FATE'S DEBT
CHAPTER THREE: THE UNSTABLE CALM BEFORE THE INEVITABLE STORM
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass but I own this fiction and any other OC's in this story
ITALIC: THOUGHS
Lelouch was tucking his sister, Nunnally, to bed while secretly planning the changes to the upcoming meeting with his Black Knights. "That was Suzaku they mentioned in the news, wasn't it?" Nunnally asked curiously.
"Yup, looks like he is still alive." Lelouch answered as he laid his sister on her bed before putting a blanket over her.
"Yeah, it's been ages. We hadn't seen him since the war ended." Nunnally said sadly as she remembered what the news said about their old friend. "And Lelouch….."
"What is it?" Lelouch asked, already knowing what the unasked question is.
"It wasn't true what the news said, was it?" Nunnally asked, her voice a bit soft and slightly trembling at the prospect of their old friend killing someone, her half, older brother no less.
Lelouch fought back the urge to sigh. Killing Clovis the first time was unnerving, borderline traumatizing; killing him the second time was less disturbing but still, he had regretted it slightly. Regardless of his personal feelings though, Clovis' death was an unfortunate necessity for his plans to start and eventually succeed.
"Of course not," And Lelouch knew this by heart. In his last life time, Suzaku was the vain of his existence but the guy was honorable to the bone, not killing anyone in bad blood, even him. "Suzaku would never do anything like that, that guy is too honorable for his own sake." Lelouch assured her, the last part being a silent whisper. "They just made a horrible mistake."
"Yeah, must be." Nunnally mumbled softly as she held her brother's hand before her consciousness faded.
"Good night, Nunnally." Lelouch muttered with a gentle tone. Nunnally smiled for a bit before drifting to sleep.
After making sure that his sister was fast asleep, he glance at the corner of his sister's room, noticing a familiar figure hiding within the shadows. "Come out," Lelouch all but ordered as the familiar Witch emerged from the shadows.
"You're getting good in detecting me." C.C. complimented with her usual coy smile plastered on her face.
"You and I had spent a lot of quality time together in my last lifetime, picking up your scent and your presence is second nature to me, unfortunately." Lelouch told her as he hesitantly let go of his sister's hand.
"Do you intend to let him die this time around?" C.C. asked as she slowly approached Lelouch. "It will save you a lot of trouble."
"That thought is very appealing and it has crossed my mind, but I can't." Lelouch said while C.C. put a hand on his shoulder. "He may be a fool and a major hurdle, but he is still a friend and he is more useful to me alive than dead." Lelouch exclaimed with a thoughtful look.
C.C. nodded in understanding as she leaned on Lelouch, sensually nibbling on his ear. "You're still too merciful, how you became the Demon Emperor that brought the world down to its knees, I would never know." C.C. whispered sensually as she began to leave butterfly kisses all over Lelouch's neck, causing the former emperor to chuckle a bit.
"Cera how's my new toy? Is it operational yet?" Lelouch asked rather curiously as he pulled her to his lap. C.C. took the liberty of making herself comfortable by straddling over his lap.
"You gave me the task of modifying a Knightmare in three days, not an easy task but it is functional." C.C. and Lelouch shared a chaste kiss after hearing that news. "By the way, I demand some compensation for my hard work, we are accomplices after all." C.C. said with a small, lavishing smile.
"Anything, my dear Cera but I do suggest we do it in my room. After all, consummating inside my sister's room while my sister is as sleep would be immoral." Lelouch exclaimed in a silent whisper as he licked the lips of his witch.
"Why of course, your highness."
(Scene Change)
Kallen was at their rebel group's headquarters, discussing an interesting development that may either bring them salvation or become their undoing. She needed to inform her comrades about the interesting meeting that she had with her classmate, Lelouch.
"So let me get this straight, this Lelouch fellow gave you a way to contact that voice from Shinjuku." Ohgi asked in a rather disbelieving tone.
"That's about sums it up." Kallen answered bluntly. "And he had contacted me, saying that he has a deal for us." Kallen added carefully.
"Are you sure this isn't some kind of trap?" Tamaki voiced out his opinion as he leaned on the wall nearest to the door. "A Britannian helping us, that'll be the day," Several members of their group nodded in agreement.
Ohgi looked thoughtful for a bit while he looking at the news reports about Suzaku Kururugi, the apparent killer of Prince Clovis. "He's right but still, I think we should give this character a chance. He did save our lives." Ohgi said, please about the idea of a new ally.
Tamaki snorted, "I don't want to sound ungrateful but I really don't trust a word from a Brit, regardless of the status."
"But still, anything is better than our current predicament." Yoshida Minami groaned in desperation as he looked at the dump that they called a hideout.
Kento Sugiyama nodded. "Yeah, with the Purist Faction in charge, Japanese can hardly enter a store these days without getting thrown out."
"We should at least check this out." Kallen said as she eyed the phone that Lelouch gave him with interest. "A person that has the ability to organize a ragged tag group of rebels like us and then lead us to victory against a battalion of Britannian Military; it is hard to find an ally like that." And as she uttered those words, the phone in her hand began to ring, startling everyone in the room.
Kallen tensed as most of her comrades glanced at her before their leader, Ohgi, gave her an affirming nod. "Answer it, Kallen."
Kallen nodded as she answered the phone before putting the phone in loud speaker. "Hello,"
"Evening, Q1," The familiar voice greeted much to the shock of most of them in the room. "16:00, the day after tomorrow, the observation deck at Tokyo tower, come alone or you could have some of your friends accompany you, regardless, I would prefer the latter." The voice ordered in a modulated manner.
"WHO IN THE HELL ARE YOU?" Tamaki shouted as he grabbed the phone from Kallen's hands.
The voice chuckled mirthfully at the sound of Tamaki's voice. "So Q1 had me in speaker, this saves me the trouble." The voice exclaimed with an amused tone. "You can accompany Q1 in the designated area, I will explain myself there but it would be wise for only a handful to accompany her." The voice said as Ohgi swiped the phone from Tamaki's hand.
"What's your deal anyway? Are you setting us up?" Ohgi asked with a stern tone.
The voice laughed softly at that. "I didn't save your group from Britannia just to have your group imprisoned. No, I wouldn't go to the trouble of having a dear friend of mine contact Q1 if that were my goal." The voice replied calmly. "I have a deal for your group, a deal that you can't resist, and I assure you, this is neither a joke nor a trap."
"Wait, at least answer this, who are you?" Kallen asked as she took her phone from Ohgi's hand.
The only answer was a dial tone, as the voice had apparently hung up.
A deafening silence followed after the voice hung up. That was interesting to say the least.
"Kallen," Ohgi called as he glanced at their ace pilot. "I, Inoue, Tamaki, Yoshida, Minami, and Sugiyama will accompany you tomorrow. If he has a deal for us, then I'll decide if it's worth something." Ohgi stated as the rest nodded in agreement while Kallen looks to be a bit hesitant.
(Scene Change)
"Ah, everything should be as you requested." A Geassed tailor reported mindlessly, his eyes glowing bright red. "It's being worked on by the finest person in the field. The slide system is also being confirmed. Once finish, I shall erase all the evidence, I should forget all about this correct?"
"Yes, and about my other order?" Lelouch inquired calmly.
"Ah yes, the uniforms shall be ready by the end of the month, complete with the Kevlar and bullet proof properties."
"And my outfit?" C.C. asked while lying on the sofa in a cat-like way. C.C. was currently wearing a white straitjacket. She planned to use Lelouch's credit card to buy herself an assortment of clothing later.
When the tailor did not answer, Lelouch spoke. "Please answer her."
"It shall be completed by the end of next week, together with the other outfit that you had requested me."
"Tell me, LuLu, how did you know Kallen's three sizes?" C.C. asked coolly but Lelouch ignored her. He refused to justify that question with an answer.
"Very good, please continue with your work and remember….." Lelouch then deactivated his Geass before covering his left-eye with the anti-Geass contacts. "…I was never here."
"Of course, milord." The tailor vacated the room, leaving the two accomplices alone in the extravagant room.
"So you intend to use the same pieces." C.C. said while stretching in a very cat-like manner. "I understand you want to have Kallen, but using the same people that betrayed you is quite a risk."
"And what is life without risk, Cera?"
"Please do not use my name outside of our bed." C.C. requested with a slight annoyed tone. It's not that she hated her name; it's just that she abandoned that name when she denounced her humanity. On the other hand, Lelouch does make her feel like a human again.
"Of course, of course," Lelouch relented for now, not wanting to annoy his Witch.
C.C. looked at her partner and lover for a minute before sitting up. "Don't you have school today, you silly boy?"
Lelouch chuckled lightheartedly at that remark. Having a second chance in life, he swore to himself that he will enjoy his life. With that said, he was now appreciating C.C.'s humor to an extent. After all, she would be the one to ground him if needed be.
"As much as it would appeal to me to attend mundane classes that would not have any relevance in my life, I will have to pass to attend to a much more pressing issue." Lelouch chuckled evilly, several plans already running through his head.
"You are going to meet your Knights then."
"My Knights and my Queen." Lelouch answered with no hesitation, which causes C.C. to raise her eyebrow before grinning mischievously.
"Charles would be proud of you, Lulu, following in his footsteps." C.C. laughed coyly at the repulse expression on Lelouch's face. "Plotting to take over the world while banging two beautiful women, he would be thrilled."
"Shut up Witch, and I am nothing like him." Lelouch stated indignantly.
"Let's see, you are preparing to go to war against the Empire that controls roughly a third of the world, you will do anything to make sure that your plans succeed, you have a Geass, and you clearly practice Polygamy." C.C. chuckled a bit, clearly enjoying her young lover's hilarious expression as she listed the similarities between and his father, which disgust him. "Yes, the resemblance is striking."
"I am nothing like that man!" Lelouch stated firmly.
"Of course you're not. After all, you are not sleeping with one hundred consorts at the same time."
(Scene Change)
Kallen and a few of her friends were at Tokyo Tower, waiting for the 'voice' to contact them. Some of them were quite sickened as the once great structure of Japan was turned into a museum for the Empire's victory over their beloved Nation and more Britannian propaganda. The museum was filled with photos of Britannian troops setting foot in Japanese soil, ravaged cities, and Knightmares marching decimating the Japanese Army.
"16:00," Kallen mumbled to herself as she gazed at the clock mounted on the wall. "It's almost time so where is he?" Kallen wondered silent as Britannia propaganda echoed in the museum corridors much to the eerie of her and her comrades.
"Hey Kallen, that voice, has it contacted you yet?" Ohgi asked patiently while pretending to be interested on the displays that were scattered in the corridors.
"Not yet," Kallen answered carefully, trying not to associate herself with Ohgi in public. Because of the current status quo, she cannot act friendly towards her comrades in public or else, she didn't want to think of the consequence.
"Damn it, that guy better not canceled on us." Tamaki muttered in annoyance as he carefully approached Kallen. "Anything yet?" Tamaki asked in frustration.
"Nothing yet, be patient Tamaki." Kallen whispered again as she took an interest to the portrait mounted on the wall. "Two minutes before 4:00, if he doesn't contact us at the designated time, then let's get out of here." Kallen exclaimed causing her two comrades to nod.
"That's the logical thing to do but you guys shouldn't be nervous." An unfamiliar voice said from behind causing them to jump in surprise, with the exception of Kallen whom narrowed her eyes.
"You," Kallen mumbled under her breath as she reached for her switchblade. "Lelouch, what are you doing here?" Kallen asked with a dangerous tone.
Lelouch's only answered was a small smile before handing her his ringing phone. "Sorry for this but Lord Zero decided to be careful and discreet." Lelouch exclaimed with an apologetic tone as Kallen took the phone from his hand.
As Kallen took the phone, Lelouch was suddenly surrounded by familiar figures, the first members of his Black Knights. "Hey Kallen, who's this Brit?" Inoue asked as one of her comrades pointed a knife on his back.
"Don't kill the guy," Kallen said quietly. "He's the messenger boy of that voice." Kallen informed them as she answered the phone.
"Hello," The voice spoke after that.
"I want you to board the outbound train on loop-line 5." The voice instructed. "Bring your friends with you and please, don't kill my emissary. He still has some use to me."
"Are you watching us and why did you send your messenger boy just to contact us?" Kallen asked her voice a bit unnerved.
"Of course, I am always looking after my precious investment and possible allies." The voice replied passively. "After all, our goals are one and the same, and we all have so much in common." And with that, he hung up again, much to Kallen irritation.
Kallen grunted silently before shoving the phone back to Lelouch. "Your boss is annoying as hell." Kallen told him with a voice filled with irritation. "
"That's old news, Kallen." Lelouch said as he pocketed his phone. "Now, are you guys going to let me go or stab me in public?" Lelouch asked in a dull tone. Kallen shook her head as she motion for Sugiyama to let Lelouch go.
"So, where do we meet him?" Lelouch asked in a passive tone with an underlining amusement.
"We board the outbound train on loop-line 5." Kallen answered bluntly, still not trusting the person in front of her.
"Hey kid," Tamaki called in a rude voice as he grabbed Lelouch's arm and holding it in painful matter. "Tell us, who the hell is your boss?" Tamaki all but demanded as he glared at the Britannian in front of him.
Lelouch sighed deeply as the hold that Tamaki has on his arm was giving him a slight discomfort. "I don't know," More pressure was inserted in his arm at that answer. "Let me elaborate, that guy never talks to me without his mask, with good reasons." Lelouch told them with a careful tone.
Tamaki hissed at that answered and was about to apply more pressure when Kallen slapped Tamaki's arm of Lelouch. "Okay, I may not like this but we need him alive." Kallen told them as she spared Ohgi a glance.
Ohgi nodded as he stepped behind Lelouch and put a hand on his shoulder. "Kid, lead the way." Ohgi ordered in a neutral tone.
Lelouch glanced at Kallen and gave her a thankful smile. "Thank you, Q1." Lelouch said to her as he led the group to the where the meeting will take place.
(Scene Change)
With the addition of the Britannian student, to say the atmosphere around the group was tense was an understatement. Most of the group did not like nor appreciate the presence of Lelouch, not trusting him for he was a Britannian; some were even showing their discontent. The only ones who did not openly show their discontent were Ohgi and Kallen. Ohgi may not like Britannia but if this Brit hated his own country as much as him; he was willing to give him a chance. Kallen on the other hand, was a bit confused.
Lelouch was somewhat amused with his current predicament while enjoying the historic train ride that started it all. Although he made several changes in his plan for the particular meeting, with the train and the train station under his complete control the most prominent change, things are still proceeding rather smoothly.
"Hey Lelouch," Kallen called out quietly as the group boarded the designated train.
"What is it, Q1?" Lelouch answered as he was push on the corner by Tamaki.
Kallen grumbled under her breath as she stared at him with irritation. "My name is Kallen, not Q1." Kallen told him with an annoyed tone before taking a deep breath. "You're a Britannian, why would you help terrorists against your own nation?" Kallen asked which instantly diverted her group's attention to their conversation.
Lelouch was silent as the sound of the train running could be heard by all of the occupants in train. "Would you believe me if I answer your question honestly or would call me a liar regardless of my answer?" Lelouch asked with a rather arrogant and pompous tone.
"Try me," Kallen responded calmly.
Lelouch sighed deeply as a small smile crawled on his face. "What's my reason, you already met her." Lelouch answered which confused the other's around him but not Kallen.
"Nunnally, she's your reason." Kallen ventured earning her a nod from Lelouch.
"Your girlfriend?" Inoue asked, joining in the conversation.
"My sister actually," Lelouch answered with a solemn look. "Britannia had taken everything away from me, my life, my mother, everything. As a Britannian, I think I should do the same." Lelouch said with upmost seriousness.
"So you want to screw your country for revenge?" Ohgi asked, curious of the reason why the boy would support a rebel group.
"You're partially correct," Lelouch replied, his eyes darkening a bit.
"Hey kid," Tamaki sat leaned beside Lelouch. "Your boss hadn't called us yet so you wouldn't mind telling us why you're in our country."
Lelouch laughed softly and was about to speak when his phone and Kallen's phone rang. "I'll tell you my story if I have earned your trust." Lelouch told them bluntly as he retrieved something from his pocket. "For now, I suggest you answer that, and try not to lose your patience with him. That guy is as irritating as he is effective." Lelouch added with a small, devious smile which unnerved most of them.
Regardless of that, Kallen answered the phone. "Hello," Kallen greeted as the voice spoke again in a manner that everyone within the group could hear him speak.
"Face forward and look to your right." The Voice ordered and they did just that. "What do you see?"
"A Britannian City. A stolen city, built on our sacrifice." Kallen answered melancholy.
"Now look to the left." The voice ordered softly.
"I see our city, a city made by Britannia squeezing us dry." This time, Ohgi was the one who answered with a voice filled with anger and sadness.
"Good answer, very good answer." The voice complimented with a rather gleeful tone in its mechanical-like yet suave voice. "Now make your way to the front of the train." The voice ordered before hanging up once again.
Kallen and her comrades looked dejected by this before their attention was brought back to Lelouch.
Lelouch merely shrugged at the stare that he was receiving. "I told you guys his aggravating." Lelouch reminded them before handing the group several pairs of black sunglasses. "Please take this, and when you're taking to him, please wear the sunglasses or just don't look at him in the eyes." Lelouch advised them as the group of seven eyed the sunglasses that Lelouch gave them with bewilderment.
"Okay?" Sugiyama muttered with uncertainty as he and the rest hid the sunglasses that the Britannian teen gave them.
Lelouch smile for a bit before motioning for them to follow him, which they did with great reluctance. Although the Britannian that was leading them did not look that threatening, Tamaki muttering that he could probably snapped the boy in half with his bare hands with the rest of his friends agreeing with his sentiment, they are still quite weary of him. They are still quite confused. They do not know why a Britannian Citizen, who looks and somewhat acts like an aristocrat, would betray his own country, Kallen was an exception of course.
As far as they are concern, there is still a high chance of this situation being a trap.
They did not know that the moment that they stepped foot into the train, the trap was already sprung.
(Scene Change)
"This is as far as I go." Lelouch told them as he step aside and motion for them to enter the compartment. "And before you ask, I already know what he is going to say, so there is no point for me to be present when he gives his offer." Lelouch added, earning him several suspicious looks from the seven rebel fighters.
"If this is a trap…" Tamaki growled but was interrupted by Lelouch staring back at him.
"If this was a trap, then you seven would have already been killed." The seven of them tensed at the casualness in which Lelouch said those words. "But considering you guys are still breathing, is a testament to mine and Zero's sincerity." Again, those words sends shiver up their spine.
Lelouch did not look physically intimidating or imposing but for some reason, his mere words were enough to drive the fear of God straight through them, although they will not admit it.
Lelouch ignored them and merely opened the door of the train compartment, showing the seven rebels a pitch black room. Seeing the suspicion increase, Lelouch could not help but chuckle.
"Don't mind the darkness. That guy always has the flare for the theatrics." Lelouch stepped aside before motioning for them to enter. "Again, don't look directly to his eyes." Lelouch reminded them as all seven of them entered the dark room, with Kallen being the last.
Before Kallen entered the room, she gave Lelouch a withering look which he answered by giving her an amuse look. "Don't be afraid. True, you'll be making a deal with the devil, but at least this devil will make it worth your while." Lelouch said with an assuring voice as he suddenly grabbed Kallen's hand before carefully ushering her inside the compartment.
When Kallen entered the compartment, the door close and the room was lit up, and seven pair of eyes was drawn to the figure sitting on the throne.
The figure was clearly male. He was wearing a costume consisting of a tight dark purple suit with golden stripes and long, wrapped sleeves. The outfit combines Victorian fashion with that of a sleek bodysuit, elegant but practical; worn over it is a black and gold cloak with crimson spandex inside and an enormous black cape encircling the head. Its immediately recognizable feature is a spiky black and indigo mask with a long variation of the Geass Sigil stretched over its bottom, completely hiding the wearer's face — appearing opaque from the outside, but transparent from the inside.
There was a moment of silence as the figure sitting on the throne the seven rebels merely stared at each other. The figure sitting on the throne, Zero did not move and because of his mask, was expressionless for the seven rebels.
The rebels did not know how to regard the man but every one of them were weary of him for some reason that they couldn't fathom.
After a moment, Kallen spoke. "Was it you?" Kallen asked in a soft tone before narrowing her eyes. "Tell us! Was it you in Shinjuku? Was the cease fire you're doing, too?" Kallen asked, this time, with a hardened tone.
"Yes," A deep, foreign tone answered with fluent Japanese, and the power behind his voice was enough for their knees to buckle. Zero raised his hand and pointed at Ohgi, which made the young Japanese flinch for some reason. "Kaname Ohgi, am I correct?"
Not trusting to find his voice, Ohgi nodded.
"I was impressed with your rebel cell. You would make your late yet great leader, Kozuki Naoto proud." There was a collective mumblings at the mention of their old leader. Zero then shifted his gazed towards Kallen. "Kozuki Kallen, I must give you praise. Your piloting skills are quite impressive, with the right Knightmare, you can even fight and beat any member of the Knights of the Round, Britannia's finest." Zero complimented Kallen, which made the said girl to blush.
"Now, let us now discuss business." The atmosphere became tenser after hearing that. "Tell me now, what were your impressions of this tour of the settlement?" Zero inquired them with fake curiosity that was very difficult to detect.
"Tour?"
"It couldn't have been this joker." Sugiyama muttered dismissively.
Ignoring Sugiyma's statement, Zero continued. "I wanted you to fully grasp the situation of the two." Zero dramatically raised his right arm and gestured to his right. "The settlement…" He then did the same to his left arm. "…and the ghetto."
"Yes, we know, there's a difference between us and the Britannians! A very harsh one and that is why we resist them." Ohgi answered as he stepped in front of Kallen.
"That is noble, yet you are wrong." Zero rebutted him gently, unmoving from his throne. "Terrorism will not defeat Britannia; it will not even cause them to raise a hand. For them, for the emperor, Terrorism is merely a childish nuisance that can be remedied with a simple order."
"What was that?!" Tamaki shouted as he stomped towards the mask man. "Are you calling us a joke, you punk?" Tamaki growled as he raised his hand while approaching menacingly to the mask man that dared insulted them.
"TAMAKI!" His friends shouted but he ignored them, intent to give the man a piece of his mind.
"Fool," Zero sighed as a piece of his mask slid down, which revealed his left eye to Tamaki. "For the rest of the trip, you will obey me." Zero ordered calmly.
Tamaki froze after hearing those orders, and much to his friends confusion, gave Zero a salute.
"Yes, milord!" Tamaki declared loudly much the bafflement of his friends.
"What the hell?" All of Tamaki's comrades wondered as the temperamental man gave the mysterious figure a respectful salute.
Zero regally stood up and callously walked towards Tamaki. "Before things can escalate, allow me to introduce myself, my dear allies, my name is Zero." Zero introduced himself before gesturing to Tamaki. "And this is my power, the reason why I could not show my face to you all." Zero added with a forlorn tone.
"Power, what power?" Kallen asked as she fingered her weapon, which was mirrored by the rest of her comrades.
"I had anticipated your skepticism…" Zero muttered, raising his other hand, which to this moment had remained hidden, to reveal a conductors microphone "….which is why I've arranged for the passengers on the previous cars provide a demonstration."
"What did you do to them?!" Kallen demanded, the redhead preparing to draw her knife, only to be grabbed from behind by one of the passengers from the previous car as they swarmed in like a flood.
"Hey what the hell?!" Ohgi yelled, struggling wildly against the two large men in conductor's uniform that were holding him down, one of which swiftly relieved him of his firearm. Several civilians as well detained the group as well as disarming them. Much to the groups confusion, Tamaki also assisted in disarming them. "I knew it! You lured us here so you could-!"
"Stop, that is enough." Zero ordered, and instantly, the people that were holding them down release them, much to the group's confusion, which increase as they all stood, daze and transfix in front of Zero. "Now, all of you return to the previous car, act like nothing has happened."
"Yes…My lord…" The passengers muttered in tandem, the rebels looking on in awe as they filed out, watching in disbelief as they resumed their seats, gazing vacantly at the floor, several of them having bruises from their struggle, but looking as unconcerned about them as statues.
"What…the…hell?" Yoshida muttered in disbelief while looking in confusion. Walking over to one of their assailants, he stared at the person, and noticed his eyes having a tint of red "Hypnosis?" Yoshida asked still shaken by the display as he gave the man light slaps, but still getting no response.
"No, something powerful and much more absolute. For the duration of the trip, everyone on this train has been ordered to ignore anything that happens, which now includes you're friend." Zero informed them as the rebels looking at the man in confusion, eyes widening as they saw Ohgi's gun in his hand.
Zero then did something unprecedented as he positioned the handgun right beside Tamaki, inches away from his cheeks. "Even if someone were to fire a weapon…"
He pulled the trigger, the sound of gun releasing a bullet echoing in the compartment, the rebels shouting Tamaki's name in dread, only to be silence at the fact that Tamaki, the ever vocal and sometimes frustrating man, not responding as Zero proceeded to empty the bullets from the handgun near Tamaki's ear.
"They will not react." Zero finished as he disassembled the pistol before casually throwing it to Ohgi's feet. "This is both my power and burden. My blessing as well as my curse. The power that made Britannia a powerful terror...The power of Geass."
"Geass?" Ohgi repeated, the stunned rebel leader looking up at Zero's masked face in confusion and fear.
"I cannot explain the depths of this power for it varies. Different people, different Geass." Zero explained to them as he walked back to his throne before sitting back on it. "My Geass is called "The Power of Absolute Obedience". It allows me to plant commands within a person's mind upon eye contact in a manner comparable to hypnosis."
Before anybody could ask him to elaborate, he continued. "The Emperor's Geass is different. His Geass allows him to freely alter an individual's memories at will."
"You mean...the Emperor...has the power to do this to?!"
"Correct," Zero admitted, eliciting gasps of panic from the rebels, fear creeping into them at that information. "Although his power different from my own." The masked man informed them, tapping his helmet as he spoke "My Geass requires direct eye contact for it to work, the emperor's is not so limited. Furthermore, I cannot control my Geass, whereas the emperor can activate his at will."
"So that's why you wear the helmet." Ohgi deduced, understanding dawning on his face, along with a stunned Kallen, as they put all the pieces together. "If you didn't…!"
"Then the next words I say could place a Geass on anyone that looks into my eyes." Zero agreed, his tone grim "So if I were, hypothetically, to tell someone to 'kill themselves', then they wouldn't happily point a gun to their temple before pulling the trigger."
Kallen winced at that, her desire to see the person behind the mask disappearing. She couldn't even imagine having to live a life where the wrong word could cost someone their will, or life.
"Tell me now, did my accomplice gave you glasses to prevent my Geass from affecting you. If so, please use them." Zero instructed them sagely. "Though I am quite confident with my mask sealing my powers, I do not like to take risk."
At the mention of the sunglasses the Lelouch gave them, the six rebels instantly reach for the sunglasses and wore them like their lives were depending on it.
"Now, shall we continue discussing business?" Zero inquired before ordering Tamaki to sit to the corner, which he did with no complains or hesitation.
"Was it you that ordered the ceasefire?" Ohgi asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from the man before him.
"It was, my power allowed me to convince Clovis to order a ceasefire." Zero answered with a shrugged. "And before anybody here asks, yes, I am the one who buried a bullet through his skull."
"And you set Kururugi up to take the fall?" Ohgi asked, his gaze hardening slightly at the tactic, though truth be told he had no more love for the 'Honorary Britannian' than most other 'Elevens', only to blink as Zero shook his head.
"That was the doing of one Jeremiah Gottwald, a member of Clovis' guard who is one of the foremost denouncers of the 'Honorary Britannian' system." The masked man revealed, several of the rebels muttering to themselves in recognition "No doubt he plans to use Kururugi as an example as to why the system should be abolished."
"And if that happens…" Kallen deduced her eyes hardening in understanding, her teeth clenching in disgust "Then those citizens that were fortunate enough to earn the right to live in the settlement…"
"Will have their lives torn from them once again," Zero concluded, nodding his head at the redhead's deduction "Either thrown back into the slums or executed for DARING to presume to be the equal of the 'noble' Britannians."
"This is deep stuff boss." One of the rebels whispered in Ohgi's ear, his face a mask of awe and fear as he eyed Zero uncertainly, looking to Ohgi for further instruction "You think this guy's really legit?"
"After what I've seen I'm having a hard time questioning you." Ohgi muttered, speaking directly to Zero as he accepted his weapon, re-holstering it inside his jacket "However, I cannot trust you at face value."
"You wouldn't be much of a leader if you did." Zero assured him, his hand receding under his cloak "However, if you truly wish for proof, then I shall give it to you…"
"Wait a minute," Kallen spoke, still trying to decide whether or not the person before her was worth her trust. "Why did you save us back in Shinjuku?" Kallen demanded, wanting the answer to the question that has been bothering her for a while now.
"I couldn't have you and your group dying there." Zero answered her gently. "Methods aside, your aims and mine happen to coincide; you simply need to apply yourselves differently."
"Striking out at the people of the nation amounts to nothing more than terrorism, and unites them in their ostracizing of your people." Zero opined, causing the group to flinch, before extending an arm towards the group, as if to clutch their hands "Your group needs resources and a leader. I need good people under my command. I need your group as much as you need me…"
Not as good as my last version but, we'll I don't have a copy of Fate's Debt chapter 3 to 5, so I'll be reconstructing them from the ground up……
I would like to thank my BETA, xXFanAticXx allotting time in editing this fic…
Next chapter would be in two weeks and it would be longer and better than this...