Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of the Code Geass or Digimon franchises.
Chapter 2
The Disaster of Shinjuku
On the bridge of the Britannian G-1 Base, the situation was not one viewed as favorable by those present. Sitting on the throne in the back, Clovis looked rather irate as he watched Bartley and the rest of his staff. He watch his subordinates, from his right-hand man Bartley to all the others, go about their duties. The terrorists had made off with the girl and other research material, and he was livid. Just hours ago, he had been enjoying himself at his party, not that said event was anything of importance, and now here he was overseeing this operation. He hated nuisances like this, distracting him from more important or otherwise more pleasant matters. He had to admit, he cared little for trivial matters like these terrorists. Not because of his inability to deal with them as effectively as someone like his sister, Cornelia. Rather, because of how pointless their actions were. They were disorganized and unfocused, and their actions lacked any thought or goal. True, he did little to curb their actions, but that was because even he could see that they weren't actually of any threat to the Empire's hold on Area 11. Even the JLF, the one organization who he did regard as more than a simple nuisance, was doing little to them in the long run.
"No trace!? And you dare to call yourselves the Royal Guard!?" Bartley barked over the radio to the unit that had been sent to retrieve the capsule. The General was by no means a happy man right now. Not only had the capsule that they were seeking been opened, but the girl inside was nowhere to be seen? While the other stolen cargo was one thing, that girl was the far more valuable prize. So much of the Code R research was progressing around her and her capabilities. Those other things could be recreated with enough time and material, but something like her could not be replicated. She could be a one-of-a-kind specimen, and her loss would be a massive setback. He and Prince Clovis had dedicated significant time and effort into their project, and neither wanted for any of it to be upended by some group of miscreants.
"Forgive me, my lord. There was no sign of them when we arrived, and the blast collapse the ceiling, preventing us from investigating further." The unit captain apologized over the radio, his tone of voice far meeker than when dealing with Suzaku earlier. Quite obviously, he did not want to set off his superiors any more than what could not be avoided. "However, according to the Private who discovered the site, he claimed to have encountered something. I believe from his description that its likely a D-type, though its unknown whether its a Wild or if it is being used by any individual or group."
"We've no time for a Collection operation! Recovery of the capsule is of the utmost importance! Why do you think we told you about what was inside that thing in the first place!?"
"No, its fine." Clovis said as he stood up, and walked over to the staff. He gestured for Bartley to quiet down, much to the General's confusion. He knew the Third Prince should be as incensed as him about the loss of the girl, but contrasting his own fury, the Prince appeared very calm. Considering the rage he had shown earlier, it was actually worrying just how relaxed he was now. "In fact, this will be quite the boon." Yes, he could see the opportunity being presented before him now.
"Your Highness?" Bartley questioned, his confusion evident in his voice. The rest of the staff looked to him as well, some exchanging looks of their own. None of them were sure at what he was getting at.
"Orders on recovery of the stolen cargo still stand, but run a scan on the area for any potential gate signs. If there are in fact signs of any D-type in the area, even just residual traces of a gate opening, we will simply be forced to begin countermeasures for dealing with the presence of one. Its just a shame that we couldn't save the Elevens from its rampage."
It took a moment for the meaning of his words to set in for his staff. "A-are you sure about this, your Highness?" Bartley asked, hesitation in his voice, steeling himself to carry out something like what was coming.
"Above all, we can't risk any information about the girl getting out. I could risk being disinherited. Therefore, we shall cleanse the Shinjuku Ghetto, and send a report back home that a D-type caused it." Yes, that was indeed his greatest concern. His clandestine research, the mysterious girl, and this whole situation he found himself in. If the wrong information got out before his objectives were met, it could spell the end of his future. He may not be the one best positioned to take the crown one day, but he had his ambitions. One day, when all their research and objectives were complete, he could present the fruits of his efforts to the Emperor. But should this girl's existence come out now, who knows what could happen to him?
It wasn't long until the new he wanted to hear was delivered from one of his staff. "We can confirm, two separate gate residual signatures within the area! One trace amounts, likely several hours old, and one very recently!"
"Two, you say?" he said as he placed his hand to his chin and he contemplated the information. That was certainly odd. As far as he was aware, there were no records of such events happening within the same area let alone in such a short succession. He wondered what the significance it could mean. Was it coincidence or chance? Or was there a reason? It might be best for him to proceed on the side of caution and assume there might be some significance, especially if there was such a recent crossing. Multiple crossings from one gate weren't unheard of, but this was something that there was no precedent for. With at least two of the creatures in the area, that could prove to be an issue depending on what that meant. "We will now proceed to the next phase of the operation. We will continue to investigate the whereabouts of that girl and the potential Wild in the area. Captain, you will take Container G and return to the subway."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"And for the rest of the operation..." he turned to his staff once more. He could see hesitation for what he was about to order in one or two, but knew they would carry it out none the less. The soldiers also likely wouldn't be a problem, either. After all, a sizable amount of the limited force he had brought with him were members of the Pureblood group, and anti-Number sentiment would be useful here. A decision made precisely should this need arise. "As Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, I order you now! Destroy Shinjuku Ghetto! Leave no one alive!" he declared, delivering a sweeping motion with his arm for a dramatic effect.
And on his orders, Sutherlands began to launch from the G-1, and other combat vehicles moved out as well. Those without vehicles proceeded on foot with their weapons ready. These forces that had been amassed for the Viceroy's purposes carried out those orders. And carry out those orders was what they would do, no matter how horrible. Some would relish in the terrible acts while others took a dispassionate approach, reasoning that orders were orders. Either way, no one dissented from the actions, whether they personally liked these actions or not. Knightmares Frames, Tanks and other vehicles began to fire at whoever they could find, while soldiers entered buildings, sweeping each floor systematically for residents.
Meanwhile, the Royal Guard had returned to the old subway as ordered, this time with a vehicle. It was a a truck with a transport trailer. And like its moniker of Container G, the trailer was labeled with the letter. "Honestly, I'm not big on relying on this one." he voiced his opinion to his men. "Things like these are far to unwieldly compared to the more refined ones.
"It can't be help, sir." one subordinate replied. "The tunnels would be too cramped for anything else. They could accidentally bring the whole thing down."
"Yes, I'm aware. But using these one aren't much better than using a Wild." The back of the trailer began to open up, and noises could now be heard from within. A series of growls made him certain all eyes within were on him. As soon as the door was fully open, the captain pulled out a device with and pressed the button on it. There was a series of yelps from within.
"Alright you beasts, listen up." he ordered. "Follow my commands and this won't be unpleasant for you." From within the container, there were various grunts and growls in response. "Disobey and..." he pressed the button once more and there was a serious of yelps once more. "I hope I make myself clear."
Lelouch simply stared at the strange creature before him, feeling just as confused as the expression he was giving him. How did it know his name? The dinosaur himself didn't even seem to know why. "What are you? Who are you?" He felt compelled to ask, to get some much needed clarification on what was going on. He was not prepared in the slightest for the answer he was about to receive.
"Huh? I'm Agumon." he stated simply, seemingly more confused by, from its own perspective, such a weird question.
"That... doesn't explain anything at all." He didn't bother hiding his exasperation with such a response. He pinched the bridge of his nose in his annoyance. The creature seemed completely oblivious to what might be wrong with his response.
The girl seemed to be looking over him intently, studying his reaction. "So, I see you don't know..." she stated, seemingly more to herself than anyone else present. Why should he know what this thing is? He hadn't ever seen or experienced anything like this before in his life. And he hadn't ever heard of something like this before either. Before today, he would have said creatures like the one he had encountered and the one before him don't exist. What they did, from breathing fire, to disappearing when they were seemingly killed, it was supposed to be the stuff of fantasy. But such things had happened right before his very eyes. He would not be able to deny the existence of such things.
"I get tired of explaining things, but very well. I'll help you understand. It would be more troublesome for you not to know things like this." Her choice of words seemed odd to him. "Agumon is what is called a Digital Monster, more commonly referred to as a "Digimon."" the strange girl said. "The one from before was also a Digimon. They come in a wide variety of kinds, much like animal species."
"That was a Geremon. They're really gross and annoying, but nothing I can't handle." Agumon chimed in, his tone confident. And considering which of the two creatures were still standing, there was certainly a case to warrant that attitude. He wondered why, but he had the strange impression that the creature liked to fight. The impression was strange to him not because it was sudden, but for the opposite reason, in fact. It had taken him a moment to realize he seemed to already have the idea that the dinosaur liked a good fight.
"And that device you posses is called a Digivice. It is something that connects you to Agumon." she said, pointing to the strange object in his hand.
"Connects me?" He thought to the object, and how he had carried it for years, not knowing what it was. He often wondered how he had come into possession of it and when, but he still couldn't recall.
"The Digivice means that the two of you are partners. Think of it as a symbol of something like the Contract we now share. Though there is hardly any conditions like ours, just a bond that your fates are connected."
"That sounds kinda familiar..." the creature said as closed his eyes to think, recall where he had heard something like this before. Hearing it explained, he definitely felt like it was knowledge he had, but where such knowledge came from, he didn't have a memory to associate it with. It was a strange feeling for him. The two humans could see from his expression that he was trying hard to think of something, but he wasn't getting anything.
Placing her hand on his head, the girl reassured him by patting him gently. "Don't force yourself to recall. If you can't remember now, theres likely a reason for that."
"You're right. Thanks, C.C." he said with a smile, feeling a sense of reassurance from her words. His words didn't go unnoticed by any of the three present. Or rather, one specific word, the one he had called the girl. "Oh! I know your name too!" Like the explanation, he somehow knew the names of both of the people in front of them. But that seemed to be all he knew. He knew who they were and their names, but didn't seem to be able to think of anything else in relation to them and the knowledge he possessed. So rather than continuing to worry about why he knew things and didn't know why, he decided to put it out of his mind. It wasn't something he would concern himself with.
As for Lelouch, he looked over the girl with suspicion. Not necessarily because he thought she might be a threat to him, and he was far from inclined to hand her over to Britannia, but because he wondered how she knew these things. The Geass she had given him, and the things she was explaining to them. She wasn't normal by any stretch of the word. How did she know things like this? How did she do the things she did? "So, who are you anyway?"
"You heard what your partner said. I'm C.C." she said as she turned her back to him. Unlike the confusion that Agumon displayed earlier, her response was more aloof. It was clear from the air of her, the name was all she was inclined to share.
"Yeah, C.C. is C.C." Agumon chimed in, clearly missing the point of his question once more. Lelouch resisted the urge to bury his face in his palm. He wasn't sure he was prepared to deal with this kind of...denseness.
As Lelouch groaned, the creature suddenly tensed up at a faint noise. It quickly turned around, looking around cautiously. Lelouch didn't need to ask why he was doing this, sounds of battle from above could be heard, and he hadn't forgotten the situation he was in. "You can tell something is coming, can't you?" Like the impression that the creature liked to fight, his current thought was how the creature definitely had good instincts. If he was getting cautious, it was his cue to do so too. Looking at the girl he now knew as C.C., he could see she felt similarly.
"Yeah." he nodded, listening carefully to what had caught his attention. "Lots of footsteps, and fast. Can you hear them?" Lelouch shook his head, unable to hear anything other than the sounds of conflict from the surface, so he decided to fill them in. "Lots of running around, and another noise occasionally." He probably wouldn't have noticed the sounds of footsteps if it weren't for the other noise prior, sounding like the noise an animal might make, alerting him to danger. He even heard it again suddenly, confirming his suspicion. It sounded like a yelping or growling.
"How close?"
"Really. If we stay here, they'll probably be here in minutes." He turned back to the student, though his focus still on their situation. "What do you think we should?" The Digimon's eyes said it all. He didn't question why, but he could tell that the creature trusted his judgment.
Well, if thats what the situation called for, he wasn't going to back down. "You said there is a lot, right? Are they all proceeding together?"
Focusing its hearing as best he could, following the sounds he could make out, from the footsteps to the other noise, he listened to them intently. The footsteps would probably be hard to make out, but the barking made things a lot easier. "No, sounds like they're spreading out, going in different directions."
'Judging from Suzaku earlier, more soldiers wouldn't be out of the question. They're probably searching for this girl. Suzaku might not have been told the truth, but there is no guarantee other soldiers won't be. This all started with them trying to retrieve the capsule, so they're going to keep at it until they either get it back or something causes them to stop.' He thought about the situation as quickly as he could. If the contents of the capsule had to be concealed, then finding out what was inside was something that couldn't be allowed. And that meant if he was seen with the girl, his life would be forfeit. That eliminated several options from even being considered. Even if he tried handing her over to ensure his safety, he would likely be killed anyway. Not that he would seriously do so, but he wouldn't even try to use it as bait or a trap.
"If we fight here, it will alert anyone else in the area. Its best to avoid their numerical advantage. If fighting become unavoidable, we'll consider it, but we should try to prioritize escape." The Digimon nodded, accepting his call. He then looked over to the other companion he had gained. "I'm assuming you don't want to be recaptured, right? Are you fine to run on your own?"
"I'll manage."
The three of them began to make their way as quickly, but also as quietly as possible. Agumon glanced around constantly, staying alert for all sounds. After a good while, he stopped his two companions by some debris and gestured for everyone to hide. Not even questioning why, the trio all ducked behind it. It was then that he heard what sounded lie a barking noise, though certainly not from a dog. And he didn't even have to question what could make such a noise as the thought was answered as quickly as he had it. A pair of creatures ran by them without stopping. Their appearance was more peculiar than his new companion. While they appeared to be dinosaurs like Agumon, their bodies were far more...limited. They looked like oversized dinosaur heads with only a pair of legs and a tail, completely lacking arms.
"More Digimon, I assume?"
"Yeah, those were Gaossmon." Agumon replied. "They had something weird looking on them."
"Weird looking?" He already was getting an idea of what Agumon was about to say. His keen eye and attention to detail had gotten a good look at them, and he took in every detail he could. Without a normal frame of reference, nothing about them would seem any odder than their appearance would already be. But it didn't take a genius to notice the one detail about them that clearly wasn't natural. It looked like some kind of device fastened around them with a belt. What this item could mean was something running through his mind now. 'I won't make assumptions, but the most likely sign is someone is likely directing them. The slime acted in a more feral state, but if someone is directing them, the question is for what purpose? The timing is beyond suspect...'
After a moment, he gestured for Agumon to lead them in a safe direction. The reptile did so, carefully listening for the noises the Gaossmon would occasionally make. He wondered if there was any significance to their noises, perhaps echolocation or comuni-
"We're pretty lucky Gaossmon just like to bark a lot. Makes finding or avoiding them really easy." Agumon said. Lelouch stared at the creature, finding it hard to believe the difference between its earlier denseness and obliviousness to simple statements or questions, to his current behavior. He doubted he had sensed his own questions, but his comment was nonetheless perfectly timed for the thoughts he had. Clueless to a strange degree earlier, yet now focused and attentive to the dire situation at hand.
Well, he could probably do much worse in term of allies than him right now, he supposed.
Making their way through the old subway tunnels wasn't hard on its own, but the lack of light and avoiding the creatures certainly wasn't making things easy on them. All the while, Lelouch paid close attention to the sounds from above. Something was going on, but he lacked the means to gather information on precisely what. Between the military pursuing the terrorists, and the poison gas cover story he had picked up from Suzaku, he had every reason to exercise caution. And he couldn't shake the nagging feeling he had towards their other issue. But all he could do was be aware and cautious for now, and as long as they treaded carefully they would be able to make it out of there safely.
The ringing of a phone suddenly echoed throughout the tunnel.
It seemed luck was not on his side today, though by this point in events that should have been fairly obvious. He tried to quickly silence it, noting the number was Shirley's. Of all the times she could choose to reach out to him, this was by far the least opportune time for it. With his bad reception down here, he had completely forgotten to even silence it. Hearing a series of barks from the creatures scouring, he looked to his companions. C.C. shot him a look which was clearly saying "Are you serious?" to him, while Agumon looked at him in confusion. He was not in the mood for such condescension from them, or at least as he perceived it on the latter's case.
"Change of plans then, just run for it!" he declared as he took off running with the two tailing right behind.
"I can't believe you would be so careless." C.C. said in a tone that he was none too pleased to hear. Indeed, he was kicking himself for making such a stupid mistake. But he didn't need her to add in to that. He was quite capable of scolding himself without her unwanted help.
"Why'd you make that noise, Lelouch? Did you want to get their attention?"
"Just can it, you two, we don't want to get surrounded."
As if to drive this home further, they were alerted by a bark from behind them as a pair of the dinosaur heads, the Gaossmon, were running towards them. One of them spit out a fireball from its mouth. Agumon retaliated with one of his own, calling out "Baby Flame!" as he did, though it missed its mark and only grazed the enemy. Lelouch told him not to get to caught up in the fight, and they continued to make their break for it. With any luck, the should hopefully be near an exit. All they needed to do right now was make it to one. Either an old station or any old access route, it didn't matter which they found first. No matter the situation aboveground, staying down here was no longer and option now that they had been seen by these things.
Suzaku Kururugi currently leaned against a medical truck, looking over to beyond the perimeter of the base of operations Prince Clovis and the military had set up in Shinjuku. He hadn't been given any further orders upon his return, just told to standby. He would have liked to have gone back to search for Lelouch and that girl. Their fate had been on his mind ever since he was ordered back. He had considered returning to the search, but didn't want to do so in a way that would put them in greater danger. Considering the secrecy surrounding the girl, there was no telling what would happen to her or Lelouch if they were discovered. He hadn't even been informed about the current situation still going on in Shinjuku.
He then reached into his pocket to retrieve his old keepsake, the strange device he had owned since childhood. In the seven years he had held it, he couldn't recall it ever so much as lighting up or making a beep, and just a short while ago it did far more than that. Though it didn't seem to give any indication, and he couldn't pinpoint why, but something about it gave him a different feeling now.
"Interesting little trinket you've got there."
Suzaku let out a yelp as he was startled by the presence of a man beside him, who had gotten right next to him as he was distracted. The surprise nearly caused him to drop the device, and he briefly fumbled around as he attempted to prevent it from hitting the floor. And once that disaster was averted, he got a good look at the bespectacled man before him. The blue haired man in a lab coat sported a cheerful grin as he also looked over Suzaku. "Uh... can I help you?"
"Oh, you sure can!" The man replied, his cheerful expression brightening even more. "Private Suzaku Kururugi, correct?"
"Y-yeah." He nodded, completely unsure about where this situation was going. He looked behind the man to see a woman in orange approaching but not saying anything. He figured she was probably associated with this man in some way.
The chase had continued, with them encountering even more in the process. There had to be a group of at least ten now in pursuit by now. One pair had even come at them from the front, though with Agumon's help, they simply charged right through them before they could react. Thankfully, he believed the exit to be near. They had run through an area that had been an old station, so the stairs they currently ascended should hopefully take them out of here and to the surface.
Seeing the light above them looked promising. They would escape just fine at this rate.
"Well, it seems those beasts are good for something after all." a voice spoke out.
Out of the pan and into the fire, one could say. Though the Digimon had not managed to catch up to them, they faced a new problem entirely. Before them stood a group of soldiers. Their uniforms were different from Suzaku's, meaning they were part of a different unit or group, though he wasn't familiar enough to know which. Their guns were currently trained on him and the girl.
"Looks like we found the girl much sooner than expected." The same voice stated, coming from the one whose uniform identified him as the leader of these soldiers. "And with a schoolboy? A Britannian student cutting class isn't what I was expecting to find in this Eleven nest." He raised his hand, signaling for the troops under him to all take aim at Lelouch.
While normally, he might be worried to be put in a situation like this, with all of them facing him like this, it was an ideal opportunity to test out the power he had received.
"Baby Flame!" Agumon called out as he spit out a fireball at the leader without warning. Unaware of Lelouch's plan, he certainly could recognize the situation they were in as a life threatening one, and didn't need to be instructed to defend himself and his allies. Completely shocked by the action, the captain stumbled backwards to avoid the attack, something falling from his hand in the process. Taking the opportunity, he and C.C. hid behind some debris as the other soldiers fire on Agumon, who went in the opposite direction to avoid it. It occurred to him now, the group had completely ignored Agumon. No, it wasn't that they were unaware, but rather didn't seem to find his presence noteworthy. But why?
"Damn, I can't believe I screwed up..." the captain muttered, as he got to his feet. "It might look similar to the ones we set loose, but it's not on our side! Eliminate it!"
'So, they mistook Agumon for one of those Gaossmon?' He supposed they did look somewhat similar. More importantly though, a worry of his was confirmed. The implications would be something he'd file away for later, to contemplate in a less dire circumstance. Looking over, he watched as Agumon ducked behind some cover of his own. The gunfire was focused on him, obviously due to the Digimon being the greater threat. Agumon looked over to him, clearly wondering what he should do next. Though he meant well, his sudden outburst had put them in a less favorable position.
And seemingly going from bad to worse, the pack of Gaossmon, having finally caught up, came charging up from the stairs. They looked around, and focused on soldiers. "What are you looking around like idiots for!? Attack them!" He then reached to his side for the remote, only to realize he hadn't yet recovered it. Seeing this, the Gaossmon didn't hesitate to react. Contrary to their feral appearance and lack of speech, they were not stupid. They could at the very least, identify the source coercing them into cooperation. And seeing the man without the remote, and said remote lying on the ground, they saw this as their opportunity to rebel. The group of Gaossmon charged at soldiers, a couple even shooting fireballs.
This unexpected turn of events proved fortunate for Lelouch and his companions. Deciding the best course of action, he took the chance to take a quick look at the ensuing chaos. The soldiers were all struggling to deal with the Gaossmon, being outnumbered seven to ten. Moreover, having gotten in close like they had, shooting at them was a risk of friendly fire. The captain was clearly angling to retrieve the remote, though a couple were intent on preventing it. "This is why I hate relying on Wilds!" he shouted venomously, leaving Lelouch to wonder what he meant.
With this turn of events, he weighed his options. Fleeing might seem like the best course of action at first, but they had seen his face. If they somehow got out of their own predicament, which he admitted wasn't impossible, they could find him later. Hell, since he was in his school uniform, it might not even be that hard. The other option was to make sure they were eliminated here. He could leave it to the Digimon to exact their revenge, but he couldn't say for certain that everything would work out there. He then looked over to Agumon, who was looking to him intently. 'Hes waiting for me to decide what we should do.' He wasn't sure why the creature put so much trust in him, but it was much appreciated. He gesture for the Digimon to come over to him, and he quickly dashed over.
"Whats the plan?"
"Its risky but its the only real course of action we have." he said before laying out the plan for his partner.
With the soldiers, they were doing their best to prevent being surrounded by the Gaossmon. They tried to take shots where able, but the Digimon used their speed and agility to their advantage. One soldier to a fireball to the back, which seemed to carry more force than flame, dissipating on impact but knocking him to the ground. A Gaossmon quickly tried to pounce but was deterred by a gunshot from one of the other soldiers. Seeing the things looking bad, the captain took out his own gun and fired shots at the pair guarding the remote. They avoid the gunfire, but his shots were more about getting them away from the device than anything else.
"Baby Flame!" Agumon ran out and shot a fireball of his own at the man, which caused him to have to move away. This was the opportunity Lelouch wanted, and made a break for the remote. As long as the soldiers never reached the gun, their odds of winning dropped dramatically, was Lelouch's thought process. With Agumon covering him, he should hopefully be able to reach it without any trouble.
Of course, their was one thing that might make the plan more difficult, and unfortunately for Lelouch, that problem would come to pass. There was a bark as a fireball just missed Lelouch. Without stopping, he looked to the source to see a Gaossmon glaring at him. Evidently, they saw him as a threat. Whether or not it was because he was clearly going for the remote or not, the end result was the same in the end. He wasn't unaware that this could have been a possibility, but he had hoped for the best in that regard.
Another Gaossmon got in his path, only to be rammed into by Agumon, who fired another one of his own fireballs in the direction of the chaos. His path cleared, he wouldn't have any further issues in retrieving the remote. He could feel it at the touch of his fingertips.
"LOOK OUT!"
He barely had time to react as he was pushed, very forcefully he might add, and fell to the ground. He turned just in time to see the body of C.C. cumple to the ground herself, blood already beginning to pool around her. Her face showed no signs of life.
He was no stranger to seeing a corpse in his life. Be it family or strangers, he had seen more than his fair share throughout his life. But he was not numb to the sight. Seeing her lifeless body filled him with a strange sort of sadness. He hadn't known her long, and her attitude didn't give one the best first impression. But her death was nonetheless weighing on him. For someone he hadn't known that long, he wondered why it had this impact on him.
He was brought back to reality by the sudden yelps. Turning to the side, he saw the Gaossmon writhing in pain as their collars delivered a strong shock to their bodies. He didn't have to question the reason for this turn of events, his eyes darting to the soldiers, the captain having recovered the remote. It was unfortunate, but he must have knocked it over to him when C.C. had saved him. "Damn Wilds. I'm going to personally see to it that you sorry lot go straight to Breakdown. Your data would be better served repurposed."
"C.C.!" Agumon called out as he tried to go over to Lelouch and her, only to be restrained by a couple soldiers. A group of four wrestled with him to keep him from fighting to much. He wouldn't stop struggling, but he couldn't seem to break free from all of them
"Look at the mess those things caused. We were ordered to bring her back alive, if possible." The captain was not happy to be in this situation. The incident as a whole had put him in a very bad mood. Using these creatures that showed signs like these before being fully broken in was a bad idea, he had known from the start. The fact that they were even considered a resource at their stage for this operation was a testament to how badly Prince Clovis wanted her back. And now she had taken a bullet for that schoolboy. And speaking of which...
"Sorry to say, but it looks like this is the end of the line for you, schoolboy." He said as guns were once again trained onto him. "Any last words?"
"In fact, I do." This was the position he had wanted to be in before. He couldn't really call this a victory considering it cost C.C. her life to get back into this situation, but it certainly could not be called a loss. "Tell me, do you have any strong personal beliefs? Any ideals or words that you live by?" He held his hand over his eye. The same eye that possessed the power he had received. The Power of the King, known as Geass. And it was time for him to put that new power of his to use.
"Huh? What are you going on about?"
"One such belief that I hold is this; That the only ones who should kill, are those prepared to be killed themselves!" he stated as he swept his hand to the side for a bit of dramatic flair before lowering it to the side. The soldiers were beginning to tense up, almost as if they could instinctively feel something was not right. That they were not as in-control of the situation as they believed. He knew it would be best to wrap this situation up quickly, before any of them got any bright ideas. And so, seeing al eyes were on him, he spoke the words that he knew his new ability gave power to.
"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you!" He declared as he gestured forward with his other hand, then made a sweeping mothing as he finished his order "Now all you...Die!" Within his eye, it began to glow slightly as a sigil that resembled a bird appeared within it. That sigil appeared to flap briefly as it began to take affect on all those who saw t.
He didn't have to wait long to question whether or not his command worked. The men who had been struggling to restrain Agumon ceased their efforts and released him. Meanwhile, the captain let out a slight chuckle that showed a hint of what could only be described as madness. "Happily, you highness!" He and each of the other soldiers took their guns and placed them against their necks, a grin plastered on each of their faces. "Fire!" With not a second of hesitation, they all pulled their triggers in near unison. Blood spilled from their new wounds, a couple of drops even hitting Lelouch's cheek. These wounds of course all proved instantly fatal for each of them, and they all fell to the floor.
For his own part, Lelouch stood back, almost speechless at the site before him. Though he had confidence in this power, a part of him he now realized still held doubt that such a power could be real. Such doubt though, was now quickly fading away. He had seen it now with his own eyes. Much like the site of Digimon had instilled in him a new sense of what could exist in this world, seeing his Geass in action had the same effect on what he believed he could achieve. Yes, this moment was the turning point.
Ever since that day seven years ago, when Japan ceased to be and all that remained was Area 11, he had lived a lie. And that was the lie of living. The name he now had, and his personal history, those too were nothing but lies. He had gone through the motions of his daily life, day in and day out. He had been sick of it all, of this world that seemed like it could never be changed. And despite those lies, he had refused to give into any despair. The desire, suppressed it might have been, had persisted and burned strongly for seven years. And now he possessed such an incredible power, to do with as he pleased. Goals he had thought years away, now within reach. All the possibilities that he could use it for were playing out in his mind, the near limitless potential already evident.
"Wow, how did you do that, Lelouch?" A voice spoke up, breaking Lelouch out of his thoughts. He looked over to Agumon, who was looking over the bodies of the soldiers who had been trying to hold him down only moments ago. It occurred to him at that moment, he hadn't factored the creature into his calculations for a moment. He had certainly been looking at him with the soldiers, that much he was certain of. But Agumon seemed unaffected, so it stood reason to believe that Digimon were not something his Geass could work on. It was fortunate considering his carelessness in regards to what outcomes might come to him for a moment there.
He then walked over to the captain, and retrieved the remote from his hands. He looked over to the Gaossmon in pain on the ground. Feeling a small pang of pity, he pressed the switch and ending their torment. Though they had tried to attack him a not long ago, he decided to take the chance and stop it regardless. They were also victims a the hands of Britannia in this situation, after all. "If you promise not to attack me, I'll help you get those things off." No doubt there was likely some form of tracking built into them. They exchanged glances, but made no actions against him. Looking at the remote, the trigger for the shock was obvious to him. There were a few other buttons, so it was likely a bit of a guessing game at this point. Pressing one, it seemed it worked a microphone to give orders to the Digimon through speakers on them. The next guess proved fortunate though, as each one released.
It was quite the sophisticated setup. This and the words he had heard earlier started to sink in. Though he hadn't known about Digimon before today, the same could not be said about others in this world. People within Britannia more than knew about Digimon, they were using them. But to what extent? He thought back to every word the captain had said in regards, letting them sink in as he contemplated their potential meaning and ramifications. But even then, one thing was clear to him. And that was there there was so little he knew about these creatures, so any idea he might have in regards to the greater situation were limited by his own concept.
Putting all that aside for now, he turned to look towards the body of C.C. once more. Just like with the Digimon, there was too much he didn't understand about her. He didn't understand what she might have wanted him to do. She spoke of a contract, but he had no idea what she wanted out out of. He didn't understand why she had given him this strange strange new power. And now that she was dead, he probably would never know or understand any of her intentions.
As was becoming a trend today, he was unable to dwell on either of these subjects for long as he heard the sound of an explosion. The opening of this warehouse blew up as smoke and debris filled the air. At this, the Gaossmon panicked and scampered off, going back down the stairs and into the underground below. "Hide!" he hissed to Agumon, making out the head of a Sutherland through the smoke. He didn't need any complications, like it opening fire on the Digimon immediately before he had a chance to avoid unnecessary issues like before. Doing as he was told, the dinosaur ducked behind the closest object.
Within the Knightmare, the pilot took note of the situation as soon as she could get a clear visual. And she let out a gasp of surprise as she did, not prepared for what she saw. The particular corpses she saw, easily identifying the uniform of the soldiers lying on the ground. "How could all these Royal Guards be dead!?" Villetta asked herself before turing on her exterior speakers to interrogate the only source of life she could see. And said person, a Brtannian student, well she couldn't think of a single good reason for someone like this to be in a place like this during a situation like this. "What happened here, boy? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this!?" She demanded. Not in the mood to be patient, she fired warning shots around him before adding "Are you deaf? Answer me or I'll shoot you next time!"
Lelouch subtlety stopped Agumon from being rash, not liking the situation. However, the look Lelouch gave him kept him from acting, even if he didn't want to not don something. "I order you to come out at once!" Lelouch told her, activating the power of his Geass once more.
"And who the hell do you think you are to order me around!?" She did not seem affected in the slightest, only growing more indignant by the audacity of the boy before her.
'No effect this time. I guess I can assume it only works with direct eye contact.' Though the power seemed great, he supposed he should have figure that it might come with some restrictions or limitations. Seeing his eye wasn't enough, but it couldn't be through a camera or others. He supposed he would have to test what else might obstruct its use at a later time. Still, even with such a setback, this wasn't an impossible situation, merely one that required a bit more finesse. Softening his tone and putting on a less defiant tone, he addressed her once more.
"My name is Alan Spacer. My father is a Duke." If he played his cards right here, even if suspicion remained, this woman would at least have to confirm his identity first. Either to mitigate any risk to herself to prevent accidentally killing a nobility that might be of higher status to her, or to gain a debt of one. And someone of the rank of Duke should be sufficiently high to test even the most distrustful or suspicious soldiers. He raised his hands in surrender to continue his charade and said "I have an ID card in my breast pocket. After you confirm my identity, I would like to request your protection."
Lelouch was very fortunate in this situation, having chosen the ideal strategy for this particular person. Villetta Nu was someone always in pursuit of furthering her status. Born of common blood, she had joined the Military to raise her own status. Her efforts had rewarded her and she had reached the title of Knight of Honor. While such a title was, as it said, an honor, it wasn't enough for her. Unlike other titles, it was one that lasted only a single generation. In essence, the lowest there could be. And so she was constantly seeking a way to rise even higher. And so, she would at least take the chance of verifying this boy's story, just in case.
Deactivating her Knightmare just in case the worst happened and grabbing her firearm, she opened the cockpit of her Sutherland. "Keep your hands in the air! I'll take out your ID. Until then, no sudden movements!" she ordered him as she lowered down by wire, her gun trained on him the entire time.
'Too easy.' he thought with a smirk. With the right bait, it seemed any trap had the chance of success. Activating his Geass for his second attempted, he commanded her once more. "Now, hand over your Knightmare and your firearm to me."
"Understood." Her tone was now far more passive, completely neutral even. "The code is XG21G2D4." She threw the activation key to him.
Everything was going perfectly. Now he had acquired one more useful piece for the situation at hand. This power truly was absolutely marvelous! A weapon that could end his enemies, and the ability to gain necessary resources! And this was just the beginning! The possibilities were stretching out endlessly before him! What he could do from this point out, the infinite potential that this Geass granted him was something that should only be possible in fiction. But it was in fact real, and things he believed only fantasy were now in his hands. Which was true for something else.
"You can come out now Agumon. We're leaving." He couldn't leave his new companion behind, after all. He had helped him out, and if he was to be callous and objective, he knew too much about him to be left alone. And, he could prove to be useful. Being one himself, the dinosaur was now his only source of information on Digimon. As dense and clueless as he could be sometimes, it was better than nothing. And at the very least, he seemed to be able to hold his own in a fight.
"Gotcha." he said runnning out from his hiding place and passing Villetta on his way to Lelouch, who was already getting ready to get into the machine. He didn't really get how Lelouch had done it, but it worked nonetheless. "So, whats the plan now?"
"A fine question."
"Congratulations, Private Kururugi!"
To say Suzaku was speechless would be a serious understatement. Though it was still covered up, what he now stood before was unthinkable. These two, who he now knew as Lloyd and Cecile, had asked him, an Eleven, to become a Knightmare pilot. And not just any Knightmare at that, but a next generation machine, the first Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame. "I still don't understand why you're asking me."
"Are you kidding? Have you seen your own sim scores?" Lloyd retorted. He wasn't unaware of them. He knew that his time in them during training were good. He just never thought much of them since he was only an Honorary Britannian. Before now, the possibility of him becoming a pilot seemed an impossibility not even worth contemplating. "Finding top quality pilots not already scooped up by other units is hard, and those ones never let them go once they've sunk their teeth into them. Thankfully one like you just gets ignored." The man was straightforward to a fault, and his tone more whimsical than what Suzaku would expect from a scientist of his purported caliber.
"Our unit, the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps, ASEEC is an irregular unit. Since we're under the patronage of Prince Schneizel, he has given us more autonomy than most other groups or units. In this case, personnel choice is entirely up to Lloyd." Cecile explained. Suzaku noted her tone was far more warm, and she seemed to have a kind aura about her.
"So, what do you say? Wanna accept our sweet little offer?"
This was an opportunity unlike any he had ever been given before. A grand one such as this might never come his way again.
"Yes. I accept."
In this location, the site of a tragedy, there was one other person who was being called to action. Emerging from her resting place, the damaged Knightmare Frame belonging to the girl known as Kallen launched its Slash Harken at a nearby tank. "Those damn Britannians!" Kallen shouted, her rage not even attempted to be contained. How could they do this!? The military was after her and her group, so why bother attacking these civilians? They had nothing to do with them! There should be no reason to slaughter them like this!
"Kallen? Can the Glasgow still move?" a voice said over her communications. The voice was that of Kaname Ohgi, her group's leader and an old friend to her older brother. He was someone she had known since her childhood, who was practically family to her.
"Don't worry about me, Ohgi! I'll act as decoy while you get the people out of here." She said back to him. "The only ones that will be captured are those of us in the resistance!"
"I know that! But they've got us trapped! Completely surrounded!" She heard what sounded like someone firing a rocket nearby him over her radio.
The situation was really bad. It was seemingly impossible to get out of it. It would take a miracle to survive at this rate.
Lelouch made his way through the Shinjuku Ghetto in the stolen Sutherland, while also doing his best to not be seen by anyone. The place was an absolute disaster. It hadn't taken him long to get a handle of what was going on. Still, he was surprised to see them go this far. To think his brother Clovis would go to this length over the girl. He wondered if he was aware of what she could do, of the power she could grant. Still, he needed more information to get a better idea of just what was going on.
"Be quiet and don't say anything for a bit." he said to Agumon, who gave a confused look but said nothing. He went through his phone and selected the number he wanted to contact.
"Hello? Lulu?" Shirley's voice came through. "What in the world are you doing? Where have you been? You could be held back if you keep cutting class!"
He wasn't in the mood to hear her scold him on his bad habits or dig into his current situation, so he ignored her questions and remarks to cut straight to the chase. "Are you near a TV? Sorry, but this is very important."
"Hmph." She pouted at being brushed off like that, but that wasn't a no. "Hang on a sec."
He heard her ask someone in the background, and that person ask what she wanted on. "Put on the news, please. I need to know if theres anything about Shinjuku."
"The news, huh? Lets... Theres nothing on. But it says theres some traffic restrictions."
"Does it say why its restricted?"
"I don't see anything else. Just that there are some traffic restrictions."
'I'm starting to get an idea if just what is going on.' They were keeping everything under wraps for now. Whatever the sitation, they were keeping a lid on it for now. Once everything was done, they'd get their story straight and then release a story more favorable to them. Anything that they didn't want out there would be left out of their official story and covered up.
This entire time, he had been using his newly acquired machines instruments to gather everything he could. Various different things, from location data, damage to the area, to just what he could see around. Anything and everything he could know, he was going to find out before making his move. It was doing this that something caught his eye. It was a pile of discarded objects. He could see a baseball bat, a ball, a ribbed teddy bear, and a japanese toy he knew as a kendama. But none of these interested him like a certain other set of objects did among them. And that was a complete chess set, the board and all pieces.
"Lulu, your gambling again, aren't you?" Shirley said to him once more. "I keep telling you how dangerous that is!" Her voice sounded concerned. If she thought his chess gambling was dangerous, he certainly did not want to ask her what she thought of his current situation. She might die of the stress if she knew he was in a life or death situation like this.
"Sorry, you caught me." He was certainly, by absolutely no means, going to share that information with her. "One last thing, could you please tell my sister I'm going to be late coming home tonight? Thanks." And without waiting for a response, he ended the call and then turned his phone off. He didn't need any potential distractions from here on out.
'If they need to keep a lid on this information, that means they'll have to get by with the pieces they already have on the board.' Indeed, it would be hard to keep news or rumors from getting out if people kept coming and going. But that also meant he was hemmed in like this. Breaking through and getting out on his own might be a task unto itself. Taking refuge would also carry its own risk. He pondered and weighed his options and he stopped his Sutherland and opened its cockpit.
"Huh? What are you doing, Lelouch?" Agumon asked. He didn't expect him to understand his action in this situation. Anyone would find what he was about to do odd.
"Just retrieving something real quick."
In the distance, he saw a military VTOL go down in flames as it was struck by a slash harken. The attack had come from the red Glasgow. It was doubtlessly the same one from the truck, piloted by the red haired girl. Yes, his old "friends" who had been so gracious as to help him become involved in this incident. Well, he would need to receive a little payback from them for getting dragged into this, wouldn't he?
He picked up the chess board and all of the discarded pieces. As he could tell from his glance earlier, every piece was present. He always had a fondness for chess. And he supposed in this situation, it could be compared to a chess game on a bigger scale that he was accustomed to. And if this was to be his next chess game, he would need to find some pieces for it.
And thats chapter two. I had originally intend to wrap up the Shinjuku incident here. Indeed, I really wanted too. But as I continued it, the longer it got. And I want to keep these chapters, at least here at the early parts of the story, around a certain length for now. So I cut off at an appropriate spot to end.
There was a few things I decided to change that I planned out here. One was a longer chase sequence between Lelouch's group and the Gaossmon. But I didn't like how it turned out, and I didn't know how best to transition between locations, like how Lelouch started in the subway tracks where the truck is to where C.C. trips, which is full of shuttered and worn down stores. I didn't have good maps, so those two factors made me cut things down. I also split Suzaku meeting Lloyd and becoming a pilot into two separate scenes when it started out as one. Again, I didn't like how the scene turned out so I split it up and the final product was here. I wanted to do some more Kallen scenes but couldn't find the places to fit them so decided not to try and force them in.
I'll hopefully try to get the rest of the Shinjuku incident done next chapter. Hopefully it turns out in a shorter time, but I make no promises.
In the meantime, be sure to leave a review. Feedback is always appreciated and enjoyed.