Military Dorms
Friday
8:00 PM
Suzaku Kururugi stared up at the ceiling tiles of his room. It was the same tile he watched when waiting for orders, just outside the Lancelot. The same that hovered above patients in the medical wing, the same that overlooked every performance in the gym.
The black speckled grey tile carried the entire ceiling on its grid.
He grimaced and sat up, fruitlessly clicking the switch to open his door. Of course, nothing happened. The television and compute had been switched off, his room lit to a minimum brightness.
He rested his head against the locked door, feeling the cool metal slide against his forehead. His face, cool under the abuse of his fellow Britannian soldiers, splintered.
"DAMN!" He slapped the barrier with the open side of his hand. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"
The day of the SAZ implementation. They had approached him during the ceremony, five Britannian guards bearing the crimson seal of the Royal Council. As he was ushered away, he watched Guliford be put through a similar spectacle.
The Royal Council. He smacked his head against the door.
Euphemia.
No. Not to her. Not when the new world was
so
CLOSE!
Every though was punctuated with an identical flailing of limbs. After minutes, he took out the photo she had given him; their one day of enduring friendship, when she was simply the excitable girl who jumped out the window to explore the outer world, and he the tour guide to lead her adventure.
Their friendship. It hadn't decreased of recent, but Suzaku simply couldn't see her in the same light as before.
"Euthemia. Please be okay."
Unknown Area
8:30 PM
Cornelia awoke to a crackling fire and warm smelling meal. She sat up instantaneously, hands clenched at the sheet covering her. In her sleep, she'd been stripped to the shirt and shorts under her uniform. White moonlight poured into the cave from an opening to the left, though faint trail of red afterglow lingered over the horizon.
Must be around 9. She thought, absentmindedly. And then it all shot back to her.
She jerked her body perpendicular to the ground.
"Where-" Cornelia began, scanning the background. The green haired woman that had been with them yesterday sat opposite the fire, not sparing the wounded Vice-Roy a second of attention. But… that's impossible! I saw her die from a massive chest wound!
The woman prodded boringly at the fire with a stick, other hand wrapped around her legs "You can call me C.C."
Cornelia shook her head. She didn't usually suffer from battle hallucinations, but that was the only explanation for the sight before her. Her eyes trailed left and found the second figure laying next to the fire.
"Euphemia!" She shouted, wincing as she leaned against her left arm in her attempts to get up.
"Don't try to use that arm just yet. Thank your god that those were only flesh wounds. Any deeper and we'd have to amputate." C.C. said.
Despite the pain, Cornelia moved anxiously to Euphemia's side, shaking her awake.
"Nnnng no Cornelia, let me sleep in some more." Euphemia's left arm grabbed the pack that she'd been using as a pillow and turned away from Cornelia.
Cornelia gathered herself and took a deep breath. "EUPHEMIA LI BRITANNIA WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!"
Euphemia instantly sprang to her feet, only to fall back to the ground from the streaks of pain emanating from her left leg. She eyed Cornelia with death as she rubbed her wounded leg.
Cornelia carefully observed Euphemia's state. The wound to her arm appeared to have just been a light graze, while the other bullet had bored deep into her leg. The C.C. woman had apparently removed it and expertly bandaged the wounds.
"Cornelia, what happened to your arm?" Euphemia asked, a worried expression on her face.
"Oh its nothing, it just a scratch," Cornelia lifted her arm up for Euphemia's closer inspection. Concern flashed across the face of the princess.
"Well, it's nothing like the time we jumped off a waterfall." Cornelia forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
It was years ago, and they had been young. Lelouch, Euphemia, Nunally, and Cornelia, had stolen out of the Ares Villa with a small raft. They'd spent the afternoon rowing down a nearby river, laughing lightly at the ordeal their parents were probably going through.
And then they had rowed straight off a waterfall.
All of them had escaped with light injuries, but since then, Cornelia had never been dealt a more severe punishment. Lady Marianne, though one of Cornelia's idols, was a woman to be feared.
Euphemia laughed as well, sharing the moment. Cornelia felt her spirits lift at Euphemia's smile.
Thank god she's alive. Cornelia thought.
"I know! The expression on Lady Mariannes face when she saw Nunally and-" Euphemia face turned quickly to alarm. She crawled forward, despite her injuries. "ZERO!"
Cornelia hissed in disdain as she remembered that this cave also housed the most wanted terrorist in Area Eleven.
He may have saved Euphemia's life, but I've saved his twice! If not for Britannia, for Clovis! Behind her back, Cornelia quietly gripped a rock and approached the revolutionary.
Zero appeared to be in a deathly state. His arms were limp and pale, hanging slack at his sides. His chest had been completely stripped of his Zero suit, replaced by large swathes of bandages. From Cornelia's point of view, it was evident that Zero was suffering from infection. He was lying on a makeshift stretcher of cloth and tree branches. A damp cloth covered the upper portion of Zero's face.
Euphemia was at Zero's side, staring sordidly at his placid face. She tenderly clasped Zeros left hand, holding it up to her face.
Cornelia slowly approached the two. What is Euphemia thinking, touching Zero!
"What… how is he doing?" Euphemia asked, looking towards C.C.
C.C. stared at the ground, a flash of anger appearing on her neutral features. "That fool told me to make sure you two were well first! I could've gotten him to a hospital easy!" She stared down at Euphemia and Cornelia. "You two had BETTER be worth it."
"Eu-Euphemia?" Zero asked. His voice was scraggy and low.
"Why Zero? How… how could you!" Euphemia asked, on the verge of tears. There was a silence before Zero's answer.
"I… I couldn't sit by…. and let someone I loved… get hurt again." Zero wheezed. It was too much on Euphemia's heart. She buried her head in her hands and cried openly.
Cornelia couldn't stand Zero's arrogance. As if he personally knew the Third Princess! Euphemia would never love a terrorist!
"I don't care who you are or what you've done, no one talks to Euphemia like that!" Cornelia rushed at Zero, whipping off the towel that covered the rest of his face.
Revealed was a regal chin and sharp nose. Silky black hair cascading across the downed terrorist. Eyes, a piercing purple, stared at the ceiling.
A Britannian. Was Cornelia's first thought. But then she took it all in; the face of his face, the curve of his mouth, the upwards cut of his eyebrows….
The rock fell from her hands. There was a barely perceptible stillness to the air, as if fate itself was eavesdropping on the conversation.
No… impossible. Impossible! Cornelia backed herself to the wall of the cave and slumped to her knees.
But in a flash she was back on her feet with a clenched fist. She brought her hand within inches of Zero's face.
"DON'T YOU DARE IMITATE THEM!" She roared with clenched teeth. Tears were streaming unbidden down her cheeks. "LELOUCH AND NUNALLY ARE DEAD! I SAW THEIR BODIES!"
Zero didn't react at the threat except to give another cough.
"Please… please forgive me….. for getting Euphie hurt, Conna." Cornelia paused in remembrance of her childhood nickname. Her eyes roamed around the cave, trying to find anything solid to grasp to. She finally dropped to her knees.
"Le-Lelouch? It is you?" She asked attentively, shifting his face into a better light. Her heart was satisfied, but her mind screamed for more proof. Euphemia nodded solemnly.
It… it is Lelouch. Then that means, their deaths, their bodies it was all a hoax?
Lelouch eyes closed a he shifted back to an unconscious state. Cornelia gripped Lelouch's other hand, deciding that she would not let him go a second time.
Euphemia was glad that Cornelia could finally partake in the secret she had been keeping. As much as Cornelia would never admit it, she had an unbidden quantity of love to her close friends. The news of the Nunnally and Lelouch's death had hurt her more than anyone else.
There was a scuffle in the front of the cave as the green haired woman smothered the fire. She grabbed the portable first aid kit and stuffed it into a knapsack.
"We're going." She said, simply. "Lelouch has approximately five hours left before things really start to get iffy. And personally, I'm not letting him leave until our cotract is fullfilled."
Cornelia nodded and put on her disgraced uniform. As torn and smudged as it was, her honor didn't allow her to move in her present clothes. She took her spot at the front of the stretcher, while C.C. took the back.
"Excuse me, miss, I didn't catch your name." Euphemia asked hesitantly. The woman tossed Euphemia a pack filled with food and other survival gear.
"You can call me C.C."
The Black Knight's Submarine
8:40
Kallen smashed her fist against the desk in the room. They had all been gathered, the core group of the Black Knights. Inoue, Oghi, Kallen, Yoshida, Diethard, Raskshata, Kento, Tamaki, and Yoshitaka arranged in one of the larger living quarters. Chiba and Tohdoh were also present.
And of course, they were arguing.
Oghi, Kento, Chiba, Yoshida, and Yoshitaka were ready to evacuate the area and move out of scan range.
Kallen, Diethard, Tohdoh, and Tamaki argued to wait for Zero..
Both sides were emotionally and physically spent. They had lost twenty knightmare frames in Britannia's trap, over half of the Black Knights' forces. Cornelia's intervention was the only thing that kept them alive, as ironic as it was.
And the carnage... punctured bodies and shredded skin, torn limbs and broken bones... it was a sight that marred them.
"Like hell we abandon Zero!" Kallen shouted angrily. "We owe him everything!"
"I don't like it either, but we risk the revolution by staying here in Britannian waters." Oghi's tired voice replied. "And we have no knowledge if Zero is alive at all."
"But Zero is more than just a man. He is the symbol, the epitome, for the Japan resistance. With his absence, I can predict that support for the Black Knights will crumble, and that's discounting his strategic genius." Diethard pinched the bridge of his nose. "Simply put, Zero is the revolution."
"But what's the point If we get killed while waiting? Is that what Zero would've wanted us to do, die senselessly?" Yoshida asked.
"Ah, you guys are full of crap! Zero's my bud, and we always stick together! I say we wait!" Tamaki said.
"Listen to yourselves. Your confusing loyalty with practicality! We stay, we die!" Chiba exclaimed.
"As much as I hate to admit it, we need a man with Zero's capabilities. The JLF has been fighting Britannia for years, and had only been able to accomplish a fraction of what Zero has done." Tohdoh quietly commented. "To have any hope of liberation, we NEED Zero."
Both sides of the room stared at each other with growing tension. All fought a strange sense of déjà vu towards an earlier predicament, exactly like this one.
The phone buzzed on the wooden table. Not moving his eyes away from Kallen, Oghi picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Put me on speakerphone." All of them perked up at the sound of C.C.'s distinct voice. "Or else."
Oghi shook his head, what Zero saw in her was a mystery. He placed the phone back on the table.
"All of you, squabbling like monkeys, no doubt." C.C. stated.
"Hey! Who are you calling a-"
"Quiet Tamaki! This is not the time!" Kallen shot. Oghi nodded appreciatively.
"Do you have info on Zero's current whereabouts?"
There was a slight blip in the conversation. "Yes. Zero has taken a rather serious gun wound." Kallen gasped, remembering the scene in the stadium. "We are taking him to be treated at a hospital. His civilian identity will allow him appropriate treatment."
Oghi kept a straight face, trying his best to sound unfazed despite the devastation of the news. The response from the rest of the Black Knights was almost identical. Though they didn't want to admit it, the Diethard had was right. The Black Knighs, the resistance, the rebellion, it all rested on the shoulders of one man. "What are our orders?"
C.C. contemplated her next words. Zero had not told her explicit orders for the Order before he had lapsed. It would be most amusing to tell them that their best interests lay in commandeering all the known Pizza Huts in Japan, though she figured that Lelouch would frown upon that mode of action.
She sighed as she put the phone back to the ear.
"Move out of range of any scanners. Remain undetected. Expect a call within the week." C.C. paused, trying to think of anything else. "And Kallen…"
"Yes?"
"Go back to Ashford." There was a click as the phone line died.
They walked the 15 miles in four hours. During the time, Euphemia told Cornelia all that had happened while she was blacked out. C.C. explained how she dragged Cornelia and Euphemia from the Gawain's burning cockpit, only managing to grab a survival kit before it exploded.
Rakshata's going to kill for the number we did on the Gawain. C.C. thought.
Their journey had mostly been without trouble. To Cornelia, it had been one of her more difficult experiences. Fifteen miles at a breakneck pace, all while shouldering the massive pains shooting up her left arm and carrying Lelouch's still body.
Thank god he's still the frail stick of a boy that I remember.
But Euphemia very nearly had it worst. Her leg was still healing, and Cornelia could hear her panting for breath with every step. While Cornelia was a conditioned soldier, Euphemia had never been one for physical exercise.
Despite this, Euphemia had taken it upon herself to keep everyone's spirits up, Lelouch included. She prattled on about past adventures and humorous court dealings. Cornelia joined in when she talked about more of the livelier bits. C.C. was content for the occasional snarky remark, earning her darting looks from Cornelia. Euphemia specifically addressed Lelouch every now and then even though he was very likely unconscious.
Lelouch's state had degraded consistently throughout the entire trip. By the end, he was panting openly, and his fever had broken 105 degrees.
They arrived at a town exhausted from the exertion near 2 in the morning. Cornelia and Euphemia hid outside while C.C. finished the walk to the hospital. The paramedics were quick to rush Lelouch to the emergency room. C.C. had the foresight to finish stripping Lelouch of his zero suit, leaving him in just his underwear, before checking him into the hospital. She assured them that there was an alibi in place for him.
They ended up renting a dinky hotel room from a secluded building using a particular someone's credit card. Cornelia and Euphemia were smuggled in through the window while C.C returned to the hospital, content to wait for the most recent news concerning Lelouch's conditions. An hour later, she had returned. She stated that Lelouch was sighted or a complete recovery.
Her relieved tone was shared by all of them.
The hotel room was less than ideal. Two short beds pressed against the wall, surrounded by clunky pieces of furniture that only served to clutter the room. The beds had been left ratty and ignored. The television was old, screen cracked in several places. Tattered curtains hung over the windows. Cornelia stepped into the bathroom, only to be confronted by a scurrying mass of cockroaches.
She stared hard at the cramped spaces, poor quality, stains, and wished dearly that she was once again back in her familiar bedroom. But… do I even want to return? Should I return? She took a seat at an empty desk, facing the wall.
She stared at the tatters of her uniform hanging on a hangar. The pride of her life. Her complete and loyal servitude to her country. The uniform was stained a deep red from both her and Euphemia's blood.
And there, to the bottom of her uniform, a two way short range communicator. Now that they were close to an outpost, she could quickly reestablish contact with the Empire.
Britannia. For betraying Euphemia, for making her bleed, she'd get even.
She caught sight of the I.D. card C.C. had left on the table.
"Heh. Lelouch Lamperouge." Cornelia sighed as she flicked the I.D. in the air, recognizing Lady Marianne's maiden name. "Why didn't I see it sooner."
Her recently rediscovered half brother was an enigma. Whatever anger she had felt towards Zero was overturned by the immense swells of joy she felt at the sight of his face. All these years, mourning, blaming herself, for the loss of her dear brother and sister. And they had been alive! All this time, living among the commoners. Cornelia could only guess that they had been supported by the Ashford family.
Her face darkened. /she didn't need to ask why they hadn't returned to the folds of the Royal Family. The plotting, the contriving, the backstabbing. This same day, she had gotten within a hair to what Lelouch no doubt felt. The pain of losing everything to Imperial treachery.
But Zero had murdered Clovis. She couldn't fathom it. Her memories of Clovis weren't fond ones, but they never depicted anything more than a happy fool, content with his life of paintings and parties. She shook her head.
No. This is something to discuss with Lelouch himself.
C.C. was laying on the bed to the right, returned from her night at the hospital. Inexorably, Cornelia couldn't help but feel like she knew C.C., on an acquaintance level. The mysterious woman that seemed full heartedly dedicated to Lelouch. But the oddest thing was her expression, never changing, never flickering. It was a mask crafted through strife, with no footholds to grasp onto.
Euphemia was sleeping in the other bed, despite Cornelia's objections to the quality of the covers. But there was nothing to it, in the end. Today she had pushed the boundaries of her physical abilities, and Cornelia couldn't help but feel pride for Euphemia's grit.
Smiling lightly, Cornelia lifted the covers to Euphemia's bed. After sinking in under the thick blankets, Cornelia felt Euphemia shift to snuggle closer to her. With the warm presence of Euphemia besides her, she could rest easy.
Moments like these, resting snapshots of peace, were what made her life worth living.
Cornelia fell asleep, content to leave her problems for the morning.
Contrary to what Cornelia thought, Euphemia was most definitely not sleeping. Her eyes were wide and staring forward. She clutched her hands together to prevent them from shaking, but to no avail. At the lapse in physical exertion and imminent danger, it was all rushing back to her, surging over her head in black waves.
After she was sure Cornelia had fallen asleep, Euphemia quietly edged to the opposite side of the bed.
There were… thousands, tens of thousands! And them, all of them, are dead!
Euphemia dug her dirt filled nails into her shoulders, crying silently. Each of them had a family, each of them had a life, and now…. they're dead! I killed them! I KILLED THEM!
Euphemia's nails punctured skin and dragged forward. "Please." Euphemia choked. "I'm sorry." She could feel slick trails of blood dripping down her arms. Bolts of stagnant pain rippled up her arm with each movement.
But it wasn't enough, not even close.
Euphemia continued, not slightly paying attention to the torn skin and the pain.
I… I only wanted to do good! I wanted to save them, why? Why did they have to die? Her mind unconsciously barraged her with images. A hundred dead Japanese, littering the ground like dead leaves on an autumn day. A sickly mother backed into a corner by a knightmare, pushing her child behind her as the guns went wild. An elderly male, watching in shocked confusion as orange death descended.
My fault. Every one of them. Every one of them! EVERY ONE! EVERY ONE EVERY ONE EVERY ONE-
"Euphemia?" Cornelia's voice broke the darkness. "Are you okay?"
She must've heard my whispers. Euphemia thought, quickly drawing her arms back into a normal position. "I.. I'm fine sister. Just a bit tired." Euphemia put on her best fatigued voice and moved closer to her sister. She felt Cornelia's hands firmly grasp hers and draw her close.
Euphemia stopped shaking in her embrace. She forced her hands to her sides. No, I won't hurt Cornelia anymore. Not again.
She bit her lip until it bleed before falling asleep.
Barrington Hospital
Saturday
3:00 PM
Lelouch awoke to the grey tiled ceiling of the hospital. For a second, he foggily analyzed the pattern, wondering why in God's name he'd installed such a dreadful design in his bedroom.
Only he wasn't in his bedroom.
Lelouch sat up abruptly as his mind woke from its slumber. He was in a hospital room. There was a window to the left, revealing a splendid view of the forest countryside and rising sun. A television stared back from the end of the room.
His hand scrambled to his chest, remembering the horrible gun shot. There was only several stiches and a scar where the bullet had impacted.
Lelouch breathed out in relief. He'd hardly had any time to run the odds a full set of odds, he was no doctor, but he'd gauged his chances at 30%.
But…. how did I get here? The last thing he remembered was being hoisted into the cockpit of the Gawain.
He reached forward and snatched the medical chart laying at the foot of his bed.
"Lelouch Lamperuge." He read before returning the chart to its previous location. He'd been admitted as an unfortunate youth, rather than the terrorist Zero.
And there's only one person who knows Zero's identity.
"You're all right!" A relieved voice carried from the doorway. Lelouch turned only slightly, not recognizing the unusually wistful tone in C.C.'s voice. His mind had become restrained by the SAZ, and the horrible events that had transpired.
"What… what happened?" Lelouch asked. "At the Special Administrative. They…they used gas, didn't they." His voice slowly rose. "The Japanese died."
C.C. closed her eyes and debated her answer. She knew very well the pain it would cause him. But it was the truth, and he, above all others, deserved to know.
"Yes." C.C. whispered, her voice low and sympathetic. There was a small pause in the conversation. Lelouch turned away from C.C., not wanting her to see the tears.
"Dammit. Dammit!" He smashed his fist against the bed frame in a sudden fit of rage. "How many. HOW MANY DIED!" He covered his face with a clawed hand. "How many innocents did Britannia MURDER, all to get to the Black Knights!"
C.C. stared at Lelouch with a sad expression. She quietly went to the bed and hugged him close, recognizing her friend's need for closeness.
"It wasn't your fault." C.C. whispered.
"Like HELL it wasn't." Lelouch replied savagely. "This was done solely to take out the Knights from the equation. Why didn't I see it sooner?" He breathed in. "I… I am willing to sacrifice myself, the Black Knights, EVERYTHING to achieve peace. Even some innocents. But this time... so many!"
"And they all died, without a purpose."
C.C. turned Lelouch's face towards at hers. She gazed at him with piercing yellow eyes. "Listen, Lelouch. You CAN'T give in now. Not when you have the Black Knights. Not after you've come this far-"
"No!" Lelouch shouted. "If I continue, this… everything! I can't do this! Not… not anymore. Let someone else play rev-"
C.C. slapped Lelouch hard on the cheek. Lines of anger were plainly drawn on her face. Lelouch looked back at his accomplice with shock. "Don't you say it. Don't you dare say it." Her tone was laced with fire. "We have a contract. And I am obligated to fulfill my end of the bargain, to help you crush Britannia! Or was it all just words, just chaff to appease your ego? Where is your drive? The Lelouch I knew would keep fighting, powering through, for the sake of the thousands that died, for the sake of peace, to build the new world for Nunnally!"
There was a couple of seconds pause as both sides looked at each other. Though he didn't show it, those words had struck that note of initiative within his black heart.
Why had he taken up arms against a third of the world?
Why had he put everything on the line, over and over again?
The dream, the goal at the end of the line. He couldn't stop now, he couldn't give in. The fire flickering out blazed anew.
For the sake of all who died, and for the tortured who live on, I will persist to my objective.
"Shut it, witch." Lelouch said, smirking slightly. C.C. allowed herself a small smile of relief. She held him like that for a moment before bowing out of the embrace. She couldn't help but give a silent sigh of disappointment at the loss of contact.
"Wait." Lelouch said. He stopped her actions by clasping her shoulders in a grip, an action performed almost unconsciously.
C.C. froze at Lelouch's movements. He was gazing at her with kindness that she had missed in her previous years of life, hands holding her close. No. No, don't think of it! Don't do this to yourself! Nevertheless, she could feel her cheeks blushing slightly under his purple eyes. . C.C. couldn't help but shiver at the close warmth of the body in front of her.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, all her walls were collapsing, shattering around this one, clever boy.
And how did he make me feel this way? C.C. wondered. I've had hundreds of contractors. I've followed some throughout their entire lives. Then why, why can he make me feel this way, just in the months we've known each other?
He took a slow breath. "C.C., I don't say it as much as I should, but thank you. Thank you." He turned to look our the window. "Everything I've done... everything I WILL do... is because of you. I...just want you to know that."
C.C. just smiled, small dabs of liquid percolating through the corners of her eye. She wiped them before Lelouch could see, hiding the action by folding his arms around his slim frame.
"Believe me, I know already." she said. She kept her arms in position this time for several minutes, not wanting to break the warm center igniting within her ashed heart.
Ashford Academy
3:20 PM
Kallen tapped her pencil against the desk. She was in the library of Ashford Academy, supposedly studying for an upcoming History test. The topic was the imperial family. Their ruling, effect on the world, and oh-so-glorious achievements.
It made her sick.
Those pompous fools. Flaunting superiority, when they were really no more than low born scum. The tapping of her pencil increased.
And Zero! C.C. had stated that he had been shot, but would make a full recovery. But they still had yet to hear back from their famed leader. And they needed him, now more than ever. The SAZ, the killing, such a horrible scene of carnage. Kallen closed her eyes and shivered at the memory.
But support for the Black Knights had risen substantially in the last hours. Even if Britannia had cut the transmission, the rumors of what happened slowly leaked to the public. Small acts of rebellion by the Japanese were becoming more frequent. Diethard was planning a press release with footage the cameras captured before the battle occurred. Unfortunately, at the start, some low power wave device disabled all the Black Knight's cameras, making them lose the worst parts of the massacre. But Diethard had a knack for spinning a tale.
And its release would stir the spirits of the Japanese to rebellion.
"Stop tapping!" a voice called from the front of the library. Kallen balled her hands into fists and stopped.
I should be on the front lines! With Oghi and the rest of them! Our rebellion kicks into full gear in a number of hours!
As she fumed, an automated switch blinked a suspended television to life.
"ATTENTION BRITANNIANS!" A newscaster's voice blared, disturbing the quiet peace of the library. "THIS BROADCAST IS MANDATORY VIEWING, ORDERED BY PRINCE SCHNEIZEL HIMSELF!"
Kallen immediately clued in to the transmission at the mention of the Prince.
"BEFORE TODAY, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD RUMORS CONCERNING THE SPECIALY ADMINISTRATED ZONE, PRINCESS EUPHEMIA, AND VICE-ROY CORNELIA." Two images of Euphemia and Cornelia popped up on the screen, followed by the masses flocking to the SAZ.
"THE TRUTH, IS THAT THEY WERE ASSASSINATED BY THE BLACK KNIGHTS!" Kallen stood up abruptly, staring with wide eyes. The screen shifted to display soldiers, on the stage set at the SAZ, bullets ripping into Euphemia's shoulders.
But that… those were Britannian soldiers! Not Black Knights!
"BUT WE DON'T SIMPLY MOURN THEIR LOSS, WE MOURN THE LOSS OF MILLIONS OF ELEVENS, WHO BRAVELY STEPPED FORWARD INTO A NEW WORLD."
"Oh. Oh no." Kallen's mind flashed back to the fight that took place just yesterday. The Britannian Knightmare frames…. painted black!
"ONLY TO BE SAVAGELY CUT DOWN. BRITANNIA HAD GRACEFULLY LISTENED TO THE WISHES OF HER CITIZENS, CREATING THE SPECIALLY ADMINISTRATIVE ZONE TO ALLOW ELEVENS TO LIVE IN COMFORT AND PEACE. BUT THE BLACK KNIGHTS WOULDN'T HAVE IT. IN A COLD HEARTED MOVE OF PURE MALIGNANCY-"
Shock images rolled across the screen. The exploding gas grenades. The merciless gunning down of Japanese. The masses crying for help. All committed by the black knightmares, bearing the symbol of the Black Knights. She could faintly hear the stifled gasps of the people around her.
"THEY COMMITTED GENOCIDE! A SLAUGHTER OF THE WEAK, THE HELPLESS. WOMAN! CHILDREN! NO ONE WAS SPARED. AND THUS, THIS MESSAGE GOES OUT TO ZERO, AND ALL THE BLACK KNIGHTS!"
"YOU'RE CRIMES WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED! READY YOURSELF FOR JUDGEMENT!"
Kallen was already sprinting out of the library, not caring who stopped her. She barely caught the end of the announcement.
"-and any person who has intelligence concerning the Black Knights, alert the authorities at once!"
"Dammit! Using the massacre, all those deaths, and framing the Black Knights!" She said. I have to get back to base. With this announcement, it'll only be a matter of time before our allies turn against us!
"-and any person who has intelligence concerning the Black Knights, alert the authorities at once!"
Lelouch and C.C. stared at the screen with pure shock. His hands shook of their own accord as he watched Britannia's monstrous actions unfold. How could they, the worst of crimes, and pinning it on somebody else! There was only one person capable of coming up with something that devious.
Schneizel.
"Lelouch…" C.C said hesitantly. He clenched his hands around the sheets of his hospital bed.
"They can't get away with this. I won't let them!" He swept his legs off the bed, wincing as he slowly eased his weight onto them.
"Lelouch, you can't-"
"Shut it. I don't care if I'm injured or not. The Black Knights need me, they'll be crushed in seconds if I don't do anything about it!"
"-and any person who has intelligence concerning the Black Knights, alert the authorities at at-" Suzaku wasn't listening at that point, senses working, but brain not comprehending the feed. His hands shook at his sides.
"What is this... WHAT IS THIS!"
His hands dragged along his matted hair, scrambling to find any semblance of sense in what he was hearing. He grabbed the black border of the television. "THIS IS CRAP!" With a heave, he shouldered the flat screen against the edge, watching it shatter into its individual components.
Suzaku's hands slumped forward and grabbed at the glass fragments, not recognizing the pain. Blood ran slick down his hands.
"Euphemia... you didn't deserve this." The hand balled into a fist, letting the shards of glass dig into his skin.
He raised his head. "ZERO, the BLACK KNIGHTS... YOU BURN!"
"-and any person who has intelligence concerning the Black Knights, alert the authorities at-"
CRASH. Cornelia withdrew her fist from the now cracked television screen.
"That devious BASTARDS!" She roared, punctuating her point by repeatedly shoving her only good fist into the screen. "THAT NEVER HAPPENED!"
While Cornelia released her anger on the television screen, Euphemia sat back, hands holding her knees. She rocked back and fourth. They… they used their deaths and pinned it on the ones that acted in justice…. THE BLACK KNIGHTS!
Her features hardened as anger coursed through her. Her hands were white from the pressure she put on them. They won't do it. Not while I have anything to say about it.
Cornelia turned back to Euphemia, eyes widening slightly at the expression dark on her face.
In a move, almost identical to Lelouch's years ago, Euphemia turned to face the open window.
"I swear, I'll crush Britannia!"
A/N: A chapter a bit shorter than the first one. For those of you wondering about Lelouch wild reaction to the SAZ massacre, I have several reasons behind it:
1.) In the anime, the massacre was solely his fault. As a result, he couldn't let himself think back at it, for the sake of constant guilt. Here, Lelouch finds himself a side cause of the massacre, as Britannia is the main perpetrator. This allows him to fully scrutinize what happened, the death and the pain that occurred at the incident.
2.) Well, more stuff has happened to him at this point. He was shot near the heart, he watched Britannians try to kill Euphemia, and he was forced to reveal his identity to Cornelia. These things would add in to his addled frame of mind.
3.) The brutality of the massacre. The massacre in the anime was not planned, rather, it was an on the spot reaction to Euphemia's orders. Here, Britannia has deliberately planned for the slaughter and been outfitted accordingly. Though the Black Knights saved some people, a larger percentage of the people died.
In a review, Trife has said that Kallen would be able to easily handle the thirty sutherlands around her. I'll change the numbers if more people agree, but I think that it's reasonable the way it is. First, the deck is heavily stacked against the Black Knights. By the large numbers of enemy sutherlands present, she gathers that it is a trap to lure out the Black Knights. With that, she can logically conclude that ALL the pilots surrounding her are elite and ALL have weapons specifically set for anti-knightmare. Second, she is in an open area, surrounded by knightmares. At Narita, she could easily weave in and out of trees to close in on her enemies. Third, the Radiant-Wave-Surger itself. At this point in canon, she does not have access to the Radiant-Wave-Shielding that is popular in the second season. Sure, she might be able to take down one or two, but with that much constant fire, I don't think she'd be able to last long.