Revolution 6: Kali-Yuga.
"The more things change…" I wistfully remark, looking out the window of the limousine we're in at the streets of New Delhi, people shrinking away from the emblem on the vehicle's door, the eight sided star of the Chinese Federation.
"Shilling for your thoughts?" Lulu quips from her seat next to me, her violet eyes troubled seeing the abject poverty of the citizens.
Running my fingers through my long hair, my face turns to face Leloucia, both of us garbed in the traditional dress of indian dancers, ankle length skirts known as lehenga, tight fitting blouses baring the midriff called choli, and dupatta scarves atop our heads, which Lulu is planning to use to veil her face when we step out.
"India has always been a country plagued by poverty and strife, that much hasn't changed in all the times I've been here. The main difference under the Chinese is, that much like Britannia, they went out of their way to put the boot on the local culture once they took over."
My black haired paramours frowns in thought in that comparison, "CC, how long have the Chinese been here? I confess my knowledge of this part of the world is somewhat lacking."
A more interesting question than it seems at first hand.
"India was largely unified under the Mughal empire during the 1600s, who were in turn approached by the Ming Dynasty, which was beginning it's goal of unifying the continent into a hegemony. Due to lack of force projection-"
Lulu giggles, batting her eyes at me, "I love it when you tell stories, it's always an educational experience."
Smirking at the compliment, I rest my head on my palm, "Do shut up, Asshole, and let me finish. As I was saying? The Ming signed trade agreements with the Mughal, while putting pressure on them via economic weight because they couldn't conquer them at the time. That changed one hundred years later, when China did have the naval power to cut India off from overseas trade. Using that power, a series of unequal treaties came to pass, each extracting heavy concessions from the rulership at the time."
Lulu examines her face in a mirror, carefully applying blush to her cheeks as she responds, "Hence why India eventually balked and war started, right?"
"Yes. A short brutal campaign aided by quislings like the man we're going to see today, the Maharajah. His family was rewarded for their betrayal of their countrymen by being granted viceroyship of India, and even being allowed to set up a new capital to supplant Old Delhi. Suffice to say, few if any of the people in this country would object to a change in leadership, if it meant the Chinese brutality would cease."
My eyebrow raises as I look down at our outfits, "On that note, not that I object to the choice of attire, but is this really the best plan you could come up with? You know we're not going to be able to sneak any weapons in dressed like this."
Our fearless leader blows a cloud of smoke from her joint into the air before answering, "Simple. The Maharajah by all accounts is a horny old goat, particularly for exotic tastes. And here in India? Obvious foreigners are a rare treat for a man like him. Our job is simple: dance, look pretty, entertain him, and keep the room distracted till the time is right."
The limo shakes as we past a bump in the road, jostling me out of my seat and landing with my head in Lulu's lap, a comfortable spot by any measure as I relax, laying my head down as she strokes my hair.
"I admit, it wasn't my best idea. But given how the man is ruthlessly paranoid about being targeted by Indian partisans or the Chinese? We had limited options. And besides, I needed to get out of the base after Milly ripped me a new one for not telling her about Charles' brilliant plan," she mutters, a grimace on her painted lips.
Ah yes, Ragnarok. One of the best conversation killers I have ever had the pleasure of hearing said out loud. Because really, how do you resume where you left off after someone says 'The world will literally end unless we win this war' ? Thankfully, Millicent wasn't too upset about our keeping the secret from her, given the gravity of it. Although, she did mention that we 'owed her a marker' for it. So I suppose we'll have to pay up at some point.
…I wonder. When did it become we? When did I start seeing her and I as a single unit, united in our purposes and aims? When did I start to care again?
Hmm? We've stopped. Seems I was lost in thought. Time to get ready.
"Halt. What's your purpose here?"
"We have some new girls for his excellency the Maharajah. They're Britannian," our driver whispers in Hindi with an obvious leer in his voice. It's sad how easy it was for us to get picked up as hookers/entertainment by the palace procurer.
"Really? Ha! Hopefully the old geezer is feeling generous and lets us have a turn after he's done, hahaha!" the guard laughs, waving our limousine in as the guards return to their post.
"Oh goody, we can look forward to having a train run on us, or outright gang-raped when the old bastard is done. What fun," Leloucia quips, fixing her veil to hide her face as I give her a flat look before smacking her on the back of the head.
God damnit Leloucia. Don't you dare give that 'I'm so offended' look at me! Merde, why do I put up with this girl and her bitchy attitude..Oh ho ho ho.
So that is what it feels like when I do it to her, hm?
"Do you ever think before letting your oversized mouth run?" I snark at her, feeling the smug slut chuckle at that remark. Which is perhaps incredibly hypocritical coming from me, but I am CC after all. I'm allowed some eccentricities.
It's moments like these that are the worst in missions. The calm waiting, just before you enter the fire. Foolhardy that it might be for Leloucia to risk herself...I can't say I'm not touched that she would dare to brave this viper's pit with me.
And besides, it's not like we had other options. Sayoko is indisposed due to her nearing the end of her pregnancy, Iah'bahad can't pass for a woman, and Snake is still MIA in Area 11.
With grace and poise born of natural charisma, Leloucia steps out of the Limo into the heat of an Indian summer, the sun shining down illuminating the purple silk adorning her body.
"Lulu." "Hm?"
My hand smacks her ass hard enough that she has to bite her lip to suppress the sound she would normally make. Cheeky perhaps, but the last thing we want is for her to give the game away, or worse, entice these horny idiots into trying something before we reach our objective.
Walking through the marble halls inlaid with intricate carvings and mosaics, sunlight streaming in through windows delicately inlaid into the stonework, surrounded by the heights of Indian artistry and culture, one could easily forget the outside world within this modern Xanadu.
"Lost in thought, bitch tornado?"
Sharp golden eyes dart to the side to meet with laughing violet ones, a lifetime of emotion and memory conveyed in a single glance. Even with the situation being what it is,this plan of hers is foolhardy and needlessly risky in all honesty. Lower chances of success aside, this is exactly why a king delegates tasks and assigns risk to others. We could have had a strike team hunt down the Maharajah and not run the risk of her being here.
"CC, talk to me."
Fortunately the guards are too busy leering and laughing among themselves about the fun they'll have later. That, and they've been speaking exclusively Hindi since we arrived. So it's safe to say Britannian is not among their spoken dialects.
"I don't like this. You of all people shouldn't be here," I whisper.
Lulu gives me a sanguine smile, looking straight ahead to the beautifully carved doors indicating the Maharajah's pleasure gardens, "If the king does not move, his subordinates will not follow. What sort of coward do you take me for, that I would risk those I love, if I would not risk myself in turn?"
Seeing the guards distracted, her hand gently clasps mine between her slender fingers, "I told you how far I would go once. Walk with me, my queen of hell, and let us dance the danse macabre."
Grotesque metaphor or not, she really does know her way to a woman's heart.
And then the doors open, and for once, even I, who has seen much of the world over the ages, am given pause by the sight before me. The Mughal influence on the architecture is readily apparent, but the opulence in this room would give even the architects of the Red Fort in Old Delhi pause. Porcelain carvings inlaid with jewels, tropical flowers set in marble sconces, topiary carved in the images of elephants, tigers and other native animals of India, brocade cloth banners adorning the walls, Mughal era weapons mounted on the walls next to animal head trophies, hand stitched pillows of the finest Indian silk, carpets clearly woven by hand depicting scenes from Hindu mythology.
And surrounding the center where the Maharajah himself sits, are a wide variety of scantily clad, or outright nude, women, young men, and even trans persons, some resigned to lazing about and pretending to enjoy the atmosphere, and some with a familiar look of submissive fear in their eyes at the rapacious gazes of their captors.
"Your excellency, Maharajah Ram Sunil Rao, I have brought you a gift," announces the guard, falling to his knees and bowing to a fat indian man seated on a pile of cushions, stroking his long grey beard as he lounges back while a woman services him between his legs.
"Ahh, Rajesh, my favorite supplier of delightful delicacies, what have you brought before us this day?" he chortles, a chubby hand holding the black hair of the woman kneeling before him like a leash.
Presuming that we would not understand the local language, the guards shove us forward to present us before their master.
"We have a Britannian and a Europian girl for your pleasure, most esteemed one. We hope you shall look fondly on upon my services for your future needs," he says with an obsequious bow as the Maharajah strokes his beard with one hand, the other firmly holding the kneeling girl in place as he finishes, a moan of pleasure escaping his lips before he speaks.
"Ahh. Excellent, Rajesh. As always, you supply the finest flesh for my needs. Do they speak our tongue?"
Rajesh snorts in derision, "The green one might, she seems too sharp by far. The other one, no. A few whippings and sessions with the guards should curb any rebelliousness. Do they please you, your excellency?"
Tche. I've gotten rusty. Time was that I could have infiltrated this palace by myself as a courtesan and killed them all. Or my concern for Lulu is interfering with my ability to be an operator.
"Hmm. Well, we have plenty of time to see how they are on their backs. Let us see them dance!" he proclaims with a clap, gesturing to some of his unwilling harem to rise, including the girl kneeling and coughing from the impromptu facefucking he just gave her.
Traditional indian music begins to pipe in from hidden speakers, the harem members stepping in the steps of the Kathak, a northern Indian dance. This is a problem, none of us are trained in classical Indian dance. This plan is already going wrong. The idea was to keep the guards occupied while our people got into position and locked down the palace. But at this rate, we will end up failing our objective and getting raped. Or worse, the Maharajah will escape during the chaos if we resist too soon.
"Oh dear, they don't seem very good at it, Rajesh. Can you motivate them?" the Maharajah commands with a disappointed frown, stuffing some samosas into his mouth, the crumbs spilling out onto his belly.
Rajesh unhooks a whip from his belt, lashing the weapon out at us, barking commands in broken Britannian, "Dance better! You make master angry!"
Ack! Bastard. I'll repay this ten fold. Credit to Lulu, she's holding her temper well, even with being struck by the whip. Though being whipped like a slave is doing my own temperment no favors...
Fortunately, the dance itself isn't that difficult. I might even want to try myself under different circumstances. In fact the harder part is trying to step aside from the whip strikes without their noticing I'm avoiding them.
"Enough. It is clear these clumsy foreign girls are as graceful as an ox sipping chai. Pass the green one to me, I'd like to sample her honey," the Maharajah chortles, wiping his mouth with a napkin, while his other hand gestures towards my body.
Rajesh lashes his whip at my back, and then shoves me towards his master, causing me to stumble forward and fall to my knees in front of him. The procurer grabs Leloucia by her arm as she silently glowers behind her veil, her other hand stiff as if her will was holding it in an iron grip.
"And what of this one, oh great master?"
The old man waves him off, "She is too tall and broad for my tastes, you and the guards may break her in a bit first. Just don't make a mess this time. My carpets are too fine to be soiled by blood or bodily fluids."
My hair is pulled like a leash as my veil is torn off, his grubby hands squeezing my chest like they were over ripened fruit, frowning at the defiance in my eyes, his mouth opening as he spits upon my face.
"By the time I am finished with you, you shall beg for my gentle touch, or you shall suffer the fate of your friend-"
Whatever he was about to say is cut off by the sight of Lulu's eyes shining behind her veil, her veins slowly lighting up as she lifts Rajesh up by the neck with a single hand, the fingers of her other hand twitching like clawed mandibles as they latch onto his face as she whispers something to the man.
In hindsight, asking her to not react when the two of us were going to be raped was never going to work. But we did achieve the necessary objective, namely, getting into the inner sanctum with no one suspecting who we were.
"W-w-what?! What is this madness?! Rajesh, what have you done?! Ack!" he cries out as my hand springs out to strike him in his solar plexus as I stand up, enjoying the sight of his terror far, far, too much.
A sickening squelch loudly echoes through the room as Leloucia rips Rajesh's head off in a single motion before throwing the grisly object at the nearest guard, catching him by surprise as Lulu springs up to pounce on him, her hands reaching out and grabbing two talwar off the wall before she buries them in the man's skull, prompting panicked screaming from the harem.
"S-s-shoot them! Protect me with your miserable lives-arghh!" my prisoner cries out as I pin him down, holding his right hand behind his back and holding him as a human shield. Two down, three guards to go, only two of whom are armed with guns.
Submachine gun fire rings out as Leloucia ducks behind a pillar, dodging the bullets with her enhanced agility. Wait, what is that sound..oh ho ho ho! It appears we did buy enough time after all. We just need to survive the next minute or two and the operation will be complete.
A gleam of light is the only warning before one of the swords she pilfered spins through the air, perforating the gun wielding guard through his intestines, blood and guts spilling out of the man as he silently screams at his life fading away. A quick strike from me at the Maharajah's temple stuns the fat oaf unconscious, leaving me to join the fray.
"You'll pay for this, you filthy white whores!" a guard screams out, firing his rifle at me, a bullet grazing me in the left shoulder, bone exploding from the bullet's overpenetration as I falter in my steps, crumpling in a heap only a few feet away from the man.
He snarls in anger, aiming directly at my head, "May Brahma curse you to a thousand lives of rape as a pig sow, you Britannian cu-!"
The curse he was uttering is cut short by Lulu cutting off his head and then whirling on the other guard as he tries to run, a diagonal strike cleaving the man's skull in half. Heh. Seems sword fighting talent runs in the family.
Blood courses from my mouth as I try to stand up, gritting my teeth at the pain, when a harem girl gingerly approaches me, shaking her head in fear and disbelief.
"What..what have you done?! They will kill us all for your defiance! You have doomed us and our families!"
Tears running down her cheeks as she shivers in place, her skinny arms raising a heavy pot over her head, trembling with the effort of lifting it, "Forgive me in your next life! I cannot risk my children for a strang-!"
Clang goes the pot as it falls to the ground, shattering on the fine marble, her lips trembling in fear at the sword held to her neck by the still glowing Leloucia, her shimmering eyes the only thing visible of her face beneath the veil.
"Sit down, now."
The woman trembles in place, collapsing to her knees as Lulu gazes imperiously at her, before my wife turns to me and kneels to look me in the eye before sighing and wrapping me in a hug, blood soaking into the fine silk.
"CC, I do appreciate your distracting the guards so I could gut them. But next time? Please find a way to do it that doesn't get you eviscerated."
Cheeky ungrateful cunt. See if I sacrifice my beautiful and exceptional body for you next time.
Blood drips on the ground from my ruined shoulder as Leloucia lifts me up and brings me to a wall so I can lay back and heal, while she turns to address the room preparing to say something.
"Lulu? Most of them don't speak Britannian. Let me translate so your glorious speechmaking isn't lost on them hmm?" I declare with an impish smile on my bloodstained lips, having to stop myself from laughing at the no doubt chagrined expression beneath her ruined veil.
"Right. Attention! All of you who are in this place, no harm will come to you. Remain calm, we will give what help we can shortly. Our people are now in control of the palace, please do not force us to imprison you while we work."
Various exclamations in hindi, pashto, arabic and a bit of Britannian sound out before they quiet down at the sound of someone battering at the door.
"My lord! I apologize for the delay! The palace is secured, are you in need of assistance?!" the strident voice of our most loyal knight rings out from the other side.
"We're fine, Orange! CC took a shot for me, but the room is secured! The prime target is incapacitated!" she exclaims as she strides over, unlocking the door, letting a squadron of commandos led by Jeremiah and Iah'bahad storm in, pointing guns around at the frightened harem before putting them away upon realizing that such actions are counterproductive.
"Orders regarding the harem, my lord?" Iah'bahad asks, his gaze showing a hint of concern about the unexpected complication.
Leloucia lets out a heavy sigh as she takes a suitcase from Jeremiah, walking behind a four panel dressing curtain, "We'll figure that out in a moment. For now, secure the Maharajah. Iah'bahad, you speak Hindi, yes?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Excellent. Wake the fat bastard up. And tell the harem we're not here to rape them."
Ahh, there we go. My shoulder is almost finished regenerating. Though even without my healing, our medical technology is impressive enough now that I could be fully recovered in a few months.
"Ouch! Unhand me, you wretch! Do you know who you have dared to do this to?!" the old man blusters from where he is tied to a pillar.
Cruel mocking laughter rings out from behind the curtain after I translate what he said to Lulu.
"The better question is, do you know who I am, Ram Sunil Rao?"
Spittle flies from his mouth as he struggles to get free, his face turning red with outrage, "My loyal soldiers will see your families ruined, your women and children raped and sold to slavery, your lands burned, and everything you love destroyed! I have powerful friends, they will not permit this disgrace to happen with impunity!"
Cloth rustles as the bloody silk is thrown aside from behind the curtain, Lulu's voice speaking clearly as I translate.
"The Arabs call me Malik Al-Shayatin, 'King of those who rebel against God'. The Chinese call me Cao Cao's second advent."
A familiar clicking sound echoes across the silent room as his voice continues in a synthesized electronic tone.
"The Japanese call me Dai Roku Ten Maou, 'Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.' But you would know me best as-"
With a flourish, his cape ruffling as he steps forth behind the curtain, the devil arrives.
"Zero."
Much as his penchant for theatrics and being an utter ham can be annoying at times, it really is part of his charm. And credit where it is due, the man does know how to make an entrance. Though the effect is very different on those of us who know him, compared to people like the Maharajah, who is absolutely gobsmacked.
"Zero?! But you are dead! Britannia killed you!"
Curious and fearful eyes look at us from the side, the harem members seemingly only somewhat aware of who is in their midst..though some of them may know from seeing the news before the Siege of Tokyo.
Upon my translating the Maharajah's exclamation to him, Zero steps forward, his cape swaying, eyes burning red beneath his mask as he looks down at the Maharajah of India, the atmosphere around him foreboding and dangerous.
"You should know better than to trust what Britannia of all places says. Now then? I believe it's time India had new leadership. CC? Tell the harem that they will be free to go as soon as we ensure their safety and that of their families."
The response to that proclamation is…less than encouraging.
"Many of them are here to keep their families from being targeted. Some are basically sex slaves, sold to the Maharajah. And some, know no life beyond this palace," I verbalize with a pained sigh, both from my shoulder still healing, and from bitter memories of my own time spent in similar circumstances.
Zero sighs, his boot resting on the man's stomach as he leans down, crimson gaze boring into the man's sweating brow and fearfully darting eyes.
"My wife isn't fond of sex slavers. And truthfully, neither am I. I do not know what form of justice it will require to make restitution for what has happened to them, but it will be done. India has let certain traditions and beliefs fester for far too long."
His voice rumbles with gravity and anger in what he says next, which I'm certain was prompted by his seeing the memories of my own past. That none should suffer what I went through..a touching sentiment that plucks the strings of my heart.
"That too, shall pass. The world I intend to create will see evil such as yours vanquished, with all my power to do so. This I vow."
Ahh, there we go. All healed and back to normal. With a grunt of effort, I step up from the wall, gesturing across the room as I speak in hindi, "All of you follow the man with the red hair. Orange, take the Maharajah and follow me."
For all the power this fat slob thought he wielded, in truth, he's just a pawn. One that exploits the Indian resistance against China while simultaneously genuflecting to the Chinese as their loyal servant and overseer. Granted, there is a Chinese governor general whom he ostensibly reports to, but unlike the Area 11 equivalent of the NAC, the Maharajah has broad powers to control his territory provided he keeps the peace and ensures the steady supply of tribute and goods.
"How are M and K doing in their work?" I inquire of Orange as he manhandles the much shorter man down the hall, the cybernetic enhancement clearly showing it's work. If Leloucia could rip a man's head off with one arm, what Orange is capable of should exceed that display.
Pausing to cuff his prisoner on the side of the head, the teal haired man nods as we continue walking, "They said they were going to dig through the archives and see what arrangement this fool has made and if there is anything urgent that needs to handled to prevent our being discovered too soon. We encountered little difficulty in our infiltration of the base. The…distraction offered by yourselves was most helpful to that effort, though it wounds my honor and my soul that you were forced to expose yourselves to such risk for our efforts-"
Zero waves him off, looking back over his shoulder, "Orange, do not disparage yourself or take any reproach for this. It was my plan, and in hindsight, probably a stupid idea. But? What's done is done. I promise I will avoid doing something like this in the future, or at least have you by my side next time."
Which considering who's talking, is about as good as it gets for him guaranteeing he won't do something stupid. Such is the life of a married woman, forever keeping her husband from harebrained schemes, ho ho ho.
Peeking inside one of the doors, I nod to myself seeing the contents. A nice office with a desk, chairs and a view of the city below. This should do nicely.
"This room will do. Put him down in the chair and chain him up, Orange. This shouldn't take too long," I say as I stretch my arms over my head, Zero moving to take a seat in the chair opposite our prisoner, pulling out his cigarette case.
It's amusing and somewhat surprising that the Maharajah is still attempting to bluster his way out of this. I know Zero isn't fond of torture, but we might have to bloody the man up a bit to make him talk. Fat soft ones like him don't take much.
"You! You vile foreign dogs! You will not get away with this! I'll see you castrated, and your woman raped by dogs-!" he bellows in fury, his rant only stopping when Jeremiah backhands him across the face, the former margrave's face a rictus of controlled anger.
"You are fortunate, Sir Maharajah, that my master and lady require you intact. Otherwise I would see swift restitution for your despicable insults!"
Snap, goes Zero's case as he closes it shut with one hand, putting it back into his coat and producing a lighter, the orange glow of the flame reflecting off the clear sphere of his mask, saying not a word till after he has inhaled some of his joint, and then blowing the smoke in the fat man's face.
As he coughs to try and regain his ability to speak, Zero interrupts him, "You're wasting your time, and mine. Your allies in this country will not come to your aid. You have been sold out. And as for your silent partners?"
The deceptively strong fingers of Zero's hand curl around the man's chins, holding his face still, fear likely stilling any motion in memory of the fact that these fingers did in fact, tear a man's head off in a single motion.
"You can cooperate, and perhaps gain some measure of mercy, mayhapt even life. Or you can deny me and things will get much much worse for you. The choice, is yours."
Does he understand Britannian? Or is it the silky deadly tone of Zero's words that is causing him to soil himself right now? Skilled translator I might be, but not even I can muster the kind of presence my husband can.
"I-I-I-"
Before he can answer, Milly, dressed in a sari and choli, runs in, clutching a file, out of breath from running.
"Le-Zero! You need to see this! K told me to run over right away as soon as we found it!"
A file? What could be so important that she'd stop going through the records to rush over-?
..Wait. Is that…?
"Zero. Look," I command him, my voice instantly breaking his focus on the Maharajah as he turns his mask to gaze at the open page.
"Transaction records, but for what? Hmm, transfer to anonymous accounts, denomination…Britannian pounds sterling?" he utters in disbelief as he rifles through the paperwork, eyes no doubt scanning the documentation and seeing exactly what I did. Namely, that something was electronically transferred out of India, something worth 250 million pounds sterling.
"CC, what is this word in hindi?" he asks, pointing to a section indicating what the bill was for, something that whoever had the record tried to erase or put whiteout over. Most of this page has been blanked out, but this looks to be..Marathi? Interesting. Usually Indians speak Hindi or Bengali in New Delhi, Marathi is from southern India.
"It says Waghoba. Which if I remember correctly, is a tiger or leopard deity found at the entrance of temples," ...wait. That rings a bell.
Oh no.
Instantly Zero pounces on the Maharajah, his eyes glowing as he lifts the man up by the neck, a venomous growl on his lips.
"Who?! Who did you sell it to?! Tell me!"
Milly gives a wide eyed look at me, "What the hell happened? Why is he freaking out? What's so bad about a tiger god?!"
Oh right. She wouldn't know. I grimace, sitting back in my chair as I rub my forehead.
"Waghoba is a code word for something else. Remember when Zero was crowing about purchasing something important from India awhile ago? What he got was an advanced spec Knightmare Frame called the Shen-Hu. Or, translated from the Chinese? 'Divine Tiger.' "
And since we got the Shen-Hu itself, that means the Maharajah double crossed us by selling the designs to someone else, someone likely Britannian.
"Speak or I'll rip your skull in half, you worthless fat fuck!" Zero bellows as his fingers press on the man's head, the red in his eyes glowing even brighter as the places where he's pressing start to bleed from the pressure.
"TO-TOROMO! IT WAS TOROMO!"
Toromo? What is Toromo-why did Lulu's eyepiece just pop open? His eye..what could be so terrible to make him tremble in stark terror?!
"You..your life is forfeit, mongrel. DIE!"
God damnit Lelouch! Milly and I both jump on his arms, trying to pull him back from killing the old fool, but he's too strong! Of all the times for his cybernetics to be a hindrance! Wait!
"ORANGE! PULL HIM BACK!" "YES YOUR MAJESTY!"
However strong Zero is right now, Jeremiah exceeds him by an order of magnitude. Now what the hell set him off to lose control like tha-
"YOU FUCKING WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! YOU SOLD THE SHEN HU'S DESIGNS TO FUCKING SCHNEIZEL?!" he screams out, struggling to reach out and butcher the man with his bare hands, the eye slot on his mask blazing red as the light blazes forth from his iris.
"AHHH! HELP ME! HELP ME PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING, ANYTHING! JUST DON'T LET HIM NEAR ME!" the Maharajah shrieks, trying to crawl backward in his terror at Zero's unleashed fury.
Milly runs over and opens the door, whistling down the hall, "Hey! Get in here! I need this guy out of here, on the double!"
Tamaki and another Black Knight officer run up, almost certainly not prepared for what they're about to walk into.
"Yo wassup blondie-what the fuck? Holy shit, is that the boss?!" Tamaki exclaims at the sight of Jeremiah holding Zero back in a full nelson, the red light from Zero's cybernetic eyes glowing through the mask as he stretches out his fingers towards the quivering Maharajah, who is looking towards me and whimpering, pleading for salvation, having deduced that I am his only chance of getting out of this room alive.
"ORANGE! RELEASE ME! THAT FAT RAPIST BASTARD DIES NOW!"
I snap my fingers to get Tamaki's attention, causing his head to turn towards me, "Get the Maharajah out of here. See that he gets medical attention and then lock him up somewhere under guard. We are not done with him yet."
Faithful, loyal, Tamaki, what he lacks in tact and subtlety, he makes up for in other capacities. Among them, knowing when something is serious enough for him to just walk away.
"You got it, Mrs. Zero! Move your ass, rookie! You dun wanna be here during this kind of thing!" he yells out at the other guy as they carry the still trembling former ruler out of the room. One crisis averted. Now for the hard part, getting Lelouch to stop freaking out about his broth-eh?
As I turn around, I notice Milly is pulling at his mask, trying to take it off, grunting with effort.
"Argh! How do you take this stupid thing off?!" she cries out, her arms straining as she puts her feet on Lulu as a brace, a sight I'd normally laugh at for how ridiculous it is. Sadly, this isn't the time. A quick twist of a switch on the back of the mask and..voila!
"Woah!" Milly exclaims as the mask pops off and she falls on her ass, a hand flying up to cover her mouth at the sight revealed, Lelouch's face twitching in a rictus of fear, glowing eyes darting all around the room, shimmering artificial veins pulsing rapidly with light as he hyperventilates.
Taking a deep breath, I step forward to try and snap him out of it, only for Milly to hold an arm up blocking my way, making me raise an askance eyebrow at her.
"I got this. Trust me," she says with a certain nod as she stands up, walking slowly towards Lelouch with open arms, a melancholy smile on her lips as she touches his cheeks with her hands.
"Hey. It's ok. Lulu, it's ok. I'm here. Milly's here. Just relax, alright?" she whispers gently, her hands gently touching his face as his breathing slowly levels out, the light illuminating his face in such a ghastly manner dimming like a light switch has been flicked.
"Is he…alright?" Jeremiah asks trepidatiously, his body language showing his clear reluctance to release his master for fear of his safety. To which Milly gives him a thumbs up, which then turns to her thumb pointing to a couch tucked to the side.
"Yeah, let's just lay him out there, let him breath for a bit," she says after a moment, stroking Lulu's hair, his eyes still flicking from side to side, looking for some unseen threat.
Frankly, I can't blame him for having a panic attack just now. Schneizel seizing the Shen-Hu's plans from under our noses can only mean one thing. He knows we're coming. First things first though, get Lelouch to a point where he can calm down and explain what Toromo is.
Spying a water cooler with my eyes, I walk over and fill up a cup, bringing it to Lulu's lips for him to sip as I let out a breath in relief that Milly was here to help handle this.
"Has this happened before?" I quietly inquire, stroking his cheek slowly as Milly massages his forehead resting in her lap.
"A long time ago. Back when he and Nunnally first came to grandpa and I after the invasion. Lelouch…he was in bad shape back then. Night terrors, panic attacks, lashing out in anger, paranoia, etc. I'm not gonna lie, it was a bad time. The worst part is how he'd lock down and hide it all beneath a frozen mask, if only to not show weakness or to scare Nunnally. Sometimes I'd prod him and demand he talk to me...he usually didn't react well to that," she mutters, biting her lip at the memories in her mind's eye.
"Milly..I...I'm sorry..I..," he murmurs, eyes watering as he takes a deep breath, looking away in shame. Given everything we've seen and done, his presence and bravado do a lot to hide just how much pain and trauma he's been through. I suppose this is my fault for not addressing it. I knew Schneizel was a sore point for him, given everything he's told me.
Violet eyes close in a wince as our blonde companion flicks him in the forehead, "None of your lip. You were in a lot of pain and somebody had to try and reach you. You know what really ticked me off though? When you stopped talking to me about it outright after a few years."
Aye, there's the rub. People don't like to bare their souls easily. Especially someone like him who has been betrayed by so many. We're lucky to have her.
"Remember when I said you needed to do something nice for her?" I remind him, watching his eyes widen momentarily, then close in frustration and pain.
"Your debt to her keeps rising. She loves you, no, us, enough to put herself through this danger. Whatever you do to make up for this? She's earned something special," I gently whisper to him, wrapping my arms around his torso and laying my head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat, offering comfort in my arms.
Milly flicks me in the forehead next, raising an eyebrow, "You shut up too. You're just as bad as he is from what I can tell. Someone needs to tell both you loveable morons to actually talk to the people you care about and let down some of the emotional dross you've been letting cling to your hearts. And Lulu, it's ok to cry and let out what's bothering you. But don't ever tell me I shouldn't have tried to help you back then. You needed it. And you always apologized after losing your head."
Heh. Ha ha ha. My my, how long has it been since anyone chastised me like this? Or rather, when was the last time it touched my heart enough for me to care?
While I'm musing about the past, Milly leans over and kisses me.
"Stop moping. I need you two to pull yourselves together and tell me how bad whatever just happened was. That, and it'll be good for Lelouch to," she mock gasps as she holds a hand against her considerable chest, "actually explain something!"
Ha ha ha ha ha ha! It's not just funny, it's true! And I say this even with the awareness that Lelouch has said the exact same thing to me!
Giggling to myself as I sit up, I notice the lines of worry on Lulu's face easing away as he takes a deep breath, his gloved hand holding Milly's.
"Thank you, Millicent. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Worry yourself into an early grave? Become a eunuch? Have absolutely no sense of humor whatsoever? I can keep going on this for awhile, honey," she replies with a cheshire cat grin on her lips as she sticks her tongue out.
Never change Milly, never change.
My nimble fingers reach out to grab the unlit joint from where it had fallen, as I walk back to sit on Lulu's lap, my free hand reaches into his coat to steal his lighter, prompting a raised eyebrow.
"Don't give me that look. I need this right now," I scoff, taking a deep inhale, crossing my legs as I wiggle in my chosen seat, knowing exactly how Lelouch will feel from my doing that.
With a disdainful roll of his eyes, my husband rubs the bridge of his nose, "Since you're going to keep cockteasing me until I answer, I might as well get on with it. The Toromo Agency that the Maharajah mentioned? They work for Schneizel on black projects, chiefly…Damocles."
…Merde.
Milly blows a strand of hair out of her face, her lips pursed in annoyance, "Care to explain for those of us not versed in whatever black ops code word stuff you, Reid, and Laila like to banter at each other? I'm guessing this is really bad given that CC is biting her lip and furrowing her brow."
"...Damocles is Schneizel's prized project, being constructed in Cambodia and worked on by the Toromo agency. A three kilometer tall floating fortress protected by blaze luminous and god knows what other armaments and defenses. He's been working on it for years as far as I know, and now? Now he has the Shen-Hu's designs and technology to augment it, including the frame's strongest weapon, the Baryon cannon, a weapon comparable to or greater than the Hadron cannon."
Before Milly can respond out of her gobsmacked state, Lulu sits up, causing me to land on my ass on the floor as he stands up, my golden eyes giving him a side eye glare as he paces. Bastard. Don't throw a lady around, unless she wants you to.
"Which also means my bastard older brother knows I'm back and he's taking steps against me. So you can imagine, Millicent, WHY I AM FUCKING UPSET ABOUT THIS AND WANTED TO WRING THAT FAT BASTARD'S NECK FOR SCREWING ME OVER!" he screams in fury and outrage, pulling at his hair, his eyes and veins lightning up again as animalistic sounds of rage escape his throat.
Much as I really want him to stop freaking out? I'm half tempted to do so myself. This is far, far worse than I imagined. I knew of Damocles, yes. But that the White Prince is now on the move and augmenting his secret weapon in preparation against us is a terrifying prospect.
Merde, what a mess-
"WHAT THE FUCK, LULU?!"
Quoi?! (what?!)
My eyes blink in surprise at the sight of Milly moving in a blur of motion and slapping Lulu across the face back and forth while screaming at him, "HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN ABOUT THIS?! WHEN I SAID IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU TO EXPLAIN THINGS, I DIDN'T THINK YOU HAD SOMETHING AS BIG AS YOUR FATHER'S INSANE PLAN TO KILL OFF THE HUMAN RACE LEFT TO HIDE!"
"Millicent, calm down-!" "YOU SHADDAP WHEN I'M CHEWING YOU OUT! YOU'RE STILL PART OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL, AND I'M STILL YOUR MADAME PRESIDENT! AND MADAME PRESIDENT SAYS YOU DUN GOOFED, LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA!"
With a yelp, Milly trips Lelouch over, flipping up his cloak, raising her hand up high, and then bringing it down on his cute ass.
"Ahh!"
With a look of vexation on her face, Milly starts spanking Lelouch with all the strength she can muster, all while my hand is over my mouth trying, and failing, to not laugh at the sight of the great Demon King Zero, getting spanked like a naughty schoolboy.
"WHAT PART OF 'TALK TO US', 'COMMUNICATE' AND 'DON'T BE A JACKASS HIDING STUFF', DO YOU NOT GET, MR. GENIUS WARLORD?!"
Annnd there goes my composure. My only regret is that the others, in particular Kallen, aren't here to see this-aha! Praise Mara for cell phone video! And I can finally pay him back for that time he scared me into running into a wall!
"Remember when you said 'Payback was a bitch, and so am I'? The wheel of fate has turned on you at last, my dear Asshole. Oh ho ho ho ho ho!" I laugh uproariously as my phone record this delightful imagery taking place in front of me.
We are admittedly, being rather absurd. Letting ourselves go out of control and vent like this, is better than a screaming panic, or huddling together in terror. Hopefully this is a good object lesson for Lelouch to trust those around him that he has chosen to hold his heart.
"Keep laughing, CC! You're next! I know for a fact he tells you stuff that he should be telling the rest of us, case in point right here!" Milly declares, sticking her tongue out at me,
Hard to argue the point with her. Not to mention given the Everest sized guilt complex Lelouch has, in addition to his PTSD regarding his brother, the spanking is probably something he needed to let down.
Looking at his face, it's obvious this is cathartic and unshackling things bothering him.
"Now, do you feel better?" Milly queries, gently rubbing his back, his haggard breathing leveling out to something calmer.
"Actually, yes. I do. That was…surprisingly helpful. Thank you, Milly," Lelouch mutters, his voice clearly showing disbelief that it worked out so well, and wincing as he sits up from the punishment Milly inflicted on his derriere.
Our favorite blond wraps her arms around him, "I know this is hard for you. But as much as you love Lord Byron's works? Please don't do something stupid like end up like him. We're here for you, ok?"
...Gah. I'm immortal and even I could feel how much that one hurt.
Breath leaves his lips sharply as he hugs back, his gaze steely eyed as he looks at my face, "You have my word."
It's a mercy that Milly doesn't know how much what she said struck to the depths of his heart-what the?!
A loud squawk bursts from my lips as Milly pounces on me, grinning from ear to ear as she pulls my skirt down, slapping her hand against my behind.
"I did say you were next, didn't I? While you're taking your punishment, Lelouch is gonna sit back, enjoy the view, and figure out how we're gonna deal with Schneizel, after we save the world from his dad. And you better tell everybody about Damocles as soon as we leave this room, get me?!" she yells at him, raising an eyebrow as if daring him to contradict her.
Chuckling to himself as he sits back with a wince, lighting up a joint, that smug son of a bitch has the temerity to smirk and put on a pair of headphones.
"It's midday and there's a beautiful full moon out…," he whispers, scrolling through his phone for what I assume is more of that ear splitting heavy metal he likes-ahh!
My train of thought immediately goes awry thanks to Milly's palm hitting just right. I could protest, overpower her, get her into a submission pose, say something to make her back off from doing this. However..
I don't think I want to.
Galling as it is to admit, she may have a point about what's good for the goose being good for the gander. After the day we've both just had, releasing some tension with a spanking and a good cry doesn't sound so bad.
"Ahh!" "You're just as guilty of hiding things as he is, and my god, you both are the most tense and overwrought people I've ever met. I totally should have done this sooner, you guys really need to loosen up."
Heh. Yes, Madame President.
