Diana knelt by the green haired girl in the warehouse full of Britannian and Eleven corpses.
"I don't understand what it is you wanted me to do." Diana started, "Why did you give me this bizarre power?"
The blonde closely observed the girl and noticed something. Wait, that's not- Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of an explosion near the entrance of the warehouse. Diana shot to her feet, turned on her heels, and watched as a purple Sutherland appeared through the smoke. The Knightmare's head opened up to reveal a factsphere, a sensor camera used to gather visual data. The factsphere pointed around the warehouse, and then to Diana, who stood her ground and glared upon the machine. Suddenly the loudspeakers of the Sutherland sounded.
"What happened here girl?" The female's voice from inside questioned, "And why is a Britannian student in a place like this?" After a second of waiting for Diana's response the voice continued.
"Are you deaf? Answer me or I'll-" She lit up the wall behind Diana with the machine's handheld rifle in an act of intimidation, "Answer me!"
Diana, who stood unfazed by the rifle fire, narrowed her eyes.
"I order you to come out." She started, while activating her geass, "At once!"
"Who the hell do you think you are to order me?" The female Knightmare pilot questioned. I see. It only works with direct eye contact. Diana reasoned.
"My name is Caitlin Spacer, my father's a duke." Diana lied, while putting her hands in the air, "My ID card's in my breast pocket. After you confirm who I am, I'll request your protection."
The sound of the Knightmare powering down, and the compressed air spewing from behind it made clear that the ruse had worked. The pilot slid down on the escape rope, pistol in hand, and once on the ground continued.
"Keep your hands up in the air, I'll take out your ID." She ordered.
"Now then," Diana began, while reactivating her geass, "Hand your Knightmare, and gun over to me."
The pilot stopped dead in her tracks, then slacked, before flipping her pistol in a gesture of handing it over to Diana.
"Understood," The woman started, while Diana grabbed the key, and the pistol from her. "The code number is XG21G2D4."
"Got it." Diana stated, as she put the pistol's barrel to the back of the woman's head, then pulled the trigger.
"So are we having a bad day?" Croix queried, her eyes, behind thick glasses, mere inches from Akko's face. The Japanese girl in question's eyes shot open, and she took a deep breath in.
"Looks like you missed your chance to go to heaven, private Kagari." The lilac haired woman stood straight up again, hands on her hips as she observed the shirtless Japanese girl, who had bandages all along her upper torso.
"I did?" The brunette questioned, while trying to get herself upright, which caused her to stop halfway, and make a pained noise, before continuing. Once upright, she looked around her surroundings, and noticed she was in a very sterile environment, medical supplies, and red crosses adorned many aspects of the room.
"Where?" Akko finished.
"Hmm?" Croix took a minute to process the question, "Oh. We're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto."
"With Prince Clovis nearby this is probably the safest place anywhere." Chariot stated, while grabbing a handkerchief off the table nearby. "This is what saved your life, Ms. Atsuko."
On the handkerchief rested a small pocketwatch, the pocketwatch had a bullethole in it's face, which cracked the glass, the bullethole extended throughout the entire watch.
"You're lucky it was under your protective suit because that's what slowed the bullet." Croix stated, adjusting her glasses a bit.
"Is it a keepsake?" Chariot asked, when she noticed Akko staring at it with sorrow on her face.
"Hmm?" Akko started, "Oh... Yes... Very."
"You Elevens believe that gods live inside of everything, even objects, don't you?" Croix recited from her limited knowledge of Japanese culture. "I guess this one–" She was cut off.
"Did Dian-" Akko blurted out, before thinking better of it, "What's the latest on the situation?"
"It looks like the poison gas was released." Croix lied, "Massive Eleven casualties have been reported."
"They haven't caught the perpetrators yet." Chariot added the slight truth to the lie.
"They haven't, huh?" Akko began, "Not yet?"
"Private Kagari, how much experience do you have in piloting a Knightmare frame?" Croix questioned, a smirk making it's way onto her face.
"But there's no way an Eleven would be made a knight." Akko retorted.
"Well, supposing you could?" Croix queried, holding up the key to a Knightmare.
The sight of a Britannian armored vehicle gunning down Japanese civilians, was soon met with a slash harken. Once the harken dug into the vehicle it was over, the harken retracted, and the vehicle lit up in a glorious explosion. The harken retracted back into the red Glasgow that had fired it.
"Those damn Britannians!" The pilot cried out, teary eyed.
"Amanda!" The radio within the cockpit sounded, "Can the Glasgow still move?"
"Don't worry Ohgi!" Amanda responded, "It's alright, I'll distract them! Get the people outta here! We mustn't allow innocents to be captured for what we did!"
"I know... But we're trapped..." Ohgi replied dejectedly, "They've got us completely surrounded..."
The Glasgow sped down a ruined roadway, and turned to the sky before releasing the slash harken at a low flying chopper. The sound of landspinners came from behind, Amanda knew she had to retreat, so she rode forward, away from oncoming Knightmare fire.
"Just thirty minutes left..." Amanda stated dejectedly, listening as her Knightmare's low charge alarm beeped. The beeping was drowned out by the sound of the radio coming to life.
"The west entrance." Diana's voice echoed into Amanda's cockpit. "Use the tracks to move to the west entrance."
"Who the hell's this?" Amanda shouted in response, "How do you know this code?"
"That doesn't matter." Diana stated, "If you wanna win, you're just gonna have to trust me."
The Glasgow approached the tracks that led to the west entrance, To win?, Amanda questioned silently, before maneuvering her Knightmare into jumping onto the overhead tracks, and heading westward.
"Okay, what am I supposed to do now?" Amanda asked, while speeding down the track, knowing full well the two Knightmares from earlier are hot on her tail.
"Since you trusted me, you're gonna win." Diana stated calmly, "Jump onto that train."
Amanda made the machine leap onto the oncoming train, and began speeding down the top of it. When she turned the Glasgow around she saw that one of the Sutherlands had been destroyed midair by two slash harkens. Knowing this was her chance, Amanda sped back down the train to destroy the remaining Sutherland.
"What's your name and unit." The Sutherland called out to a nearby building, where Amanda saw the faintest hint of a Sutherland poking out.
When the enemy Sutherland was fired upon by the one in the building, and Amanda was nearing the target, she let out a battlecry over the loudspeakers, and watched as the enemy Sutherland's cockpit ejected. Amanda landed next to the cockpitless Sutherland and knelt her Knightmare down, before looking over toward the building that her ally was in.
"You saved me..." She started, "But how did you get ahold of a Sutherlan-" Amanda then noticed that the Sutherland in the building was missing, What? Amanda thought, Where did she go?
"Amanda!" Ohgi called out from somewhere nearby, when Amanda found him, he continued. "What the hell was that radio message earlier?"
"Ohgi?" Amanda began, "She contacted you too?"
"Sure did." Ohgi started, "And Yoshida's group oughta be here soon."
Just then the walkie talkie in Ohgi's hand sounded.
"Are you the one in charge?" Diana questioned.
"Huh?" Ohgi began, "Yeah, I'm in charge."
"The cargo in the train over there is yours." Diana started, "They will be the tools of your victory. However, if you wish to find said victory, then allow me to take control."
The resistance members began opening each car to find a mass of Sutherlands. Amanda looked on in shock at the amount of them.
"All this?" Amanda started, "But how?"
"Woman in the Glasgow." Diana called out to Amanda.
"Y-Yes?" Amanda answered.
"Stay where you are." Diana explained, "Your unit's gonna run decoy."
"Understood." Amanda replied.
"Recharge your energy fillers, in 10 minutes I will contact you with your next instructions." Diana finished her instructions.
In the cockpit of Diana's Sutherland she set her radio down, sighed, then rubbed her left temple.
"This is wearing me out." She breathed out, and snapped to attention at the sound of movement behind her.
The blonde relaxed when she realized the the movement was from inside the cockpit, she rested her hand on the pistol holstered in front of her, and cleared her throat.
"Have a nice sleep?" Diana questioned the green haired girl that rose from behind her seat.
"Could have been nicer." The girl stated, "You didn't have to stuff me in here with you. It's quite cramped."
The green haired girl crawled out from behind the seat, and sat on Diana's lap.
"There, much more comfortable." She teased, Diana sighed and shook her head.
Powering the Knightmare down, Diana opened the cockpit. The seat pulling far enough away from the controls to allow the girl to sit in front of the blonde at least semi comfortably.
"Now, I wish to ask you some questions." Diana stated.
"Go ahead." The green haired girl cradled her knees in her arms and looked Diana in the eyes.
"Alright, first off." Diana began, "What's your name?"
"C.C." The girl responded.
"Why's the military after you?"
"I was one of Clovis' 'pet projects'."
"Your regenerative abilities?"
"Yes."
"Alright then," Diana continued, "What's the deal with this geass you gave me?"
"Ah I see that you know that much." C.C. responded.
"I heard the name when you gave it to me, now answer me." Diana said, glancing down at the gun in her hand, and back to C.C.
"That's not a very ladylike threat to make now is it?" C.C. teased, "But alright, you have been gifted the power of queens, a geass that allows you to control anyone with absolute authority."
"I know that much, but why?" Diana questioned. "What's this contract you had me sign?"
"That's going to have to stay a secret for quite a while yet, but don't worry." C.C. started, then reassured Diana when she saw the gun jerk slightly, "I will tell you in time, but don't you have a battle to get back to?"
Diana checked the time, and sure enough 10 minutes had just passed, How long were you conscious? The blonde questioned silently, and watched as C.C. left the cockpit via the escape rope.
"I'll just take a seat over here, and get a view over the show." The green haired girl assured.
Diana slid her seat once more into the cockpit, and turned on the Knightmare, while waiting for the hatch to close behind her. She then pressed the button on her walkie talkie.
"P1, can you move?" Diana asked, "It operates basically the same as what you're used to."
"Can't you tell us who you are, at least your name?" Ohgi, P1, questioned.
"I can't do that. What if these signals are being intercepted?" Diana reasoned. "Anyway, if Q1 is on schedule, enemy Sutherlands, probably two of them, will reach you in 23 seconds. Shoot them through the wall."
Diana then paid close attention to her monitor, and watched as the Sutherlands she identified moved into the position of the ambush, then, right on time, the enemy blips were replaced by 'LOST' indicators. An ID signal can be a double edged sword. Besides, if the terrorists follow the orders I issue, my task at hand is sure to be completed. Diana silently recounted.
"P1, P4, P7, move a hundred meters to the right and fire your slash harkens toward 3 o'clock." Diana ordered over the radio.
"The enemy's moving towards G-28." A voice from within the Prince's command center called out.
"Send Laslo's Squad, I mean Glaubey's Squad!" Blackwell ordered.
"This means terrorists have our military weaponry?" Clovis muttered from his throne at the back of the room.
"Sir Glaubey has ejected!" Another military man called out from within the command room, as the screen showed 'LOST' where Glaubey's Knightmare once stood, and an ejection notice moved away from the point.
"His unit's been lost!" Called another.
"Change our codes, they're intercepting our transmission." Blackwell ordered.
"We already have sir, four times!" One of the commanders responded.
"Do it again!" Blackwell shouted.
"This failure is unacceptable!" Clovis bellowed, while standing from his throne.
"Forgive me." Blackwell asked of Clovis, suddenly the front screen of the command center came to life as a lilac haired woman appeared on screen.
"Good afternoon!" Called Croix.
"What is it?" Blackwell shouted, "We're in the middle of an operation!"
"I'd say it's time to deploy the ASEEC's special weapon." Croix suggested.
"We've no time for this right now!" Clovis shouted.
"We just lost Laslo's Squad!" One of the commanders shouted.
"So do it." Clovis ordered. "We'll have to bring up Quincey's squad."
"My Lord, that will break the encirclement." Blackwell attempted to reason.
"Reinforce the breach with some of the units guarding me." Clovis suggested. "All we know for certain is that enemy forces are here."
They watched as the units moved across the field toward a central point, what they reasoned to be the main terrorist forces.
"All right, send in Burts and the others too." Clovis ordered, a smile on his face as he turned toward Blackwell, believing his victory was assured.
"Concentrate our forces there." Clovis ordered, "Surround them."
"The enemy's main force is that center dot." Clovis addressed, looking at a purple dot that sat in the center of a plaza shown on screen. "Finish every one of them off!"
The dot disappeared as the units on screen got to the designated plaza.
"What? Where's the enemy?" Clovis shouted.
Suddenly, from where the center dot originated, 'LOST' markers replaced units, all 51 remaining units out in the field, disappeared from combat in what felt like an instant.
"Who in the hell am I up against? What if he's even better than Todo?" Clovis reminisced shakily, "Croix!" He shouted.
"Yes, Your Highness?" Croix responded, once more appearing on screen.
"Can it win?" Clovis began, "Will your toy beat them?"
"My Lord, please be so kind as to call it Solais." Croix corrected, then smirked.
"Z-01 Solais now activating. Solais activating. Releasing hatch." A voice over the ASEEC van's intercoms announced, "Z-01 Solais standby for activation. Pallet extension initiating."
Akko struggled to put on her piloting suit, when suddenly over her earpiece sounded Chariot.
"Did you read your manual? The redhead asked.
"Pretty much." Akko responded, then zipped up the suit.
"You scored at the top of the class in the simulator." Chariot congratulated.
"Hey, look. About what you told me earlier?" Akko questioned.
"Huh? Ah, it could be. But the possibility is nearly zero." Chariot responded.
"But that means there's still a chance, right?" Akko asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid that's true. Even so, you're not to do anything reckless." Chariot started, "The new system is not outfitted with an ejection mechanism."
"Okay, I understand Miss Chariot." Akko began, "That's it?" She asked looking at the behemoth that sat in front of her.
"Yes, the advanced weapon developed by us in the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps, Solais, the world's first seventh generation Knightmare Frame." Chariot confirmed.
The Knightmare stood at a massive 4.5 meters tall, and bore an aesthetically designed armor. The armor was gold, with the occasional blemish here and there, where an aquamarine sphere indented the design. The machine was beautiful to say the least, but Akko knew it's power had to be exponentially more than that of a Sutherland, as this was classified as a seventh generation Knightmare.
"Well, if you're ready, Atsuko, shall we proceed with the initial startup?" Croix asked over the headset.
"Initial startup. Now perceiving from phase twenty. Equipping energy filler." Chariot began listing off, "Confirm prestart. Energy filler now at full output. 30 seconds to reach critical voltage. Core Luminance, shifting phase."
Akko slid into the seat of the open Solais.
"Initiating devicer setup." Chariot stated, as Akko's seat was pulled into the Solais. "Confirming entry of devicer into Z-01. Individual ID registration confirmed. Confirm man-machine interface. Engage. Yggdrasil Resonance confirmed. Rejection Response, weak. Devicer's Stress Response, weak. All readings, nominal."
Akko grabbed the Solais' controls and readied for launch.
"Solais, activate ME-boost." Akko confirmed while pressing a few buttons within the cockpit.
"Solais," Chariot began, and Akko got the Solais into launching position, "Launch!"
Croix laughed boisterously as she watched Akko launch full speed out of the hanger.
"Running full throttle right out of the gate." She said over the headset. Cooler than the manual, with this... Akko praised silently, I can win!
Diana chuckled to herself as she watched the enemy numbers crumple.
"Another push and the checkpoint will fall." The blonde thought aloud.
"This is B group, reporting enemy presence." The radio in Diana's cockpit sounded. Hm? Reinforcements? The girl thought,Real battle is different, isn't it?
"Status?" She questioned B group's head.
"Everyone ejected, but they took out four units in nothing flat." The radio replied.
"Enemy numbers?" Diana asked.
"Just one. I think it's a new model." He started, "I've never seen anything like it-"
The radio silence caught Diana off guard, and she floundered for control over the situation. What's happening out there?
"Ma'am it reflects bullets!" One resistance member shouted over the radio.
"What?" The blonde demanded.
"What do we do?" A wild voice sounded over the radio, "Ishida! No!"
The radio cut out again, and Diana grimaced. Useless so called terrorists. She hissed internally, With all the resources they have, they're being beaten by one unit.
"N4, N5, hold there." Diana began, "When the rear units arrive, surround that thing."
"Gotcha!" N group's head replied.
Soon after Diana thought enough time had passed for the rear to arrive, when suddenly the radio cut in.
"We can't stop it!" The voice of N head called out.
"N units, what is it?" Diana called out, trying to get a response. What happened? The blonde silently questioned, Something I didn't foresee?
"Ah!" Ohgi sounded over the radio.
"P1! report!" Diana demanded, The enemy, can it really be just one unit?
Diana tried to contact any of the groups but was unsuccessful at doing so, when suddenly a slash harken slammed into the ceiling in front of her. The Knightmare that was pulled up halted just in front of Diana's Sutherland, it's factspheres pulsing while it looked at Diana's Sutherland.
"You mean this thing's what's ruining my plan?" She yelped out, while reversing slightly. But wait. Why did it stop?
"Who's in that Knightmare?" Ordered the feminine voice from the cockpit's loudspeakers. Wait... Diana froze. That voice... No... It can't be!
"Diana, we need to go." C.C.'s voice rang from beside the cockpit, and Diana opened up the cockpit a bit in order to let the girl in, then closed it.
Diana maneuvered her Knightmare to point her slash harken at the ceiling, fired, then pulled it down onto the Solais. Using the distraction to her advantage, Diana leaped onto the next floor, threw her Sutherland out of the window, all the while pointing her cockpit toward the enemy command center, and pulled the ejection levers. She grabbed the walkie talkie, and issued one final order.
"All units, evacuate the civilians immediately, fall back and regroup." She began, "This is an order, retreat!"
Diana watched as the tower that held the Solais grew smaller and smaller in the distance, It couldn't have been... She reasoned silently, But who else... Who else could it have been?
"Amanda!" Ohgi called to the redhead running by him. "This way!"
"Ohgi. What happened out there?" Amanda asked, as the two entered a nearby building.
"That voice told us to fall back, we got pinged with an escape route not to long ago, everyone else is already on their way out." Ohgi explained, "This way." He motioned her to follow him down a staircase at the back of the building.
"Where are we going?" Amanda questioned after a couple of minutes of running, "You never did tell me."
"A bit out of the encirclement." Ohgi responded, "Or at least that's what she told us."
"Attention all forces. Cease fire at once." Clovis ordered over the command center's loud speakers, as well as the radios of the soldiers. "I Clovis, third prince of Britannia and royal viceroy of Area Eleven, here by command you, all forces are ordered to cease fire at once. You also cease destruction of any buildings or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are here by ordered, cease fire at once. I shall allow no further fighting."
Once the order was finalized, the lights in the command center shut off.
"Are you satisfied?" Clovis asked the intruders.
"Very." Diana stated. "Well done."
"And what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads, or perhaps a nice game of chess?" The prince quipped.
"That has a familiar ring." Diana announced, while removing her helmet and throwing it to the side.
"Hm?" Clovis inquired.
"Don't you recall? The two of us used to play chess together as children." Diana started while raising a pistol toward Clovis, "Of course, I would always win."
"What?" Clovis questioned.
"Remember? At the Aries Villa?" Diana pestered.
"You?" Clovis started, "Who are you?"
"It's been a long time." Diana began, while marching closer to Clovis, "Big brother."
Clovis went wide eyed at that, and launched from his seat.
"The only child of the late consort Bernadette and seventeenth in line to the imperial throne, Diana vi Britannia, at your service." She curtsied in a mocking way, then return to pointing the pistol at her brother.
"Diana?" Clovis shakily questioned, "But I thought... You were d-"
"Dead?" Diana finished, "You thought wrong." The blonde took a few more steps forward. "I have returned brother, and I intend to change everything."