As always, Read, Review and check out my other stories.
Disclaimer: Code Geass isn't mine.
"Kallen"- Speech
'Lelouch'- Thought/mental communication
"{Die}"- Geass Command
"Halt!"- Loudspeaker
"Roger."- Radio/Walkie-Talkie
Chapter 23: First Clash: Black King vs. White Knight
Command and Security Room, Secret Research Facility, Narita Mountains
"What the hell is going on?!" Joseph Fenette shouted as the base was rocked by yet more large tremors, "Is it an earthquake?!"
"No sir! It's the Black Knights!" a soldier manning a console replied, "They've somehow induced an avalanche on the far side of the mountains! It's so powerful that we're being affected by it over here!"
"Dammit!" the orange-haired man cursed, "I want a damage report from all sections, stat! Secure the specimens in case we need to evacuate! Grossman, start to copy and transfer all research data for the same reason!"
"What's with this fuss?" a teenaged voice asked from behind him, making Joseph jump in fright.
"What the…oh, it's only you Desmond." the scientist sighed, "We may have to evacuate."
The brown-haired youth frowned at that. "Lord V.V. instructed Rollo to stay here, so I cannot deviate from that."
Joseph sighed. He had been expecting someone from the person who controlled the Office of Secret Intelligence and had been told that the operative's name was Rollo. The person who had arrived instead was this boy called Desmond, who had cheerfully explained that he had knocked Rollo out back in the Chinese Federation and stolen everything, including his clothes.
Fortunately, he had also taken Rollo's mission briefing and Desmond was from the same secret unit that Rollo had come from, so the job would be done regardless.
"Sadly, that might not be possible." Joseph said to the boy, gesturing at the schematic of the base up on the main screen, which was full of amber, yellow and red symbology as damage reports filed in and were updating the map, "The avalanche that the Black Knights caused has rendered the base far too unsafe to remain in. Lord V.V. will understand that even Rollo would have to move in these circumstances."
Desmond grunted faux-indifferently. The boy had a chip on his shoulder about Rollo for some reason and wanted to be seen to be as good as or better than the other boy is.
Deciding that it was time to get the boy out of the command centre, Joseph struck upon an idea. "Say Desmond…could you go and supervise the test subjects? You know how rowdy they can be and your…ability…will be very helpful in dealing with them."
"Of course!" Desmond beamed and strode off.
The newly-promoted head scientist of the Code R facility sighed in relief. He knew about the power known as Geass, but that boy was one of the most bizarre wielders of it he had ever come across. Similar to Rollo, Desmond had an Area of Effect Geass.
Rollo's Ward of Absolute Suspension was powerful and useful, allowing him to freeze time for everyone but himself. Using that power, he had assassinated many powerful and nigh untouchable targets in both Britannia and the Euro Universe.
Desmond possessed the Ward of Absolute Slumber, allowing him to manipulate the consciousness of those around him. He could wake up someone in a coma, or send a wide-awake man hopped up on caffeine (or any other form of stimulant) into a deep sleep for the better part of two days. While not as subtle as Rollo's Geass, Desmond used it to great effect. Numerous warlords in countries about to be conquered by Britannia had had their entire private compounds slaughtered while in an unbreakable sleep.
'Why did I have to get involved with monsters like this?' Joseph bemoaned before chivvying the rest of his command to hurry up and evacuate.
With Cornelia
Cornelia li Britannia stared in disbelief as over sixty percent of her Knightmare forces were smashed down by a wave of displaced mud, earth, rocks and water. She watched in disbelief as General Alex's gold-ringed symbol turned into a [LOST] symbol.
"Princess!" Dalton yelled over the circuit, "Are you alright?!"
"I am far from alright, Dalton." Cornelia snarled back, "Who is responsible for this?!"
"The update from Princess Euphemia just came in." Dalton replied, "The Black Knights have been spotted charging down from the summit! They seem to be headed straight for your position, Princess!"
A feral smile appeared on Cornelia's face. "That is exactly what I want! Guilford! Prepare to welcome our guests!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" her Knight replied immediately.
With Lelouch
The exiled prince grinned as he piloted his Jinrai Pre-Production Model down the mountainside. It was far better than his old Sutherland had been, seeming to respond to the slightest twitch of the control joysticks. The little extra weapons and gadgets that the pre-production type had equipped were also very nice.
'Time to organise everything.' Lelouch thought. He toggled his radio.
"This is K-1 to all units. Q-1 has struck the first blow. Follow the plans I gave you all and we will be victorious!" he said, "Q-1, myself and N-Group shall deal with the Viceroy and her Royal Guard. All members of B-Group and P-Group are to work together to eliminate any Britannian Knightmares in their assigned areas. If the Lancelot is spotted, retreat."
"Yessir!"
"Q-1, rendezvous with me and N-Group at point F-7, stat." he continued.
"On it." Kallen's voice came over the radio, exultant and full of life after defeating her first enemy in the Guren Nishiki.
Lelouch piloted his Knightmare down the mountain, mowing down the occasional tank, VTOL and Sutherland with his Knightmare Assault Rifle. Thanks to using the Guren's Radiant Wave-Surger to cause a large avalanche, more than a few Sutherlands had been removed from play, leaving the remaining ones scattered and easy prey.
The JLF Knightmares, the ones that hadn't been caught up in the deluge of dirt and rocks anyway, were also capitalising on the disarray of their enemy, tearing through the purple Sutherlands with reckless abandon. They were slightly clumsy as they moved, showing they were inexperienced at piloting Knightmares, prompting Lelouch to make a mental note to drill all JLF recruits in Knightmare combat.
The arranged meeting with Kallen and the Guren went according to plan, with Kallen crushing two more Sutherlands with almost contemptuous ease as Lelouch and N-Group screeched to a halt nearby.
"Enjoying yourself, Q-1?" Lelouch asked in amusement.
"The Guren is a masterpiece." the redheaded half-blood said in reverence.
"It's love." Suginami joked over the radio, making Kallen splutter at him.
"OK, enough teasing poor Q-1." Lelouch admonished them, "Game faces on, people. Q-1, your job is to deal with Cornelia. I'll handle her Knight. N-Group, that leaves it up to all of you to take care of the Royal Guard. Keep your distance, keep calm and stay alive."
"Roger that." Suginami replied for N-Group.
Lelouch changed the frequency. "Augur, report."
"It's still here." C.C. replied in a drawl, "Thus far, all that has happened is that they panicked at the avalanche. Scaredy cats."
"An avalanche isn't exactly something I'd like to be in myself, Augur." the raven-haired boy remarked dryly, "Anyway, I'll be clashing with Cornelia in a few minutes. Let me know if that damn white Knightmare makes an appearance."
Lelouch knew Suzaku very well. If he was ordered by Euphemia to charge up here and save her sister, he would do it without hesitation. The last thing he needed was to have to deal with Suzaku and the Lancelot while also dealing with Cornelia and Guilford, so he had set C.C. up with a small detached squad to watch the Camelot trailer, just in case.
Ordinarily, this would be Sayoko's kind of job, but she was back at Ashford, looking after Nunnally. She was spending the day surrounded by Shirley and Milly as well, but sadly, Sayoko did need to look after them…especially to make certain Shirley didn't go near the kitchen.
Lelouch preferred his food preparation area in one piece, thank you very much.
"Well then…let's not keep Cornelia waiting." Lelouch said with an evil looking grin on his face, "It wouldn't do to keep a lady waiting."
With Cornelia
The wave of black Knightmares stopped well outside of lance range and pointed their assault rifles at Cornelia's Knightmare, but made no other moves towards her.
"Eleven dogs!" she sneered at them, utterly unfazed by the number she had arrayed against her. Cornelia had faced worse odds in her life, "Where is Zero?!"
"Speak of the devil and he shall appear, Cornelia." Zero's voice boomed as his unit appeared on the hill above her. She instantly analyzed the unusual variation of the Glasgow knock-off that carried him. It had thinner lower limbs than the Burai, but other than that looked substantially the same, barring the baroque headpiece on its head and the long armour on the limbs.
"Zero…today, I shall avenge my Guardsmen and brother!" the Viceroy snarled as she raised her gun and pointed it at the odd machine.
"Sadly, my dear, that shall not be possible." Zero replied condescendingly, "Besides, your dance partner wishes to reacquaint herself with you. Come on out…Red Queen."
Cornelia's eyes widened as a crimson Knightmare, quite unlike any other she had ever seen before, stooped over like a hunchback, leapt down to land in front of her Gloucester. Aside from a gun mounted on the wrist of the left arm, the only thing that was remotely weapon-like was the unusual silver right arm.
"Ready for the fight we had to put off in Saitama…Cornelia?" the brash voice of a teenaged girl boomed out from the speakers of the odd-looking Knightmare.
"You…!" Cornelia growled, "Two of my Royal Guard are dead because of you!"
"And my brother is dead because of your brother!" Red Queen snarled back, "You have no moral high ground here, you uppity Brit bitch! Get over here so I can tear you apart!"
"How dare you address Her Highness like that, Eleven filth!?" Guilford demanded, his Gloucester stepping forward angrily.
"Show some restraint, sir knight." Zero said reprovingly, "It is not good manners (or common sense for that matter) to interfere when two ladies are engaged in an argument. I shall be your opponent if you need one."
This made Cornelia pause. SHE wanted to be the one to kill Zero, damn it. "What's the matter, Zero?" she taunted him, "Not confident you can fight me?"
"I am a good Knightmare pilot." the masked man replied coolly, "I am not, however, up to your level. Guilford's level, perhaps, but not your own. I am not prideful enough to enter a battle I know I would likely lose."
Well wasn't that just the most irritating thing? Cornelia was used to men she faced being overly prideful and the one man she wanted to be prideful refused to be so.
"Guilford, do not kill him." she ordered, "I'll finish this scum and then take over your duel."
"Yes Your Highness!" her knight replied instantly over the radio.
"Now then Zero…what of your men there?" Cornelia asked, making her Knightmare point a hand at the black Knightmares stationed around her.
"They will stand ready and not interfere in the duels as long as your Royal Guard do the same." Zero replied, "I give you my word."
Cornelia approved of this. "As I give my own. Men, stay your weapons. Only interfere if Zero's troops interfere first."
Aside from a few minor protests, her Guard acceded to her orders. The Viceroy knew that the slightest sign of treachery on the part of the Black Knights would lead to her Royal Guard tearing them to pieces.
"Very well then." Cornelia stated, "Let's get this over and done with. I have to kill Zero after I kill you, Eleven!"
"I won't allow that to happen!" Red Queen snarled back, the silver hand on her odd Knightmare flexing in emphasis, "Today you will know personal defeat to go along with your defeat as a general, Cornelia!"
Stung by the reminder of her last encounter with Zero's forces, the Viceroy of Area 11 lost her temper, lowered her lance and charged with a roar of rage.
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Earlier
Euphemia's Command G-1
"I need an up to date list of casualties, immediately!" the pinkette ordered, "Have all units not engaging the enemy or moving to reinforce the Viceroy to commence rescue operations immediately! Knightmares only have half an hour's worth of internal air if their intakes are blocked! Every second counts!"
The staffers were scrambling to obey, but it wasn't easy. The command and control interfaces and IFF systems were overloaded due to so many units getting defeated at once. Some screens were merely showing default symbology, while others flickered with different symbols that changed every thirty seconds.
'Of course they're failing.' the youngest li Britannia thought irritably, 'We've never lost so many units nigh-simultaneously before. This time, the boot is well and truely on the other foot.'
"Lady Nu, please head out and lead the rescue efforts." she ordered the dark-skinned woman, "If anyone tries to second you to their unit and charge off to do something foolish, you have my full permission to immobilise them."
Viletta saluted sharply. "Yes Your Highness!"
As the female Knight turned on her heel and strode out of the bridge, Euphie turned her attention to Jeremiah Gottwald. "Lord Jeremiah, please calm things down here."
"With pleasure, Your Highness." the aquamarine-haired noble smiled grimly and waded into the mess of panicking staffers with loud volume and scathing tongue. Euphie had to admire how he was making the staffers feel insignificant without once swearing.
"Connect me to the Camelot Trailer." she ordered once the staffers had been suitable cowed by a scowling Jeremiah. The lazy face of Lloyd Asplund, Cecile Croomy in the background, appeared on the main screen.
"Well, well, if it isn't Princess Euphemia." the earl said lazily, "To what do I owe this call?"
"Earl Asplund, is there any way that the Lancelot can be sent to assist the Viceroy?" Euphie asked bluntly.
"Hmmm…the loose mud and water would make the Landspinners useless." the man mused, "Ah…we do have those Sand Panels that I designed. They could manage it."
"Lloyd!" Cecile protested, "Those haven't been fully tested yet! They're too powerful!"
The silver-haired man waved her off. "I'm certain Warrant Officer Kururugi can handle it, Cecile. Why don't we ask him?"
Before Euphie could interrupt, Lloyd brought up a small window on the screen, showing Suzaku Kururugi in what she assumed was the cockpit of the Lancelot.
"Warrant, we have a request to mobilise." Lloyd said whimsically, "The Viceroy is in a bit of a pickle, what with Zero aiming for her and everything. The only way to get to her is to use a set of experimental skis that have barely been tested. What say you?"
"Now that I actually have an escape pod…" the Japanese boy replied wryly, "I'm good with it. Princess, please order my deployment."
'He agreed far too quickly.' Euphie thought, concealing a frown, 'Doesn't he have any regard for his own life? It's something to bear in mind, but I'm desperate right now, so…'
"I, Euphemia li Britannia, hereby request the deployment of the Camelot Special Weapon, Z-01 Lancelot. Rush to the Viceroy's side and protect her!" Euphie declared.
"By your command, Your Highness." Lloyd replied and the screen went blank.
"Lord Jeremiah." Euphie said with a sigh as she sat back on her command throne.
"Yes, Your Highness?" the Margrave asked.
"Make an appointment for Suzaku Kururugi to see a psychiatrist at some point. He is far too free with his life." the Princess stated.
"I'll see to it personally." Jeremiah promised.
Aboard the Lancelot, Camelot Trailer
Cecile frowned as the feet of the Lancelot were attached to the Sand Panels. Intended for use in sandy areas or in watery locations, they were supposed to provide Knightmares with the ability to rapidly traverse such locations.
Sadly, they were Lloyd's usual fare…too damn powerful by half. The only time a Sutherland had been tested with them equipped, the pilot had been unable to control them and had crashed. He had later described it as if he were trying to control two bucking broncos hopped up on super-steroids and with a ton of raw ginger up their asses.
And now, the Lancelot, a machine with far more power than a mere Sutherland, was going to ride these things. With Suzaku piloting it.
Cecile pursed her lips. This was not going to end well.
"Now Cecile, you really should have confidence in young Kururugi." Lloyd startled her by walking up beside her silently.
"Lloyd! What have I told you about startling me?" Cecile sighed.
"Pish-tish." the bespectacled man said, "Anyway, Lancelot and his Devicer will be fine. Young Kururugi is certainly better than the last idiot who tried to use the Sand Panels."
"Lloyd, he was the grandson of the Duke of Texas." Cecile said plaintively.
"And?" the Earl asked innocently, "He could barely tie his shoelaces without a step-by-step guide. A complete moron if there ever was one."
"Really Lloyd, this is why people aren't giving us more funding." Cecile complained, "You keep insulting them and their families. Thank heavens that you have the good sense not to do that to Prince Schneizel otherwise we'd be broke."
"My dear Cecile, I simply cannot abide idiots or boring people." Lloyd drawled, "It isn't my fault that ninety percent of the people around me fall into one of those categories. Anyway, what are the status of the Sand Panels?"
Cecile absently checked the readouts. "Both Sand Panels are linked to the Lancelot's Core Luminous. Energy reading are stable, control linkups to Devicer control interface nominal. All safety checks are green."
"Excellent." Lloyd said, "Let's get on with the launch, shall we? We can't keep the Viceroy waiting."
The bluenette sighed. There was just no stopping him once he got an idea into his head. She pressed the button that started the warning siren to make the crew scramble away from the Knightmare and said over the loudspeaker, "Roger that. Z-01 Lancelot is ready to launch. Disengaging and retracting mooring clamps. Warrant Officer Kururugi, you may launch at your discretion."
Aboard the Lancelot
Suzaku narrowed his eyes and said, "Roger. Z-01 Lancelot…launching!"
He hit the button that the new manual for the Sand Panels (thankfully devoid of any 'proper veneration etiquette for the Lancelot' section) had indicated would activate the Sand Panels.
He was taken aback by the sheer kick that they had! It felt like someone had just sucker punched him in the solar plexus! With a grunt and force of will, he steered his Knightmare on a long and winding course that would take him to the Viceroy…and Zero.
The Honorary Britannian gritted his teeth as he remembered Zero's words to him after he had been abducted from his trial procession.
"Go then, Kururugi. Do what you feel is right, but remember this: when your ideals betray you, when you are engulfed by despair, when your life seems to hold nothing but darkness, seek me out. Seek me out and join me, so we can save not only Japan, but the world."
"Shut up!" Suzaku whispered. Then Lelouch's voice came to him.
"Don't force your worldview, built in an ivory tower, on others."
"I'm not!"
"You are naïve though. To a frankly childish degree."
"Stop it!"
"You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty, Suzaku. That's why I worry about you. Take it from someone who was raised in the heart of Britannia; it isn't worth saving."
"I can! It is worth saving!"
Suzaku shook his head as he bit his lip to the point that it bled. He would beat Zero, prove that he was wrong, and then unmask him. That way he could prove that Zero was nothing, that his way was better than the masked man's was.
With C.C.
"Oh dear." the verdette mused as she witnessed the white Knightmare zooming across the supposedly impassable landslide remnants. "Who would have known that they had something like that up their sleeves?"
She pressed her radio, complete with voice disguiser, and said, "Augur to K-1. The Lancelot is on its way. Should I throw some spanners in its works?"
"K-1 to Augur, by all means." Lelouch grunted back, "The last thing I need is that damned thing to show up."
"Roger than, K-1." C.C. replied, "R-Group, target the white Knightmare. Remember, fire, move and re-aim. All that damned Knightmare needs is one clear shot to take you out."
"Roger that, Augur." Inoue replied. She was the commander of R-Group, a group of Burai equipped with powerful Anti-Knightmare Sniper Rifles that had been sent with the last equipment delivery by Kyoto House. A demonstration video had shown one round piercing the armour of a Sutherland chassis from a mile away, which was a good deal further than C.C. and her group were right now, halfway up the mountain that the JLF had chosen as their base.
She wasn't entirely certain what the range of the VARIS Rifle was, but she had to assume that Suzaku could and would return fire quickly and accurately, with the expectation that he could hit them.
"All R-Units…open fire at will." she ordered.
With a series of silenced barks, R-Group opened fire on the Lancelot. Suzaku must have been really keyed up, because he dodged before the first shot even touched him, the Blaze Luminous shields flickering on in a shimmer of green.
"All R-Units, aim for those skis of his." C.C. radioed, "He can't protect them with his shields."
Some of them didn't listen to her and kept trying to hit the body of the Knightmare, while the majority followed her directives, leading to the white Knightmare dancing around to avoid all of the shots. Curiously, he didn't once reach for the VARIS Rifle. C.C. assumed that he was out of range and didn't want to waste energy shooting at targets he couldn't hit.
Still, even with all of R-Group firing a fusillade at him, Suzaku was getting closer and closer to where Cornelia and Kallen were duelling.
"Augur to K-1, the White Knight is very agile." she said into her radio, "He'll be with you in less than five minutes."
"Roger that." Lelouch sounded grim, "Begin a staged withdrawal of P-, R- and B-Groups. This won't last much longer."
'Make sure it doesn't.' the immortal thought with a frown before she started issuing orders, "This is Augur to all B-Units, P-Units and R-Units. Finish your current opponents and commence a fighting withdrawal to the prearranged location. I'm going on to support Zero and N-Group."
"Roger that, Augur." Ohgi said. He was the leader of P-Group, which included Tamaki, who, C.C. was surprised to note, had not wrecked his Burai.
"B-Group, all received and mobile." Mamoru said gruffly. The man had been selected to lead the non-Knightmare forces in part due to is leadership qualities and in part because having the Sleeping Dragon of Kanto with them provided the foot soldiers with quite the morale boost.
As R-Group moved back, occasionally taking pot shots at the Lancelot as they went, C.C. sped across the side of the mountain, using her Slash Harkens to swing across ledges that her Sutherland couldn't make with just its jumping power.
'This…is going to be troublesome.' she concluded.
With Cornelia
Cornelia snarled as she made her Gloucester thrust its Jousting Lance at the red Knightmare, the machine lacking any sense of pride with its stooped and hunched form.
To her shock, the silver arm shot out and snagged the lance midway, halting her advance abruptly.
'Impossible!' she thought.
Then a glowing red-tinged black energy erupted from the silver hand, making the metal lance start bulging and distorting. Hastily relinquishing the weapon, Cornelia gazed in shock as the red Knightmare utterly destroyed her weapon before discarding it.
'So…that's the main weapon of this odd Knightmare Frame.' Cornelia thought as she drew her Knightmare's sword. It wasn't one of Earl Asplund's MVS blades, but it was wickedly sharp and she was actually far more skilled with it than she was with a lance.
The red Knightmare reached its back with its off hand and drew…a knife? It was dual-pronged and also looked wickedly sharp, but she had the advantage with her sword's length.
"Are you mocking me by using that pathetic excuse for a weapon?!" she demanded.
The pilot -Red Queen- merely scoffed. "If it's so pathetic, by all means…come and get me…CORNELIA!"
"You impudent peasant!" the eldest li Britannia sibling snarled, "Taste steel!"
Yet no matter how she swung her blade or how she tried to strike her foe, that damned knife just kept on blocking, parrying and even riposting every one of her attacks. Finally, seemingly bored with her attacks, the red Knightmare trapped her last swing between the forks of her knife and disarmed her.
Over with Guilford, Cornelia noticed that Zero had spoken truly; he was a match for her Knight. Wielding a buzzing black blade, the black Knightmare he piloted had cut Guilford's lance to pieces and was now chipping away at her knight's sword.
'The time for chivalry is at an end.' she thought as she reached behind her Knightmare and grabbed her Assault Rifle.
Then, the red Knightmare moved! Almost faster than Cornelia could react, her machine's left arm and the weapon it held was seized by the silver arm and the black-red energy glowed.
Thinking quickly, the Imperial Princess performed an emergency detachment of the limb before the corrosive effect could spread much further.
"My god, what is this machine?" Cornelia muttered, "It's no haphazard slapdash of refurbished Glasgow parts…it's something new! An Eleven-built Knightmare? Preposterous!"
"This Guren is just the first!" the pilot roared as she crushed the arm she had taken from Cornelia's Gloucester in her Knightmare's hand, "With this machine, our counterattack begins! Do tell, Viceroy…how does it feel to be outmatched technologically?"
"What nonsense are you blabbering?!" Cornelia barked.
"Your Gloucester is a Fifth Gen machine. I'm in the Guren Nishiki, a Seventh Gen Machine." Red Queen said smugly, "Get it now? Have a taste of what we felt during the invasion!"
"To hell with you!" Cornelia roared and fired her Slash Harkens at her foe. The anchors sped out towards the red frame, which dodged them as easily as if they had been snowballs and leapt into the air, the knife in its off-hand slashing through the wires and completely disarming Cornelia of every weapon.
"Princess!" Guilford exclaimed and tried to disengage to come to her aid
"Ignoring your dance partner is a frightful breech of etiquette, sir Knight." Zero said reprovingly as he smoothly cut in between Cornelia and her Knight, "You should be less concerned about her and more worried about yourself! Q-1, disable her Knightmare and grab the cockpit. I have some questions for the Viceroy."
"…Roger that." Red Queen replied, sounding somewhat sullen. Cornelia found it more than slightly offensive that they were talking about killing her or not, but she was forced to concede that she was all but helpless here. One arm, no lance, sword, gun or Slash Harken left to use.
'I am an Imperial Princess of Britannia!' she thought as her grip on the controls tightened, 'And I refuse to be captured like a common soldier!'
As she was about to raise her last remaining arm, Zero announced, "Q-1, prepare yourself. The White Knight is coming."
'White Knight…Kururugi!' Cornelia thought in astonishment, 'Who…Euphie. It has to be. She sent him.'
Just as she finished that thought, the white and gold Knightmare leapt from the nearby embankment of loose mud and soil, detached its skis and landed with MVS blades drawn and activated.
"Viceroy, the Sub-Viceroy sent me to aid you." he said over his radio.
"A very…timely arrival, Warrant Officer." Cornelia managed, "Guilford, withdraw! Kururugi, watch out for that red Knightmare…it's tricky."
"Roger that." the Eleven replied seriously.
With Lelouch
The exiled prince glared slightly at the Knightmare frame containing his best friend. Of all the times for him to show up, it had to be right before Kallen could immobilise Cornelia. He had moved quicker than C.C. had implied…or perhaps he had underestimated the speed that those skis of his could take the Honorary Britannian's metal steed.
He was started out of his thoughts by the realisation that Cornelia and her Guard were fleeing from him, and he couldn't have that.
"Well, well…Suzaku Kururugi…we meet again." he said over the loudspeakers, a secret irony in his voice, "What wind has blown you here?"
"Your defeat!" was the reply from Suzaku.
"I think not." Lelouch replied coolly, "Red Queen, entertain him, if you please."
"With pleasure!" Kallen growled. A distant part of Lelouch's mind that was not being dedicated to running through contingency plans and controlling his Knightmare quickly deduced that this was a visceral reaction to being confronted by someone who had leapt into bed, figuratively speaking, with her enemies.
'I hope Suzaku doesn't underestimate Kallen like Cornelia did.' he thought with a slight wince.
"N-Group, leave the Lancelot to Q-1 and follow me!" he ordered and directed his Jinrai after the retreating group of Cornelia and her Royal Guard.
"Wait!" Suzaku tried to intercept him, but Lelouch saw the blip on his screen registered as Q-1 appear between Suzaku and the rest of N-Group.
"You want Zero, lapdog?!" Kallen snarled, "Well you'll have to go through me first!"
With Suzaku
The Honorary Britannian growled as the red Knightmare barred his path. He was not going to let this woman stop him from stopping Zero. If she wanted a fight, she had just bitten of more than she could chew!
"Fine, but don't blame me if you die." he warned her.
"Now that I'm not in an over-the-hill Glasgow, we'll see who comes out on top!" the pilot snarled back.
This made him pause. A red Knightmare…like the red Glasgow from Shinjuku. "So, you're the one who lured me into that trap!"
"And you were the one who fell into it, like the blind fool that you are!" Red Queen jeered.
Suzaku ground his teeth in anger and made the Lancelot raise the VARIS Rifle at his opponent. Time to blast through this obstacle and get to Zero!
He fired several shots at the Knightmare, but was astonished by its speed and agility as it dodged every round from the energy rifle. Deciding to switch to close combat, he made the Lancelot draw an MVS blade in its off hand as he kept firing at his enemy.
'Such incredible speed…it's surely not as fast as the Lancelot…is it?!' he thought incredulously.
"Is standing still and blasting away with your oversized light-pointer all that you can do?!" Red Queen taunted him as she drew closer, "Because if that's the case, you aren't getting past me!"
Incensed, Suzaku rapid-fired three rounds in a spread that guaranteed at least one hit, just as the red Knightmare landed from another jump. Much to his surprise, all the pilot did was shift her machine to the side in order to avoid two of the rounds, raise the silver arm and caught the only orb of green energy that would have struck it, black-red energy crackling around it, neutralising the energy bullet.
"Impossible!" the Devicer whispered. The energy bullets fired by the VARIS Rifle could go through reinforced concrete and steel like a hot knife through butter, and this machine could neutralise them just like that?!
Holstering the now-shown-to-be-useless VARIS Rifle, the Lancelot drew its second MVS Blade and stood ready as the blade turned dark crimson.
"I'm through playing around." he said tightly, "Now it comes for real!"
"Bring it!" Red Queen snarled as the red Knightmare charged at him with a speed that at least matched that of the Lancelot. The first clashed Suzaku swing his right MVS at his enemy, only for it to be caught by that dratted silver hand. The black-red energy crackled and the fingers curled around the blade as if it were just a stick.
He quickly released it, swapping the left MVS into Lancelot's right hand even as the captured MVS detonated, the red Knightmare emerging from the smoke like a demon as it pursued him.
The two Knightmares fought each other with an elegance that was reminiscent of a dance. They feinted, dodged, struck, blocked and swerved with an almost human-like quality. Slash Harken lashed out and were parried, the red Knightmare's Fork Knife slashed and scored hits, tainting the pure white bodywork of the Lancelot with wounds. Kicks, punches and slashing moves made with deadly accuracy and force that would be impossible for even Gloucesters.
Suzaku had never expected to be pressed so hard while in the Lancelot. It was hard to believe it was possible. The Lancelot was a Seventh Generation Knightmare, far more advanced than any other Knightmare in existence, so how was this possible?
Before the two Knightmares could clash again, a loud series of cracks and explosions roared and the ground shook.
"What's going on?!" Suzaku cried.
Several Minutes Earlier…
JLF Command Centre, Narita Mountain Base
Tatewaki Katase, General of the JLF, stared impassively at the screen in front of him as reports flooded in from his soldiers. Over 50% of the Burai were destroyed, with 70% of the fixed gun emplacements joining them. Thus far, only 20% of the Burai-Kai had been destroyed, so that was something, at least.
He absently picked up a sake cup and sipped it, feeling the drink sooth his nerves as it flowed down his throat. It was a particularly good brand of sake that he had been waiting to open until the liberation of Japan, but this was as good a time as any to drink it.
"A refill, sir?" his aide asked softly.
"Yes, if you please. Pour one for yourself while you're at it." Katase said with a nod, "Nothing worse than drinking alone."
"Thank you, sir." the man replied, and did so.
As he sipped his sake once again, Katase considered everything. The Britannians were in disarray, for now, and the majority of the unknown units, who he suspected were Black Knights, had retreated. If there was a time to do it, now was the time.
"Prepare the Gyōkō (Dawn Light)." he said softly.
The command centre fell silent at that. An air of solemnity filled the room as two soldiers double-stepped out of the room to follow his orders.
"To think we must use it…so low have we fallen." the General lamented.
The Gyōkō was a failsafe device, constructed by JLF engineers before all R&D had been transferred to the secret base of the Six Houses of Kyoto. In the event that the base had to be evacuated in a situation like this, it could be set off via a timer…or immediately by two keys being turned and a button pressed.
He was certain that the Six Houses had next to no idea that the Gyōkō even existed; otherwise, they would have demanded it to be dismantled. It wasn't a single device, but a network of explosives set at key locations around the mountain that the JLF claimed as their own, at vital points that when detonated would cause a mass upheaval of earth, landslides and flooding.
Katase was pulled from his musing as the two officers who had left returned with a pair of briefcases. They set them up, opening them to reveal a pair of devices within, linking them up to various parts of the JLF mainframe.
"Captain Sugawara, Captain Mizuno, please activate the Gyōkō System." he ordered.
"Yessir." they replied. Pulling keys from around their necks, each officer inserted one into the respective slots on the two devices. Pausing for a moment, they turned them in unison. The main screen lit up with the Japanese flag and a single message.
*****Gyōkō System Armed and Ready*****
On the main panel, a single button started flashing red. The destruct button.
"When I press that button, everyone remaining in this base shall die." Katase announced, "Any who still wishes to live has two minutes to leave."
"Sir, we all stand with you." Sugawara stated, "It has been an honour."
"The honour was mine." Katase replied, his heart filled with pride at the soldiers under his command. He strode over to the command panel and looked down at the button.
"For Japan!" he declared.
"FOR JAPAN!" the soldiers in the command centre roared with him.
With that, Tatewaki Katase flipped up the protective cover over the button and pressed it firmly. As the first series of bombs set under the base exploded, he smiled.
'Todoh…I leave the rest up to you…' he thought before his world was lost in a blaze of fire and then darkness.
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
With Lelouch
The fresh avalanche caught him off-guard, Lelouch would later have to admit. To be fair, it took him less than ten seconds to realise who had created it and why.
'That old fossil Katase!' he cursed in his mind even as he was forced to break off his pursuit of his sister in order to ensure he wasn't swept away by the freshly disturbed soil.
The Jinrai extended its right arm and a Slash Harken appeared from the forearm, fired it at an area that seemed to be unaffected by the shaking earth. That, in addition to the two regular Slash Harken, allowed Lelouch to guide his machine to the isolated outcropping of rock.
"This is K-1 to all units, report status!" he demanded once he was out of the seemingly unending tide of earth.
Much to his relief, most of his units had been far enough away from the mountain to fall back, even Tamaki. Unfortunately, half of N-Group was half-buried in the earth. He swiftly ordered the free ones to dig their companions out.
"I'm sorry Zero!" Kallen said over the radio, sounding very upset, "The Lancelot used the avalanche to get away from me! I did take his last MVS blade though."
"You did well, Q-1." Lelouch replied, "Remember what I told you when the Guren arrived? In Hand-To-Hand combat, my Jinrai can match the Lancelot, at least for a while. Where are you now?"
"At the bottom of a cliff." Kallen sounded irate, "He destroyed the ground beneath me with one of his wrist-mounted Slash Harken before kicking me down here."
"Tricky. Well, kindly arrive at my position as fast as you are able to, Q-1." the exiled prince ordered, "It would seem Kururugi is determined to defeat me. He is approaching my position as I speak."
"On my way!" the redhead replied determinedly.
Lelouch turned his attention back to the approaching form of the Lancelot, which was leapfrogging from stable area to stable area, straight towards his position.
He did an inventory. He had lost the Assault Rifle and Kaiten Yaibatō to in the flood, but still had the holdout weapon concealed in the left arm. Other than the Slash Harkens, that was it.
'Cut your cloth to suit your needs.' he chided himself as the white and gold Knightmare landed nearby.
"You look as if you've been through the wringer, Warrant Officer Kururugi." he drawled.
"Surrender, Zero." Suzaku demanded, "You stand no chance against the Lancelot."
"If you still had your MVS Blades that might be the case." Lelouch pointed out, "As it is, I notice that not only are both of your sheathes empty, you seem to be missing your ranged weapon also. Earl Asplund won't be too happy with you for that."
To the Black Prince's amusement, he swore that he could hear teeth being gritted through the Lancelot's loudspeakers.
"With or without my weapons, I can take you out!" the Honorary Britannian spat back.
"Then by all means, take me down…if you can!" Lelouch snarled back. He'd been wanting to smack some sense into Suzaku for a while now and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.
The Jinrai and the Lancelot stared each other down for a moment before the white machine leapt to the attack, swinging a high kick at Lelouch that the other boy recognised as being the same one Suzaku had attacked him with in Shinjuku.
Prepared for it this time, the Jinrai leaned back just enough to avoid the strike. Then, once the Lancelot turned away on the remaining arc of its kick, Lelouch triggered the Slash Harken in his right arm, sending it to wrap around the supporting leg of the Lancelot and pulling it out from under him.
"Wha-!?" Suzaku yelped as the Knightmare crashed to the ground.
"Physical abilities are all very well, but the ability to anticipate and counter your opponent's techniques can trump it." Lelouch said as he retracted the Slash Harken, "You are far too confident in your abilities and your Knightmare."
"Why you!" the outrage sounded very familiar to Lelouch. It was the same kind Suzaku gave off whenever he considered something cheating.
The Lancelot stood up once again and its green eyes seemed to glow with rage before it charged in to clash with the Jinrai again. Lelouch was very careful not to be drawn into a competition of strength with the other machine, for he knew that his own machine wasn't up to such a match. In terms of speed and agility, however, the Jinrai was very close to the Lancelot.
That said, the combination of the Lancelot's specs and Suzaku's skill was a tough combination, forcing Lelouch onto the defensive. That isn't to say that he didn't get a few good hits in, but when his Slash Harken were ripped off, things started to look grim.
A flurry of bullets screamed their way at the Lancelot out of nowhere, forcing Suzaku to disengage from Lelouch and bring up the Blaze Luminous shield on his right arm to block them. A silver Sutherland stood a couple of safe areas away with an Assault Rifle pointed at Suzaku and a Knightmare Sniper Rifle slung over its back.
"My apologies for being late, Zero-sama." C.C. stated over the loudspeakers, "The JLF avalanched had me waylaid temporarily."
"I'd say that you were right on time, Augur." Lelouch replied, "Did you happen to see Q-1 on your way?"
"Red Queen should be here in three, two…and one." C.C. said lazily.
Right on cue, the red Knightmare used its single Hien Sōga Slash Harken to pull itself up the cliff nearby and leap in between Suzaku and Lelouch with its silver claw ready to use. Held in its off-hand wasn't its Fork Knife, but the Lancelot's own MVS Blade.
"Damn!" Suzaku cursed bitterly. He evidently recognised that he was at a disadvantage.
"Retreat, Kururugi." Lelouch directed him, "You have succeeded in your mission to protect the Viceroy. Losing the Lancelot would render such an achievement moot, wouldn't you agree? The better part of valour is discretion in this case."
"…Zero!" the Devicer growled, "I will defeat you someday!"
'Cliché much?' Lelouch scoffed to himself. Aloud, he said, "That day is not today, Kururugi. Now begone or I'll let my Red Queen rip you to shreds."
To emphasise his point, Kallen made the Guren step forward, flexing its silver claw-like hand menacingly.
"Tch." With an unsatisfied grunt, the Lancelot turned and followed Cornelia's units. Lelouch allowed himself to relax. Suzaku wasn't the kind of person who used deception. He was too honest by far to use such tactics…for now.
"Well done, Q-1, Augur." he said approvingly.
"Zero…we didn't get the Viceroy." Kallen said hesitantly over the radio, "Did…did we lose?"
Lelouch considered the question. "No. We may not have won, but we didn't lose either. The Britannians lost, as did the JLF. The Britannians lost because they lost well over a third of their forces today and they didn't exterminate the JLF. The JLF lost because their entire fortress and most of their forces were destroyed."
After a moment, he added, "Although technically, you might consider the JLF to have achieved a pyrrhic victory, as they had no real hope, or even any expectation, of surviving this battle. They dealt the worst casualties they could hope to deal to the enemy. I disapprove of the tactics they used, but that is a matter of philosophy. Come. Let's head back. The last thing we need is for the Britannians to throw more units away fighting us than is necessary."
As the three Knightmares started leapfrogging across the few islands of solid ground to the rendezvous point, Lelouch had a smirk on his face. Kyoto was going to be very interested in that MVS Blade…
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Next Chapter: Shirley's Choice
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Knightmare Hanger
- Name: Type-10R V3 Jinrai (Pre-Production)
General Characteristics
- Crew: One
- Height: 4.50 Meters
- Weight: 8.00 Metric Tonnes
- Power Source: Yggdrasil Drive, Energy Filler
Design Features
- Cockpit Ejection System
- Factsphere Sensor System
- Landspinner Propulsion System
Armament
- X2 Chest-mounted Slash Harken
- X1 Right Arm-mounted Concealed Slash Harken
- X1 Kaiten Yaibatō
- X2 Hand-mounted Protectors
- X1 Left Arm-mounted Concealed Custom Hand Gun
Optional Armament
- X1 Assault Rifle