("I hope you know what you're doing.") E2 whispered when no one was within earshot.
"What makes them any different than everyone I've fought before?" Zero was a bit too confident.
("Do you even hear yourself? Take off the damn mask and look at me.") The immortal snapped. As he glared, Suzaku finally gave in.
"What is it?" He asked, not even bothering to remove the cloth mask.
("We have no idea how to fight the enemy. We understand barely enough in how they work. But none of you in that meeting asked the real questions. How did they decimate anyone who came to liberate the city?")
"Maybe they're just better fighters." Suzaku still wasn't bothered.
"Listen you idiot! I don't have a good feeling with this! They have something up their sleeve, and it's not yet known!" E2 glared, not even caring as Lloyd and Cecile were now in earshot.
The two men ignored the other pair. Cecile, upon realizing they were having a private argument, pushed Lloyd out so they were out of sight. However the Earl remained around the corner and raised a finger to his lips at his assistant.
"Now what gives one person a severe advantage over another?" E2 continued.
It took a moment for Suzaku to really come up with the answer. And then he wanted to slap himself.
"Geass? But we have almost all the immortals left either in sanctuary or we know where they are once they left." Suzaku was puzzled. "And how will they be able to use Geass from within a Knightmare Frame? Unless it's something like seeing the future."
"Who knows? But this is what my instincts are screaming at me. That the powers of Geass is somehow involved." The immortal shrugged.
"Then I'll be extra careful. It helps that the Merlin can be invisible. I will use this to my advantage." Zero placed the helmet back on.
E2 let it be after this conversation. He busied himself to help Lloyd and Cecile with their work load to ensure every Knightmare Frame was in working order as they flew full speed towards London. This gave Zero space from him to allow Kallen to go over strategies and such.
As they were an hour away, suddenly London released an SOS.
"Let me come with you." E2 insisted.
"There's not enough units. And the Merlin isn't meant for two pilots." Zero disregarded as he climbed in.
"Actually - " Lloyd tried to speak up.
Cecile elbowed him. And the Earl shut his mouth. E2 frowned, but didn't argue. The immortal decided to stick by them in case the Earl of Pudding did have something up his sleeve. It also helped that Lloyd was overseeing the whole battle from their sensors.
E2 watched as the dots of two armies clashed. He could just imagine the chaos of it all. And he understood what Lloyd meant that the enemy worked like a hive mentality. But if that's so, then who was the queen?
"Zero, find the queen bee. Taking them out might turn the tide in our favor." E2 spoke through the radio.
"Currently searching. I'm not seeing anyone who is obviously the leader." Was the reply.
Several minutes ticked by. The radio was filled with Zero giving orders. Kallen would pipe in to give updates. It all seemed normal.
Until panic began to spread. Soldiers began reporting strange lights from the enemy frames. And then suddenly, the units were found fighting each other when units are hit by the light.
"What!? What sort of technology is this? That's impossible!" Lloyd panicked.
"It's Geass. We need to get Zero out of there." E2 frowned.
"We can't abandon London! He promised to help defend." Cecile reminded.
"Then how do we find the queen bee?" The immortal turned to them. Then a thought came to him. He pushed the button to speak in the radio.
"Zero! Reveal and announce yourself on all radio channels!" E2 insisted.
A short minute later, enough for Zero to understand what the plan was, he did. In broad daylight the Merlin showed itself hovering high above the center of London. And then with all channels open he announced himself.
"I am Zero! I am challenging the leader of this terrorist group that is currently fighting over London! Come at me now, and we fight one on one! If I win, your men will surrender without a fight. If you win, you have every right to London."
The fighting stopped from the enemies side. Even the ones who were Geassed stopped. In confusion the remaining army stopped in wonder. For a long tense moment everyone held their breath.
Suddenly five units broke formation and charged straight towards the Merlin. And in the same instance the rest of the hive resumed fighting. E2 grit his teeth. He watched as one held back while four surrounded Zero at all sides.
"I was wondering when you would show. I was contemplating on taking out the palace to finally draw you out." A voice chuckled over the radio.
"Who are you?" Zero pressed.
"Where is Kallen?" E2 asked Lloyd.
"Currently surrounded." He pointed at a blip over by a bridge.
And she was. Her remaining unit was barely able to stay on their feet. E2 turned to the Earl.
"What do you have? I know you've got something."
"My name is Gerard. These are my henchmen." The voice answered.
"Well...it's a prototype. It's never been piloted before." Lloyd nervously answered.
"Then allow me. I'll take the blame if he gets mad." The immortal promised.
"If you say so." The Earl handed over the key.
"I challenged you for a one on one!" Zero bristled.
Gerard laughed. It echoed over the radios as E2 climbed into the last Knightmare Frame. It was smaller than the Merlin. If anything it didn't appear special, but the color scheme stood out.
Blood red with gold and black accents. A darker tint than the Guren Mark III. The immortal noticed that the fingers had sharp tips, like claws. But it wasn't the main means for attack unlike the huge claw of the Guren.
"Can you hear us?" Cecile asked in the radio.
"Loud and clear." E2 replied as the unit was deployed from the airship.
"Okay, so this unit is supposed to be the fastest in record. But I wouldn't recommend going full speed, or else it could damage your organs. It's why we haven't tested it out yet even in a simulator. It needs to be capped." Lloyd explained.
"Who said I ever played fair, Zero?" Gerard asked when he finally stopped laughing.
"Did you forget something?" E2 chuckled.
"Right." The Earl sighed.
In a split second the red unit raced towards Kallen. There wasn't even a blur of color. E2 felt his entire body feel like it was turning into soup. But even so he didn't stop until he reached the bridge Kallen was fighting above. When he did stop his nose began bleeding profusely.
"What the...? Who is that?" Kallen noticed the new unit floating above. She had asked through the radio in hopes it was an ally. Then again this unit screamed of Lloyd.
"No time to explain." E2 replied as he gathered himself to aid her.
Wordlessly they worked together in perfect synchronization. When the enemy units tried to use a beam on the Guren, the immortal was instantly in front of her. And because he was immortal the power held no effect on him.
"That thing is fast!" Kallen commented on the new unit.
"That's all it is? Just a beam? No command from the pilots themselves?" E2 frowned at this observation.
Or maybe they said it, but never reached the outside. But this was strange. Every Geass is different. How can it be the same for all of these units that can use a beam? Unless it was all rigged to be from one Geass in particular?
At any rate, the two of them managed to finally eliminate the enemies. Unfortunately her unit was wiped out just as he arrived. It was fortunate she had remained alive.
"Consider this my apology. Now, will you help me save Zero?" E2 asked her. His nose was still bleeding.
"Yes!" Kallen accepted.
She followed him. And she noticed that he was aiming straight for Zero. Kallen was briefly confused when she noticed the number currently fighting Zero.
"We're a bit outnumbered! Shouldn't we help some of the other Knights of the Round to fight?" Kallen asked.
"We don't have enough time! Besides, I may have a trick up my sleeve." E2 assured.
As they drew closer the immortal gave clear instructions.
"You protect his back. I protect his front. And let me do the talking."
"What if they try to use Geass on me?" Kallen worried.
"Just have faith in me, will you?" E2 sighed.
Briefly Kallen wanted to argue. However, she decided to bite her tongue. She knew he was good at least getting on people's nerves. So perhaps he was planning to become a main target.
Wait...will he really reveal himself as immortal? Kallen wondered.
They joined the battle. As instructed Kallen placed herself back to back with Zero. In front E2 faced Gerard. The four units paused, confused. They all recognized the Gurren, but not the other unit.
"Hm? Zero's right hand, the Guren Mark III. And who is this?" Gerard addressed.
"Does this unit have a name?" E2 asked Lloyd.
"Actually, not currently. Nothing besides Speed Demon." The Earl replied.
"What? I told you not to join!" Zero forgot he was still on all channels.
"Oh? Then you're someone important. Rosalie, Geass them." Gerard ordered.
A rose colored and elegant Knightmare Frame moved to face the blood red unit. A beam was casted. Zero closed his eyes just in case. E2 studied the beam. It seemed to come from the eyes and a circle in the center of the chest. A projection that would give a wide angle.
And then he heard it as he focused.
Obey my order, and all will be at peace. Turn on my enemies and become my sword that lights the darkness.
It was a soft female voice. One E2 didn't recognize. Strangely it made him think of someone who was groomed to believe she was a queen.
"What?" Rosalie backed away, confused when the silent enemy didn't turn on Zero.
"I see. So you have the Code. That means Zero has Geass, too if you're going to great lengths to involve yourself into protecting him." Gerard was both amused and unhappy with this.
"I protect Zero because I believe in his dream for world peace! Whether or not he has a contract from me doesn't matter. I am taking my stand to aid him as he becomes the hand that changes the world for the better!" E2 declared.
For a split second Kallen thought she was listening to Lelouch. But his voice was older, not as high pitched. But still over the radio it was strange. Even his choice of words was similar.
"Take down the immortal. But make sure to leave the Code for me to take." Gerard ordered.
The four Knightmare Frames advanced towards E2. Before anyone could even react, the blood red Knightmare Frame raised both arms outward. Then the fingers were extended to jab all four units and pierce through.
E2 then activated a secret power. With the Code he can get into someone's head. He can make them see their inner demons and go into a full blown psychotic breakdown.
However this was the first time E2 was attempting this through a Knightmare Frame. So he wasn't sure how effective it will be. And to top it off he was about to try on four individuals.
Under his shirt the Code flashed vibrantly. And the four pilots stopped what they were doing as the power hit them. E2 saw all of their sins, their regrets, their deepest secrets. It hit him all at once that it was hard to concentrate.
"What the hell!? What's going on?" Gerard began to panic.
"What are you waiting for, girl? Whatever you do don't hit them physically." E2 gasped through the private channel. His nose had finally stopped bleeding a few minutes ago, but now it continued from the strain his Code was under.
Finally the shock gave way and Kallen moved. She changed to be above them all. Her claw glowed to fire up. But she realized that would take too long if Gerard decided to get involved. So as it was getting ready she fired missiles at the cockpits.
They exploded upon impact, except for one. Three began to fall down to the Earth. So that last remaining one became the target for the Guren's most powerful attack. She took aim and it hit the cockpit successfully.
"What is happening?" Gerard was having too much of a panic to react accordingly. And it costed him greatly.
Zero had picked up on the strategy. The Merlin became invisible soon as the Guren moved. Then suddenly the Merlin revealed itself behind Gerard. And the man's sensors alerted him to an enemy behind him.
"Surrender now or you die." Zero meant it.
"All right. I surrender - " Suddenly Gerard gasped. And then he completely changed his tune. "No! I refuse to disobey! I must never surrender! I must fight until my last breath!"
He turned to face Zero. In that instance they all knew that he was under a Geass order. One that was triggerrd if he ever surrendered. Which left them no choice but to kill him.
In unison they attacked. And Gerard's unit exploded. The pieces fell. They took a moment to watch with mixed emotions. Then there was a horror soon as they heard explosions all over.
Zero turned to watch. And to his dismay the enemy Knightmare Frames were killing themselves. The pilots were all killing themselves. An order from Geass, most likely, triggered by their leader being defeated.
"What a waste..." Zero spoke mostly to himself.
"Our men are returning to normal." Kallen reported, watching as they began to act confused. And most likely experience memory loss about the majority of the battle.
"Good. Which of you will be joining them to the airship? The other will be accompanying me to the Prime Minister." Zero turned to his companions.
"I don't think they would like to meet me covered in blood." E2 made light of the situation.
The dizziness was beginning to leave him. Already he was healing from the earlier effects of going what he guessed was close to the speed of light. Or if not then definitely faster than any human body could withstand. He just wished the nosebleed would stop.
"Are you all right?" Zero was alarmed.
"I will be fine." E2 assured.
Zero left it at that and gave the orders. Kallen joined him to check on those in power in London. Meanwhile E2 joined the remaining army that joined for this mission.
