Codes and Geass R2: Rex Gloria Mundi

Revolution 1: Forlorn Hope

NO! NO NO NO! HE CAN'T BE DEAD! NOT AGAIN!

I can't go through it again...not after finding someone to finally love me after all this time...

"Zero! Status report!"

God, please no...please don't take him from me...

"ZERO! STATUS REPORT!"

I snap out of it after Tohdoh's voice bellows across the comms. Thank god nobody heard my screaming Lulu's name...

I shakily tap the comms open, "This is CC..."

"CC! We saw the orange weapon! What was that?! Are you and Zero alright?!"

I shake my head slowly, looking at Lelouch's still form.

"...It...it was Kewell Soresi. VV's turned him into a cyborg. That weapon is the Siegfried, an experimental new type of Knightmare...Kyoshiro...Zero is..."

I switch on one of the only working monitors, watching Tohdoh's face pale and hands shake on the controls.

"No...he can't be..."

Suddenly he blinks and his eyes narrow, "CC! He isn't dead yet! I can see him breathing shallowly! HE'S STILL ALIVE!"

I stop breathing for a moment as I turn to see...he's right. Lelouch is still alive, somehow.

"CC, what are our orders? The Siegfried appears to be hovering near the edge of the battlefield, Cornelia is still in the air, and the bombers will be here in fifteen minutes. Is Zero's counter usable?"

I take a deep shuddering breath to try and calm down. Alright, what did Lelouch mention about his counter...?

...Dammit. It still won't work. The Siegfried and Cornelia would only intercept the missiles.

"Zero was going to launch ballistic missiles to strike down the planes. That won't work, not without the Gawain to provide aerial cover...and we have to get Zero out of here immediately."

"What of Captain Kōzuki?"

I tap a few buttons, using one of the Factspheres that's still intact to scan the area...Damnation. I try to ping her with the comms, but there's no response.

"No good. I can see the Guren's ruined claw sticking out from part of the rubble. I think she got hit by rubble from the crash. She's not responding to the comms, so I believe she was KO'ed."

Tohdoh rubs the bridge of his nose, "What of my student? Can you ask him to deploy?"

White Knight Turncoat...Yes, that might work. Lelouch didn't want to use Suzaku unless it was absolutely necessary. But...

I look at his bloody and still form. We can't hold anything back, not if we want to salvage this.

"I'll contact Orange first and arrange an evac for Zero. Concentrate on pressuring the citadel. Tell the men Zero is still alive, but he's out of commission for the remainder of the battle."

Tohdoh salutes with one hand, "That was an incredible act of courage, one I will not soon forget."

I salute him back, trying to give one of my usual smiles, which sadly comes out as more of a rictus grin.

Wait, why is he looking with wide eyes at my hand...oh.

"That ring...is that...?"

I lower the ring to in front of my face, fresh tears starting to fall, "Yes, he finally proposed. Just before we crashed with the Siegfried."

The general nods solemnly, "I will offer you both my congratulations when the battle is over."

He ends the communication and I pull out my phone, hitting the speed dial for Jeremiah Gottwald. One of the few men I can trust to put my husband over everything else at this moment.

"At your service, my lady! How may I aid you?"

I take a deep breath, "Jeremiah...no. Sir Gottwald. I am requesting an immediate medical evac to friendly lines with yourself as personal escort."

I hear Jeremiah's breath catch as he connects the dots.

"What happened to Master Lelouch?"

I touch Lulu's face, blood coming off on my hand, "We crashed into a building. He's gravely wounded, but alive for now. But we need to get him out of here. We need to save my husband, Sir Orange."

"Husband...? You mean...at once, Your Majesty! I shall arrive with an attack chopper immediately!"

I shake my head, "No, he's pinned in with shrapnel. I don't think we can move him. We have to take the entire ejection pod."

"I can secure a Knightmare aerial transport and use the securing cables to hold the pod. But there is something of grave concern I must inform you of first!"

Better than nothing, the less we move him, the better. Wait, grave concern?

"What now?"

I can hear him gritting his teeth over the phone, what could be so bad—

"Prince Schneizel is here in Japan. He's on the way with a battalion group, and the Avalon is personally escorting Princess Cornelia's bomber squadron. The Prince has changed their orders on his authority as Prime Minister. All targets viable, the city is expendable."

I drop the phone in shock as my blood runs cold. What? That's insane. That's diabolical. That's...exactly the kind of thing Lelouch said his brother was capable of.

...This battle is lost. We cannot win the day, not against Schneizel. Without Zero, that's a hopeless battle.

I pick up the phone, clenching my bloodied fist. Change of plans, then.

"We have lost today. But right now, our priority is to secure my husband and get him out of here, and to start an organized retreat and not a rout."

I hear a pistol being cocked in the background. Jeremiah must be planning to cause a disturbance before he comes to us.

"Jeremiah?"

A gurgling sound makes its way through the audio before he answers, "My apologies, I was busy disposing of one of the guards. What is it, Your Ladyship?"

Lulu, you have no idea how rare finding someone this loyal, this determined, this...reliable is. Jeremiah Gottwald is a rare breed of man.

"Stay alive. Lelouch will never forgive himself if you die for him. This is my command as his wife."

I can practically see the man blinking in surprise at the concern being shown for him. The dedication he has shown shall not go unacknowledged.

"Your Highness...once more, I see that my lord has chosen a worthy queen. I shall arrive post-haste!"

"Godspeed, Sir Gottwald," I whisper as I close the comms channel, slumping back into the seat.

We were so close...so close to winning. And now?

"Now we're running for our lives, like scared rats. All our confidence and desire to win faded like the twilight..." I say to Lelouch's still form as I start to cry again.

"Damn you, you stupid, stupid man..." I say as wet drops fall down my eyes, fists clenched on my pants.

Goddamn you, Lelouch...for making me love you so.

"You'd better not die, Lulu. You still have to grant my wish."

Not my wish to die, to pass this curse of immortality onto some other unlucky soul.

No, my true wish. To love, and to rule. Because despite your utter cruelty in giving me this hope...?

I still believe in you.

Crying can wait for later. Once I get you and everyone out of this deathtrap. First, though? I need to address the troops and alert them to the change in conditions.

Taking my seat once again, I wipe my eyes and take a deep breath and turn on the remaining viewscreen.

"Black Knights. This is CC. As of this moment, I am ordering a full retreat."

Naturally there's a bit of outrage and protesting. And why not? The battle might yet be won in the eyes of some.

I shake my head, golden eyes drilling into the hearts of everyone watching with their fiery determination. Heh, I guess I've picked up some of the vi Britannia madness, eh Lulu?

"I have received reports that the White Prince, Schneizel el Britannia himself, is here in Area 11. With his presence, and that of the cyborg Kewell Soresi still roaming the skies, the battle is now exponentially harder."

I bite my lip as I look down for a moment, mustering my courage to say the painful words that must come next.

"Harder, but perhaps not impossible, save that Zero himself has been gravely wounded and has lost consciousness from his wounds."

The silence speaks volumes about the general feeling about our chances of victory now.

But the spotlight is on me now, and I must take center stage where the main actor of this opera cannot. I suppose I'm more Britannian in my mannerisms than I thought. Or perhaps it's just your bad influence rubbing off on me, Zero?

"I am working to set up a medical evac with available assets and to try and get us some air cover. But we cannot hope to withstand Britannia's counterattack, especially should they realize Zero is no longer in command anymore. Moreover, Prince Schneizel has ordered the entire city bombed."

I gesture with my left arm, in a manner painfully reminiscent of Zero himself, blood still coating my immaculate white uniform, "I refuse to sacrifice my soldiers in a battle where victory is no longer achievable. But make no mistake! This is but one battle! Once we recover Zero and our forces are safe, We. Will. Return."

The salute over my chest is clearly Britannian, but then again? Did Zero himself not say that we were the ones who truly embodied the ideals of his former nation?

"For this is but one battle. And our war is not yet over. Tenka Fubu!"

"TENKA FUBU!"

"LONG LIVE CC!"

I shut off the communicator, trying to calm down, feeling as though my heart will burst. Is this what it's like for you, every time you're on stage? Or is it just that you're not here beside me that makes it hurt so?

One last call, one last order to give.

Suzaku's warm green eyes, tinged with worry and anxiousness, greet my gaze. Please don't fall apart, Suzaku; we need you now more than ever.

"CC! What happened? You look terrible. I haven't been able to observe the battle, Cornelia has me under house arrest. What's—"

"White. Knight. Turncoat."

The words carry a weight and finality that I doubt he's heard me ever use before.

"何? But Orange hasn't secur-" (What?)

"I am ordering you to deploy and provide air cover for our retreat. The battle is lost."

At that proclamation, Suzaku reels back as though stunned. And why not? It is rather unbelievable that such a turn of fortune could happen.

Perhaps some of Lelouch's horrible luck from that other timeline has followed us here...

"How?! What?! Where's Lelouch?! CC—!"

Whatever he was about to say, it's stopped somewhere in his throat as he sees my face. I have no doubt I look like I'm about to start crying and collapse. But...I can't hold it together anymore.

"Suzaku...Lelouch is unconscious and possibly bleeding out behind me. We crashed into a building. Prince Schneizel is here and has taken command. He's ordered the wholecity bombed. Please...you have to help us."

Damn it, Suzaku, don't collapse into a wreck now. I know how much he means to you, but without your help, we have absolutely no chance of making it out of here alive.

"Suzaku!"

He jerks awake as though slapped, his eyes on the verge of tears.

"Listen to me! Do you see this?!"

I hold up my hand, the shimmering of the emerald stone set in the snake's mouth glinting off the console emergency lighting.

"He gave me this, just before we crashed. As such, I am ordering you as Zero's wife to get out here and help me save my husband!"

In a movement that even I have trouble tracking, he's instantly on his feet, saluting. As broken and twisted as he is? It's rather enchanting how quickly he'll move to save someone else in danger.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

I nod gratefully, "I don't want to be a widow again, Suzaku...please hurry."

His white glove touches the screen in a gesture of affection that catches me off guard. Hmm, I suppose I have fallen for him a bit myself. Such nobility and openhearted compassion is rare these days. Small wonder Euphemia fell for him so hard.

"I won't let either of you down. Keep him safe for me. I am coming now."

I nod, voice failing me at this point as he closes the communicator, likely running to seize the Lancelot for his snowy rescue mission.

Blood stains my green hair as I lie back against Lelouch, waiting for our rescuers. It's perhaps a bit cruel and selfish of me to just sit here and not try to do more.

But...a woman is allowed to be selfish in this kind of situation.

Drops of salty tears fall onto my uniform as I curl up into a ball, unable to hold my emotions back any longer.

God damn you Lelouch, you cruel evil man, for making your wife cry so...

End of Revolution