Chapter 17, yay! Can't think of anything I need to say except to respond to a few reviews. First we have dragonlor562 and his review. I do admit Rolo is a little OC, but keep in mind that in canon Rolo had been watching over Lelouch for a year, and had been taught from the very beginning that Lelouch was to die the moment he regained his memories. There was a lot less standing in the way of a reasonable trust here. If that isn't sufficient reasoning, well, that's a blunder on my part. But that's how I interpreted it, anyway.
And Infinite Freedom, I have to say that you're right on that point. But at the same time, it was an infinitely suicidal plan (it's worth noting that both attacks on the Tokyo Settlement were races against time). I've portrayed Lelouch as a far more level-headed commander that makes his victories complete rather than going for a quick route to victory, and so it's better off straying from canon Lelouch's head shot tactics.
And to those wondering why Rolo was able to immobilize everyone except Lelouch when technically the nature of his Geass says otherwise, allow me to explain. Rolo has been shown in flashbacks to have had Geass for upwards of seven to ten years (my own speculation, since his official age was never given), and yet there have been no changes in it's power (no going runaway, no manifesting itself in the other eyes, nothing). So I took a liberty in that fact and gave his Geass the ability to create areas within it's generated sphere that are rendered unaffected by it. So when he used it in the hangar he singled out Lelouch and left him unaffected. Yes this does have costly side-effects that will be shown later, don't worry.
Now, enjoy!
The time to challenge Geass had come.
Geass is a power to be feared if you don't have control over it. It has the ability to make the impossible possible; thats all the more true if the person knows how to use the power they are given. Absolute Obedience is the tip of the iceberg as far as this limitless power goes. But if that's true, then there are powers out there that can change everything; mind control, time-stopping, absolute orders... all are strengths that could turn the tide of any battle.
To that end, Rolo led us to the Geass Directorate. The underground sanctuary for the arguably cursed people such as myself... its an interesting place that I'd like to study if the situations weren't as they were. The large buildings towering over the smaller ones, and the central building towering over everything; intentional or otherwise, its a fine representation of Britannia's rule. Which means the Geass Directorate is another place to be reformed.
Another place that I must conquer.
o--o
"This is Ground Squad One. Kyoshiro Todo, ready. Awaiting orders."
"Ground Squad Two ready, Kururugi Suzaku reporting. When you're ready, Lelouch."
"Evacuation Squad One and Shinichiro Tamaki at the ready!"
Lelouch smiled; everything was set. Rolo was on the ground to assist, and those in the air were ready to take out what Lelouch could only consider to be the headquarters. He said, "Proceed with Phase One. Make sure your visors are on and ear plugs are in place, and remove them only when absolutely necessary. Team Zero, move out!"
The Gawain led Team Zero – consisting of the Guren, Hakumei and Shen-Hu – over the dark buildings illuminated only by the radiant glow of the Thought Elevator that was unique to the underground haven of the Geass Directorate. The buildings looked surprisingly modern for an underground sanctuary that could have been upward of thirty years old – perhaps many more, Lelouch couldn't begin to guess.
Suzaku couldn't suppress his worry as he ran through the streets of the city below, eyes scanning from side to side for anyone. He hadn't found any yet, but Lelouch hadn't hidden the fact that the people they'd run across would have Geass. Even though they had another Geass user on their side – their questionable new recruit, Rolo – Suzaku couldn't deny the fact that Geass was something he'd much rather fear than embrace.
Yet another difference between him and the man his best friend now was.
Rolo trudged along behind Suzaku, frowning more to himself than to anything else. Just why was he here, really? Why hadn't he killed Lelouch the moment he arrived, like he had planned to? The thought had crossed his mind that he was a tool to V.V., sure, but why did he believe Lelouch? He was a liar, right? But then, so was V.V. and they were both the same. At least, that's how Rolo saw it.
But at least Lelouch was willing to give him a sense of normalcy. V.V. didn't care enough about those beneath him to do such a thing, Rolo knew. Perhaps Rolo had caught onto that immediately. Even beneath the mask, something about Lelouch told him – screamed out to him, even – that he was someone who would give him a true life. One where he was more than a disposable tool. And if that was true, like Rolo so desperately hoped, then he would gladly abandon all the falsehoods of his past.
"Hey, you... Rolo," Suzaku started, hesitantly. He glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye tentatively, "Why are you with us, anyway?"
Rolo stayed silent and Suzaku frowned, making a mental note to ask Lelouch about it later. The two continued on their way with their squad, stopping only when they came across the odd citizen; Rolo would then step forth and talk to him or her, and within a few moments they were on their way again, with yet another citizen running around spreading the word that 'the invaders are friends and that Lord Rolo is with them.'
Another reason Suzaku would keep note of to not trust Rolo for.
Up above, Lelouch took a far more trigger-happy role. Knightmare Frames had taken position on some rooftops to defend the Directorate – more than likely as a poor safety insurance on V.V.'s part – and Lelouch took no small amount of pleasure in firing his newly perfected Hadron Cannons freely, taking out anything within the range of their streams of destruction. Pilots of the Frames destroyed in such a fashion were promised a quick death, which in it's own way was a form of humanity, Lelouch thought.
"Lelouch," C.C. scolded, completely serious. "I thought you were trying to get the support of the people here?"
"Death isn't something worth frowning upon," Lelouch responded, firing another wave from his cannons to take out another line of Sutherland. "We cause death to end death. Those who cause death are martyrs while those who kill are the evil ones. It is a simple law, C.C., and embracing it is the only way to move forward."
The gray witch laughed loudly, but said nothing. Instead she charged ahead and above the Gawain, launching a blast from her Fukushahado cannon to take out a Sutherland that was spared from Lelouch's destructive path. The Shen-Hu and Guren Aerial-Type followed, attacking Frames outside of Lelouch's immediate range. The damage was devastating; anything that had a signal had a lifespan of less than a minute, traditionally, and to their great dismay the pilots knew that.
Meanwhile, things had become more than hectic on the ground. Those who met with civilians that hadn't heard from Rolo soon found themselves held up trying to avoid one form of Geass or another – from things as reasonable as simple time-stopping like Rolo to unbelievable things such as full mind control, Lelouch had warned them of the possibility of Geass manifesting itself in just about any form involving the mind, and had assured them that their current protection would keep them safe. The only thing they weren't spared from was time-stopping, but when faced with unarmed civilians that was hardly a threat.
For Todo, the only thing he actually had to worry about was his own shattered nerves. He'd only just recently learned such a power existed, and now he was facing what might as well have been an entire army armed with such powers. It suddenly made perfect sense why Lelouch would want control of such a place, he reasoned, but the risk was strong indeed. The soldiers around him were no less unnerved, but like their leader they put on a strong exterior and suppressed those who stood before them as best they could.
But it was a fascinating thing at the same time. From what he could gather, Todo could only speculate on how powerful Geass could be. The power to give any order, the power to stop time, mind-controlling... all of them were as intriguing as they were frightening. And Todo was having more than a little trouble settling on any one opinion about them; was Geass something terrifying that needed to be removed? Or was it an interesting power that should be embraced and used as necessary?
Perhaps it was something the mind wasn't meant to understand.
"Sir, we've restrained another group of civilians and neutralized them. Orders?"
Todo turned to the soldier next to him, studying him for a moment, "Send them to the meeting point and have them prepared for pickup."
Up above, Lelouch sighed contently as he rested the Gawain atop a large building, taking a minute to observe his surroundings. The area had been swept clean of any defenses; from Sutherlands to standard turrets, nothing had been left in the wake of Lelouch's path of carnage. But now that everything was all safe up top, he bid the Gawain a saddened farewell as he lowered himself to the ground and exited the cockpit, lowering himself to the ground. As he touched down he spoke into his headset, saying, "Karen, Xingke, watch over everything from above. C.C., come with me."
o--o
The seemingly young V.V. stood patiently before a large stone door, Geass' symbol of a red bird-like sigil crested into the center of it's door. A light of bright purple spewed from beneath the door, illuminating the entire room – which was a surprisingly large room – in a purple glow far brighter than the light that illuminated the city outside.
With him was one of his more trusted Geass associates, an old man of sixty or seventy. He had aged well in his own right, though it was hard to tell for sure with the black robe and black hood that covered him almost entirely. His only distinguishing feature was the fear in his eyes and his mouth hanging open slightly as he tried to find his voice.
When he did – which took far longer than it should have for any living being – he cried, "Lord V.V., what are we going to do?!"
With a light chuckle, V.V. replied, "We are going to plan our escape. Running from Marianne's kin is bothersome, but we can't face him as we are. Villeta and Kewell will hold him off for now."
The air grew heavy as that settled in, and for the first time the grim reality of their plight came into focus. They were playing a dangerous game now that they were exposed to the extent of the Black Prince's power indeed.
"What about them?" the aged man asked, gesturing wildly. "Surely Lelouch came just for his friends?"
"He came to take control of the Directorate. Getting his friends isn't his top priority," V.V. said, his voice carrying a noticeable disdain.
A loud explosion told them just how urgent their time frame was. Through the newly created entrance came Lelouch and Rolo, the former smirking with the latter trailing behind him, eyes shifting from side to side meekly. Rolo's convictions had become a scattered mess and he had to will himself onward, to convince himself that what he was doing was the right thing to do and that not doing so would only mean more pain. His place by Lelouch was one he could feel secure in, he thought, and returning to V.V. was certainly not an appetizing alternative.
"So, Rolo, you did betray us..." V.V. chuckled humorlessly.
"V.V.," Lelouch's eyes weren't hidden as he walked, and the sight of the glaring teen, his eyes glowing red with the Geass residing within, was nothing short of frightening. The old man standing behind V.V. stepped backwards as quickly as he could before doing an about face and picking up his pace. V.V. gave the coward only a passing notice before he turned his attention to Lelouch again, matching his glare.
"Lelouch," V.V. greeted calmly, as if they were old friends meeting after a long absence.
"The power of Geass is not unknown to my men. In this city are over five hundred men, all having taken necessary precautions against Geass to protect themselves. Your defenses have been removed, and those around you are fleeing. You have lost, V.V.," Lelouch drawled, willing his Geass to life.
"That power is useless on me, Lelouch. You should have figured that much out, at least."
"Of course," Lelouch nodded, smirking. There was a prolonged – that seemed like pointless waiting to V.V. - silence that followed. It was broken moments later by an explosions, the sounds of landspinners and cries of agony. V.V. whipped around just in time to see the tail end of a long train catching fire, followed by the old man and many black robed people running toward him, complete terror written all over their faces. Lelouch chuckled in a sinister manner at the sight, "Rolo."
The young boy stepped forth, his Geass now blazing in his eye. Everyone but himself, Lelouch and V.V. froze in their place and Rolo pulled out a gun, firing into the center of the old man's forehead quickly, turning slightly to fire another round at another terrified person. Before he could fire another bullet his Geass was cut short and everyone started running again, stopping only momentarily to regard their two fresh casualties.
Though he didn't show it, Rolo was beyond confused. "My Geass was stopped...?"
With that same bored expression - the one that once would have struck fear into Rolo just because of its nature – V.V. said, "I have allies on my side that have been... 'eager' to meet you, Lelouch."
Two shadows emerged from the adjoined area where the now blazing mess of a train rested. Kewell was smirking as his eyes landed on Lelouch, while Villeta – seemingly unemotional for the most part – gave nothing more than a flicker of a scowl. Kewell's right eye was blazing with a blue variant of the Geass, identical in every way to any other Geass except for the deep blue color it adopted. Villeta's left eye was similarly different from regular Geass manifestations, but her left eye glowed with a dark green that brought a whole new meaning to green-eyed.
Lelouch scowled, "Kewell Soresi and Villeta Nu. Jeremiah's colleagues."
Kewell nodded, "One and the same." Lelouch's eyes once again glowed, preparing to activate Geass, and Kewell wagged a finger and tutted at him, "Don't waste your energy, my Black Prince. See, what we have here are not normal as far as this cursed power goes."
A raise of the eyebrow showed Lelouch's interest, "Oh?"
"What I have here," Kewell continued, pointing to his eye. "Is a Geass Canceller. Any Geass used within a certain radius of me can be shut down. Simple as that." He then pointed toward Villeta's eye, smirking, "And her Geass, is a Geass Neutralizer. So long as she has it active, your Geass is sealed and can't be activated! That certainly puts a stop to any plans you had to get to us with your Geass, hmm?"
Putting on an equally disturbing, bitter smile, V.V. said, "I'll leave the rest to you two. We'll continue our escape now." Villeta and Kewell moved to block the path out of the large chamber while V.V. ran, both keeping their eyes intently fixed on the two people in front of them. Lelouch's scowl looked as if it couldn't get anymore demented while the look of indifference – save for the wide eyes – on Rolo was disturbing in its own right.
Kewell was the first to charge, closing the distance between him and Lelouch and launching a punch at the prince's gut. He was stopped by Rolo who moved with blinding speed, stopping the incoming fist with one hand and swinging his leg out to trip Kewell at the same time. Before he could land a blow on the fallen Kewell, Villeta launched an attack on Rolo that he only narrowly dodged, sending Villeta flying in mid kick a short distance away. When she returned to the attack Lelouch was her target, who was relatively helpless as she attacked, quickly finding himself on his back.
"The Black Prince on his ass," Kewell laughed loudly at the sight that he saw from the corner of his eye, grabbing Rolo's foot before it could stomp down on his abdomen. He pushed on the foot, ultimately reversing the position so that he was standing over Rolo. With a smirk he continued, "So many would love to see you in such a position, my prince. Pity that you won't live long enough for another to see this."
Lelouch clenched his teeth as he tried futilely to break free of Villeta's grip. Despite all the squirming her grip on his forearms remained strong and her seat upon his torso was not lost and she smirked down at him, willing him to try further. Knowing better than to try further he tried activating his Geass, but before he could open his mouth Villeta's Geass had activated, neutralizing his own. Lelouch studied her intently as he tried over and over to get his own Geass to activate, willing her to slip up. 'Every Geass has a weakness somewhere,' he thought, determined.
And sure enough, she was soon panting slightly, he grip on his forearms slacking. Lelouch took the opportunity to break free of her grasp and pull himself to his feet, backing away and getting some distance between himself and Villeta. "I see..." he mused gently as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. Her smirk seemed to have transferred to his face, reversing the situation entirely.
"You see what?" Villeta challenged, narrowing her eyes.
"Your Geass' weakness," Lelouch waved a hand for emphasis. "It drains your energy to keep it active. Meaning you can only use it so much before you're too tired to move." Villeta growled as she began another round of attacks, but this time her movements were sluggish and Lelouch easily kept himself out of harms' way. It wasn't long before she was panting but she didn't give up even then, trying all the harder to hit Lelouch. She finally managed to land a fist into Lelouch's gut, but the blow failed to do anything more than knock the wind from the prince. Both of them fell at once, gasping for breath on their hands and knees.
Meanwhile, Rolo found himself in a similarly well-matched fight with Kewell. Kewell's Canceller rendered his Geass worthless, bringing the fight down to a battle of brute force, with the odds stacked heavily in Kewell's favor. Unlike his partner his movements were not hindered by extensive use of his Geass, forcing Rolo into a constant defense broken only by the occasional bold counterattack, each met with little success. While Rolo managed to avoid the brunt of the attacks the direct hits continued to stack up, whereas Kewell had taking just a single strong punch to the face.
Lelouch managed to climb to his feet, stepping back so his back was to Rolo's own. Surrounded by the still strong Kewell and the drained but still far more powerful Villeta their hopes of succeeding seemed overwhelmingly low, coupled by the fact that they had a handicap in the form of Lelouch himself. Despite that the two remained strong, nodding to each other before they set off to face their respective foes again. Rolo fought with a vigor previously unknown to him, driving Kewell back with punch after punch. Each punch had an extra force to it – an added strength that was enough to force Kewell into a defensive similar to Rolo's previous attempt in it's futility.
A well aimed kick to the ribs turned the tide again, sending Rolo to the ground. He groaned at the aching pressure threatening to shatter his ribs, intensified by the foot pressing into his stomach. He coughed heavily as it pushed in and he swung forward in a reflexive motion that proved pointless as his face only connected with Kewell's knee, resulting in the orange haired man laughing heartily at Rolo's discomfort. The laugh was not by any means normal, distorted to the point of sound maniacal and twisted. Yes, Kewell was certainly no longer insane.
Like many in the past, he'd become unable to control Geass.
Lelouch's situation was far less desperate, but despite her exhaustion Villeta was able to keep up with the feeble fight Lelouch was capable of putting up. Despite not being drained at all his movements were slow, resulting in a battle that appeared to be one that had dragged on for ages – Villeta was so tired it might as well have, while Lelouch's physical ineptitude made his physical prowess hardly any better than Villeta's in her exhausted state. They exchanged sluggish punches and sloppy dodges to eachother's attacks, and little more than the odd punch to the face or a rather soft kick to the leg ever landed.
If they had an audience – which they were lucky the didn't – they would have surely been the comic relief to the intensity at which Kewell and Rolo fought.
"Rolo Halburton," Kewell chuckled, pushing on his foot harder still. "Why did you betray Lord V.V.? Is Lelouch using you? Did he use his Geass on you, as well? Like he did to Jeremiah? Did he manipulate you into fighting for him as well? Make you a pawn to his game?"
Rolo growled, "He didn't. He gave me what V.V. never offered me: a normal life! With Lelouch, I don't get sent on assassination missions! With Lelouch, all that is asked of me is that I aid him! What Lelouch has given me is different from the fragile existence I shared with V.V.!" Despite all odds he managed to push the foot aside, jumping to his feet and ramming his knee into Kewell's stomach, "With Lelouch, I have a future!"
Kewell laughed as soon as he had regained the breath that Rolo's knee had sucked from him, "A future? With a prince who's abandoned his name and is fighting to overthrow his own father?!" Kewell's laugh turned hysteric as he blocked an incoming fist, returning the favor by ramming his knee into Rolo's gut. "Lelouch Vi Britannia is a joke! He's a traitor to his country, he's forsaken those who care about him, and he's become the devil! There is no future with such a man!"
Lelouch, who had been within earshot of Kewell the entire time, froze when he heard those words. It barely registered in his mind that Villeta had seized the opportunity to land a punch to his face, and the pain didn't register itself until he felt the cold ground against the back of his neck. With a groan he tried to return to his feet only to be sent back to the ground by a feeble kick to the ribs. "I'm... not... a traitor..." he gasped out as he made a second attempt at reaching his feet, ultimately succeeding when he rammed his head into Villeta's gut with as much force as his weakened body could muster.
"Then what... are you?" Villeta spat, glaring despite being doubled over in pain. Lelouch ignored her as he forced his knee into her head, sending her flying into the ground with a resounding crash. With a loud, pained groan she continued, "You're claiming to be fighting for the people, but you're only spreading chaos... is that acceptable to you?"
Lelouch narrowed his eyes, "Before there can be change, you must destroy the past. That much is true." Gathering every bit of strength he had left he stomped down on Villeta's stomach, and she coughed up blood in return, gasping painfully. "If I am to be a devil, I will accept that fate to change this world. If I must fight my siblings because they believe I am wrong, so be it. If I must fight others like you, who would sell your soul for something as petty as a chance to get to me, I will."
With one final stomp to the gut the remainder of Villeta's strength left her, and Lelouch crumpled to his knees as he tried to regain his strength. Meanwhile Rolo struggled to fend of Kewell's latest attack; a stream of forceful thrusts of his knee toward Rolo's gut. Rolo ended up lifting his leg enough to take the hit to his knee, taking a small opening to place his fist firmly into Kewell's jaw. Kewell's fist found its way to Rolo's jaw in kind and both fell to their knees, exchanging punch after punch while lacking the strength to manage blocking any attack the other sent their way.
Their engagement ended with a bang as a bullet lodged itself in Kewell's leg. He cried out as he fell backwards, and then another bullet found its way to his other leg. Looking up, Rolo saw C.C. standing over him, a look of indifference on her face as she tossed the gun aside, satisfied with the damage she'd done to Kewell. She looked to Lelouch who had just climbed to his feet after restraining the unconscious Villeta, saying, "Are you done here?"
Lelouch nodded, "Restrain Kewell and we're done. We can still catch V.V. if we hurry."
As soon as Rolo had mustered the energy to do anything he restrained Kewell by locking his wrists together behind his back and similarily locking his ankle together, leaving the writing man on the ground where he soon lost consciousness. Rolo remained behind to watch over their new captives while Lelouch and C.C. continued onward, making their way down a long, dark stairwell that ended into a large chamber, dark save for candles resting in alcoves along the walls on both sides. The room was empty, extending far into the distance where there was a doorway leading into a long hallway. Save for the stairwell from which they came, it was the only exit.
"This place is..." Lelouch started, eyebrows raising.
"The Geass Directorate was originally called the Geass Cult," C.C. explained, taking the first steps into the large chamber, Lelouch trailing slightly behind. "This place was a torture chamber for people that we captured for trying to hunt us. Back when our existence was commonly known we were hated, and there was many a battle between normal people and the immortals. Those who had Geass were our soldiers, so to speak."
Not waiting for Lelouch's response she continued, "That fate ended in the late 1800s when a Britannian Emperor gave us his aid. The Geass Cults were renamed into Directorates, and under his watchful eye we were reformed into an organization that hid from the common man. Before long, our existence became no more than a fairytale."
Lelouch nodded, afraid to respond. What could he say, anyway? For all of his suffering, he couldn't hope to understand hundreds of years of oppression and torture for people like C.C., suffering under yet another social barrier. Instead he remained silent, hoping C.C. understood his silent words of consolation. C.C. smiled through the silence, saying nothing more as they continued on their way, out of the long chamber and into the darkened hallway. She understood him perfectly.
At the end of the hallway was another large chamber. This one was cold and darker than the last, with far fewer candles on either side of the room – a total of twelve in all, all blazing a purple flame. The Geass sigil was crested into the ground, and something resembling an altar was at the far end of this chamber, with a stairwell extending upwards in the far right corner. C.C. paused for a minute while Lelouch continued on; she was getting a bad feeling about this room.
"Lelouch, stop, we should..." her protest fell short as Lelouch stepped onto the Geass sigil in the center of the room. A similar sigil appeared on C.C.'s forehead and she cried out while the sigil on the ground and Lelouch's eyes similarly came to life. Lelouch cried out in similar pain and collapsed to the ground, covering his eyes as an agonizing burning sensation washed through them.
Scenes rushed through his head one after the other, none staying long enough for him to get a good focus on any one of them. When it finally stopped flashingand settled on one scene, a picture of C.C. appeared. She was standing in a large clearing, and in the distance bombs were being dropped and guns were being fired; it was complete chaos. Her face was as stoic as he remembered, but worry briefly showed itself before she turned and ran, followed closely by a group of men garbed in a dark green uniformed, all armed with rifles.
They fired at her, but no matter how many rounds found their way into her she didn't stop. Each one elicited a louder cry of pain from her, and Lelouch was forced to feel every pang of pain that washed through her body. Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore the scene changed, instead showing a restrained C.C. being placed inside a large human-shaped coffin of sorts. Nails lined the inside of the lid, and she cried out in complete agony as it closed, and once again every bit of pain washed through Lelouch in kind. It was almost unbearable.
Again it shifted just before he felt he'd lose consciousness – if he was still conscious – to reveal C.C. being restrained by four men once again dressed in dark green uniforms, with many others surrounding them, smirks on their faces. C.C. had been stripped down to crude undergarments and several torches were pressed close to her body, the flame licking lightly against her body before they pushed the torches closer, and once again the now familiar feeling of agonizing pain coursed through his body as she was burned, his own skin feeling as though it was being melted off.
That was the last of the scenes, and with that he lay sprawled out on the ground, fully conscious, eyes wide and staring at the wall, unmoving. His body uncontrollably twitched randomly from time to time, and he was subconsciously muttering various things under his breath. Even if he could feel, it would have been a surprise if Lelouch could notice the torrents of tears streaking down his face at that moment.
o--o
The lights illuminating the infirmary of the Hogosha were blinding when Lelouch awoke, but he didn't even bother to shield them. The lifeless daze he'd held prior to losing consciousness came back full force; his heart felt as though it weren't beating, his eyes were dull in their lifeless stare, and his body continued to convulse and twitch, subconsciously showing the world just how shaken he truly was. Next to him were C.C. and Suzaku, one looking at him as if he were an alien while the other had concern on their face. But Lelouch didn't notice either in his daze.
"Hey, Lelouch..." Suzaku gave his friend a gentle shake, surprised to see Lelouch's head turn to regard Suzaku with that same lifeless daze. Suzaku felt sweat forming all over and hastened to say, "A-a-are you okay, Lelouch?"
Lelouch said nothing. His gaze drifted from Suzaku to C.C. and as he took in her appearance, his eyes went wide and broke free of their lifeless look. Color seemed to drain from his face and into his eyes as he slowly began to show signs of life, and by the time his eyes had regained their normal red and purple brilliance, his skin was white as snow. "C.C.," he whispered, unusually comfortingly. Without another word he pulled her to himself and wept against her shoulder. C.C. didn't pull away despite her surprise, instead staring down at Lelouch warily.
Suzaku's expression wasn't nearly as stoic. He jumped the moment Lelouch began clinging to C.C.; even in their childhood Lelouch had been a strong person who was never willing to show weakness in front of others. And now that same Lelouch was now clinging to his partner as though his life depended it, as though simply letting her go would make her disappear forever. It was terrifying in it's own way.
"Lelouch... what happened...?" Suzaku said at last.
As the cries died down to quiet sobs Lelouch looked toward Suzaku and between sobs he said, "Where is everyone? Our friends... are they safe?"
Suzaku nodded eagerly, "You were taking too long so Xingke sent my group in to check. We found C.C. leaving a basement of some sort with your arm around her shoulder, carrying you. We took the prisoners you had with Rolo and our friends, and got out of there."
Lelouch managed a small smile despite the tears running down his face, "I see... Can we see them?"
"Of course." Suzaku extended a hand that Lelouch hesitantly took, and then offered his other hand which was holding Lelouch's mask. When he saw Lelouch's quizzical gaze he said, "They know you're Zero, but I doubt they know about your Geass. At the very least, they won't be expecting to see it in your eyes. I thought this would help." Lelouch nodded and accepted the mask, placing it over his head and firmly locking it in place. He was still wearing the rest of his uniform, and the mask completed the imposing look that was the masked hero known as Zero, even if the world knew who it was underneath.
As they moved to leave the room C.C. stood up to follow. Suzaku looked back at her, furrowing his brows as he said, "You should return to Lelouch's room."
Lelouch waved a hand weakly, "No, she can come. Nunnally would want to see her, too."
Suzaku nodded, not about to deny Lelouch's wishes in his fragile state. As they walked down the halls of the Hogosha Lelouch didn't even bother to look confidant, and the slouching of his shoulders and Suzaku standing nearby for support was not questioned by anybody. There wasn't a soul on the ship who was unaware of the state he had returned in, and though their knowledge had been limited to saying he fell victim to the power of Geass in some way, they knew enough to ask no more.
Lelouch wasn't surprised by the despairing atmosphere when the three of them entered Nunnally's quarters, and he was equally unsurprised by the skeptical looks on the faces of his friends as they stared hard at the masked man striding toward them weakly. As he came close Rivalz stood, taking a defensive stance between Lelouch and the others, saying, "Why are you here, Lelouch? Why are we here?!"
Lelouch scoffed lightly, though the sound was far more harsh to the recipients, the sound having been warped by the mask pulled over Lelouch's mouth and the mask over his head. "I came to save you all! That's why you're here, Rivalz."
"We don't want help from Zero. We want our friend, Lelouch. The kindhearted Vice-President from Ashford Academy!" Rivalz took a step forward, swinging his hand forward and catching a fistful of Lelouch's clothes, "You're not our friend as you are now. You're a murderer, a terrorist, and a traitor!"
Lelouch swung a fist with surprising force, catching Rivalz in the jaw and sending him back several steps, "I'm a murderer?! No, Britannians are murderers! I kill, but I kill to give a future to the weak! I'm a terrorist! No, I'm a revolutionary! I'm the leader of an army free of racism, fighting to give the rest of the world that right!" Rivalz took a step back in fear as Lelouch carelessly tore the mask from his face, revealing the depths of his Geass within them, "And I'm a traitor? I'm not Britannian anymore, Rivalz. My father cast me aside after leaving my mother for dead; the way I see it, I'm more Japanese than I am Britannian. Britannia has betrayed the world, it's betrayed the people, and it's betrayed me. I'm holding the weight of their suffering and protecting them all for Britannia!"
Despite their best attempts, nobody could make a coherent thought as they stared into the pained depths of Lelouch's Geass-infused eyes. Rivalz was shaking in fear as he looked into them, his eyes wide as he slowly backed away until he collapsed to the ground, eyes shying away from Lelouch's. The only one not fearing was Nunnally who's disabilities spared her from the grim sight, and she eased herself forward, saying, "Onii-sama..."
Lelouch calmed immediately, dropping to one knee and taking Nunnally's hands between his own, "Nunnally, I'm sorry. Please forgive me for doing this, but..." her inquisitive gaze and innocent features proved too much for him to look at without fear of breaking into another bout of tears and so he looked away. "I have to. Our father has forsaken us, and he's trying to make a world where the weak are discarded. I can't allow that... Please, Nunnally..." The tears began to flow then, guiltily, fearing that the reaction his sister would give would shatter his resolve. Nunnally held his confidence in the palm of his hand despite his convictions, and her disapproval would absolutely crush him. "Please, understand."
Tears began to flow down Nunnally's face too; she could feel his hands shaking as he cried, his hands calloused and bruised from his months as a tactical mastermind, masquerading for the world. Her brother – the strong Onii-sama that she needed as a pillar of strength to go on – seemed so weak at that moment. His every action had been made with honest intent, she knew, and though she couldn't sympathize with the killing, she knew what would happen to her brother should she not support him. And she had to admit that he was doing a good thing; there had been times, she recalled, when Zero's regard for human life despite his situation was evident. Her brother was still there, she realized, even through the mask he wore.
With that thought she smiled sadly, "I understand, Onii-sama. If you think you must do this..." She paused briefly, searching herself for any doubt before she continued, "I'll support you."
The two siblings embraced each other as they cried, finally able to truly hold each other after so long. Suzaku watched the sight before turning to Rivalz, apologetic. "Rivalz..."
"Why are you helping him, Suzaku?" Rivalz spat bitterly, nodding toward Lelouch. "That's not our friend. He's changed. Did you see his eyes?!"
Suzaku smiled grimly and nodded, "He is still Lelouch. Lelouch is trying to make a better world, no matter what happens to him. If its beneficial he will allow others to hate him, simply so they aren't hurt later."
Rivalz narrowed his eyes, "That doesn't explain his eyes."
Suzaku nodded again, "Geass. You've heard of it right?" Rivalz nodded, eyes large and inquisitive. "That is Lelouch's Geass right there. He looks terrifying, but its another change he's taken in stride. Lelouch is prepared to give what he has to give for his success."
Rivalz huffed, "Why does he think he needs to do all this?"
Suzaku smiled, "Who are the poverty stricken people living in Area 11?"
Rivalz said immediately, "Elevens! But why...?"
Suzaku shook his head, "They aren't Elevens; they're Japanese. That is why Lelouch fights. So that the Japanese aren't oppressed Elevens, and all the other Numbers have that same freedom. No matter how hard I tried, I've realized that kind of change can't be done from the inside. Even if the path is bloody, Lelouch has the right idea."
Lelouch said nothing to his friends as he drew away from Nunnally, took C.C.'s hand and led her from the room. Rivalz found a new direction to take and asked, "Who is she?"
"The one who gave Lelouch his Geass."
"Then she is like that V.V. person..." Rivalz shuddered. "Why does he have someone like her around?"
Suzaku smiled gently, "I have no idea. But she means a lot to Lelouch; when he awoke this morning, he was a wreck. He'd been pulled from the Directorate in a lifeless state of subconscious, silently crying. He hasn't told anybody what happened, but the first thing he did when he woke up was grab onto her and cry. She means a lot to him, more than I thought he could care for anyone."
Rivalz cast a sympathetic smile back at Shirley who offered a fake smile in return and shook her head, shutting her eyes tightly. Rivalz turned back to Suzaku, "I can't forgive Lelouch for all this, but I won't push it anymore. Where is this ship heading?"
Suzaku nodded in understanding, "We'll be staying here for another month or so, and then we'll be going to Area 11. We can return you to Ashford soon after."
Rivalz grimaced, "Going to Area 11 means..."
"Yes, we're attacking Area 11 to return it to the Order of the Black Knights and the Japanese. We'll form an independent nation for the Japanese, and from there every Britannian will be given the right to remain under Lelouch's administration or be deported to the mainland."
Rivalz stood stunned, pondering what Lelouch had planned long after Suzaku left.
o--o
The world was finally ready to enter the next stage. With V.V.'s retreat from the Chinese Federation, there was nothing left standing between the Anti-Britannian Front and it's formal declaration of war against the Holy Britannian Empire. The Chinese Federation had finally found complete peace and it's people were recovering, meanwhile the Anti-Britannian Front continued to grow in strength.
One such development was the Han-Shu. In terms of performance it was on par with most of Britannia's Fifth Generation Frames, more than capable of putting up a large fight against them, coupled with the fact that they retain the Gun-Ru's mass-production effectiveness, and the Anti-Britannian Front was subsequently reformed to accommodate their usefulness. Han-Shus vastly outnumbered any other Knightmare Frame in our forces by the time we'd gotten a considerable amount of them in stock.
Jeremiah came back from the grips of death, declaring his overwhelming desire to fight for our cause to the death and that he would not accept any other duty. He was thus given the new Edinburgh Knightmare Frame Rakshata created – a Frame incapable of Mass Production based around the Sutherland and the Gloucester, boasting the strongest mixture of the two the world had seen. Despite it's lack of a Float System it still carried overwhelming strength from two MVS to the MVS Lance as well as a burst style Rifle previously unseen in Knightmare Frame technology. Jeremiah was more than pleased.
The Lancelot Kosui was a far greater success.
o--o
Lelouch stood before a newly constructed Lancelot, Suzaku by his side staring up at it with equal awe. The Frame looked nothing like it once had; the white Frame was a much brighter color, the yellow secondary color was replaced with black, and the eyes were made a dark red to give the overall look a far more devilish and menacing appearance. It had many weapons attached to its sides and back and a Float System identical to the Guren Aerial-Type's despite their black color, and above them was a large blue piece containing a Hadron blaster.
Suzaku gaped as he took in the whole appearance, "This is... the Lancelot?"
Lelouch nodded, "The Lancelot Kosui. Rakshata outdid herself with this; the color is far more fitting for the Black Knights, after all."
Suzaku couldn't dispute that point, "When will I get to test it?"
Lelouch smiled menacingly, "We've prepared an area near Xi'an for you to give it a test run."
Suzaku couldn't contain his glee as Lelouch passed him the Activation Key.
o--o
The Chinese Federation went through major changes with it's change in political administration and general leadership. The Tianzi was officially given full power over the Chinese Federation and subsequently renamed it the Empire of China, naming the Anti-Britannian Front the empire's military force. Her first move was to act on Xingke's advice and reform military ranks; the Anti-Britannian Front adopted the rankings I'd given the Order of the Black Knights, and Xingke was made the army's Commander-in-Chief while I was name it's Grand Commander. The independant Haikou city was named the empire's capital and the Tianzi and her immediate political allies – Kaguya Sumeragi. Diethard Ried and Zhou Xianglin – were relocated there. I was given full control over the army with Xingke, just as it had been, and one month after its creation we declared our first act as the Empire of China.
o--o
Lelouch scowled as he looked at the slowly approaching land in the distance, as he had found himself doing almost constantly over the past month. Happiness had come solely when in the presence of Suzaku, Nunnally or C.C. as of late, and when none were with him he couldn't help but feel the bitter feeling of displeasure overwhelm him. His friends having betrayed him played no small part in this recent change, he knew, but he was determined to see them safely returned to Ashford all the same. Perhaps if they recognized his good intent they would...
He shook his head free of such thoughts at once. He couldn't think like that now, not when they were preparing to begin the bloodiest battle they'd been faced with thus far. No, he had to focus solely on the battle to come. If his friends came to accept him, all the better. But he couldn't allow himself to dwell on their betrayal at that moment. No matter how painful it was, especially after he stuck his neck out to protect them because he cared genuinely for them...
"Stop!" Lelouch growled to himself, shaking his head wildly. "We're at war! Friendship has no place out here, Lelouch!" Like the madman he'd come to be, Lelouch continued to convince himself that he couldn't show friendship on the battlefield in a friendly manner. Several people would have looked at him like he was insane, but luckily radio silence spared him from such a fate. "Okay, Lelouch, the time has --"
"-- Lelouch, it's time," Ogi reported from his place aboard the Hogosha. Lelouch jumped before he nodded to himself, ready. He flipped on his allied channels and sighed deeply, willing away his nerves for the moment.
"Rolo, are the Special Corps ready?"
"We're ready, Lelouch."
"Xingke, are the ground forces ready to land?"
"They're ready and eager to get going."
"Team Zero, ready to sortie?"
"Ready!" several voices – Karen, Suzaku, and C.C. - responded in unison.
"Good." Lelouch smirked, gripping his controls tightly. He shook himself twice more for good measure before saying in a booming voice, "All forces, attack!"
On February 14th 2018 a.t.b., the Empire of China declared war on the Holy Britannian Empire.
Okay, I'm pleased with this in all honesty. Sorry this chapter took longer to write than I had hoped; I hit a brief writer's block with my Fire Emblem fic. Now, to explain a few things. First of all is all the technological advancements revealed at the end of the chapter. They seemed rather sudden I admit, but that last bit was a one month lapse from the end of the attack on the Geass Directorate; just in case there was confusion there.
And to those curious enough to ask, the past I had C.C. talking about is completely made up and more or less based around the witch hunts, with a far more violent aspect. Just so you don't come running saying the series said no such thing, because I'm well aware that it didn't.
Also, if anyone is wondering about the Lancelot Kosui, Kosui is Japanese for Lake, which is a reference to the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian Legends who adopted Lancelot. I thought it made sense when I created the Frame – on that note, the Frame is essentially the Lancelot Conquista with the Guren Aerial-Type's wings and the appearance changes I described.
Next time on Code Geass: Timeless Imprisonment, part one of the epilogue to our endless fighting! Once the stuff in Area 11 is done we'll be going into a few chapters devoid of any fighting, so if you're loving all the conflict you'll be displeased with that. At any rate the war in Area 11 will be several chapters long, so it's still far away anyway.
