It's time to get back into the saddle.
Area 11
Reuben finally waved down a taxi, its yellow cab flashed red as it stopped. The door automatically opened, letting Reuben into the cab. It had been a long day, not often did insurance cover a freak lizard monster tearing up your school while Spider-Man and an unknown assailant fought it.
"Where would you like to go?" The driver asked.
"To Ashford Academy." Reuben handed over the address on a slip of paper and let the driver put it in.
The two descended into a comfortable silence as the cab moved forward, entering the casual traffic. Reuben quickly looked outside to see the moon shining overhead and nary a cloud. The streets were emptier than usual after Viceroy Cornelia implemented her curfew. He was lucky to find a cab still operating.
"So, how has the weather been?" Reuben asked, but before the driver could give an awkward response distant cries and loud crunches ring behind them.
"What the hell?" The driver said as he turned his rearview mirror to get a better view. The only thing he could see was a green blur jump onto the cab. The roof of the cab was dented from its weight and quickly ripped off by large claws and scaley skin.
Reuben is met by the large monster that attacked his school in worn and tattered clothes, stained in blood.
"Assssshforrrrrd, finalllyyyy." It spoke.
"I-I-I…" Reuben is befuddled, unable to properly respond.
The driver tried to make a break for it, running from the car but his escape was cut short as the tail of the monster stabbed straight through his chest. The body went lump and Reuben could only look in shock and awe.
"Helllooo Assshforrd," The monster stood up as tall as it could, easily hitting well over 6 feet tall. Its skin was covered in green scales, and its eyes were a yellowish green with black slits like that of an alligator or maybe Crocodile?
"Wh-what are you?" Reuben meekly asked.
"Dooon't you remmemberrr? Youuuu tollld meee my projeeccct was doooomed for failllurrre." Realization struck Reuben eye's, the look that it…he waited for.
"Jacob!? Wha-What happened to you? How?" Reuben asked.
"Assss you can ssssee, the projeeeccct was a sssuccesss." Reuben lunged for him. In a weak attempt to block it Reuben brought his arms up. Instead of death, Jacob grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up to his height.
Sirens blared behind him and a police cruiser stopped behind him, the cruiser produced two officers already pulling out their guns.
"Drop him you freak!" One of the officers shouted, both aiming at Jacob.
"I'llll deeaal with youuu ssssoon." Jacob said as drop Reuben back into the car and approached the two officers.
"Get back! I'm warning you!" Jacob did not listen, so the officers shot. Their bullets didn't even put a dent into his scales. Reuben looked away, not wanting to see the absolute gore that became the two police officers.
"Oh god." Reuben said, cowering in the car.
"Ssssorry about thaaat, I'llll be sure to giiive you the attention you…desssirrrre." Jacob stood over Reuben; claws stained red with blood with what could only be the remains of the two officers.
"Jacob, please, you need help!" Reuben pleaded, but his words were left on deaf ears.
"Hellllp? I feel betterrrr than ever! I can feeeel, I CAN WALK!" Jacob's face…his lizard face could only be described as a devious Cheshire grin.
"But at what cost?" Reuben motioned to the literal blood on his hands.
"Nnnnone." Jacob raised his hand, ready to bring it down and strike when a black and red blur catapulted into him.
"Sorry Connors, gonna have to jump in and stop you there." Jacob was kicked off the car and onto the concrete, standing on the hood of the cab was Spider-Man.
His outfit was different than when he last saw him. It was more black than red, with a cowl on top, and a large red spider on his chest.
"Ssssspiderrrr." Jacob spoke with malice, glaring at the hero.
"Glad you remember me pea brain, unfortunately for you it's time to end this. You need help Connors, this isn't you." Spider-Man hopped off the hood of the car and circled Jacob, who was also standing tall.
"I feel grrreaaaat. Ssssso much energyyyy, unbound by my pathhhetic life! You won't take thissss from meeeee." With startling speed, Connors pounced at Spider-Man and the two fought. Meanwhile Reuben collected himself enough to crawl out of the destroyed cab and grab his phone.
"C'mon c'mon c'mon!" Reuben typed in the designated number for the local police.
"Area 11 Police Department, what is your emergency?" The operator spoke in a calm voice, as it always did.
"There's a big lizard fighting Spider-Man, you gotta get out here now!" Beside him, Spider-Man was flung into the wall of a nearby building strong enough to make an indent in the bricks.
Spider-Man pushed himself off from the wall and delivered a right hook to Connors. The blow pushed back Connors across the street.
"Your face is surprisingly resilient for how ugly it is." Spider-Man quipped as Jacob regained his composure.
Connors roared and charged at Spider-man but could not hit his target as Spider-Man dodged out of the way. Two web-lines were shot at Connors head to stop him in his tracks and wrapping his head in webs. With his vision obscured Spider-Man aimed one more shot in the middle of Connors back, a small tracker in the inevitable chance it was needed.
Connors ripped the webbing off his face and turned to Spider-Man, he tried to pounce at him, but a large beam of light caught him in the air and knocked him down the street. Spider-Man followed the source of the beam to a shining red and gold armor, Iron Man flying 5 feet above him.
"I got more where that came from, so do me a favor and stay down." Tony Stark spoke as more sections of his suit expanded to reveal more weapons.
"Thanks for the assist." Spider-Man said as his attention turned back to Connors.
"You owe me kid, maybe you can show me the formula on those webs of yours?" Tony landed beside him, keeping his weapons pointed at the stunned Jacob.
"Think of something else."
DODGE
Instinct spoke to him faster than his mind could, and Spider-Man jumped out of the way as a part of the yellow taxi was shred from its whole and thrown at the two. Spider-Man was lucky to get out of the way, but Iron Man took the blow straight to the face. Jacob tore off another door from the taxi and hurled it at him, forcing him to dive out of the way.
The opportunity granted Jacob a chance to run to the nearest sewer grate and make his escape, leaving the two heroes empty handed.
"Damn it, that hurt." Tony said as he pushed the piece of debris off himself and took in the situation.
"You alright?" Spider-Man asked.
"Yeah, I'm good, but Lizard face escaped." Tony said.
"I put a tracker on him, when I get a ping we'll know where he's been hiding." Underground sewers were infamous for their ability to block signals, so it was only a matter of waiting.
Behind them he could hear sirens approaching as a handful of cop cars finally arrived, presumably called by Reuben. The lead car was drove by none other than Captain Stacy, who was quick to exit his cruiser and approach the two of them.
"Did we miss it?" He asked.
"Yeah, he's gone. I got a tracker on him, but it'll be a while before he resurfaces. When I get a hit, I'll let you and the Viceroy know." Captain Stacy nodded and went back to his officers to control the scene.
"Good thinking kid, you're pretty resourceful." Stark opened his helmet flap to reveal his face.
"When you've been doing this for a few years, you gotta be." Spider-Man said, watching Reuben helped up by a few officers.
"So, I'm gonna go ahead and cash in that favor right now." Spider-Man turned to Stark confused.
"Favor?"
"Yeah, sorry but where I'm from kids like you don't punch big lizard monsters and dodge car doors going 30 miles per hour. So gimme a call when you're not busy." Tony pulled out a business card (from where, he did not know) and gave it to him.
"I'll think about it." Spider-Man said as he pocketed it.
"That's all I ask. See you around kid." Tony gave a two-finger salute before his face plate came back down and he flew away.
x-x
Area 11
The door opened and Eugene stepped inside, tossing aside his suit jacket onto a nearby chair. With a few flips of the switches the windows to his luxury suite opened and revealed the night sky of Japan. Back home, the skies were littered with stars, here they were practically non-existent. Before the invasion, Japans skies were full of stars, now the Britannian occupation has neutered its beauty.
His phone rang and so he answered.
"Master Izo, what an unexpected surprise." Eugene sarcastically said as he approached the suite windows and stared out to the city scape.
"Khan, how goes you search for the Black Knights?"
"As easy as I expected it to be, the crimson ring made searching for leads a simple task." Gene admired the ring on his left hand. The liar, the Makluan ring that granted him greater telepathic powers. Walking the streets of Japans ghettos wearing the ring made it only a matter of time before he found the right man who knew where he could find the Black Knights.
"Thank you, Shinichiro Tamaki." Gene chuckled; his thoughts were as loud as his personality.
"Your over reliance on the rings is concerning Khan. The Makluan Rings grant great power, but your skills are deprecating. Like a wolf that has been domesticated, you have lost your natural abilities." Izo was always a stickler, ever since he was his student. However, time has changed the balance.
"Watch your words Izo, I am the Mandarin, and you are subservient to me. The power of the Makluans will not go underused. Not like my father. Your transgressions about our recent changes have not gone unnoticed. Never question the Mandarin, do I make myself clear?" Izo was silent, but even he could not resist against his power.
"Yes, Mandarin." Gene grinned and ended the call, content with Izo's bowing down.
"Izo giving you flack?" Behind him, The Hand assassin, Elektra, emerged from the shadows.
"Elektra, how good of you to show up in my room…without notice." Gene grumbled the last half as Elektra walked up to him.
"I only ensured that your room was clear of any traps." Elektra's blood red clothes were a startling disposition to the light grey of the room.
"How goes the search for the last ring?" Gene asked.
"I've searched through the Indian and African black markets, no luck of it there." Gene frowned at the news.
"You will continue your search in Polynesia next. Perhaps you will have better luck there."
"Sir, I believe my skills are more suited elsewhere. Surely there are threats that need to be taken care of." Elektra had been scouring the globe for the last year, searching every black market and historical museum ever built-in search of the last Makluan Ring. It had been a tiring and boring search; she was an assassin not a hound dog sent to look for lost jewelry.
"You will continue your search; do I make myself clear Elektra?" The rings on his hands started to glow, showing his impatience.
"Yes, Mandarin." Elektra sighed as she disappeared into the shadows, as she always did.
Gene massaged his ring-less finger, imagining the power it would bring with it. The life ring, a small pink ring with the potential to grant immortality (if one were to be diligent). It didn't disintegrate his enemies, or create large fire storms, but it was nonetheless important to his goals.
"I will find you, and you will be mine."
x-x
Highways of Area 11
The armored limo wasn't the first idea Euphemia had, but it was the only one that Cornelia let her take.
"Are you alright Euphy?" Suzaku sat across from her in his military uniform, the scrapes from his fight with his former teacher now gone.
"I'm fine. Do you know why I asked you here Suzaku?" She asked, Suzaku could only shake his head. "It's probably not a surprise, but Cornelia plans to leave Area 11 to me when she finishes dealing with the Black Knights. She thinks it will be a good opportunity for me to spread my wings, metaphorically."
"What do you think?" Suzaku asked, it gave Euphemia a chuckled. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Few people ask for my thoughts, so your question is appreciated. In all honesty, I agree with my sister, but that's where our agreement ends. Cornelia imposes Britannias strict policies, and that includes its more barbaric and derelict policies. The only reason she breaks them is in the direst of situations. If Spider-Man hadn't saved me those weeks ago, she would have probably sent her Guilford to hunt him down. But she owes him a debt she could possibly never repay, me too." Euphemia hopes someday she could make up for it, to repay the hero for saving her life.
"Where is this going Euphy?" Suzaku asked.
Euphemia looked out her window, this should be a good enough spot, "Chauffer, park on the side please." The driver did without question, stopping near the guardrail. Euphemia clicked a button on her side and the window between the front and back lifted, cutting off the two sides.
"What do you see Kururugi?" The atmosphere turned cold, Suzaku sensed it immediately.
"Excuse me?"
"What do you see? In your most brutal honesty, do not be shy." Euphemia gestured to her left.
Suzaku looked out to see the city and skyscrapers of Area 11. "I see, Area 11. The well-developed colony by Britannia."
"And here?" She gestured to her right.
"The remains of Japan, the ghettos, where it's citizens live in fear, a shadow of it's former self."
"Good, I was hoping there would be a little bit of that pride in you." Suzaku looked back at Euphemia, confused.
"What are you getting at?" Suzaku asked.
"My sister and I believe in different forms of governing, she imposes Britannian policy…but I hope for something more."
"More?"
"The Viceroy of an area can direct and govern as they see fit, as long as it benefits the motherland. So, when I become Viceroy it will be up to me to govern this area, Japan. I don't want to govern like my family before me, to crush the people beneath me. Life is inherently important, and should be protected, not subjugated to the trash heap like Japan…like any nation before and after it."
"You want change." Suzaku eyes widened as he started to finally understand.
"I want more than change, I want peace. I want a world that kindness can be extended to any stranger, I want a world that won't take away my brothers and sisters."
"Lelouch, Nunnally, and Clovis." Suzaku filled in the gaps on his own.
"I want to reform Britannia, starting here in Japan. I plan to talk to my brother Schneizel about the specifics, and I want you to be there."
"I'm just a soldier, why would you want me?"
"Because most of all, you are Japanese, you know this country better than I do. With your help we can make Japan better for all it's citizens, and maybe in time we won't need Areas anymore."
Suzaku could only stare at Euphemia, the princess in pink that had just now smashed all his expectations. Her ambition was great, greater than anyone's he's ever known. To reform Britannia from within that…that reminded him of himself.
"Do you believe you can create change?" Suzaku asked, his voice solid.
"I do, I have to." There was conviction, he hadn't heard that kind of tone for a long time, and it reminded him of only one person he's known.
I will obliterate Britannia! The small voice of a child rung in his mind; conviction seemed to run in the family.
"Then I will help you reform Britannia, to make a brighter future." Suzaku was convinced, more than anything he believed her.
Euphemia smiled, getting Suzaku on her side was a crucial part of her plan to reform the system. If the people of Japan saw that one of their own can succeed it will give weight to her reforms. It would make them trust the new system.
"Thank you, Suzaku, I won't let you down."
"I should be saying that." Suzaku laughed.
Euphemia stuck out her hand, and Suzaku met halfway with a handshake. Together they can make a better future, they had to.
Just for clarification Miles is now using his new 2099 suit from his recent video game. I've been saying it for years that Miles needed new costumes and now we have official ones! Hope you've enjoyed.