Ch. 38: Revelations
Zero suddenly found himself surrounded by pitch black darkness. He tried moving, but he couldn't feel his arms or legs. It felt as if he had no limbs. He even tried speaking, but he couldn't feel his mouth at all. The only thing he did consciously control were his thoughts.
"Where the hell am I? Why can't I move or speak? What has happened to me?" thought a now panicked Zero as he tried to comprehend the situation he was facing. Suddenly, several voices could be heard. Zero then listened carefully in order to make out what the voices were saying.
"As Viceroy of Area 11, I hereby pass the following projects and tax proposals. Number 1: The tax on Sakuradite will be raised from 6.5% to 9.0%. Number 2: Newer aerial defense systems will be installed around the Settlement. Number 3: ..." said a voice Zero instantly recognized without hesitation.
"Nunnally! Is that really you?! Can you hear me?! Where are you?! It's me, your big brother Lelouch!" thought Zero, even though he knew nobody would hear him.
"And that concludes the changes Viceroy Nunnally has made regarding Area 11's administration. On other news, the Black Knights, along with the self-proclaimed United States of Japan, have no comment so far regarding Britannia's..." said an unknown women's voice.
"Wait, that was the news. Which means I must be listening to a nearby tv. Does that mean I'm back in my world? If so then how? Then again, how did I get here?" Zero thought.
"Lelouch, if you can hear me, please return. You still have to fulfill your end of the contract I made with you." said another familiar voice.
"C.C.! You have to help me! You know more about geass than anyone I know. I never thought I would say this, but please help!" yelled Zero in his thoughts.
"Ah. Haven't talk to you for some time." said C.C.
"Hold on, you can hear my thoughts?" thought Zero as he tried to understand what was happening. "Then again, geass does revolve around the mind and the human consciousness, which would mean such communication would make sense. Anyway I can't figure out on how to get out of the situation I'm in. When we last talked, you said the Code affected me and this world needed me for the time being. What exactly does that mean?"
"Well, to put it simply, I think part of my Code latched onto to you when the particle accelerator went out of control, therefore "anchoring" you to the world you are currently in. I can only guess the presence of a foreign entity such as yourself has caused some change in the overall universe." explained C.C.
"That still doesn't help me find a solution to the situation I'm currently facing. Do you have any answers or not Witch? You said something about achieving something that must be done?" thought Zero.
"My how impatient." replied C.C. "Anyway, imagine the piece of my Code is a rope that connects you to our world. Normally, you or someone on the other end could use that rope to return. A foreign consciousness, such as yourself, has caused the universe to slowly reorient itself in order to prevent imbalance. The universal forces could be through some kind of feedback mechanism be preventing you to leave since you're sudden departure would rapidly upset the balance before the universe could adjust itself. So, you need to find a consciousness to fulfill your role if you wanted to return."
"So basically my consciousness is the only thing plugging a hole in the universe and I can't return back because my removal would cause chaos, meaning a replacement would be needed?" thought Zero. "Sounds totally farfetched and ridiculous."
"Look Lelouch, you wanted to my help and I'm giving you every solution and theory I can think of. You can either take it or leave it, but I can assure you finding a solution on your own could possibly..." said C.C. Her voice suddenly started to fade away.
"C.C.! Wait! Stop talking gibberish and tell me what exactly I have to do! C.C.! C.C.!" thought Zero as C.C.'s voice started to disappear.
"Zero! Zero!" yelled a voice.
Zero immediately opened his eyes and found himself sitting in an ornate chair located within a luxurious lounge room consisting of couches, tables, and carefully carved wooden cabinets. There was a window on his left and he could see empty patches of rural land pass by him. He then turned his head to the right and saw Kae standing right next to him.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
"Huh, oh yeah sure. Just had a bad dream. Nothing to worry about." said Zero as he slowly became more awake.
"Oh, ok. It just that you were fidgeting a bit in your sleep." Kae replied. "Anyway I would like to tell you we're halfway to Peking."
"That's good." Zero replied. He then dismissed Kae before taking out his journal. He took out his pen and immediately started to write what he dreamt about.
On the other side of the room, Seo was sitting on a couch reading a newspaper while Jeong and Roh were drinking some expensive bottles of French wine.
"Man...I...think...uh...I might had too much." said a semi-drunk Roh as he gripped onto the neck of the glass bottle.
"You think? You better hope you sober up before we reach Peking." replied Jeong before he took a sip from his wine glass.
"Come on. It's not everyday someone provides us with a private train with fancy wine." replied Roh.
"I know. Which is why I want to repay the Provisional Government by not messing up." said Jeong.
"I wouldn't worry about it Jeong. He'll be fine by the time we get to Peking." said Seo as he turned a page of the newspaper he was reading.
"May I remind you the delegates of the Provisional Government are in the lounge car behind us discussing the our relationship with them as we speak." said Jeong. "I don't want Roh and his reckless drinking to affect our appearance."
"Hey...I can hear...you!." yelled Roh.
"I think if Roh and his behavior was affecting the appearance of the Black Army, I highly doubt Zero would simply let it pass." replied Seo.
"Hmm, good point." replied Jeong.
"Hey guys, we're going to be in Peking soon." said Kae as she approached the three. "Just be ready for the long trip, because traveling through Mongolia won't be as luxurious."
"Remind me why we have take some old trail that runs through Mongolia." asked Roh.
"Because the railroad leading from Peking to Russia is controlled by the Japanese." answered Kae. "Now. when we arrive, we'll meet up with a convoy of trucks Zero and the Provisional Government managed to arrange for us. Once the trucks are loaded with the food and water in the box car, we'll depart for the Mongolian city of Urga and resupply there."
"I'm still surprised the Chinese government doesn't have a problem with this trip of ours." Jeong added.
"Well that's Zero. He probably bribed or negotiated with the Chinese." said Seo.
"Wouldn't surprise me. Anyway remember that as members of the Zero Division, your prime duty on this trip is to protect Zero at all cost." said Kae.
"Understood." said Seo, Jeong, and Roh simultaneously. Kae then nodded to the three men and proceeded to walk away.
Seo immediately resumed reading his paper while Jeong continued sipping wine from his glass. The semi-intoxicated Roh fell onto the couch and immediately fell asleep due to the large amount of wine he had consumed.
Consulate-General of the Republic of China, Keijō, Chōsen
The Chinese Consulate was located in a building resembling a Western-styled villa that was surrounded by a high, iron fence. The only entrance into the perimeter was a giant, metal gate that was constantly guarded by two uniformed guards. The flag of the Republic of China, which consisted of a red band on the top, followed by a yellow, blue, white, and black band, hung on the flagpole on top of the roof and waved proudly in the air.
Inside the Consulate's heavily guarded, ornate drawing room, Viceroy/Viscount Saitō Makoto, a slightly heavy looking man wearing a suit in his early 60's with white hair and a mustache, was sitting at a table across from the Chinese Consul Zhao Wei, a middle aged man with a mustache wearing a morning suit. Tōdō, wearing his usual military uniform, sat stoically besides Saitō.
"I will like to tell you that thanks to the support given to my government, the Anhui Clique has managed to secure control over Peking." said Zhao as he sipped some tea from the porcelain tea cup in front of him.
"Yes of course. However, there is one thing I, or should I say Marshal Tōdō, has requested from you in return." replied Saitō.
"And what would that be?" asked Zhao.
"Apprehension of this new Provisional Government in Shanghai." said Tōdō. "We have intelligence that shows the Provisional Government supporting guerillas and partisans near the border. Also, since the Provisional Government is in Shanghai, it's likely the Black Army is there as well."
"I'm afraid that might be more difficult than you think it is." replied Zhao. "The Provisional Government is located in the French Concession of the city, meaning that they are technically outside our immediate jurisdiction.
"You have to be kidding me." Tōdō replied. "If that's the case, then apprehend them when they're outside of Shanghai."
"Calm down Marshall." said Saitō. "You must understand the severity my colonial administration is facing and therefore request Peking to increase its surveillance."
"My superiors are doing everything they can. With much of our armed forces occupying Mongolia or dealing with rival warlords in the South, namely the Kuomintang, we also have to deal with the British/American-backed Zhili Clique along with the Fengtian Clique in Manchuria." explained Zhao.
Suddenly a man in tuxedo walked into the room and whispered something into Tōdō's ear.
"Excuse me, but something of great importance has come up. I thank you Consul for the tea." said Tōdō as he rose out of his chair. He then walked out of the room and proceeded to exit the Consulate-General.
Parked beside the road outside of the gate entrance was a luxurious-looking automobile. Once Tōdō passed through the gate and left Chinese soil, the chauffeur standing outside opened the back passenger door. Once the Marshal was seated in the back seat, the chauffeur shut the back door before proceeding to open the front door and sit in the driver's seat.
"Surprised to see you away from the home islands your Imperial Highness." said Tōdō.
"No need for formalities here. I'm just here to deal with the diplomatic and political issues our Empire is currently facing." replied Prince Sadanaru, who was wearing a typical suit and tie. Sadanaru then ordered his chauffeur to drive. "So, do we have the full cooperation of the Chinese yet?".
"Sadly no. The Consul said his government has their hands tied with dealing with the other Warlords competing for their dominant position. He also said the Provisional Government couldn't be touched due to it's location in the French Concession of Shanghai." explained Tōdō.
"And recent reports from the inner circles in Tokyo have indicated that both the Anhui and Fengtian Cliques are still not favoring the idea of letting our forces enter and apprehending these subversive groups. My associates have also been hearing that commanders within the various Warlord cliques are being bribed or coerced into assisting the rebellious Chons." Sadanaru replied.
"It seems like these Warlords are playing both sides." Tōdō replied.
"Not surprising though. Most of these Warlords have one thing in common, they fight more for the money in their pockets and personal prestige than they do for their actual national cause." said Sadanaru. "I mean, Duan Qirui gave up control of the German concessions in Shandong along with railroad and extraterritorially rights to Japan in exchange for a loan of ¥145,000,000, which he used to fund the invasion and subsequent occupation of Mongolia so he could redeem himself from his previous failures."
"And that just made things worst for him since the people found out about these deals, which resulted in the May Fourth Movement in Peking last year." added Tōdō. "There's no doubt Duan and his allies are loosing political credibility."
"Which is why the Foreign Minister has suggested that we distance ourselves from the Anhui Clique and instead focus our support on the Fengtian Clique." said Sadanaru. "The Anhui Clique's occupation of Mongolia has threatened the Fengtian Clique in nearby Manchuria. Reports are even showing increased communications between the Fengtian and the Zhili. We suspect some kind of joint military action is being planned."
"And what will be the plan if we increase our support of Zhang Zuolin and the Fengtian Clique?" asked Tōdō.
"My allies in the military and the government are hoping that increased support will persuade Zhang to assist us in preserving and expanding our economic interests and extraterritoriality rights in Manchuria. Ideally, they are also hoping this will lead to joint control over the region." explained Sadanaru.
"I say I am surprised these mediocre politicians could devise a plan as grand and complex as this. As far as I can see, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet are basically a bunch of indecisive clowns juggling liberals, conservatives, and socialists." Tōdō replied. It was then Tōdō realized something. "Unless this was the product of His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince."
"I will admit that his Imperial Highness offer his opinion and advice on the situation. And we did relay some of it to the Prime Minister and indirectly His Majesty the Emperor, which they approved. He's quite smart for someone his age." said Sadanaru.
"Is this why you only wanted to talk to me and not the Viceroy? I'm quite aware about your close association with the Crown Prince and I admire his intelligence. However, I'm also aware of his ambitions, determination, and behind the scenes activities." said Tōdō.
"The Viceroy doesn't need to know about activities that don't affect him directly. Also, if you're implying that the Crown Prince is committing acts of conspiracy, then I shall remind you..." said Sadanaru.
"I'm not implying anything." replied Tōdō. "Just wanted you to know that I personally protect and serve His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, meaning I will subdue all threats aimed at him."
"I assure you, he is not threatening the Emperor and all actions he is taking are non-malicious." Sadanaru replied.
The car then came to a slow stop in front of the Kempeitai Colonial HQ.
"Though I have much faith in the Crown Prince, I still have some suspicions about him. Take that as a warning from me." said Tōdō as he proceeded to exit the car. Once he exited the car, Sadanaru closed the passenger door and proceeded to tell his chauffeur to drive elsewhere.
Tōdō looked back and with a suspicious look on his face stared at the car driving away from him, wondering what exactly was being planned behind his back.
Author's Note: First Zero/Lelouch communicates to C.C. once more and finds out that in order to return to his own world, he must find a "replacement" for his own consciousness that is occupying our world. However, what exactly is this "replacement"? Also, the explanation on why Zero/Lelouch can't leave may sound convoluted, but it was best thing I could think of that remotely made sense.
The inclusion of Roh getting drunk and hanging out with Seo and Jeong was included in order to depict the Black Army members off duty and simply hanging out. By the way, like many characters in this story, Roh is a counterpart of a particular member of the Black Knights, specifically one that is vocal and hotheaded if you haven't already figured out.
We also see how the Japanese are dealing with the events in China. We see Japan manipulating the various Warlords with money and aide in exchange for territory, extraterritorial rights, and access to resources. This is also an allusion to a particular group of Chinese leaders from the actual series.
And Schneizel's counterpart (who's has been described but not named) is once again on the move and making moves behind the curtain. It seems he has through indirect sources convinced the government to use coercive and indirect methods to expand Japanese influence into China.
If that's the case, then Zero will, like with Xingke and the Empress, have to step into the arena and counter the Japanese and their Warlord allies. The only question is who will he work with?