Shinjuku Ghetto
Milly slammed Cysgod against the wall, hands gripping the neck of his shirt and part of his scarf.
"You told us that both Lelouch and Rivalz were safe, how could you lie to us?" Milly shouted while ignoring the pain from her bandaged shoulder.
"Let-go-of-the-scarf! Let-go-of-the-scarf!" Cysgod rambled quickly, his voice almost raising an octave.
"Where is he then?"
"Let-go! Let-go! Let-go!"
"Tell us where Rivalz is and I'll let you go."
"I don't care about me, I said: HANDS OFF THE SCARF!" When he shouted, his voice actually became so high-pitched that it was more like the shrill of an ear-splitting siren. Almost everyone in the room grabbed their ears and shrunk away from Cysgod, who coughed, gave his head a quick shake, and adjusted his cream-colored scarf.
"For crying out loud, what was that?" Kallen asked, hands over her ears.
"Oh my God, you sounded like a girl for a moment there!" Tamaki stated.
"Please do us all a favor and don't do that again," said Lelouch, messaging his ears as CC looked on with wide eyes.
"Look," said Cysgod in his normal octave, hands raised in a defensive gesture, "I thought Rivalz was going to be just fine. I didn't know that he was going to be kidnapped by one of the Divisions, alright. Especially since there is absolutely no reason to kidnap him."
"Division? Are you talking about the UMNE?" asked Lelouch.
"Yes, the UMNE is separated into Divisions. Each Division is made up of a single entity and is responsible for only a limited number of duties. I don't know all of them. Arcane Division handles security and counter-espionage. Division X happens to be Daemon's own personal invasion force. I suppose if you press me hard enough then it would probably be safe to assume that the Sons of the Serpents are the Secret Division. Rivalz happened to be seized by members of the Jahrtausend Division."
"Jahrtausend Division?"
"Yeah, its German, it means Millennium. And no, I am not going to tell you what they are because then you would just think I'm crazy."
"Why, what do they do?" Ohgi asked.
"Believe me…you don't want to know."
Viceroy's Palace, Britannia Settlement
Clovis and Euphemia sat in the main office. The curtains were drawn across the windows and the entrance was guarded both inside and outside. Clovis was behind the desk, twiddling his thumbs and looking at a bunch of folders, all unopened. Euphemia sat in a chair next to the desk, continuously twisting her hands in her lap, head down and obvious fear in her eyes. The door opened and General Bartley entered, a grim expression on his face.
"So is..?" Clovis began to ask, but Bartley shook his head.
"I'm sorry your highness, we have just identified the Emperor's remains, in addition to twenty-or-so others who were caught up in the attack."
"Thank you, General." There was a pause before Clovis spoke again. "Have you been able to make contact with Cornelia?"
"No your highness, we have yet to receive word from her taskforce."
"And Laila? Any word on my sister?" Again, Bartley shook his head.
"She was last seen boarding a commercial plane at an East Europian airport. She was supposed to land at a city on the Chinese-Middle East border."
"Yes, I know, Tehran City; our uncle insisted on it. That is all General."
Euphemia began to whimper, leaning forward in her chair, tears beginning to pour down her face and onto the floor. Clovis stood and came around the desk, draping a protective arm over his half-sister.
"Oh Clovis…" Euphemia wept, "why is this happening? Why are these people after us? What did we do to them?"
"I don't know Euphie, but at least we still appear to have a chance." There was a hurried knock on the door and one of the Pure-Bloods came in.
"My lord, there's a new development."
Aeternum Renegade Social Exchange
"Alterie," announced Dillinger, "the Sons of the Serpent are about to make an announcement."
The Boss looked up from an original copy of the Lebor Gabála Érenn, and sighed.
"Okay, let me just get a pick-me-up." He stood and placed the book down on his desk before crossing over to his personal refrigerator and pulling out a can of Coca-Cola.
island(s) in the Indian Ocean, callsign: Dreyfus
"Commander, you watching?"
"I am," said the young man while he was checking his gear in preparation for his hun-sion, "but can you record it for me? I need to leave soon for my mission."
"You mean you're hunch?" The young man rolled his eyes as he finished loading a Yarygin Grach handgun and began attaching a suppressor to an H&K MP7.
Shinjuku Ghetto
"Guys, you should come and see this." Everyone dropped what they were doing and came over to where Sugiyama was looking at the computer.
Pendragon, as viewed on all Britannian media channels
A makeshift podium was set up in the throne room of the Pendragon Royal Palace. Behind the podium were two chairs, occupied by Commander Diamondback and another individual with blonde hair that was combed back and piercing blue eyes, accompanied by four bodyguards in green uniforms. Diamondback stood and took position behind the podium before speaking.
"Attention to all citizens and non-citizens of the former Britannian Empire and all Areas of Britannia. From this moment on…Britannia no longer exists. All the lands and territory previously under the control of Britannian is under the intermediate authority of the Supreme United States of America. Also, Pendragon shall hereby be known as D.E., the District of Eden. For a present duration, martial law shall be imposed on all territories. The full cooperation of military and law enforcement within the territories of the Supreme United States of America is to be expected. Any and all forms of non-cooperation will not be tolerated. That would only lead to chaos, and believe me when I say: you don't want that. To assist the Revolutionary Sons of the Serpent, I have with me the leader of our allies. Let me now introduce the leader of the UMNE." Diamondback sits back down as the younger and more visibly charismatic man stood and took Diamondback's place at the podium.
"My name is Alexander Daemon, leader of the Universo Mundo Novo Exercitus. As part of the agreement we partook in with the Revolutionary Sons of the Serpent, the Divisions of the UMNE will assist in the transition of authority to the SUSA. As part of our role, I hereby declare a warning to all other nations.
The territories of the now non-existent Britannian Empire are now under OUR control. If you move in to seize any land from us, then we will retaliate without mercy or conscience. And for anyone who thinks we won't be able to out match them in combat, mark my words. We have nuclear capabilities."
Area 11, Viceroy's Palace
"They have what?" Clovis asked aloud.
callsign: Dreyfus
The young man paused for a moment, glancing at Daemon on the screen, before pulling back the slide of his personal Walther PPK, holstering it and leaving the room while hefting a duffel bag.
Aeternum Renegade Social Exchange
"Eh, could be worse." The Boss remained silent as other members of the Facinus continued to talk.
"What could be worse than nuclear weapons?"
"You haven't been with us long have you?"
"At least a nuke is within the Realm's means."
"That... is actually true."
"Doesn't change anything," the Boss said, taking a sip of Coke, "they still brought in out-of-realm tech that is superior to this realm's level of technology; nuke or no nuke."
D.E. (District of Eden), SUSA
Alexander Daemon continued talking. "Sukuradite power has become a thing of the past, a relic of recent history. The Supreme United States of America will not fall behind in the realm of global progress. A new era is on the horizon and we will be the bringers of light in this new age."
Shinjuku Ghetto
Cysgod reached forward and pressed the power button on the computer.
"There, now you've met Daemon, now let's get out of this warehouse."
callsign: Dreyfus
The young man stepped into the hold of a V-22X Osprey, modified with stealth tech. After strapping himself in, he looked across from him at the 17-year-old boy, looking through the contents of a file open on his lap. The boy glanced up, his pale green eyes glaring at him beneath untidy blonde bangs.
"We told you this moment would come." The boy looked back at the file, deciding to ignore the young man. "You will be successful."
"What?" the boy looked back at him, his eyes now bearing confoundment.
"I have that utmost confidence that you will succeed in your task. That being said," he leaned in, "if there are any deviations on your part, then I will know of it. And you know very well what will happen then." The boy looked away, the threat irking him more than his current circumstance. The young man relaxed in his seat as the Osprey began to take off. "Forget the River Styx, the two of us are crossing the Rubicon, Orpheus."
Aeternum Renegade Social Expenditure
The Boss turned the television off.
"So…it has begun. Oh well, we will just have to make due with what we have, won't we." He threw away his can of Coke and walked out of the room saying: "Anyone know where I can get some Sprite in this place?"
UMNE transport to the Middle East
Rivalz Cardemonde was so sore that he wasn't scared anymore. He had cuff-links around his wrists and ankles, and couldn't move much on his seat. Across from him sat two men in drab grey neck-high fatigues and holstered guns on their hips, one didn't do much except breathe and the other was playing with a multi-colored cube of some sort.
"Where are you taking me?" Rivalz asked, unsure whether or not it was even safe to ask questions.
"To the Facinus," answered the one with the cube, rotating one of the sides so that it was all one color. "Believe me, you're lucky that Alexander Daemon decided to do so."
"Why?"
"Because it's better than getting your blood drained."
Silence, broken by the hum of an engine.
"When will we get there?"
"When? Oh, I don't know, when you shut up!"
Shinjuku Ghetto
The car that Cysgod and the student council had arrived in was now hidden in the warehouse. The warehouse in question was now in the rear view mirror of a truck with a canopy over the trailer. Cysgod sat in the passenger seat with Ohgi. Everyone else was in the back, almost. Considering that it was going to be crowded enough with the student council, five of the resistance group, two complete and total stranger to both groups, and what little supplies they could bring along; two of the resistance group decided to take the original truck (the one carrying Kallen's Knightmare and CC's capsule) and meet up with the rest later. Kallen decided to go with them because her Knightmare was in there and CC also went with them because, despite the fact that she was held in a strange container against her will, it was still comfortable and cozy.
Talk about weird.
"So Cysgod," Ohgi asked as he turned the truck onto a sorry excuse for street, "why are you after this Occulta guy, apart from preventing him from taking over the world?"
"To make him pay."
"What?" That answer actually shocked him. Ohgi suspected there must've been a different motive, but he never expected this guy to just tell him like that. Cysgod adjusted his scarf before continuing on.
"A few years ago, I was part of a semi-nomadic clan of…well…scientists. Clan Eadrom-Dorcha. Our name reflects our clan's belief that there is at least some good in everything. There is obviously bad and evil in the universe, but there is also good. A wise man just needs to be able to tell the difference between the two. And as such, the clan's actions are almost always transcending 'Eadrom' and 'Dorcha."
"Light and Dark?"
"Exactly. Now, when I was 16, I started working on a private project of mine. Well, not exactly private, I mentioned it over fire-side suppers just as others in the clan did the same. But that's beside the point. You see, a year later I received a visit from a businessman of sorts. He wanted to buy my research for personal and beneficial use. He said that his intentions were for the common good of all human kind, but I just could not believe him. Suffice to say that he was more than just disappointed." At this point, Cysgod faltered, reaching up to his neck and clenching part of the scarf in his fist. "A few days later…the demon returned…violently." He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "It was a massacre! He antagonized some bandits and a handful of our enemies to attack us in the dead of night. He supplied them with weaponry of the highest grade and personally eliminated a full quarter of us by himself. He razed the encampment to the ground, stole my research and ki-!" he visibly shuddered.
"I understand, you don't have to explain anymore. That man was Occulta I take it?" Cysgod nodded.
"Yeah…and I'm personally going to make him pay for every soul that was lost that night."
Viceroy's Palace, Settlement
Clovis had thought a lot during the last few hours, probably the hardest he had ever thought in his life. Martial law was being enforced throughout Area 11. The only places of residence that the military was not going into were the ghettos. There was enough on his plate already; Clovis didn't want to worry about a Number's uprising. Euphemia was pacing back and forth, ringing her hands while slowly getting over the anxiety she was feeling over the loss of her family.
"Clovis?"
"Yes Euphie?"
"What did Alexander Daemon mean by: nuclear capabilities?"
"I don't know," said Clovis, leaning on the top of his desk. "All that I know is that it is probably bad. I need to talk to the Earl of Pudding sometime today. But more importantly, I need to get you a personal guard or at least a knight for your protection."
Euphemia crossed to the window and looked over the settlement.
"Why are such people here? They can't be mad; otherwise they wouldn't be able to cause such damage. Where did they come from? What makes them believe that they are entitled to the land of Britannia? And what makes them believe that we stole the land?"
"That, at least, is simple." Clovis looked at the ceiling, making a good effort to suppress his anger at a foe he could not reach at that point in time. "They were created just to rattle us. Kill off most of the royal family and scare us into believing that it is the fault of our ancestors that we inherited the responsibility of paying for non-existent crimes.
This is no doubt a Europian plot."