Ch 2 – Twin Drive
Innovator HQ, unknown location
Inside a luxurious dome-shaped room, V2 sat there with his usual bored expression. His eyes glowed in a fashion where his surroundings meant nothing to him, even as three shadows approached behind him.
"We have done it; Celestial Being has returned and Lelouch enthroned to its command centre," V2 proclaimed.
One of the figures walked closer towards V2. He wore a royal blue coat over a black undershirt, and a katana strapped behind. An oni mask covered his face, and his face seemed grim.
"But why release a potential threat?" he asked.
"To make things more interesting and increase public support for the A-Laws," V2 proclaimed, "don't get too flustered, Mr Bushido. I am aware of your efforts in capturing him."
"But still, they may be a danger to the Plan," Mr Bushido claimed.
"I have already tipped Homer Katagiri, Chief Commander of the A-Laws, about this," V2 said, "with Celestial Being's true destruction; no more opposition will stand in our way. Humans can be so fickle."
"Aren't you one yourself?" asked the second man, who was blonde and donned in a viridian coat over the A-Laws uniform.
"Gino, I had long surpassed that point of humanity… into something more," V2 only answered back, "anyway, I want the three of you to assist the A-Laws in the East Africa Theatre."
"East Africa, I believe that the guerrillas there have been a nuisance to our forces there," the girl commented, who wore a pink coat over the A-Laws uniform.
"Indeed Anya, I need you three to put an end to their foolishness," V2 said, "once East Africa collapses, all that's left is the Middle East."
Schwarze Ritter HQ, Rub' al Khali Desert, former Saudi lands
The Saudi Empire used to have a monopoly over all of Arabia, before the Royal Hajj Massacre which killed off Grand Sultan Abdullah V and his immediate kin. Since then, the remaining members of the House of al-Saud fought over the throne and drove their lands into chaos.
Despite this chaos, its deserts made the perfect hiding spot in the world for fugitives, including the Schwarze Ritters.
Inside the base hidden from plain sight, several of its members were talking of recent events that occurred before them.
"The Federation have already taken out an outpost in the Himalayas," one of them said, "so far as I can tell, no one survived the raid."
Two more figures walked into the group speaking. They were Milly and Rivalz, but dressed differently. Milly wore a black skin-tight shirt with fingerless gloves; her long black jeans had silvery trimmings. Rivalz wore a similar black shirt with military green pants.
"Our outpost in the Proud Colony is also gone," she said, "in fact, all contact has been lost."
"The Federation has claimed a power failure to be the cause…" Rivalz said.
"But we all know it better!" declared a booming voice.
From the shadows, two more figures walked in. The one in front had long greying hair had covered his left eye, which was sown shut. He wore a black jacket, ending with large flaps and with black pants. His follower wore a similar outfit too, sans the flaps.
"Lord Waldstein," Milly said, "the situation is growing dimmer…"
"True, but we have seen yet another side to the situation up in space," Bismarck said, holding up a photo, "this was taken from our men before his unit exploded and was sent to me."
The picture on it showed the Gundam Gabriel as it ought against the GN-XIII.
"Hey, isn't that a Gundam…" one of them said.
"But they were destroyed five years ago… I was on the Nidhogg at that time," another Ritter spoke.
"Apparently they have gone underground and rearmed themselves," Bismarck said, "they may be our most valuable allies, with the world turned against us."
"Lelouch…" Milly thought.
"Sir, what is our next step?" Klaus asked.
"Step up our defences and security in all bases," Bismarck advised, "we will only act if they act. Just lay low for the moment."
St. Cuthbert II, Deep Space Region
In the St. Cuthbert's deck, Lelouch surveyed the new ship of their group. However, his mind was still boggled by what he last remembered.
Lelouch was restricted in a straitjacket to keep him in place, as he was dragged into a luxurious podium by a familiar ex-friend, Suzaku, who had a huge unsightly scar across his face. Upon reaching there, he plunged Lelouch into the ground and held onto his back. As Lelouch looked up, he saw the menacing form of V2 standing over him.
"So you are the human who resisted the tides of change," V2 said.
"It's you who gave away the GN technology to the UN!" Lelouch cried.
"Such childish accusations, I was only merely evening the field," V2 said, "but I expect such narrow-mindedness from a human like you."
"Are you implying you're beyond human?" Lelouch wondered.
"That you have no idea, but you shall learn to love this world I bring forth to humanity," V2 said, "and you will forget all your pains you accumulated before, the burden as a Gundam Meister, your ties to your friends, family and even Nunnally."
"No, you can't… No you mustn't!" Lelouch cried out.
"Yes… I can," V2 said, and his eyes glowed ominously.
"It was that fool Suzaku's fault," Lelouch cursed, "He would backstab the world for his own gains; his fatherland, his honour and now even his friend."
"Sir, are you fine?" Ian asked, who was accompanied with Setsuna and Kallen.
"Yah, just reminiscing some not-so-glorious moments of my life," Lelouch said, "but what of our strength so far, I noticed some people missing."
"We lost Christina during the attack five years ago," Kallen replied.
"And Lockon has been confirmed to be KIA, while Allelujah is still missing," Setsuan said.
"As for Jeremiah, he lost faith after you were lost and retreated back to Earth," Ian said, "We have located him to be living along the Colorado-Deseret border."
"These issues will be remedied in time," Lelouch said, "all is needed is a trip down there."
"And I wish to bring to… uh, see a little work of ours," Ian said, "it's regarding your personal Gundam."
Lelouch stared at Ian for a moment, and got up to follow them. They went to a hangar for the Gundams. Inside, there was a sealed container for the Mobile Suits. It was marked with "GN-0000 Gundam Apollyon".
Ian opened the container and revealed the Mobile Suit within. It was mainly black, with golden trims on some parts. There were two cannons mounted on the knees; another two on the back. Its two arms were seemed to have two cannons built in, for more firepower. On its shoulders, two GN Drives were placed there.
"Gundam Apollyon…" Lelouch read out.
"A revolutionary Mobile Suit even in Aeolia's wildest dreams," Ian said, "it uses the Twin Drive System, where in two different GN Drives are used to power a single unit."
"I know first-hand of the capability of a Mobile Weapon in use of multiple GN Drives," Lelouch said.
"No, these two Drives will be synchronised instead," Ian explained, "according to Aeolia, he hypothesised that such GN Drives with high topographic production ratios, a Gundam can reach greater thresholds in particle production."
"I see, so we have created the ultimate Gundam," Lelouch said, "but this should be given to Setsuna."
"NO, I decline the choice," Setsuna said, "we have decided that only you are worthy of this system."
"But I can only hope the synchronisation can make it," Ian said, "it must above 80% for this thing to start, and this combination is the highest I can get – at 70 plus already."
"So this unit is only a waste of time," Lelouch said.
"No, I believe you can do this," Ian insisted, "The performance this unit is capable of will allow us to overcome the GN Technology the Federation had built upon during these five years."
A-Laws Battleship Frontier, Outer Space Rim
Flying into the deeper portions of space, it was one of the A-Laws Battleships. This one was called the Frontier, able to house usually at least six such teams of three.
Inside a room, Rolo sat on a chair. He donned the deep green uniform of the A-Laws, and he was speaking with A-Laws Major Abra Lindt on the monitor.
"So you have let Lelouch slip by you," Lindt said.
"Or rather, I was not told of an attack on Proud," Rolo justified.
"I too was not aware, Commander Katagiri gave the order himself," Lindt said, "anyway, he put you here to end a possible insurgence from Celestial Being."
"Haven't they been purged five years ago?" Rolo wondered.
"The Commander said he got a trusted source on his side," Lindt said, "but then again, the team we sent to Proud were found dead and their units damaged."
"So we are sending in three teams this time," Rolo said.
"And you, a Special Operative," Lindt said, "I expect good results from you as always, just like the times in the IBI."
"Yes, my Ahead Prototype is prepared for its mission," Rolo answered.
"All hands to the Mobile Suits! Contact with unknown vessel identified," the system called out.
"I think I will wait and see…" Rolo said.
St. Cuthbert II, Deep Space Region
In the Apollypon's container of the St. Cuthbert II, Lelouch continued to stare at the Gundam that would be his to own. Suddenly, the ship shook violently and Lelouch fell down.
"Warning: enemy units approaching," Feldt declared over the system, "Gabriel and Akagi to be sortie."
"They have come for us," Lelouch muttered, "don't lose now…"
Outside, both the Gabriel and Akagi were dispatched to protect the St. Cuthbert II. There, the Frontier was already on close pursuit. About three A-Laws teams had come for the assault, in the form of 2 GN-XIIIs and one Ahead for each team.
"Captain, we have confirmed Gundams in the vicinity," a GN-XIII pilot declared.
"To think we could rest at last, and you show up," the Captain cried, "leave no one alive. Destroy them all!"
Suddenly, the attack force of nine Mobile Suits charged in against the two Gundams. The Akagi fired off a concentrated blast of GN Particles and hurled it, destroying one GN-XIII at once.
"Q-1, take those units on the left while I attack the others to the right," Setsuna ordered, "we must not let them get anywhere near the ship!"
Then, the Gabriel fired off several beam blasts at the GN-XIII, in which they returned in kind. Those attacks managed to destroy two of them and the third one charged in directly. Then, the Gabriel used its GN Sword and slashed the GN Lance and the rest of the unit into half. Suddenly, the Ahead began to attack the Gabriel with its Beam Sabre, but Setsuna fended the surprise attack.
"You should've perished then and stayed in hell," the Captain cried.
"Not when conflict still exist," Setsuna replied, "we know of your heinous acts and you covering them up!"
"All for the sake of peace, we will have to go for the extremes," the Captain declared.
"Enough!" Setsuna cried, and he slashed off the left arm of the Ahead. Suddenly, a GN-XIII attacked the Gabriel from behind with its beam blasts. This forced the Gabriel to attack the GN-XIII instead.
"Now for their ship," the Captain said, "fellow Captains, follow me."
Back in the hangar, Lelouch observed the battle ongoing outside. While the two Gundams were able to fight against the GN-XIIIs on the equal scale, he noticed that the Aheads were gone from the battle. Lelouch picked up an incom and attached it to his ear.
"Feldt, can you hear me?" Lelouch said.
"Fledt? No, this is Meleina Vashti," the voice replied on the other end, "Feldt is currently in the facilities right now, and the ship is on auto-pilot."
"Vashti? So she is Ian's child…" Lelouch thought.
"Is this the Control Brig of St. Cuthbert II?" Lelouch asked.
"Yup," she replied.
"Inform the crew to flee immediately," Lelouch ordered, "the Aheads are aiming for the ship itself, and they know this ship is defenceless."
"Not to worry, this ship is equipped with ample supply of GN Missiles in case of attack," Meleina said, "I will be sure to bring forth your word to Feldt."
"No, those missiles may not be enough…" Lelouch thought, "Only one hope left…"
"Meleina, can you perform a launch sequence for the Gudnam?" Lelouch asked.
Suddenly, the Aheads charged in towards the St. Cuthbert II. Lasse and Fedlt had recently returned to the Brig, and saw through their attackers' true goal.
"Launch all salvos!" Lasse cried, ash e took the steering wheel and prepared for evasive action.
The three Aheads fried their beam blasts at the incoming missiles, and got rid of most of them. The Aheads were fast approaching the St. Cuthbert II, as the Gundams were distracted by the GN-XIIIs.
"They seem to strike themselves off as brilliant by using their GN-XIIIs as a diversion for their actual attack force," Lelouch said, then a smile came up, "that will be not enough to outmatch me."
He let loose a long black cape and hopped into the Apollyon's cockpit.
"Linear catapult loaded, launch when ready," the voice said.
"Gundam Apollyon, prepare for take-off," Lelouch declared, as the gate opened for its take-off.
But it didn't really move, and was stuck there. The power level as seen on the monitor; it was still at 67.4%, but slowly rising.
"Come on!" he yelled.
"A clearing, now they are begging for us to destroy them," the Captain said, "I'm going forward."
The one-armed Ahead flew towards the opening hatch and pulled out its Beam Rifle for one clear shot. He fired into the clearing before him and aimed straight for the Apollyon deep within.
"Come on… the future of millions rests on us!" Lelouch cried, "Gundam Apollyon, awaken!"
Suddenly, the twin GN Drives shifted towards the front and formed a GN Barrier to intercept the attack. The two Drives then pushed back and prepared to propel the Suit out. The power level was then shot all the way to 80.0%, a perfect one ofr activation.
"Let's go!" Lelouch cried, "Zero has returned!"
The Apollyon pushed out into space and zoomed past the Aheads. The Captain onboard the one-armed Ahead grew especially furious.
"It does not matter what you throw at us; we will still win!" he yelled.
And his Ahead began to shoot the Apollyon down. However, the same barrier of GN Particles formed up and shielded the attacks. The Apollyon raised its left hand and shot out a spherical blast at the Ahead, destroying it at one go.
"What power… but we can still defeat it," another Captain declared.
The other two Aheads flew in for their assault on the Gundam, taking out their Beam Sabres. The Apollyon flew in head-on and collided into one of the Aheads as it armed itself, grabbing both hands. It easily crushed the hands of the Ahead, melding the not-activated Beam Sabre with the right hand.
"Ha, now you can't do anything more to me," the Captain said.
"Or so you assume… Gundam Apollyon!" Zero announced.
The left knee cannon activated to his cry and a small MS hand popped out. It grabbed onto a Beam Sabre that activated at once and stabbed into the Ahead's cockpit, and eliminated another foe.
"I won't be defeated so easily! You're just a slowpoke unit!" the last Captain yelled, charging in with a Beam Sabre and a Beam Rifle firing on it.
Suddenly, a GN Field encircled the Apollyon and shielded the blasts as it turned to face its remaining foe. It raised out both arms, and the other mounted cannons all charged up. Its chest opened up and showed a glaring green light, exposing the very core of the Mobile Suit.
"Sayonara…" he said.
The GN Field sparked off a little, and then a fierce blast shot out on the Ahead. It overwhelmed the entire unit and it exploded at once. Just then, both the Gabriel and Akagi came out to aid the Gundam, only to realise the battle scene.
"Wow…" Q-1 exclaimed, "It managed to defeat all three Aheads single-handedly…"
"Yes, this Suit is our true secret weapon…" Setsuna said.
Over the distance, another Mobile Suit headed towards them. Its red trail of light indicated it to be powered by another false Drive, but it was no GN-XIII or Ahead. It was more of the GN-X by its appearance, but it seemed far more humanoid like the Gundams.
"Another enemy unit…" Setsuna said, "I will take care of it."
The Gabriel charged forward against the unknown enemy unit and fired on it, but it blocked the attack with a Beam Shield formed from its arms.
"They even developed GN-based shielding?!" exclaimed Ian, "and we are getting to there with the Arios…"
The new unit continued to charge forward, and the Gabriel braced for impact with its GN Shield. However, the enemy elbowed the Shield and punctured into the Shield itself, pushing the Gabriel back.
Inside the cockpit, Rolo in his A-Laws pilot suit stared blankly at the Gabriel before him.
"The Needle Blazer technology, developed to shatter barriers with a great force further enhanced by GN Particles," he said, "prepare to die… Ahead…"
His Ahead Prototype pulled out a small Beam Dagger from its waist and struck against the GN Blades of the Gabriel. The Ahead Prototype prepared to stab into the cockpit region of the Gabriel.
"Now! Trans-Am!" cried Setsuna.
The Gabriel glowed red and vanished from sight and from the Ahead. Suddenly, it came up and slashed off one of the Prototype's legs and rammed it away. Being outclassed by the empowered unit, Rolo opted to flee. The Gabriel then stopped and resumed its normal mode.
"We still have other opportunities in the near future…" Rolo said, "But is Lelouch among them?"
"I believe this is a victory for us," Milleina proclaimed.
"And about the Apollyon, it has more potential than the simulations had implied," Ian said, "more research data is required if I need to make a detailed improvement over it."
"A more refined control over the Trans-Am, and this new unit…the Twin Drive…" Zero said, "Celestial Being has been reborn!"
"And your instructions, milord," Q-1 said.
"Gather my followers from all corners of the world…" Zero proclaimed.
Honda Civic Bar, Crashtown, Coloradan Free State
The Honda Civic Bar still stood for business after five years, due to the car parts scavenged from the outskirts to maintain the building. Lelouch in a cowboy-like outfit walked into the dangerous bar of the wildlands of Colorado. He sat down by a chair next to the local bartender, fixing up a beer.
"Hey kid," the bartender called out, "Aren't you a bit young for this sort of thang?"
"I'm looking for someone," Lelouch replied coldly, "had you heard of a Jeremiah Gottwald?"
"What in tarnations, you know the real name of Metal One-Eye Jerry!" the bartender exclaimed, "He's the terror of the town, always drunken to his brim."
"I heard that! Who dares to call my name?" cried a voice.
As Lelouch turned around, he saw Jeremiah by the door. He wore a tattered cowboy hat, and a long tattered brown jacket. On his waist, there was a hoister and a pistol was strapped to it. Two thick leather boots were put on his feet, and he dragged his way in.
Upon his dreary presence, most of the other patrons had ducked for cover under their tables. Even the bartender himself retreated to the back, in fear of the impending doom. Jeremiah looked at Lelouch's face with a glance and abruptly halted at once.
"Sir Lelouch… is that you" he asked, "are you a ghost?"
"If so, I have returned from Hell to fulfil my destiny," Lelouch declared, "will you join me?"
"Of course, now I can fulfil my duty to you," he said, bowing before Lelouch.
Streets, Dublin, Republic of Erie
On the streets of Dublin, Lelouch and Jeremiah had quickly gotten themselves to the Old World. They looked around them, trying to find someone. Soon, a shady man in sunglasses walked towards them. He took off his sunglasses and shwoed his face to be identical to that of the late Lockon Stratos.
"The bells of the Bastille rang," he said.
"And the bells of revolution towed upon God," Lelouch continued, "so you are Lyle Dylandy, former officer of the Imperium… or a current Schwarze Ritter."
"Are you from the Federation?" Lyle wondered suspiciously.
"You're just like your brother, in ways beyond appearance," Lelouch said, "both of you wish to fight for justice. While you bowed to the Imperium and joined its Army, your brother took the alternative path… Celestial Being's Gundam Meister…"
"How did you…" Lyle exclaimed.
"I too am his former colleagues," Lelouch explained, "I want you to enlist your skills to my side, and continue your brother's legacy… as Lockon Startos."
"And why should I?" he asked.
"The Federation has planned a mass raid in Southeast Asia tomorrow," Lelouch said, "it starts from Nanyang, and goes into Northern Malaya and the Riau Islands. Then, it will go west to Ceylon and India itself."
"What?!" he exclaimed.
"Consider my offer, your group is losing out in your struggle against the Federation," Lelouch said, walking away with Jeremiah following after.
Innovator HQ, unknown location
Inside the Innovator's HQ, V2 reclined on his sofa uncaring about the events of the world. C2 just then walked to him from a stairwell above.
"So we can conclude that Celestial Being still exists and now is strengthened with their leader," C2 summarised.
"In which we shall eliminate them in one fell swoop," V2 continued, "I have contacted Katagiri to put up our next move… in a prison complex where Allelujah Haptism resides…"