Turn 13.4: The Curious Case of Mr. Joseph Fenette
Two days later, everyone is dragging themselves back to work. I spent the days off with Nunnally, who wanted to hear how things were going.
Surprisingly, despite my attempts to deflect it, she wanted to hear about Narita. So I shrugged and gave her the play-by-play.
Her reaction to the summit speech was...interesting. Diethard had me come in and do a second-language dubbing, before releasing it onto the Web.
She said if that's what I sound like all the time, it's no wonder people are talking about Zero like he's something inhuman.
Seeing my questioning look, she sighed and motioned for me to come closer. Upon doing so, she gave me a hug while snuggling against me. "Even if Big Brother is a demon king, he's still Big Brother when he's not on-stage."
Telling her the truth was one of the smartest things I ever did.
Still not letting her smoke, though, no matter how much the idea makes CC laugh. I might be a stoner and a perv, but I'm also an older brother, goddammit.
I smoke for my ADHD and the ENORMOUS stress I'm under. Nunna is too young right now.
That reminds me, I should deal with the Alice situation soon. Last thing I need is a schoolgirl crush trying to protect Nunnally from the "Evil Zero".
Feels like that should be trademarked, somehow.
Anyway, I wave to everyone as CC and I walk into our newest base.
Ohgi waves back, then returns to trying to drag a slumbering Tamaki out of a lounge chair.
I stop what I'm doing and walk over, "He's STILL hungover?"
Ohgi sighs while rubbing his nose, "The last thing he said was to wake him when you got back. He was out all night with some old friends; he mumbled something about a 'really good hookup' just before he passed out."
The reason I let Tamaki get away with this shit? Because his connections know people. Some were dead ends, but a surprisingly high number turned out to be useful.
Or perhaps not surprising. Given that employment opportunities for skilled workers are all but closed off to 'Elevens', there's a waiting pool of people with underutilized skills, waiting to be poached.
There is a universal truth. People need to relax. And drugs and alcohol have been around in some form or another for nearly as long as human history itself. Thus, the use of Tamaki's contacts as recruiters and informants.
Refrain, however, is the one exception where I draw the line. The other substances are relatively harmless, or if not, then something people need to consciously choose.
Refrain, on the other hand, is nothing but a tool to exploit the desperate and the lost. And unlike other drugs, even a handful of doses is enough to cause permanent damage.
As such, Tamaki has standing orders to alert us to any major Refrain warehouses or deals going on. A lot of his contacts are just as happy to eliminate the competition. It doesn't hurt that Refrain dealers are almost universally scum and considered to be a blight on communities.
Euphie, from what I've heard, is actually starting to force prosecutors to go after those nobles connected to the trade. Naturally, I plan to leave her a few bread crumbs to set her on the trail. According to Suzu, after Kawaguchi, Cornelia put her under lock and key. So she's likely more than a bit stir-crazy by now.
I tap Tamaki's cheek lightly to try and wake him. No such luck.
I sigh and take a sip of my vanilla bean frappuchino with espresso shot. It is far too early for this shit.
"Tamaki, get up or I cut your budget AND your alcohol off," I say with a tense tone.
"WAHH! I'M UP! I'M UP!" a panicked Tamaki springs up, some drool still on his chin.
CC looks at him with a flat stare, and then back to me with a raised eyebrow as she sips her triple-shot Italiano.
That woman has a cast iron stomach. I swear to god, that Code of hers is fucking cheating somehow.
"So what's this about a hookup?"
Tamaki instantly goes to salute, only to clock himself in the nose, "Ow! Well, a friend said he had a guy who's trying to offload ammunition because the Brits aren't buying. I didn't wanna negotiate yet cause I don't know what we need or if he's gouging us."
I nod and pat him on the shoulder as we walk past, "Good work. Set up a meeting as soon as possible. Ohgi, you're point-man. You know what we need, see if he's on the level."
Ohgi salutes and then sees we're walking off, "Sir? What will you be doing?"
"Prisoner interrogation/debriefing. Maybe we'll get lucky and find out which hole Bartley crawled into," I snark with a clipped tone.
Joseph Fenette is a rather forgettable man. Not imposing, not distinctive. Just...ordinary. I wouldn't even know he was related to Shirley, if not for the fact that Shirley's mandarin orange-colored hair is clearly a paternal trait.
He looks like a man who's at the end of his rope, though. Like someone waiting for the executioner.
"My apologies for the poor facilities. We're still constructing this base," I say as I wheel in a tea service with snacks.
Mr. Fenette smiles sadly, "You've been more accommodating than I deserve. A room with a comfortable chair and decent bed? Three meals a day? Even newspapers. Zero, I don't deserve any of this."
I sit down after serving tea. Never underestimate how useful comfortable upholstery can be.
"That remains to be seen. This is basically what we in the military call a debriefing. Just answer my questions, no more, no less. I assure you, I intend for you to leave here intact."
Like what the hell were you doing at Narita, among other queries.
"Let's start with some background. How does a data analyst with no special connections or notable name become the last man left behind at Narita?" I say as I turn on a recording device.
I stir my tea as I await his answer.
"Zero, do you have family?"
Ahh. I think I see where this is going.
"Just a younger sibling. I've had to practically raise them myself."
He leans forward, head hanging down like a beaten dog, "If someone offered you a job, no questions asked, based on your specialty, with more money than you'd see in twenty years of working, what would you do, if you knew you could provide for your family by doing so?"
I take a sip before responding, "A very generous offer. But then, isn't a Faustian bargain always so?"
He looks up with a sickly smile. "I never would have taken the job if I had known it would cost me my soul and my ability to ever look my daughter in the eye again."
He laughs bitterly. It's a grating sound, like gears grinding together. Or perhaps the shattered remnants of a man who realizes he's stained his inner nature with something tainted.
"It started innocently enough. Tests, data, comparative analysis. All things I'd done before. Medical data requires a certain amount of understanding of the technical jargon, but ultimately? It's just information."
He grips his leg tightly, "I told myself that. Perhaps I even believed it in the beginning. Or maybe I was just too high on cloud nine to connect the dots on what I was cataloging."
He looks at CC, who's seated on the armrest of my chair, sipping her tea with a blank expression.
"And then they started sending new data. Reports, pictures, video footage, charts. It didn't make sense. The baseline readings were identical in every experiment, every log."
He shakes as he looks at CC's amber catlike eyes, seeing some horror that only the two of them are privy to. "It shouldn't have been possible. There's no way to get the exact readings every time. So I looked at the photos."
His eyes go dead, his face gaunt and fearful. "She looked so young. But the pictures, the tapestries, the paintings...it couldn't be the same girl. Because in every file...every clip of footage, every log...the subject expired."
I close my eyes, listening to the ravings of a man pushed beyond his limits.
He sinks into the chair, gripping the armrests, "The more I saw, the more horrified I was. She might have been something unnatural. Maybe even inhuman, like the scientists said. But..."
"She looked like she was my daughter's age. A girl around seventeen, eighteen years old. And I? I was helping monsters with human faces torture her. And the most horrifying part? I couldn't say anything."
He sips his tea, cup clanking as his hands shake.
"Prince Clovis had gone mad. Obsessed with getting something from the girl. And when she refused? He came up with tortures and depraved executions the likes of which I thought could only exist in nightmares conjured by writers of fictional horror."
"I've seen her with her skin flayed off. Her bones systematically broken, then the shards surgically removed from her body to see how they had shattered. Angle grinders used to rend layers of flesh into red meat. Internal organs melting from caustic gas."
He's crying now, barely holding his composure. "And what did I do?! I stayed silent! Because some had spoken up before. They thought that the project was going too far. That some lines weren't meant to be crossed, even for science."
He wrings his hands like a Refrain addict, unable to control them for loss of fine motor control.
"His Highness had one man thrown into a pit of spikes. Another locked in a room with rats while covered in animal fat."
I slowly blink at that. Wow. Even by my standards, this is fucked up.
"He once gave a man a staph infection for arguing with him. They used him with the girl, as a control group. They wanted to see how long it would take the flesh to rot and fall off."
I look up at CC. She's lost in memories, her awareness somewhere far away from here.
"I remember seeing reports. Debating the color of the pus, the rate of putrefaction, the awareness of the subject about the pain they were experiencing."
Kallen was right. I really did let him off too easily. It's one thing to read clinical sanitized reports, with no pictures, and the victim referred to only as 'The Subject'. It's another to hear about the horror firsthand.
"Bartley, at least...he knew. He knew it was wrong. I saw him look away sometimes in the footage. Maybe his conscience wouldn't let him see what was happening. All I knew was that I'd sold my dignity as a man for thirty pieces of silver."
What comes out of my mouth at that is somewhere between a snort and a sigh, "Judas Iscariot, you are not. And CC is no saint. But I'm afraid I must interrupt this for questions more pertinent. Why did you help us?"
He sniffs as he sags into the chair, "Sorry. I just...just can't stop seeing it..."
He blows his nose as he tries to regain his composure, "I was erasing the data. We'd heard from sources that the JLF's days were numbered and that Cornelia was coming. Bartley ordered the entire facility emptied and the data expunged. I still don't know how he got back from the homeland..."
I raise a hand to interrupt, "I have my own sources on that end. I'm told a high-ranking member of the Imperial court took an interest in his work." Bit of a stretch, but it's the only reason why someone like Schneizel would act to save him. Charles would have just given him to VV, if he had cared at all.
That remark makes Fenette pause. As it should; the implications are terrifying. "You mean...someone else wants to continue this devil's work?!" he almost shrieks.
"It shouldn't come as that much of a surprise. Charles knew full well where I was and what was being done to me," CC whispers in a venomous tone.
Joseph blinks at the non-sequitur, "Charles?"
I steeple my fingers as I give CC a glare with my single eye before closing the slot, "You can ask how far down the rabbit hole you are, but you won't like the answer. I suggest continuing your story and dropping this topic, unless you're prepared to learn some very dark secrets this day."
Well, learn them until I Geass you to forget. His knowledge of Code-R is one thing. Learning about the full extent of the Empire's black projects is an OpSec leak I'm not willing to leave open. Better that he recognize the danger he's in just by talking to me.
He gulps and nods, "Yes, of course. I was halfway done...when a vision out of my imagination walked in."
CC sighs, "Honestly? I didn't even know who he was. I walk in, gun drawn, prepared for a firefight, when suddenly this man goes white with shock and falls to his knees," she says with a lackadaisical gesture with her free hand.
"I thought my judgement for the evil I had perpetuated had come. It seemed only fitting that I should suffer at her hands. I'd seen footage of her driving men insane with a touch. But...death never came. She just looked at me with confusion," he whispers in a hushed tone. "She wanted the research. She didn't even know who I was or what I'd done. I had a choice then."
He looks up, and there's something in his eyes now. A core of inner fortitude, some part of him that didn't break.
"I could have refused. Kept my loyalty to the empire. Destroyed the remaining data. No one would know. I'd die, yes. But maybe I deserved that."
He looks CC in the eyes, searching for something that I'm not privy to.
"Or..." he smiles. But this time it's stronger, with a hint of defiance. "Or I could do something unthinkable for a Britannian. I knew from her uniform and the soldiers with her who she serves now. The man Bartley is terrified of finding him. Ever since rumors of Code-R went public with incomplete reports about the experiments, Bartley has been frightened of something more than the empire."
He points to me as I sip the cooling tea, "YOU. Zero, the Demon King of The Sixth Heaven. CC sided with you. Maybe for revenge, maybe for justice, I don't know. All I know is, that you saved my daughter's life at Kawaguchi, and you made Prince Clovis die for his crimes."
He stands slowly and walks to me...only to kneel at my feet.
"So I decided to betray my country. Because I heard a ring of truth in your words at Kawaguchi. Because Clovis was a monster. And most of all... because it's the only way my daughter will ever call her father a good man again. I decrypted the remaining data and surrendered to your forces," he says with tears coming down his eyes.
I set the tea down, gazing into his eyes.
It's one thing for a warrior, a soldier, to face death and horror. They train for it, live for it, expect it.
How much greater the courage, how much mightier the triumph, for an ordinary man to step up and say "No more!" in defiance?
I clap my hands slowly. It's the least I can do to show my respect.
"*clap clap clap* I have great respect for your actions, Joseph. Just a few more questions, and then little Shirley Fenette can rest easy with her daddy safe and sound. And yes, I know your daughter's name. I remember that shade of hair from Kawaguchi quite well," I say smugly.
He blushes, embarrassed at the joke, as he shuffles back to his chair.
"What of the cyborg data? Is that there? Did you hear anything about a Project: Siegfried?"
He blinks as he rubs his chin.
"Cyborg? Siegfried? Hmm, medical data, test results, photo copies..." he says mumbling to himself as he seems to go over a mental checklist.
He looks up after shaking his head, "No. Nothing of that sort. There was some theoretical paperwork on enhanced humans, but it was all theory. As far as I know, they hadn't gone further than that. And I never heard anything of a 'Siegfried'. What is that?"
I blink slowly. What? But that can't be. How can there be no data on...
Oh. Oh hohohoho! Oh yes, that's funny.
Without Jeremiah, they don't have a test subject and thus no way to test their designs.
I wave him off, "Never mind. Just some faulty intelligence reports. You're honestly better off not knowing."
One less trump card for Britannia, I suppose.
"Last question. Where are General Bartley and the rest of the staff going?"
He sags into the chair in despair, "I wish I knew. I have no loyalty to that nightmarish project after what I've seen. The general said my contract was finished after the data was erased. I guess he realized I didn't want to be there anymore. A small mercy, I suppose."
I slam a fist into the chair in frustration. GODDAMMIT! Again, he gets away!
I'll get Tamaki and Jeremiah looking up medical equipment. I have to get to him before Nelly or...oh no...
"Excuse us a moment," I say as I pull CC into another room.
"Now what? Something else you're going to bitch about?"
I take off my mask as I look her in the eyes.
"We can't let him go. He's a dead man if we don't do something."
CC crosses her arms as she raises an eyebrow, "He seems quite contrite and remorseful, despite the fact that he didn't experiment on me directly and just worked on the data. What's wrong with letting him go?"
"VV."
Her mouth goes to an O shape as she realizes the problem.
I nod, "Right. The Geass Directorate. They'll hunt down Code-R and the personnel, because it's connected to you. The only reason they haven't done so already, is because Area 11 is too much of a warzone and everyone is on too high an alert. It isn't a priority...yet."
She taps her arm, "And the cyborg and Siegfried?"
I smirk as my eyes glimmer with glee, "In the original timeline, Jeremiah would have been grievously injured at Narita and turned into a cyborg, courtesy of Code-R. At the climax of the battle for Tokyo, he would have launched an attack with an experimental super-weapon, the Knight Giga-Fortress Siegfried."
She cackles at the unspoken thought. At least she won't have to get crushed to a pulp by water pressure, this time.
"Hahahaha! So that's why you're chasing Bartley down. You want his research for yourself, including this Siegfried."
She grabs me by the lapels, eyes icy and vengeful.
"And what about MY suffering? Bartley was the project leader. He's just as much to blame as Clovis! I want his fat head on a platter."
I grab her wrists and bring her arms down forcefully.
"NO."
I wrap my arms around her in a hug as she squirms, glaring at me.
"No, CC. I need him. The cyborg data and the Siegfried are trump cards I can't ignore. And most of all? If I don't take him? VV will."
She looks me in the eyes, amber meeting amethyst.
...*smack!* Ow.
I give her a flat stare, cheek red from her slap.
*smack!* Ow.
As she rears back for a third strike, I grab her wrist in midair and shake my head from side to side firmly.
She leans into me, eyes flaring in anger.
"Bastard."
I sigh as I rub her back, "You knew that from the first day we met," I say as I kiss her forehead.
"I'm still mad at you."
I brush her bangs up, revealing her Geass sigil. The symbol of her curse of immortality, the CODE.
I kiss it and lift her chin up, "You can have your fill of tormenting Bartley, just so long as you don't do anything permanently damaging. He's your bitch, as far as I'm concerned. But rather than go after him, a man whose loyalty outweighs his ethics? Why not go after the one who gave Clovis the technology to jail you in the first place?"
She closes her eyes in contemplation, "You really are your father's son."
I snort. Lelouch would have pitched a fit in the original timeline over THAT one.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I do hate Charles. He's a blight on this world and the Sword has to be destroyed for the good of humanity. But...at least he believes in something. Even if it's evil and a horrible idea.
I'm still going to enjoy butchering him, though. He's more than earned it.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
She looks up in surprise, "I was expecting you to explode from that comparison..."
I bite her lip gently as I grab her ass, pulling her close.
"My dear, you should know I'm not a idiot teenager with more hormones than sense," I purr as I lick my lips.
She kisses me, chewing on my lip before breaking the kiss.
"It's times like this, I realize I still can be surprised by things. And that's one reason why I love you." she mutters, looking into my eyes.
I nuzzle her cheek as she leans into me, "I love you too, you green-haired bitch tornado."
She laughs at that, "You're such an asshole sometimes, Lelouch."
I raise an eyebrow in mock surprise. Now, you realize this?
"Luckily for you, I rather like megalomaniacal assholes who can take a joke at their expense, 'Lelucia'," she says with a cheeky smile.
Goddamn, I am MARRYING this woman when this is over.
"Why don't we just Geass him to forget about Code-R? They won't go after him if he doesn't know anything."
The temptation is there, I admit. And it is a very neat way to tie up loose ends.
But...
"Two reasons. One: I actually respect the fact that he's helping us willingly because of outrage over what he saw."
She waves her hand in a gesture for me to continue.
"And two: There is a technology the Directorate has, or will develop, in the near future: The Geass Canceler."
She raises an eyebrow with an expression that's daring me to try and repeat that obviously bullshit statement.
"No, I'm not kidding. The demented lawn gnome reject figured out a way to shut down rogue Geass users."
She blinks and then thumps her head against a wall, grumbling. "That would have saved me sooooo much trouble with some of them..."
Seeing her frustrated is admittedly a guilty pleasure of mine. Mostly because I actually have to try, unlike with Kallen or other people.
Hmm. Now there's a thought.
"Wouldn't it be tragic, if poor Mr. Fenette were to suddenly show up at the Settlement, and had lost his memory due to a concussion from the avalanche?" I muse out loud.
A few minutes later, we're gathered the gang together, Mr. Fenette standing next to me.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Fenette has been extraordinarily helpful and I wish to publicly acknowledge that. So, a round of applause for a man with the courage to do the right thing."
Reasonable amount of applause. Less than I hoped for. I can see there's some prejudice to excise from the ranks.
Oh well, Pendragon wasn't built in a day.
"However, it turns out that Mr. Fenette happened to be too close to the avalanche and suffered some injuries, including a concussion, and sadly has no recollection of what he was working on."
I lean over to whisper in his ear, "This will hurt a bit. I'm sorry, but it has to look real. Just stay down when you've had enough."
Fenette nods grimly, "That's fine. This is to protect my family."
I step back, making a sweeping gesture with my arm.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have some volunteers for the 'avalanche'? Remember, no head injuries and nothing permanently damaging. I'll allow a few shots to the jaw, but keep it clean."
I point a finger accusingly at the crowd, "And if I see anyone enjoying themselves over beating a Britannian, we WILL be having a conversation afterwards," I snarl.
Tamaki is the first to step forward, "Yer okay for a Brit. Sorry 'bout this," he says as he winds up and decks Joseph with a roundhouse, sending him to the ground.
Joseph rubs his jaw as he stands back up.
"Next."
A nameless grunt uppercuts him in the solar plexus, drawing a gasp of pain as the orangette shudders.
"Next."
A grim Ohgi, clearly unhappy about this, throws a tepid punch at the man's shoulder.
"Stop," I say as I walk forward.
"For those of you not understanding what's going on: This beating is for the protection of Mr. Fenette and his family. The ones backing Code-R will likely ignore a techie caught in an avalanche. They will NOT ignore a man who's suspiciously unharmed after a battle."
I knee the man in the side to emphasize my point, drawing a pained wheeze from him.
"Thus, the unfortunate necessity of this charade."
I take a step back to give Ohgi room.
"So hit him, and hit him hard like you mean it! The alternative is Joseph Fenette and his family disappearing," I say the last word with a sinister hiss.
Ohgi grinds his teeth, clearly frustrated by situation, before raring back his fist, and throwing a wild punch with a wordless cry.
Terrible form. That punch was telegraphed a mile away. Decent amount of power, though.
"Next. And Ohgi? Please get some tutoring from one of our street fighters. That punch was an embarrassment to pugilists everywhere. Points for effort, though, that looked strong."
After a few more minutes, Joseph is starting to look pretty beat up. But...he keeps getting back up.
Why? Why continue? He's clearly taken enough damage to be reasonably hurt. So why does he keep going?
This is going too far. I move to step forward... only for CC to grab my hand, shaking her head.
She points to her eyes, then to Fenette.
I don't get it. He looks like he's in pain...no. There's more to it. A man doesn't get up for no reason to face a torrent of blows. Not without something important driving him.
And then like a lightning bolt, it hits me.
"Penance," I whisper.
Kallen looks at me with a questioning expression.
"Not pain, but penance. Suffering to expunge sin."
Her eyes widen in understanding, "Zero...how long are you going to let him do this? He's going to be permanently injured if we don't do something."
CC scoffs as she buffs her nails on her white outfit, "I doubt Britannian medicine will have any trouble healing him. They could likely cure Refrain addiction if they wanted to. It's just that no one cares about Numbers."
An outraged Kallen rears back her arm for a mighty bitch slap. Oiii...
I grab her wrist before anyone notices.
"What the fuck Zero?!" she whispers. "That sea scum-haired skank practically dared me to hit her!"
I tighten my grip, "She doesn't know."
She blinks in shock, "But I thought you would have..."
I shake my head, "It wasn't my secret to tell. YOU should tell her, though. She owes you an apology. Now if you'll excuse me..." I say as I step forward.
"Enough."
Fenette falls to one knee, spitting up some blood as he shudders in pain.
I kneel to look him in the eye, "Was that really necessary? We're not the Catholic Church, this was not some holy penance. So why endure this superfluous suffering?" I say loudly with an exasperated sigh.
I'm 95% sure I'm right, but I think his answer will prove educational for the group.
He laughs, or tries to anyway. He's in a bit too much pain to follow through.
"Zero...I have been a failure as a decent human being. You might call it pointless. And maybe you're right."
He looks up, his gaze defiant, despite the blood coating his face from a cut on his brow and the obvious bruises.
"But...if I can make up for the suffering Code-R caused by enduring some myself, by going through some of what SHE went through, perhaps then I can look my daughter in the eye as the man I used to be..."
Heh. Well said. Well said, indeed, Joseph Fenette.
I stand and turn to address the befuddled crowd.
"Some of you might be wondering why Mr. Fenette feels he has to make up for his supposed complicity by sacrificing his body."
I pace slowly, "Admittedly, this was not something I expected. After all, one can hardly anticipate anyone to show such resolve and integrity, especially when they're involved with Code-R. And yet..." I trail off.
CC leans down to whisper something in the man's ear which causes him to smile, before striking his temple, mercifully causing him to pass out.
I give her a thumbs up before turning back to the group.
"And yet, here stands a man who has earned a chance at redemption. Let this image burn itself into your memory. We're not fighting Britannians, per se. Though many are our enemy, our true opponent is the Empire, nay, evil and injustice itself."
I gesture with a wave, "The next time you find yourself hating Britannians? Think of Joseph Fenette. And remember why we're better than the likes of the JLF."
I spot someone at the back looking curiously at the proceedings. About fucking time she got here.
"Thank you for your time. Some of you, please, get Mr. Fenette to a hospital in the Settlement discretely. I have a meeting to attend," I pronounce as I walk to the obvious standout, a tanned blonde India woman in a lab coat smoking a pipe.
"Was the performance to your liking, Doctor?"
The woman taps her pipe to knock out the ash and raises an eyebrow.
"I certainly wasn't expecting to walk into an overdone S&M session. Do you treat all your guests to a complimentary beating, Zero?"
Oh I like her already.
"Clearly Colchester gave you a liberal education," I remark cheekily.
She extends a hand, smirking, "I'm told I'm a cunning linguist."
I burst out laughing as I shake her hand.
"Thank you for coming, Dr. Chawla. I look forward to working with you, if the Guren is an example of your work."
The blonde gestures to the group of Indians behind her, "Where can we begin working?"
I wave to call over one of the mechanics.
"Show Dr. Chawla and her team to an area where they can set up shop."
Rakshata chuckles as she refills her pipe, "You may call me Rakshata, Lord Zero. I believe you will be very interesting to work for."
Oh right, that reminds me. "I have some data recently acquired in a raid that I think you'll find QUITE intriguing."
"Intriguing how? I'm not a specialist in every field, dear. Though I do dabble here and there."
I smirk, "Medical data from Code-R. And the field I was thinking of was your previous specialty, medical cybernetics."
The only sign that what I said disturbed her, is a slight cough and a narrowing of her eyes.
"Now how did you find out about that, I wonder. I haven't been in that field in a few years. Why the interest?" she mutters as she relights her pipe, the nonchalant tone clearly at odds with her focused expression.
I stroke the chin of my mask, "I have need of your expertise in that area. Someone very precious to me could benefit greatly from your help."
She blows out a smoke cloud as she taps her arm, "That was ancient history for me. What exactly do you want me to do?"
I smirk. Not exactly enthusiastic about that part of your work, huh? Let's sweeten the pot.
"I'll discuss that with you in private later, as it pertains to my real identity. As a bonus for your help, though, how does the technical specifications and battle data of Lloyd Asplund's Lancelot sound?"
She giggles at that and touches her cheek with a finger.
"Hohohoho. My, you certainly know your way to a woman's heart, don't you? Lord Kirihara did say you were quite charming."
She nods curtly, "Very well. I will see the patient at your earliest convenience. The occasional bit of flirting is fun, but my work takes priority. So I must ask to cut this interview short so I can see my darling child."
We walk over to the maintenance area, people parting before us as Rakshata looks over everything with a critical eye.
"Hey you! Take care installing that! My Guren is a delicate child who needs a gentle touch!" she yells, marching over to a techie trying to haphazardly refit a part.
She snaps her fingers, yelling something in Hindi at her team as they swarm over the Guren, taking readings and checking the components.
I step up on the gurney she's overseeing the work from, "The Guren performed magnificently in its first sortie. My Red Queen nearly defeated Cornelia's custom Gloucester without a scratch, before Katase cost us the battle," I grumble the last part.
She looks over a printout one of her assistants handed her before responding. "Lord Zero, this data is very impressive. Your ace and my child are a match made in Heaven," she practically purrs.
Kallen walks up with a sober expression, "Zero, why is my ride getting swarmed by guys in lab coats?"
I bow in a courtly manner, "My dear Q-1, nice of you to join us. I take my witch has made restitution for your pains?"
She looks away with a distant expression, her eyes focusing on something in her mind's eye. "Yeah...she gave me something to think about," she whispers and then notices my guest.
"Another one? Do you ever stop being a pervert?" she growls at me.
Rakshata herself steps forward, eyes looking over Kallen critically, "So you're the one who is caring for my child now. How do you like him?"
Kallen flushes red at the implication. "C-c-child?! What the hell?! I'm still a virgin! Zero, you have kids with her?!"
That's just priceless. Rakshata and I both double over laughing at her yelling and misunderstanding.
"HAHAHAHA! You hear that? She thinks I've seduced you already! Hahaha!"
Rakshata wipes a tear from her eye as she calms down, "Hehehehehe. Oh that would be impressive, if I actually cared about sex to begin with."
Kallen blinks in confusion, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "Did I miss something? She asked me about her child."
"Kallen Kōzuki-Stadtfeld, meet Dr. Rakshata Chawla, Big Red's 'mom'."
She instantly zips over to the blonde, stars in her eyes. "You made my Guren?"
Dr. Chawla lights her pipe as she smiles back. "Indeed. The Guren is my son. I trust you're taking care of him."
Kallen nods enthusiastically, "I love him. He's a wonderful partner. I feel like I'm dancing when we're on the battlefield."
The Indian scientist winks at her, "Glad to hear it. A mother always likes to hear good news about her children."
"As opposed to your more temperamental first child?" I quip.
She turns sharply at that, "You are remarkably well-informed, Zero. You know where he is?"
I nod, "I have a general idea. I'm working on acquiring him, along with someone who can wield him properly. That's a more long-term project, though."
Kallen shakes Rakshata's hand firmly, "Thank you so much, Dr. Chawla. I promise I'll take good care of him."
"You know, she could probably install that Sybian mode I mentioned," I mutter to her.
Q-1 pokes me in the shoulder, "Okay, explain that one to me. I'm tired of not getting the joke. What the hell is a Sybian?"
Rakshata blinks on surprise before she smirks knowingly. "A Sybian? My, my, haven't heard of those since college. Wonderful piece of technology." She looks Kallen over, eyes appraising her. "Should I be concerned for you corrupting my son's virtue?"
Kallen tilts her head quizzically. Oh, this is going to be good.
"Why? It's just something to make the Guren function better, isn't it?"
Rakshata throws her head back in laughter. "Oh dear, my poor innocent Guren is becoming a Casanova. Whatever is a mother to do?"
Kallen growls in frustration. And here comes the punch line. "Seriously, why will no one tell me what the hell a Sybian is?!"
Rakshata lights up her pipe and answers after blowing a smoke cloud upwards.
"Why it's a device for sexual pleasure, Ms. Kōzuki. Think of it as a mechanical bull ride, except the saddle has a vibrator or other such device in the harness."
Kallen is instantly mortified and shell-shocked.
"I suppose I should have been prepared for this. Children grow up so fast," she sighs.
She pats Kallen on the shoulder as she walks down to the Guren, "I think you'll make a fine partner to my son. I'll see about installing the Sybian when I have spare time. Ta-ta."
I wave my hand in front of Kallen's frozen features.
She blinks and then starts growling at me.
"You..."
Uh-oh. I slowly back away.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!"
I start running, dodging around people as a furious Red Queen chases after me.
All in a day's work, I suppose. Though judging by her expression? I think she's honestly just enjoying herself chasing me.
Maybe it's love.
End of turn.
