Okay! So usually I don't do my notes until the end of the chapter. But this is a special case as I intended this one to be much longer. But then I realized there is A LOT that happens that I wrote down. So I instead decided to split the chapter up into two separate ones, part 2 is already written so it will be up by next week or so! Further notes will be at the end of the chapter, hope you enjoy Part 1!
Tokyo Settlement
"You still haven't made contact with Darlton?!" Cornelia asked incredulously.
"No, Your Highness. There was a report he'd been injured, but nothing beyond that." Guilford told over the comms, who's knightmare was following close behind.
Cornelia flew her knightmare as fast she could to the SAZ. She had to get to Euphemia.
The moment she heard the news, she couldn't believe her ears.
Euphemia gunning people down? Impossible! Even if they were Elevens, she would never harm anyone! She never even picked up a gun! It had to be a mistake!
"It's Zero! He's responsible for this!" Cornelia thought with fury. When she'd get her hands on him, there would be Hell to pay!
As they approached the area, she received another transmission.
"Viceroy, emergency message from the the Avalon. The Special Zone at Fuji has fallen to the Black Knights." A Britannian soldier told her.
"What was that?!" Cornelia said angrily.
"They're moving to intercept our forces." The soldier told her. "Also…Princess Euphemia…" He struggled to say.
"Spit it out, soldier!" Cornelia shouted, her patience completely gone.
"She was shot by Zero in the Tokyo Settlement. I'm sorry Viceroy, but the doctors weren't able to save her." The soldier told her sadly.
...what...
...What...
...WHAT...
He was lying!
He was mistaken!
HOW DARE HE SAY THAT!
SHE WOULD HAVE HIM SHOT!
SHE WOULD RIP OUT HIS FUCKING THROAT!
But all she could muster to say in that moment was:
"Dear God..."
...
Viceroy Palace
Medical Center
Cornelia sat next to the comatose Joseph, holding his hand in a tight grip.
Her mind was in a fritz, everything was wrong, Everything!
First Lady Rebecca, then Lady Marianne, then Lelouch and Nunnally, then Clovis, then Joseph, and now her own sister?!
This had to be a nightmare, it just had to be!
Why couldn't God just let her WAKE UP!?
...Or maybe God was punishing her...maybe all these years of acting like a tyrant were finally catching up...and maybe she deserved it...but not Euphie...sweet, poor Euphie...
Many tears roll down her face, and she laid her head down on Joseph's chest as she sobbed.
How she wished for just one moment, he would wake up and do one of his nonsensical dances, speak his random gibberish as if it was life's wisdom, and just smile his dopey smile. Anything to let her escape the torture she was experiencing right now.
But she knew he wouldn't, she was stuck here in her own personal Hell.
So with that, she stood back up and wiped her eyes that were now filled with fury and determination.
For if she was going to have to punished, she was going to make sure there was going to be collateral damage.
And it was going to be the person that caused Euphemia's death, the one person who deserved to die, the one person who she hated more than anything in the universe.
Zero.
...
"Don't panic!" Cornelia told the group of commanders as she entered the meeting room, many shocked to see her, especially Guilford.
"P-Princess Cornelia!" Guilford stuttered.
"I've put the Glaston Knights on standby. Place all our forces on the outskirts of Tokyo. We can end this, we just need to take down Zero." Cornelia told them professionally. "Are you with me?!" She asked.
The soldiers, including Guilford, stood up straight and saluted to her in respect.
"Yes, your highness!"
...
Cornelia walked alongside Joseph's bed as the medics transported him to the cargo ship. Guilford wasn't far behind.
It was going to be a rough battle and she didn't want him anywhere near the settlement when it begun. She lost too much already and she wasn't about to lose him.
"You make sure he gets there safely, or you will answer to me, understood?" Cornelia threatened with a stern voice.
"Yes, your highness. No harm will come to him." A soldier said professionally.
"Any word on Darlton yet?" She asked Guilford.
"None yet, your Highness." Guilford said dejectedly.
"(Sighs) I do hope he's alright." Cornelia said quietly.
They stopped at the ship and Cornelia looked down at Joseph's sleeping form, so calm and at peace. Having no idea of the awfulness that had occurred in the just one day.
She caressed his cheek and lowered her head to his.
"Stay asleep, little brother." Cornelia said sadly before kissing him on top of the head and gesturing the soldiers to take him aboard the ship.
Now it was time for her to focus.
For tonight, Zero would die by her hand.
...
They won.
Guilford told her just as much.
Kururugi had killed Zero himself and they had taken back the settlement.
Joseph was back in Pendragon, recovering as he should be.
It even turned out that Nunnally was alive and well, this whole time in-hiding at a school.
She should be happy. She should be proud!
...Right?
So why did she still feel so empty inside? So bitter? So full of regret?
Because it didn't change the fact that her sister was still dead. That it was still unexplained why she suddenly went on a murderous rampage!
And why was Nunnally found, but not Lelouch? Nunnally herself said she was living with him all those years and he suddenly went missing? The same time Zero died?!
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong! And Cornelia was going to found out what!
She only had one thing to go by, it was something she heard Kururugi mutter back in the settlement.
One word.
Geass.
...
Geass Order
"Are you going to kill me? Or control me with your Geass like you did to Euphie." Cornelia asked bitterly from inside her cell.
"To prove your sister's innocence, you renounced your position, gave up everything. That's inspiring. You made me think, Cornelia, is there any more splendid relationship in this entire world than that of loyal siblings?" V.V. asked.
"What do you know of a bond?" Cornelia asked viciously.
"I know that despite his eccentricities, you care for that retard brother of yours. It be a shame if he were to receive another bullet to the head." V.V. sneered.
At that, Cornelia jumped up and banged her fists on the glass that was between them.
"You touch him and I will kill you! I will figure out how your body works and I will make it endure agony like nothing else!" Cornelia barked.
"Why do you care so much for him? He's an avid supporter of Zero, the same person who murdered your sister. I figured you would want him dead as much as I do." V.V. said blankly, not at all afraid of her threat.
"You know nothing." Cornelia said with a growl as she sat back down.
"I lived a long life. I know better than you think." V.V. said as he walked away.
...
Ashford Academy
"So did Lelouch and Shirley tell you why they wanted to see us during the weekend?" Rivalz asked in a confused manner as he and Milly walked to the Student Council Building.
Lelouch had called him and Milly earlier today, wanting to meet up, telling them it was urgent. Rivalz was a bit annoyed honestly as he made plans of his own.
"Nope, but with the mysterious tone in his voice, he and Shirley are probably announcing their engagement!" Milly said excitedly.
"Whoa! They only started dating a few weeks ago, Prez! I doubt Lelouch is moving that fast." Rivalz said quickly.
"But they've known each other since freshman year! All the pieces have already been put into place, Rivalz. And we finally get to the see the complete masterpiece!" Milly cheered.
While Rivalz still didn't buy it, the thought of Lelouch actually proposing was bewildering if not exciting.
"Lelouch getting hitched. Man, that'll be quite a day..." Rivalz said with a small smile. "I wonder why he wanted to keep Suzaku out of it though." He said.
"Guess we'll see." Milly told him.
Soon enough they entered the building and made their way to the meeting room.
"Alright, you lovebirds! What did you want to tell us?" Milly asked as she entered the room. "Would it be about a certain ring around a certain..."
The question died in her throat as she noticed who exactly was in the room.
Lelouch and Shirley were there as she expected them to be. Shirley was leaning on the table, Lelouch was standing on the other end of it. Both had solemn looks on their face.
Another person in the room was Rolo, who looked anxious just being there. Milly would have assumed he was there to celebrate his brother's engagement if it wasn't for the next couple of people in the room.
It happened to be a tall, strongly-built, tanned man. He had blue hair and was wearing white suit with black boots, he also had some sort of gadget around his ear for whatever reason. He looked at Milly and Rivalz with a small smile.
Next to him was Japanese maid with black hair. Milly and Rivalz couldn't put their finger on it, but they felt like they met this woman somewhere before, but she just looked at them with a sad smile.
But the one to really catch their attention was the one who was smiling widely at them, the one wearing a long black overcoat and a walkman hanging on his pants.
"Joseph!?" Rivalz and Milly said in shock at the same time.
"Milly! Riv-alz!" Joseph shouted with glee as he charged at the two and brought them into a bear hug. "Missed you!"
Despite the struggle for breath, Rivalz missed his name being mispronounced by his moron friend.
"We missed you too, Joe." Rivalz said with a tight voice.
When he put them down, the two looked at him utterly confused.
"But what are you doing here? You're a wanted criminal, remember?!" Milly asked with concern.
"Yeah man! If somebody sees you, you could go to prison, executed even!" Rivalz said with worry.
"No worries! Been extra sneaky." Joseph reassured as he blocked his face with his arm and wiggled his fingers in a dramatic fashion, making Shirley giggle.
Milly on the other hand, was still confused. "Lelouch, Shirley, what's going on? Clearly you both already knew he was here." She asked suspiciously.
"Yes, he wanted to be here for what's about to happen." Lelouch explained simply.
"What's about to happen? And who's the tall guy with the maid? Wasn't he the Viceroy for a moment?" Rivalz asked curiously as he gestured to the two hanging back.
"You both know that maid better than you think, Rivalz." Lelouch said with a smirk. "As for him, that is Jeremiah Gottwald." He introduced.
"A pleasure to finally meet Master Lelouch's friends." Jeremiah said as he went up to the two and gave a small bow.
"Uh...hi?" Milly said awkwardly, not sure how to respond to such a greeting. "Lelouch, what's the former Interim Viceroy doing here?" She asked.
"He's going to give you something that was wrongly taken from both of you." Lelouch said solemnly. "Go ahead." He said with a nod towards Jeremiah.
"You might feel a strange sensation." Jeremiah said as his left eye started to glow a blue light.
"What are you..." Before Milly could finish that question, a massive wave hit her and Rivalz's brain.
A massive wave of memories.
They remembered doing various activities with a blind sandy-haired girl in a wheel chair, not a young shy boy.
Milly remembered playing with this girl back in Pendragon, along with her brother Lelouch when they were kids.
Rivalz remembered her kind nature despite her brother always being serious and how she always had a maid help her around the building.
Her name was Nunnally. Their classmate, their honorary Student Council Member, their friend.
But the one memory that really struck them was that day.
That day where OSI soldiers came barging in.
That day where they were cuffed, beaten, and treated like criminals.
The day Suzaku betrayed them.
The day The Emperor changed their memories.
"Oh God..." Milly muttered in stunned shock as she started to collapse, thankfully Joseph caught her.
"Easy, it's alright." Shirley cooed as she quickly came by Milly's side and hugged her friend.
Rivalz was still standing but also looked just as shocked as Milly.
"Rivalz..." Lelouch said in concern as he came up and grasped his friend's shoulder.
Rivalz didn't say anything for a few moments before he finally looked at Lelouch with wide eyes.
"Nunnally's your sister...she used to go here with us..." Rivalz said slowly, Lelouch nodded in confirmation.
"I knew you both since we were kids...you're a prince...and Zero..." Milly said in revelation as she looked up at her friend, tears sprouting in her eyes. "And the Emperor, he...he..." Milly couldn't even finish the sentence as the tears flowed down her cheeks and she started to sob into Shirley's chest, who in return clung to her friend with her own tears.
Rivalz couldn't hold it in either as tears started to roll down his face, Lelouch pulled him into a hug, comforting him.
Sayoko came over to Jeremiah's side and they both looked on at the group sympathetically. He felt her lightly grip his hand, it surprised him, but he lightly gripped her hand in return.
Joseph looked on sadly as he patted Milly's back. While he was happy that his friend's memories were back, he knew this is what their reaction would be.
He looked over at Rolo, who stood back uncomfortably and guiltily, not wanting to interject. But Joseph would have none of that, he put on a smile and gestured for Rolo to come over. Rolo saw this and quickly shook his head, Joseph doubled down and pointed his finger to the spot next to him. Rolo sighed in defeat and came over to the group.
"Milly..Rivalz...I'm so sorry..." Rolo said quietly, holding his head down in shame but also fear.
Milly and Rivalz looked at him in confusion and trepidation.
"Rolo...who are you?" Rivalz asked in a rare solemn voice.
Before Rolo could say anything, Joseph put his hand on his head and ruffled his hair.
"Our new little bro! Duh!" Joseph said proudly, Rolo looked at him in surprise. Lelouch also put his hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.
"I think it's better we start from the beginning." Lelouch said.
And thus, Lelouch began his tale of how he reunited with his brother in Shinjuku.
How he met an immortal woman named C.C. who gave him a power called Geass that lead him to becoming Zero.
How Joseph had to save him and Shirley from a mind-reading maniac and where she learned of his secrets.
How he accidentally Geassed Euphemia and made the worst mistake in his life.
How his own friend, Suzaku, betrayed him and brought him to the Emperor where he had his memories changed.
And how he was saved by Joseph, Kallen, and C.C. and took up the mantle of Zero once again.
"And when we learned that Jeremiah had a Geass Canceller, I thought it was the time to finally have your memories returned." Lelouch concluded.
They gotten to the point where they all sat together at the table. Except Jeremiah, who stood and kept a watchful eye out for any threats. And Joseph, who sat on the table with his legs crossed.
Milly and Rivalz took a few moments to process the atom bomb that was dropped on them. Both their eyes were still red from the crying they endured.
"...I think I need a drink..." Milly said in a rare tired voice.
"My friend turns out to be an exiled prince, along with being Zero, and having a superpower that was given to him by an immortal woman...yeah, make it a double." Rivalz added quietly.
Lelouch couldn't help but chuckle, even Shirley didn't argue that as she too felt like chugging down a bottle of whiskey when she got her memories back.
"How about tea instead?" Lelouch asked as Sayoko came back into the room with tea and snacks.
"I took the liberty of making your tea, apple cinnamon, Lady Milly." Sayoko said with a gentle tone as she set a cup down next to the girl.
"Thank you Sayoko." Milly said gratefully before she suddenly hugged Sayoko's waist in a tight manner. "I'm so sorry I forgot who you were!" She whined.
"Oh, Lady Milly. It's alright. It wasn't your fault." Sayoko told her sympathetically as she patted her back.
"She's right. If anything, it's mine." Lelouch told her, feeling ashamed.
"Lelouch..." Shirley said tiredly.
"Your highness." Jeremiah spoke up in concern.
"Please, let me say this." Lelouch told them. "Guys, it was never my intention to wrap up any of you in my problems. If it had just been me, I would have accepted that." He started solemnly. "But the fact that...that man, took away your memories as well!" He continued angrily, fist clenching together on the table. Shirley gently put her hand on one of them and he calmed down. "It was too far and it was all because of a horrible mistake I made...and I am so sorry you had to go through all that. You deserved better." He said with regret as tears fell down his clenched shut eyes.
Suddenly, he felt Milly wrap her arms around him.
"It's not your fault, Lelouch. You did everything you could stop Euphemia. You didn't make your Geass go haywire, it was that V.V. You didn't take away our memories, it was your father." Milly told him.
"Yeah man. I know you can be serious and a bit mopey sometimes, but I also know you're a good guy. One of the best guys out there. You're our friend." Rivalz told him, coming with his own hug.
"You're family. We love you." Milly told him sweetly.
Lelouch's eyes widen at that before a new set of tears, this time of joy ran down Lelouch's face and he held his friends tightly. Shirley watched on with her own tears of joy, Sayoko and Jeremiah looked on with pleased smiles.
"AW GUYS!" Joseph cheered as he glopped his Lelouch, Milly, and Rivalz into a big hug. Tears in his own eyes.
"We missed your hugs, dude." Rivalz said with glee, not caring he couldn't breath at the moment.
Rolo stood back, feeling uncomfortable, like he didn't belong. But then he felt his arm get pulled into the hug.
"You too, new little bro!" Joseph insisted.
"B-But...But I..." Rolo stuttered.
"He's right Rolo. You've been a Student Council member for almost a year after all." Rivalz told him with a smirk.
"You may have been sent here to spy on Lelouch. But you chose to help him and stay as his brother." Milly told him as she ruffled his hair.
"Which makes you part of this family whether you like it or not." Lelouch said with a smile.
Rolo's eyes shook with shock until tears formed in his eyes and sobbed right into the bundle.
"Come new little sis!" Joseph said as he pulled the willing Shirley into the hug. "Jerry, Lightning Servant!" He ordered as he snapped his fingers, signaling them to come join the hug.
"Insistent as always, your highness." Jeremiah said as he shook his head in amusement, Sayoko just giggled as she joined the hug. Jeremiah, being a man of his stature, chose to simply put his hand on Joseph's shoulder.
"(Sighs)Finally! Waited months for this! All saved!" He cried happily before jumping into the air with the group, minus Jeremiah who watched with a smile. "You're saved! You're saved! You're saved!" He cheered as he jumped up and down, the group laughed wholeheartedly at his enthusiasm.
When he landed back on the ground, he turned on his walkman and a cha-cha rhythm started to play.
"Saved! Saved! Safe! Safe!" Joseph begun to sing and dance excitedly.
Saved, saved. Saved, saved.
Saved, saved, saved, saved, saved, saved.
Saved, saved, saved, saved, saved, saved.
As Joseph continued to sing, Shirley joined her new brother in the dancing by grabbing his waist and kicking her legs, she even sang along.
Soon enough, Milly and Rivalz got involved in the congo line too.
Rolo looked at them and fidgeted a little, he looked at Lelouch who chuckled and said "Go ahead." To which, he grinned happily and joined his brother and friends in their congo line.
Lelouch shook his head in amusement, happy to have his friends back like this. "If only you were here too, Nunnally." He thought bittersweetly.
"You certainly have an interesting group of friends, Master Lelouch." Jeremiah said with a smirk as he joined the prince's side.
"Yeah, they're one of a kind." Lelouch said with a thankful tone.
"Yeah, you are saved!" Joseph concluded as he spun around to his friends and raised his fists in the air, they applauded his performance.
"(Sighs happily)Thank you Joseph, that's exactly what I needed to wash away all that deariness." Milly said as she felt good as new.
"Yeah, but I'm still mad at Suzaku though! We brought him into our club! He was our friend! Your best friend, Lelouch! And he did that to us?!" Rivalz asked angrily.
"I know Rivalz, and I was just as angry as you are about it. But remember that your real anger lies with my father, at the end of the day he was just following orders." Lelouch told him calmly.
"So you really believe he still wants to do good?" Milly asked, not really sure she herself could believe it.
"I don't think he would have protected Zero if that wasn't the case, hopefully he can still be reasoned with." Shirley said concern.
"Abso-toda-lutely! Training buddy still inside! Gotta unbury corpse, give CPR!" Joseph insisted proudly.
"That's a very weird analogy, Joe." Rivalz muttered with a cocked eyebrow before breaking into a small smile. "Glad you haven't changed."
"Never will!" Joseph said with a thumbs up.
"By the way, are you really a cyborg?" Rivalz asked as he turned to Jeremiah.
"I am indeed." Jeremiah said with a nod of his head.
"...That's really cool." Rivalz said with an impressed smile.
"Yeah it is! Jerry now...Optimus Jerry Prime!" Joseph said dramatically as he waved his hand.
His family and friends chuckled while Jeremiah shook his head in amusement.
"How about...Cyber Jerry!" Rivalz pitched excitedly.
"Even better!" Joseph agreed.
"Careful you two. You don't want to add more to that over-flated ego of his." Sayoko teased.
"An ego such as mine is only because I have the skills to match it." Jeremiah told her with a sly smile. "Perhaps if you did the same, you might have more admirers." He teased
"Why Lord Jeremiah, are you saying you admire me?" Sayoko asked with a devilish smirk.
"Am I that obvious, Lady Sayoko?" Jeremiah asked with his own devilish smirk.
Milly and Rivalz looked at the two with bewildered expressions.
"What's happening?" Rivalz asked in perplexity.
"Hits on each other!" Joseph told him as if it was obvious.
"Hmm. A ninja maid and a cyborg, that's definitely a buzzy story to tell." Milly said with a Cheshire grin. "However, I don't appreciate you trying to go out and kill my subordinate, Jer." She continued with a stern look and hands on her hips.
"Milly, you don't go here anymore, I'm pretty sure my subordinate duties are over." Lelouch said tiredly.
"Subordinate duties are for life, Lelouch. You should know that better than anyone." Milly said with a snooty tone.
"Oh no you don't, Madam Prez! I refuse to let you make a slave out of Lelouch!" Shirley said angrily, not letting this stand.
"Why? Afraid I'm going to take your soon-to-be-fiancé?" Milly asked with a devilish grin.
"ARGH! MILLY!" Shirley yelled with red in her face.
"I do apologize for my actions, Lady Millicent. If I had known he was one of the children of Lady Marianne from the start, I never would have attempted such a thing." Jeremiah said with a small bow, wanting to get the attention off his prince's future wife.
Lelouch stepped in at that point, a solemn look on his face.
"And it's why Joseph, Rolo and I are leaving Ashford." Lelouch told them.
"...HUH?!" The student council members, including Joseph and Rolo shouted in confusion.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up, bro! Time out corner!" Joseph said quickly as he approached Lelouch while making T sigh with his hands. "Just got back! All friends remember! Now wanna leave?!" He asked incredulously.
"Jeremiah was sent by V.V. to kill me, Joseph. Which means either he knows I have my memories back or he wants to take me out just in case." Lelouch told him. "We got lucky that Jeremiah used to work for my mother, but it does mean that Ashford isn't safe anymore. And if we stay here, we're just putting our friends in danger, I won't allow that. And as much as I wish Rolo could stay behind, he has a target on his back as well." Lelouch explained before turning to his new brother.
"And you need my help to find the Geass Order's location." Rolo said, getting to the point of the conversation.
"We will never truly have peace if V.V. keeps coming after us. I'm sorry to even ask you this, Rolo, but I need your help." Lelouch said as he put his hand on Rolo's shoulder, Rolo looked at him right in the eye and nodded in understand.
"And you have it, big brother." Rolo said as he grasped the hand on his shoulder.
"And when exactly were exactly were you going to tell me this?" Shirley asked with a stern voice.
"Or ME!?" Joseph asked with a wave of his arms.
Lelouch sighed, as he knew this is what their reaction would be.
"I knew if I told you early on Shirley, you would have tried to convince me to let you come along." Lelouch said.
"Damn right I would have! You don't have to do this alone, I told you that!" Shirley said angrily.
"I won't be. But right now, I care about your safety, as well as Milly and Rivalz's." Lelouch told her.
"Why are you so afraid to have me there?!" Shirley asked.
"Because I love you!" Lelouch yelled.
That got her to shut up.
Milly and Rivalz stared wide eyes, Rolo gasped, while Joseph cheered, "Yeah he does!"
Shirley stood there frozen, it was the first time he actually said those three words.
He quietly approached her and put his hand on her cheek.
"I lost Euphie, and Nunnally is in my father's clutches. Please don't let me lose you too." Lelouch quietly pleaded.
Shirley looked into his eyes and saw the fear and sadness that laid inside. She sighed tiredly and cupped his cheek.
"You better come back." Shirley told him.
"I plan to." Lelouch told her with a smirk.
"And before we have anymore interruptions..." Shirley started to say.
To which she grabbed Lelouch's head and pulled him into a kiss!
Lelouch's eyes went wide before he settled into the kiss and grabbed her head in return, matching her energy.
Milly happily gasped, Rivalz shouted "Finally!"
Rolo smiled before having his head pulled in under Joseph's arm, who sighed happily and said "Aims 'est pet..." in a dreamy tone.
"Joseph, you just said love was like farting..." Rolo deadpanned.
"Exactly." Joseph said.
The two broke the kiss and looked at each other with adoring eyes.
"Shirley...that was..." Lelouch slowly put out, not sure what to say.
"I wasn't sure when I would have the next chance to do that." Shirley said with a bright smile.
"Yeah! Initiative new little sis!" Joseph cheered as he let go of Rolo and went to give Shirley a high five, which she gladly returned.
"Unbelievable! The two of you finally kiss for real and I can't even brag about it to the other students here!" Milly complained with a sigh.
"Wow Shirley, I didn't think you had it in you." Rivalz teased.
Shirley rolled her eyes before turning to Joseph.
"You be safe as well, big brother." Shirley said softly as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Safe, middle name!" Joseph told her as he returned the hug.
"And you watch over Lelouch, got it?" Shirley ordered with a stern finger.
To which Joseph stood up straight and saluted with his palm facing forward.
"Shall do!" Joseph said professionally before going over to Lelouch, invading his personal space, and staring dead on at him.
"Easy Joe..." Lelouch said with a chuckle, pushing him back a bit.
"Is there anything we can do, Lelouch?" Milly asked in concern.
"Yeah man! Why is the Shirley the only one who's gotten to help out Zero? We want to contribute!" Rivalz told him determinedly.
"Now you're all about helping terrorists, Rivalz?" Lelouch asked with a smirk.
"Hell yeah! Now that I know that my friend is the guy behind the mask!" Rivalz insisted.
Lelouch shook his head in amusement, feeling lucky to have friends such as this.
"If you truly wish to help, then you can help me keep the academy safe. With the way things are going, they'll eventually be a full on war between the Black Knights and Britannia. I set up protocols around the settlement that'll help me turn the battle in my favor but I still need to make precautions here at the school. Will you guys help me?" Lelouch asked.
"Lelouch, this is my Academy. Of course I'm going to keep it safe." Milly said like it was obvious.
"Like you even have to ask, dude!" Rivalz exclaimed excitedly.
"Aw! Gonna miss guys!" Joseph whined sadly as he gathered Milly and Rivalz into a heartfelt hug.
"We'll miss you too buddy!" Rivalz whined as well.
"Tell Kallen we said hi." Milly said as tears gathered into her eyes. "And have some tree bark on us!"
"Will! Full of protein!" Joseph said, tears gathering in his eyes.
While that was going on, Jeremiah and Sayoko approached Lelouch, Shirley, and Rolo.
"Your highness, I ask that you allow me to aid you in taking down V.V." Jeremiah offered as he kneeled in respect. "He thinks I'm still his agent so I can make sure he sees nothing's amiss until the time is right. And I would like this to be the first step in my atonement towards helping you and your revolution." He continued.
"I thank you, Jeremiah. I gladly accept your aid. And you really don't need to kneel, I'm not royalty anymore." Lelouch told him.
"Perhaps not, your majesty. But I feel it in my nature to do so, as it is the proper respect to give someone of your stature." Jeremiah reasoned, Lelouch just sighed as he knew he wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise. "And you need not worry, Lady Shirley. I swear on my life that no harm will come to him." He proclaimed.
"I know you won't let me down Jeremiah." Shirley said simply with a small smile.
"Always so boastful..." Sayoko quietly said with an awkward smile.
"By the way Sayoko, what's the status on Villetta?" Lelouch asked.
"She left the campus this morning, I placed a tracker on her vehicle just in case." Sayoko informed him.
"Keep tabs on her in case she tries anything." Lelouch told her.
"Yes, Master Lelouch." Sayoko said with a small bow before heading out the door.
"Pack your things Rolo, we leave tonight." Lelouch told him.
"Okay, big brother." Rolo nodded affirmatively.
"Take care of yourself out there, okay?" Shirley said with concern as she grabbed Rolo's shoulders and kissed him on the head.
"I will Shirley." Rolo told her with a small smile before making his way to his room.
Shirley couldn't help but sigh in sadness. "Things will get worse before they get better, won't they?" She asked trepidatiously.
"They always do, Shirley. They always do." Lelouch told her gently as he brought her into a hug, which she returned tightly.
...
Toyko Settlement Airport
"I'm sorry ma'am, flights to the Chinese Federation right now are cancelled," The airport clerk told Villetta.
"I belong to the Office of Secret Intelligence." Villetta told the clerk, showing her badge.
"The one that reports directly to His Majesty?" The clerk asked in surprise.
"Right. I believe you have special flights for diplomatic purposes?" Villetta asked
"Yes, ma'am, we do." The clerk told her, getting the ticket ready.
"Now that Lelouch has roped even Jeremiah into his schemes. The only way out of this is to kill Ohgi Kaname!" Villetta thought with vengefulness.
...
Ikaruga
Zero's Personal Quarters
C.C. was currently enjoying a slice of pizza while lying down on the couch.
"I can't believe Lelouch. Who does he think I am? Leaving me behind here like I was a messenger girl or something...What?...Hardly, I'm just really worried that he's forgotten our contract...Yes, he does seem different lately. Anyway, what are you planning to do?" C.C. asked the person who wasn't there.
Before she could continue her conversation, a message alarm sounded off on the monitor that was there. She got up and went over to the screen and accepted the call. Lelouch popped up on the screen.
"C.C. I have finally located where the Order is. Jeremiah and Rolo provided key information." Lelouch told her.
"Jeremiah Gottwald? He's still alive?" C.C. asked blankly.
"I'll explain later. We're going to send in the Zero squad and stop their operations." Lelouch said.
"'Stop their operations?' Weren't you going to use it?" C.C. asked curiously.
"V.V. tried to have me killed despite knowing whether or not I got my memories back. He's getting impatient and reckless, there's no telling what he might do next. So we have to destroy the Geass Order while we still have the chance. It may just be for research, but it's one used for dangerous and disgusting means, especially when their experiments are conducted on children." Lelouch told her.
"Have you forgotten that V.V. is eternally young and also immortal." C.C. asked.
"I'll neutralize him and leave him helpless. And as cruel as it is, there's always the method that Clovis used on you." Lelouch told her bluntly. "C.C., you were once the leader of the Order we're fighting, you don't have to partake in this if you so wish." He said.
"Concern for my feelings, boy? You really have gone soft." C.C. teased. "But it's no matter to me. I was leader a long time ago and I was just the window dressing. I never had real power like V.V. Still…we're accomplices, aren't we?" She asked rhertorically.
"The Order will be wiped out. Which will test you." Lelouch warned her.
"I'm prepared to see it through to the end." C.C. reaffirmed.
"Alright then." Lelouch said, staring at her for a moment.
"...What?" C.C. asked, not sure why he was staring at her.
"We've know each other for over a year now and I still don't know the details of our contract. What is it you want from all this?" Lelouch asked curiously.
"That has nothing to do with the mission. I have no intention of telling you that." C.C. said blankly.
"Willful woman." Lelouch said with annoyance.
"Yes, that's right. That's exactly what makes me C.C." She said with a smirk.
Lelouch couldn't help but agree as he chuckled. "Indeed."
"So will Rolo and Jeremiah be helping us then? Did you use your 'influence' on him?" C.C. asked curiously.
"Jeremiah is acting out of his own freewill, like I said, I'll explain later. But yes, he will be joining us in this fight. Rolo will accompany us later after he and Joseph gotten the children out to safety." Lelouch explained.
"The moron's partaking in this mission?" C.C. asked with a raised eyebrow. "And you said yes?"
"Once he learned kids were involved in the research process, he practically begged to help. Had I said no, he probably would have come along anyway and done something even more reckless than usual." Lelouch said tiredly. "At least this way, Rolo can keep an eye on him. Besides, it's not like he can't handle himself." Lelouch told her.
"True enough. It will definitely be a spectacle though." C.C. said with a smirk.
...
Geass Order
Rolo poked his head over the wall and caught sight of a couple of guards by the children's quarters. He and Joseph had been able to enter through a secret passageway that Jeremiah had informed him about. Due to his cybernetic enhancements, he was also able to hack the cameras inside to make sure the security wouldn't see anything suspicious.
Right now would be the kids' daily check up, making sure they were healthy enough for more experiments today.
The whole thought of it made Rolo sick now, sick that he ever thought the things that were done to him were okay, and sick that he had no problem with it being done on other kids.
But he would make it right, he was sure of it!
"Alright! Operation: Children Elation, commence!" Joseph whispered excitedly as he brought his fist his hand, about to tear those guards a new one.
"First off, you need to pick a different name for that. Second, I need you to not be reckless for this, Joseph. Please, just follow my lead." Rolo instructed, holding Joseph back.
"Got it! Meatballs, no pasta!" Joseph complied with a palm facing forward salute.
"...Right." Rolo said simply, not sure how to respond to that. "Also, if anything goes wrong and we get separated, remember to activate the tracker app we installed on your phone, okay?" He reminded him.
"Okie-Dokie." Joseph said with a thumbs up.
For Joseph, knowing what his new little brother had to endure, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
Taken in as a baby and bred to specifically be a weapon of Geass? With painful experiments to make him a better one on top of that?! That would not stand with Joseph! Especially if kids younger than him had to endure the same thing!
He was going to be part of this rescue mission whether Lelouch liked it or not.
They snuck through the area and eventually got close enough for Rolo to use his Geass on the guards standing by. He brought his knife out when he felt Joseph grab his shoulder.
"Ah ah ah. What we learn?" Joseph asked in a lecturing tone.
"(Sighs) Kill only when necessary." Rolo said disappointedly, putting away the blade.
Instead, he and Joseph went up to the two guards and hitting them on the necks. When the Geass wore off, they fell to the ground unconscious.
He took one of the guard's keycard and unlocked the doors.
"Is is time for a checkup already?" Rolo and Joseph heard a young boy ask as they opened the doors.
Joseph's eyes widen in shock.
There were between 20-30 kids, not much longer than seven but no older than eight. They wore these long pink shirts that looked like hospital gowns and black shorts underneath. Their skin looked like they haven't gone out in the sun since the day they were born and some of the eyes looked like they missed a day or two of sleep.
It broke Joseph's heart and he wished he could give all those kids a hug right now.
The kids saw who was there and their eyes widen in shock as well.
"Brother Rolo?" A young boy, with a grey, bowl-shaped haircut, asked with surprise.
"You're back!" A young girl with blonde hair and two ponytails exclaimed happily as she ran up and hugged Rolo, which he returned kindly.
"Hey guys, I missed all of you." Rolo said with gentle tone.
"We missed you too! Are you with Uncle Jerry?" The girl with ponytails asked.
"Did you complete your mission?" A boy with dull blue hair asked.
"No. I actually have a new mission now." Rolo told him.
"What's he doing here?!" The bowl haircut asked angrily as he finally noticed Joseph.
The other kids took notice as well and looked at Joseph with fear.
"No fear kids. I like turtles." Joseph reassured them.
A lot of the kids looked at Joseph in innocent confusion while the bowl haircut kid's eye flared up with Geass.
And the boy was shocked to see that nothing happened, as was the other kids.
"My Geass didn't work?!" The bowl haircut kid asked in shock.
"Is he like Jeremiah?" One of the kids asked.
"Is he gonna hurt us?" Another asked.
"It's okay everyone, he's with me." Rolo reassured the kids.
"But Brother Rolo, Director V.V. said-"
"Never mind what V.V. said. Listen to me right now." Rolo told him firmly. "Everyone, we're leaving." He told the rest of the kids, surprising them.
"W-Where are we going?" A young girl with long purple hair asked timidly.
"Someplace where you'll all be safe." Rolo told them.
"But what about our checkups? Don't we need to defer to Director V.V. first?" The bowl haircut kids asked.
"You don't need to worry about him, I'll explain everything later." Rolo told him.
"Come, everybody. To milk and honey land!" Joseph proclaimed happily.
"(Sighs) Just follow us..." Rolo said tiredly.
...
The Black Knights waited patiently for Rolo, Joseph and the kids to come out.
"Kinoshita, what kind of experiments do you think these guys are running? Do you really think it's as high caliber as Zero said?" A Black Knight asked.
"I don't know, Mori. but anybody who does things like that to children don't deserve to live." Kinoshita said bitterly from inside his knightmare, remembering what Zero had them.
...
(Flashback)
Britannia has been colluding with traitors in the Chinese Federation. This lab is developing immortal warriors whose purpose is to destroy us." Zero told the group that was there, including Joseph, Rolo, and Jeremiah.
"AKA, cult status!" Joseph said next to him in a dramatic fashion.
Zero showed them pictures of the base outside and the layout inside. The Black Knights looked at them in surprise.
"While it is mostly just scientists and researchers, they are to be treated as hostiles." Zero told them.
"But Zero, isn't it a little rash to gun down unarmed people. We be no better than Britannia." A Black Knight said, a few others couldn't help but agree.
"No better than Britannia you say? Even if the research they're doing is primarily focused on children." Zero said solemnly.
The next pictures made the Black Knights gasp in shock. It showed young kids being experimented on, poked and prodded with needles, strapped to beds and chairs, some looked terrified while others just looked tired, like they were used to it.
Some of the Black Knights looked like they were about to spill out their breakfast while others spoke out angry curses. Joseph looked at Rolo, who kept a calm posture, but could see his hands shaking as well. He went over and put his hand on his shoulder, which calmed him down. Rolo gave his older brother a grateful smile.
"These people don't care what line they cross, I won't let them violate the sanctity of life!" Zero proclaimed, getting a cheer out of the Black Knights. "The researchers and their data are to be wiped out! We don't know where the subjects of the immortality research are hidden. Therefore encircle point alpha-7 and destroy everything. Burn it to the ground. I will investigate each one of them personally. Are you with me Black Knights?!" He asked as he waved his hand to them.
"Yes Zero!" The Black Knights cheered.
(Flashback End)
...
"Yeah, you got a point." Mori said in agreement.
They then noticed Rolo, Joseph, and the kids coming out.
"There they are!" Kinoshita said in relief, happy to know the kids had gotten out. He connected his comms with Zero. "Zero, Rolo and Joseph are coming out with the kids as we speak."
"Excellent. Then our plan can begin." Zero said on the other line.
...
"Bartley and the others are one thing. But what do we do about princess Cornelia?" A Geass Order member asked.
"Shouldn't we at least contact His Majesty?" Another member asked.
"Hmm, I wonder if Charles knew about Cornelia's actions, or if he didn't…" V.V. thought outloud.
"Director V.V, we have the scheduled transmission from Lord Jeremiah." A member told him.
"Right. Can you patch it though?" V.V. told him.
The monitor came on but it wasn't Jeremiah who came on, it was Lelouch in his Ashford uniform.
"Surprised to see me?" Lelouch said blankly, getting a surprised eyebrow raise from V.V. "So you're V.V." He continued.
"Lelouch…" V.V. said bitterly.
"How could he have access to Jeremiah's network?" A member asked.
"Where's the signal from?" Another member asked.
"Area 11. Looks like he's inside Ashford." Another member answered.
"I'm sure I need no introduction at this point. So I'll just start with direct questions. Was it you who kidnapped Nunnally during the battle for Tokyo? Also did you put Suzaku and I and the others on Kamine island to observe us?" Lelouch asked from inside his "room".
"Yes, that's correct. But the fact that you're asking these questions means you've regained all of your lost memories, doesn't it?" V.V. asked blankly.
"That's right. I am Zero." Lelouch said simply.
"Then C.C. must be with you. Can you hand her over? We'll let you go free if you do." V.V. said politely.
"It's too late for that. You've taken too much from me already. I hereby declare war against you with no mercy." Lelouch said angrily.
"Oh yeah? But by the time you get here from Area 11 we'll move to another place." V.V. said smugly.
Only for Lelouch to smile at him. They suddenly felt a rumbling around them, lights flicking off and on.
"Director V.V.! Knightmares!" A member told him from his comms.
"What?" V.V. asked in surprise.
"I think it's the Black Knights!" A member said in shock.
...
Knightmares came crashing in through the walls, taking down everything around them.
"V.V.'s current location is verified. Strike force, encircle point alpha-7." C.C. told her group from inside her knightmare.
...
Cornelia could feel the rumbling as well.
"I suppose this a good time to escape." Cornelia said quietly.
...
"I see. So that's how it is." V.V. said blankly as he rose from his throne.
...
Just a few miles outside the base, Lelouch stood up from his chair.
"That's right. I'm glad you gave me a bit of your time." Lelouch said as the walls of his fake room fell down, revealing his knightmare. As well as Jeremiah with his arms crossed and proud smile on his face, he stood behind his own Sutherland. "You just had to let down your guard for a moment. Since you believed I was in Area 11, you thought you had time to escape. That's why you're trapped now. V.V., the one who shall render judgement here is me!" Lelouch proclaimed.
...
"Load research data into the Eject Dart and prepare the device. You know which one I mean." V.V. ordered the members.
"Director, you're facing them personally?" A member asked in surprise.
"I need to buy you time to escape with the data. Besides, I have to teach some discipline to Marianne's child." V.V. said with a smile.
...
"Wait a minute! Those knightmares are firing on the base!" The bowl haircut kid shouted, surprised and confused.
He and the rest of the kids were getting on a cargo ship and they too wondered what was going on.
"Never mind that. We have to get you guys to safety." Rolo told him.
"What's going on, Rolo!? What does Director V.V. say about all this." The bowl haircut kid asked angrily.
"V.V. is nothing but a manipulator! I'm going to get you guys as far away from him as I can!" Rolo told him.
The bowl haircut kid's eyes widen in shock and betrayal.
"You've gone traitor?" The bowl haircut kid asked, appalled by what he was hearing. "You're with Zero now, aren't you?!"
"Listen to me, V.V. does not value your life. He only sees you as a tool." Rolo started to tell him gently.
"Liar!" The bowl haircut said angrily as he activated his Geass.
Thankfully, Joseph came between them to try calm things down.
"Easy, little guy. Want no harm." Joseph told him gently.
"Stay away from me!" The bowl haircut kid shouted as he ran away from them back into the base.
"Wait!" Rolo shouted after him.
"I got it!" Joseph said as he ran after the kid.
"Wait for us!" A young girl with short burgundy hair said as she chased after them, along with three more kids as they ran past Rolo.
"No! Come back! It's dangerous!" Rolo shouted going after them.
But before Rolo could go inside after them, there was another rumbling and the passageway caved in, blocking the entrance.
"JOSEPH!" Rolo shouted in despair.
...
Back inside the base, Bartley and a few other scientists were making their way to escape.
"Have you found princess Cornelia yet?" Bartley asked. "We have to use this chance to save every-"
He didn't get the chance though as he and the scientists were shot by a Black Knight's Burai.
C.C. opened her cockpit and looked at him.
"That man there. Wasn't he working with Clovis?" C.C. asked herself.
"Director C.C. You come back to us!" She heard a scientist shout to her, it was an older group, people who were young and healthy when she was leader.
"Please save us C.C.!" Another scientist begged.
Only for them to be blasted away by another Burai.
It honestly surprised C.C. "I didn't expect it to be as hard as it right now."
As Bartley sat in a pool of his own blood, feeling his vision blackening out. He took one last look at C.C.
"Your Highness, Prince Clovis…the eternally young immortal woman you wish to present to His Majesty…it would seem that he was already aware of her existence… Please, please forgive me, Your Highness. We never should've involved ourselves with that witch…" He said with a dying breath as he closed his eyes one last time.
...
Horai Island
Ikaruga
"Yes, Zero's gone to attack a Britannian research facility. He's kept location and missions secret." Diethard told the group consisting of Tohdoh, Urabe, Rakshata, Chiba, Xingke, Tamaki, as well as Kallen.
They were communicating through various screens.
...
Kallen's Apartment
"Does this have to do with the Geass Order that C.C. told me about?" Kallen wondered, crutches next to her on the couch.
...
Knightmare Hangar
"What are you up to, Lelouch?" Urabe thought to himself.
"Ah man! Why didn't Zero ask me to come along?!" Tamaki complained while carrying a box of equipment in his hands.
"You really need an answer to that?" Rakshata asked nonchalantly as she smoked her pipe.
"Hey! I'm an important part of this group too, you know!" Tamaki complained.
"We know Tamaki." Urabe said with a sigh.
...
Ikaruga
"More of those clandestine activities?" Chiba asked with annoyance.
"Hey, Zero wouldn't do anything without a reason." Kallen told her.
"Agreed. Whatever it is must be important." Urabe said.
"But now that the Saudis have been subjugated, we must ratify the United States charters as quickly as possible." Tohdoh warned.
"It's true that more factions are caving into Britannia so we need to move very quickly as you say." Diethard agreed.
"But there's positive movement as well. Italy and Poland have come over to our side. We need to speak to Zero as soon as he returns." Xingke said.
"Understood." Diethard said simply.
"By the way, where's Ohgi?" Kallen asked.
"Dude said he had some business to care of, said it was urgent." Tamaki told them, surprising Kallen and Diethard.
"Did he say where he was going?" Diethard asked.
"Nope, but he was in a hurry for whatever reason." Tamaki said like it wasn't a big deal.
Diethard's eyes narrowed at that. "Ohgi has been acting strangely since that meeting a couple of days ago. He's been hiding something from us long before that." He thought to himself. "Whatever it is, I'm sure he can handle it. Right now we should stick to the current situation and its politics." He suggested.
"Agreed. We'll reconvene tomorrow." Xingke said before the screens went away.
"If the Deputy Commander is collaborating with the enemy..." Diethard thought warily.
...
Kallen's Apartment
"I wonder what's bothering Ohgi?" Kallen thought with concern.
A moment later she heard the door open and her mother walked in with some groceries.
"I'm back!" Naomi greeted warmly.
"Hey Kaa-san. Want some help?" Kallen asked with a smile as she started to get her crutches.
"Oh Kallen, please! Don't push yourself, you're still healing." Naomi said with her "mother" voice as she set down the bags of groceries.
"But..." Kallen tried to reason.
"No buts! I know you're a big girl but I'm still your mother and I won't let you do anything reckless like before." Naomi said sternly.
"I told you, Joseph was the one who dragged me through a knightmare filled war zone!" Kallen whined.
"Yes, but he hadn't need to do that if someone had fully charged her knightmare in the first place." Naomi lectured with an cocked eyebrow.
Kallen huffed a breath, and crossed her arms. "Yeah, well...he threw a stupid banana peel..." She muttered with a pout.
Naomi couldn't help but chuckle at that. She looked at her daughter and saw a bit of sadness in them. "You miss him don't you?"
Kallen's cheeks blushed a bit. "It's not like he's not coming back. We're going to see him again." She waved him off.
"Don't worry, honey. I miss him too. After all, not only did he save me, he saved my little girl. And for that, I'm always grateful." Naomi said with a peaceful smile as she took her daughter hand.
Kallen looked at her in surprise before smiling in return and squeezing her hand. "Me too."
"Plus, I'm sure he'll make a good son-in-law." Naomi said happily.
"Mom. Don't start." Kallen deadpanned.
"So you didn't enjoy that kiss of his?" Naomi teased.
"ARGH!" Kallen groaned as she plopped into the couch. "Damn you, C.C.!"
...
Geass Order
"Rolo, where are you? What's going on?" Lelouch asked from inside the Shinkiro.
...
"It's Joseph! He went back after one of the kids! Some followed him inside as well, but the entrance collapsed before I could go after them." Rolo told him quickly as he activated his Vincent from outside the base.
...
"What!?" Lelouch said in shock and panic. "Damn it! I have to find them!"
*BOOM*
But all of a sudden, a knightmare flew from under the ground!
"The Siegfried!" C.C. said, recognizing the sphere-shaped knightmare with spikes on it.
"Impossible!" Jeremiah said in shock
"Jeremiah, Isn't that unit…? Lelouch asked.
"Yes. Since it works on direct bio connect, the only one who can use it besides me is…" Jeremiah started to say.
"V.V. So the observer becomes the perpetrator!" Lelouch said with venom in his voice.
"You know, I sort of liked you, Lelouch. Because you reminded me of Charles." V.V. said honestly.
While that confrontation was going on, the boy with bowl haircut ran onto a bridge, but stopped to a halt when he saw it was partially destroyed. But he became elated when he saw the Siegfried.
"Director V.V." The bowl haircut kid said with relief.
"Kid!" He heard Joseph call after him.
"Get away from me!" The kid hissed at him.
"Easy. Not gonna hurt. Wanna help." Joseph told him gently as he raised his hands to show he meant no harm.
"Help?! You call this help! Director V.V. was right, you're just a bad man!" The kid said angrily before turning his attention back to the Siegfried. "Director V.V.!" He shouted.
The group of knightmares heard the shouts and turned to see Joseph and bowl haircut kid on the bridge, the kid was waving excitedly at V.V.
"Joseph?!" Lelouch asked in shock from inside the Shinkiro.
"I see, so you wanted to make sure to get the kids out before you invaded the base. How noble of you." V.V. mocked from inside the Siegfried.
Back on the bridge, the rest of the kids caught up with Joseph and the bowl haircut kid.
"There you guys are!" The blonde hair ponytailed girl said running up to them.
"Stay back! Danger!" Joseph warned quickly.
And before anyone could react, V.V. sent a spike through the bridge, destroying it and causing Joseph and the kids to fall to their doom.
"JOSEPH!" Lelouch tried to fly over to them, only for V.V. to launch another spike at Lelouch, sending him outside the base.
"Double entree." V.V. chuckled with an evil smile, happy to be rid of one of Charles' children he hated most.
As for Joseph, time slowed down for him.
He looked at the falling children around him and could see their terrified faces, faces that knew that they were going to die.
But Joseph wasn't going to allow that to happen, not like this!
Thus, he grabbed the child that was closest to him. He pushed himself against some falling debris and was able to grab two more. He skydived and was able to get another, the last one was the long purple haired girl who was currently screaming her mind out as they would be reaching the ground soon. Joseph put on a determined face, dived towards a wall so he could slide against and used all his momentum to push against it.
"Grab her!" Joseph yelled to the short burgundy haired girl, who nodded quickly and reached her hand out.
The long purple haired girl was able to see this and caught the hand.
"Hang on!" Joseph yelled as he brought the kids in closely to his chest to shield them as he soon came to a rough landing.
He skid and rolled along the ground at a fast speed, which led him crashing into a building. The crash caused the building to collapse, trapping them.
...
"Damn you! Both my brother and innocent children!?" Lelouch said angrily from inside the Shinkiro.
"Kids are a dime a dozen, I can always replace them." V.V. said casually, not even giving a damn. "As for Joseph, my only regret is that I didn't make sure he died when I baited him with that sniper back at Fukuoka."
Lelouch's eyes widen at that. "That was you..." He said in tense shock.
"I knew that retard couldn't resist protecting his 'superhero' brother. Too bad it prevented him from protecting the sister you killed." V.V. said with a sneer from inside the Siegfried.
"RAH!" Lelouch yelled with rage as he activated his hadron cannon, which unforunate had no effect due to the Siegfried's spinning shield.
"Temper, temper." V.V. lectured in a mocking tone.
Soon both C.C. and Jeremiah came out of the base.
"C.C., Jeremiah. Is Joseph...?" Lelouch asked wearily.
"He was able to save the kids, but unfortunately we didn't see where he landed." C.C. told him.
Lelouch sighed in relief. "Very well. You should get out of here! You're the one he's after. See if you can find them." He told her.
C.C. nodded from inside her knightmare and went back into the base. Jeremiah and a few other Burais joined Lelouch up in the air.
"Hold it right there, V.V." Jeremiah ordered.
It was then, the Vincent joined the battle as well.
"Rolo." Lelouch said in acknowledgment.
"I'm here big brother." Rolo told him. "Please, just surrender V.V." He said
"Who do you think you're talking to, you're just a bunch of traitors aren't you." V.V. said indifferently from inside the Siegfried.
"V.V., I swear I'll tear you out of that thing myself!" Lelouch said with hatred. "All units, attack!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jeremiah complied as he, the Burais, Rolo and Lelouch all fired upon V.V.
V.V. just laughed as he spun the Siegfried at a rapid speed and deflected the attacks.
"That spinning shield is powerful." Lelouch said in frustration from inside the Shinkiro.
"Marianne's son is getting carried away with himself." V.V. said from inside the Siegfried as it continued to spin around, taking out Burais.
"You bastard! That machine was made so that I could prove my loyalty!" Jeremiah said angrily.
"Jeremiah, I thought that you had a personal grudge against Zero." V.V. said from inside the Siegfried.
"I did. Because I thought he was a mere commoner preventing me from serving the loyal family. But now I know who he is and I know that by serving him, I am serving my Lady Marianne!" Jeremiah told him with pride from inside his Sutherland.
V.V.'s eyes widen in fury at that.
"Even you?! You dare speak her name to me?!" V.V. said in frustration from the Siegfried as he shot more spikes at him, only for it to hit more Burais.
...
While that was going on, Cornelia had hijacked her own Burai.
...
"Big brother. I'm going to grab hold of his unit." Rolo told him through the comms.
"What?!" Lelouch asked in confusion from inside the Shinkiro.
"If I can distract him long enough, you should be able to get a proper shot at him." Rolo explained.
"Are you insane?! He'll most likely kill you!" Lelouch told him incredulously.
"I have to try. For you and big brother Joseph." Rolo told him determinedly as he shut off comms with him.
"Rolo!" Lelouch shouted in panic.
But it was too late as the Vincent was already charging after the Siegfried. Lelouch tried to get close, but the spikes kept him at bay.
"Now it's Rolo's turn. You've lied to me just like all the others, haven't you? Even knowing that your Geass won't work on me." V.V. said as he shot his spikes at him.
The Vincent was able to grab hold of one of them and destroy it, but it also cost the machine an arm.
"Oh yeah?" V.V. said in a mocking way from inside the Siegfried.
"Director V.V., we've finished preparations to escape with the research data. Shall we take it to the E.U. for now?" A Geass Member asked through the comms.
"Yes, I'll join you after I finish things here. Now I know how to capture C.C. So all we need to do is escape and regroup. Then Charles and I can put an end to this for good." V.V. told them.
The Vincent was getting closer. "I just have to grab it." Rolo said from inside the machine.
"You're a failed experiment. Don't you know that? Your heart stops every time you use your Geass. That means you're defective. You could clog up any moment." V.V. said mockingly.
"That may be. But I'll make sure to take you out first!" Rolo said angrily, charging forward while dodging more spikes.
Unforunately, one was able to get the Vincent's legs.
"Not yet! If I eject them…" Rolo said as he ejected the legs from the knightmare. It was enough as he was able to grab the Siegfried. "I've done it, big brother!" He told Lelouch.
Only for an electric field to send shocks to both the Vincent and Rolo.
"DAH!" Rolo screamed in pain. V.V. childishly laughed at his pain.
"ROLO!" Lelouch said in worry from inside the Shinkiro.
"Now Lelouch! Take the shot while he's distracted!" Rolo told him through the comms.
"But you could be caught in the blast too!" Lelouch told him.
"Please big brother! Just do it!" Rolo yelled.
Lelouch's eyes shook in panic. This was his chance to get a good shot at V.V. But it could cost the life of his new brother, who was just starting his new life. His hands shook at the controls, knowing he only had seconds to make a decision.
But thankfully, he didn't have to as missles were fired at Siegfried from inside the base. Knocking the Vincent off and towards the desert ground.
"W-Who..." Lelouch stuttered in surprise.
The missiles kept firing, destroying valuable parts of the Siegfried.
"Who could know the Siegfried's only weak point?" V.V. wondered from inside the knightmare.
Both V.V. and Lelouch zoomed in on their monitor and saw who it was.
"Cornelia?!" Lelouch said in shock from inside the Shinkiro.
On the ground, Cornelia stood upon the Burai she hijacked to fire at the Siegfried.
"So your name is V.V. You were mistaken when you treated me like an incompetent weakling." Cornelia said bitterly.
"Forgive me, big brother." Rolo said sadly as he stopped the Vincent from crashing down.
"No, it's all right. I'm just glad you're okay." Lelouch said with relief in his voice from inside the Siegfried. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad Cornelia's here. Now that the Siegfried's shields are all down. I can make a direct attack!" He thought to himself as he readied his hadron cannon.
"Now you're going to suffer for what you did to Euphie." Cornelia said quietly, venom in her voice.
"The source…" Lelouch began, activating his cannon.
"…of Geass!" Cornelia ended, triggering her missiles.
The fired at the Siegfried, taking it down.
"It's no use. The Siegfried is finished." V.V. said disappointedly from inside the machine as he tried to do one last spin attack on the Shinkiro, only for it to fire again, decommissioning the knightmare for good. "It's you, Lelouch. You're an abomination!" V.V. shouted angrily.
The Siegfried came hurdling down towards Cornelia's position.
"I hope you're at peace, Euphie." Cornelia said in acceptance of her death.
Only for a certain cyborg to come and literally sweep her off her feet.
"Come, Your Highness!" Jeremiah said quickly.
"Jeremiah?!" Cornelia in shock.
They missed the Siegfried that erupted into a fiery explosion.
...
The Geass Order members felt the base rumble around them. They were currently in a subway train that was going to take them out through a secret tunnel.
"The Siegfried!" A member said in shock.
"Director V.V!" Another member panicked.
"Calm down. Remember director V.V. cannot be killed." Another member reassured them. "He can always use the Twilight Gate on the lowest level. If we just get research data away from here, then we…" He continued to tell them until he saw the exit open, revealing a green haired woman stood in her cockpit.
"Is that…!" A member said in surprise.
"Forgive me. This is my personal sin for having neglected you. At last I shall put an end to the lineage of Geass. So be it." C.C. said with regret and sadness in her voice as she activated her guns and destroyed the subway train.
...
Lelouch looked inside the Siegfried's cockpit and saw it was empty.
"Damn it. The target has fled inside. I'll look for him starting on the lowest level. Rolo, you search from the top down. Kinoshita, take command and sweep the middle levels. Jeremiah, join C.C. in finding Joseph and those kids." Lelouch ordered from inside his knightmare.
"Got it." Rolo said.
"Roger, Zero." Kinoshita complied.
"Yes, your highness." Jeremiah complied
...
On the lowest level of the Geass Order, V.V. struggled towards the Geass doors.
"Lelouch, how dare you…" V.V. said bitterly as he crawled closer to the gate. But then he saw it open, revealing it was none other than his brother. "I'm glad you came after all. Charles, the most splendid relationship in the world is that of loyal siblings." V.V. said with relief.
"Big brother, is it true you're the one who sent an assassin after Lelouch?" Charles asked with a blank look.
"Yes, though I was hoping to take out Joseph as well. And thanks to that, I've been the victim of his assassins. But, I've also learned something. That Lelouch is Zero. That he even tricked Nunnally." V.V. told him sulkily.
"You lied to me once again, big brother." Charles told him in mild sad tone.
V.V. blinked in surprise at that.
Meanwhile, Lelouch flew the Shinkiro lower into the base.
"I'm picking up signs of life." He said to himself and he finally caught sight of the immortal kid on his monitor. "Have you return to the point where you began, V.V.?" Lelouch asked angrily. But before he could do anything, the door in front of them sent off electric waves. "What's this!? Damn it! This is what happened on Kamine island." He said in realization as he tried to back up.
But it was too late as he felt himself being pulled into another world.
He looked around and saw clouds in the sky, along what looked like a setting sun. He seemed to be on floating platform of sorts.
"How was I pulled out of the Shinkiro? Where is this place? It's not an illusion or hologram." Lelouch wondered to himself.
"That is correct. And Knightmares are such inelegant things. Especially in the face of this system – the Sword of Akasha!" A booming voice told him.
A voice that belonged to the one man he wanted to kill the most.
His father, Charles zi Britannia.
"It's you!" Lelouch said in fury.
"It's been a long time, Lelouch, my prodigal son." Charles said with predatory smile.
To Be Continued...
...
Thus ends the unofficial Part 1 of this chapter!
First off, I want to apologize for being gone for so long. I had projects outside of writing I had to work on, I hope you all understand.
Second, I am a bit sad I had to split up this chapter as it's the second part that I really want people to read and was also my favorite part to write.
I won't give too much away, but it is primarily focused on Joseph.
But like I said, it's already written. I just need to go over it and see if I should add anything or fix any grammar. So don't worry, it WON'T take a month for the next one to come out. A week or two at most!
Anyway, Milly and Rivalz have finally got their memories back! Yay! And you better believe they're going to have some words with Suzaku about it. Not in Part 2, but definitely later on.
And Lelouch and Shirley finally got to kiss! Something Shirley has been wanting to do for a LONG time!
And I always love putting in more JeremiahxSayoko fluff.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, can't wait to release the unofficial part 2!
Comment and tell me what you think!