Unexpected Survival of Two
Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald answered a few questions to the press.
"Will His Highness live?" said one reporter.
"I'll be honest, while our medical teams can heal even severe injuries such as a severed spinal cord, we didn't see his Highness Clovis until he had considerable blood loss and damage. The doctor said he has less than a 1/8 chance of survival. His Highness Odysseus eu Britannia already told me to prepare for a state funeral. If Clovis survives another 168 hours, it's very likely we will live, but he won't be in any shape to make speeches for a while if ever" said Lord Jeremiah
A woman who looked more like she belonged to Ashford Academy than a company stepped up with another microphone. "How goes the investigation?" said the woman.
"Despite destruction of evidence, it's quite clear only one person was directly responsible. We already apprehended the primary suspect. We will not comment if he has any affiliation with any organizations. While it's true only a preliminary investigation was done, there is enough evidence for an arrest. There are no other suspects and Private Kururugi lacks a valid alibi. The military is disclosing additional details about the investigation, but only to the Tokyo Police at the moment" said Lord Jeremiah.
"Is Tokyo safe? The Shinjuku incident involved poison gas according to the military before you took charge of Area 11. Do you retract that statement" said a third reporter.
"We are doing everything in our power to stabilize the situation. Three additional units have been recalled from other Areas to garrison Tokyo. I will not lie, the terrorists stole the poison gas. Fortunately, the capsule requires tremendous power to operate. Instead of passively releasing the gas with its high pressure, it needs to be actively released. The powered valve is a variant of the Krupp-Lancaster-Smith design. The power required is triple of what the largest commercial generator is capable of providing; it would need a dedicated power supply. Alternately, the capsule can be destroyed from the outside. Despite being pressurized, the capsule would need be hit at a right angle with a force enough to break a KnightMare with triple thickness armor. Since it is circular, a right angle blow from a simple omnidirectional explosive is unlikely. In addition, the terrorists are too weak to operate constantly. They need to shed their terrorist persona and appear as civilians on a regular basis. Due to the size of the capsule, it cannot be hidden among someone pretending to be a civilian. The military is not working alone. We are working with the Tokyo Police and unlike other data sources such as telephones, internet service providers must give us information at request without a warrant, so finding it should be a matter of time" said Lord Jeremiah.
General Bartley was horrible at PR. Why he let his subordinates tell the press that the poison gas was recaptured, Jeremiah will never know. Since the terrorists were routed, people would have assumed success if the military didn't say otherwise. Jeremiah was going to be running Area 11 for a long time, so he wasn't going to start off with lies, particularly in case if the poison gas isn't found and the terrorists use it a few months later. It was best to be honest but wait for questions instead of offering information that could cause a panic.
Jeremiah let Lord Kewell handle additional questions. He now had a joint meeting with the local police and military. "My lab gave a match with 3 of the dummy prints and Private Kururugi with the partial print we found on the gun. I want to hear it from the local police's fingerprint experts too. I may be bending a few rules for the trial, but I want it to be the right guy. Where is Julia?" said Jeremiah.
"My boss is out for medical reasons. You see, she has a seven centimeter lung aspergilloma so she is going to have that removed…" said a blond man.
"And you are delivering Julia's report in her place?" said Jeremiah, cutting off the young man. It was a busy day for him.
"Yes. Here are the 4 prints that match the one found on the gun" said the man. Jeremiah smiled when he found the same matches. If only Private Kururugi was found a match, this meant the fingerprint experts were in disagreement, throwing doubt into the investigation. Jeremiah looked at photographs blown up prints himself. The partial print looked exactly like Kururgi's print to him.
"Lord Jeremiah, I have some concerns. About one of out every 3000 randomly sampled people will have a match to this fingerprint. While full fingerprints are unique and we have never had a false positive or negative with a full print, partial prints result in multiple matches" said a regular police officer. His position was normally too low to be in the meeting, but he was an unlanded lord and the brother to an earl who did Clovis an unspecified favor some time ago. Therefore, some of the details were over his head and paygrade.
"Private Kururugi is not a randomly selected person. If we went through the military and arrested everyone with a match, we would catch many innocents. He has plenty of motive and his alibi does not appear to be valid" said Jeremiah.
"His Highness Clovis la Britannia was shot in his chest. The culprit missed the heart, but did create a 3 millimeter gash in the superior vena cava. The exit wound was also large. Another bullet smashed the hip, breaking the bone. A third one hit his left leg just above the knee and a major artery. This third one alone would normally cause him to bleed to death in a third of the time it took for us to give him medical attention, but the bullet was stuck. While this caused ischemia in the left leg and the bullet is giving him a festering infection, it turned the flood of bleeding into a trickle. Fortunately, there were medical unit nearby, one of which ironically treated the suspect some time before. Clovis lost consciousness for approximately 13 minutes before he was stabilized. Assuming Clovis to be a "typical" person, Jeremiah, if you didn't go back to HQ when the other Sutherland pilots broke up their formation, Clovis would be dead. Indeed, if his recovery is only partial, you might have done His Highness a great disservice" said a medical officer.
"Power was off for much of the critical minutes, including cameras. After somehow getting close, the culprit needed to overpower a trio of guards at a door in a three on one fight. I don't know why they didn't report it, but the guards we would want to talk to got into a car accident, so we don't know what happened. Presumably, shots were not fired since that would attract unwanted attention, so they were beaten in hand to hand combat. Physical evidence was difficult to gather due to the military getting their hands over everything and moving stuff around. Until you took over Lord Jeremiah, no one really cared about it. You can forgive them for their attention being on speculating Clovis's survival. The military investigators were unable to come up with anything, but we submitted the information to us in Tokyo Police. Nothing is conclusive, but there is a very high probability the criminal used the boots of a standard military uniform and that he was alone. There was no accomplice. It could be a lone wolf mission. If this was an assassination, whoever hired him refused to risk any of their own and no cooperation occurred on this day. I am assuming that whatever the military told us to look over was accurate of course" said one veteran investigator from the local police. He coughed. "Are you sure the terrorists can't use the poison gas anytime soon?"
"Don't worry. Here is the specs of the capsule we" said a military officer.
Jeremiah looked over at one of the copies. There were three separate release valve 120 degrees apart. They were wired in series and it was impossible to operate one without the other. Without power, the mechanism would behave similarly to a check valve. Given the fact that a pressure release would have been simpler, he as surprised at the complexity. "Thankfully, it is almost as if this was designed to consume as much power as possible. I wouldn't be surprised if one officer had a relative who sells the battery for the truck that carries it" Amusingly, he was unware the research group simply gave a design that was perfectly plausible with a gas capsule that justified the auxiliary power supply so that if the regular military retrieved it before Clovis's personal unit did, they wouldn't do anything stupid that might wake up the cargo.
"Should a civilian be here?" said a military officer, pointing to a brown haired man in a ponytail he didn't recognize.
"I'm Diethard. The Purists invited me to the private conversations. Don't worry, I don't have any recording equipment and I already agreed to run everything with Lord Jeremiah before I tell anyone" said Diethard.
"Yes I appreciate your help with PR. OK, I'm dismissing the local police, I heard the summary. Please keep them up to date since their people are better at interpreting data collection. It's a bit embarrassing our in house people are not up to the task, but at least most of this isn't sensitive. Also Diethard, there is something I need to do that you cannot be privy too even if a smart person like you suspect what I'm going to do" said Jeremiah.
Suzuku was pretty distraught. He didn't even do anything and now he was accused of attempted murder of Prince Clovis. The guards treated him relatively well for a suspect. Suzuku had a few bruises, but most of them were from being dragged or roughly handled rather than deliberately done to cause pain. When he was turned over to the higher ups, the Purists seemed to have it out for him. So far he had a reprise. Suzuku went to the bathroom and was locked into a room for 3 hours, with no guards or outside stimulation. The only movement besides himself was a musical metronome placed in, so he probably didn't realize three hours passed. The door opened. Three regular guards and a few Purist officers came in. Suzuku's hand restrains were removed and then retied to his chair. A man with turquoise hair came in. He was well decorated with a blue shirt that had gold lining. A red decorative wing was under his collar and a dark cloak was attached to the shirt with a golden rope. His hands were covered with white gloves.
"Private Suzuku, this is Lord Jeremiah Gottwald. He will be conducting your interrogation" said one officier.
Lord Jeremiah Gottwald held a gun in a forensic bag. "Do you recognize this gun? Kururugi Suzuku. This tool was used to shoot His Highness Clovis. I investigated your background too. You are the legitimate child of the last Japanese Prime Minister. There's plenty of motive for you" said Jeremiah.
"There's been some sort of mistake. I don't think I've seen this gun before. If I did, it was one of the training weapons that was modified since I last touched it" said Suzuku. An officer made a gesture to a guard. The guard kicked Suzuku to the ground.
"Your fingerprints were found on it" said Jeremiah. "Ok, it's only a partial print match since we couldn't get a full print, but aristocrat investigators can lie to commoners even pure blooded Britannians to further the investigation. Besides, the partial print is entirely consistent with Kururugi" he thought. "You are also suspected of killing His Highness's personal unit. I don't know how or when you got shot, but that day you were reported to be insubordinate minutes before we lost contact. Later, you were found and treated. Admit it. If you confess now, you will be judged as an Honorary Britannian instead of an Eleven" said Jeremiah.
"I didn't do it" protested Suzuku. He was roughhoused a bit
"Enough. We aren't going to torture a confession out of him. Let the judge decide his fate" said Jeremiah.
"Yes the suit and sound modulator is just as you ordered it. The mask appears identical to a series of 3000 masks sold as a toy three years ago, but I made the slide mechanism working exactly as you intended. It is also shrapnel resistant, although making it bullet proof in the time required without attracting attention was impossible. If you believe this is acceptable, all that's left is for me to erase the evidence and forget everything, right?" said a bald man who had craftsmen contacts. Lelouch gave approval. It was good that the power allowed multiple conditionals to be made into the same command.
Lelouch was glad that Suzuku was alive, but his relief had turned to horror when he found out Suzuku was condemned. He didn't know what to think of Clovis. On one hand, he already had regrets about his apparent death. So now a brother and his best friend whom he thought were dead were alive. To be honest, he might not have even shot Clovis if Suzuku wasn't killed by his soldiers. On the other hand, if Clovis woke up, he would have every reason to think he needed to hunt down and kill Lelouch for the sake of self-preservation.
The next day, Lloyd and Cecile were dealing with a problem. "Bah, the essential part is missing. It appears nothing can be done. If we can try to get other pilots, the Lancelot needs a certain wiring of the brain for optimal operation. Even if one of them has the same level of synchronization, I doubt he would be able to produce the same results that Suzuku did. His operation efficiency for his first activation was 94%. Even if you replace the part" said Lloyd.
"That's why in order to free Suzuku..." said Cecile.
"He's an Honorary Britannian, right? Ever since the General Bartley's dismissal, the military has been in controlled by the Purist Faction" said Lloyd.
Ashford Academy students have just finished listening a school assembly. All of them started to leave the assembly hall. There was a week off from most classes.
"What's the Purist Faction? I heard the Acting Governor is one of them" said Shirley.
"It's a group that believes only Britannians should be in the Britannian military" said Lelouch.
"Lelouch, Shirley… I have three tickets to that new movie you wanted to watch. Want to come?" said Rivalz.
"Rivalz, you didn't even know classes would be cancelled. Stop trying to skip" said Shirley.
"It's ok. We'll come" said Lelouch. If all went to plan, he would be free that day anyways.
"Given their views, they won't get a Britannian soldier to take the blame. Whoever killed Clovis somehow got a uniform, or at least the soldiers' boots. But if the suspect were an Eleven, the investigation will proceed the way Margrave Jeremiah wants"
"Then Suzuku…" said Cecile.
"I don't think he'll be found innocent. It was a tactical mistake on our part to admit we could not confirm the times rather than lying and claiming we had all the times accounted for" said Lloyd.
Kallen walked into the former Tokyo Tower. The structure was stabilized without being rebuilt. While the top three floors necessary for maintaining the old broadcasting equipment were destroyed, lower floors including an observation floor were spared. It was a monument to the Second Great Pacific War. Old artifacts, videos, and photographs from the war were present.
"Tokyo tower at 1600 hours… he picked this place on purpose" muttered Kallen.
Her partners were also present despite their mysterious backer not requesting them.
The brown haired terrorist leader stepped forward. "The one contacted us was Kururugi Suzuku wasn't it?" said a blue-teal colored subordinate. It was Sugiyama. His hair barely reached his chin.
"Don't make any hasty assumptions" said the terrorist leader Ogi.
"But he might have been caught after talking to Kallen" said Yoshida, another subordinate.
"If this is the case, this place might be dangerous. The local police might be looking for anything unusual. In the unlikely event a separate investigation team learned our faces…" said Sugiyama.
"To Miss Kallen Stadtfeld of the Ashford Academy, your lost item was delivered to the service counter. Please collect your lost item" said a woman over the intercom.
"That is an Ashford Academy Uniform right?" said a woman at the counter.
"Yes" said Kallen.
"And this is your item right?" said the woman holding out an electronic device.
"Eh, Yes, thank you" said Kallen.
"Clovis really did help. Not only was there was cease fire, but the medical aid to the civilians was invaluable" said Ogi.
Kallen looked at the device. It claimed there was an incoming call from someone named "Zero." This was some sort of communicated. "Yes. Hello?" said Kallen.
"I told you to come alone. In any event, recent developments quicken my schedule, so you bringing them is convenient. Bring them to the 5th Kanjo train line on the outbound" said Lelouch.
Meanwhile Lord Jeremiah was in one of Clovis's offices with some of his low ranked followers, Villetta, and TV producer Diethard Ried. "His Highness's memoral program was well made, although it might have been too emotional" said Jeremiah.
"Your excellency, the masses demand tears" said the ponytailed TV producer.
"A fitting response for a TV producer. Regardless, I acknowledge your skill. It was as if you knew about His Highness's death to get that much together when I gave you 80 hours since I told you before the public" said Jeremiah.
"Forgive me, but the memorial programs for all the important personnel were prepared three years ago" said Diethard.
"Is there one for me as well?" said Jeremiah.
"With this recent incident, Your Excellency may rise onto the list" said Diethard.
"So I wasn't high enough rank before. You're honest" said Jeremiah.
"Forgive me" said Diethard.
"Would you like to join the military? We're short on people who can manipulate information. Our people only have experience in covering up and lying, options I prefer as a last resort" said Jeremiah.
"I'm aware that someone like me I not suitable for such a task. These three years your Excellency might have extra work for me, but not on a permanent basis" said Diethard.
"So you like commercial broadcasting better? Oh well. I would ask you to do one more job. Tomorrow night, we will transport Kururugi Suzuku to the military court" said Jeremiah.
"Let me bring the Britannians who love their country to the route" said Diethard.
"I'm glad you are so understanding. Make sure his face is visible when we transport him" said Jeremiah.
"Lord Jeremiah, there are those among Elevens that hold Kururugi Suzuku as a hero. Be careful" said Villetta.
"I will escort him personally in the Sutherland" said Jeremiah.
Kallen are her allies arrived in the train and had a short conversation with this "Zero." After giving them motivation, he ordered them into the front car of the train. Astonished, they found the entire car empty except for one man in a cloak and mask.
"It's not a trap is it?" said Yoshida.
"Hey! What happened in Shinjuku? Was the ceasefire your doing?" said Kallen.
"Say something" said Yoshida. Just then the train entered a tunnel. The figure turned around.
"How was it? Did you like my tour of the settlement? I wanted to get you in the right mindset" said Lelouch.
"He sounds different than he did that day" said Sugiyama. Lelouch was relieved a simple unpowered device could make his voice different.
"There is a gap between us and the Britannians. That is why as a resistance…" said Ogi.
"You're wrong. So called resistance and freedom fighting is nothing more than mere terrorism. Against such a powerful foe, terrorism is nothing more than childish harassment. Don't be fooled. The enemy is not Britannians. The enemy is Britannia itself. If you're going to do it at all, then it's a full war. Ignore the civilians. Weigh out justice!" said Lelouch.
"Don't joke around. That's easier said than done. How can we believe the words of someone who won't even show his face!" said Kallen.
"That's right. Would you please show us your face?" said Yoshida.
"If you are giving me credit for the cease fire, you should already be in awe at me. However, if you insist, I will show you something. Not my face, but a taste of my power. If I make the impossible possible, you'll believe what I say won't you?" said Lelouch.
Meanwhile, at a secret base, the Japanese Liberation Front were trying to think about their move. "Kururugi took out the prince of Britannia? We must praise him as a hero!" said one Lieutenant.
"He's the orphan child of Prime Minister Kururgi?" said a NCO.
"He became an Honorary Britannian, the man who threw away Japan. Thankfully, outside of Tokyo none of the civilians know about him after that" said a third JLF man.
"The incident in Shinjuku was the work of Kozuki's squadron, right?" said General Katase Tatewaki.
"Yes. They are currently being led by a man named Ogi. So far, about a third of their recruits might have come to us if they didn't exist. Kozuki Naoto provided us sporadic information but he never got to merge into our chain of command before his death" said snother man.
"Has Kururugi's family said anything?" said Katase.
"They cut off relations with him since he joined the military"
"What do you think Todo?" said General Katase.
"We have no obligation to accompany him on his public execution" said Colonel Todo.
There was more optimistic news inside a brig. "Congratulations, neither of the two people you asked about were on the list of casualties" said Lloyd.
"Thank goodness" said Suzuku.
"But you are in an unfavorable position. Even when you go to trial, no one will be on your side" said Lloyd.
"But trials are where the truth is revealed" protested Suzuku.
"I think the 'truth' is something that's covered up most of the time'" said Lloyd.
"If that's how the world works, I'll be found guilty. I don't want to be attached to such a world" said Suzuku.
At sunset, Lelouch was getting his plan launched. Kallen, Ogi, and Sugiyama all stood before him. Pink hair, brown hair, and blue-teal hair all in descending level due to the uneven ground. "So it's just you guys I see" said Lelouch.
"Sorry. Can you give us a little more time? If I speak to them I'm sure…" said Ogi.
"No, two is enough, three is convenient" said Lelouch.
"Don't be an idiot! Do you know how many enemies there are?" said Kallen.
"With your cooperation, all the conditions are cleared. Make this tomorrow. It needs to look like this from the outside" said Lelouch handing a diagram of one of Clovis's vehicles.
The next evening, Suzuku was carried out of his prison towards a court inside an administrative building. Diethard was making his arrangements. "Harry, make sure your narration is clear. Camera five is too slow. Charles, is everyone in place? What? The studio? Let them wait. We're not delaying it. Everything is going to plan."
The convoy appeared in front the first camera. "Oh! We can see them now. It's the suspect Kururugi. Kururugi Suzuku will be here soon" said a reporter while live.
"See?" said Diethard, talking through his mic. He turned it off. "Hmph, reporting a fascade like this means I've stooped low. At least this will be worth ten years of payfor me and I'm helping Lord Jeremiah who respects me and understands the importance of cameras even if he doesn't know how to do this in house. That has to count for something" said the ponytailed producer.
The convoy considered of an open topped truck in the center. Suzuku's hands were tied behind his back. He was fully visible for the crowd to see and dispense their hate. Three soldiers in masks stood to his left brandishing their guns. Four KnightMares surrounded it. An APC followed behind the larger vehicles.
Lelouch put on the black gloves and mask of his Zero suit. "That's right. I don't need a path I can turn back from. There is a one out of eight chances that something I didn't predict will happen. If I have to improvise, there is a good chance this is the end. I hope nothing ever forces my hand again" thought Lelouch. He was risking everything to save his friend.
"Deputy, I mean Acting Governor General Jeremiah. A vehicle is approaching on 3rd street and headed this way. As ordered we didn't do any security checks, but…" said one man on the coms.
"Do you think it's something of terrorists?" said Jeremiah urgently.
"Well, it's his Highness's personal vehicle" said the officier.
"What an absurd person. I don't mind. Let it pass through. All vehicles halt!" said Jeremiah. He raised his right hand.
"There was no plan for them to stop here. Perhaps there was some sort of accident. A car is approaching. This is the personal vehicle used by Clovis" said the reporter. The crowd was getting restless.
Jeremiah smiled at the fool. "Get out, you who defile His Highness's vehicle" said Jeremiah.
The Britannian banner in front of Lelouch quickly burned up to the incendiary he placed there. "I am Zero" said Lelouch. He repeated it in Japanese. "Suzuku, I will repay my debt to you" thought Lelouch.
"That's enough, Zero. Your show time is over" said Jeremiah, right hand on hs handgun and left hand on his Sutherland controls. He fired a shot. Four KnightMares dropped from above and surrounded Lelouch's vehicle. "Now take off your mask" said Jeremiah. Lelouch snapped his fingers and the fake walls disguising the truck as Clovis's vehicle came off. Inside was a capsule that civilians had not seen, but the military has. "What?" said Jeremiah, horrified. Three of the KnightMare pilots that dropped around Lelouch had fainted inside their cockpits. Obviously not battle hardened soldiers…
"Lord Jeremiah, that's…" said Villetta alarmed.
"That's right Jeremiah. To you who haven't seen the inside of this, it's a capsule of posion gas" thought Lelouch.
"Poison gas pressurized to 2293679.855 millimeters of mercury. He took every Britannian civilian here hostage!" thought Jeremiah. He pointed his handgun at Zero.
"Roper, increase the volume and get close up!" said Diethard.
"But, this looks kind of dangerous" said the technician.
"Friggin amateurs" said Diethard. He picked up a camera three times the size of his head. "Set video feed 3 to this one"
"I offer an exchange. This thing for Kururugi Suzuku" said Lelouch.
"Ridiculous. This private is charged with attempted murder of His Highness Clovis. There is no way I'm handing him over" said Jeremiah.
"You're wrong Jeremiah. He isn't the culprit" said Lelouch. Diethard got close enough ad started focusing the camera. "It was not attempted murder but battery. The one who shot Clovis was me!" said Lelouch. He repeated this in Japanese. Almost everyone who was anyone was watching this event. This included Lloyd, Cecile, the Ashford Academy student council, and the JLF HQ staff.
Inside the truck cab, Kallen was at the wheel, facily dressed in white with a cap and a face concealing visor. "It's no use now. We're dead" said Kallen.
"For one Eleven, you can save the lives of many Britannians. I don't think that's a bad deal" said Lelouch.
"He plans on turning this into a show" muttered Diethard with glee.
"You should pay for masquerading in His Highness's vehicle!" said Jeremiah. The lone ready KnightMare around the truck readied its gun.
"Are you sure you want to do that Orange-kun?" said Lelouch. He repeated this in Japanese.
"Huh?" said Jeremiah.
"What does Orange mean?" said one guard.
Lelouch tapped his feet and Kallen advanced the vehicle. "It will be publically advanced if I die. It will also be known you don't keep your word. Since you didn't agree with my first deal, I'll increase my demands. If you leave 30,000 Pounds in front of the main police station next week, I'll refrain from giving this capsule to anyone who might use this in Area 11 as long as you are Margrave. Immediately, my offer now is to not say you broke your word and to go away with this device without using it in return…" said Lelouch. He activated his eye. "With all your might, let us pass. Do the same with him" said Lelouch.
"I understand. Hand him over" said Jeremiah. Everyone, Kallen included gasped.
"Lord Jeremiah, what did you just say" said Villetta, alarmed.
"Hand him over!" ordered Jeremiah.
Suzuku's bonds were released. Kallen pullet a switch and seven large gas containers left the truck. Suzuku walked forward. An old KnightMare Frame beside the truck stood up. Villetta entered her new Sutherland and prepared to fight.
"Zero, it's time" said Kallen. Lelouch pushed a button. The seven containers were revealed to be oversized smoke grenades.
"You damned Eleven" screamed Villetta. As she started to open fire, Jeremiah's Sutherland pushed her gun upward. "Lord Jeremiah, why?" said Villetta.
"I already told you not to interfere!" said Jeremiah.
Lelouch, Suzuku, and Kallen were pulled up by a series of hidden wires. The odd KnightMare fired modified slash harkens with a landing bed the trio fell into. Lord Kewell raised his weapon.
"I will not let this Zero massacre all these civilians. We made an agreement to assure their safety. Anymore actions against the deal will be considered treason from this pint on. With all your might, let them pass!" said Jeremiah.
Sugiyama came up in the Sutherland Lelouch stole from Villetta a week ago. He picked up the capsule and started to move away. It looked like an official vehicle and no one would question it until much later the military realized they still didn't have the poison gas.
After all the "fun" the senior elements of Ogi's terrorist cell gather in an abandoned building. "He might be able to pull of the war against Britannia we all thought was impossible" said Ogi.
"It seems like they treated you poorly. Private Kururugi, you seen how they operate. Become my ally" said Lelouch.
"Did you really shoot His Highness Clovis?" said Suzuku.
"Do you need a reason to kill enemies in a war? Although to be honest, personally I'm not disappointed in his survival. In any event, the results are favorable. Britannian is not a country worth serving" said Lelouch.
"I think it's worthless to achieve results with the wrong methods" said Suzuku walking away.
"Wait! Where are you going?" said Lelouch.
"My court-martial starts in an hour. If I don't go, more Elevens and possibly even Honorary Britannians will be accursed" said Suzuku.
"You're an idiot" said Lelouch, putting a hand to his mask and missing his forehead. Wearing a mask was going to take some time to get sued to.
"In the past, I had a friend who told me that a lot. 'You're an idiot' I suppose that's my weakness"
Lelouch realized he might have saved a friend, but Suzuku was not going to be an ally. The only allies he gained this night were terrorists with questionable methods. He needed to rebrand these so called "resistance" into vigilantes of justice.