Chapter 2: Lelouch and Suzaku join the battlefield
C.C. repeated the narration from the previous episode.
As the narration was going on, the audience was collecting their thoughts. Kaguya was now completely sure that Lelouch was going to rebel against Britannia and Japan was going to be the center stage. This made her hopeful. After all, Lelouch was supposed to be important enough for the future that whatever higher power brought them to this place took a personal interest in him. That meant his rebellion was at least impactful in the grand scheme of things. Still, she wasn't completely sure Lelouch was on her people's side. Especially after he gained that power. That Geass made her uneasy. To be frank, Lelouch didn't need to cooperate with them anymore. Unlike the rest, she couldn't just trust in Lelouch's character to not misuse that power. She needed to carefully look at his actions to determine whether he was their ally or enemy.
The only one in more conflict with what she had seen was Shirley. It's not like she never knew that there must be a reason that Lelouch hid the best parts of him under a cold mask but she never expected any of this. In the last hour, she had to deal with more shocking revelations than her entire life. Her crush was a prince, a real prince of the realm, and a prince in hiding at that. To be honest, that sounded like the start of one of the fairytale stories. But this was not a fantasy, and the prince was not going to reunite with his family and have a happily ever after. No, Lelouch hated his family and the way they run this world. Then, there was the massacre and she was suddenly starting to realize just why Lulu hated his family. And to think that she had admired Clovis at one time. Still, she didn't want Lelouch or any of her friends to get involved in anything dangerous. Not even Kallen.
Milly was the least affected by the revelations. Sure, the geass part came as a surprise but considering their current situation, she accepted it easily. If anything, knowing the emperor had this power all this time had her more concerned. And also, why was C.C. so interested in Lelouch? The only reason she didn't ask was as courtesy for saving Lelouch's life and she didn't want any spoilers anyway. Still, she was feeling the weight of the notebook in her hands. This was crucial information for Lelouch. She didn't want to make any mistakes.
Kallen was still stuck with the images of all that blood and those bodies. The bodies of her people, who died partly due to her and the resistance. She held only apprehensive feelings for the coming episode. The only thing she could expect in this future was seeing more of her people dying before being gunned down herself. She couldn't see any way out for her and her friends. They didn't have superpowers like Lelouch.
Euphy and Nunnally were apprehensive for another reason entirely. They were conflicted mostly. On the one hand, they could relate to Lelouch's desire to change the world. But on the other hand, they couldn't approve any rebellion. That would make him an enemy to the royal family. Not just the emperor. Cornelia, Marrybell, Schneizel, Clovis and the rest…he'd have to go through them to destroy Britannia. It'd tear apart their family. So, they prayed that they could find another path through watching this show.
C.C. was only interested in what could have caused the Supervisor to intervene personally. And in such a manner. She was the only one here who realized that 'God' couldn't actually use its power directly for much. To do so would break the rules of the world of C. 'I wonder if it's because Charles and Marriane and their Ragnarok plan.'
Stage 2 – The White Knight Awakens
"The White Knight?" Milly tapped her chin in thought. "I wonder who they're talking about?"
"It could be a Knightmare," Kallen offered. "It's talking about awakening."
"It talked about Demon's birth in last episode and that was about Lelouch," Euphemia reminded. "I think it's talking about Knightmare pilot. They are called Knights. Although I've never heard of someone with this title."
It returned to the end of the previous, showing the Royal Guards joining their victims as corpses. Surrounded by these bodies, Lelouch kept looking at C.C. and spoke in his mind, addressing her: "I don't understand…what is it you wanted me to do? Why did you give me this bizarre power?"
Shirley and Milly resisted the urge to puke at the sight of all those bodies. Kallen gritted her teeth in anger. Kaguya's eyes were blazing in fury.
Euphy and Nunnally were both uncomfortable. Both of them never expected this of Clovis of all people. He was close to them and not bloodthirsty by nature.
C.C.'s body was still lying on the floor, as if she was dead. After giving him his power, she seemed to have truly died.
Shirley's discomfort was overcome by worry. "Ms. C.C., why don't you wake up?"
"Yeah, are you really immortal?" Kallen asked suspiciously. She was the one most interested in what was special with the girl, especially after seeing the massacre started for her in the last episode.
"Don't worry," C.C. waved them off. "It takes time to heal headshots."
A loud noise attracted Lelouch's attention and caused him to turn away from her. A Sutherland burst inside the building. It used its factsphere to scan its surroundings and showed the image to the pilot, Villetta.
She was shocked by what she was shown. 'How could all these Royal Guards be dead?' She noticed Lelouch and opened the speaker to question him. "What happened here, boy? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this? Are you deaf?! Answer me or I'll-" On getting no answer, she fired around Lelouch in warning. Lelouch coldly stared at her Knightmare, not intimidated in the least.
There were shouts of worry in the room. It was such a close call.
"Thank God, he's ok!" Milly sighed in relief when none of the bullets hit Lelouch.Then, she grinned. "But he looked really cool there, didn't he?"
Shirley flushed. "Madam President, don't encourage it. That was dangerous."
"But he did look very confident for a person facing Knightmare fire," Kallen admitted. "It's different from the previous episode. Is this because of his power?"
"But he didn't use his power here," Kaguya observed. "He must have been sure that she wouldn't kill him outright. Not before getting answers at least."
"His eyes are different now," C.C. said. "I didn't make a mistake in choosing him as my contractor. He does have potential."
"Answer me!" She demanded again.
Lelouch used his power and ordered her to come out of her Knightmare frame but to his surprise she wasn't affected.
"I see, it only works with direct eye contact." He quickly deduced and changed his tactics.
"So, it has limitations," Milly noted it down. "He took it pretty calmly."
"This changes his situation," Euphemia fretted. "He is in real danger now."
"We should believe in big brother. He must have a plan." Nunnally was far more confident in Lelouch's abilities but her hands were shaking nervously.
He raised his hands in surrender and started talking. "My name is Alan Spacer. My father's a Duke. My ID card is in my pocket. After you confirm it, I'll request your protection."
'Nobility?' Villetta came out of her Sutherland after hearing those words. Her firearm was aimed at him in precaution but it was of no use.
Lelouch smirked at the success of his plan and activated his Geass and commanded: "Now then, hand over your Knightmare to me."
This time he succeeded. Red rings appeared in her eyes and she turned her gun away. She tossed the key to him and told him the code as he caught it.
Sometime later, Villetta seemed to come out of her trance. Her eyes were back to normal but she was disoriented. She looked around in confusion. Her Sutherland and Lelouch were both gone.
"He's safe." Shirley patted her chest in obvious relief.
"He is still surrounded by enemies," C.C. poured cold water. "With the limitations of his Geass, he'd be helpless against the army."
"Speaking of limitation, I wonder if those red rings in those eyes are just in the show or it's the same in reality?" Milly questioned. "Because those are an obvious tell of someone under geass."
C.C. shrugged. "I wouldn't know for sure. But I haven't heard of an obvious tell like this before."
Kaguya, meanwhile, pondered something else. "Lelouch left her alive? That could be a problem."
"How so?" Euphemia asked.
"She saw his face," Nunnally answered. "Even his power in action. She looked like she was coming out of a trance so there is a chance she doesn't remember what she did under geass. But that will make her even more suspicious."
Kaguya nodded in agreement. "Yes, she is a possible leak. She may not understand what happened to her but someone under Clovis must be aware of Code and Geass. And we all saw how severely they guarded that information."
"It will put Lelouch in danger." Nunnally clenched her fingers on her dress. The thought that her brother's kindness could cost him so dearly made her angry.
Euphemia wanted to refute that Clovis would endanger Lelouch but she wasn't really sure now. 'What would Clovis do if he found a long thought dead brother with information that could cause him to be disinherited?'
Elsewhere, Lloyd addressed someone in a happy mood: "So, are we having a bad day?" It was revealed that he was talking to a bandaged Suzaku who was just waking up. "Looks like you missed your chance to go to heaven, Pvt. Kururugi."
"Suzaku!" Nunnally forgot her worry for her brother at the sight of him still alive. "HE's still alive!"
Euphemia also let out a breath she was holding. He seemed like the nicest person on Britannan side in the previous episode. Not to mention if he'd died due to Britannia then, perhaps there was no hope for reconciliation with Lelouch in the entire show. She still held hope.
"I did?" Suzaku sat up. "Where?"
"Hm. Ah, we're still in the Shinjuku ghetto." Lloyd answered, the screen showing that they were inside a medical vehicle, near the G-1 base. His assistant, Cecile, assured Suzaku that the place was safe with Prince Clovis nearby.
"How did he get there?" Kallen questioned. "I don't think the Royal Guard who shot him were kind enough to send him back."
"It seems like a plot device," Shirley proposed. "The hero always miraculously survives."
"Isn't Lelouch supposed to be the hero?" Kallen questioned. "And I think you're taking the show thing too literally. This is reality."
"This is what saved your life, Mr. Suzaku." She showed him a familiar pocket watch.
"You're lucky it was under your protective suit because that's what deflected the bullet," Lloyd added.
"Is it a keepsake?" Cecile asked.
"Yeah, very."
"You Elevens believe that gods live inside of everything, even objects, don't you?" Lloyd said. "I guess this one—"
"Is Lelou- What's the latest on the situation?" Suzaku interrupted him to ask.
"Oh right, he doesn't know Lelouch got away," Milly remembered. "And Lelouch thinks he's dead. I wonder if they get to reunite in this episode."
"So, he was saved by the watch. Good for him. Still didn't explain how he got all the way back to the G-1." Kallen grumbled. It irked her that Britannians had managed to save a thrown away soldier while they couldn't do the same for Nagata.
"It looks like the poison gas was released. Massive Eleven casualties have been reported." Lloyd informed with Cecile adding: "They haven't caught the perpetrators yet."
"THAT'S A LIE!" Kallen jumped to her feet in outrage. "How dare they blame it on us?!"
"I can't believe they'd do something like that," Shirley was just as indignant.
"I can," Milly said, not all that surprised. "I'm shocked that they actually admitted to the existence of poison gas."
"Clovis would blame that on terrorists too," Nunnally said calmly. The normally kindly smiling girl had a cold mask similar to her brother at the moment.
"They haven't, huh? Not yet?"
"Why is he not saying anything?" Kallen demanded. "He knows damn well there is no poison gas!"
"But isn't that dangerous. Last time he was shot for saying that," Shirley reminded.
Kaguya snorted. "I'm afraid that thought wouldn't cross my cousin's pea sized brain at all. If Suzaku really doubted them he'd demand answers regardless of consequences."
"Pvt. Kururugi, how much experience do you have in piloting a Knightmare frame?" Lloyd suddenly asked.
Suzaku was surprised at his question. "But there's no way an Eleven would be made a knight."
"Well, supposing you could?" Lloyd showed him a key. "Congratulations, the only Knightmare of its kind awaits you! Once you take the controls of this big beauty everything will change, you and your world."
"Whether you want it to or not," Cecile said.
Kallen blinked in disbelief at what she just witnessed. "Did that really just happen? They're going to give their strongest weapon to him?! Isn't that against the law or something?"
"I don't think Lloyd cares about the consequences," Milly said, quite interested in the eccentricity her would be suitor. Not that she considered him as such anymore. If Lelouch was going to obliterate Britannia, she could hardly consider marrying into nobility and becoming an enemy of him.
"Well, I'm starting to reconsider Shirley's argument that my cousin may actually be one of the protagonists of this story," Kaguya mused. "That encounter was as miraculous as it was bizarre."
In Shinjuku, the massacre was still going on. Those who weren't already dead were trying to escape from the military. Kallen helped one such group by destroying a tank. Her eyes filled with tears and with an enraged face, she cursed: "Those damn Britannians!"
Kallen had the exact same response as her on screen counterpart. Shirley and Milly held her hands in comfort. Euphy and Nunnally looked at the atrocity their brother started with steely determination. The least they could do was not avert their eyes.
"Kallen, can the Glasgow still move?" Ohgi was shown talking through the radio as the resistance fought with whatever weapons they had without Knightmares.
"Don't worry Ohgi, it's all right. I'll decoy them! Get the people out of here. The only ones that'll be captured are those of us in the resistance."
"That's the correct attitude," Kaguya praised. "Your resistance group truly is much better than the rest, Kallen. Most don't care who they're hurting as long as they can retaliate against Britannia."
"I know but we're trapped, they've got us completely surrounded."
"How is Lulu going to get out then?" Shirley questioned in worry. No one answered.
The screen switched to the Ashford Academy. In the swimming club's changing room, Shirley was changing into her swimsuit when she received a call.
"Huh me?" Shirley blinked in surprise at the sudden change. "Why are they showing me?"
"Lulu, what in the world have you been doing?" She asked after picking up. "Where are you now?"
Lelouch was shown to be moving in his stolen Sutherland, still in the ghetto.
"If you keep cutting class, you'll be held back." She preached.
"This is so not the time," Shirley scolded her on screen counterpart. She had never realized she could be this annoying.
Milly patted her back. "Don't worry, Shirley. You don't know."
"Are you near a TV?"
"A TV?"
"Sorry, but this is important."
"Hang on." Shirley's friends were watching a show on a handheld TV. She moved to them. "Hey, can I change the channel?"
"Huh? To what?"
"The news, is there anything about Shinjuku?" Lelouch asked.
Shirley said there was nothing on the news about Shinjuku except for traffic restrictions.
"Why is it restricted?"
"I don't know. They're not saying."
Lelouch hid from the army behind a building and pondered: 'I get it. Once they finish everything off, they'll release news that favors the military.'
Kallen huffed. "At least, he's not as stupid as his friend." She was still miffed at Suzaku's casual acceptance of the excuse Britannia gave him without any question.
"Well, Lelouch unlike Suzaku knows how Britannia really works," Milly said.
"It'd explain his disdain for the news channels," Shirley remembered the few times Lelouch had let slip his true thoughts about the Britannian media. "We must have looked like real fools to him for falling for such obvious lies."
Milly couldn't find any words to comfort the distraught girl.
His Knightmare caught sight of some chess pieces in the rubble and Lelouch was attracted.
"Oh, you're gambling again, aren't you?" Shirley questioned him. "I warned you before, more than once how dangerous that is."
"Yep, you caught me," Lelouch accepted her scolding with a smile. "By the way, tell my little sister that I'm going to be home late tonight, would you? Thanks."
"He lied to me so easily!" Shirley cried out.
"He didn't actually lie. He just didn't tell you the entire truth." Milly said with a chuckle. "Lelouch never tells a complete lie."
"That's why it is so hard to catch his lies," Nunnally said, folding her hands in a prayer. "I wish he'd tell me the truth when he's doing something dangerous, at least."
He cut the call much to Shirley's annoyance. She tried to call back but didn't connect.
For once, Shirley didn't mind Lulu cutting her off. She'd caused him enough trouble for one day.
Lelouch opened a map showing all the military forces in his Sutherland and started planning. 'They need to keep a lid on this information so it'd be hard for them to call in reinforcements. They'll have to make do with the pieces they have on the board. But I'm hemmed in here, and it'll be tough to break through by myself. Gaining refuge carries its own risk too.' He opened his cockpit door and let his chair slide out.
Milly blinked in surprise at the sight. "What is he doing? Why did he come out?"
Nunnally remembered Lelouch eyeing a chess set with interest and slapped her forehead at the thought. "Big brother, tell me you didn't come out for that…"
Somewhere else Kallen used her slash harken to destroy a flying enemy. As the burning wreck started falling, Lelouch stared at it and the position the attack came from. 'I want payback for being dragged into your fight.'
"What does he mean?" Kallen asked in confusion. "Is he going to be our enemy?"
"I don't think so." Kaguya said, looking at the screen in interest. "He has some other form of payback in mind, I think."
Kallen found herself a target of a couple of Sutherlands, one of them piloted by Jeremiah. Jeremiah was delighted at their reunion and fired at her. She ran and he gave chase.
Lelouch pulled out the terrorist communicator he found in the truck.
Kallen's Knightmare gave an alert. "Just thirty minutes left." Her voice was filled with tension. Her situation seemed hopeless.
Kallen's situation caused Milly and Shirley to tense too. Even if it was the future, they didn't want to see any of their friends hurt.
At this time, Lelouch's voice came through the communicator strapped to the Glasgow. "The West entrance. Use the tracks to move to the west entrance."
"Lelouch?! Is he trying to help Kallen?" Shirley was so surprised that she didn't even call Lelouch by his nickname.
"He is. I knew it, this is the obvious choice. He's going to fight back and he'd need allies for that." Kaguya was smiling. She'd been waiting for this. She needed to see what Lelouch was capable of without his power. This would determine her attitude towards Lelouch as an ally.
Kallen didn't recognize his voice. "Who's this! How do you know this code?!"
"It doesn't matter. If you want to win, you're just gonna have to trust me."
"To win?" Kallen was taken aback at his confidence. She followed his directions. "Okay, what am I supposed to do now?"
"You followed him too easily," Kallen protested to her on-screen self. She couldn't forget his words of wanting payback. "This could be a trap."
"Well, you don't have any other options, do you? You are desperate." Kaguya said. "Besides he does sound confident."
"Don't worry, Kallen. It's not a trap." Nunnally assured her. "Like Kaguya said, Lelouch is going to be your ally in this battle."
The Sutherlands were still following her. Jeremiah was saying: "You pathetic Eleven. If you simply run away, this hunt hasn't much to offer in the way of sport."
Kallen snorted angrily. "I'm going to remember this guy. He's the kind of Britannian that deserves a personal visit from the resistance."
A train came along the tracks from the opposite direction.
"Since you trusted me, you're gonna win. Jump onto that train!" Lelouch instructed. Kallen obeyed.
Jeremiah didn't follow, using his Sutherland to stop the train as he narrowed his eyes. "You think you can get through that way, hmmm? If that's your plan, then…you, go after the Glasgow." He instructed the other Sutherland.
"Yes, my lord." It jumped only to be attacked mid-air by two slash harkens.
"What the—" Jeremiah was shocked, even more so when he saw the attacker was another Sutherland. It was standing in one of the buildings with a hole in its side. "Shot by friendly fire? What's your name and your unit? We're after the one—"
He was interrupted as the Sutherland started firing on him. "Oh my god! A terrorist?!"
"That's Lelouch, isn't it?" Milly realized. "I didn't think he'd attack himself. He's not the best in a Knightmare."
"It's a simple ambush. But he planned it well. I wonder how he knew the train would be coming just then to position himself just right?" Kaguya said.
Taken by surprise, Jeremiah took some damage even losing one of the legs of his Knightmare. As he prepared to fire back, Kallen came charging back over the train. Jeremiah had no choice but to abort the attack and eject. As the Sutherland fell, Kallen turned to thank her rescuer. "You saved me. But how did you get a hold of a Sutherland?" Only to find no one there. The Sutherland was gone. "What? Where did it go?"
Kallen relaxed. "He really did save me. I guess I will trust him for now."
"But what is his plan now?" Euphemia wondered. "Now that he has fired on a Britannian Knight, the Britannian side will automatically consider him as an enemy."
"Yes, Kallen is a good pilot. But it's impossible to fight back with just one Sutherland and one Glasgow," Kaguya agreed. "He can work with the resistance. Now, he needs weapons to arm them."
"Kallen!" Ohgi and the rest of the resistance came running up to her. "What the hell was that radio message earlier?"
"What? He contacted you too?"
"Sure did. And Yoshida's group ought to be here soon." Ohgi's communicator buzzed and Lelouch's voice came through: "Are you the one in charge?"
"Ah, yeah."
"I present to you the cargo in that train. They are tools for your victory. If you want them to win then, follow my orders."
There were Sutherlands in the train. The entire train was filled with Sutherlands. Kallen and her group were amazed and decided to follow Lelouch's orders.
"What?!" Kallen spluttered. "How did he manage that?"
"So that's why he knew about the train," Milly snapped her fingers. "He must have known it carried military weaponry."
Kaguya smiled. "With this, he can even the fields a bit. But their opponents are still professional knights and they're outnumbered. It's time to see if Lelouch is as good as a strategist in a real fight."
'A real fight…' Nunnally nervously wrung her hands together.
"All this? But how?" Kallen was still trying to believe her eyes when she was contacted by Lelouch.
"Woman in the Glasgow."
"Y-yes!"
"Stay where you are. Your unit is going to run decoy. You got that?"
"Understood."
"Energy filler status?"
"About 15 minutes worth."
"Then recharge it! In 10 minutes, I'll contact you with your next instructions." Lelouch cut the contact and sighed. "This is wearing me out. Regardless, I'll need determination to succeed. After all, I'm betting my life in this game."
He clenched his fingers on a black king piece.
"Don't treat it like a game, Lulu! Be more serious!" Shirley was so nervous that she scolded the screen.
"Don't worry, Shirley. I think Lelouch realizes that he's in a dangerous situation. I think he's comparing this situation to a chess game to find some familiarity. This is his first time in a real battle." Milly theorized.
"But where did he get the chess piece? I don't think he had it on him before?" Kallen asked. She wasn't so affected by him calling their upcoming battle a game. She had nervous jitters on her first mission too.
Nunnally sighed in resignation and replied, "He picked it up in the rubble. That's why he climbed out of the Knightmare before. I'm going to have a talk with my brother about priorities later."
"You must. That was dangerous." Euphemia agreed.
"The terrorists are mixed among the Eleven populous and they're mounting a minor resistance against us. But they pose little threat to our vastly superior army," Bartley was reporting inside the G-1 base.
"We know that. Moving on." Clovis clearly had no interest in the terrorists.
"Understood, Your Highness. The gas capsule will be—"
"What the public thinks." Clovis finished for him.
"Yes, we will keep searching for her."
"Either way, I want her captured dead or alive."
"What does he mean?" Kallen asked. "Doesn't Clovis know that C.C. is immortal?"
"He does," C.C. confirmed. "Many of his tests on me were lethal."
Euphemia winced at the nonchalant tone in which she talked about Clovis' actions. "But you do feel pain, don't you?" She questioned and got a shrug in response. She felt great guilt and sympathy for her. But she didn't plan to apologize for her brother's actions. Not before she manages to free the immortal girl from her brother's clutches. Just like she doesn't intend to apologize for the Shinjuku massacre as she doesn't intend for it to come to pass this time.
"He may not trust all the people in the room with that information," Milly reasoned.
Ohgi sat in a Sutherland and was checking the systems when Tamaki said, "Hey, are you certain about this whole thing? They've all had their IFFs removed. What if this is a trap?"
"The other side has total advantage in this war. They don't need to set any traps." Ohgi shut down his objections decisively. "All right people, let's move. Get to your assigned points."
"P-1, can you move?" Lelouch contacted him. "It operates basically the same as you're used to."
Ohgi put his communicator and demanded. "Can't you tell us who you are, at least your name?"
Lelouch denied sharing his name on signals that could be intercepted. He redirected the conversation to Kallen's mission. "Anyway, if Q1 is on schedule, enemy Sutherlands, probably two of them, will reach you in 23 seconds. Shoot them through the wall."
"It's finally starting," Kaguya whispered.
Kallen snorted at Lelouch's excuse for not giving his name. She was sure he wouldn't share his name no matter how secure the connection was. But she agreed with his reasons. They'd never work with him if they knew he was Britannian. "What's with Q1 and P1?" she asked.
"It's chess designation," Euphemia replied. "P for pawn, B for Bishop, R for Rook, N for Knight and Q for queen. He must have seen your value. Queen is the second most important piece."
"Q1?" Kallen rolled the words on her tongue. "Well, it's better than the woman in the Glasgow."
Tamaki made a sound of frustration. "He's out of his mind."
But Ohgi was already determined. "Everyone, double-check your weapons."
"What? are you serious!?" Tamaki protested again.
Kallen was spotted and reported to the G-1. Clovis chuckled at the obvious feint.
"Tell Laslo squad to go straight in," Bartley ordered as a map of the area showing their forces and marking the target appeared before them. "Have Eugen and Valeries strike from the rear."
"3-2-1 Fire!" Ohgi pressed the button. His and the other Sutherlands fired at the wall and destroyed the two enemy Knightmares on the other side of it.
"They did it!" Kaguya clapped in cheer.
"But how?" Kallen was still in wonder. "How did he know the enemy numbers?"
"The IFF code!" Euphemia facepalmed for not thinking of it sooner.
"Not only that, he predicted enemy's response before they made it," Milly corrected. Not just anyone could have used the IFF code to plan such an ambush.
In the G-1 base, it was shown on the map that Eugen and Valerie were both lost.
Clovis was surprised. "An ambush?"
Lelouch was looking at the same map inside his stolen Sutherland, a tight smile on his face. 'An ID signal can be a double-edged sword. Besides, if the terrorists follow the orders I issue, my task at hand is sure to be completed.'
"Lulu looks so nervous," Shirley muttered in worry, joining her hands together in prayer for him.
"It's his first battle. Some appropriate tension will keep him focused." Milly assured. "I'm afraid that he will get carried by this victory and become overconfident."
"How likely is that?" Kaguya frowned. They couldn't afford any mistakes in this situation.
"It depends on how good his opponent is," Milly muttered.
He contacted them again to relay his orders. "P1, P4, P7, move a hundred meter to the right and fire your slash harkens towards 3 o'clock."
"You heard him. Do as the voice says." Ohgi relayed.
"Damn, what else does he want us to do?" Tamaki complained habitually as he was sitting in the pilot seat of a Sutherland.
"He is Tamaki, right? The one who created the problem with this mission in the first place?" Kaguya frowned at Kallen's nod. "He lacks discipline."
As if he could hear him, Lelouch addressed him: "P5, ready?"
"Yeah." Tamaki slid inside the cockpit. "Quit calling me that."
"He could really be a problem if he continued showing such insubordination," Euphemia said.
Slash harkens were used and more enemies were destroyed.
Kallen blinked in dumbfounded surprise. "We're actually fighting back successfully? Against the full might of the local military forces?" This felt more like a dream to her than anything.
Inside the G-1, tension was present in the military for the first time as they realized their enemy had acquired means to fight back.
"Send Laslo squad, I mean Glaubey's squad!" Bartley sweated as he gave his orders.
"This means terrorists have our military weaponry," Clovis said, losing his disinterest.
Kallen's Glasgow climbed a roof knocked an enemy unit with its one good arm. It was Glaubey.
"Change our codes, they're intercepting out transmission," Bartley ordered after realizing the problem.
"We already have sir, four times!"
"Do it again."
Clovis stood up in anger. "This failure is unacceptable!"
Kallen laughed loudly. "Take that!"
"Lulu really is amazing!" Shirley proudly exclaimed.
"You must be so relieved," Milly teased. "Finally, your Lulu is putting his intelligence to some good use."
Euphy was conflicted. This was exactly the reason she was not supportive of Lelouch's rebellion. Her brothers were fighting now.
Bartley asked for forgiveness.
Lloyd chose that moment to send a video call. His face occupied most of the screen straight ahead as he greeted, "Good afternoon!"
Bartley was not happy at his interruption. "What is it? We are in the middle of an operation!"
"I say that it's time to deploy the ASEEC's special weapon."
"We've no time for this right now," Clovis said angrily.
"This is not good news," Milly frowned. "I think I have an idea of just which 'White Knight' it's talking about in the episode title."
"If they deploy the Lancelot," Kaguya said grimly. "Then, it's Suzaku."
His forces were being decimated as they were speaking.
Lelouch gave his troops chess designations and with each command he will give them, he will put a corresponding piece on his dashboard. Footage was shown of enemy being destroyed with each command.
"We're winning," Kallen whooped. "We're actually winning!"
"It's wonderful," Kaguya beamed. "Lelouch is much better than I expected him to be."
Milly's eyes gleamed. "He is in his element. It's like he was born for this."
"We just lost Laslo squad!"
Clovis came forward at that bad news and gave his orders: "So do it. We'll have to bring up Quincey's squad."
"My lord, that will break the encirclement," Bartley protested.
"I wonder if that's his intention?" Kaguya tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Lelouch could be trying to create an escape route."
"But we can't escape." Kallen protested. "All those Japanese alive in the ghetto will be slaughtered if we do."
"Lelouch won't escape," Milly said sadly. "Not when he is winning. He has been waiting for a long time to confront his past."
"Now then, the enemy has five options. Their move." Different from his opponents, Lelouch was confidently smiling.
"Reinforce the breach with some of the units guarding me." Clovis insisted on his order despite Bartle's protest. "All we know for certain is that enemy forces are here."
"Who ordered them to break formation?" Jeremiah wondered when he saw the Quincey squad moving.
"Well, that's a more stupid move than I expected," Lelouch said to himself after seeing all forces surrounding and moving in on a particular area.
"This feels so familiar," Euphemia muttered. "It reminds me of their chess matches."
Nunnally nodded. "Lelouch will always dominate the game. And Clovis will make mistakes in his panic."
Those memories were bittersweet in the current context.
He contacted Kallen. "Q1, do you have an area map?"
"Yes, I have a map of the old town. But it has no current land marks." She replied.
"It'll do."
"All right, send in Burts and the others too," Clovis ordered.
"Mission number 3 now," Lelouch followed.
"Concentrate our forces there. Surround them."
"Is everything prepared?"
"The enemy's main force is that center dot. Finish every one them off."
Lelouch chuckled.
"Clovis is going to lose," Euphemia realized. "Lelouch has set up a trap for him."
Nunnally was in agreement. "Lelouch is going to check him."
Kaguya and Kallen looked in anticipation.
Even Milly and Shirley were excited. Seeing this side of Lelouch was amazing for them.
When Clovis' forces reached the position, they found no enemies there.
"What?! Where's the enemy?" Clovis was taken aback.
His enemy was evacuating through the underground tunnel right underneath. As they cleared the area, Kallen fired her slash harken at the top causing a cave in.
"With this, I call check." Lelouch put his last piece on the dashboard.
The hole created by the cave in swallowed all the Knightmares above. Since most of their forces were concentrated in that area, Britannians suffered heavy losses.
There was a cheer inside the room at that clear victory. Even Euphemia was happy. If the battle was over, Lelouch and Clovis need not continue to fight.
"This is not over yet," Kaguya reminded. "Now that Clovis is desperate, he might use his trump card."
"The Lancelot." Milly sobered.
Lelouch let loose a laugh. "My plan worked, didn't it? I can do it. I can! I can defeat Britannia!"
"He's getting ahead of himself," Kaguya frowned. "He has not even achieved complete victory yet."
Euphemia agreed. "And Clovis can hardly represent Britannia's military might." She frowned as she finished that sentence internally. 'He needs to overcome Cornelia before he can even talk of opposing Britannia.'
"He will learn his lesson after he suffers a setback," Milly said. "I just hope he doesn't get hurt in the process."
Clovis took several steps back in fear. 'Who? Who in the hell am I up against? What if he's even better than Tohdoh?'
"Lloyd!" He addressed the scientist still on the screen.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Can it win? Will your toy beat them?"
The scientist scoffed at his created being called a toy and confidently requested: "My lord, please be so kind to call it the Lancelot."
"So, Lancelot is going to join the battlefield," Milly observed. "That means Suzaku must be the 'White Knight'."
"It seems so," Kallen scowled. "That makes him the enemy though."
"But Lulu and him are friends!" Shirley exclaimed. "He said it himself that he wouldn't hurt Lulu."
"But he doesn't know that Lelouch is the enemy commander," Euphemia said, not happy with the situation either. "And Lelouch thinks he is dead."
"Suzaku and Lelouch are going to fight against each other," Nunnally held her head in horror. "No, they are going to try to kill each other."
C.C. was now interested. Compared to his grand plans, Lelouch's friendship with Suzaku was more intriguing for her.
Z-01 Lancelot was being activated.
Suzaku was pulling on a pilot suit over his bandaged body.
"Did you read the manual?" Cecile's voice came from the earpiece.
"Pretty much."
"Well done. You scored at the top of the class in the simulator."
Suzaku interrupted her to talk about an earlier discussion but he doesn't talk about the subject. Cecile's reply was polite but not optimistic.
"But that means there's still a chance, right?" Suzaku asked as he moved out of the medical vehicle and moved towards the Lancelot.
"Yes, I'm afraid that's true. Even so, you're not to do anything reckless. The new system is not outfitted with an ejection mechanism." Cecile warned.
"That means if he loses, he dies," Kallen said.
"I don't know why they brought it into a warzone like this. It's not like they were intending to put Suzaku in that machine from the start. It would have endangered the life of the pilot, an elite Britannian Knight most likely." Kaguya was confused.
"I've heard some rumors about Dr. Asplund. Some people say that he's a functioning sociopath." Milly confused. "Maybe there was some truth in them."
"OK. I understand, Miss Cecile." Suzaku stepped up to the Lancelot as it was unveiled for the first time. "That's it?"
The Lancelot was completely shown.
Cecile introduced as the world's first seventh generation Knightmare Frame—Lancelot. An advanced weapon developed by ASEEC.
"It's beautiful." Shirley said in wonder.
"Too white for me." Kallen said, rolling her eyes. Still, she was jealous of Suzaku for getting to pilot that. Just a little bit. 'World's first seventh generation Knightmare…'
"Well, if you are ready, Suzaku, shall we proceed with the initial startup?" Lloyd asked.
Lancelot went through initial startup. Then, Suzaku entered.
"So far, it's going per the data…status, all green."
After all preparations were complete, Suzaku activated ME-boost.
"Lancelot, launch!"
At Cecile's words, the Knightmare raced forwards at high speeds, riding the wind.
Cecile took cover while Lloyd laughed happily. "Running full throttle right out of the gate."
Suzaku was amazed at the Knightmare's performance. "Cooler than the manual. With this…!" He grabbed his injured side in pain.
"Oh no, He's still injured." Shirley said in worry.
"That's an advantage for our side." Kallen shrugged. She turned to Kaguya, "Any idea how good your cousin is in a Knightmare?"
"If he's half as good as he's outside one then, you are in trouble." Kaguya warned her.
Tamaki was the first to notice Lancelot. "Huh, what is that? It doesn't look like a Sutherland."
Suzaku didn't give him any time to ponder and destroyed his Knightmare.
"Oh no, Tamaki!" Kallen cried out in worry. He may have been annoying but that didn't mean she didn't value him. He was her friend.
Lelouch was unaware of the Lancelot's arrival and was confidently laughing. "Another push and the checkpoint will fall."
He was contacted. "This is B-group, reporting enemy presence."
"Reinforcements? Real battle is different, isn't it?" Lelouch was still confident as he pressed the radio to his ear. "Status?"
"Everyone ejected, but they took out four units in nothing flat."
"Enemy numbers?"
"Just one." Lelouch blinked in surprise. "I think it's a new model. I've never seen anything like it—"
There was a cry of panic on the other side and the communication was cut.
"What's happening out there?" Lelouch questioned others.
Kallen sighed in relief at the news that everyone ejected. But she was still worried. The battle was still going on.
"He caught Lelouch by surprise," Milly said. "Lelouch was getting relaxed and complacent."
"I hope neither of them gets hurt," Euphemia prayed.
Suzaku, in the Lancelot, took out another Sutherland. It had two factspheres and used energy shield on its arms to deflect bullets.
Milly started scribbling notes. Kallen gawked, "It has shields?! How are we going to overcome that?"
"Your only option is to outnumber it," Kaguya said. "Surround it and suppress it. Or maybe ambush it using the terrain. But that's unsafe without knowing its full capability."
"What? It reflects bullets?" Lelouch was surprised at this news as more of his forces were eliminated. He put down the communicator in anger. 'Useless so called terrorists. With all the resources they have, they're being beaten by one unit.'
"Easy for him to say when he's not the one doing the fighting," Kallen grumbled.
"But he did give you the tools to fight back," Kaguya reminded. "It's obvious that he'd demand results."
"Not to mention that he has not seen Lancelot in action," Milly added. "He will change his tune soon, I expect."
Suzaku destroyed another unit with slash harken and jumped high to take down the its partner with downward kick to its head. "Yes, I can do this. With Lancelot, I can stop all this at once."
"Just what he's trying to stop exactly?!" Kallen snapped. "Britannians are the ones massacring people!"
"But Suzaku doesn't know that!" Euphemia defended. "He is just trying to stop the bloodshed in the only way he can. I would have done the same in his place."
"Of course, you will say that," Kallen glared at the princess. "You're a Britannian Princess. He's fighting for your side."
"That's not true!" Euphemia protested. "I don't approve of what Clovis is doing here. It's inhuman."
"That's true. Euphy is different from the others." Nunnally vouched for her. Much to her relief, she was confident that Euphy has not changed like Clovis.
"I think you can trust the people in this room, Kallen." Kaguya came forward to mediate. "We're all here for a purpose. If it was impossible for us to cooperate, we wouldn't be gathered here in the first place."
The redhead calmed down at her fellow Japanese's words. But she wasn't apologizing for her words. She wasn't willing to give the benefit of doubt to even Lelouch before she saw him really helping her fellow rebels. And he was in a completely different situation with the pink Princess. Their standpoints made it inevitable that they would stand on opposite sides.
"N4, N5, hold there. When the rear units arrive, surround that thing."
"Gotcha." They rained fire on the Lancelot but were blocked by the shields as it advanced on them. It moved in closed and destroyed one and cut off the other's hand. "We can't stop it!" He was quickly defeated.
"I wish Nina was here," Milly said. "I don't get how that Knightmare really works so I can't make notes on its technology."
"It's really different from Sutherlands," Kallen agreed. "Not just those shields. Its overall performance is amazing. I never thought Knightmares could move like that."
"N units, what is it?" Lelouch received no reply. "What happened? Something I didn't foresee?"
"For heaven's sake. Now I'll owe my older brother a debt I don't mean to incur. It's for the best, though." Clovis turned away with a relieved smile.
Kallen gritted her teeth. "Its all because of Suzaku! If he didn't butt in, we would be winning." She was thinking he was better than the rest of the Honorary Britannians after the last episode, but he lost all her goodwill in this one. "That traitor!"
Euphemia wanted to defend his actions again but ultimately didn't. She didn't want to start another fight with Kallen. Besides, she could understand her frustration now that Britannia was winning. No matter how noble Suzaku's intentions were, it wouldn't lessen his sins when Britannia restarted the massacre. At that time the one who wouldn't be able to forgive his actions most will be Suzaku himself.
Lancelot continued, even taking out Ohgi.
"Ohgi!" Kallen jumped from her seat in worry. "Did he eject?"
She looked around for someone else to give her a different answer than what her eyes told her.
"Don't worry Kallen," Milly assured her. "We didn't see the others eject either but they were all safe."
Kaguya tapped her chin in thought. "It's really strange that everyone manages to eject. I wonder if Suzaku is showing mercy on purpose."
"Is there a chance he is?" Euphemia asked in hope.
"Very much. Suzaku always had a strong moral code."
"P1! Report!" Lelouch put down his communicator when he got no reply. "The enemy, can it really be only one unit?"
Lloyd and his team were keeping an eye on Suzaku's performance.
"These readings are even higher than predicted." Cecile informed. Lloyd gave the credit to the pilot.
Suzaku defeated one enemy after the other, holding one hand to his injured side. 'If I can stop all the Knightmares, then this battle is over. No matter what it takes, I've gotta save Lelouch and that girl.'
"So, that is his reason," Milly smiled. "He wants to save Lelouch and C.C."
Nunnally was gratified. "Suzaku…thank you for being such a great friend."
Euphemia smiled happily. "I was right about him. He's doing it for Lelouch's sake."
But Kallen was not in a forgiving mood after seeing his role in the battle. "It doesn't the fact that he is the one really putting Lelouch's life in danger, right now!"
"But that's not his fault!" Shirley was the one who defended Suzaku this time. "He just wants to protect his friend. What's wrong with that? I don't think Lulu will blame him if he knew his reasons."
His Knightmare picked up another enemy unit hiding in one of the ruined buildings. He used the slash harken to climb up.
Lelouch noticed his arrival but was only in time to put up both hands to block the first blow. "You mean this thing is what's ruining my plan?"
"Oh no!" Euphemia covered her mouth in horror. "Lelouch and Suzaku…"
Nunnally squeezed her eyes shut. This was the thing she was most dreading since she heard that Suzaku was going to join the battlefield. Even if this future never comes to pass, she wasn't willing to see the two of them hurt each other.
"How ironic," Milly said bitterly. "The two of them would meet like this after the previous episode."
"Lulu wants revenge for Suzaku and Suzaku wants to ensure Lulu's safety." Shirley felt tears fill her eyes. "Why is this happening to them? This is so unfair."
Even Kallen had nothing negative to say about Suzaku. "Did you not say that he may be showing mercy to us? So, there's chance he wouldn't really hurt Lelouch."
"It's different," Kaguya shook her head. "Lelouch is the one in charge. He is more dangerous than the rest. Suzaku wouldn't be willing to let him go."
Suzaku pushed him back and questioned: "Are you the guy that's in command?"
"Nothing more than a pilot. How dare he!" Lelouch's Knightmare was pushed through several floors. "No choice, I've got to get out of here."
Lancelot came at him with a spinning kick and knocked him down.
"Did he just use a spin kick with his Knightmare?!" Kallen broke the tension building up in the room. "How did he do that? No simulator teaches how to do that."
"Suzaku really is amazing in a Knightmare," Kaguya said. "It'd be a waste to let him fight for Britannia." Her eyes were gleaming with plans to pull him to their side.
He aimed a slash harken at the downed Lelouch but was blocked by the red Glasgow. Kallen stopped his punch with the one good arm of her Knightmare but was clearly straining.
"Hey, I'm returning the favor." She fired a slash harken but Lancelot caught it in one hand much to her surprise. It crushed the harken and defeated her, forcing her to eject.
Several sighs of relief were audible at that last minute rescue.
"Thank you for saving my brother, Kallen." Nunnally bowed in heartfelt gratitude.
"Yes, you were great, Kallen." Shirley also praised her friend.
Kallen waved her hands with a blush. "Like I said I was returning the favor."
"I hope Lelouch got away," Milly muttered.
Lelouch was already escaping in his Sutherland. 'I must remember that. The most vital element in battle is the human one.'
An alert sounded. The Lancelot was on his heels again. He turned to fire but was easily dodged. Changing the tactics, he fired at the buildings on both sides, using rubble falling to target the white Knightmare. Suzaku used the factspheres and his piloting skills to overcome all obstacles.
"That damn monster is unstoppable!" Lelouch scowled angrily.
"Suzaku is too good in that Knightmare," Kaguya said with a scowl, not at all happy with her cousin's skills at the moment.
"And too persistent." Milly added.
"Bastard. He's tearing things up for no reason." Suzaku was also angry at Lelouch's tactics. He noticed a woman falling from the building holding her child. He changed course and jumped up to hold her in one of Lancelot's hands.
"That was close." Euphemia had closed her eyes in horror at the sight of the woman falling only to see her safe when she opened her eyes. "It's great that Suzaku was there." She appreciated the knight even more. Suzaku abandoned his mission to protect a life. This would be grounds for punishment in military but it endeared him more to her.
"I have to admit, he is not that bad." Kallen also let go of her prejudice against him.
"Lulu should be more careful. He almost hurt someone." Shirley was more disappointed in her crush.
"It wasn't intentional and he was in a desperate situation," Kaguya defended him. "If he didn't want to be captured or killed, he had to fight using all methods."
"Not that his methods were useful," Milly added. "It was really a stroke luck that woman fell when she did and Suzaku stopped. Otherwise, Lancelot would have caught up to him."
Lelouch noticed this. "In the midst of battle, he rescues someone? Hm, I concede you the tactical victory here. Nevertheless…" He ejected.
Suzaku's actions of saving someone surprised those in ASEEC too.
"It's very strange of him," Lloyd commented.
The woman saved by Suzaku looked at the Lancelot in fear and ran away.
"Suzaku, are you tired? We'll call it quits for today." Cecile called to inform him.
"No, I'm fine. Please let me keep going." Suzaku insisted.
"Be careful with his operation time!" Lloyd cautioned.
"Yes, sir."
"My, that boy is an excellent piece of equipment."
Nunnally blinked. "Did he just call Suzaku a piece of equipment?"
"Yes," Milly replied baffled. "He really is eccentric."
Outside the G-1, an unfamiliar soldier was stopped by the guard. "Stop there. Your ID? This is Prince Clovis' personal transport."
"At last, the checkpoint." The soldier said and pulled off his helmet. "And barely guarded, per my plan."
"That voice…it's Lelouch." Nunnally recognized her brother instantly.
Euphemia paled. "What is he doing there? That's where Clovis is!" She had no illusions that Lelouch was planning on taking refuge with his brother. It was obvious from the start that Lelouch never considered that option seriously.
"I told you Lelouch was never going to escape." Milly said. "He's going to confront Clovis."
"So that was his plan from the start," Kaguya was delighted to figure it out at last. "A king vs king confrontation. And with his geass, he has an obvious advantage."
"Your plan?"
"That's right. Now I'd like you to let me pass."
"Yes sir, understood."
The guard lowered his gun and the soldier was revealed to be Lelouch, his eye sparkling.
Kallen was running away and was found by Ohgi.
Kallen was relieved to see him still alive.
"What are you going to do now?" Shirley asked.
Kallen shrugged. "Hide, most likely. What else can we do without any Knightmares?"
Inside a shelter for the Elevens who escaped the massacre, some people were accusing the resistance.
"This is what happens when you oppose the Britannians!"
"What?! Why you gutless coward?" Tamaki angrily returned.
A woman held her head and cried. "How many people were killed because of this?"
"Shut up! Do you know how many of us were killed or captured? Do ya? Quit crying."
"They are so scared." Shirley's heart went out to them. "Are they all the people that survived?"
"No, remember the woman Suzaku saved. There are obviously more survivors." Milly said but with a frown on her face. "But now that no one is fighting Britannia, they'd not stay safe much longer."
Kaguya shared her worries. "I don't know if this before or after Lelouch entered G-1. He should hurry up."
Kallen stayed silent. She was musing on the accusations of Shinjuku survivors.
Kallen and Ohgi returned to this argument.
"Ohgi, who was that voice we heard?" Kallen questioned.
"Damned if I know. He doesn't answer when I call so maybe he—"
Kallen turned to the gate as it exploded. There were screams everywhere and several bodies went flying. A tank and several soldiers emerged from the smoke.
"Shit! They found us!" Kallen's first thought was not to worry for the rest of the resistance but wonder if anyone in Shinjuku was going to survive. She didn't think she'd be able to take it if everyone died before Lelouch controlled the Viceroy. That's what she is assuming he's planning on doing.
"Lulu, hurry!" Shirley seemed to have same idea and was urging the boy she liked to make it in time.
Tamaki turned to Ohgi. "There, you see! Instead of following somebody we don't know, we should have used the poison gas."
Kaguya frowned. "That man makes himself more dislikable every time he opens his mouth."
"But he—" Ohgi wanted to protest but had no words.
"Damn Nagata to hell," Tamaki cursed and aimed his gun.
Kallen frowned too at those words. She remembered Nagata's death in the previous episode.
They were surrounded and outgunned.
"So, this where you Eleven vermin scurried off to." The commanding officer raised his hand. "Prepare to fire!"
Soldiers aimed their guns.
"Naoto!" Kallen closed her eyes as people around her screamed.
Euphy and Nunnally closed their eyes too.
Milly and Shirley squeezed Kallen's hands as much seeking comfort as they were offering.
But before they could fire, they were stopped by a sudden announcement by Prince Clovis.
"Attention all forces. Cease fire at once."
"He made it!" Kaguya and Milly let go of the breaths they were holding.
Kallen, at the moment, felt the deepest gratitude for Lelouch. If he'd forgotten them or had been just a moment late, then all those would have died. She felt like her convictions to continue Britannia would have been crushed if even victory Britannia couldn't save those lives.
"Lulu saved everyone!" Shirley was glad for the first time since this all started that Lelouch got involved in this mess. Her heart was a mixture of pride and concern and she didn't know what to think anymore.
Allies and enemies were equally shocked.
"Cease fire?" Suzaku stopped his assault in surprise.
"I, Clovis, third prince of Britannia and royal viceroy of Area Eleven, hereby command you, all forces are ordered to cease fire at once. You also cease destruction of any buildings or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are here by ordered, cease fire at once. I shall allow no further fighting."
This announcement was heard by all in the ghetto. Not only the Britannian military but even the Elevens heard it.
In the control room of the G-1 base, lights went out and Clovis found himself sitting on the throne. Bartley and the rest of the military advisors were gone.
But he wasn't alone. He addressed someone: "Are you satisfied?"
"Very, well done." A familiar voice replied.
"And what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads, or perhaps a nice game off chess?"
The person he was talking to walked forward. It was a soldier with a gun pointing at Clovis. He took off his helmet as he replied, "That has a familiar ring."
"Hmm?" Clovis blinked.
Lelouch threw away his helmet and said, "Don't you recall? The two of us used to play chess together as boys. Of course, I would always win."
"What?"
"Remember? at the Aries Villa?"
Clovis narrowed his eyes. "You, who are you?"
Lelouch walked in the light and revealed his eyes. "It's been a long time, big brother."
Clovis leaned forward in shock.
"The eldest son of the late consort Marianne and seventeenth in line to the imperial throne, Lelouch vi Britanni, at your service." Lelouch performed a proper greeting causing his gun to not point at his brother.
Clovis stood up from his throne, no longer calm. "Lelouch?! B-But I thought—"
"That I was dead? You were wrong. I have returned, Your Highness. And I've come back to change everything."
Lelouch kept looking at his brother in the eyes, his words filled with conviction.
Tension and apprehension filled Euphemia and Nunnally. They'd have been glad for this reunion to happen in any other scenario. But Lelouch obviously wasn't trying to make peace with Clovis. That gun really made them nervous. They didn't want Lelouch to harm Clovis. Sure, they'd lost many previous good feelings for Clovis due to his actions but that didn't mean they stopped seeing him as their brother. He may not have been a good person but he was a caring sibling.
Euphemia especially didn't want Lelouch to be the one to punish Clovis. She'd prefer he use his geass on him even. Clovis had been one of the closest to Lelouch before his exile. Even after the news of his and Nunnally's death reached, he'd been adamant not to believe it. One of the reasons Clovis went to Area 11 was to investigate their whereabouts. Clovis' feelings for his siblings were genuine. So, anyone is fine, but Lelouch must never hurt Clovis. Because if he was willing to even disregard their previous feeling, that'd mean Lelouch had changed just as much as Clovis. Even to the point that she couldn't recognize. She didn't want to see that. She wanted to see that Lelouch remembered them too. She wanted to believe he cared for them still.
"I see that he didn't use his geass on Clovis," Kaguya remarked. "But he must have used it on the rest to get them out. I hope he didn't leave any loose ends this time."
"Speaking of loose ends, what do you think he's going to do with Clovis?" Kallen mused. "He just revealed his identity. Normally, if he didn't want to be caught, he could only kill him. But he has that power of his. He has more options."
"I don't think he's going to use his geass on Clovis to control him," Milly said mildly. "He'd already have done that if he was going to."
Euphemia didn't know whether to be relieved or more worried. On the one hand, geass was a horrifying ability. But if Lelouch used it to Clovis not be an enemy of him in the future, she'd still prefer it to the alternative.
"Clovis is the enemy so he must be treated as such," Kaguya said. "If Lelouch is determined to walk this path to oppose Britannia then he must be ready to face the entire royal family. Like he said it himself, the only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed. If he spared Clovis here, I'd be very disappointed."
"But Clovis is Lelouch's brother," Nunnally protested. "They were close as children."
"I'm not saying he should kill Clovis with his own hand," Kaguya said. "But if he's truly opposing Britannia not just for revenge but also because he's disgusted with their actions then he can't show mercy to Clovis. Letting someone else kill Clovis will not change that he's an accomplice. It will just show his lack of determination. And Lelouch doesn't have the conditions to imprison him."
"What about his geass?" Euphemia asked, grasping at straws.
"Will you be comfortable with seeing Clovis being brainwashed by Lelouch?" Milly asked with a raised eyebrow. "Clovis was the one who started this massacre of his own free will. It'd be unfair to all the dead if Lelouch just wipes his memory or asked him to go out of Area 11. And any kind of punishment involving geass would be more inhuman than just killing him."
"It'd still be wrong for Lulu to kill his brother," Shirley whispered in the silence that followed. "He'd hurt himself."
Milly looked at her with complicated eyes. She knew that of all the people here Shirley was the one most unprepared to see what follows. The path that Lelouch was taking was not for the faint of heart.
She started browsing her notes in search for a change of topic and found something in the previous episode they'd neglected. "By they way, Ms. C.C., do you know what 'Ragnarok Connection' is?"
"Never head of it," the lime haired immortal lied flawlessly.
"The emperor mentioned it in the previous episode," Milly reminded everyone. "When Lelouch made his contract with C.C., the emperor detected it."
"Oh right," Kaguya also remembered. "Does that mean he knows Lelouch was the one to make the contract?"
Several sets of worried eyes glanced at C.C. The witch decided to relieve them. "No." That wasn't technically a lie. The Ragnarok connection couldn't tell such things. But there was a chance she'd tell Marianne who can share it with Charles.
She didn't elaborate and the rest were used to her way of not speaking unless she absolutely had to so they didn't force her. Anyway, the biggest concern was relieved. So, they could be relieved.
"Is there anything else important in the previous episode?" Kaguya asked to which Milly flipped through the notes and shook her head. "So, let's move on to this episode. First of all, we're all in agreement that Suzaku and the Lancelot are the 'White Knight' in the episode title, right?" She got nods from everyone, even C.C.
"That makes him very important for the show, right?" Shirley said.
"Suzaku did play an important role in the battle," Kallen grudgingly admitted. "He almost changed the battle's outcome on his own."
"He also has a strong connection with Lelouch," Euphemia added. "It was a twist of fate that they became enemies on the battlefield unknowingly."
"Their roles are also ironic," Kaguya noticed. "The prince of Britannia fighting against his own country with Japanese rebels while the son of the last prime minister fought against him on Britannia's side."
"Why did he join Britannia anyway? I'm interested in his motivations." Kallen admitted. "He seems to have actual morals. There's no way he can't see all the wrongdoings of the Britannian side."
"He does have strong morals. But he's also stubborn. Once he's decided on a path, its hard to change his mind." Nunnally said. "I remember when we first came to Japan, he didn't have the best opinion on us because we were Britannian. Later even when he realized that we were different, he stubbornly refused to accept big brother for the longest time."
"So, Suzaku's reasons for joining Britannia is important," Milly noted it down. "Then, there is the Lancelot…"
"That thing is going to be a serious problem," Kallen groaned. "Even if Suzaku doesn't continue to pilot it, the difference in specs with Sutherlands is too big. Unless there's another machine capable of fighting it, I don't see how we can go around it."
"Dealing with the Lancelot is priority," Kaguya admitted. "If it could be taken before it finds a pilot, it's for the best."
Milly wrote it down, neglecting the Princess who was watching them plan a coup with her in the room.
"It'd be great if Suzaku joins Lulu's side," Shirley proposed. "I'd hate to see them fight again. They're close friends. So, he should choose Lulu over military, right?"
"Apart from that, there's Kallen's group," Kaguya said, addressing the redhead. "I think there's potential there. But you should get rid of people with extremist mentality like Tamaki. Of course, this is just a suggestion."
The redhead nodded. She was annoyed by Tamaki's behavior in this episode too.
"I also have a question," Shirley raised her hand and faced the most silent member of this group. "Ms. C.C., why did you make a contract with Lulu?"
C.C. raised an eyebrow. "I saw the potential in him as a contractor…"
"No, I don't mean that," Shirley interrupted. "Why do you make contracts anyway? You have a wish, right? Can you share it with us?"
"No."
Shirley pouted. She didn't voice it but she was worried that the immortal girl had some ulterior designs on her Lulu. She was stalking him as a child. She was hell-bent on choosing him as her contractor. And she took a bullet for him. It'd be strange for her not to worry.
"On another note, we saw Lelouch's skill as a commander and I'm really impressed." Kaguya continued.
"Yes, I have only seen my brother so invested in chess before," Nunnally said with a smile. It had been a long time since she had seen this side of Lelouch. Even since they went into hiding, he had been suppressing his brilliance.
"I, for one, hope we see more of this side of him," Milly said with a teasing smirk. "Lelouch with a plan looks so much more handsome than just lazy Lelouch, right Shirley?"
"Right," the orange haired agreed before realizing what she'd said and then blushing madly. "MADAM PRESIDENT!"
Chapter is over.
It took more than a week to update. I was hoping once a week to update. I will try to maintain this speed in normal times.
Thanks to all the readers who liked my story. And yeah, since I have a sequel planned, I know where this story is going and I'm intending to complete it.
Now, I will reply to some doubts raised in the reviews. First of all, this story doesn't have a pairing as there are no male characters in it. I will think about it in the sequel.
Second, I'm not tanking Suzaku/Euphy. I just think that it'd not work with the original Suzaku and the changed Euphy. The only great point about their pairing was that they were so vanilla in otherwise dark story. And it came out as forced. (When Suzaku was insulted, she made him her knight. When he was thinking of dying, she confessed.)
Frankly, I liked Suzaku when he was first introduced. Sure, his ideals were unrealistic but as long as he really planned to follow them, I could respect him. But he never intended to. After Mao revealed his suicidal tendency, every time he talked about his ideals I was disgusted. Someone without the will to live can't change the world. Not only that, he wanted to take Zero, the only other person actually trying to change the world down with him. He never considered about the Japanese. After the SAZ, if he'd actually killed Lelouch I would have hated him but I could accept it. But he went and threw away his lost moral. Not obtaining results with wrong means. It was sick how he always put the blame on everyone else for everything until he was near death. The only times he became bearable was when he was with Euphy and when he made his geass command into his power instead of resisting it.
But it could work out between him and Euphy if he changed. I just don't know how he could change. I can't understand him. That's why he is not in the room.
Ther's also Euphemia's reaction to Clovis' massacre order. I based her strong reaction on how she reacted to Lelouch's geass in the bloody Euphy episode. She hated the idea so much she fought it. That's why, I had her react so strongly. I don't think Cornelia let her see the worst parts of Britannia, sheltering her just like Lelouch does with Nunnally. There's no reason she'd create SAZ otherwise. That not only created problems for Lelouch and the Black Knights but also painted a target on her back. The nobles had their interests touched. And the emperor would hardly hesitate in sacrificing a Princess. It could only end in tragedy for her unless she pretends that she set up it as a trap to destroy the Black Knights.
Apart from these questions, there was some good criticism and suggestions. I like when people leave that. Everyone notices different things in a story. There are some things I neglect that others don't. For example, one person pointed out how Nagata's last act could have released the poison gas. I never thought about that. But I think he was right that Kallen's group wasn't all made of good people. I highlighted Tamaki in this chapter because of that. Thanks for that suggestion.
So, keep giving your point of view. It makes me want to go back and see Code Geass all over again from a fresh point of view.
Thanks to you all. You are the best readers and reviewers.