The Living Lie
I'll be honest, if this story ever gets continued, it won't be for some time. At least, it will only get one or two updates now and then. Unless its really well received, then I'll think about it. I just really felt like putting this out there. I've held onto the idea for a long while now,
Chapter 1: Stagnant World
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"I love playing against the nobility! When they lose they always pay out of pride." The blue-haired schoolboy commented with a cheerful grin. "By the way, eight minutes thirty-two seconds is a new record."
"He also didn't have much time to move either." Lelouch replied to his friend with a plain expression, hardly revelling in the simple victory he had just taken from that haughty man moments before. "As far as opponents go, the nobles are tepid. They're just over-privileged parasites that's all."
"Then why don't you challenge one of the elevens? They're nothing like us Britannians!" Rivalz suggested, running ahead of him. An eleven? His thoughts drifted to the one and only time in which he played chess with one who was once called a Japanese. Rather, tried to would be more accurate. Perhaps playing shogi might prove to be a satisfying alternative. It's not like he was in it for the money.
"We apologize for the delay. His highness, third prince of the empire Clovis la Britannia, will now address the nation." The giant TV display set upon one of the towering structures of the settlement soon broadcasted for all to see the speech given by 'his highness.' Honestly, Lelouch found his once favored brother to be a sorrowful sight. Preaching before him with crocodile tears and a false conviction. It was painfully obvious to the exiled prince that Area Eleven in which Clovis was governing was a shoddily patched mess of corruption and decadence. And he, like everyone else, turned a blind eye to the gradually decaying world around them as it fell into ruin. What else could he do? No matter how hard you try there's no way to do it; you can't change the world.
Soon after, the two students were back on the road, coasting at a not so legal speed. Lelouch kept one eye on his book, and another for any roaming police that might make their trip back more a hassle than it needed to be.
"That move back there, why did you start with the king?" His friend asked.
Why indeed. The answer itself was simple, and he replied as such. But why was that? Did he want to be the king that led undaunted from the front? Or was it his own hubris criticizing the world he so despised. At the end of the day nothing would come of it, he knew better no matter how much he judged the wrongs around him. Such was the realization when naive idealism is crushed underfoot by reality. Yet he battled a personal war between an idealistic future and the reality of pragmatism. Any remnant of his youthful innocence died seven years ago, crushed underfoot along with the nation he once lived in. It happened to everyone, sooner or later, though maybe not to the degree the exiled prince felt. But that was the reality of his situation, he had no future in this stagnant world.
A horn directly behind them ripped him from his thoughts, as his friend swerved to avoid the aggressive truck that intended to plow straight through them. The truck then decided the better option was to cut sharply off the road, crashing into a construction site.
The two boys stopped at the edge of the road, watching the aftermath with baffled expressions. "Was that…our fault?"
Lelouch shook his head, dumbfounded. "I don't think so." Truthfully he had no idea what to make of the situation. He could think of a handful of reasons, none of which a couple of students should get involved with. Still, he shouldn't just…
"Jeez, Lelouch I think the fuel line is cut." Rivalz shot out to him, having gone to examine the bike. He sighed. They'd have a hell of a time explaining this.
Sparing the spectacle one last glance, and frowning at the gathering crowd, he turned away. He couldn't risk the attention, being noticed by the wrong person. Whoever they were, it wasn't his problem to deal with them.
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It took them well over an hour to finally wheel their bike back to Ashford. Lunch, not to mention the next period, was well over. The two agreed to omit the presence of the truck, opting to pin the blame on a faulty part. Lelouch doubted the other driver would be coming to refute their claim. All the same, they were given the proper reprimand, nothing new. It was hardly the first time they had returned late, often with worse excuses.
"That was really something though, huh Lelouch?" Rivalz commented as they entered the council room. "What do you think that was about?"
The other boy shook his head. "Who can say? A lunatic of some sort, at least." Though he wondered of course just what kind of desperation would lead the driver to careen off the road. Suddenly curious, he wondered if the event was at all newsworthy. Turning on the TV, he cycled through the news channels.
"Traffic restrictions in Shinjuku?" He muttered. "Nothing about an accident taking out a construction site? There were other people there."
"That's good right? No one's saying anything about it." Rivalz added with a nervous smile.
"Yeah...I suppose so." Still, he couldn't shake the feeling he was missing something big here. Just what however, he hadn't the slightest idea.
He had no way of knowing just how irrevocably he had changed the outcome of his life.
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This was not at all how Kallen imagined this day would turn out. Sure, she knew the risks, it was a dangerous mission after all. But for it to all go this horribly wrong. It wasn't fair, not after Naoto. She hoped to honor his memory, carry out the mission in his place, and save thousands of Japanese lives. Now she couldn't even save herself.
The other knightmare was faster than her. Down an arm she couldn't hope to match it once it caught up to her. She was buying time at this point, hoping the others could regroup before they were cut off. The forces that had come to stop them were overwhelming, victory-let alone survival- seemed impossible.
And there would be no miracle to save them.
Kallen screamed out as a harken hit her frame hard. "Dammit, not like this!" Her assailant was upon her in seconds, stun tonfa raised to deliver the death blow. She raised her only arm barely in time to save herself, losing it as well in the process. She had no choice, she was finished. Desperately reaching for the ejection lever, she escaped from certain death. For how long however, she was uncertain.
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"The blast was mainly directed upward, but it seems to have disguised her retreat, milord." Clovis heard through the crackling of his radio. "The terrorists in the area have been dealt with, she's on her own now. She won't get far."
"See to it." The Viceroy snapped. "Tear down the entire area to find her if you have to."
Disastrous as it was, Clovis believed the situation to be under control. These rebels were putting up a futile resistance, and couldn't hope to escape from his wrath. He just needed a bit of patience, and this little scare would be right as rain.
"Lord Gottwald has dispatched the enemy knightmare your highness, there are no more armored threats."
He smiled, good news already.
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Kallen returned to the warehouse that was their meeting point, to find a sorrowful sight. What was likely the few civilians still left, barely numbered more than their own fighters. Tamaki was arguing with some woman, making a fool of himself, and certainly not helping the mood. She found Ohgi among them, and made her way to him. Upon noticing the redhead, his expression relaxed ever so slightly.
"Kallen, I'm glad to see you're safe. When you lost the Glasgow I was worried you didn't make it." Ohgi greeted her.
"I'm fine, what's the situation?" She brushed his concern off. They weren't out of this yet.
"Not good, Clovis really went all out on this one. There's a whole encirclement of knightmares around the ghetto. There's no getting out, and it's only a matter of time before they find us here." Ohgi explained grimly. "I knew this was risky from the start, but this level of retaliation? Not even the JLF ever got such a treatment. Just what in the hell did we steal from him?"
"Did Nagata ever make it back?" She asked, fearing she already knew the answer.
He shook his head, confirming her fears. "We haven't heard anything, it's safe to say we won't."
Suddenly, he placed both his hands on Kallen's shoulders, locking her in place with a serious gaze. "Listen Kallen, you need to get out of here while you can. The rest of us will buy you as much time-"
"No way, I won't leave you guys!" She objected, breaking free of her friend's grasp.
"You're the only one who has any chance of getting out of here alive, living a normal life free of all this." He pressed on. "And I...I can't face Naoto having caused your death too. Please Kallen."
"Don't make me, please…" she weakly protested. But the looks the rest of her friends gave her, having resigned to their fates. They were ready to give their lives for hers. She couldn't say no to that.
"It's too late for us Kallen. But you still have a chance."
Unable to meet his eyes anymore, she hung her head. "Alright." She relented, holding back tears.
"Hurry, before they close in on us. Use your family name, anything you have to. Just get out of here alive. Promise me that you won't look back." He held her one last time, and unable to form words, she simply nodded.
Ohgi pushed her away. "Go, now."
Heeding his words, Kallen rushed through the crowd of civilians, not daring to look any of them in the eye. Pressing the rusted door open, she returned to the smoke and death outside. She quickly surveyed her surroundings for any knightmares or foot soldiers, finding the lack of them more distressing.
It wasn't long before an explosion behind her broke the restless silence. Gunfire soon after, but only for a fleeting moment. Tears began to freely flow, as silence reigned once more.
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"She's gone?!"
The viceroy raged at the news, his terrifying visage towering over the captain who brought news of his failure.
"The entire area was shut off, there is no way she could have gotten past the perimeter!" Clovis seethed. "So where is she?!"
Cowering at his master's outburst, the royal guard captain responded. "We found and eradicated every last terrorist in the area my lord. It's possible that her body has yet to be accounted for, and there are many decrepit buildings she could-"
"I do not want to hear excuses from you captain!" Do you not understand your position? An entire ghetto was just wiped out to secure her, and she is not before me now." His voice lowered, but far more threatening.
"We will continue to search for her, your highness." He stammered out.
"You will not rest until every rock is turned. and the encirclement will remain until she is found, no matter how long it takes!"
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It felt like an eternity, stumbling across desolate rubble and empty ruins. Even before, it was a dreary sight, but now it was nothing but an apocalyptic wasteland. It was nothing more than a miracle that Kallen hadn't been gunned down already, before she even had a chance to protest. It wasn't long however, before she came face to face with a Britannian death machine, it's factsphere giving her nowhere to hide.
"W-wait, stop!" She called out in a panicked English. "I'm Britannian, my father is Count Stadtfeld!"
She hated, despised using his name, but she knew it was her only card play, her only way to survive.
"A noble?" The pilot asked, clearly confused, and for a painful moment, Kallen was afraid she would be killed anyway. But to her great relief, the hatch opened, and A dark skinned woman climbed out, gun at the ready. Her hands still raised, Kallen watched apprehensively as the older woman warily approached her.
"What are you doing in a place like this, don't you know what's going on?" The woman asked her, a frown on her lips.
"I was taken hostage, by terrorists. They took me from the settlement, and brought me all the way here." Kallen lied, frantically coming up with a story. She desperately hoped the fear she couldn't control was interpreted toward her would be captors. "The two who were watching me were killed by an explosion, and I managed to free myself before anyone else came."
"I see." The Britannian woman replied, thankfully seeming convinced. "Do you have your ID with you, that could help me confirm your situation."
Infinitely grateful her brother constantly nagged her about having it with her in case of raids, she was able to fish out the card that proved she wasn't an eleven terrorist. After handing it to her, the woman lowered her gun, all sense of hostility gone. "Don't worry, Miss Stadtfeld, I'll see to it you'll get out of here safely." She assured her. "Most of the threats in the area have been dealt with, but you can ride with me. My name is Viletta Nu miss."
Kallen thanked Viletta, and followed her into the cockpit of the woman's knightmare. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief once she was inside. Somehow, by some grace of the gods, she was still alive.
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"Did you see the news big brother? It was terrible."
Helping his younger sister into her bed, Lelouch nodded. "It is, but we can be grateful the gas wasn't used here in the settlement. A lot of people could have died."
"That's true. But I wish people would stop fighting. I know it's a naive fancy, but I really do."
He gave a sad smile Nunnally could not see. "There's nothing wrong with that Nunna."
"I wish the world was a gentler place." The small girl said, her genuine desire one she could never hope to attain.
"When the day comes that you can see again, I'm sure it will be." He told her.
"You think so?" She asked.
"I do." He replied with a simple answer.
"That would make me happy. Even if it's impossible."
Even if it took an entire lifetime, he would search for a way to grant his sister's wish. If he had the power to do it, he would move heaven and earth. But that was the simple truth: he was powerless. Just as much now as back then, he knew it. No matter how hard you try, there's no way to do it. You can't change the world.
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