Pre-notes: I've been at this one for almost two weeks now and it still looks rushed. I hope it isn't too much of a mess.
Disclaimer: Code Geass belongs to Sunrise.
Part 3.013: A Knight's Oath
Gino Weinberg walked through the halls of the UFN Headquarters in Penglai Island. His destination: the Hall of Justice. He was deep in thought, wearing an expression he had rarely shown during his days with the rest of the Knights of Rounds. He was the one who found Kallen and Lelouch two days ago, and how he found them was the reason for his trip to the Hall.
He had been close by, piloting his damaged yet still functional Tristan, when the signal flare was fired. The source, while not difficult to pinpoint, was covered densely in trees that he had to land quite a distance away. Once he found the flare gun on the ground, he immediately called for a rescue team to his location. Whoever fired it pointed it towards the direction where deep grooves were made in the ash, as if whoever made those tracks dragged his or her feet along instead of lifting them. Seeing his own footprints in the ash were already barely visible, he decided that the person wanted to be found. He raised his guard a bit at that. There had been a battle near here less than half a day ago, after all.
Once he had the small cave's entrance within sight, he approached from the side, wary for any traps that could have been laid. Finding none, he drew his flashlight and his gun, then peered inside. He found two huddled figures about eight meters in, along the left wall of the cave, just beyond the reach of the ash that the wind managed to blow inside. They appeared to be asleep. Detecting no further threats, he bent low and went inside.
Moving closer, he recognized the one whose back was toward him to be Kallen, judging from the red hair and the headband around it. The person she was with, though, he couldn't identify immediately, but appeared to be male. A quick look at the man's boots told him that this was the one who fired the flare gun and made the trail. His blood ran cold, however, when he finally saw the man's face.
Lelouch. The Demon Emperor.
"I know you're faking it," he told the seemingly sleeping man, leveling his gun. A smirk formed in the other man's face.
"As expected from the Knight of Three," Lelouch replied while slowly lifting his face.
"What are you up to, Lelouch?"
"Nothing," Lelouch answered immediately, his expression neutral. "At least, not anymore."
"Well and good," Gino replied sarcastically, "but you have crimes to answer for." Lelouch nodded.
"I'll go quietly, but I'll need something from you before I do."
"What? My fealty as a Knight of Britannia?"
"No. I want your word as a man of honor."
The response caught him off-guard. The Demon Emperor who ruled Britannia with an iron fist wanted a promise from him? He was skeptical to say the least; Lelouch was definitely up to something. He thought out his response carefully. Who knew what he would do to Kallen if he gave the wrong answer.
"Are you speaking as Britannia's Emperor, or as a man with a hostage?" he asked, jerking his head towards Kallen as he finished. "Not that there's much of a difference, anyway."
He noticed Lelouch tense slightly at the question, but it was in such a short instance he could have imagined it in the low light. He tightened his grip on his weapon at the bitter laugh that followed.
"It does look like that, doesn't it?" acknowledged Lelouch, leaning his head back to the cave wall. "But, no," he continued, lowering his head again to look at Gino face-to-face, "I'm asking you as a man who wants to save a life."
Save... a life?
"She's hurt," Lelouch continued without waiting for his response. "I did what I can, but I can tell it's worse than it looks. Her head - she said the pain won't go away. She tired too quickly earlier, and her breathing doesn't sound right, either. There may not even be much time. I don't-" he stopped suddenly, as if realizing he'd said more than he should, and looked away.
"Gino Weinberg," Lelouch was facing him again, "I want you to make sure she gets looked after. I'll take whatever punishment the Black Knights and the UFN will give me, just, please!"
Gino was speechless. The emotion in those words was unmistakable - nothing at all like the ruthless Emperor that they fought against earlier. Looking more closely now, the manner with which he held Kallen was more protective than threatening. He also noted that she barely stirred during the whole exchange, and began to worry himself. The soldier in him, however, is saying that it was just an act, a ruse to make him let his guard down. But the part of him that knew a different Lelouch in his short stay in Ashford...
"Do I have your word, Gino?"
"All right," he reluctantly agreed. Trick or no trick, Kallen needed help - that much he could tell.
"Thank you," Lelouch gave him a tired smile, clearly relieved. He then leaned his head back, and was out like a light.
The rescue teams arrived shortly afterward. It wasn't difficult to make them prioritize Kallen, being their ace and all. What gave him a hard time, however, was keeping them from maltreating the unconscious Lelouch. They didn't actually try anything but he could tell they all wanted a piece of him. Gino ended up guarding him instead until they reached the Avalon's medical facilities. Only when he was sure they were both getting medical attention did he focus on monitoring Kallen's condition as he promised.
As it turned out, Lelouch's fear was well-founded. Kallen's head injury caused some fluids to build up in her skull, putting pressure on her brain. The doctors have said that, if they brought her in even a half-hour later, she would have fallen into a coma; and, once in a coma, her chances of surviving would have plunged dramatically. Having found her just in the nick of time, they managed to drain those fluids before they caused any major damage. She won't come awake for another few days yet, but she'd be able to return to her old routine in a week or two.
True to his word, Gino only stopped breathing down the doctors' necks after receiving the good news. What proved to be the challenge was getting word to Lelouch. The Black Knights had put him under tight security while in the Avalon, so that only the core members were allowed to even come near. Upon arrival on Penglai Island the following day, he was transferred to another cell under even heavier security. Gino's blood boiled when he saw that, besides being handcuffed, Lelouch was blindfolded and had a collar that prevented him from speaking while he was being transferred. With such tight security and the weak constitution he knew Lelouch had, the man was already helpless enough even without the handcuffs. Demon Emperor or not, no human being deserved that kind of treatment. He nearly throttled the guard that deliberately made their prisoner fall flat on his face, but he stopped when he saw Lelouch quickly get up (though with some difficulty) and waited to be led to his cell.
That night, Gino Weinberg couldn't sleep. They would be holding the trial tomorrow, with Lelouch present only when they were ready to announce the verdict. He sighed. Here he was, the man who rescued the Ace of the Black Knights and captured the Demon Emperor, losing sleep over how the enemy of the world was being treated as a prisoner. Hmph. 'Enemy of the world,' huh? Lelouch didn't seem to fit the bill. Not this Lelouch, at least. The 'enemy of the world' would rather let Kallen die than risk getting captured by helping her. Heck, the 'enemy of the world' would rather die than let himself get captured. On that note, why wasn't he being rescued? Seeing how his forces were willing to go for suicide tactics to follow his orders to the letter, why weren't any of them coming for him? Surely, Lelouch fired that signal flare so that his own men would find him, or did he? No, he wanted to save her. Their conversation in that cave told him as much. But why even care about an enemy pilot?
Wait a sec. Maybe she wasn't an enemy pilot. He was wearing Zero's clothes back in the cave. He was the Zero that blew up the Damocles! But, wait, he couldn't be Zero. At least, not the Zero he met back at the Chinese Federation. Lelouch was in Ashford the whole time. Besides, that Zero was dead for over a month now. Lelouch, on the other hand, would naturally want to save his classmate.
He shook his head. What was that again?. This Zero and that Zero. This Lelouch and that Lelouch. His brows furrowed, he just may be on to something. One thing's for sure, though; Lelouch or Zero, he had to save that man from certain death.
And so, the following day, he walked - practically barged - into the UFN Hall of Justice unannounced and took the stand.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the UFN Supreme Council, I sincerely apologize for this intrusion; but I assure you, upon my honor as Knight of Three, what I have to say is of the utmost importance." He continued after receiving a nod from Princess Kaguya,
"I have reason to believe that the man you have in custody is not the man on trial. You may be condemning an innocent man."
End-notes: I just decided to write the trial in separate POV's of the main defense witnesses, and, later, Lelouch. Let me know how you guys (and girls, of course) like this approach.
Date last edited: 2009/02/18