Turn 3.4
Kallen was understandably peeved at having to be my chauffeur. But I pointed out that Clovis had only ever had female drivers, so she changed with some grumbling.
And proceeded to slug me after I commented that she can make anything look good.
Still worth it.
Kewell is yelling at the joker in the car to come out. Kallen is getting antsy, so I suppose it's time to make my entrance.
The Britannian flag goes up in flames as I appear.
"I, am Zero!"
I just realized. I FUCKING LOVE THIS. The attention, the performance, the grandiosity.
Lulu and I really were made for each other.
Kewell is blabbing about the show being over.
Oh no, my small-brained ginger hamster. It's just starting.
A press of a button, and... Here it is, folks! Get your poison gas container here!
The racist prick is quite a bit less trigger-happy now.
"You know exactly what this is, Lord Kewell."
He lowers his sidearm. Time to repartee.
"What are your demands?"
I gesture to Suzaku with my left hand, the right holding a remote control.
"The object behind me, for Kururugi."
"Never! He's guilty of regicide!"
I shake my head sadly, "As I just finished explaining to my subordinates, I do so hate kill-stealing."
Uhhhh oh, Kewell just realized where I'm going with this.
"What are you saying?" He squeaks out.
I look down at the camera aimed up at my magnificent presence.
Diethard Reid. Despite his backstabbing, I do need a good publicist. And a propaganda officer.
"What I am saying, Kewell Soresi, is that you are giving Kururugi credit for MY handiwork."
He snarls at me. "We have evidence linking this Eleven to the murder!"
I laugh at him, knowing exactly what's going to happen.
"Hahaha! Yes, your 'evidence'. Did you ever tell the public what you REALLY found?"
He sneers at me in that smug fashion that only racist nobility can pull off.
"Our prince murdered by a bullet directly between the eyes!"
"And what about his face?" I interject.
And suddenly you can hear a pin drop.
Kewell has gone white. And the rest of the Purists all just went dead silent.
Jeremiah, though...his eyes are narrowed at me. He grimaces and nods.
Excellent. He's in. Now to trash Kewell's reputation.
I snap my fingers. Suddenly the monitors surrounding the parade ground go fuzzy and shift to a horrific image.
Clovis la Britannia. His fingers caked with blood, bone and cartilage. His face torn off by his own hands. Teeth exposed to the gums. Ripped sections of muscle fibers and flesh scattered around him. Bits of hair mixed in with the blood on the floor. The hole where his nose used to be, only a mess of nasal cartilage, bone, and red flesh. Only his eyes remain untouched. And in the center, the bullet hole from the shot that finally killed him.
The crowd is screaming in terror and outrage.
Dance, my puppets, dance.
"Truly a disturbing image. I can see why you chose to keep this from the public. After all, Clovis's facial injuries were self-inflicted. Observe his hands."
I put my fingers on my brow in a gesture of sympathy.
"Prince Clovis was involved in despicable inhuman actions. Actions that would have seen him disinherited."
I point my finger at Kewell. "The demolition of the Shinjuku ghetto, was, in fact, a desperate attempt to keep it from getting out!"
Kewell's face is almost as red as his hair. Huh. Fear to outrage. Typical aristocrat. "An outrageous lie! What possible reason could our noble prince have had for such a thing?!"
I shake my head disapprovingly, "Ask Shinjuku's dead how 'noble' your prince was. As for what his aim was?"
I laugh coldly. "Sadly, none of us will ever know. After I killed him, I examined the data on the G-1. There was no information on what he was looking for."
I tap on the car with my foot. "Only a project name: Code R."
I activate my Geass, "So unless you want to disgrace your prince even further, you will release Suzaku Kururugi to me and let no one stand in our way."
And here comes Jeremiah, holding a gun to my head. Pretty sure he's going to regret that later. "Lord Kewell may be a despicable traitor, but I, Jeremiah Gottwald, am still a loyal son of Britannia!"
Not after tonight, Jerry. He's close enough. I tilt my head to one side.
A whistling sound signals the tranquilizer dart hitting his neck and knocking him out.
Suzaku tries to say something, but sadly, the shock collar is still on him.
I flick the switch in my hand. Villetta has orders to make herself look good and stop Kewell after we escape. Combined with some discreet sniper fire from CC, the gas should give us enough cover to escape.
A quick hop over the bridge, and we're both scot-free.
I tap my cell phone as we ride along, "Mission accomplished. See you at the rendezvous point."
There he is. Looking at me with those accusing eyes. As though he is morally superior. Kallen and CC are watching, in case this doesn't work.
Suzaku, I love you, but god you're stupid sometimes. Perhaps this time you won't have to destroy yourself.
"Rough night, Kururugi?" I ask while sitting on a pile of rubble near him.
"Why did you save me?"
He's so naive it's painful.
"Because. I could not let an innocent man be hanged for something I did."
I chuckle to myself. "That, and it was a opportunity to introduce myself. Any revolutionary worth a damn knows the value of propaganda."
"And the gas? What about all the innocent people at the parade?" he asks in a flat tone, devoid of emotion.
Oh, you did not just try that. "And what of the innocent people in Shinjuku?" I retort. "Contrary to what happened there, the 'gas' was smoke. A mere bluff. Whereas in Shinjuku..." I stand and look Suzaku in the eye from within my mask.
"In Shinjuku, the gas was a coverup for something else and an excuse to explain the dead bodies."
Suzaku is clenching his fists. "And that's all that matters to you, isn't it? The results."
"That's rich, coming from someone who works for Britannia. Since when did Britannia care about anything BUT results?"
Ooh, that one stung. He visibly flinched at my saying that.
"Even so..." Oh god, here we go. "Results mean nothing if they're done by contemptible means."
Jesus fucking Christ. Even having watched the show, I'm in shock at how utterly deranged his logic is. I'm going to punch a few holes in his delusions.
"Contemptible means?" I snarl. "I ask you again: What gives you, a Britannian soldier, one framed for a coverup, and not just as a target of convenience, but as a symbol of Japan due to your father, Genbu Kururugi, the right to lecture me?!" my voice rises in anger towards the end.
I point an accusing finger at him. "You know damn well there was no poison gas to begin with! Because you saw it firsthand!"
Here's where it gets risky. The problem with my saying that is it might lead him to attack me because the only person he knows that is aware of the truth is...
He's going pale. "How can you know that?"
I laugh sinisterly, "Because, I was the one who saved Lelouch vi Britannia from his own brother's Royal Guard!" I snarl.
Technically true, if a lie by omission.
And now he's holding me up by the cape. Damn, he's fast.
"What have you done to him?! I won't let you hurt Lelouch!"
I'm touched. Seven years later, and that's the only thing I've said that gets a rise out of you.
"Nothing. Which is more than I can say for Britannia, at least. But then, I shouldn't be surprised at your defending them, traitor."
"I have never betrayed Lelouch!" He shakes me in his grip. "Answer me! What have you done to him?"
"Who said anything about the exiled prince? I was talking about your treason to your own country."
His hand shakes as he holds me. He's thinking it's impossible. That I can't know about that.
"Your treason, in the form of patricide. The death of Genbu Kururugi by your hands, Suzaku!"
He's collapsed to his knees. "No. I never meant to..."
It's time.
"Yes you did, Suzaku. Be honest with yourself for one hour."
I just know Kallen is going to want to know what the hell I just did. Hopefully she won't figure it out. This isn't the time to let that particular cat out of the bag just yet.
Uh oh...he's not moving. No, wait. He's quivering.
"GUWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
He's holding his head and screaming.
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I NEVER WANTED TO KILL HIM!"
Goddamn, he's really losing it.
"I DON'T WANT TO LIVE! THAT'S WHY I'M ON THE FRONT LINES! WHY I JOINED BRITANNIA!"
He's holding up a rock?! Oh no...
"SO I CAN FINALLY DIE FOR MY CRIMES!"
NO! I WON'T LET YOU!
I dive at him trying to hold his arm back.
Fuck, he's strong! "Q-1! CC! HELP ME!"
I headbutt him, cracking the mask a bit.
Kallen is prying the rock away while CC holds his other arm.
"NOOO! I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE! MY ENTIRE LIFE HAS BEEN A SLOW DEATH MARCH!" he wails.
...What have I done? I thought this would help him. But this...maybe it was necessary, but I feel miserable having done this to him.
I tear off the mask as I hold the sides of his face.
"Suzaku! It's me, Lelouch!" I smack him to get his attention, his pupils dilating, eyes wild.
"Lelouch...why? WHY DID YOU SAVE ME?! I'M A WORTHLESS PERSON! I KILLED MY OWN FATHER AND CONDEMNED MY COUNTRY TO THIS HELL!"
Oh god...he really doesn't care, does he?
"Because I love you, you stupid delusional asshole!" I kiss him as I hold onto him. I hold him in a hug as he shivers.
He may not care. But I do.
"And Nunnally does too! Do you think we would ever abandon you?! Do you think I'm MY FATHER?!" I scream at his face.
I suppose this is one of those things I should have expected. But? It's better this way.
"Lelouch, I...I..." he says, then collapses crying onto me.
"Ladies, give us a minute please," I say with an exhausted expression on my face. "And CC, hand me my cigarette case and a lighter. Suzaku will probably need it later," I say as I stroke Suzaku's chestnut hair.
Kallen looks like she wants to say something, but in light of Suzaku's total breakdown, I don't think she has the heart. I can tell by the look she's giving him that she honestly pities him.
I can't say I disagree. It's going to take a lot of work to salvage what's left of Suzaku Kururugi. But...I could never abandon my best friend.
It takes Suzaku another forty minutes to stop being upset. He finally stopped crying awhile ago. Settling down to just holding me.
I hand him a lit joint. He gives me a confused look. "Trust me. You need it."
He sighs and takes a deep toke, and then coughs his lungs out.
I sigh as I rub his back. "Puff slowly. Don't fill your lungs completely. Take some air in with the smoke."
He takes a second hit and this time handles it better.
He slumps down next to me. "What do I do, Lelouch?"
I put my arm around his shoulder. "Do with what?"
He chuckles ruefully. "You were right. All those years I kept thinking you were insane for wanting to destroy Britannia."
He turns to look at me. He looks terrible. His eyes are red, puffy from crying. His lip quivering. His face still has bruises from the Purists.
But there's a look in his eyes I haven't seen since we were children. A look of peace.
"But you were right all these years. Britannia is evil and as long as your father is on the throne, it won't ever change."
I sigh, "Most of my family wouldn't be much of an improvement, either."
He looks over at me with those soulful green eyes. "You were always the smart one, Lelouch, what should a man with nothing left to live for do?"
I stand up and offer him my hand. "He should get up and make a new path, with a little help."
I pull him to his feet, holding him in a hug.
Hmm. That gives me an idea.
"I'll be right back, Suzaku." I poke him in the chest. "Stay. Here," I glare at him.
"But what about my court martia—?"
"Trust me, I have a plan," I say winking at him.
I walk over to CC and Kallen. If this works, I can kill two birds with one stone.
"CC, please keep an eye on Suzaku for a minute. Kallen, with me."
I put the mask back on as we get back to the usual gang of idiots.
"Where's Gottwald?"
Tamaki points to a back area. "We got him tied up in the next room. Are we gonna shoot him?"
Speaking of idiots...
I sigh. "Kallen."
She nods and smacks Tamaki upside the head.
"Ow! What the hell, Kallen?!"
"Use your brain, Tamaki! Why would we take him hostage, if we were just going to shoot him?" she says to him like she's speaking to a young child.
I really don't understand how these guys managed to survive this long, even under Clovis.
But then again? Up until they stole Code-R, he probably never cared.
"Indeed. I may be able to turn Gottwald by telling him about what really happened in Shinjuku."
I turn to leave the room.
"Zero! Wait a moment! What happened to your mask? And what is Code-R?" Ohgi pipes up.
Aww shit. I forgot the mask got cracked.
"Well, you see..."
"He grabbed my ass."
Kallen?
She glares at me. "He grabbed my ass so I socked him in the face."
I fucking love this girl. I really need to do something nice for her soon.
I look over my shoulder. "Quite. As for Code-R: It's actually more of an omnibus term covering a variety of black ops research projects, including human experimentation. Any more questions?"
Ohgi gulps at the grisly topic and shakes his head.
I walk off towards the back area. As I'm about to open the door, Kallen grabs my forearm.
"What's really going on here? What actually happened at Shinjuku? And why would Gottwald roll over for you?" She whispers.
I do so enjoy working with intelligent people. Less time wasted on misconceptions.
"Gottwald actually swore his first oath of allegiance to me. He used to be one of my mother's Royal Guard, before her assassination and our supposed deaths in Japan. He will turn on Britannia, the moment he sees my face."
I pause. Explaining Shinjuku means telling her about Geass. Better she hear it from me than from someone else, but it's really not something I want to know into right now.
"Can I give you a rain check on Shinjuku until tomorrow?"
She nods. Phew. One less explanation to handle tonight.
"By the way, thank you for your help with Suzaku and covering up the mask problem."
She shrugs. "Japan and Britannia both have had issues accepting homosexuals at times. It was the least I could do. Besides, your friend needed the help."
Oh. Hahahahaha! Okay, that's funny. Time to clarify something.
"Kallen, you seem to be laboring under a slight misconception."
This is going to hurt. But a reputation as a pervert ironically humanizes me to the rank-and-file.
"I like men AND women," I say in a sultry voice as I grab a handful of her muscular ass.
It takes her a moment to process what I just said. And then her face turns red...is that a nosebleed?
"HANDS TO YOURSELF, PERVERT!"
There's clearly something wrong with me, because I'm enjoying this way too much.
I quickly find out she has a mean left hook.
I do wonder what her reaction will be, though, once she figures out I'm deliberately provoking her.
