Chaos in Area 11: Part 4

Chapter 9

A few days before Reinhard's and Yang's plan to lure out the real one who assassinated Prince Clovis, they gathered Suzaku, Jeremiah, Mittermeyer, and Reuenthal, since they would be the principal actors of this operation...

Main HQ War Room, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

To start, Yang says "Well everyone; we're getting close to the big day... You all have important roles to fill, so I expect you to work to earn your paychecks..." The others begin to laugh, but then Yang looks to Suzaku, before saying "Oh... We'll try and get you on the payroll as soon as this is finished. Soldiers shouldn't work for free after all!"

Suzaku just nods and says "I'll do my best, sir! I won't let this chance you gave me just slip away..."

Hearing this, Reinhard gives a subtle smile, before saying "Your drive is admirable, Suzaku... You will surely find success in the military if you remain with us..." After that, Reinhard moves to one of the computer panels and pulls up the general layout of the execution area.

There was the large platform where Suzaku would be placed at, as well as guards positioned in each nearby intersection, with Jeremiah positioned in a Knightmare Frame in front of the platform. Mittermeyer and Reuenthal would be located near the North and South sides of the area, both in Knightmare Frames, where they would each lead a group of foot soldiers and tanks.

After that, Reinhard zooms in on the execution platform, revealing that it will be hollow, with the Lancelot Knightmare hidden within. Upon seeing this, Reinhard says "Suzaku will appear to be properly chained up, with Jeremiah administering the general proceedings, but the floor of the platform is designed to collapse. With that, Suzaku will be able to enter the Lancelot, which is now ready for field deployment. That should catch our intended target off guard, which will allow us to corner and apprehend them."

Surprisingly, Lloyd enters the room and says "May I add that the Lancelot is ready for early field deployment. Once this operation is finished, we'll need to run more tests, so try to keep this one brief..."

Hearing this, Yang takes a sip of his tea and says "We'll do what we can, Lloyd. This wouldn't have been possible without the hard work Camelot put in..."

Lloyd merely laughs in response, and says "All part of a day's work!"

Following that, Lloyd leaves just as casually as he entered, as the rest continue to discuss the plan...

Empty Building, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

In this location, Lelouch was discussing his current plans for the next day with his comrades. Lelouch provided a detailed list of the soldiers who would be present at the execution, amazing the others...

Ohgi takes a look at the list, while saying "How in the world did you get this, Lelouch? This kind of information will give us a huge edge. Did you use that power of yours...?"

Lelouch shakes his head and says "I just asked a favor from an old friend of mine. She is adept at covert operations, so she had no trouble with copying all of that down. But with this information, I'll be busy using that ability..."

Hearing this, Kallen says "What are you planning with those soldiers?"

Lelouch replies, saying "Essentially, I'll pay a visit to around half of those soldiers so they will go berserk upon my command. It'll be what we'll use to cover our escape since the Britannians will be too preoccupied with the resulting chaos..."

After that, Kallen joins Lelouch as they prepare to find the soldiers who will be assigned that night...

A few days later, the execution was finally ready to be televised…

Execution Location, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Currently, Suzaku was shackled up on the execution platform, while Jeremiah stood in his Knightmare Frame, visible to everyone. And while he delivered a speech on how Prince Clovis will be avenged, even if on the inside he hated the experience, since he sounded just like he used to, with the rest of the purists.

As this was happening, Reinhard and Yang were in a nearby building which was converted to their HQ, while Kircheis remained with them as well. And when Jeremiah showed off Suzaku, causing a rain of applause, Kircheis says "So far, there are no reports of suspicious activity..."

Yang nods and says "We still have time. Let's hope this draws them out..."

While that was happening, Ohgi was driving a decently sized truck, carrying the rest of them inside. As they drove, Lelouch says "According to our information, the North and South checkpoints are being supervised by capable officers. We should approach the Western checkpoint..."

Ohgi nods, and brings them there, as they stop at that checkpoint. And as they were stopped, a soldier approaches and says "Sorry about this, but we're not having a live audience for this. Security purposes, the guys in charge tell me. I know this is pretty exciting, but we've gotta follow orders, so you'll need to turn around and just watch on TV…"

As the soldier says this, he laughs to himself, before saying "The speech is still going strong, so you've got time to get to a bar or something if you don't wanna miss it..."

They do not leave, and before the soldier could ask anything else, the window opens, as Lelouch activates his Geass ability. As he does this, he says "I, Zero, command you... Allow us to pass, and report that there is nothing to report here..."

The soldier first raises an eyebrow and says "Sorry buddy, but I can't let ya pass... Also, do you need to be so ru—" Before the soldier could finish, he suddenly salutes, while saying "At once; Master Zero!"

Following that, Ohgi continues forward, while the soldier reports, saying "This is the western checkpoint; nothing new to report here..."

As Ohgi continues to drive toward their primary objective, Kallen says "Once we get there, we'll be surrounded by enemies. I'll do what I can in my Knightmare, but are you sure we'll even be able to grab Suzaku Kururugi?"

Lelouch merely smiles, and says "Don't worry Kallen… The Britannian officer giving that speech will be the perfect tool for the operation..."

Following that, they finally reach the main square, causing Jeremiah to suddenly stop what he was doing...

Upon seeing this, Reinhard slams his fist on the desk, and says "What is that? We should have been given a report about this!" Then he looks toward one of the other soldiers, and says "Check the security footage from the last 10 minutes! They had to have passed through one of the checkpoints."

As Reinhard did this, Yang contacts Mittermeyer and Reuenthal, and when he hears that the truck did not pass through either of their checkpoints, he says "Contact Diethard Ried... This is a good time to cut the feed."

Following that, Diethard receives the order, causing him to grumble and say "Cut the feed? The execution is one thing, but how can I not record what's about to happen...?" But after that, he sighs and says "If I kept on broadcasting, I'm sure the government would retaliate, so let's listen. Keep filming though, just in case..."

Now that the live feed was cut off, and Jeremiah was informed, he looks at the disrupting group and says "And what are you; some advocacy group?"

Suddenly, the roof of the truck partially opens, allowing Lelouch to rise up while fully dressed and masked in his Zero attire. And once he was in view, he exaggeratedly points and says "Advocacy...? Nothing of the sort. I merely do not appreciate my hard work being attributed to another..."

Hearing this, Jeremiah furrows his brow, and says "In other words; do you mean to say that you were the one who murdered Prince Clovis?"

In response to that, Lelouch bows with extreme flair, before saying "That man was guilty of mistreating the Japanese people for years! I merely enacted justice upon him..." After that, he points toward Suzaku, and says "And now I shall rescue that poor soldier, and save him from being blamed by his tyrannous government!"

Surprisingly, Jeremiah smirks and says "Well then, how about we start the real show?" After he says this, the execution platform gave way, allowing Suzaku to fall right through it. But right after that, the walls of the platform collapsed as well, revealing a shining white Knightmare Frame. Once it activates, Jeremiah says "We anticipated this, and Private Kururugi was more than willing to play the role of a prisoner, if it meant capturing the real culprit. And now, we can..."

Upon seeing this, Kallen runs in the back toward her Knightmare, while saying "This is really bad, Lelouch! I'll go hold him off while you and Ohgi escape!"

Ohgi shakes his head, and says "No way! If anyone should do that, it should be me. Take him with you Knightmare Frame, and I'll ram them..."

To both of their surprise, Lelouch laughs, while saying "There is no need to worry. This was outside my expectations, but we can still escape unscathed..." After that, he has his mask reveal his left eye as he activates his Geass, aiming at Jeremiah. As he does, he says "I, Zero, command you to cover our escape!"

Upon hearing that, Jeremiah's eyes widen as he shouts, yelling "How dare you attempt to command me! I am a loyal officer, and I shall bring you to jus—" Suddenly, Jeremiah pauses, before grabbing his head as if he was suffering from a headache. After that, he salutes and says "As you command, Master Zero!"

After that, Jeremiah reenters his Knightmare Frame and charges at the Lancelot, confusing Suzaku. As this happens, Suzaku says "Lord Jeremiah, what are you doing? We need to apprehend him!"

Jeremiah continues to engage with the Lancelot while saying "No! I have to cover Master Zero's escape! I must accomplish his command!"

While those two were locked in combat, Ohgi takes the chance and speeds away, driving toward the North checkpoint...

Back at the HQ building, Reinhard angrily throws his glass to the side, while saying "What the hell's gotten into Jeremiah? At this rate, they'll escape!"

Kircheis nods and contacts Reuenthal while saying "This is an emergency. The enemy is currently moving toward your checkpoint, in an attempt to escape. I don't know why, but Jeremiah is currently trying to assist in their escape, so it's up to you and your soldiers..."

Reuenthal nods and says "I'll apprehend them... I do wonder what caused Jeremiah to behave like this..."

Kircheis sadly sighs and says "I can't see him simply betraying Reinhard's trust, especially after all the work we did for this plan. At least the public won't see this..."

After that, Yang checks the feed and says "This 'Zero' character was speaking with Jeremiah before this happened... Do we have any footage of him up close?"

One of the soldiers nods, before checking the footage, until saying "I didn't find any of that, but I did see that they went through the Western checkpoint."

Hearing this, Reinhard says "They said that there wasn't anything to report! Contact them immediately. I don't like this one bit..."

Kircheis goes to contact that soldier, but when he does not respond, Kircheis says "He isn't responding... Let me check his camera..." When Kircheis looks, he sees that the soldier was sitting normally, although he wasn't even reacting to the calls. Once he notices this, he says "Let's send someone to check on that soldier. This doesn't sit right with me either, Reinhard..."

Back to Lelouch and his group, they near the North checkpoint, while Reuenthal stands before them, ready in his Knightmare Frame. And as he remains in position, he says "I'm not sure how this all happened, but this is as far as you will go..."

Lelouch merely laughs, before stepping onto the roof again, before snapping his fingers. In an instant, the soldiers began attacking each other at random, causing the entire group to devolve into madness, while Reuenthal struggled to contain them. And once Ohgi drives past, Reuenthal turns around in his Knightmare in an attempt to pursue, the back of the truck opens, revealing a red painted Knightmare Frame seated inside.

And before Reuenthal could react, Kallen fires off a few shots, aiming specifically for the leg joint of his Knightmare, causing it to fall to the ground.

Now that Reuenthal could not pursue his enemy, he quickly shifts his attention to the chaos occurring with his unit, while the truck escapes into the night...

When Reinhard sees all of this, his eyes widen, as he says "How did this happen...? What's gotten into Reuenthal's soldiers?!"

Almost on cue, the soldier sent to the Western checkpoint contacts the main HQ and says "The soldier here seems to be dazed, but is otherwise unharmed. He keeps on saying that he needs to allow 'Master Zero' to enter..."

Responding to that, Kircheis says "Thank you; you may return. Please bring that soldier with you so I can find out what he saw..." After that, Kircheis turns to Reinhard and Yang, and says "We should check with Jeremiah as well as Reuenthal's soldiers, to see if there is a connection."

Reinhard takes a deep breath, before saying "Good idea... I'd rather not have to consider that all of those people were secretly in league with this Zero character..."

Following that, Yang says "Suzaku, see if you can incapacitate Jeremiah without injuring him. If you need to damage his Knightmare, then that's fine. We can make repairs later..."

Back in his Knightmare, Suzaku nods and says "I'll try my best!" And as he clashes with Jeremiah, the advanced equipment and technology of the Lancelot give him an edge, but Jeremiah's experience causes things to remain equal. But as the fight continues, Jeremiah slowly loses steam, allowing Suzaku to finally subdue him.

And once that happened; soldiers approach and apprehend Jeremiah, who was still rambling about how he needed to follow 'Master Zero's' orders. Suzaku also notices at this time that Jeremiah's eyes seemed to have an odd red glow around their edges, which made him look like he was almost crazed, which could be an explanation for his actions.

Now that Jeremiah was captured, he is brought to the HQ along with Suzaku, so that Reinhard and Yang could figure out exactly what happened...

They have Jeremiah sit down, as he says "My head's killing me... What happened...?"

Yang replies, saying "Jeremiah, can you tell us what you remember?"

Jeremiah nods and says "Of course... First, I prepared to enter my Knightmare to apprehend the real murderer. But as I did that, I think he said something to me, although it's all a blur after that..."

Hearing this, Reinhard rubs his temples in frustration, while saying "Something went wrong with this. Right when we were about to capture him, you suddenly went berserk, and attacked Suzaku."

Jeremiah's eyes widen, as he says "I did what?"

Yang nods and says "It really made a mess of things..." Then he turns to one of the soldiers, and says "Were you able to get footage of them talking?" The soldier nods, before playing back when Zero allowed his left eye to be visible, before ordering Jeremiah to cover his retreat.

With that, Reinhard says "He specifically revealed his left eye..." He then contacts Reuenthal and says "Once you stop the soldiers who are fighting madly, I want you to thoroughly investigate them! Make sure to ask if someone with a strange looking left eye approached them."

After that, Yang says "After all of that, it looks like things won't ease up anytime soon..."

Following that, Jeremiah is led away, since he still technically did prevent them from capturing the terrorist who actually murdered Prince Clovis...

But back in the makeshift media building, Diethard was instead ecstatic about seeing what this Zero did, as he pranced around the room while saying "This guy will make history! I need to film him! Did we record anything ourselves?"

One of his staff members nods, so Diethard smiles, and says "We shouldn't keep this to ourselves... That would be a crime to the spirit of journalism..."

The next day...

Lelouch and his group were meeting in an abandoned building in the Tokyo Settlement, as he says "We managed to escape while dealing a heavy political blow to that officer, but I was completely outsmarted. If I didn't have my Geass, we would have perished..."

Hearing this, Kallen says "We shouldn't lose heart! You may have been a bit too flashy, but you showed off your influence, so we might even see an expansion in membership..."

Lelouch silently laughs and says "I merely tried to put on a good show, and even if we weren't broadcasted, I'm sure portions of that night will slowly leak to the public..." After that, he smiles and says "For now though, we should lay low, at least until we can be sure of how things will be like from now on..."

Now that Reuenthal restored order to the soldiers who were fighting in a berserk state, he made sure to thoroughly interview each of them, hoping to provide Reinhard with whatever information he needed. During this process, he learned that many of those soldiers remember being visited by a suspicious individual, and in all of the reports, the individual had the same general physical description.

And because of what happened, Suzaku was officially cleared of any wrongdoing, while Jeremiah was unfortunately jailed for his actions. Reinhard and Yang remained silent for the time being, wishing to gather evidence that could clear his name.

They didn't have a lot of time to do this, because, in a week, one particular princess would arrive in Area 11, with the intentions of filling the void that came about once the Purist Faction was removed from power. Unknown to almost everyone else though, a few scheming nobles planned to send their own representative, one which could easily challenge that princess in the political sphere.

For now, though, things continued on regularly, as both Reinhard and Yang had to live with being partially thwarted by Lelouch, while Lelouch felt the same exact way...

End Chapter 9

Notes:

Hey everyone! It's been a little bit since I last updated this one. I've been preoccupied with some of my other stories, but this arc should be all finished up by the next chapter. That one will be more of a wrap up though.

If you liked the chapter, feel free to let me know, either as a review, a favorite, or a follow! Or if you have something to add, feel free to let me know as well.

Also, since no new characters were introduced, there was no need for any bios.

Take care!

Review Responses

0ldMonk: Thanks for the review! In this story, Reinhard and Yang aren't rivals; they're more of a duo, kind of like how Mittermeyer and Reuenthal were in the original LOGH. But hopefully I'll make their conflict with Lelouch interesting.

Duked: Thanks for the review! In general, I'm planning for most of them to have happier endings. At least the ones who side with Reinhard and Yang.