing I would never do. I would never hurt Kallen. Not the way you have Naoto."
"What are we chopped liver?" asked Bradley with a laugh.
"You're all chopped," said Lelouch. "Chopped up and put back together again. Assembled by a madman under the direction of an even greater monster. Clovis, Naoto, I promise I will ensure you find peace at last."
"I still feel left out here," said Bradley.
"He's my brother and my future brother-in-law," said Lelouch. "You're just a two bit piece of shit my father threw into the gutter."
Bradley let the animal face come back and appeared to try to lunge at Lelouch but the body of Chimera didn't move.
"Oh," laughed Lelouch, an amused look on his face. "And what about you Clovis? Don't you want me?"
Clovis said nothing, merely moving his eyes away. Lelouch then settled on Naoto's face.
"You really are the dominant one, aren't you Naoto?" said Lelouch. "Once a leader always a leader I suppose."
He looked at the horde behind the Chimera and his face fell.
"Damned brethren," said Lelouch. "Lovecrest, he's the one behind all of you isn't he?"
"No more talking?" said Naoto.
The other two heads took on animal shape again and slashed out at Lelouch, who leaped back from the slash and turned back. He ran back into the corridor and the hunting party followed.
V.V took to his usual sanctuary, the old church. He sat in the foremost pew looking at the rotting image of Jesus Christ and smiled when he saw a bit of a reflection in the faded bronze.
"I must admit...I'm surprised you actually came," said V.V. "You stealth training is impressive. As is your tenacity. To face me, here of all places, but I'm wondering if you have a plan. Is that even really you? Dear nephew?"
V.V. looked over his shoulder and seated in a pew behind him was his prodigal nephew, Lelouch.
"Were you expecting someone else?" asked Lelouch.
"How did you find out about this place?" asked V.V.
"You'd be surprised the information Marrybell was able to leak to the Knights Underground," said Lelouch. "An unusual habit for the Demon Emperor to visit a church wouldn't you think?"
"This is a special place for me Lelouch," said V.V. "It's where Charles and I hid after our mother died. Did he ever tell you about your grandmother?"
"A bit," said Lelouch. "He told me she was kind and beautiful."
"She was," said V.V. "She was...innocent and she was murdered. Murdered by...them."
"The Emblem of Blood," said Lelouch. "When all your brothers and sisters were killing one another for the throne."
"Not just our siblings," said V.V. "Them...the people out there. Humanity."
"You blame humanity for your mother's death?" asked Lelouch.
"Not just humanity," said V.V, motioning to the image of Christ. "Where was God when my mother died? What is God if not the supreme being whose power was so great as to punish humanity when its evil got out of control or to shield the good for their faith placed in it? But there was no god that day. I thought there was no god ever. Then we found the Geass Order. There is a God Lelouch, not any god they preach of in any kind of religion ever since the fall of the Geass Civilization. The Collective Unconscious, the source of all Geass, the collective will of humanity. Peering through time, space, and dimension. I saw it, with my own eyes. It was beautiful and Charles saw it too."
Lelouch watched his uncle, seeing his uncle's expression soften. His purple eyes wax with nostalgia, recalling some phantom beauty. He almost looked...human.
"You saw what God truly was," said Lelouch, "and you found it unsatisfactory didn't you?"
V.V. looked back to his nephew, the demon returning in his eyes.
"Yes," said V.V. "We both found it unsatisfactory. Your father and I. Yes, your father and I actually agreed with one another. How does that make you feel Lelouch?"
"I'm not discounting the fact that you and my father may have been loving brothers once," said Lelouch. "But you disagreed didn't you?"
"Don't all brothers?" asked V.V.
"But it was enough to make you kill him," said Lelouch, venom in his voice.
V.V. couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yes," said V.V. "Because he looked back at the human race. The people who murdered our mother and he did something I can never do. Something I will never do."
"He forgave them," said Lelouch. "He dedicated his life to bringing Britannia out of savager. Bringing humanity our of savagery. I suppose that would be an issue for you uncle. You spent your whole life hating humanity for its savagery. What to do with all that hatred if humanity ever stopped being savage?"
"And by then I had become immortal so...naturally it was unacceptable," said V.V. "And of course it was your father who talked me into taking immortality as an adult even though I had proved a prodigy in the Order. I could have been an immortal at ten. But...well I had a bit of a schoolboy crush you might say. This lovely woman, an immortal in the Order. She was beautiful and brilliant. Charles convinced me that I should hold off immortality. Wait until I was older and thus I am what I am now. To be fair though how many people could take a ten year old dictator seriously?"
Lelouch couldn't help but laugh along with V.V.
"I'm guessing she didn't return your feelings," said Lelouch.
"Would you be happy to know if the answer was yes?" asked V.V.
"Any knowledge of you suffering would make me happy uncle," said Lelouch.
"Fair enough," said V.V. "To say she rejected me would be an understatement. She had been immortal for so long she was just waiting for someone worthy to pass on her immortality so she could die. Thus I am an immortal forever nursing a rejection of a beautiful woman. Petty I know, but...I am young. But you're not here to embarrass your uncle now. What do you really want Lelouch? Would it have anything to do with...Dumas?"
"Very clever uncle," said Lelouch. "The name is a little obvious isn't it?"
"You'd be hard pressed to find true literary minds nowadays," said V.V.
"You're not denying it," said Lelouch.
"You haven't given a true question," said V.V.
Lelouch and V.V peered each at each other, their violet eyes bearing into one another.
"You know my mother gave birth to three children not too," said Lelouch.
"Of course I do," said V.V. "I made sure to have eyes on my brother at all time. And that mother of yours. The happy news reached my ears. Yes, Lelouch, you have a twin."
"Have?" said Lelouch.
"You heard me," said V.V. "I'm guessing Marianne must have finally told you. Dumas put the idea in your mind and thus the possibility. Did my evil uncle steal my brother? Would you like an answer? But can you believe an answer given to you by your enemy?"
"Twins, brothers forced against one another," said Lelouch. "Nothing is original."
"But am I tricking you Lelouch?" asked V.V, turning fully in the pew. "I could be lying to you. Putting doubt into that lovely little head of yours. Making you uncertain and that the next time you see Dumas you may hesitate. Is that my long lost twin brother? That hesitation may cost you your life. Your life and your entire crusade. Your mother, your sister, your little red pet all suffering because you believed my lie like the gullible child you are. Has that crossed your mind Lelouch?"
"It has," said Lelouch. "But something else crossed my mind. You are my father's twin. Twins, brothers forced against each other."
"Nothing is original," said V.V. "A fine guess Lelouch but if you were to ever listen to your dear uncle for once, when you meet Dumas again simply ask him. For your sake, you had better hope I'm trying to trick you. For your beautiful mother's sake."
Lelouch scowled before vanishing as if in thin air. V.V looked down and saw a blue insect-like device sitting in the seat where his nephew once was.
"Very clever Lelouch," said V.V. "Very clever indeed."
The front of the bug opened up and digital clock counted down seconds.
"Now you're just being petty," said V.V. as the bug leaped onto his face before exploding.
The feed from the little bug at the church died and Lelouch stood with an agitated expression on his face. He knew talking with his uncle would be...difficult but it was something he needed to do. He knew he wouldn't get a straight answer from his uncle but at least tapping his saber against his would give him some insight.
"Lelouch?" asked Suzaku.
Lelouch looked back to his friend and straightened up.
"I'm alright," said Lelouch. "How's the hunt?"
"I'm leading them on a merry chase," said Rivalz.
The three of them stood in a small room in a rundown apartment building in which several other Britannian civilians had been forced into. They had been given as much room as the could spare. Rivalz stood with several holographic displays up before him. Showing him the views of his little bugs in the underground. After he sensed the coming of Chimera, Lelouch had him spread his little bugs out with the instruction to put up a holographic decoy of Lelouch.
He would then lead Chimera and its beasts throughout the underground until they came to a desired corridor.
He also sent one out to go to the church.
After the events of last night Marrybell had spoken a bit with Lelouch. She told him of a habit that the Emperor had whenever he suffered a 'setback' such as Europe or the destruction of his Colosseum. Always in the midday, like clockwork.
A few modifications to a little bug and V.V could see the image of his nephew and Lelouch could speak through the bug and hear what his uncle had to say.
"Your holograms are something else, Rivalz was it?" asked Gino, throwing his arm around Rivalz's blue shoulders.
"I guess so," said Rivalz.
"So where exactly are you leading those...things?" he asked.
Rivalz brought up a display of the map system for the Pendragon Underground and drew Gino's attention to the gas pipes.
"We're leading Chimera to this old part of the Underground," said Rivalz. "There's a large gas main running along there and I've hacked into the city's systems. I'm filling it to burst and once Chimera and his buddies are there..."
"You use your little babies to blow them all up," said Gino, following the line of thought. "Brilliant."
"It was Lelouch's idea," said Rivalz.
"But how'd he know that thing would take the bait?" asked Gino.
"Clovis wasn't very bright to begin with, Bradley is just an animal, and Naoto has a grudge with me," said Lelouch. "Putting them all together like that...a collection of stupidity and horror. It needs to be put down, like a sick animal. That's all it is, a sick animal."
The hunting party followed Lelouch onward until finally he came to a stop. He turned to Chimera and smiled. Of the three minds that operated the body of the Chimera, Naoto understood instantly.
But as it did the little bugs were well at their work. Digging into the pipes Rivalz had ready to burst. Digging in and giving off the spark of revolution.
The explosion shook the entire city.
"I'm guessing that nephew of yours did something devilishly clever," said Bludbierd.
"Not now Bludbierd, I have a dreadful headache," said V.V, slumped on his throne.
"Taking a hand grenade to the skill will do that to you," said Bludbierd. "I wonder just what he did."
"Most likely he lured Chimera into a trap," said Dumas. "He used the Underground to his advantage. Reports of tampering with the city's gas lines came in recently."
"As I said, devilishly clever," said Bludbierd. "Though what did he have to gain from talking to you, Vincent? If anything he's already guessed the truth. And he couldn't possibly expect you to just confirm it."
"He wanted to know if I was tricking him," said V.V. "After all...he and I are...similar. Both exiled princes come home to take the throne of our fathers. Family murdering family, vengeance driving us onward. Lelouch the Demon, just as they call me Demon Emperor it would fit him so well. I wonder who he would kill if he truly let his hatred of me take hold of him. Euphemia, Cornelia, Kururugi, that little Kallen girl? How many loved ones would he sacrifice to destroy me? I at least only had to kill one."
V.V stood from his throne and walked to Dumas.
"It's time for you to return home," said V.V. "The time for play acting is at its end...my dear nephew."
Marianne slept cuddled close to Bismark's chest. The fun and pampering had taken its told on her and she was resting peacefully. In her mind she dreamed of peaceful times, or rather times that never were but she wished.
In her dreams, in all her dreams, she could see the familiar sight of Nunnally running around with a fashionable hat Marianne once owned. Behind her Lelouch ran hoping to catch her before she fell. Along with Lelouch was another boy, one who looked just like him. Her sweet child whom she never got to hold. Her poor lost Julius, only in her arms in her dreams. Julius Vi Britannia, together with his twin and little sister and his loving mother Marianne. They were together, they were happy, they were a family.
Author's Note: Don't think this is the last we see of the Chimera. I hope this chapter meets with the approval of all my followers. I peppered a little bits of humor with Kallen dealing with the antics of her future mother-in-law. And just a bit of drama with Lelouch coming face to face (or sorts) with his uncle. Merely a bit of sizing each other up. Lelouch knew he'd get no true answer from his uncle but conversing with him helped him get and understanding of his uncle. To know if he would rather trick Lelouch or actually use Lelouch's own brother against him.
And now Lelouch will learn the truth as he, Suzaku, and Rivalz stay a little longer in Britannia to uncover this truth, for good or for ill.
Next Turn: Legacy of Cain.