Chapter 17
Linda rushed down the corridor of the as quick as she could still reeling from the information she had just received; The Dreadnought II that was sent out to meet with Zero's forces was taking heavy damage and lost almost all of its Knightmare Frames stationed on it.
What the hell is Kytes doing out there; he said he could handle it! That apparently wasn't the case.
As she stood outside Lars's throne room she knew her brother could care less if Kytes made it back at all. He often said Kytes, along with Spencer, was nothing more than a failed experiment that still had some uses. No it was going to be the loss of fifty Ectors and the second Dreadnought that he was going to be upset about.
She pushed the door open slowly the find the room beyond almost pitch black, the only light coming from the crack in the door she opened.
"Lars?" She called out scanning the area.
"Linda?" A weak voice came from the centre of the room, "Help me up."
Concerned she rushed over and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she found her brother in a tangled heap at the foot of his throne.
"Lars!" She put her arms across his shoulders and helped him into a sitting position, "What happened?"
"I had just woken up from my coma," He breathed, "Then I collapsed, I wasn't able to get back up on my own."
She helped him back into his throne and took a better look at him. His skin was all sweaty and pale and the dark rings around his eyes where more pronounced than ever.
"What the hell is going on Lars, that thing his supposed to be helping you?" she asked.
"The more you use your Geass and the longer you have it the more powerful it becomes, that's what's happening to my Geass; it's making the insomnia worse and the machine is becoming useless." He replied, sounding like it took a lot of effort to speak.
"We can get a doctor in to see-"
"Don't be stupid!" He had cut her off, "They can't do anything for this and you know that."
He had closed his eyes and sat back against his throne looking irritated. Just when she was about to speak he had cut her off again.
"You came here to tell me something." It didn't sound like a question.
She then updated him what was currently happening with Kytes and the Dreadnought II and just as she thought he wasn't taking it well.
"I should have expected nothing better from Kytes."
"Then why did you send him at all?" She said wanting to know the answer, "Like you say his nothing more than some cheap replica, his nothing like the original."
"I know that already, when I sent Kytes there I never intended or expected him to kill Zero, there's someone else I have given that responsibly to." He answered standing up off his throne.
"Really, who?" She asked curious.
"No need for you to know yet, I can't afford for anybody to know this person's identity yet."
Lars then turned and walked to the far end of the room and while he did the wall there slid up to reveal a tall capsule and the room was filled with a faint greenish glow.
Linda stared up it, at the girl suspended in the green water that filled the tube for over a month now.
"How long has it got left?" She asked.
"Not long now" Lars answered, not breaking eyes contact off the capsule, "When her code has been extracted I can begin the final stages of my plan."
"Lars you do realize something like this has never been done before, not even by VV," Linda stated wanting to voice her worry, "I know you don't care what happens to Kytes now but what if you need him or more clones?"
Now he started to turn towards her and when he did there was a manic grin on his face that almost caused her to step back.
"If that happened remember; I still have the original."
With that Lars started to laugh softly but it echoed throughout the vast throne room
XXX
Made it!
Kytes almost laughed out loud as he stared at the vast hanger before him, not a soul to be seen. He could still hear gunfire and shouting coming from various parts of the ship but they were to far away to be any trouble.
I can't believed it worked On his way to the dock he found an intercom and ordered all security personal to the mid level to combat the invaders but really he didn't want to have to bother with any crowd fighting for a way off the ship when he got there.
He then spotted several Ector Knightmares at the far end and started to race towards them. He only knew the basics when it cane to Knightmares but he was positive he knew how to start the thing and use to fly back to the Dreadnought flagship.
"Don't move!"
A voice commanded from behind him and he also heard the sounded of a gun being drawn from its holster.
Shit!
Kytes turned around and at first he thought he was seeing things but there was no mistaking the outfit or the helmet.
"Zero." He said through clenched teeth.
"Good to see you again Kytes," Zero replied aiming the gun at his chest, "If your wondering how I got here while my forces distracted your guards I heard your intercom message and found on another one that it was transmitting from the dock."
Kytes almost cursed out loud; when one intercom was in use all others would lock but it would transmit the location of the current broadcast on a small monitor next to it.
"I have at lot of questions for you," Zero continued, "And I'm sure you know what I'll ask first; Why do you look like Lelouch? Why do you have Geass? And who is this group that your working for?"
"Straight to the point I see," Kytes decided he would answer, maybe he can find an opening the longer the conversation went on, "Well the first answer should be obvious I'm a clone of Lelouch vi Britannia."
"How is that possible the technology for it doesn't exist!"
"Or it most certainly does, I'm living proof of it. The Geass Order has had this technology for over twenty years."
"The Order!" Zero said, sounding shocked, "There the ones who created you?"
"Yes, you see when Lelouch was captured by the Emperor over three year ago samples of his DNA was sent to the Order in order to clone him." Kytes replied, he was repeating what Lars told him when he first woke up.
"But why clone Lelouch?" Zero asked his voice rising.
"His Geass was the most unique and powerful ever recorded and VV wanted that power; the power to make anyone he wanted completely obedient. However he knew he could never control the original so he settled for trying to replicate it through cloning."
"After having seen your power I'm guessing he didn't succeed." Zero said but it wasn't a question.
Kytes almost lunged at Zero right then but restrained himself, he balled his hands into fists and felt the object under his glove he kept there at all times.
"Your right about that," Kytes continued, having regained his cool, "Fifty of us where created but none of their Geass's where exact matches of Lelouch's, mine is close though. I have the power to command anyone to do what I want but my victims are still self-aware of their actions, it isn't absolute obedience."
"How many of you are left?"
"Only one other remains but he is far away from here. When Lars found us the other forty eight where destroyed when you ordered the destruction of the Order's base." Kytes said and allowed a bit of anger to creep into his voice.
"Who is Lars?" Zero asked not noticing.
"He is the leader of the new Geass Order and that answers your third question. The organization who I work for, that stole the F.L.E.I.J.A warheads and invaded Japan are survivors of the Order you tired to destroy and Lars, though he was only seventeen when you attacked, was an important member within it." Kytes answered, he was almost ready to make his move.
"One last question before I take you in Kytes." Zero said moving forward.
"What?" Kytes could tell Zero was again shocked at the realization that the Order was his enemy all along.
"Why did you free Schneizel?"
"Lars prefers to work in the shadows when news gets out that Japan has been conquered and soon you're Britannia the Order will need a face and that will be Schneizel. Lars wants Schneizel to appear as the leader of the new Order to the world to keep his identity safe." He backed up a bit, it was now or never.
Zero must have noticed him moving back and started to walk towards him with the gun, lowering the gun slightly to speed up.
Now!
Before Zero could react, Kytes removed the mini flash bang from under his glove pressed and button on top of it and the room disappeared in a flash of light.
Several answers have been revealed now but there is still more to come, I hope your looking forward to them