Ch. 7: Connections
After escaping prison, Lelouch and Kim Gu saw a man preparing to leave in his Ford Model T. Before he managed to leave, Lelouch took out his contact lens and geassed the driver to drive them wherever they wanted. Both of them got into the back seat of the expensive car while the driver was instructed by Kim Gu to drive them to a safe house built by the underground resistance. According to Kim Gu, the safe house was located in the Korean quarters of the city.
As the car drove towards their destination, everyone in the car was silent.
"Uh, thanks for getting me out." said Kim Gu. "But I must know. How did you know so much about An? How did you convince the guard, Captain, and this driver to obey your command without question? Heck, I don't even know where you're from."
"Ok. I'll tell you. It may sound utterly ridiculous and insane, but I'm telling you the truth." said Lelouch. Lelouch then gave a huge sigh. "My real name is Lelouch vi Britannia, former Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire. If you haven't heard of this country, then I'm not surprised. You see, I come from an alternate world. The year of my world is 2018, so I'm also technically from the future".
Lelouch then continued to explain the historical differences and similarities between his world and Kim Gu's world. He also discussed some of the technological advances that have been made in his world. Another topic covered by Lelouch was his current rebellion against Britannia, Zero, the Black Knights, his geass, the "dream" he had where he was An, and the incident that led to him being transported to this world.
"Hmmm, an alternate world where an imperialistic, ruthless empire, was born in North America instead of the USA along with Japan being crushed under the boot of imperialism. Interesting." replied Kim Gu. Kim proceeded to laugh a little bit about the irony.
"It's ok if you don't believe me. I wouldn't if someone came up to me and said similar things." said Lelouch.
"No, no, no, I do believe you." said Kim Gu in response. "You see, you remind me of people like myself and An. Your determination to create a peaceful world for your crippled sister, along with your cause of fighting for justice, shows me that possess the qualities of fighter, specifically one that is willing to risk one's life for a greater cause. That is something I rarely see in people. And if your story wasn't true, then I wouldn't have sensed such determination."
"Why thank you very much sir." said Lelouch.
When the car suddenly stopped, Lelouch and Kim Gu got out while the driver drove away, continuing with his life as if nothing had happened.
Immediately Lelouch noticed the difference between the living standards of the Japanese and the Koreans. The Korean quarters was filled with hanoks, or traditional Korean houses, unlike the center of the city which was filled with lucrative businesses and tall buildings.
"The Korean hanok. I remember reading about them. The houses are supposedly made of natural materials such as soil, timber, and rocks. The houses are built with a floor-based heating system to combat the winter cold and a wide front porch to deal with the summer heat. Wooden beams on the inside keep the curved rooftops up." thought Lelouch. The roofs of the various houses were either made from straw thatch or tiles.
Looking down the street, Lelouch saw many traditionally dressed Koreans carrying out their daily business in the streets. Dozens of carts were being pulled down the dirt streets while children were flocking in front of their houses. A few electrical poles could be seen lining the streets, indicating that there was most likely little access to electricity in this part of the city.
Kim Gu led Lelouch to one of the houses and knocked on the door five times. When the door opened, a short, elderly Korean woman appeared in front of them.
"May I help you?" asked the elderly woman.
"Is Emperor Yoshihito here?" replied Kim Gu.
"Ahhh. Quickly come in." said the elderly woman.
Lelouch and Kim Gu entered the house and saw a small metal pot of boiling water hanging over a small fire. The room also had a small table to kneel at along with a pile of wood. The room adjacent to the one they had initially entered, Lelouch saw what appeared to be a bed made from straw, a wooden cabinet, a chest, a dusty rug, and a small window facing the street.
"This must be the old woman's bedroom." thought Lelouch. Suddenly the old lady appeared behind Lelouch, walked into her room, and pulled the rug off the floor. Beneath the rug was what appeared to be a hidden trap door. Kim Gu then came in and opened it, revealing a ladder leading to another room located beneath the house.
"Interesting..." thought Lelouch as he and Kim Gu climbed down into the secret room. Once they reached the bottom, the old woman closed the trap door, making the room practically pitch dark. The only light that could be seen down there was the light that passed through the small holes of the wooden floor.
"I can't see a thing down here..." said Lelouch.
"Don't worry I got it." replied Kim Gu.
Suddenly Lelouch saw a few small lightbulbs located around the room start to light up. The light illuminated the darkened room and Lelouch was amazed by what he saw.
"This room is filled with books, lots of them." thought Lelouch. The room also had some small straw beds similar to the ones seen before.
"As you can see this is our safe house. We managed to build this room to contain all the books that have been banned or almost destroyed by the Japanese. We also managed to have this room connected with the main electrical line." explained Kim Gu.
"Amazing. Collecting all these books is one thing, but hiding them like this is pretty clever." said Lelouch. "So that elderly woman upstairs..."
"Is an ally of the resistance group I am a member of." said Kim Gu. "We made the password to many of our safe houses the name of the current Japanese Emperor, since anybody loyal to him would never refer to him by his given name."
"Ingenious. Simple, yet effective." replied Lelouch. "So, what plans does your resistance group have now?"
"Well, unless nothing has seriously changed since I was arrested 1-2 days ago, we do what we were doing before, which is continuing teaching our ideas to the various colleges along with protecting books important to our cultural heritage." said Kim Gu.
"A resistance through intellectualism? Interesting. Yet I cannot approve of such an act. Merely resisting the teachings and doctrines of the Japanese will not stop them from continuing their oppression. We must take action upon the Japanese ourselves. Only then will they take your movement seriously." said Lelouch.
"I know, but Korea doesn't have the resources to combat the Imperial Japanese Empire directly. You've heard about the small incidents the armed resistance has created?" asked Kim Gu.
"Yeah. I heard they sabotaged a part of the Northern railway lines." said Lelouch.
"They've also had a few skirmishes near the Chinese border. Either way, such actions are viewed as terrorism by the Japanese, resulting in us being depicted as bloodthirsty criminals overseas. Also, the damages made by the armed resistance can be easily repaired by the Japanese. As a result, me and my political allies feel that hiding underground and secretly sending out our message for resistance is the best course of action." replied Kim Gu.
"Look, I told you how in my world how I turned a bunch of Japanese resistance fighters into a full fledge army, one capable of challenging Britannia. I believe I can help you by giving the resistance a hand." said Lelouch.
"I don't doubt your abilities Lelouch, but it's just that I can't simply let you into the resistance unless I have approval from the rest of the members, and they will want to see proof of your leadership and abilities." said Kim Gu.
"Well, let me at least meet them. If you can give me an opportunity to speak to them in person, then maybe I can gain their trust." said Lelouch.
"I guess it is worth a shot." replied Kim Gu. "But I have just one important question for you to answer, why care so much about the resistance of a group of people you have never met or heard about before? What is the motive in your heart?"
Lelouch just stood there thinking deeply to himself for a minute or so in silence.
"I want to help you...because as Zero, the defender of justice, I cannot simply stand back and watch the powerful and corrupt step upon the weak for thier own selfish pleasure. I promised to protect my crippled sister with my whole life. To turn my back on the principles I follow for her sake would be something I could never live with, no matter what kind of world I am in." answered Lelouch.
"Very well. Before I was arrested, I remember the next meeting was going to be held six days from now in a small shop located in the business district." said Kim Gu.
"Thank you very much sir." Lelouch said.
July 4th, 1918, Korean Resistance Safe House, Keijō, Chōsen
For the past six days, Lelouch passed the time by either reading some the many books stored in the hidden room or by assisting the short, elderly Korean woman with her daily errands. After picking up some vegetables at the local market, Lelouch headed back to the safe house, gave the vegetables to the elderly woman, and went down into the secret room to read the daily newspaper.
The paper was mostly filled with articles relating to the war in Europe, the chaos in Russia, the recent death of the Ottoman Sultan, or the rising rice prices in the Japanese markets.
Lelouch put down the paper and saw Kim Gu sitting down at the table writing.
"What's are you writing?" asked Lelouch.
"Korean poetry. The resistance uses poetry to spread Korean nationalism among the people. If the Korean people remain strong and maintain their national pride, then the Japanese won't be able to break our spirits." replied Kim Gu. Lelouch then noticed that the poem was written by "Baekbeom".
"Baekbeom?" asked Lelouch.
"It's a pen name I use to evade the Japanese authorities. It means "ordinary person". I chose it because I want to show that even the most ordinary people can make impacts on a grand scale." replied Kim Gu. "Also Lelouch, you said you adopted the persona of Zero when leading your rebellion right?"
"Yes." answered Lelouch.
"I guess we're more similar than either of us thought." replied Kim Gu. Lelouch looked at him with confusion. "I say that because we are both involved in rebellious movements, and as a result we choose to assume different identities. It's like we're putting on a "mask" of some sort, since we use our alter egos to cover our true selves."
"Hmmm. Never thought of it that way." said Lelouch. Kim Gu then resumed writing while Lelouch sat down and read one of the various books stored in the room.
7:54 PM, July 4th, 1918, Business District, Keijō, Chōsen
With the sun starting to set in the sky, Lelouch and Kim Gu arrived in the more modernized part of the city via a rickshaw. After paying the driver, Kim Gu led Lelouch down the street and through a small crowd of people. Kim Gu then immediately stopped at their destination, the spot where the next Korean resistance meeting was going to take place.
However, the building they stopped in front of was what appeared to be a simple drug store. From the outside, it looked like the store was closed. Kim Gu went up to the door and knocked on it. A young Korean man stepped out and talked to Kim Gu for half a minute. Once they were done talking, both Lelouch and Kim Gu entered the store.
The inside of store was like any other drug store. It was filled with various bottles on shelves containing colored liquids and many jars containing what appeared to be herbs. Behind the wooden counter was what appeared to be a hallway. The owner of the store led the both of them down the dimly lit hallway. He then stopped at one of the doors before resuming with closing up his store.
"Lelouch I'm afraid I'm going to ask you to stand out here for a minute or so. I need to alert the council of your proposal before I let you in." said Kim Gu.
"Before you go, this council, how does it function?" asked Lelouch.
"To put it simply, this council consists of various separate resistance groups that operate all over the peninsula. Like I told you before, most of the council members are intellectuals who received a decent amount of education, though we do have some communication with the various militant groups. However, we tend to distance themselves from them for we believe in a non-violent approach." explained Kim Gu.
"Ok!" responded Lelouch. Kim Gu then entered the room while Lelouch anxiously waited outside for a response. He bit his lip for he curious to see the council's reaction to letting someone unknown like him into their organization.
"What should I say? I do explain myself? Will they actually have faith in me? Will they laugh at me?" thought Lelouch as he started to nervously sweat. Suddeny the door opened, and Kim Gu stepped outside.
"They're are ready to see you." said Kim Gu.
"Thank you very much." responded Lelouch. Lelouch stepped into the room and saw a large, circular wooden table, full of men sitting around them. One chair though was empty. Some of the men sitting at the table wore Western-style suits while others wore traditional Korean clothing.
"Please sit sir." said one of the men. Lelouch immediately pulled out the empty chair and sat at the table.
"First I would like to say thank you for your assistance in getting Kim Gu out of prison. We thought we had lost a valuable ally." said the man sitting across from Lelouch. He was very old, wore a traditional hanbok, and he had a short, gray beard.
"Yes sir that is correct." replied Lelouch. By the way, my name is Lelouch Lamperouge."
"Oh yes...my name is Park Eunsik." said the elderly bearded man. "The man in the black buttoned suit wearing glasses is Hong Jin. Sitting to Hong's left is Yi Sang-ryong. Across from Yi's seat is Yi Dongnyeong. We also have journalist Yang Gi-tak here and Son Byong-Hi, head of the Cheondoism religious movement, here as well."
Yi Sang-ryong, like Park Eunsik, was extremely old and had a very pronounced white beard. He, along with middle aged Son Byong-hi and Yi Dongnyeong, wore traditional clothes, unlike the slightly younger Yang Gi-tak, who wore a Western-style suit.
"Nice to meet you all." replied Lelouch.
"Now, Mr. Lamperouge, Mr. Kim has told me that you have a unique power, which is how you got him out of prison. Exactly what are the details behind this "power" of yours?" asked Park Eunsik.
"It's an ability called geass. It allows me to give a command to anyone I have direct contact with. However, I can only command someone to do something only once. Also, because I have used it so many times, my geass in my left eye is permanently on, forcing me to wear a special, tiny lens over my eye to prevent me from giving commands when I don't want to. My geass also seems to show no time duration unless I command it to wear off. The person I command will do what they are told to the best of their ability, meaning they can't do anything beyond what they can normally do." explained Lelouch.
"Interesting. Such a power would give us a huge advantage over the occupying forces." said Yang Gi-tak.
"However Mr. Lamperouge, our organization is secretive and extremely vulnerable to the Imperial authorities. The fact that someone whom we have little knowledge about is talking with this council is surprising as it is. Even if you have a special power, it would still be risky for us to accept you into our ranks." replied Yi Dongnyeong.
"Also, Mr. Kim has told us you want to fight directly against the Japanese. I'm sorry, but we cannot officially do that based on two facts. One, we have all agreed to approach this in a nonviolent manner. It is the most the efficient option we have. Second, the Imperial Japanese forces are just too strong. The closest we ever got was about 10 years ago, when the militant resistance groups, the Righteous Armies, marched to the city of Seoul, but were stopped by a giant Japanese counter-attack. Many men were lost and most of the remnants of these Armies were forced to move Northward." added Son Byong-hi.
Lelouch then sat quietly in his chair as he thought of a solution to this dilemma. It was then Lelouch had an idea.
"I hear you have some communications with the armed resistance?" asked Lelouch.
"Technically we do have underground channels. Sometimes we share intelligence and some resources, but otherwise we have very little contact with them." answered Yang Sang-ryong.
"That's good enough. Because what I want to do is to get your trust and to show you what I am capable of doing. But to do what I plan, I will need the best armed fighters you know of." replied Lelouch.
"And exactly what do you plan to do?" asked Hong Jin.
"This is how." said Lelouch. He then grabbed from his pocket a folded up newspaper page and unfolded it on the table where everyone could see it. "By attacking the Japanese forces here." All the men around the table were instantly shocked by what they saw.
"Are you legitimately mad?!" said Park Eunsik. "You want to attack the Kawachi, the lead ship of the Kawachi-class battleship?!"
"Besides the large guns and its turbine engines, that ship must be guarded by a crew of more than a few hundred men. How do you expect to effectively attack this ship? Getting close to it would be practically a miracle." asked Yang Sang-ryong.
"Easy. According to this paper, the Kawachi is coming to Tokuyama Bay, Yamaguchi, Japan. It's stated it's going to be given repairs and a check up after patrolling the sea routes around China. If we manage to successfully attack this ship, it will be a huge blow towards the Japanese and their pride." explained Lelouch.
"But this is just plain murder. We can't have blood shed on our hands. The Japanese will merely use that to discredit us." responded Song Byong-hi.
"You guys are fighting against a tyrannical empire. We need to bring the battle to them in order for them to get our message. Casualties are inevitable. I also believe attacking innocent civilians makes you just as bad as the oppressors too. However, I understand if you don't supports my plan because of your own doctrines. That is why I am requesting permission to create an independent armed force under your surveillance." said Lelouch.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Park Eunsik.
"If an armed organization is operated by me instead of your council, any blood shed will not be on your hands. Despite being separate from your organization, we will assure you that we will not be hostile towards you. Everything will be covered by me. All I am asking you is to contact the best fighters from around the peninsula that you know of." said Lelouch.
"Hmmmm. Mr Lelouch, could you give us some time alone?" asked Park Eunsik.
"Uhhh sure." responded Lelouch. He then got up from his chair and left the room.
8:32 PM
Outside the room, Lelouch waited for the council to finish their deliberation. Wanting to hear what they were talking about, Lelouch carefully put his ear on the door and listened.
"We cannot approve of such a plan. We would be basically committing murder!" said what appeared to be Son Byong-hi.
"But Mr. Lamperouge assures us that he will be accountable of any of his actions. We are simply the messengers to the remnants of the Righteous Armies." said Hong Jin.
"Strategically this could also distract the Japanese from our activities. Should another faction appear and threaten Japan has severely as we do, then the authorities will have no choice but to stretch out their resources." added Yang Sang-ryong.
"But this is an extremely large gamble. We must put much consideration into our decision." said Yi Dongnyeong. "Mr. Kim, you know him better than we do. What are your opinions?"
"I truthfully believe he is honest about his loyalty and devotion, and therefore be trusted. I think he truly understands the position we are in. That is my honest opinion." explained Kim Gu.
Suddenly the conversation between the council members became muffled, meaning Lelouch couldn't hear what they were exactly saying. Lelouch then went back to sitting on a nearby chair, waiting anxiously on the council's decision.
Slowly the door creaked open and Kim Gu stepped out.
"They would like to see you." said Kim Gu. Lelouch nervously got up and walked back into the room, where he was staring at the council once more.
"Mr. Lamperouge...me and my colleagues have thoroughly reviewed your plan and we agreed to approve it." said Park Eunsik. Lelouch suddenly let out a sigh of relief. "We will contact all remnants of the Righteous Armies along with the best fighters we know of. However, we will only recognize your organization if you can complete your mission, which is to successfully attack the Kawachi. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to withdraw our influence on your organization. Is that clear?" said Park Eunsik.
"Of course sir. But you shall not be disappointed for I will succeed." responded Lelouch. Lelouch then proceeded to exit the room with Kim Gu until Park Eunsik called for them.
"Oh by the way Mr. Lamperouge, I would recommend a pen name in order to cover your tracks. Is their any name you want us to refer to?" asked Park Eunsik.
Lelouch immediately stopped and slightly turned his face towards Park Eunsik.
"There is one name you can call me by. But I want you to tell no one that this is my pen name, that includes people within the resistance. The only people who shall know will be the ones present at this meeting. Do you understand?" asked Lelouch.
"Uhmmm, sure ok." replied Park Eunsik. "So what should we call you?"
"Zero, the man who makes miracles." answered Lelouch.