Aron Kozuki let his car come to a stop, its Float Engine's hum quieting as it descended to the asphalt. He stepped out and took a look around at a street corner covered in water that leaked under a shut, glass door. He slipped a radio out of his pocket and started speaking. "This is the chief; we're looking at a 10-13a, severe water damage to a local storefront."
Two men in uniform stood on either side of him. Aron gave each of them a glance. "Cordon off the area," he said, "I'll check the damage."
He walked to the door and checked the slit for a key card, running his knuckle along the side. It came back wet. The man frowned, running one hand through his red hair as he searched his pocket again. "Let's see…" he grumbled, fingers prodding and searching. His eyebrows rose, "There it is," and he pulled out a silver card.
It slid through, and the lock clicked open as the red light blinked green. He pushed the door open, the bell above his head ringing as his shoes splashed into a growing puddle of water. The man's face was stony and expressionless, fixed into careful observation of the scene in front of him.
Water continued dripping from a destroyed sprinkler system, turned off hours earlier by firemen who arrived before him. He was just here to look at the aftermath.
There was water damage everywhere. Clothes ruined, floors stained, the whole place was drenched. Lit by the noontime sun, Aron couldn't help but notice a door towards the back was slightly ajar. He approached it, kneeling a little lower to take a look at a bent and broken handle.
It looked like it had been pulled off the wood door with a significant amount of force. It was wet, like most of the building, so that wasn't much of a surprise – but it was warped. He could see indents on the inside of the handle, like someone had grabbed and squeezed until their fingers would be shaped into it.
"…What the hell…?" He murmured, pulling the door out and looking in. It was a closet. Mostly dry, though a shelf had fallen. There was cleaning product on an otherwise dry floor, save for a puddle that formed from the open crack of the door.
So the door was open before the flooding happened. And the flooding happened from above and below simultaneously. The handle was drenched with water… Curious, Aron ran his hand along the inside of it. He tried pressing his fingers between the indents.
His fingers were too big. So whoever grabbed this thing had smaller hands, thinner fingers, and an absurd amount of physical strength. He checked the uppermost parts of the door. It was untouched by the sprinklers. The lowermost part of the door was mostly dry, save for where water had leaked in…
Why was the door handle wet, then? Condensation?
If condensation played into it, then the rest of the door would've been wet.
Aron's eyes narrowed.
So he wasn't looking at an accident. This was a break-in being portrayed as an accident. But who could have damaged the sprinkler and water main to such an extent, and how?
He continued surveying the area, mentally reclassifying it as a crime scene. Then, he turned and stepped out of the building. Radio in hand, he began speaking again. "Chief Kozuki speaking – reclassify the situation to a 10-22, repeat, this is a 10-22, break-in at the corner of forty-fifth and Darwin."
Aron glanced over his shoulder as he stepped away. But who the hell, he wondered – who would want to rob a clothing store? The question plagued him as he crossed the street. Yellow tape was already being drawn between bright orange cones, and the morning traffic was starting to pick up.
Cars held aloft by Float Engines ran on their own AI, visiting person after person for their morning commute through the towering city of Pendragon. There was no noise, save for the sound of air splitting out of the way of the flying vehicles and the soft buzzing noise. Like swarms of humming birds, they flew on their own directed paths, never needing to stop as they traveled.
Some were covered in advertisements for a new soda the kids were drinking – Aron didn't care for it. The stuff was too sweet for his taste. He was more of a Crystal Lite kind of guy – and another advertisement for a play he didn't want to see flew by.
Owning a car these days felt less like a privilege and more like a chore, but as an officer of the law he hardly had much choice in the matter. At least he didn't have to deal with billboards on his doors screaming about something people didn't need for prices they'd never pay.
His wandering was hardly aimless as it took him down a block to a local pawn shop. The ring of the bell as he pushed open the door and entered was a high, electronic chime. Older models of phones and other devices lined the walls, and the man behind the counter had a gnarled appearance of surgical scars. His left eye was mechanical and shone a bright green as he stared at Aron.
"Business?" The man asked Aron.
"Just gotta use the restroom," Aron waved the man off. "Anything new?"
"Some fat bastard sold me a wedding ring and two phones that probably didn't belong to him."
"And you took them?" Aron clicked his tongue, "I oughtta write you up."
"Sure, sure," the man shrugged.
Aron stepped around the back, slid into a unisex bathroom, and locked the door behind him.
…There was something bothering him about this whole situation. That was twice now that two locations had a mysteriously large amount of water. The graveyard was first, then the clothing store. The latter was too far away, and it had a clear source of the water, but what caused the pipes to explode? They weren't pierced from the outside, but instead looked like something had built up from within.
Maybe some kind of powdered chemical had been slipped into the piping? It could impact the water, have a reaction, crystalize… but no, there'd be evidence of that. It looked like water had just appeared in the graveyard.
…But it wasn't always water, was it?
Aron frowned.
Ice damage? It was September, and it was cold enough for there to be some frost, but that seemed unusual. And yet, ice buildup could cause pipes to burst. So something had caused the water to freeze, or someone had dropped an ice box into an empty crypt before doing it again in a clothing store…? No, that… that didn't sound right either.
He was missing something here.
Aron zipped up. As he was washing his hands, he heard another chime. Drying his paws on his shirt, the man stepped out and looked to see who was approaching the fellow behind the counter – Oh. Oh wow.
Immediately, Aron forced his gaze up to look at the face of the woman who'd stepped in. Average height, apparently average waist, not so average appearance – he shook his head. She looked young enough to be his daughter, but holy hells her proportions were insane.
He knew surgery had made leaps and bounds, but this was ridiculous!
"The sign outside says you pay for recyclables?" The woman asked the man at the counter.
"Uh… Uh, yeah. Yeah, I do," he nodded. "You got… uh…" He leaned forward, partly to get a better look at her cleavage and partly to see what she was carrying. Aron followed his eyes, then blinked at the sight of the trash bag she was carrying with her. Amazing the things one fails to notice when they're focused on… other details. "Huh," the man exhaled, "Yeah, lemme get that weighed for you."
"Thanks." The woman nodded, then dismissed him as she took a step back and just started staring at the devices on the walls. Aron wondered if she even knew what half of these things were – hell, there was one pink model on the shelf nearest to the door that was out of style ten years ago. This girl probably had something more advanced than it while she was in middle school, never mind now.
Aron started walking out of the store, yet as he did the woman looked up. It was chance eye contact – her eyes were a striking shade of purple. They widened at the sight of him.
"…Kozuki…?" She breathed.
Aron coughed, "That's my name." He frowned, "And that's Chief Kozuki to you, civilian." He'd have tipped his hat if he hadn't left it in the car. His straight, bright red hair made him feel too distinctive everywhere he went.
Oh wait, he blinked. She seemed a little stiff.
"Ma'am? Are you alright, ma'am?"
-x-
Lelouch stood with an expression halfway to a smile plastered on her face as she began screaming and cursing internally. This was a relative of Kallen Kozuki. Kallen Kozuki had children. One of her children was the chief of police and he was right here in front of her.
She took a breath through her nose, followed through on her smile, and put on a happy face. "You're heavier in person."
…
Why did she just say that? That was the worst thing she could possibly have said oh god what the hell no, no, no–!
Chief Kozuki looked like someone had just punched him in the chest. "W-What?" He asked, "No I am not. Charles!" He looked behind the register, "I'm still thin, aren't I?"
The man with the glowing eye glanced back, then stared forward at the scale. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
His hands balled into fists, "That's not an answer! Am I fat or not? Which is it, you son of a bitch?!"
Charles sighed, put a hand in one pocket, and scratched the back of his head with his opposite hand. He was balding, Lelouch noticed. "I mean, those extra taco rolls haven't been helping much."
The chief of police seemed at a loss for words as he started turning purple. "I… I'll have you know, those things are only a hundred and fifty calories a pop, and I exercise every single day–"
"Walking to your car doesn't count as exercise," Charles cut in, "And who says you stop at one?"
"I say it!"
"I don't believe you."
"Okay," Charles turned to address Lelouch. "Your total is a hundred dollars and fifteen cents – will that be credit or debit?"
"Cash, actually." Lelouch said.
"Cash, right…" Charles paused, "Wait, what, really?" He seemed baffled at the idea, "Uh… alright, then. Let's see," he started going through drawers.
Lelouch watched Charles with a befuddled expression. "Is everything alright?"
"It's fine, it's fine," he drawled. "Just didn't think there were any of you who didn't use cards and chips these days."
A cold sweat began gathering at Lelouch's back, "I try not to bother with those. Too much effort."
"Too hard to swipe a card through a slot?" Charles asked, sounding even more confused.
Lelouch glanced to her side, seeing Chief Kozuki's eyes narrow. "Why should I put a card in a machine when I can have someone else give me something physical?"
"…Like a receipt?"
"Receipts don't have pretty pictures on them!" Lelouch chirped. If all else fails, play stupid and maybe they'll buy it. She knew how the aristocratic acted, and she knew how to play the part of someone with too much arrogance and too little sense.
Between that and being forced to cross dress by Millie, the act of flipping some of her hair over her shoulder was almost natural. It still felt wrong and awkward to lean back, drawing more attention to what she knew were her outstanding assets. But it seemed to work as Charles stood up from behind the counter.
"Alright," he said, "Here you go, then." He slid the bills, change, and receipt across the counter. "See you around."
Lelouch didn't look a gift horse in the mouth, accepting the cash and walking out at a brusque, somewhat abrupt pace. She didn't bother saying goodbye.
-x-
"…That was weird." Aron breathed. "Everything about that was weird. You'd think a girl who's been under the knife as many times as her would know–"
"She wasn't."
"Eh?"
Aron eyed Charles, and Charles continued staring out the door of his pawn shop as he eyed the young woman's ass. "Goddamn, look at her walk…" He let out a low whistle, "Those cheeks ain't fake. The tits're real too."
"You mean…?"
"She's got one hell of a future ahead of her."
Aron nodded, agreeing with his friend as he continued staring after the woman. Even when she rounded the corner… "Shame she's not too bright."
"Meh."
Aron scoffed, "Pig."
"You're one to talk!"
And the argument resumed…
-x-
Lelouch took deep, calming breaths as she avoided the stares of occasional pedestrians. She knew Pendragon like the back of her hand, and even so… it was irrelevant. Flying cars, no more cash, even the most outdated technology in this place felt like it was leagues ahead of anything she knew what to deal with.
That man back there – Charles – had a prosthetic eye. Those weren't on the market back in her time, but now they were apparently common enough that she could see advertisements for them on the sides of buildings and cars. It was surreal, watching faces peel to reveal cybernetic restructuring of bone and tissue, a number sitting right next to it to denote price… and then the advertisement would change, and suddenly there'd be something for a new soda, or a new film.
And the movies were ridiculous. Trailers that played on giant screens formerly occupied by the faces of Emperors passed looked too real to be faked. Where did they get the funding and materials for those kinds of effects? Were those real Knightmare Frames in that trailer playing on the corner?
Everyone had some kind of machine in their hands. An entire lane had been built next to the sidewalk for them, and as some stared at the screens they held, others looked ahead and moved images only they could see. In her excitement at the changes in the world around her, it was understandable when she bumped into someone.
"Watch where you're goin', lady!"
"Sorry," Lelouch mumbled an apology, her eyes wide at the sight of a man with patchwork skin and facial features. He scoffed and moved past her, muscles bulging beneath a thin tank top. Her heart thrummed at the sight, and she shook her head to clear her mind. Where was she going…?
…Right. She needed funding.
If she was right, and she hoped she was, gambling was still legal in Pendragon. To be fair, though… even if it wasn't, she could probably find some pub willing to entertain her, if only for a little while.
Wide sidewalks and roads narrowed into an assortment of cleaned out alleys. Shops with doors built into balconies several floors above loomed as cars would stop midair and let passengers walk out. A transparently bizarre sense of euphoria struck her.
In a roundabout way, she'd helped to build this world… hadn't she?
…All the more reason to stop its destruction.
Overhanging balconies seemed to multiply as Lelouch sifted her way deeper and deeper into the city, until eventually the light of the sun was lost to the light of neon beneath countless overhanging structures. It was getting dirtier, and louder. Pumping, pounding music played from behind doors guarded by men who barely looked like men. Some boasted more blatant physical enhancements than others.
A dirty man in a green jacket eyed her from a street corner. "Hey, hey, baby! Nice legs!" He whistled, "What time do they open? Huh?!" He smelled like cheap alcohol and urine.
…Lelouch walked faster.
-x-
She vaguely remembered this place, much in the same way she vaguely remembered the other casinos she'd visited fifty years earlier. She remembered spending time here in her off hours while she was the Emperor of Britannia, but it had never been so… what was the word she was looking for? Gritty? There was more rust along the foundation, but the paint job for most of the building had been touched up on over and over again.
Lelouch could see how it chipped and frayed in some places. Signposts that once resembled an animal had been rearranged to boast quotation bubbles. Neon had been strapped onto the outside, renovations had expanded the structure from where it once stood, and the moment Lelouch stepped foot in the entryway, she saw the whole place had been gutted.
The first floor was for dancing, but she could hear the tantalizing sounds of slot machines only a floor above. An aching sensation ran up her wrist, and Lelouch felt herself start slowing down. She was taking deeper breaths. She felt weak… Lelouch shut her eyes, opened them, and dizziness began afflicting her.
She found a seat and fell into it, rubbing at her temples as the pounding of the music continued its rhythmic beat. Wubs and whirs twisting into a technological descent, it all just felt like noise to her. She eyed her wristband, the thing that denoted her as being a Kampfer… and blinked. Her skin looked almost transparent just then.
Another blink, and she thought she could see bone.
Lelouch took another deep breath and shook her head, looking around to see if anyone noticed. But… nobody was looking at her. She wasn't even sitting in a corner, and something in her demeanor had others looking away or paying attention to one of the many dancers on the floor. She was barely another face in the crowd.
"You look afraid." Lelouch almost jumped out of her skin at the voice. She turned her head and glared – there, sitting with its back up against the armrest, the emperor penguin doll stared at her with an almost coy expression. "What's the matter? Afraid? Your mortality is creeping up on you, says I. Is that right?"
"What is this?" Lelouch glared at the doll. "I… I feel different. I'm quicker to act, slower to think of the consequences… and now this." She held up her hand, "I haven't slept a minute since we broke out of that place, and now…"
"A Kampfer is fueled by constant stimulation. When that fuel runs dry, the Kampfer will change back." The doll seemed to shrug, "You're running low on stimulation. And so…"
"…I was dead. So if I don't do something to stimulate myself–" Lelouch grimaced, "And what do you mean by stimulate?"
"Anything that gets those chemicals pumping~! Adrenaline, endorphins, really most things relating to excitement… But this won't be a problem for you, right? Gambling's an inherently exciting activity, I say, and – my you're looking pale!"
"…I've never gambled for fun." Lelouch stared ahead. She felt cold.
Gambling had always been a means of passing the time. It was a hobby, if barely that, and it was something she did just for the sake of having something to do. Gambling was boring for her. The most entertainment she derived from it was beating amateurs and novices in games of chess for a tidy profit, and she was almost certain that it never excited her.
"Hah… haha…" A nervous smile broke out across Lelouch's face. So this was it, then? She was being forced to become excited or else she'd die? Of all the places for her to have this kind of crisis… sure, at least it was at a place where she could dance, and that'd probably count as stimulation. But she didn't know any of the moves these people were making and doing, she didn't understand what it meant to move your arms up and down, she didn't know how to dance like the crowd around her.
…She was a person who was completely out of her time and element.
Her eyes narrowed as her bracelet pulsed in warning once more.
What was fun for her? What excited her?
Realization hit her like a train, and Lelouch felt something fit into place. She smiled and started walking straight to the center of the dance floor.
Had anyone noticed that she just walked right in without paying a dime? Did anyone see her as anything except a piece of meat? It was fine if they hadn't – this, all of this – it was just another mask, no different than Zero, no different than any stage or play she'd participated in before.
There had to be a reason that she was picked to be revived, some talent that made her perfect for the situation at hand, and no matter how she thought about it… there really was one thing she was particularly good at, and it certainly didn't hurt that she enjoyed it.
Lelouch zeroed in on a girl dancing alone, and with great and excessive flair, offered her hand.
So what if she didn't know anything of this modern world? If she lacked understanding, nothing stopped her from playing ignorant to her advantage. And what she did know… there was no reason it couldn't still apply.
The other girl looked confused at Lelouch's offer, but before she could so much as ask, Lelouch had already taken her. She stepped back, and prompted the other girl to step with her.
She watched as others moved, the way their legs shifted back, the way their arms lifted and fell, and still holding the hand of her impromptu dance partner, Lelouch made due.
-x-
A bright blue bracelet blinked. Hazel eyes looked up to stare at the front of a cheap club and casino. A grin crossed a dark-skinned face, and its owner stepped forward. Her hair, a dull silver that wasn't quite grey, bounced as she approached. Music played in one of her ears as she approached the door. "Hello~!" She sang to the woman at the front desk. "Security's light this time of day, huh~?" She smiled.
The woman behind the counter looked at her and raised an eyebrow, as if to ask if there was a problem with that. Instead of voicing it, the woman just kept chewing her gum. She blew a bubble, let it pop, and stared, "You here to dance or gamble?"
"Hmm…" The girl with almost grey hair let an easy smile cross her face, "I think…" Her head tilted, and she stared into a dark room full of flashing lights, watching as two dancers took up the center of the floor with rapid movements.
…Was that neo-classical in a rinky-dink place like this? Who moved like that anymore? "…I'll dance." She smiled.
-x-
Step, step, one two – the dance moves were all the same, but just a little faster to keep up with the beat. With a partner, it ought to have been more difficult… but Lelouch made sure to pick a routine that wasn't too difficult for someone else to follow, and this girl was doing a good enough job keeping pace.
It seemed she was having fun – that was perfect. Lelouch eyed the crowd, dancers slowing down as they turned their attentions towards her and her dance partner. Her heartbeat quickened. This feeling of being watched, this sensation of being the center of attention as everyone watched her and spoke about her in hushed breaths… she knew it might be a risk to draw eyes towards her – on some level it had to be – and yet…
…her bracelet hadn't stopped blinking, though the ache had long faded. She felt stimulated. Was she doing something wrong?
Lelouch looked up and offered a smile to the girl standing across from her, just in time to watch as one of the overhanging lights began to swing down. Her eyes went wide, and she stepped forward to push the girl out of the way. They fell to the floor, equipment narrowly missing them as it swung in a pendulum's arc.
"Are you alright?" Lelouch looked over the girl, checking for injuries.
"I… I think I'm alright–" The girl's eyes widened, "Look out!"
Another light fixture fell, and Lelouch's eyes went wide as she stood and pulled the girl out of the way once more. Now, the crowd was starting to panic. Lelouch swung her gaze back and forth in search of an attacker, her heart pumping louder and louder until she could barely hear.
There was the sound of something flying through the air, and one of the speakers hanging from a wall fell off. This time, there was no saving one of the people standing beneath it. Though he jumped, the speaker fell upon him – he screamed as his legs were crushed. And from there, the screaming began.
Something thunked into a wall, cold steel sinking into a support beam. Lelouch stared at the offending object wide-eyed as the blinking in her bracelet quickened its pace.
Lelouch shuddered. This was the sensation of the other shoe suddenly and abruptly dropping. She knew it would eventually happen that she'd end up having to deal with an enemy Kampfer, but she didn't realize it would happen this soon. Lelouch stepped away from the girl feeling relatively confident that she was safe, and immediately made a bee-line for the fire alarm. Frost covered her palm as she shattered the glass and pulled down.
The loud ringing that filled the building was enough to turn a panic into a wild and desperate bid for escape as people frantically moved towards the nearest exits. Lelouch, meanwhile, went against the crowd and moved deeper into the building in search of cover and a better position.
Another knife flew into the crowd, impacting the ground as something else fell from the ceiling. But Lelouch could do nothing to help these people – not yet. Not until the other crowd came out from upstairs – gamblers in varying states of dress filtered out in lines that took up the hallway.
Lelouch hid herself in a corner in the wall, watching as people passed her by and looking over their heads into the rest of the crowd for someone who didn't belong. Her bracelet continued blinking even as the crowd began to thin.
An opening appeared, and Lelouch exploited it as she stepped out and fled deeper into the casino. She looked up, keeping an eye out for the undoubtedly ridiculous number of cameras, and she was quick to round a corner and find her way to a bathroom stall.
The blinking of her bracelet slowed… then slowed further… and then the pace quickened once more. It was a radar and the enemy Kampfer was approaching.
Lelouch's eyes widened as a knife flew through the door to the bathroom, barely missing her as she threw a spike of ice straight through. There was a gasp on the other side, and the sound of footsteps backing away.
The sound of giggling sent chills down Lelouch's spine.
"Ohohoho~ A Zauber! Those are always so, so, so fun~! And you use ice? Hey, hey~ Are you one of those Zaubers that uses magic more or less than your other weapons? Wait, no!" She gasped, "Don't tell me!"
There was the sound of something cutting through the air as the door fell to pieces. Lelouch eyed the girl on the opposite side nervously, waiting for her to attack once more.
Her grin was wide and savage. "I wanna find out on my own terms!"
-x-
Red and blue flashing lights filled the streets outside the casino. Aron Kozuki stepped out of his car and stared ahead at a scene that better belonged in a nightmare. Long, wide cuts had been drawn along the ground. People lay dead and dying while others continued fleeing from the scene. Blood spattered the road, reflecting neon lights as corpses stared up without blinking.
He grasped his radio and made a call.
-x-
End Eisritter Ch. 003
