Chapter 10: I'm not sleepy.
Bangkok, 1:30 pm
Zhou and Hong had just left the international airport behind, when they found themselves in front of a limousine in front of a uniformed driver who walked toward them extending his hand.
"Welcome to Bangkok, miss Xianglin! Also to you, mister Gu! Governor Yodkamol is waiting for you! "He shook hands with both, then invited them to come on board.
Once the two guests were loaded, the car started towards the city.
"Do you intend to stop for a long time?"
"Just enough time to have lunch, then we'll leave for the Toromo institute." Zhou answered.
"The Toromo Institute?"
"It is located in Cambodia."
"I see ... In the meantime, you can watch some TV."
"Agree."
Hong took the remote control and turned on the television. They were broadcasting an extraordinary edition of the newscast, directed by Milly Ashford.
"... Of gigantic dimensions have been sighted in different points of the Earth, especially in the big cities: Pendragon, Rome, Cape Town, Tokyo, Luoyang, Paris, and others. They are about 24 kilometers large, so big to obscure the skies. "
They arrived, so ...
Zhou thought, worried.
Suddenly the driver braked brusquely, catching the two by surprise.
"What's up?" The woman asked, alarmed.
The man did not answer, unzipped his seat belt and got out of the vehicle. Zhou and Hong followed closely, and once outside they saw a scene that took their breath away: a colossal spaceship, discoidal in shape, advanced in the sky; at one point the aircraft stopped above them. The trio was open-mouthed in amazement, and could not move a muscle. Around them, even the other cars had stopped and the drivers watched the scene dismayed.
Pendragon, at 11.45pm
"CARPACCIO! CARPACCIO! "Pepperoni shouted, entering their bedroom.
"Can you know what's wrong with you? I was sleeping so well, and your screams woke me up! "The blonde exclaimed, annoyed.
"Come and see!"
"I am sleepy!"
"Come now!"
Carpaccio snorted annoyed but still decided to get out of bed.
"I hope it's important for you!" She said, putting her hands on her hips.
"It is, I swear! Follow me!"
"Ok ..."
Exit in the open Carpaccio looked around: there were dozens of people in the street who looked stunned upwards.
"Look!" Peperoni urged.
The blonde looked up and saw, above the city, a mastodontic spaceship. She almost had a heart attack.
"Then Anchovy was telling the truth!" She exclaimed, stunned.
"Yeah ... We should have gone with her!"
Carpaccio did not answer, continuing to stare at the spacecraft.
Oh, God ... Let's hope that at least they are friendly!
Atlantic Ocean, 3:00 am
The Great Britain had just left the shores of North America behind it, and now it darted over the immense expanse of water, heading east. Cornelia, Esdeath, their respective secretaries and Marianne were gathered in their quarters and watched the news.
"We are reporting new sightings from Copenhagen, Bangkok, Osaka, Mogadishu, Kampala, Jerusalem and Shanghai. The imperial army is on high alert while panic scenes are occurring almost everywhere. No official statement has yet come from Empress Cornelia, Prime Minister Leila Breisgau and Defense Minister Esdeath. Everyone asks: who are they? Where they come from? And above all, what do they want? Are they friends or enemies? "Said Milly.
"That's what I also ask myself." Cornelia said, worried.
"So far there have been no hostile attitudes on the part of visitors ... At least not yet." Esdeath stated.
"No communication from spaceships?" Asked Marianne.
The light blue haired shook her head.
"None. They arrive on a city and stand in the sky. "
"Strange…"
"Very. In addition, the largest one, that of 500 kilometers, remained in orbit. "
"Have you tried to contact them?"
"We would do it, if we knew what language to use."
"In any case, a televised speech is necessary to appease the spirits." Shiho interjected.
"I agree. But it's better to do it when we're in Weiswolf. Leila must also be present. "
"Are you sure, your majesty?" Yaeko asked.
"Yes. Leila is very popular among the subjects, especially the European ones. Her words, 13 years ago, put an end to the uprisings that were upsetting Europe. It will be very useful to reassure citizens. "
"I think so too." Said Evergreen, Marianne's secretary.
"I would never have thought, one day, to get on board a British airship." said Edward, who was walking down a corridor in the company of CC.
"Me neither ..." Green-haired said.
"And to tell you the truth I never thought the aliens would come to Earth."
"I see…"
"You do not look so impressed."
"I've seen too many of them in my life to impress me."
"Yeah ... I always forget you're immortal."
"Lelouch, on the other hand, always forgot that his geass had no effect on me."
"Why do you always talk about him?" The boy asked, irritated.
"Nothing…"
He looked at her unconvincingly, did not trust. He suspected that the girl downstairs felt Lelouch's lack, of which she had been an accomplice for a while ... Or maybe she had been something more for her? That doubt tormented him.
I understand that over the centuries it has been with various men ... It would be absurd to think otherwise. But it bothers me that you still think about Lelouch! In addition to being a tyrant he was also a depraved who abused any woman who came to him taking advantage of the fact that it was conditioned by the geass. No, CC must remove it from the head, also because it is now a stone statue!
He thought nervously.
At that moment a boy in his twenties came out of one of the rooms: he had short black hair, eyes of the same color, wearing a white shirt and black trousers.
"Hi!" He greeted them.
"Hello!" The two replied in unison.
"Are you guests of Empress Cornelia?"
"Yup. And you? "CC asked.
"My name is Vincent Wolf, an expert in computer science."
"What are you doing here on board?"
"My job is to take care of Weiswolf's computer systems. I can not tell you anything else, you know how it is. "
"How come you're still up?"
"Sometimes I spend a night or two in white. There are times when I do not close an eye, and others when I wake up in the middle of the night. So I surf the internet. You?"
"We can not get to sleep. You know, this alien thing ... "Edward explained.
"Ah understood. I was just watching the news ... It seems to have appeared everywhere. The latest reports come from Vladisvostok, Moscow, Berlin and Kinshasa. People are afraid. "
"I do not blame her."
"If you think about it, it's a bit like the discovery of America: two peoples, Europeans and Native Americans, who for many centuries had lived by ignoring one's existence, meet. I'm sure the world will never be the same! "He said, excited.
"The Europeans have exterminated the Native Americans," said CC, grimly.
"True ... Well, let's hope the story does not happen again."
Meanwhile, in a nearby room, Anchovy was turning in her bed, but he could not fall asleep.
"Let me guess ... You can not close your eyes."
She turned, crossing her gaze with Katyusha, who lay in a nearby bed.
"I'm worried about Carpaccio and Pepperoni ... I do not like the idea that they are under an alien spaceship. I should have convinced her to follow me. "
"You tried, did not you? And they did not believe you. "
"If something should happen to them ... I will never forgive myself."
"I'm worried about my friends too ... Nonna, Klara, Nina, Alina ... They're down there in Pendragon."
"We can only hope that everything goes well."
"Yeah…"
"Listen, since we can not close our eyes because we do not take a walk?" Duce suggested.
"A walk?"
"Yes .. A stroll always combines sleep."
"That's fine with me." The blonde asserted, smiling.
"Perfect ... Then let's go!"