OK Number 36 - Reckoning
Not for the first time, Lelouch slapped his disobedient right arm, hanging limp as it dragged at the table while he pulled away to encourage it to fall by his side. The now redundant appendage eventually was pulled away from its stuck position, allowing Lelouch to briefly evaluate his appearance.
Black tie and a stern appearance gave Lelouch a reflective confidence, but his broken nose, flopping arm, and residual face bruises took away just as his own efforts gave, and one could not afford to show any weakness when approaching Charles Zi Britannia, patriarch of the entire sport and an intimidating mountain of a man. Lelouch had met him in a private setting only twice, and was not eager to repeat the experience. He would hold all the power in negotiations, and there was nothing that could amend that, and so you were inherently at his mercy, an idea Lelouch could not bear. Lacking power in negotiations was akin to prison to him; your actions and initiative were dictated by the opposing party, and Charles was a stern warden.
As the saying went, it was Charles' world, they all just drove in it.
However, Lelouch now had to go to see him, and force himself into a position of indebtedness. It was about as unpleasant a meeting as he could imagine, short of a second round in the ring with Kallen, though he didn't even dare contemplate such a thing, lest he find himself tunnelling out or starting to sweat in anxiety.
Instead, he moved to his left towards the looming door, knocking with his left hand before being told, not invited, to enter by a booming voice from the inside. Moving on this, Lelouch pulled the door open towards him before moving aside to step through, craning about to enter the room proper.
Charles, sudden and large, was the first thing Lelouch saw, stood right at the doorframe as Lelouch looked inside. It was almost as if he had appeared out of nowhere in front of him, such was the illusion created by the effect. Lelouch felt quite put off by the sudden nature of his appearance, which he doubted was accidental; Charles hoped to unsettle, to unnerve, to gain any advantage he could. Not that he needed to, but the CEO of the sport was not one to leave any stone unturned.
Not to be visibly deterred, Lelouch hid his surprise with a nod, as if expecting the move, however he had no proper response when Charles smiled in turn and extended his right arm to its full length, offering it in a handshake.
Lelouch knew Charles knew that Lelouch no longer had use of his right arm, and so, as he was forced to extend his left and force Charles to change his hands, he acknowledged it was not accidental. Charles had forced Lelouch to inconvenience Charles by making him switch hands due to his injury, placing Lelouch in a position of social weakness. The Frenchman's blood boiled as Charles shook his hand. The mind games were at once frustratingly trivial and hatefully infuriating to lose, as it seemed as if Charles had had to accommodate him, and thus would have less obligation to accommodate him again. It was ridiculous pop psychology, but Charles swore by it, and as they released their handshake Lelouch couldn't help but feel as if he had lost in something more material than just the wild imaginings of a fat lunatic.
In any case, Lelouch tried to put it out of his mind as he followed Charles through the room towards his desk. It was darkly lit, with brown and red carpentry taking centre stage, almost like an ancient manor or a theatre. Lelouch was half expecting to be served popcorn.
However, as he approached the centre of the room he was told to stop where he stood by Charles, whose back was turned towards the desk. He obeyed, halting in the middle of the carpet as the other man scoured through his desk in front of him. Charles kept him standing awkwardly for some time, before he finally pulled out a set of sheets and dropped them on the desk.
Lelouch then moved forward to sit at the seat in front of the desk, however he was stopped by a raised hand, Charles stopping him from approaching.
"Stay stood in the centre where I can see you."
Lelouch was silent for a moment, before nodding and stepping back, though with hidden gritted teeth. Satisfied, Charles stood at his desk, able to take in Lelouch's entire form from a distance before beginning with "So, you have come with a request."
Irritated by the framing of the issue, Lelouch tried to press back by saying "I intend to return the Rosenberg team to the grid, and make sure that the front of the field has a competitive team. You have an interest in creating a competitive grid, and I have done the leg work for you. I seek only permission, not action."
"Yes, I've heard." Charles replied. "You've been a busy little bee, however you are mistaken if you believe I owe you anything. I know of several bodies corporate who are interested in buying out the Rosenberg assets, and can turn to them at any time without having to bother myself with you."
Charles was not wrong; while Schneizel had gotten cold feet, Lelouch was not alone in competing to take over Rosenberg. Lelouch did not believe that Charles would give the bid to someone coming in from the outside, however there was no way the towering man would not use this fact to gain some advantage. However, Lelouch was ready to counter this.
"In one day and out the other, they will be as committed to the sport as Schneizel." Lelouch responded. "This teams only hope is someone who knows the sport and is able to navigate its finances."
"You say you can navigate finances, but you're at my door asking for money."
"No, I'm asking permission to tap into a prohibited source." Lelouch countered.
Charles grimaced, shaking his head, before replying simply with "So I've heard."
"What did V.V. do to you?"
"We were partners for years, as close as brothers." Charles explained. "He was the technical director of what was then Akasha Racing and I was the manager. At the end of the 1980 season I discovered that he had systematically stolen thousands of pages of technical details, documents, and blueprints from no less than three other teams to incorporate into the design process. I fired him immediately and was forced to concede the championship, and made sure once I was in office to punish him. Of course, you would have no issue working with someone like that, but I could not tolerate such a betrayal of my trust in his integrity, as he went behind my back and placed the entire team at risk. Why you would..."
The tall businessman, not appearing quite finished, nonetheless stopped talking for a moment as he seemed to realise something. After contemplating for several moments, he moved to approach Lelouch, walking up to the exposed figure before beginning to circle about him and inspecting him from all angles while Lelouch stayed still. He felt like a piece of meat, especially as Charles began to poke at his right arm.
"It's a shame about your body." he commented, as it failed to twitch or even responded beyond a sway, akin to a pendulum. Finishing his lap of the Frenchman, he moved back towards his desk, commenting as he walked away "It must have hurt considerably."
Uncertain where this was going, Lelouch replied honestly by saying "Very much so. It still does to quite a degree."
"And you must be quite angry with Kallen over the incident."
Frowning at this, not appreciating the feeling of uncertainty as to the direction of the conversation, replied simply with "Quite so."
Charles looked grave, with an uncharacteristic sincerity as he sat at the lip of his desk, facing Lelouch for the first time while sat. He looked uncharacteristically conciliatory, as if finding what he was about to say distasteful.
"The thing is, it's a good story. An injured driver comes back to finish what he started as a team director? One that was seen as conniving and political to boot? I can sell that to television networks with ease. It's a classic story."
Lelouch maintained his composure, but internally smiled as he realised that Charles was open to the idea of a Lamperouge-operated Rosenberg, feeling as if he was able to grasp success.
"The reason I ask about your injuries…" Charles began, shifting the mood towards something more pontifical before stopping and starting again. "I have a dilemma. A dilemma you can solve. Given that you are in a position of needing my help, I feel it is only fair that you do something for me."
Lelouch nodded. This was more what he expected from Charles. Part exchange was his primary modus operandi, even if it was generally not favoured towards the not-Charles party. Even so, this familiarity was comforting to Lelouch, as he had some expertise in this area himself.
"I am not, however, in any way inclined towards lifting the bar on V.V." Charles continued. "I find the very idea repulsive. That being said, I am not above an equitable settlement. I would ask of you something I do not doubt you will find repulsive."
Apprehensive, Lelouch's eyes widened, as Charles finished his proposal.
"I would like you to, tomorrow, call a press conference and publicly forgive Kallen Kōzuki for her assault at Interlagos. Then, I will remove the ban on V.V."
Lelouch baulked, his neutral expression finally breaking as his mouth fell open and facial muscles releasing. His eyes shot open wide in shock, and his breath escaped him in a silent gasp. Stuttering, he could only manage to ask "What?"
"You will forgive Kallen Kōzuki in public tomorrow at a-"
"I heard what you said." Lelouch responded, too outraged to bother with his normal concerns of interrupting the hand that fed him, continuing "But… what? Why? What do you need me to do that for?"
"As I said, I have a dilemma that you can solve." Charles explained, calmly laying out his thoughts while ignoring Lelouch's visible shock. "This sport needs to make money just as much as any of the individual teams. While you get money from sponsors for teams, the sport at large also gets overarching sponsors and television deals that allow us to broadcast the sport and keep it going. This depends on audience interest, which in turn depends on good television. Just as much as we need good racing, we need good storylines and characters. You returning as a manager is a good example of that."
"What does this have to do with Kallen?"
"Did you attend last years Japanese Grand Prix?"
Lelouch nodded, not following Charles' line of logic.
"Kallen Kozuki is at present one of our most identifiable drivers. At her home Grand Prix there was a positive frenzy, and internationally she was very marketable given her personality, dramatic driving style, and rivalry with Suzaku. However, she is currently looking for a drive, and is facing difficulty."
Lelouch nodded, commenting "Rightly so.", struggling to find any sympathy.
Charles frowned at his aside, not approving, before continuing "I have spoken to the team directors and have tried to convince them to at least consider her. Many did not, however at present she is a candidate for the Camelot team. The only condition they provided, which I could not shake, was that she would have to make you apologise in public."
Lelouch imperceptibly shook his head as he saw where this was going. He would allow Kallen back into the sport by his actions, actively endorsing her and singlehandedly facilitating her drive. His face, he knew, was a horrified one, but he could not avoid it. It was nightmarish to consider.
"I am not one to leave things to chance, and so am eager to close the loop. Rather than risk you making your own choice and jeopardising a potential saleable plot line, I would prefer to secure an arrangement internally."
"I won't do it."
Lelouch spoke the words on an instinct, uttering them straight out of the depths of his subconscious, barely aware of his lips moving or throat contracting, however, he stood by it even as Charles, not used to being defied, shifted into an angered posture, adopting a furious expression, and Lelouch continued.
"I will not go out there and do that. Can you imagine how humiliating that would be? I have dignity!"
"No you don't."
Lelouch stood back, again shocked as Charles, speaking in the purest deadpan, rejected Lelouch's thesis.
"You have no dignity. You never did. You have consistently traded any dignity you earn for prizes, and are fundamentally a worm. What was dignified in your backroom deals with Taizo Kirihara? Or Mildred and Reuben Ashford? What was dignified in trying to crash out another driver to finish higher in the championship? You have hidden behind what happened to you immediately afterwards, but do not pretend you are anything other than a snakelike chameleon. Trust me, it takes one to know one. Acting as if, suddenly, you have grown a spine where one never existed before is disingenuous."
Lelouch's blood boiled, as he roared back "How dare you! I will not allow my siblings to see me-"
Ignoring Lelouch, Charles spoke over him, forcing the Frenchman to concede as he bellowed "Are you seriously telling me you are going to let the Rosenberg staff become unemployed, or go into the hands of an outsider, just because of your pride? It never concerned you when you were protecting your family. Don't try to lie to yourself. Your whole career has consisted a series of lies, masks, and deals. To take a stand and proclaim your outrage at degrading yourself is absurd, particularly after you, in 2016, paraded around a football field naked at the behest of Mildred Ashford in Hungary."
By this point, the enormous Charles was almost upon Lelouch, as the sticklike man was forced back, beginning to feel a sense of physical fear at being shouted down to by the dominating presence. Charles pointed above Lelouch towards the door, and continued.
"If you want to bring V.V into the fold and save Rosenberg, this is what you must do. Until you do, we have no further business. Get out. If I know you, you'll be hosting the press conference within the week."
"What did you say to Lelouch ~ Naoto"
Kallen did not understand what the text meant, and sat puzzled for five minutes attempting to decipher its meaning. It was the first contact she had had from her brother in weeks, and seemed wholly put of the blue until she received a second text, this time from Gino.
"Welcome to the team! I knew you could do it!"
She frowned. Tying Lelouch in with Gino's welcoming of her to the team, she could guess that he had said something that related to her, however she had no idea what it was until she turned on the television and switched to the news, which was showing Lelouch standing at a podium.
In a word, he looked horrible. He looked like he had not slept in days, his eyes were red, and he was visibly agitated. Nonetheless, he was hosting a press conference despite his condition, and Kallen paid close attention to what he was saying.
"… and as such, given some… reflection I've done, I've seen that I did quite a bit to aggravate the situation, and hope that, just as Kallen has done work to reconcile with me, I can try to reconcile with her, and that we can reform a friendship with this incident as water under the bridge. This begins with forgiveness, and as such, given her sincerity, I forgive Kallen for what she did. I have informed her of this privately, however I wanted to share that there is absolutely no animosity between us. I hope she can get a seat for next year, as she is a top tier talent. Trust me, I raced against her."
Kallen shook her head. He hadn't contacted her once, and given their last meeting there had been no indication he was in any way taken towards forgiving her. He was right not to. She could only wonder what had made him do this. It was absolutely surreal to watch. It could hardly be of his own volition; he would never allow it, and given his state, it was doubtless that there were other forces at work.
Why on earth was he doing that? For her benefit? Doubtful. How did Lelouch stand to gain?
Charles is so diabolically cruel in canon that it's hard to transpose that onto this setting without it being buffoonish and unrealistic, so I hope I was able to turn up the abusive- both physically and in terms of power- elements without being cartoonish. As we're all aware, individuals at the heads organisations are plenty capable of using their position towards extremely unscrupulous ends, however I'll allow you to read as much or as little as you desire.
Returning to Lelouch, he's demonstrated both in this universe and canon he's plenty willing, indeed sometimes overeager, to become a sacrificial lamb, and trying to reconcile that self-sacrificial paternalism with his trauma from Kallen was great fun, perhaps some of the most interesting things I've tried to write about in this fic from a character perspective.
Please be sure to tell me what you think! Excited that Kallen has a seat? Would you have made the same decision as Lelouch? Let me know!
~Eth0