Sachin – Years and years and years of being alive beat a sense of humor into the original Lelouch (Time Baron)! Cost him his humanity, made him emotionally detached, but hey, at least he's a joker. Just like C.C., I'd imagine.
Lord Alania – Yeahhh, that's Euphemia's fatal flaw imo. She has the best of intentions but good intentions can only go so far. I always attributed Euphemia's naivete to her sheltered lifestyle; princes and princesses tend not to romp around terrorist areas for fun. Your interpretation of that line was awesome, though – you pinpointed exactly what Time Baron disliked about it.
Black – I have actually never read Oz the Reflection. I may, just to get a feel for what Marrybell and her cohorts are like, but as of now I haven't really read it. Glad to see you back reviewing this, btw!
KO – Don't worry, I love him, too.
Sith3p – Again, I love him, too.
Also, to anybody reading this story – I know it's a little late, but I have to get this out of the way. If you haven't already watched the original series of Code Geass and you're reading this story, PLEASE WATCH THE SERIES. There will be multiple references to the original series scattered throughout (primarily via Time Baron and Kaguya) and an understanding of what goes on in the show will help with all the confusion. With that done, thanks for reading!
[*****]
PENDRAGON
"You will give me privacy whenever I request it; you may only return to watch over me whenever I say so."
"As you wish," the recently-Geass'd Gino said, with a Geass-induced monotone Time Baron had come to know and love.
"I request some privacy," Time Baron followed up, shooing Gino away from the balcony. Gino ("Mullet Man") did just so, waltzing away, giving Time Baron the privacy he finally, truly needed.
Time Baron pulled out his cellphone, checking the bars that flew across the screen, and he wasn't surprised to find 19 Missed Calls from Kaguya. He dialed in her familiar number and leaned against the wall, letting his eyes wander across the night sky. The starry sky was quiet, finally – Time Baron's day had been full of walking, noise, and planning, and it felt great to have some genuine silence. Silence is golden, after all. There was some fog building up in the distance.
"Lelouch, what on Earth is wrong with you?!"
There's that lovely voice. "Time Baron, Kaguya. Please, get it right."
"This is something I do not understand whatsoever. We agreed to do this secretly."
Time Baron exhaled through his nose. "And then what, Kaguya? Who knows how long that could take? This path will allow me to keep X-Lelouch as Zero 24/7 – he won't have to return to Ashford at all, so he can dedicate all of his focus to being Zero."
"And then what, Baron? How are we going to solve the conflicts going on around this world, like in the European Union, or the Chinese Federation?"
"Do those really matter?"
"Everything matters, Baron. Like I said… something happens in this universe that could potentially ruin the rest of the multiverse."
Time Baron rubbed his cheek. "Well, I already got into contact with Viola Mancini."
"Holy crap, are you serious?"
"Yeah, I used my Geass to talk to the Turkish Minister – they're in the middle of a war right now, 'case you didn't know – and then I talked to her. She's actually the one who came up with this plan, and I said hell yeah, because it's a good idea."
"Use that to your advantage. Can you still keep in contact with her?"
"Duh. She told me to report on anything that could involve the E.U., so there's that."
Kaguya's sigh was a mixture of exasperation and relief. "Please don't do anything stupid."
"Uh-huh. What's going on in Japan right now?"
"A lot. Zero just fought against Jeremiah Gottwald and it ended in a stalemate. The Lancelot is still in its prototype stages, from what it looks like on the news. Kyoto's doing what it's always done – siphoning money away from Britannia. But now they're funding the Black Knights more than anyone else, which is good. The closer to status quo, the better. And, of course, there's you."
"Cool. I should probably go – need my beauty sleep."
"Baron," Kaguya whispered. "Please, please know what you're doing."
"I've known what I was doing since Day One. Peace."
[*****]
ICELAND
Iceland was cold. Of course, V.V. had expected that – look at the name, after all – but he really hadn't expected how cold it actually would be. The water surrounding Grimsey, a small Icelandic island, was an icy pool of blue-grey slush, with fairly big chunks of ice floating around; the sky was cloudy and rain was falling. It was a light rain, but it was enough to make the atmosphere even colder. Even though V.V. was wearing multiple coats, he was still freezing. He opted not to mention this to Charles, considering his younger brother's philosophies on weakness – even though he was wearing three coats himself – and overall dislike of complaining.
Once the boat stopped on the northeastern shoreline, a team of soldiers helped the two of them get off, and they trudged through the ice and the snow until they finally found the spot they were looking for; an enormous crater, coated with ice. There was the ghostly imprint of a Geass sigil smack dab in the middle of the crater; once that was found, the soldiers, technicians, engineers, and scribes all got to work, setting up equipment, securing the perimeter. It was a flurry of activity.
"This area's been sealed off, right?" V.V. asked, glancing at the detail leader next to him.
"Yes, Your Excellency," the leader replied, saluting V.V. "The rain should be able to clear away most of the snow so we can see the seal perfectly fine, and then His Majesty can use his code to open it."
"Dismissed. Excellent work thus far."
"Yes sir!" He ran off to join his comrades and V.V. glanced up at the night sky; his eyes were treated by the sight of the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis, a spectacle of light that graced the arctic skies once in a while. V.V. and Charles watched the Lights in silence; they helped cast a glow over the dark, starry island.
"So we've found another site. It seems like the Jupiter Project's not far away," V.V. said, stuffing his gloved hands inside his topcoat.
"Possibly," Charles responded. "We still need the Code of an immortal that isn't you."
"Yes, and C.C. still hasn't been found. But it won't matter – she'll be found."
"How are affairs in the European Union?" Charles asked, folding his arms.
V.V. almost – almost – sardonically laughed. "Come now, Charles, you're the Emperor. Shouldn't you be more aware of facts like these?"
Charles smirked. "You and I have better things to attend to. The world is full of petty people with petty needs and petty desires. The Jupiter Project is all that matters."
"I honestly don't know. That's a question you'd have to ask someone like Cornelia."
Charles nodded, once, watching as their hand-chosen elite team cleared away all the runoff near the Geass sigil, prepared it to be opened.
"Why do you ask?" V.V. queried.
"There are a reported number of Geass sites within the European Union," Charles proclaimed imperiously. "If we crush the Union, then we can activate the sites without any trouble."
"I suppose so. You heard about Lelouch, right?"
Charles showed no expression.
"What are you going to do?" V.V. lifted his eyes towards the Aurora once again. "Seems like your plan to kill him failed."
"I will deal with the runt myself once we return to the Homeland."
"Well, when you do. Assuming this place has an Akasha portal, I'm heading back to the Federation. I have to make sure Clovis didn't break anything."
Charles nodded.
"Do you think Britannia's trying to do too many things at once?" V.V. asked. I feel like I'm the only person who can freely talk to Charles without having my head crushed.
"No," Charles proclaimed, with that fine-tuned extremist attitude. "Britannia is the strongest superpower in the world. We're the last bastion of pure humanity left in the world, and that's because of the Holy Britannian Empire's strength. Even when it seemed like we were on the brink of destruction, we persevered. Even now, with the entire world declaring war against us, we're going to persevere, because only the strongest survive, and the weak get cast away, eradicated."
V.V. nodded. "Jupiter will decide that."
"Fortune favors the strong."
[*****]
BLACK KNIGHTS WEAPONS DEPOT
Bang.
Kallen drew back the bolt on her rifle. She was in a storage room that had been transformed into a firing range, courtesy of Zero (Lelouch), and it was a fantastic stress-reliever. It was one thing to be in a Knightmare, to experience the sensation of firing guns (with processed bullets bigger than her arm). It was another thing altogether actually firing one of the damn things – Kallen found solace in it, for some strange reason. She blamed her brother to some extent.
Kallen found another target, aimed, and fired.
"Do you have to be so loud?"
Kallen almost shrieked and turned to find C.C., standing off to the side with her fingers in her ears.
"Um, sorry, but blanks can be just as loud as regular bullets. At least these ones," Kallen explained, setting her rifle down on a table.
"Hm. Do you have any I could use?"
"Yeah, yeah, hold on!"
Kallen dragged one of the crates into the room, undoing the hasps and prying off the lid, revealing a series of long-bore rifles and pistols.
"See anything you like?" Kallen asked, wiping some sweat off her forehead.
"…I think a pistol might work better," C.C. admitted, picking up a pistol. "What… model, is this?
"Don't hold it like that. It's a Nambu Pistol… it's a little bit different than the standard H&K USP pistol you're probably used to seeing Britannians use."
C.C. was looking at Kallen strangely. "Are you speaking a different language?"
Kallen laughed a little. "Maybe."
"Could you show me how to load it?"
Kallen took the gun from C.C.'s hands, drawing back the bolt and taking a magazine of blanks from the crate, placing the magazine inside the cartridge holder and then pushing the trigger guard forward until it made a resounding click, passing the pistol back to her.
"…Ah," C.C. said.
"If you need another demonstration, I could do it again. I thought you knew how to use guns?"
C.C. gazed at her Nambu. "It was a long time ago. I don't like guns – I've had more than a few bad experiences with them."
Kallen grunted, picking up her long-bore rifle and turning back to the targets, aiming. "Yeah, you're telling me."
"Where did you learn how to shoot?"
Bang. "I bought some weapons manuals. With pictures, of course. I'm, like, a visual learner. If I see somebody do something, or if I have a demonstration in front of me, I'll know how to do it."
"H'm." C.C. raised her pistol, trying to mimic how Kallen was holding it. Kallen glanced over and immediately sprang for C.C., grabbing her wrists. "Huh?"
"Don't put your thumb there! The recoil could break it."
A blush crossed C.C.'s face. "I knew that. I was just… testing you." C.C. swept her pistol up and down, back and forth, getting a feel for how the weapon felt in her hands.
"Um… when you say bad experiences, what do you mean?" Kallen said, lifting her face from her rifle's scope.
C.C. shrugged. "Just bad experiences."
"Do you have a lot of those where you come from? That so-called faraway place?"
C.C. shrugged. "Truthfully, it's been so long that I've forgotten where I came from."
Kallen pursed her lips. "You forgot your own home?"
"Home isn't where you're born. Home could be a place where you feel like you belong, where you feel most welcome."
Kallen turned her face toward the scope again, scanning the target line with her rifle. "So… you're saying you feel like you don't belong anywhere?"
C.C. opted not to answer that. She misfired, hitting the wall behind the target.
"Don't spend so much time trying to be pinpoint-accurate. You're putting more thought into it than you think, really."
C.C. tried again, hitting the target; it wasn't dead-on, but it definitely struck. "Do you enjoy fighting?"
Kallen frowned. "No."
"But you're usually the first one in a fight."
"Well…"
"Maybe you do enjoy it."
"Are you always this direct?" Kallen bit back.
A ghost of a smile crossed C.C.'s face. "Passes the time."
"If you say so."
Kallen's communicator buzzed. After fishing it out of her vest, she glanced at C.C.; it seemed like she was sort of getting the hang of firing a weapon, but she had a long way to go.
Still, maybe she could be valuable yet. "Come in?" Kallen spoke into the communicator.
"Kallen, where the hell are you right now?!" Ohgi said; but he didn't sound fearful, he sounded practically ecstatic.
"A-at the Depot, why?"
"You remember where the harbors are at the Settlement, right? Come there. Now!"
"Right away, but what's going on?"
"You're not gonna believe it!" And then he disconnected.
Kallen packed up, setting her rifle and fake ammo back inside the box; C.C. did the same, dropping her pistol into the box unceremoniously.
"Something the matter?" C.C. deadpanned.
"Uhhh… maybe? I mean, Ohgi's happy, so that's weird."
[*****]
SAFEHOUSE
Lelouch couldn't believe who he was looking at in the mirror.
The Lelouch vi Britannia he saw had blonde hair, very blonde hair. His normally wavy bangs and fringes were swept back and to the side – Lelouch thought it looked like a wild, spiky pompadour cut – and it showcased more of his forehead than he would have liked, but that was neither here nor there. His left eye was still a natural violet color, so that he could use his Geass as freely as he wanted, but the contact in his right eye was a crimson red, almost identical to his Geass' shade of red. He had two (completely fake) scars, one above his left eyebrow, another jagged one below his right eye.
Lelouch looked like a completely different person.
I don't look bad, per se. I just don't look like me… but, hell, that was the point.
"Nicely done, Sayoko."
Sayoko bowed, smiling. "You're very welcome, Master Lelouch. After all, we have to hide your identity."
Lelouch picked up his Zero helmet, tossed it up and down.
"Sayoko, follow my directions carefully: you won't realize that I'm Zero, or that Zero is Lelouch Lamperouge, until I say these words: I need you."
She needs to know the truth… no. Stupid idea. Stupid, stupid idea. Who knows how she could react… well, she is Japanese, so maybe she likes Zero.
"Sayoko, what are your thoughts on Zero?"
Sayoko took a moment to answer. "I believe his intentions are right, but I am not a fan of terrorism. Or violence, for that matter. I'm equipped to deal with violence, use it if need be, but that doesn't necessarily mean I enjoy doing it."
Lelouch nodded. He'd cringed at the "terrorism" part, though.
"I don't think he's necessarily a terrorist."
"Terrorism is using violence to incite change, no? Isn't that what he's been doing?"
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "I… guess. But terrorism is a very subjective word."
"How so?"
"Terrorism is involving innocents…" No. Zero did that, too…
"Okay, not necessarily. Sometimes innocents get involved by accident. Terrorism is creating chaos…"
Wait...
Lelouch was suddenly sweating. "So long as there are legitimate means to redress a wrong, then it's fine."
Like Geass?
Like sabotage?
Like lying?
Sayoko nodded. "I agree, but what makes a mean legitimate?"
"That all depends on the situation, Sayoko. But I don't see Zero as a terrorist, I see him as a freedom fighter."
"One person's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist. It's all point of view."
Lelouch realized his hands were shaking. He took a deep breath. "R-right. Um… thank you for the makeover. Seriously, this is an expert job."
"You're welcome, Master Lelouch."
Lelouch's cellphone vibrated; he grabbed it, picking it up and seeing an unfamiliar number fly across the message screen. Curious (and not wanting to back himself into a corner again) he read the message within:
"TB here."
…Time Baron! Oh, yes. Lelouch pressed on, albeit suspiciously.
"Pendragon is as stupid as ever. Lots of infighting – although it's subtle, you can tell almost everyone hates being in the same room with one another."
Lelouch almost chuckled. Not surprised… although I am disappointed. It's been over seven years – you'd think they'd act like reasonable people and stop competing with one another, but I guess not.
"No Emperor in sight."
That worried Lelouch a bit. He would interrogate Time Baron to expound on that statement later.
"Something interesting, Master Lelouch?"
"Very. One sec…"
"Corn's been spirited away to E.U. – Eur and Marry are in god-knows-where and they made some kind of Knights of the Round ripoff team."
Lelouch instantly recognized the names "Eur" and "Marry" – god, it's been ages – but it took him a minute to figure out "Corn".
Interesting. Euriya and Marrybel are in the military? So much has changed... but at least I won't have to deal with Cornelia. She was a fierce leader at the Villa… I can only imagine what she'd be like on the battlefield.
The next message nearly blew Lelouch's mind.
"Schneizel and Euphy are heading to Area 11 to check up on the Lancelot. That may interest you. TB out – I'll update you soon."
Holy shit, seriously? I haven't seen either of them in years… and still, I'm going to be fighting them.
"This sucks," Lelouch said.
"What's going on?" Sayoko asked.
"Eh. There's a… traffic block."
Again with the lying, Lelouch… still. This is a golden opportunity. I finally have the chance to put that damn Lancelot out of commission once and for all, if I play my cards right—
"My brother, 2nd Prince Schneizel el Britannia, and my sister, 2nd Princess Cornelia li Britannia – they could tell you."
Lelouch nearly jumped out of his seat when he recalled Clovis' statement.
I could learn the truth about my mother!
Before Lelouch could even speak to Sayoko, his phone rang.
"Oh, hold on," he said, clicking answer. "Kallen?"
"Zero, we just got paid a visit by a Knightmare manufacturer!"
Lelouch's eyes widened to cartoonish degrees; those words hit him like a punch to the stomach. "Are you serious?!"
"Yes, please, she's waiting for you to come and see at the harbors in the Settlement. The, uh, the ones where we took down the dealers! Please come here… Sir. If you can, that is—"
"I'm coming right away!"
[*****]
HARBORS
Lelouch had been fidgety the entire trip; he'd asked Sayoko to drive across backstreet roads toward the harbor, skirting the Britannian-head districts. That took quite a considerable amount of time, and by the time they finally reached the threshold of the harbors, he was antsy as all hell. The moment he saw the familiar waters, he was rushing out of the car, fully decked in his Zero uniform.
He took off his helmet very briefly to speak to Sayoko. "Please wait here until I am done, unless you see any danger, or signs of it. If so, go."
"I will wait," Sayoko promised.
Lelouch saw a wide, wide array of Knightmares and Knightmare parts and schematics and all kinds of Knightmare-related material scattered about the harbor grounds. Many people, mostly Black Knights, were milling around the area, gawking at all of the incredible technology. Lelouch recognized most of their faces; the ones he didn't recognize were wearing white lab coats with an emblem Lelouch didn't recognize at all – a silver-gold bird with wings stretched out.
One particular scientist sauntered up to Lelouch. She had light brown skin and long, lush blonde hair parted at the middle; in the middle of her forehead, a rhombus symbol. Her barely-fitting pink collar shirt exposed her stomach; if any more buttons come off, it could have passed for a bra. Luckily, her lab coat covered most of that. She walked with an air of concealed arrogance that Lelouch liked immediately.
"Based on your gaudy outfit, I'm going to presume you're Zero?" she asked, with a bright inflection in her voice.
"The one and only. To whom am I speaking?"
"I'm insulted! The name's Rakshata Chawla, and I've come here under orders given to me by Viola Mancini."
If she could see his face, his jaw would have been hanging open. "I've heard about you. Articles about medical cybernetics, Knightmare production… all kinds of things. And you were asked by Viola Mancini to come here?"
"Of course."
I don't ever remember interacting with the E.U. at any point—wait.
Zero looked down. "Oh."
"Something the matter, Zero?" Rakshata asked, twirling a pipe in her hands.
"No. Just realizing I owe a friend some thanks… so. What do you have for me?"
Rakshata guided Zero toward a table, smothered in schematics; Kallen was looking over some of them with some excitement. "Only the finest in Knightmare mechanics, Zero. I think you might be most interested in this model…"
Lelouch, gazing over the schematics, was impressed, to say the least. The proposed model he was staring at would have all-new, sixth-generation styled machinery, including an updated Sakuradite container and energy filler, a sleek-looking hand gun and stun gun, all new Landspinners and ammunition, chest-mounted Slash Harkens. There was one part that confused Lelouch a little bit, and he pointed it out.
"What is this?"
Rakshata beamed. "So many have been asking about that! This is something we like to call the Radiant Wave."
"Radiant Wave?"
"It distributes a large amount of energy and heat, enough to pierce armor, make steel go pop."
Holy shit. "Has this been proven to work?"
"Multiple times," a black, crew-cut scientist next to Rakshata said. "Here are some papers… these showcase the amount of efficiency the Radiant Wave technology has."
Lelouch waved it away. "I believe you… God. Is this the future, Miss Chawla?"
"You're looking at the power of the future, Zero. We wanted to develop this model to use against Britannia in the European Union, but our Estrella models run on high-powered batteries."
"And Japan has sakuradite."
Rakshata gave a cocky smirk. "The exact kind of fuel we need. So, Zero… how would you like this for your model?"
This is amazing. Lelouch didn't have to think twice. "As much as I like this, I'm going to have to give this to Kallen Kozuki. She's our ace."
Kallen whipped around to stare at Zero, apparently shocked.
"Sir, shouldn't you use this? We can't exactly afford to lose you," she advised, looking genuinely concerned.
"Kallen, I'm not a fighter." Definitely not a fighter. "I'm a commander. You, on the other hand, you're one of our best pilots. Consider it an order – you're piloting this new model."
"The Guren," Rakshata said, not without some pride.
Kallen lifted her eyebrows, her blue eyes filled with shock. "A-at once, sir," she said. "Thank you. Very much… I'd like to know how to use it, though."
"Well, first we have to install it," Rakshata said, gesturing to a large container off to the side. "We already have all the parts necessary, but it'll take some time to update your model."
"How long?" Zero asked.
Rakshata turned to her team of scientists; one of them starting putting numbers down on paper.
If she can get that Wave on by tomorrow, then destroying the Lancelot will be child's play.
"A day or two to fully complete it," Rakshata said. "Why?"
"All I want on is the Radiant Wave tech."
Rakshata shook her head. "We'd need to refine and replace the Sakuradite core so that the Radiant Wave doesn't cause your Glasgow to overheat."
Damn. "Can you do it in a day?"
Rakshata blinked. "If we hurry, I suppose."
"You'll be compensated for your services, but it's imperative that you have it finished by tomorrow afternoon."
"Zero, why? What's the rush, sir?" Kallen asked, stepping up to Lelouch's side.
"Prince Schneizel and Princess Euphemia are coming to Area 11 to do a progress check on the Lancelot."
Kallen was shocked once again. "Are you serious?"
"Yes… this is a prime opportunity to destroy that Lancelot model once and for all." And to get some answers out of Schneizel… hopefully I can keep Euphemia out of danger.
"Lancelot?" Rakshata queried, her eyes wild with fascination.
"I'll fill you in on the details later," Lelouch announced, folding his arms. "But I want to know: can it be done?"
Rakshata nodded. "I'll need to start right away. Do you have somewhere we can do it secretly?"
"A depot; I'll give you the coordinates and a map, so you can transport all your goods there in secrecy."
"All of them? There's some heavy material here."
"There's always a way."
Rakshata's hand reached out for Zero's; they shook.
"Consider it done," Rakshata announced. "You've basically won the war already."
[*****]
SHINJUKU GHETTO
Eitaro was a little bit scared. He'd been in a war before, but even now, what was happening seemed unreal. Whatever kind of crazy fucking Britannian magic Jeremiah Gottwald instilled in all of his troops was potent; the military police had managed to corner the opposition into a tight, unfortunate avenue, and people were dying left and right. What was left of the mighty Underground were a handful of people, slowly running out of ammunition – there were no Knightmares to speak off.
Well, there's a nightmare, alright. It's Shinjuku.
All they had in their favor was a captured tank and a few anti-air guns. Beyond that, almost nothing. Eitaro was laying in the dark in a second-floor apartment, hugging the wall and cleaning his weapon. His remaining comrades were all gathered in the same room; some close to the windows, firing at the Britannians outside, some watching the door, some healing. They were now the mighty Remnants, and Eitaro had the sinking feeling that he was going to die, and he was going to die tonight.
"What's it look like outside?" Eitaro questioned, digging a map out of his backpack.
"Our anti-airs are keeping the Knightmares at bay!" Shira shouted, ducking as bullets smacked the wall behind her, causing the people nearby the floor to hit the deck. "But according to Ryo, we're about to run dry!"
"They're cornering us at the North and East avenues!" Eriko half-shouted. "Eitaro, what the hell are we gonna do?!"
As much as he didn't want to admit it, escape was the only option. "Getting the hell out of here! What's behind this hotel?!"
"Miyoshi Boulevard!" responded Naoya, re-adjusting her goggles. "But that's where they set up a defensive perimeter in the first place!"
Eitaro squiggled lines on the map quickly; the thunder of an explosive shell hitting the walls shook him. "Somebody board up those windows!"
If we hook left, we can—
No, that wouldn't fucking work! They'd see us in an instant.
I can feel how close the bullets are, oh god…
There's no cellar. Even if there was, they could get in on foot…
"What if we go there via Matsumoto Street and Center?!"
Naoya: "That'd take us right by them! It'd be suicide!"
Eitaro threw his gun on the ground, then his fist. He punched the ground over and over to absolutely no effect, his entire body shaking. Silence filled the room for a moment, even as the sounds of warfare raged on outside. Bullets, explosions, salvos, shouting. It was all Eitaro knew.
We're dying here. We are going to die here, in some shitty Shinjuku apartment, bested by a bunch of Britannians… and nobody will remember us. Ever.
Eitaro wobbled to his feet, picking up his gun in the process.
"…Orders?" Shira asked, tentatively.
"…Let's give them the best fucking lightshow ever."
That was all everyone needed.
"Positions! I want the tank below ground to plow right through-!"
"Eitaro!" Ryo came in through the communicator, crystal clear.
"Make it snappy, Ryo—"
"Look! Look outside!"
We're all dead men. What's so important about—And then Eitaro saw it. He saw a fuck ton of corpses outside, all Britannians, and there was a singular Knightmare Frame plowing through the Britannian guns. It was unbelievable, and Eitaro had no idea if what he was witnessing was real or not – in seconds, the Britannians were all dead, and the Remnants were not.
What. The. Fuck.
There was an uproar of commotion and activity inside the apartment.
"Everyone shut up!" Eitaro yelled, his eyes transfixed on the Sutherland Knightmare that was (potentially) their savior. The Sutherland pulled to a stop, and Eitaro could see the pilot get out. From where he was, he couldn't make out anything.
"Ryo… I want you to approach this guy. Slowly. Give him the comm."
"Move over, I wanna see this," Eriko said, leaning out the window.
The lack of action outside made everyone feel incredibly nervous rather than relieved. Eitaro saw the shape of Ryotaro walk up towards their Mystery Savior.
C'mon, c'mon…
"Are you the leader?" Mystery Savior's voice came through. It was young-sounding, incredibly young-sounding, and it definitely belonged to a boy.
What the hell? How old is this kid?
"How did you do that?" Eitaro asked, with measured breaths. "How in the world did you—"
"I want you to come into the streets. I can assure you there are no more Britannians out here."
"This could be a trap," Shina muttered.
"I know, I'm thinking…" Eitaro said. "How do we know you aren't lying to us?"
"You'll find out once you get down here," Mystery Savior said.
[*****]
Rolo's heart was pounding. It wasn't because he was scared or excited – it was because he'd basically stretched his heart's capabilities to the absolute limit. He could feel it aching in his chest, and he tried his best not to sound breathless, but it was obvious from his overall demeanor that he was deathly tired.
Almost literally. Rolo looked at the messenger, who was staring at him with a mixture of fear and wonder, the same kind of fear and wonder that Prince Clovis had when interacting with Rolo.
I wonder how that simpering Prince is doing. Hopefully V.V. put him to good use.
"Are you like… superhuman?" that messenger – Ryo, Rolo remembered – breathed.
"I have a power that allows me to do incredible things," Rolo explained.
Ryo's terrorist companions came running out, one at a time. They were much smaller than Rolo had anticipated – there were fourteen, fifteen at most among them. They all looked filthy, exhausted, and all-in-all looked like they'd cheated death over and over again.
"…Thanks, kid," the leader said. "My name's Eitaro, we—"
"Think nothing of it," Rolo interrupted. "You're in my debt, though. You know that, right?"
Eitaro blinked, taken aback by Rolo's directness. "Y-yeah. We don't have much, but… well, what do you want?"
"You should join us. We could really, really use someone like you," some girl next to Eitaro bartered.
"I will join you, under the caveat that we join Zero."
Immediately, the mood soured.
"Look, kid," Eitaro continued. "We're thankful, we really are, but… that's not a good idea. We'd lose our independence, our identity."
Rolo shrugged. "Fine. You can continue struggling all you want. But the fact of the matter is that you won't get anywhere without his guidance."
And it's what I was ordered to do.
"Agree to disagree. You just caught us on a bad day."
"A very bad day. You almost died."
"…Yeah."
"I'll join you. You said you could use my skills, correct?"
Eitaro eagerly nodded. "Yeah. A little help goes a long way. Welcome to—"
"On one condition. I want to be the leader."
Eitaro recoiled at that blunt, unexpected statement. "I'm the leader. We could put you in a pretty good position, if you want."
"If that position is Leader, then I'd be happy to oblige."
"I'm afraid that's not happening. Even if you're incredibly skilled, we don't know you. We can't trust you."
Rolo's Geass was back on in seconds. As much as he despised using it, he knew that he had to. He quickly scanned the area, making sure that everyone was frozen in place. That done, we walked up to Eitaro, giving him four quick punches on his neck, stomach, and legs; with some effort, he grabbed the man by the throat and forced him onto the ground, twisting his arms behind his back. He was still wearing the same expression. Rolo stepped back, felt his heartbeat slow, and switched his Geass off.
The reaction was instantaneous; Eitaro roared in pain and surprise. "What the fuck?!"
Almost everyone took a few steps back. Rolo made sure that everyone was in his general line of vision.
"Eitaro, are you okay?!" one of them, a balding black man, yelled, running up to Eitaro.
"Don't get near him, unless you want to suffer the same fate."
"Fuck you!" Ryotaro yelled, intelligently. "Shina, Mineko, let's shoot this fucker!"
They drew their guns and Rolo drew his Geass. In seconds, Rolo had pried the guns out of their hands, emptying the cartridges. He took both guns and drove them against their foreheads, turning off his Geass at the exact moment of impact. They practically melted to the ground, crying out in pain.
A bullet whizzed by Rolo's shoulder. He Geass'd the vicinity, cursing himself for not having removed and replacing all the guns in the first place. He proceeded to do just so, which took a lot longer than he thought it would; by the last pistol, Rolo was breathing and sweating hard, and the magazine to one particularly faulty gun wasn't coming out.
Come on, come on, come on, come on…
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump… thump… thump…
Fuck this.
Cursing Nambu-styled pistols, Rolo turned off his Geass, taking in several deep breaths and stuffing the pistol in his pocket. Everyone's reactions to having their guns stolen ranged from anger to surprise to fear to embarrassment.
"Don't bother," Rolo huffed. "You're just… running yourselves into the ground. If you want to… live, then follow my lead." He sucked in one last breath, feeling his chest expand. "If you want to die, then I'm more than happy to oblige."
Eitaro came barreling towards Rolo, and he actually managed to lift Rolo off of his feet. The moment Rolo hit the ground, he felt the already-shaky air knocked out of him. With a calculated punch, Rolo twisted out of his grip and barely managed to kick the lanky girl that came right after Eitaro. Angry, Rolo switched on his Geass and began methodically beating the living hell out of all of them, intermittently turning his Geass off in order to catch his breath.
Even with his Geass' unfortunate limitations, there was only one way that pointless scuffle could end. Rolo stood amongst the debris and cast his gaze over the shaken, beaten, broken terrorists laying all around him. It made for a powerful image.
"I have no intention of harming any of you, but I am completely willing to make all of your deaths as painful as possible."
"Fuck this, I surrender," one of them muttered, throwing her hands up.
Eitaro tried to get up and failed, collapsing to the ground once again. He glared at Rolo, who glared back. Unlike the measly Britannian Military Police, calling Rolo's bluff would have been an astronomically bad idea, and Eitaro knew it; Rolo was exactly as cold and ruthless as he appeared.
"Go to hell," Eitaro spat.
"If you want to see Japan free again, you're going to do as I say," Rolo proclaimed. "But if you deny me, then I have no choice but to end you."
