Chapter Eight: Hold Up
Nina Einstein had been in the hospital for a few days.
Her injury was hailing well, and she was allowed to leave. But Mother and Father hadn't been around, so Rivalz and Lelouch were coming. She'd spent her time typing one-handed as best she could while listening to news. The news itself wasn't much good, but you could get a clearer picture if you compared it to other data sources.
It also helped you get a sense of what the people paying for the news were worried about. And they were worried about what Ashford Academy was doing. Why?
Nina and the Student Council were helping. Prince Clovis himself always spoke in favor of restraint. And they had harmed no one.
Police officers had done this to her.
Lelouch had been menaced by both, and when that Eleven had pulled a gun on him, Nina thought he was dead. She'd even started to unbuckle the shotgun before he'd walked off. But when the police had shown up...
They hadn't wanted anything. Just to wreck the place and hurt people.
Nina had tried to videotape it, but they'd hurt her, and no one was pressing charges. Mom and Dad didn't even consider it; they were obviously terrified when they'd visited last.
"Today, Prince Clovis addressed concerns about the living conditions in the ghettos. The recent circulation of a number of pamphlets. It has raised awareness." said a newscaster.
Nina did not look up from her calculations.
"We must remember this; Elevens are not privileged by genetic superiority," said Clovis. Nina looked up. He was tall, blonde, and handsome, with flowing hair that was just a touch feminine. He wore a blue military uniform, modified to be less than functional with a lot of silver lining. "While there are many loyal and virtuous numbers enlightened through Britannia. The worst aspects of the old Japanese nation are thus focused in these districts.
"While it is a tragedy that many innocent elevens suffer at their hands, it is a result of their actions. Even so, the mercy of Britannia is as great as its power. You have my word that every effort is being made."
"By us," said Lelouch as he walked in.
Nina sat up and smiled. "Oh, Lelouch, you're here."
"Yup," said Rivalz, coming through, motorcycle helmet under one arm. "Got caught in traffic, so we were a bit late. We should make it to the reopening in time if you're feeling up to it."
Nina nodded. "Yes, of course.
Rivalz had visited her a lot lately. Nina had hardly gotten any kind of attention from her family. The seventh daughter of a noble family, Nina had never been a priority. With six sisters, all more beautiful and taller, she was never a catch. Neither was she ever a priority.
Mother and Father had not visited once.
And they'd been furious about having to pay for the medical care. There had been talk of a lawsuit until Milner came up. No one wanted to cross the chief of police.
"Shirley and Milly should be setting things up," said Rivalz.
"Oh, right," said Nina. "You've all been short-staffed, I guess." Not that she'd have been able to help. What she was doing here was more important.
"Yeah," said Lelouch and Rivalz, sitting down. "So, what have you been up here?"
"I've been running some economic numbers. The official, public numbers of a lot of Britannian corporations and such," said Nina.
"Why?" asked Rivalz.
"It's something to do," said Nina. "To be honest, a lot of them don't make much sense to me. I look over them, and then I compare them to other sources. And it seems to me that some of these numbers are impossible."
"Can you prove it?" asked Lelouch.
Lelouch was always like that.
Sometimes he was all smiles and facades. But every now and then, he'd go all business. When you looked into those violet eyes... he was scanning everything. "No, not at all.
"I'd need access to their financial records, and I'm not an accountant. But, if you analyze what numbers you can, you can get a general sense of things."
"And what's your general sense?" asked Lelouch.
Nina thought about this. Should she tell him? She hadn't wanted to do the soup kitchen before, but he'd convinced her it would help the settlement. Less unrest if no one was starving. "...I think that at least some of the companies in Area 11 aren't doing nearly as well as they pretend they are. But that's actually kind of minor because everyone relies on Sakuradite."
"What's the big deal?" asked Rivalz. "The entire reason we conquered Area 11 was because Japan was had resources. Well, that and the economic warfare."
"Nina is right," said Lelouch. "Think about it, Rivalz. Sakuradite is the greatest source of fuel in history. Oil, coal, and wind have never even been compared. And the fact that Britannia controls the main supply of it. It has allowed us to build weapons and devices that no other country can.
"But historically, focusing your entire economy around a single resource tends to backfire. And Britannia has been doing that with Sakuradite. It's given us a massive advantage in war, but... I think it could cause serious problems."
"You mean like we might run out of it?" asked Rivalz.
Lelouch motioned to Nina, and she nodded. "That, but you can prepare for that.
"I was thinking in terms of market. Britannia can starve the Sakuradite Market for the EU and China if they want to. That means that they have to make do without. What if one of them comes out with a synthetic alternative? Or finds a way to run machines much more efficiently without it?
"All of a sudden, the global demand would drop like a stone.
"Sakuradite mining in Area 11 is massive. The mines work around the clock and produce huge amounts to run our global economy. Virtually all of it is used, and we still have shortages. And because the market is always growing, people are always investing.
"So if the demand were to drop like a stone, the entire industry could collapse.
"Once the industry collapsed, so do all the industries dependent on Sakuradite. Everyone who makes their living shipping them goes out of business. Everyone who builds the equipment to transport it goes out of business. And all the refineries also go down. And that would be a major hit to every industry that depends on them.
"That would put huge numbers of people out of work in massive numbers. And if there is a huge supply of workers, companies don't have to pay them as much. Which will lead to mass unemployment. Those who were employed would have terrible conditions. Combined with the numbers...
"Revolution is likely. And since this would happen on a global scale, there is no way our military could respond. And with all the terrorist groups taking advantage, Britannia could fall apart overnight."
"...Well, um, let's hope that doesn't happen, I guess," said Rivalz.
"Rivalz, it is going to happen!" said Nina. "It's inevitable.
"Every market suffers a major crisis, whether because of mismanagement or outside forces. If Britannia conquers the world before anything disrupts the market, it won't matter. Our conquest will become the disruption. Without wars, there will be a major decrease in Sakuradite use.
"No one will build as many weapons or use them. We'll also probably adopt technologies from the EU and China that are more efficient.
"We're on the verge of a financial meltdown. It is one that will obliterate Britannia and reduce the world to anarchy. And there is nothing we can do to stop it."
Silence.
"...Can we prove any of this?" asked Lelouch.
"Well, we know it's coming, but no," said Nina. "I'd need to be able to analyze real market figures that a civilian doesn't have access to. Even nobility wouldn't have access to a lot of these files."
"What about your Dad?" asked Rivalz. "Isn't he involved in the Sakuradite business? He invested in it before the war, right?"
"Yes," said Nina. "But um... I'm not really sure he'll be willing to let me look at records."
"Try asking," said Lelouch. "You can say it's for a school project. Maybe tell him you want to show the world how important his business is. A little flattery goes a long way."
"Smooth, buddy," said Rivalz.
Lelouch was always smooth.
Nina paused. "Even if I could get the data, that alone wouldn't be enough. Father and Mother aren't, well, they aren't considered real nobility. Father is half noble, and Mother is a commoner.
"You would need to pull with major circles to get this kind of theory put out there."
"What about Kallen Stadftfeld?" asked Rivalz. "She got that offer from the Purebloods. Maybe she could get us a meeting."
"She hasn't accepted it yet," said Lelouch.
"Wait, what is this about the Purebloods?" asked Nina.
Lelouch paused. "We'll tell you on the way."
Nina got into Rivalz's sidecar next to Lelouch, and they sped away from the highway. As she looked out over the side, she saw the ghettos flowing by. How many years was it since she'd wandered into the ghettos?
Someone had pulled a gun on her then, hadn't they? It was all blurry, but...
She'd never gotten therapy for it. Nina remembered someone had recommended it, but her parents had waved it off.
Either way, Nina heard about the new Student Council member.
"So Kallen Stadtfeld got an offer from the Purebloods?" asked Nina. "That's wonderful."
"Even so, you sure you want to be back here, Nina?" asked Rivalz, concerned. "I mean, we could work without you for today."
Nina shook her head. She had a responsibility to keep working at this, especially with the others taking risks. "I want to see how the work is going for myself. I'll have to come back here eventually anyway."
They pulled in.
The glass had long since been cleaned up and the window repaired. Inside the soup kitchen, some dented walls had been patched. Shirley had already starting cooking the menu, and Nina smiled at that.
"Milly, how are things going?" asked Lelouch.
Milly came out from around, carrying some bibles in a box, and set them down. The leggy blonde smiled. "Quite well. We've put in the new window, and most of the chairs are replaced. There should still be a few bumps, but... um..."
"Something wrong?" asked Lelouch.
"Looks like we have an audience," said Milly.
Lelouch halted and turned, and Nina turned with him, praying it wouldn't be the police. Instead, it was three men. All of them were dressed in very nice suits, and two were openly armed. At the head was a heavy-set dark-skinned man wearing a blonde wig, and Nina thought he looked like a gorilla.
Were they mafia?
Lelouch moved forward, motioning for them to stop. But Nina followed him out, wishing she had her gun. But she hadn't been able to keep one in the hospital. Not that it would do them much good.
"Well, what do we have here, schoolboys?" asked the man.
Lelouch put on his casual mask as he went forward. "Charity workers, actually. We're running an operation to feed the hungry and hand out bibles."
"What, so you're trying to help Britannia control the idiotic masses?" asked the man.
"Not at all. I'm hoping to improve their lives and end hatred," said Lelouch.
"Cute," said the man, raising a hand. "And what's the benefit for me?"
"The soup kitchen helps everyone. Without starvation, rebel groups don't have as much to recruit from," said Lelouch. His tone was of one who is not understanding.
The man hit him in the stomach. Lelouch flinched beneath the blow. "Stop playing dumb; even you can't be this stupid.
"This is my territory. My crews operate here, and you've been drawing quite a crowd. And business has decreased since you started distributing these."
"I didn't intend to cause any trouble," said Lelouch, sounding defeated.
"What you intended isn't my problem!" said the man, grabbing Lelouch by the collar. "I'm going to need compensation for my losses if you want to continue running this."
This was the end for them, wasn't it? They'd have to shut it down after this.
"How much?" asked Lelouch.
The man quoted a number, Nina didn't hear it, but Lelouch shrugged. "...I could probably pay that."
The statement seemed to take the thugs off guard. The man smirked at him. "Oh really? I guess Daddy has a big paycheck?"
"No, I'm just really good at chess. I play high-stakes games sometimes," said Lelouch. "You're Black King, aren't you? I've followed all your games on record."
"Yes, well, you seem to know that much," said Black King, seeming taken off guard. Lelouch had offered to pay the sum he'd asked but wasn't mewling. "Very well, if you get the money, it will take care of your fee. However, there's another matter. I mean to post some of my men out on the corner. Since you've been drawing quite a crowd, I think it's a good business opportunity."
"Business opportunity?" asked Lelouch, and there was just the touch of an edge in his tone. "Are you talking about distributing Refrain?"
"Obviously," said Black King. "These numbers don't have anything worth living for in the present, so I let them go to the past. And since they die off, it rids the settlement of their problem. I assure you, the people in power know full well the benefits provided by my operations."
Refrain? Black King wanted to set up people selling in this location? Now they'd have to shut down for sure. No way could they support something like that.
"I'm sure they do, sir," said Lelouch. "But we're law-abiding citizens. If we saw anything like that-"
"Then don't see," said Black King. "You aren't exactly in the good books of the police as things stand. Probably better not to bother them any.
"If you want to continue this operation, you'll keep your eyes on the tables and not outside. I'm giving you forewarning."
Lelouch paused. "Isn't there any way I can talk you out of this?"
"I don't need to talk. I do," said Black King, and he showed Lelouch a gun.
At that moment, something changed in Lelouch. It was only there for a moment, but Nina thought she was looking at someone else. A kind of rage flashed through him, and it scared her. "So I see.
"Would you care for a game of chess?"
Silence.
Black King looked at him. "Excuse me?"
"You're quite notable in chess circles, aren't you?" asked Lelouch. "It might be an interesting match."
Black King laughed at that. "Cute. I never play without a wager. Although some of your girls look like might be worth it-" Nina looked to see Shirley and Milly.
"They aren't for sale," said Lelouch simply.
"Everything is for sale in Britannia," said Black King.
This animal couldn't be a full-blooded Britannian. How dare he say such things?!
"Let us say, double or nothing?" asked Lelouch. "If you win, I pay you double. If you lose, you let us continue operating."
Black King shrugged. "That seems easy money for me.
"Very well, schoolboy, let's see how this goes."
"Great," said Lelouch. "Let me just get the inside of this place set up so we can play. It's a bit windy out here. We're actually almost finished with the meal.
"I think we've got a chest for slow days somewhere in the back room. Come on, guys."
And they quickly went back into the area. As they got there, Milly turned to Lelouch in horror. "Lelouch, what are you doing? If you beat him, he'll just shoot us."
"I know," said Lelouch. "But we've got a shotgun behind the counter, and all of you have pistols. Don't you?"
"I don't have mine," said Shirley. "I didn't think we'd ever need it."
"I can't keep a gun in a hospital," said Nina.
Lelouch nodded.
"Nina, go over there and unlock it, the shotgun. Keep it on hand and watch from behind. Shirley, I want you to serve his bodyguard's food when they arrive. It'll put them off their guard. Milly, Rivalz, go in that room out there. Draw your pistols and do nothing.
"If they start anything, come out and point them at the back of his bodyguard's head. Nina, you bring out the shotgun and point it in their general direction. Don't fire it; you're liable to hit me. It's there for intimidation.
"Now play it casually."
"You want us to hold up mobsters?" asked Milly, a nervous smile on her face. "This is nuts."
"It's them or us," said Lelouch. "Go."
"What should I do?" asked Rivalz.
And they got set up. The chess set was put out on the table and unloaded, and Nina reflected Lelouch always had a chess set. Nina looked out to the car where Black King was speaking to his driver. She hoped he was telling him to move on, but instead, it seemed to be getting him to stay in place. Now he came forward and was met by Lelouch, who in turn led him there.
Nina got the shotgun out and kept it below the counter. Soon enough, Black King came through behind Lelouch. His bodyguards came in as well, and Black King eyed the surroundings with a contemptuous eye.
"So, this is how you operate," said Black King as he took up a chess piece and sat down.
"Well, it's not much, but our customers aren't picky," said Lelouch. He motioning to Shirley, who got together some soup and glasses of water. "We had some police here earlier who searched it."
"I know everything that goes on in this city," said Black King, sounding irritated. "Now, why don't we get this over with."
Shirley served the food, but Black King waved it off. The bodyguards, however, laughed and tried it. One of them tried to feel her up as she moved.
"By all means," said Lelouch.
Black King made his first move, and Lelouch responded in kind.
Nina was sure she was watching a truly breathtaking display of chess skill. However, Nina knew nothing about the game virtually. Black King certainly seemed confident, but Lelouch always put up a front of being weak. She'd seen some of his chess games, and often he'd appear to have a bad position and noticeably panic.
Then he'd turn the tables.
"...You're not nearly as good at this game as you claim to be, schoolboy," said Black King.
Nina took this to mean that Black King was not that good. He made moves with an obvious threatening appearance. "Well, maybe I'm just lucky." Lelouch sacrificed several pieces. "I've found, though, that the number of pieces you lose isn't really relevant as long as you capture the King at the end."
"And you're moving with the King?" asked Black King with a laugh.
"Well, of course," said Lelouch. "Why not? If the King doesn't move, how can he expect his subordinates to follow? There's an old ideology that a King ought to be first in every charge and last in every retreat. They have to lead by example, and others naturally follow."
"And I suppose you think of yourself as royalty?" asked Black King.
"Anyone can fulfill the role of a King," said Lelouch. "They merely need to set an example that others will follow.
"For instance;
"Checkmate."
Black King halted and stared at his loss.
It was a psychological tactic, Nina realized. Most chess places took for granted that moving the King was a bad idea. So Lelouch doing it now and then made them dismiss him as an amateur, which made them sloppy. Of course, a real chess master would never fall victim to that kind of ploy.
But Black King was not a chess master. He was a thug whose black skin showed his real nature. Someone of his race could never be a master of anything when compared to a Britannian.
Black King feigned confidence. "Hmm, well, that's very unfortunate.
"How will my reputation ever recover?"
"I would never spread rumors," said Lelouch.
Black King smirked as his men began to look up, waiting for the show. "No, not that.
"How will my reputation ever recover from how you cheated me."
"Cheated?" asked Lelouch. "You can't cheat in chess. It's impossible."
"Watch me," said Black King.
Black King went for his gun in a slow movement. But the second he did that, Lelouch went for it fast. It came out and was at Black King's heart in a moment. The bodyguards hesitated, and then Milly and Rivalz were out. They had guns to their backs in a second, though Rivalz was obviously terrified.
Moving, Nina raised the shotgun, though she could hardly keep her hands from shaking. The moment for action was over as Lelouch took off his safety, as did Milly and Shirley, who followed suit. Black King realized if he'd moved fast, they couldn't have shot him. Nina decided to keep the safety on. Firing it in these quarters would kill her friends.
"Are you sure about this?" said Lelouch.
Dead silence as Black King processed what had just happened. "...You have a shotgun behind the counter? What kind of schoolkids are you?"
"Give me your gun," said Lelouch. "Now. Put it on the table or by God, Black King, I'll kill all three of you here and now. Do it slowly, one odd move, and your King is checked." Black King slowly put the gun down. Lelouch looked to the bodyguards. "You two as well. I've got even less use for you.
"Don't toss it, and keep the safeties on."
They stood up from their tables and moved slowly forward. Nina kept her shotgun trained on them, while Rivalz and Milly did the same. No one made a move, but Nina saw fear in the gangster's eyes.
"Shirley," said Lelouch. "Those guns are dangerous. Get them off the table—you three, up against the wall. Milly, Rivalz, Nina, kindly keep your guns trained on them. I wouldn't make any sudden moves.
"People are going to have to eat in this restaurant."
They obeyed, stepping up against the wall. Black King stewed in anger. "Do you know who I am, boy-"
"If you don't speak when spoken to, I'll cancel the day's events," said Lelouch. "Now, walk to the door. Slowly, I'll have my gun at your back the whole time. Once you are there, wave your driver off. Do it, or I'll kill you where you stand. Say nothing."
And Lelouch pressed Black King forward out the door, keeping a gun behind his back. Black King did just that. The driver looked on and then drove off. "That was well done," said Lelouch. "Now, let's go back inside and talk about things."
"...If you let me go, I can pay you. I can forgive the debt and pay you-" began Black King.
"Take off your clothes. Strip down to your underwear," said Lelouch. "Now. Shoes off first, one at a time and slowly."
Why was he asking for that? To humiliate him? Or to get rid of any spare weapons.
Black King opened his mouth for a moment, but getting a look at Lelouch's face quelled his uproar. He took off his overcoat, then his shoes, then his pants. Eventually, he also took off his golden chain. He and his bodyguards were now three men, one of them fat, in their underwear.
"I didn't want it to come to this, but you were going to kill us anyway. So we had no choice," said Lelouch. "You made a very serious mistake, Black King. You assumed that because we were good, we were helpless."
There was murder in his gaze. Nina saw it there, and so did the others. Black King was a dead man walking.
"Lelouch, are we going to..." began Milly.
"Not right now, Milly," said Lelouch.
"Now, we've got a problem, Black King. My friends here don't want to kill you," said Lelouch. "They don't want the blood on their hands and I don't blame them. They haven't seen what I've seen.
"So, question and answer time.
"Why'd you decide to come here now? You could have come by at any time to press your claim? This isn't exactly profitable territory."
"Why should I tell you anything?" asked Black King, the hairless gorilla more confident now. He was already dead; Lelouch was just waiting for something.
"I could kill you right now," said Lelouch. "Answer my questions, and maybe I'll be lenient."
"The government and I have an understanding, schoolboy," said Black King. "I do business to keep the locals in line and unable to rise against us. I also inform on resistance cells.
"They don't like what you are doing."
"Oh really, why not?" asked Lelouch. "Aren't the holy texts that our glorious Empire as official state religion meant to be spread?"
"Please," said Black King. "Drugs are a much better way to keep the sheep in line.
"They can't think at all. If you hand them a bible, they start interpreting it in a way that gives them an identity. That's what happened with the African slaves.
"Britannia needs its citizens to work.
"It doesn't need the numbers. We're probably going to work them all to death once we win anyway."
"How ruthless of you," said Lelouch. "So, I take it this area was off-limits to you before."
"The government sent you a warning; you ignored it," said Black King. "After you did that, scary people weren't happy with what you were doing. So they gave me permission to move in here. I was going to just extort you out of business, but I may reconsider."
"Considering your position, that seems a very aggressive strategy," said Lelouch, smiling.
"You're very good," said Black King. "Obviously a lot better than most give you credit for. Someone like you could be useful."
"Maybe, maybe not," said Lelouch. "But the wages that people like you give are not worth their official market value. Some might call them the wages of death.
"Even so, I certainly don't want to kill you. For one thing, we've got customers, and you've delayed us in preparing for them. And if we blow your brains out all over this kitchen, that'll delay us even more.
"Milly, do you think we should take them around back and gun them down?"
"Lulu!" said Shirley.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, Lelouch," said Milly, who was smiling. "After all, the stench of the bodies could put our customers off their meal.
"Maybe we cut them up into tiny pieces and add them to the soup!"
"Milly!" said Shirley.
She liked this.
Milly liked doing this.
"Um, Milly, that would be unhygienic," said Nina.
"So we can't kill them," said Lelouch. "So I suppose I'll escort you out of this area.
"Although. It would be rather unfair to send you out there with no protection. So here." He motioned to a table.
"Each of you, take a bible.
"Maybe the miraculous power of Jesus Christ will ensure your souls are saved. I recommend Psalm 23."
Black King moved forward and took one, followed by his friends. But he was confident now, humiliated, but confident. The gorilla thought Lelouch was going to let him go, and then he'd whack everyone in this room. Probably he was worried about getting home in the ghettos but counted on his reputation.
But Nina had read Psalm 23 in sunday school. It was used in funerals.
"Now, I'm going to escort you gentlemen a little way into the ghettos to see you off, and then we'll part ways," said Lelouch. "And if you want to send a hit after us, you'll have to admit that you were robbed by schoolchildren.
"Pick your poison."
"I'll do just that," said Black King.
It was a double-bluff. An appearance of weakness put out by Lelouch. Both of them knew that Black King wouldn't need to admit to anything. Even if it came out, his first order of business would be murder. But Black King didn't know that Lelouch knew that much.
Lelouch was just keeping Black King compliant while he took him to his execution.
They walked out the door and into the ghettos, then they turned a corner. Silence reigned for a long moment, save for Shirley's cooking. Suddenly, there were three sounds, gunshots. A moment later, three more followed. From there, Lelouch Lamprouge walked back to the soup kitchen. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked... happy.
Lelouch had killed all three of them. His gun was gone, though.
"Are you alright?" asked Milly.
"Oh, the gunshots," said Lelouch. "Gun violence all happens all the time in the ghettos; I wouldn't pay too much attention to it."
"And Black King and his goons? They..." Rivalz halted.
"You won't see them anymore. I saw them off," said Lelouch. "Don't worry, they won't be seeking revenge. The last that will be heard is that Black King waved off his driver before disappearing.
"The ghettos are a dangerous place. Accidents can and in this, probably will happen."
"...What about his clothes?" asked Shirley. "And the gun?"
"We've got some empty boxes back there," said Lelouch. "Put them in a box, and I'll get rid of them. For now, focus on setting up, Shirley. We have a lot of people to feed.
"So, don't think about Black King. There are plenty of people who would be happy not to have to deal with him. I didn't like pulling a gun on him, and I know none of you liked it. But we did what we had to do, and now we need to make sure the food is finished on time."
"Right, right," said Shirley.
"Hey uh, Lelouch, you want me to stick around?" asked Rivalz.
"No, I think we're done with the fireworks today," said Lelouch. "Let's unload the rest of the bibles and get all this stuff up and running. We've got work to do."
"Right," Milly shrugged, and then she laughed. "I uh, I doubt Black King is going to be posing for any cameras this time, huh?"
"No, no, he will not be," said Lelouch.
Lelouch was nice.
But he was also the most terrifying person Nina had ever met. And he'd been prepared to do this from the start.