Greetings, all. Welcome to the third chapter of Code Geass: Masquerade Redemption. I once again thank all those who favorited, followed and reviewed this story. This plot and the OCs belong to me. Code Geass itself does not. If any of you have questions and commented on them, you should find an answer in the following section. Also, if there is any review I'd like to address, I'll address it there as well.
Replies to Reviews:
Thank you to Arremi, jdota, Satriander and RabitHaremLover24 for reviewing the last chapter. Also, since I didn't do this in the last chapter, I'd like to thank TheMist33, NeroAlmia, RabbitHaremLover24 and Dragon lord Syed 101 for reviewing the very first chapter.
Satriander: I was already planning to explain that this chapter so I won't put the answer here. But since this is a fanfiction, I will warn you that not everything will be the same as canon. Anyways, you can read on and you'll find the answer soon enough.
jdota: I just felt like I should say this: Since the antagonist in this story is completely different from canon, I will need the OCs to make up their population and spice things up a bit. But I can assure you that the canon characters will definitely make up most of the cast for this story. After all, how can this be anything related to Code Geass wothout them? Even so, I'm happy you decided to continue with this fanfiction and I hope the coming chapters will satisfy you.
I look forward to all of your comments on this chapter and the coming chapters as well.
Now onto today's chapter!
[Zilkhistan Prison]
The broadcast stating Jormungand's presence had startled everyone in the vicinity. All except for one who quickly processed the broadcast and immediately turned to his two accomplices with a questioning face.
"What has happened while I was gone?"
That was all Lelouch said and Sayoko and C.C fidgeted for a second before reaching a decision. Sayoko glanced at C.C who nodded with a sigh and faced Lelouch with a frowning face.
"You may want to know about the bomb blast first," C.C said and from the look that Lelouch gave her, she knew that was exactly what he wanted.
"Well a week or two ago, a bomb was dropped on Euserphor by forces which were previously unknown," C.C said, "The blast destroyed the entire town and some towns around it sustained damage as well. The only survivor is a little boy who was declared to have entered a coma. Through a little snooping around, I managed to find out that half the population of Euserphor were not present in the town during the time of the event as they had gone to a town that was out of range of the blast and therefore, they're still alive. Unfortunately, I was not able to find out why they travelled out of town like that."
Lelouch stayed silent for a while as he lowered his head to rest in the palm of his hand. A town bombed. One survivor. That too, a little boy. Half the population evacuated. And from what Jormungand claimed, the seize of St. Petersburg which was the location of the E.U's military base. It didn't make sense. Jormungand said it wanted to unite the world as one so what good would it be to bomb that town? To show their prowess? Must be. But still, something didn't fit. Then a question clicked in his mind.
He looked up to look the witch in the eye, "Who is the boy?"
C.C shrugged, "Don't know. They haven't been able to identify him yet. Why?"
"He was found in Euserphor, correct?"
C.C and Sayoko nodded.
"How is that possible? If he was in Euserphor during the time of the blast and the town was completely obliterated..." Lelouch's face scrunched up in confusion and C.C and Sayoko's eyes widened as they reached the same question, "How is the boy even alive?"
Geass 3: Birds of Time
"The day misspent, the love misplace, has inside it the seed of redemption. Nothing is exempt from resurrection."
~Kay Ryan
[Britannian Central Hospital, Pendragon]
The steady beeping of a heart rate monitor was heard throughout the small white hospital room. The sound of breathing was prominent due to the oxygen mask plastered over an orange-haired boy's face. His eyes were closed and if anyone were to see him anywhere else other than a hospital room, they would think the boy was peacefully sleeping. Perhaps that was the case for this little boy who could no longer see the world around him through his closed eyelids. But what about the mind?
Was the mind truly cut off from the rest of the world?
Where am I?
A boy in a hospital. Stuck in bed. Unable to move a single muscle.
Why can't I move?
A boy who saw nothing but darkness.
Why can't I open my eyes?
A boy who heard but could not speak.
"Yes, the boy's condition is still the same. He's still in a coma," A voice spoke.
Coma? Me? No...
"I see," Another voice spoke, "Have you found anything from the DNA test?"
"No, we still haven't been able to match him,"
"Fingerprint recognition?"
"No luck,"
What's going on? Why am I here? They don't know who I am? But how's that possible? I'm-!
"We've tried everything we could think of. But even then, we've come up with no results,"
"...I understand,"
I'm-! No! I-
"Well then, I'll continue checking up," The voice said, "Please be sure to inform me if any changes occur."
Ragged breathing. The doctor turned towards the boy in shock. The retreating footsteps stopped.
"What's going on?"
This can't be happening! How can I not r-!
Closed eyes snapped open. Orange eyes shook.
Who am I?
[Zilkhistan Prison]
Imran hastily checked his surroundings. There were Knightmares and scrambling inmates everywhere. It was utter chaos. He spun on his heel and ran towards a Kngihtmare which was sitting close by, unoccupied. Reaching the green Knightmare Frame, he quickly entered its cockpit and started it up with the key that was already attached inside. It was the Knightmare Clyne was about to take and that slightly deterred Imran, but he knew it was the only thing he could use at the moment. So, he stashed his conflicting feelings into the back of his mind and moved the Knightmare.
It gave a small jerk before the green Knightmare strut forward on its land spinners towards one incoming enemy Knightmare. Imran ducked from its slash harken and sent out one of his own towards its legs, cutting through and effectively stopping the Knightmare from moving. Still continuing with speed, he slashed through it with a sword that had been fit onto the Knightmare he was using, all in the span of four seconds. Imran now had a pretty good idea as to why that blonde brute wanted it.
"Neat," he said as he slashed through yet another Knightmare.
And one after the other, he took them down. Imran frowned. He slightly wondered how it would be to fight against Jormungand. Would they go down as easy? Probably not seeing as to how they were able to seize the E.U. He was pulled from his thoughts, when he saw a flash of movement that was too close. Imran's eyes widened as he caught something nearing the cockpit of the Knightmare he was in. He immediately jumped the side to dodge the slash harken that zipped by him by a hair. He quickly grabbed the wire and pulled on it before it could pull back, bringing the offending Knightmare towards him. The pilot of the enemy Knightmare was too shocked to respond and Imran stabbed through the cockpit with narrowed eyes.
"This is annoying," He sighed, "How could this army have stopped a Britannian invasion?"
The other inmates who had been struggling to fight before, found themselves in awe as they watched Imran and they felt embarrassed. A kid was besting them. Full-grown adults. That was insulting. And so, all the other inmates around made a unanimous non-verbal decision. They weren't going to let the boy outshine them.
They quickly upped their game as they dodged multiple enemy attacks and hit back twice as strong.
"Let's go, everybody!" One prisoner shouted, "We're right there with you, Imran! So, stop showing off, damn it!"
Imran snorted in his Knightmare, "Get your ticket to freedom yourselves as they say."
"There ain't no saying like that!"
"But you have to admit, Loki, it's wise," Another prisoner interfered.
"Why are you inflating his ego even further!?" Loki sneered.
The brown-haired boy just went to stare at the friendly blue Knightmare that the inmate named Loki piloted with a cold stare, but that was soon forgotten when his eyes widened slightly in concern as he caught sight of an enemy Knightmare charging towards the blue Knightmare.
"Behind you!" Imran yelled out and he tried to get there and intercept the charging Knightmare but was soon occupied by another that chose to get in his path.
The blue Knightmare, hearing Imran's warning looked behind at the one which was bringing out a close-range shooter. There wasn't enough time to react. The inmate's eyes widened in horror as the shooter finally came in range and shut his eyes tight, waiting for the bullets to strike.
A second passed.
Then two.
The inmate opened his eyes and gaped. A violet Knightmare which had not been in sight before at all, was standing there. The enemy Knightmare had been sliced neatly through the middle. Imran pushed away the Knightmare which had jumped on him and let out a flurry of bullets which pierced through it, ending its endeavour and turned to the violet Knightmare.
He was sure. He was sure it wasn't there before. Where had it come from? It wasn't in the cellar from where the prisoners had acquired the Knightmares.
The battles carried on around him as he stared at the Knightmare. It was incredibly fast. Who was piloting such a thing?
"Who are you?"
The Knightmare turned to face Imran. He could feel the pilot staring at him for a while. Then it spoke.
"It would seem our goals align. What do you think of a temporary partnership?"
[Britannian Central Hospital, Pendragon]
"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked as a nurse assisted the orange-haired boy in sitting up on the bed.
The boy looked up to stare at the doctor, but he did not answer.
The doctor sighed. "Alright then, if you won't tell us, we'll have to check as much as we can for ourselves, but I do request you to tell us if anything feels wrong, okay?"
No answer.
The doctor sighed once again, "Maybe give me a name?"
The boy watched as the doctor was about to sigh once again and then only, he spoke. "I...don't believe I'll...be able to answer...that."
A frown placed itself on the boy's face, "Do you not want to? If you don't then-"
The boy shook his head, "No, it's not that."
"Then, what is it?" The doctor looked puzzled.
The boy smiled warily, "I can't really answer what I don't know myself now, can I?"
"What?" The doctor asked. He stayed silent for a moment before the information was processed by his brain, "You mean you have amnesia?"
The boy looked away. He had said all he needed to. He looked back at the doctor fiddling around with a file he was carrying.
"I see." The doctor said and looked at the nurse, "I trust you to take care of him. I'll be reporting this to Prin-I mean, Commander Cornelia."
The boy raised a brow. Commander Cornelia? As in a military commander? What did a military commander want to do with him?
The soft click of the door was heard, indicating that the doctor had left. The nurse had backed away to prepare something. He didn't know what, though. He was sure he wasn't all that good with these things.
"I'm sorry,"
The question puzzled the boy and he tilted his head a bit, "For what?"
The nurse nervously smiled down at him, "Your amnesia. You don't remember anything, do you?" But perhaps, that was for the best.
The boy seemed to understand, "Ah, that's not something you have to apologize for. You weren't the one who caused it."
"But still, you're only a child,"
The frown on the boy's face increased. Was she pitying him? He did not want pity. He had no use for it and neither would he like to be subjected to it. "I am quite aware of my situation. I appreciate your concern, however your apologies are not required. You were not responsible for my current state, but instead you are tending to me. While I may find this state to be unsuitable, I am sure that all of you are trying your best to make it so I can live a normal life again. I truly appreciate your efforts."
"Speaking of that..." The nurse began, "you healed way more than we expected. The burns all over your body were supposed to have severely damaged your muscles, but look at them. The burns aren't nearly as bad as they were before and if your recovery continues as it has been, we think that the injuries that should have been permanent might recover as well. However, that's completely theoretical. We'll have to see if you can walk in a week or two to check."
The boy's eyes widened, "How long have I been here for?"
"Uh...less than a week,"
The boy's head whipped towards the nurse, his orange irises shaking with disbelief. How was that possible? Gruesome burns reduced to mere bruises in less than a week? What was this?
"But say...you are quite mature for your age," The nurse mumbled.
The boy broke out of his thinking and looked at the woman, "Is that a bad thing?"
"No," The nurse shook her head, a faint smile on her lips, "It's just rare."
The boy's eyes narrowed, "I see."
"Saya,"
"Hm?"
"My name's Saya."
"Oh," Was the boy's intelligent reply.
Saya giggled, "Aren't you cute?" The boy's face heated up a bit and before he could make a protest, she spoke again, "Can I call you something?"
"Huh?"
"Well, I can't just refer to you as 'you' for the rest of our time here,"
"Oh," The boy said, "What do you have in mind?"
He didn't know why he was allowing the nurse he just met to give him a name, but he supposed it was better than anything else at the moment. As long as the name she gave wasn't crappy.
Saya smiled, "How about...Zen?"
"Zen...Very well then,"
[Knightmare Hangar, Jormungand]
Matthias ran as fast as his two legs could carry him to the other side of the hangar where all the Knightmares were being prepared for a mission. At his destination, he could see his unit leader standing there talking to the leader of the Science Division. And if he recalled right, the man's name was Dhruv Mehta. An Indian. However, that was information he may have use for later. For now...
"Ma'am!" Matthias called out. E.E turned to face the small boy and blinked.
She looked towards Dhruv, "I'll see what the additions can do and inform you of them after we finish the 'greetings'."
Dhruv nodded, "Very well then. I look forward to your analysis." And with that, the black-haired man walked away.
E.E once again directed her attention the the fidgeting Matthias, "What is it?"
Matthias twiddled his fingers for a second before he quickly put the, behind his back and looked up to meet E.E's stare, "Um- I was wondering when my test was going to be. Since, um, we'll be leaving soon, so I won't be able to..."
E.E looked unamused, probably due to this stutter. She sighed before passing Matthias and walking away, signaling him to follow. Matthias did so and the two walked in silence in comparison to the lively chatter of the other unit members in the hangar. Feeling a little more steady, Matthias started to look around at the Knightmares there. When he was heading here, he had been in such a hurry to ask E.E that he didn't pay attention to the giant machines. They were relatively similar with only a few differences for each Knightmare to show who which one belonged to. He didn't understand the need for that. If all the Knightmares there were of the same model, why would they need to be assigned to each person?
"It may look like that on the outside, but the models are all adjusted to fit its pilot inside," E.E answered.
"Did I ask that out loud?"
"What do you think?" E.E asked rhetorically, "It's not like I can read your mind."
Matthias laughed nervously. Of course E.E couldn't read minds. No-one could. It simply wasn't possible. That's right. And too occupied with his thoughts, he failed to see E.E glancing at him from the side of her eyes.
Well, I could, but you don't fulfil the conditions necessary for that.
They walked for a while longer as Matthias continued to look at all the Knightmares. E.E suddenly stopped walking and if Matthias didn't have fast reflexes, he would have bumped into her and that was something he'd rather not prefer doing should he not want to make E.E have an even worse impression of him.
Matthias turned to look at what they had stopped at. It was yet another Knightmare Frame, but unlike all the others, this one didn't seem branded. It was a red Knightmare like all the others there with a float system attached to it. Its hands were white and the land spinners were smaller than what you's expect from even normal Kngihtmares.
"The model is called a Tyrant," E.E said, "Sort of like how you'd call Sutherlands and Burais. This one here is yours."
"Eh?"
E.E rolled her eyes, "Would you like to go onto the battlefield with no Knightmare? It's completely your choice."
"What!? NO!"
"Well there goes cutting some slack to the Knightmare Division,"
"Would you like it if I die?"
"There would be one less soldier to pay,"
"Must you be so cruel?"
"It's who I am,"
"Can't you try to be nicer?"
"Then I wouldn't be me,"
"I really don't get you,"
"So, tell me, is your stutter an act?"
"Huh?" Matthias blinked.
"You didn't stutter even once during this tiny rally of ours,"
"I-I didn't?"
E.E's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Quit it. You rather be honest with me or I can expect a resignation from you within an hour and if you don't do that, I'll kick you out myself. That'd stain your perfectly pure white record."
Matthias' eyes widened. He fiddled around for a bit. He really didn't want to reveal this tiny part about himself but it seemed that E.E was quite serious about her threat, "Um, uh, you see...I'm not acting right n-now. Th-the thing is that I-I sometimes a-a-act differently. As in, sometimes I can be a n-nervous wreck and sometimes I can be pretty c-confident. Sometimes even a bit scary. Or at least, that's what I'm told."
"So what you're saying is that you're bipolar?"
"Is that the term for it?" Matthias asked sheepishly.
E.E sighed and shook her head. Yet another weird one for her unit. Sometimes, she couldn't help but think that these types of people were put in her unit on purpose. Well, she thought that all the time and she was pretty sure it was because she was a different case from all the other unit leaders. While they may be alike in one broad way, her goals differed significantly from the rest, that they knew, of course. More like they thought she was a bit different. And the higher authorities were quite irritated of her since she made sure to rub their faces in by becoming the best unit out there.
She internally smirked. Her unit was a unit ranked as one of the top ones and that was probably the reason they were sending her unit to Japan. The Black Knights were there after all. More specifically Zero. E.E knew the current Zero was not the same one who had begun the rebellion against Britannia. The current one was more reserved, less charismatic, so different and she was sure the higher ups knew so as well.
Either way, she had to come back to the matter at hand, "Yes, anyways, like I said this will be your Knightmare. The Science Division has yet to be able to accommodate it to you as they have no data on how you hold up on the battlefield. So, that is why we have the test. To answer your initial question, your test will be right after we reach Japan."
She silently watched in amusement as Matthias's eyes widened, "Wait, right after we r-reach Japan!? B-But that's w-when-!"
E.E smirked. This smirk was not filled with malice like the previous one. However, it was filled with something that worried Matthias even more than a smirk of malice. It was purely sadistic, "Exactly. So, in better terms, this test is one who might not want to mess up on. That is, unless you'd like to meet your maker early."
[Zilkhistan Prison, Underground]
"Why did you ask at a time like this?"
Amethyst eyes stared directly into black ones, "I'm sure you've noticed. What did you think while fighting against the lot that are currently up there?"
"They weren't hard to handle," Imran answered, "Even those with a bit of piloting experience are easily beating them."
Lelouch rose a brow, "And you don't find anything out of place?"
"What're you-!" Imran's eyes widened in realisation and he mentally hit himself for not understanding sooner, "You mean that these ones here aren't..."
Lelouch nodded, "That's right. These ones aren't actually trained for combat. I think it was more for occupying all the prisoners here. When the real pilots arrive, they'll have to become your main target, but the ones that are already here will interfere and you will have to divide your attention in between the trained pilots and the untrained ones. And if you don't have your full attention correctly divided, both can be fatal."
Imran frowned, "I understand your point. However, our numbers are limited and not all of the prisoners can go up against properly trained pilots. You may be a former emperor, but I doubt you'll be able to do much with the pilots available to you."
"Oh? You know me?"
"While I may have been locked up here for long, there are some inmates who've come after your reign. Though, I don't have any idea as to how you're here right now."
"Ah well, I've been wondering about a part of it myself," Lelouch said. He then proceeded to look towards where Sayoko and C.C stood before turning his attention back to the boy in front of him. "Whatever the case, I'd like to ask you one thing. Would you simply continue to fight and be defeated or would you prefer to fight with at least the tiniest sliver of hope?"
"There is no use of hope for a miracle. Miracles do not exist,"
Lelouch simply smiled, "Miracles won't happen out of nowhere. If one does not take matters into their own hands, you will only ever remain hoping for a miracle. There needs to be someone who can create them. And as it would happen, miracles are my speciality."
"...Is that so?"
"Would you like to experience it for yourself?"
Imran stared at man who was before him. Lelouch vi Britannia, a man who had the entire world in his hand once. He knew it was no simple feat and if what the man said was true, then he knew that Lelouch was their best bet to get out of here. He almost snorted. A band of prisoner misfits rallying under a Demon Emperor who had returned from his grave. Truly an amusing tale. But that still didn't mean he didn't have doubts. When Lelouch conquered the world, he had a trained army at his disposal. But here, there was only Imran and a few others. But then again, thinking back on it, wasn't Zero in the same situation as right now in the beginning? Perhaps...
Imran sighed before he looked back up to Lelouch with resolute eyes, "Very well then. Use me."
Lelouch smiled.
[A few meters from the Zilkhistan Prison]
A well-armoured military vehicle of sorts was positioned outside of the Zilkhistan Prison. On top of it, stood a man with olive green hair that was long and twisted around his shoulder to the front in a braid. A metal headband was placed on his forehead. The man had green eyes that were currently directed towards the prison from where the tiny echoes of conflict resounded. This man was Shesthaal Forgnar, the captain of the Princess of Zilkhistan's Elite Guard. And as it would happen, he was also the one placed incharge to take care of the prison break that was being attempted.
Another man in a military outfit akin to that of Shesthaal's walked up to him, "The pilots are ready, sir."
Shesthaal smiled cruelly, "Send them in. Show those scum their place."
The subordinate saluted, "Namjala Latak." And with that, the man hurried away to inform the pilots of the command. Shesthaal waited patiently for the Knightmares to dispatch and in a few seconds, he saw exactly that. A flood of military Knightmares exited the transporting vehicles and wheeled on towards the prison gates.
Shesthaal watched before he pressed a button on the communicator which was placed in his ear, "Go according to plan. If anything unexpected occurs, immediately notify me. I shall give you further orders."
"Yessir!"
He let his hand drop from the device positioned in his ear as he stared out at the Knightmares entering the prison. "Though I doubt it will be necessary."
[Zilkhistan Prison]
Loki turned his Knightmare and sliced through the last enemy Knightmare left and it crumpled to the floor. Turning back to the look at the scenery, he was filled with a small wave of satisfaction. However, he knew it wasn't time to be relaxed yet. Imran had just informed them of a temporary alliance with those who had invaded the prison. He didn't know who it was that was going to be leading them for this short time but Imran seemed to somewhat trust the guy and Loki trusted Imran, so he'd deal with it.
"Are you all ready?" The male voice asked and Loki could tell from the authority dripping from his tone that this was the guy.
"Yeah," Loki voiced out his response and from the other side, he could hear the positive responses of the others as well. They all knew what the plan was, so they'd all be acting on it.
"Good. They're coming in now. Advance with first contact upon sight,"
"Gotcha," Loki whispered and he tightened his hold on the controls of the Knightmare Frame he currently inhabited. His eyes stilled at the entrance with immense concentration. Shadows began to appear and then...the Knightmares.
"Now!" Loki shouted and all the prisoner Knightmares shot towards the enemy.
Loki pulled up to the very first Knightmare that seemed to be leading the charge and the others latched onto the ones behind. It looked like it was man-to-man. For now at least. Loki dodged the gunfire that barrelled towards him, but just when he got close the military Knightmare brought out a sword and sliced at him. And if Loki didn't have the fast reflexes he did, he would have probably be cut in two by then.
Loki grinned. These guys were way more interesting from the ones he dealt with and from the corner of his eyes, he could the see the other inmates were excited as well. He was kind of glad that none of the newly piloting inmates were up front dealing with this crew. No, they were up to other things. Speaking of that...
"Commence separation," The voice said and Loki's grin dimmed a bit. He quickly shook his head. He may have wanted a challenge, but he'd gone up against these guys before and they had annihilated him and his group. He was the only one who had been spared from death and he knew for sure that his skills in piloting hadn't gotten any better from last time. And last time he checked, he did not want to die. So, he'd follow this plan. It was his best bet.
He quickly pulled out from the Knightmare he had engaged and sped away into a corridor as three more friendly Knightmares joined him, all their targets on their tail. Loki sighed. They had to split up for now. There was three different corridors on this floor and as far as the plan warranted, there was no need to enter any other floor.
"Three corridors. So, considering the use of all three corridors with around four to five friendlies in each at the moment, there should be approximately 15 enemy Knightmares in total. Taking all of them on together would be a large bet, but if they no longer have the numbers, they will have trouble. So let's pick them apart a bit more, shall we? Split up at the coming turns." The voice said.
This guy...
Loki's eyes landed on a fork in the corridor and he turned onto the right with one more following as the two other friendlies went down the left. He could tell that the enemy had divided themselves into two as well. If the situation wasn't as tense as it was for Loki, perhaps he would have laughed. These bozos really didn't realise what they were getting themselves into, were they? There was once fifteen Knightmares for 16 somewhat trained prisoner pilots to take care of, and the chances of overcoming them with all of the enemy Knightmares together was nil. But when dwindled in numbers to two, if those two could not get themselves out of trouble, there'd be no-one to help them.
And that was exactly what happened.
Loki and the other friendly could see a dead end approaching. This is it.
Upon arriving at the dead end, they quickly spun their Knightmares to face the enemy Knightmares that were a few meters away. Just as soon as the enemy Knightmares ended up on one peculiar stone lining the floor, a steel cage dropped onto the two incoming Knightmares in the span of a second, preventing further movement.
The Knightmares immediately tried to slice their way through but as their swords came into contact with the supposed steel, they were surprised. The swords weren't able to cut through.
"What the hell!?" One enemy roared.
"Well, I guess it just ain't your day, is it?" Loki smirked, "Your fancy little control room for surveillance and traps has been taken and you can't get out of a cage. Then again, it ain't just a regular steel cage."
"What do you mean!?"
"I mean, you shouldn't have kept a parts scavenger, a blacksmith who carries around materials secretly and a trap expert under the same roof."
Loki could just imagine their eyes widening with realisation.
"What're you trying to do?"
"What is this? 20 Questions?" Loki snorted, "But since you are gonna be here for a while, I guess I'll give you a little hint. Notice our numbers?"
"From what we know, there are supposed be 23 of you in this prison."
Loki nodded, "Yup. 16 here, 5 all around, 1 there...and 1 outside."
"WHAT!?"
"Your little commander doesn't have a Knightmare, does he?" Loki grinned, "Underestimated us?"
"You! We'll destroy you as per our lord's command!"
Loki's grin only got sharper, "Would'ya look at that, he was right! But say, why hasn't your 'lord' contacted you yet?"
There was a moment of silence. Then, he could slightly hear words. From them, he could make out that they were trying to get into contact with Forgnar. "Commander sir. We seem to have landed in a situation and request further orders."
Silence.
"No reply, huh?" Loki sneered.
"Commander Forgnar?"
Silence.
"Like I said, you're gonna be here for a while. Now, think you can provide some entertainment?"
[Zilkhistan Prison, Underground]
"Right, then," Lelouch mumbled to himself as he watched the surveillance of the three corridors. "All the Knightmares have been taken care of. Now, for the slightly pressing part."
C.C sat nearby him with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms around them as she stared at the raven-haired male. "Are you sure this will work?"
"I am," Lelouch said, not turning to face as he worked to bring up the surveillance of outside the prison. "This is Zilkhistan. A country of warriors and the most stressed characteristic of a soldier here would be discipline. They have been trained to follow orders from the very beginning. Without it, they will not function and with the soldiers all in a situation where they can't do anything, if their commander was to try a last-ditch effort, it would prove fruitless. And on top of that, what's going on in the prison will be the last thing on his mind with this."
"I see," C.C said, "But why just sit here? What happened to your philosophy of the king needing to lead for the subordinates to follow?"
Lelouch chuckled a bit, "Already returning to being a critic, are you? In this situation, I would be of no help on the battlefield itself. If I were to need to go up against one of them, I would lose and none of these Knightmares here are two-seaters, so you can't help with that either. By being here, I can maintain siege on this part of the prison and if we are to be found, you can use that Knightmare. From here, I can see what's happening and I can provide to them more than I could have in a Knightmare with my strategies."
"The one used inside the prison was straightforward." C.C remarked, "Unlike you."
"We need to get out of here as fast as we can. The plan to be used for the enemy Kngihtmares was quick and effective. With that, I can focus more on the outside and help Imran and Sayoko with their task."
C.C smiled lightly, "You believe Jormungand is a threat?"
Lelouch's expression turned grim, "They defeated the E.U Army. How could I not?"
"Hm," Even though Lelouch didn't mention it, C.C could tell the boy was worried for Nunnally the most. However, she decided not to bring it up at the moment.
Silence roamed for a few seconds before Lelouch finally turned to look at C.C, "I was wondering..."
C.C blinked, gesturing for Lelouch to continue.
"When you...resurrected me, you didn't have my body with you. Yet, I ended up awakening here. Why is that?"
C.C didn't answer immediately and Lelouch almost thought that this was yet another question the witch refused to answer. Ahen he was about to tun back to the computer, C.C spoke out, "I'm not entirely sure, but I believe the reason for that would be that C's World is adjusting."
"Adjusting?"
C.C nodded, "C's World is a space that has powers beyond comprehension. It's limits are formed by those who are currently responsible of its gates. You see, since C's World cannot directly come into contact with the outside world, it assigns one Code Bearer the duty of looking over its gates. Before, it was V.V and as such, C's World adjusted its limits and abilities to that matching V.V's mindset and versatility. Now that V.V is dead, it had to look for another Code Bearer to enforce the duty upon. Putting its complete attention on that, it stopped working on creating extra parts for Code Bearers. This period is harsh for Code Bearers. If we are greatly hurt, we won't die. The Code won't allow it, but we'll feel pain unlike anything else until C's World can provide another body."
"So, that's why you were unwilling to let go of your consciousness when you were shot,"
"That's right. Once C's World has selected the new Code Bearer, it divides its attention. For adjusting to the new Code Bearer and producing more parts for Code Bearers. At this moment, C's World is probably 99 percent done with that part. As it would appear, the new Gate Keeper, as you would call it, has more versatility and a better mindset than V.V. Because of this, I'd assume that more of C's World's abilities have been unlocked. So, since I was the one who reached out to your Code from the Zilkhistan Gate, instead of replacing your body where it already was, it produced your body here."
"I see," Lelouch said, "Do you have any idea as to who the new Gate Keeper is?"
C.C stayed quiet for a second before answering, "No, I'm afraid not."
Lelouch's eyes narrowed slightly. He could tell she was hiding something, but before he could press the matter any further, a voice spoke up from the comms, "We're in position."
Lelouch and C.C shared a glance before Lelouch turned back to the computer, "Alright then, let's get out of here."
[A few meters from Zilkhistan Prison]
"R-2, engage enemy from the left,"
The violet Knightmare that had shown up previously sped forward towards the transport vehicles parked in front of the prison. Sayoko, who was piloting the Knightmare, quickly swerved to the left as she got closer to the vehicle. As she turned, she could see the green Knightmare being piloted by Imran slow down considerably at a distance. Imran wasn't to be noticed yet.
Once Sayoko had finished moving herself to a considerable distance on the left from the vehicles, she immediately began to speed towards them. They must have noticed her presence by then as she could see a bunch of people scurrying on the top deck of vehicles. As she got closer, a blue Kngihtmare came out of the one of the trucks.
So they had one left, did they? Sayoko thought.
"Continue serving as decoy," Lelouch said from the comms. "R-1, follow up in one minute as according to plan."
"Understood," Imran replied. In his cockpit, he quickly set to work. He wrenched out a clear cube box from a small satchel he had made from rags. The contents of the cube were pinkish in color and Imran stared at it for a second before stashing it into a compartment in the Knightmare cockpit. This compartment was slightly special. It was connected in a sort of passageway to the hand of the Knightmare for outer use and the feature came in handy in situations like these.
Once the cube was secured, Imran opened the comms channel with Lelouch once again, "On standby."
"Perfect. Engage in 36 seconds,"
Imran mentally nodded to himself. The way he was speaking to Lelouch and Sayoko at the moment would almost have you think that he was actually a part of the army. Well, in a way, he was. Imran was used to speaking in such language during jobs like these and it came naturally to him.
While Imran would have loved to ponder on his thoughts longer, he had a job to do. Amd seeing as to how Sayoko was causing a lot of trouble for the blue Knightmare and that no backup had arrived for it, Imran was now sure that it was the only Knightmare they had to their disposal at the moment. And that left a clear path for him.
"10 seconds, R-2"
"Right,"
9
Imran tightened his grip on the controllers of the Knightmare.
8
The green Knightmare he sat in slowly began to move forward a bit.
7
Centimeters of sand rolled past.
6
Sayoko pulled a round-house kick on the enemy Knightmare, sending the weapon it held flying.
5
The next to go flying back a few meters was the blue Knightmare.
4
Shouting could be heard from the transport vehicle.
3
Imran assumed it must have been Forgnar shouting in that squeaky voice.
2
Sayoko led the blue Knightmare quite a few meters away from the vehicle.
1
Faster.
0
The green Knightmare roared back to life as it skid its way over the unyielding sand and over to the lined up vehicles. Imran could see Forgnar spot him and he could hear colorful wprds pouring from the man's mouth.
Closer.
"R-2, release,"
The blue Knightmare that had been chasing the violet Knightmare instantly turned to Imran's. Spotting ill intent, the blue Knightmare tried to get to Imran.
It was too far away.
Artillery soon began coming at Imran and dodging became his next move as he continued to near the line of vehicles. Forgnar's shout of obscenities amused Imran greatly. Too bad he'd never hear them again.
Imran scoffed. He was there and from the close distance, he could see Forgnar's eyes widen.
"The Knightmare...!"
You don't have to exactly worry about me, Imran thought and he slid his Knightmare down to the ground, pressing a button that was beside the compartment he had placed the cube in. A small panel opened up on the green Knightmare's hand and the cube appeared. He flipped the hand over, placing the cube there, right in the middle of the small cluster of vehicles.
The green Knightmare did not stop sliding though. It made a complete 360 from its spot and when it was back on its land spinners again, it was facing away from the vehicles. Considering how the Zilkhistan officials were too busy staring at him, they must not have noticed the cube. What a pity. He looked back out and saw that Sayoko had made it quite a distance away from the vehicles and that the blue Knightmare was still rushing there.
Is that supposed to be loyalty?
Imran shook his head and continued full speed away from the vehicles.
"The distance is safe," Lelouch spoke, "Fire now."
Imran turned towards the vehicles and put the Kngihtmare into back-gear. He pulled out the gun attached to the Knightmare and aimed. Not at the vehicles. But at the cube.
Curiosity filled Imran's eyes. This thing...he had only ever heard about it before. He'd never seen it action, so this would be the first for him. How would it look?
He shot at the cube and was soon greeted with an answer.
Crimson petals bloomed from the cube box as it exploded into sparkling shards. The petals then went on to surround the vehicles in a flurry as screams echoed from its center. Even more crimson petals began to bloom around the area, covering the entire land in a sea of orange and red. There were no longer vehicles or a blue Knightmare to glare at but instead a beautiful crimson lotus that devoured all.
It was ironic that a lotus bloomed from what should have been cherry blossoms.
After all, the cube was Sakuradite.
And as he watched the spectacle before him, he whispered, "Target eliminated."
[Zilkhistan Prison, half an hour later]
"So, we're free to go?" Loki asked. It had been half an hour or so since the Sakuradite explosion had taken place and had ensured them their freedom. The military Knightmare pilots that had been captured had been swiftly disposed of by the inmates. Lelouch had allowed them to do whatever they wished to the guards. After all, he had no business with them. The prisoners on the other hand thoroughly enjoyed their little entertainment.
"Yes," Lelouch said from the comms to all the friendly Knightmares present in the prison, "However, know that the next time you land up in prison, I won't be there to help you out."
A couple chuckles resounded the room.
"Yeah, yeah," Loki rolled his eyes.
Imran sat silently in his Knightmare, the crimson lotus the only thing he could see. He didn't think it would be possible to get out of here with people like this. Yet, this person made it seem like child's play. The thrill wasn't much this time around. There were no opponents that entertained him, but that lotus...
Lelouch was a person who had the world in his grasp once. A calculative and manipulative person. Imran could not bring himself to believe that this same person had not seen that attack from Zero coming.
Imran's eyes softened a bit. He had been in prison for three years now and those three years were quite dull. Today, he had felt the spark of thrill and the excitement of a mystery he hadn't felt for so long. He craved it.
Imran didn't know what he was doing, but his fingers just moved by themselves on the monitor and a screen appeared soon after.
'Open private comms channel with ID: D32674F6?'
Another press. On 'Yes'.
[A few meters from Zilkhistan Prison, twenty minutes later]
"How long should it take us to reach Japan?" Lelouch asked as the group of three waited.
"Around 3 days by truck and ship," Imran replied, "Zilkhistan is considerably closer to Japan."
Lelouch looked at the boy before nodding, "But are you sure?"
Imran blinked slightly in confusion.
Lelouch clarified, "Are you sure you want to come with me?"
A frown settled on Imran's face, "I think I already said I did. And yes, before you ask, I do know that you are looking to confront Jormungand."
All questions that Lelouch had were shoved back forcefully from Imran's tone. Lelouch could tell that the boy was prepared for the consequences of travelling with him and aiding him and asking any more questions to change his mind would be pointless. Lelouch narrowed his eyes, "Very well then."
Sayoko glanced uneasily between the two males before sighing. At least, for now they seemed to have reached an understanding. But, she supposed, she could understand Lelouch's shock and wariness when Imran connected that private channel and asked to be allowed to accompany them. He didn't really explain his reasons, but the determination and sheer wish for something made Lelouch accept. After all, Lelouch had been a leader for rookies before and he could easily find hidden potential. But she was sure, that Lelouch had already started calculating his own benefits with Imran coming with them. And Sayoko was sure she at least knew one of them.
The boy was an ace pilot as was shown during the plan. His Knightmare had moved fluidly as if it was a part of his very own body. It was slightly different from Kallen and Suzaku's style but it was vaguely similar in a way. He was what you would call, a diamond in the rough.
And Lelouch would make full use of him.
The soft roaring of a truck's motors could be heard as the truck that C.C had loaned came towards them. When it came to a halt, C.C peered out from the driver's seat, "One of you up here, and the other two in the back. Move it if you want to get to Japan quickly."
[Unknown Location]
A door was knocked open on its hinges by one Muhal Shah revealing a small room with long glass windows giving the view of the outside world and before it sat Crown who gazed at the scenery in silence. They only turned to face Muhal when he growled as he marched over to Crown.
He glared at the masked person, "What do you want!?"
Muhal did not know how but he could tell that the person behind the mask smiled, "Muhal Shah, correct?"
"Get on with it!"
"Patience, my dear friend," Crown said, but then the smile turned into a frown, "But then again, I suppose you can't be patient."
Muhal's eyes became dilated with rage, "What. Do. You. Want!?"
The white and yellow mask kept its gaze towards it as if mocking him, "Oh, nothing. I just thought we could help each other. Your ears still hurt, don't they?"
Muhal's eyes widened as Crown continued, "In fact, I'm surprised you even managed to stay sane with that intense pain in your ears." Crown stood up from their seat and walked towards him, clapping slowly all the way. "Impressive."
Muhal grit his teeth. Crown tilted their head a bit, "However, even if you have managed to find a way to overcome it, I'm sure you would like it even better if the pain was to, say, be nonexistent?"
The man's gaze became sceptical after the initial shock of such a proposition. A Geass could not be cancelled, especially when it reaches the state where it no longer turns off.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't believe me," Crown said, "However, there is in fact, a way to cancel a Geass that affects even its own holder."
What? Muhal was afraid to believe it. It couldn't be true. He had suffered with this Geass for ages now and suddenly this masked fool shows up saying they can help him!? Muhal felt anger bubble in his chest.
Crown continued, "I speak the truth. If you would like, I could make it happen for you. But of course, there will be something you will do for me in exchange. Consider it a contract if you would."
A contract. That blasted thing had given him this power. He did not want another contract!
And almost as if Crown sensed his thoughts, the masked person spoke, "I am Crown. A masked person. A figure head. The CEO of Origin but above all, I'm a businessman in general. I always keep my end of the contract. That is my code of conduct. The rest is your choice. The price I ask for in return of this thing that could change your life is quite simple and easy." And while speaking, Crown quietly slipped back into the sofa seat, "So, what will it be?"
Silence was what answered Crown's question. However, Crown had expected it and seeing the torn expression on the grown man's face, Crown chuckled, "Do not worry, I will not force you to make this decision today. How about in three day's time? Would you find that acceptable?"
[Knightmare Hangar, Jormungand]
"All pilots, conduct final checks on your Knightmares! We're leaving in 5!" E.E yelled through the mic. After that, she put it down in its place and began to walk to her own Knightmare. On her way, Matthias came running to her in a frenzy.
"M-ma'am, shouldn't Commander Yukio be here as well?" He asked.
E.E smirked, "No, I'll be leading for now. Yukio has some work to do. He'll meet us there and shouldn't you be worrying more about your test than him?"
Matthias' face got even paler and E.E laughed silently. It was amusing to see the boy like this at such a serious time. He would make good comic relief. At least that was certain. His skills and worth in the battlefield were yet to be seen.
"You have three days to think about it," E.E said, knocking the panicking male from his thoughts, "Jormungand is considerably far from Japan but the Knightmares here are incredibly fast, so we should reach in three days time. We don't expect any problems on the way, so you'll have plenty of time to think about it. Don't worry."
The gleam in her eyes as she said that only made Matthias worry more. Why did she always have to frighten him like this!?
[Somewhere in Zilkhistan]
Amethyst eyes gazed out at the sky. Lelouch stared at it intently before looking at C.C who sat beside him in the drivers seat.
She glanced at him, "What's up with that look?"
"I have a feeling..."
A brow rose on her face, "Oh?" A teasing smirk spread on her face, "Isn't that interesting...But don't you think I'm a bit too old for you?"
A slight blush made itself onto Lelouch's face as he realised what C.C was insinuating, "No, witch! What do you have going on in that head of yours?" He calmed himself down before going back to gazing out the window. "I just had a feeling that things will get hectic soon."
"Well, it's to be expected. Jormungand's seize on the E.U and all. Seems like the world just doesn't want you to live peacefully, does it?" C.C spoke, but this time, the teasing grin was gone, replaced with a solemn expression.
It would appear so, Lelouch thought. It had just been a few hours since he had been brought back to life and a new threat had arisen. Just three days, huh? Just three days of peace.
He shook his head slightly before leaning back in his seat. Might as well enjoy it.
Next Chapter:
Geass 4: Jormungand's Greeting
A/N: The repeated three days do not mean that I will update in three days. Even if I tried, I would not have enough time to do it. Anyways, I am incredibly sorry for this late update. School started again and with it, came a bunch of assignments that I just could not finish. I still have two left...
Right, so for the chapter, I'll say that the plan was something I came up with on a whim. It just came to me and I wrote whatever made sense. So, if there's something you don't understand about, ask me and I will answer it in the next chapter.
So, this chapter didn't really contain much except for the prison break, but that is kinda important, you know? I'm sure you all must be excited for the chapter where Lelouch enters society again and trust me, I'm excited to write it and good thing for both of us, that it's the very next one! Hope you're looking forward to it!
If you wish to stay updated on when the next chapter is going to come out, check out the 'Updates on Ongoing Stories' section of my profile.
Next chapter, we'll see Jormungand finally reach Japan with a 'small' greeting, but what they don't know is that the demon is on their tail. Things are about to get heated up, so...
Stay tuned~