Sorry to disappoint some people (Lord Edric comes to mind), but this chapter is relatively tame. It's a necessary bridge before we head on over to finish things off in Britannia, tying up what loose ends are left of the Schneizel arc. As such I presume it will be relatively boring for some of you, but bear with me because afterward we have a battle that could measure up to the Tokyo Settlement battle (the first one) in epicness.
This chapter, by comparison, doesn't really have much to offer. There's the political side of things that needs to be addressed (else I wouldn't be doing my job or portraying the United States properly as a union of nations, would I?), and there is also our fun return of Jeremiah, whom I have missed writing in earnest lately. After that we have one more chapter wherein we will deal mostly with Britannian politics and tie up what starts in this chapter, and then we have the epic battle I have promised. Where do things go from there? Well, that's the secret you'll need to keep reading to find out, isn't it?
… Well, these were my initial plans, anyway.
Midway through this chapter, I came to the conclusion that this chapter was far too lacking in substance and was, for lack of a better word, terrible. Some of this will still hold true, but I accordingly made the decision to merge this chapter with the next one to make one massive prelude to the final battle in Britannia. This means that next chapter will be part one (of three) of the final battle – not the final battle entirely, just the final one in Britannia - rather than that being two chapters away as I had planned. Sorry if this feels like a sudden thing, going from one battle into another with only a chapter to separate them, but I didn't feel right making so many little hints to the nature of the final battle and then not delivering on them. Not only did it feel like a slap to the face, it felt like it was too many hints for it, taking away from possible surprise in the next chapter. After all, half the mystery in the final battle was going to be unveiled in this chapter anyway.
Hopefully this works for everybody, because it makes the chapter better as a whole, I think. This doesn't spare this chapter from the general failure that was the original Chapter 30, but it does give the chapter a Yin to it's oh so terrible Yang.
It reminded him of their conquests in China, watching from the command center of the Hogosha as they landed in Paris. In the distance he could see the temporary palace Schneizel had made his own, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica resting atop the hill Montmarte. People gathered around the procession of Knightmare Frames, gathered along the sidewalks and hanging off of lampposts in their attempts to get better attention from their savior, their rejoicing cries ringing loudly through the air. At the head of the procession were the Lancelot, Guren and Shen-Hu, the feared judges of Lelouch's vast army; or so anybody would say. Any animosity the people may have felt for him was erased the moment they were spared from Schneizel's mysterious tyranny; like his conquests in China before, the people rejoiced his arrival.
Lelouch felt immensely pleased with himself. He had finally avenged Nunnally's death and eliminated one of his most painful thorns, and he had brought to kneel the Federation army. Suzaku had done far better than he had anticipated, and as soon as they returned the Black Knight would be getting due recognition for his heroic services at Gibraltar. Schneizel had escaped, or at least Lelouch assumed so by the aircraft he'd seen fleeing as the Avalon was destroyed, but that was a minor thing at best. Without his power, Schneizel would either fade away or run back to Britannia. Neither concerned him.
The battle that had ended early in the morning, just shy of 5 am, two days ago was devastating both to them and to the Federation. Their casualties according to final report had rested at over one hundred deaths, and the loss of a large portion of their Knightmare Frame supply. Replenishing their supply of the robotic weapons was already done thanks to the constant production of Knightmare Frames from both Japan and China, but the loss of lives was something to grieve over, even if it was vastly lower than the typical casualty listings known in the era before Knightmare Frames replaced wave after wave of soldiers.
Conversely, the battle had marked the end of the Federation's existence. With their victory at Gibraltar, full control of the Mediterranean sea had allowed African forces along the border to cross the Mediterranean to the Iberian Peninsula, where the member states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra had betrayed the Federation and entered the United States yesterday. The United States forces not directly under the authority of the Anti-Britannian Front were steamrolling through Federation territory, turning heads to their side hither and thither.
Lelouch tried not to smile as he thought of how close he was. Not just to avenging Clovis, though that was a pleasant thought, but to completing what he had set out to do. Pacifistic or not, he would not let Britannia remain in the way of a truly peaceful tomorrow. True peace would not last so long as they were independent of one another – Odysseus alone did not a peaceful country make. Inevitably, there would be conflict between them at some point. But better sooner than later, right?
"You see this, C.C.?" he asked rhetorically, looking down slightly and to his left at his partner, standing rigidly with her arms to either side of her, hands balled into fists. "We need to see more of this."
"Hmm?" she hummed absently, meeting his eye with the corner of her own. "It isn't over."
"I know," Lelouch replied mildly, smiling indulgently. The tight fitting, white suit he had chosen as his obscure outfit before leaving was still on, drawing many a raised eyebrow from those around. The red eyes that covered it seemed to glare at the people around him, and so while he did draw much attention with his outfit, it was not commented upon. "These people were not alone, but all the same they suffered, so much so that they called out to a demon for salvation. They are the sort I can sympathize with, the sort I want to protect with the world I will create."
"You said from the beginning that you wanted to protect the weak," C.C. remarked dryly. "Can you still promise that your future will be right for them?"
Lelouch scowled down at her, but both were aware that he had no response to that. It was unspoken, but not unacknowledged, that they were both aware of his steady changes, how his once warm heart for those who had suffered like he had was now a cold block of ice that promised warmthless protection. How his entire being, once recognized as a beacon of salvation for some, had become a demon in human form. People still reached out to him, but those who did were growing fewer and fewer. The days when the world begged for his presence were fading away, bit by bit, and they both knew it. And in Lelouch's case, he welcomed it. Tomorrow would have no place for an immortal overlord, after all, and the sooner the world aid him in removing that possibility the better.
"This world won't need me soon," Lelouch told her in a whisper. "I will unify this world, and then I will give it to somebody else. I can't rule this world as an immortal."
Nodding, C.C. whispered gratefully, "At least you understand."
The question of who could rule in his place went unanswered because, and they both knew this, he had no answer. The world would fall into chaos if somebody were to virtually usurp his work, and even if he willingly handed it over, that would be what the world would see it for. How could they be expected to elect a King that had done nothing but be judged worthy of the position by Lelouch? It was a matter that needed solving, and one he hadn't thought about because of the suddenness of the Code being forced onto him.
But he was grateful for it. With it, when all was said and done he could watch the world, to make sure it remained peaceful. And unlike C.C., who had been alone for so many years, he would have a partner to survive eternity with. He and C.C. would not be alone, as they both had been prior to their meeting. And with his witch of a partner at his side, Lelouch was confident that living would never grow tiresome for him. There would always be something for tomorrow, something to look forward to. Even if time ceased to pass for them, they would still see it's passing, like onlookers looking through a glass window.
"Bring the prisoner here," he called to nobody in particular, returning his attention the the populace below. They looked so happy, blissfully ignorant that they had unwittingly struck a deal with the devil. That they were rejoicing the arrival of a man quite possibly more terrible than the one they'd been saved from. That the very man who's name was called with adoration and fanatical devotion was a man so tormented, so very tormented, that it was nigh impossible to imagine.
"What do you want with him?" Ogi asked tersely.
Lelouch glanced back at the man standing in Lelouch's usual space in the center of the command center, judging the importance of his answer in Ogi's eyes. "By proxy, Kanon Maldini is probably Schneizel's successor. If we want things here to end swiftly, having his help in getting the members of the Federation to surrender will be beneficial."
Ogi nodded and remained silent. Lelouch turned toward the doorway and waited several moments. And then it hissed open, two soldiers walking in dragging a bound Kanon between them while three followed close behind, rifles held tightly to their chests. "We have him, Your Highness," the two holding him unnecessarily noted.
Lelouch pointed toward an unoccupied chair to Ogi's right and said, "Place him there."
Ogi moved aside as the two soldiers obliged, filing out of the room as soon as the prisoner had been settled into the chair. Lelouch walked over to him with C.C. padding along behind him like a loyal dog – C.C. would kill him for making the relation, he was sure – and smirking a smirk that Kanon mysteriously matched. "Kanon Maldini, correct? Schneizel's right hand."
"In all matters, yes," Kanon quipped. And then with a discrete wink, he added, "All."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow and C.C. chuckled, but neither commented on the insinuation – it was likely some strange form of humor as far as Kanon was concerned, and Lelouch was in no mood to be bought by it. "Schneizel is in hiding. This makes you his successor, right?"
"In the absence of an heir," Kanon deadpanned. "What of it?"
"Surrender."
Kanon laughed lightly, and as it faded that smirk that could match Lelouch's was back. "No."
Lelouch folded his arms and tilted his head, asking bluntly and disbelievingly, "No?"
Kanon nodded, lifting his bound wrists and then dropping them again. "You will destroy this world."
With a brief moment to put in check his less calm emotions, Lelouch's expression hardened and his eyebrow raised higher. "Is that so?"
"You fight for your own satisfaction," Kanon clarified, sparing a glance to Ogi and then to Tamaki, whom Ogi had since seated himself beside. "You rebelled because your mother was unjustly murdered, and your sister was harmed. You changed this world because you believed it to be distorted and wrong, right?" He didn't wait for Lelouch to answer, continuing, "Your every action, whether they benefited somebody else or not, was made for your own satisfaction.
"Lord Schneizel recognized this. He may have been hated, but he fought because he realized that you were a demon. A harmless little rebellion, one that succeeded only because you took the world by surprise with the Geass, became something much more than it should have." Kanon's fingers bent and straightened repeatedly, and had he had the range to do so, he probably would have been clenching and unclenching his fists. "I will not surrender to a man who will destroy this world."
The room fell into a stunned silence, broken only by C.C.'s amused chuckling. How she found his speech amusing was unfathomable to Lelouch, but it must have had something to do with her depraved sort of humor. She found humor in the brutal little truths that were dropped at Lelouch's feet, at watching the typically manipulative man be forced out of his element. Even as his only form of solace, the question of which side she was on dared to be asked at this moment.
Lelouch closed his eyes and sighed softly as the truth of those words sunk in. He knew that, even if some of it was false and said with the intent to further rile him, much of it had been true. But he couldn't show that. If he did, his position would be in dire straits. At least until Britannia fell, he needed to convince everybody that he was the selfless leader they thought he was. He was disappointed by the necessity to weave a whole new web of lies, but it couldn't be helped.
"Is that right?" Lelouch asked, raising his head and smirking. "Britannia oppressed anybody that they saw fit to. I rebelled against a nation that conquers and oppresses, that rules the world through a belief of strong and weak when the world needed equality. I fought for justice, for the sake of those who could not. And Schneizel followed Britannia's example, just for a chance to stop us from bringing this world to it's proper tomorrow."
The look in Kanon's eyes told Lelouch that he knew the underlying lie in those words, even if he didn't speak it. His smirk faded and he smiled softly, condescendingly, and said, "Even so, I will not surrender. I will not bow to you, Lelouch Vi Britannia."
Lelouch felt anger rising in him as that name rested in his mind, taunting him with the truth of it. He dismissed the anger for the moment and focused instead on Kanon, whom he was painfully aware had no intention of relenting. "... Fine," he said reluctantly, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. "Take him back to his cell," he called out to nobody in particular.
As soldiers rushed in again to haul him away, Kanon teasingly asked, "I have my rights, right?"
"Yes," Lelouch breathed, keeping his eyes averted to the ground until he heard the door hiss closed. "What have the Federation's member states said on the matter?"
Ogi frowned, obviously bothered by Kanon's comments even after Lelouch's assurances to the contrary. "Several expressed a desire to enter the United States, but it seems that general authority rests with the sovereign. Schneizel truly was a dictator."
"What about the peninsula?" Lelouch asked, directing his attention to the fact that the nations in southwestern Europe seemed to have no trouble surrendering once they had their lives placed in danger. Surely the rest of the Federation realized that they were a stone's throw from being in the same situation?
Ogi just shrugged, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Lelouch frowned at him, then turned to C.C. who offered him an identical shrug. Sighing again, Lelouch focused his thoughts elsewhere, such as on the need to find Schneizel. "Any lead on Schneizel?" he asked, voicing his thoughts.
"None," Ogi sighed, not so much as moving a muscle as he answered. It was going to be a long few days, Lelouch thought as he mulled over their two recent failures.
o---o
Like much of the United States military, Jeremiah had been virtually put on vacation while Lelouch went off to fight on the African front. There were basic drills to be done, stock on Knightmare Frames to be taken – the startlingly swift production of Knightmare Frames now had their stock almost as high as their count in soldiers – and defenses to be strengthened. But the soldiers were already as prepared as they could be, the aforementioned problem with their stock of Knightmare Frames stood, and their defenses were virtually impregnable. The rest of their time had been, by Jeremiah's leave, paid vacation.
Jeremiah never once left the base except to purchase necessities from the nearest locale; he was dedicated to waiting for Lelouch's orders. Before long, the order to begin hounding the Britannian forces along the border would be given – Jeremiah laughed even now at the mocking discussion he and Lelouch had shared at how easily Odysseus handed over control of the California Base. Truly the man knew nothing of war, Jeremiah thought with some trepidation, to so willingly allow their forces a base on the mainland. Especially when the Pacific was such a powerful shield against naval assault near the capital at Pendragon.
He grinned to himself as he paced back and forth in his personal quarters within the base, a small room hardly bigger than a kitchen in a lower middle class home. A desk and chair were stuffed painfully close to one another in one corner while a double sized bed rested in the opposite corner, with a satin white sheet covering it that belied it's humble size. The rest of the room was bare, with a shimmering gray paint covering the walls that had yet to begin to fade and nothing else. It suited the purposes he required of it – working and sleeping – and nothing more. But really, why have anything in there that he didn't require? It seemed like a bothersome waste of space to him, and there was hardly any space to spare as it was.
The desk was neatly covered in piles of papers, orderly right down to the date on the corner of each sheet – more recent dates, up until the present June 17th, on top, and the later dates on bottom. Two drawers lined the front of the desk, one for holding office supplies such as writing equipment and other such necessities while the other had a roll of stamps, a date stamper and black ink to wet itself in. Atop a tray attached to the desk beneath the drawers was a pile of blank sheets of paper, completing the obsessively neat desk's painfully orderly appearance.
Some would find the room's state of perfection to be a bit much, Jeremiah thought. But no, not him. Besides, he couldn't run the risk that, unlikely as it was, Lord Lelouch would arrive for a visit and find the room not orderly. No, for the sake of that possibility it needed to remain neat and orderly at all times. Jeremiah smiled at the thought as he sat down on the edge of the desk and picked up one of the papers he had already read a half dozen times. Thirteen more Han-Shu had arrived, as well as six more Akatsuki and seven Gekka. The Knightmare Frames that made up the core of their military forces were quickly finding they had no room to be stored within the base. And that was discounting the fact that they needed to leave some space to properly build defenses, in case of the slim possibility of Britannian attack.
Jeremiah sat the paper atop it's proper pile and glanced briefly over at the bed, making sure it was perfectly made before he left the room. His boots padded loudly against the ground as he walked, intent on paying a visit to the hangar to take the Edinburgh for a brief ride. It had been long since he'd sat in it, so it would feel good to release the building stress for a while. He made sure his cell phone was in his pocket while he performed a retinal scan next to the door leading out of the base's officer quarters, passing through it as it hissed open in affirmation of his identity.
The morning air was chilling, and silent on account of just about everybody still being asleep. It had been a sleepless night for Jeremiah himself, filled with anxiety over the coming battle. He paused in his walk toward the hangar to look to the sky, where a slight overcast hid the rising sun. It looked like it would rain before long, but the clouds lacked the dark hues necessary for it to be a true downpour. The air already felt wet, as if to give truth to his suspicion.
"Lord Lelouch, let us hope your tomorrow is not so cloudy..." he murmured to the sky, smiling slightly as he watched the clouds shift. A fog seemed to be settling in, evidenced by the difficulty in seeing the horizon as he glanced thither, and the idea of taking the Edinburgh for a ride seemed like slightly less of a good idea. But he ignored the coming fog and continued on, walking through the open doors of the hangar where already the earliest risers were working on Knightmare Frame maintenance.
He dismissed the two men inspecting the Edinburgh and rode his way up to the cockpit, dropping inside it and sliding in his activation key. The Frame roared to life as wires holding it in place began to fall away from it one by one, and he slowly stepped it out of it's spot and made sure he had a clear run at the hangar's entrance before dropping the landspinners and tearing across the ground loudly. As soon as he was out of the hangar he quickly turned, managing to do so before the Edinburgh slammed into the officers' quarters, progressing toward the rolling fog and enveloping himself in it.
Grabbing one of his two MVS, Jeremiah fluidly turned in place and slashed downward, as though there were a foe there to be cleaved through. Simultaneously he threw his other arm out as if to block an assault from the other side before casually turning in place and cleaving through that one, too. His movements continued, carrying him as though he were in the heat of a desperate battle. His right arm swung, then the left, and then the right again... Almost as though he were truly fighting, he instinctively put the two swords together into their lance form and stabbed through an imaginary foe in front of him. It would be several hours before enough men were awake for a mock battle, so it was the best he could do.
The thick fog made him think before every move, calculating his every action with a meticulous breakdown of what could, would and may have happened. It was not uncommon for him to do so, with the relatively frequent morning fogs they had rolling in off of the Pacific, and it felt good to practice in such a dangerous situation. Were it a real battle he'd have no idea of knowing what awaited him, and life and death would be little more than a hair's breadth apart. A normally easy to dodge sword could become impossibly difficult to prepare for, with only split second windows between when one was made fully aware of their immediate surroundings and when that threatening sword would have driven itself through you.
His senses were on high alert as the fog slowly intensified, and he hadn't truly realized that he could barely see until he broke his focus briefly to properly take in his surroundings. Indeed, the lush plains surrounding the naval base were thick with a heavy fog that was surely making it's way toward the base, contrary to the relatively frequent fogs they had rolling off of the Pacific. It was eerie to be able to see nothing but the gray mist all around him, but Jeremiah knew his surroundings and his own movements well enough to know the general route back to the base. Deciding to partake in the wiser side of the matter, Jeremiah slowly began to make his way back to the base, careful that his route wouldn't have him running headlong into any buildings.
As he did so, the phone in his pocket rang. Careful to keep one hand focused on maneuvering Jeremiah dug into his pocket and fished out his phone, checking the ID before hurriedly answering. "Lord Lelouch?"
"Good morning, Jeremiah," Lelouch replied warmly, his voice thick with sleep. Jeremiah had the brief image of the teen sitting on the edge of his bed, shirtless, with that enigmatic woman hanging over his shoulder like an ill intending devil on his shoulder, speaking persuasive and sinister words into his ear while it's counterpart, an angel with a bright halo hanging overhead, whispered the opposite sort of words into his other ear. It was comical to say the least, if not a little bit unwarranted.
"What's the reason for this call, my Lord?" Jeremiah asked pensively. And then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "And how fares the negotiations?"
"Kanon is being stubborn, heedless of the harm he is inflicting on the people," Lelouch said with a sigh, though whether it was of sadness for the people's sufferings or of annoyance for Kanon's obstinacy Jeremiah couldn't be sure. "We need to settle the matter here and get back home soon, though; Cornelia tells me the court is growing restless with my absence."
Jeremiah nodded idly, taking the information in stride. Unlike most other people, the question of whether or not Lelouch cared for the people was meaningless to him. Marianne's progeny, the son of the woman he had so faithfully obeyed, would be his master unconditionally. Whether he was aware of it or not, Lelouch had an ally that would follow him to the depths of hell just because he thought it expected of him to do so. And Jeremiah had a feeling they were both headed in that direction.
"You didn't call for that reason, my Lord," Jeremiah remarked, his eyes scanning the horizon as finally the enclosing walls of the base came into view, with a triangle roof building off to the left and a flat roof building to the immediate right – the hangar and the officers' quarters, respectively. "So? Is it time to prepare for the next phase?"
"It is," Lelouch agreed, laughing slightly. "How soon can you be ready?"
"If I woke up everybody now? Within an hour or two."
Lelouch laughed again, probably having expected Jeremiah's strict preparations. Had it been anyone else, an attack wouldn't have been ready within a day, Jeremiah reasoned. "Two days should be fine, Jeremiah. Let the men rest. If I am not ready to do my part in the next phase within two days, begin without me."
"And targets?"
"Target the Sacramento Base and their base along the Sacramento River first. We want to send a message and we want to delay their forces along the Pacific front; we're not looking for a full on invasion from California."
"Understood," Jeremiah replied stiffly, bringing up the landspinners as he entered the hangar. "And Lord Lelouch?"
"Hmm?" Lelouch hummed indulgently.
"Let's see this through," Jeremiah replied, smiling to himself. "I know not what you saw in the World of C, or what your new Code has done to you, but for Marianne's memory, everything needs to come to a close."
o---o
Lelouch turned off his cell phone and put it back in his pocket before turning to Kanon who, once again, had been placed in one of the chairs in the Hogosha's Command Center. "Within a few days, Britannia will be under attack. Once Pendragon falls, Britannia will crumble, and it will become a desolate region just like the Federation has become. Now, once Britannia is under control, I will be more than willing to conquer the Federation state by state. But do you want to put the people through that?"
For the past two hours, negotiations – or interrogations, given the violent undertone to the occasion – had returned full force. This time the Command Center was empty save for them and C.C., who was seated toward the back with her knees drawn to her chest and a pizza box settled atop them. Kanon had remained as obstinate as ever in the face of surrender, and nothing Lelouch had said made the slightest difference.
That was until he contacted Jeremiah. He made it quite clear to Kanon what his intentions were, and even though he had been excused briefly to make a phone call of his own, as per his rights, Lelouch had seen the change in Kanon's demeanor when the threat of them turning the Federation into a war zone had been brought up. And that's exactly what would happen, were the isolated regions of the Federation to become the sole parts of the world not under the control of the United States. It was a great bluff on his part, but one that he would despair having to carry out if it didn't work.
Kanon raised an eyebrow and frowned; his expression seemed more forced than Lelouch was comfortable with, and the added fact that this change had come immediately after Kanon had been granted a complementary phone call disconcerted him. "A threat?" Kanon asked.
"Your own decision," Lelouch corrected. "If you will be too obstinate to see the good sense in surrendering, I'll remind you the consequences of it."
Kanon's face went blank for a moment and then finally, with a low bow of the head, he toppled to the ground on his hands and knees. He kept his head down to keep his expression masked, and Lelouch took advantage of it to allow his satisfaction to show on his face – a wide, almost painfully so, smirk formed, and a chuckle so forceful that C.C. briefly looked up from her pizza to gaze at him. He met her look and his smirk widened, but she just shrugged nonchalantly and went back to eating her pizza. He frowned.
"How will you deal with the other leaders?" she asked casually, in reference to the many leaders of the United States that surely wouldn't be pleased if he settled the matter of what to do with the former Federation – Euro Universe – territory without consulting them. It was one of the shortcomings of his position, but Lelouch was willing to please them if it meant he could act freely otherwise. It was a small drawback to having as much power as he had.
"Surely there will be no problems if we simply make each nation's leader a figurehead representative, right?" Lelouch remarked with a laugh. He leaned down toward the table in front of him and pressed a button, unlocking the door to the Command Center. Immediately five soldiers poured in and grabbed Kanon, and as he was hauled from the room, Ogi came in followed by the council members of the United States. Every single representative came in one after the other – first Gabon's President, Alain and ending with the Black Knights representative, Suzaku - and began taking seats, keeping their eyes on Lelouch all the while. No problems arose until it came time for C.C.'s seat to be occupied, and Lelouch quickly intervened by pulling her to her feet and pressing her body against his, taking the pizza box from her limp fingers and placing it on the table. Which she reeled from the sudden movement and from the loss of her pizza, he pushed her into the seat he had planned to occupy and remained standing.
"Have they surrendered?" Suzaku asked, looking nonplussed as he looked at Lelouch.
"They have," Lelouch smiled proudly. "The simplest matter would be to simply invite the nation's leaders into the United States as representatives, but for long term a vote will need to be taken on whether or not they can remain. Is that reasonable?"
"Are they joining of their own will?" Alain asked, casting a casually appraising look toward Lelouch.
"Those who join will be," Lelouch answered. "Already forces under the Silver Knight are getting ready to attack Britannian military bases in California, and so to ensure our attacks on that front are successful, the Anti-Britannian Front will be heading there under my direct command. The remainder of our forces can do a sweep of this area and see if a bit of forceful persuasion will sway their decisions."
"Forceful persuasion?" another representative asked. It was one of their new representatives, President Bruno Silvia of Portugal. He was a man of medium height, with an aging face and cropped, greying hair. The aging lines in his slightly wrinkled face spoke of his age, which was something that Lelouch knew he would never acquire. "Isn't that a little extreme?" He left unsaid that 'forced persuasion' was the method used to secure his alliance with the United States, as that point was hardly a good one to bring up at the moment.
"For tomorrow, it is necessary," Lelouch replied patiently. Behind him C.C. chuckled as she tore into her sixth piece of pizza, and he scowled. "Even if we do things that aren't ideal, for a tomorrow where we can settle matters peacefully, we must first unify the world."
As everyone slowly began voicing their agreement on the matter and began signing their agreement to Lelouch's terms onto a piece of paper that Ogi handed to each of them, nobody noticed Suzaku's scowling expression as he gazed at Lelouch's victoriously smirking face. Nobody knew the treacherous thoughts running through his head, implanted after several instances of Lelouch forsaking what was right for what satisfied himself.
Nobody knew their ace knight was slowly losing faith in their cause, or that his disillusionment would soon spread to their other ace knight as well.
o---o
Odysseus sat in the empty throne room of the Britannia Palace, mulling over the latest developments to have reached his attention. Even following their fall from grace, Britannia still prided itself – perhaps too much so – on it's impeccable spy and information networks, and the swiftness with which word of new tidings reached their ears.
Already, just two hours after the incident, Odysseus had learned of the official surrender of the Federation's nations to the United States. And thanks to spies in those nations, he knew that every one of them was harboring thoughts of going to the United States for protection and that the conflict in Europe and Russia would be brought to a close after a brief sweep of United States forces.
He also knew of the preparations taking place at the California Base, of troops undergoing Knightmare Frame training far too rigorous for it to be basic military drills. Lelouch would be attacking them soon, and as much as it pained Odysseus to do anything contrary to his beliefs, he knew that if he did not fight back the empire would not live to see a chance at taking a diplomatic route. If Lelouch would even have anything of a diplomatic solution, that is; Odysseus knew what crime the Vampire of Britannia had committed at Mt. Fuji, and while his high standing position made punishing the knight himself impossible, he knew Lelouch would stop at nothing to avenge Clovis. And that thought nagged at and worried Odysseus.
He glanced down at his sister's amusedly smiling face, urging her to help him in this decision. It was a difficult one, easily one that could shape much of what was to come, and he didn't know if he had it in him to make the right decision. He knew the necessity to fight off Lelouch was growing stronger, and that Lelouch would soon be at their doorstep. By and large, not even setting up defenses would do much to stop Lelouch – Odysseus knew this, though he'd never demoralize the troops by spreading such words. If Lelouch was preparing such a brazen attack in California, there had to be some other motive, one that they would never see coming. One that would ultimately devastate them.
"The world will really hate Lelouch soon, won't it?" Guinevere quipped merrily, ignoring her brother's plight – or at least, it seemed so to him. "Even if he conquers the world, does he really think peace will come?" She paused to glance up at her brother, then glanced away while she brought a small glass of red wine to her lips. "Hypocrite," she spat around the glass' rim.
"He strongly believes in his ideals," Odysseus remarked as mildly as he could manage, also reaching for his own wine glass and draining it. A servant was ready to rush to his side the moment it was empty, bowing low and offering a silver with gold trimming platter to place the empty glass on. "So long as he believes that what he is doing is right, he will fight for those ideals."
"And you're hoping he comes to his senses before it's too late," Guinevere surmised. She held out her hand as a servant rushed in from the other side to give her a new glass of wine, while at the same time the other servant brought in a silver platter with three different glasses of wine for Odysseus to choose from.
"We cannot hope for that," Odysseus frowned, reaching over and grabbing one of the glasses of red wine and taking a tiny sip before leaning over and thanking the servant, which seemed to baffle the poor guy, and dismissed him. While the confusedly elated servant left, Odysseus looked down at his sister. The expression of mild amusement on her face perturbed him as much as it annoyed him, but the sight of her in such high spirits – a thing seldom seen in the past, but seen all too frequently since his unofficial coronation – dispelled any anger he could have possibly held for her. "But the world will see the folly in his ideals before long; I just hope he has the sense to see it coming."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then the days of the feared and iconic Lelouch Lamperouge will be coming to a rather abrupt end," Odysseus quipped, managing a small smile at the joking intent behind the words. He was, however, completely serious in regard to the implications of that statement, and was anything but happy to consider the possibility of his half-brother's untimely death.
"And yet despite the fact that he is knocking on our doorstep, with an army of Knightmare Frames as wide as the horizon and a wit that subdued Schneizel with ease, you wish to help him," Guinevere remarked dryly, with an effort to keep any displeasure out of her voice. Odysseus knew that for the sake of being a good adviser to him she was trying to be indifferent, but even he could concede to the difficulty in accepting the reality that he wanted to aid Lelouch after all he had done to Britannia. The fact that the Britannia that Lelouch fought against was the Britannia ruled by their father was a rather moot point now, given Lelouch's obvious intent to attack them regardless of their vastly changing political stance.
But he appreciated the effort nonetheless. In days long past, when their father had still sat proudly upon the throne Odysseus now held, she had never smiled. She would scowl at anything that moved, and had a demeanor about her that demanded respect, else the offending person was unlikely to live to tell of their disrespect. Recently, seeing her smile had been a boon ten times over, and he relished every opportunity to watch his dear, elder sister do so. It was enough to make him forget a bad incident that had reached his ears, or forget about a day dealing with particularly zealous nobles. Being well into adulthood and lonesome where comfort was concerned – having been deprived the necessity to be married off for political influence on account of his status as the Crown Prince had something to do with that – left him jumping for the comfort his sister could provide. In the harsh world he'd been thrust into as one of Charles Di Britannia's many children, it was the only comfort he knew.
"We cannot help Lelouch," Odysseus admitted, however reluctant he was to do so. "But if he survives the world's betrayal," he took a moment to make sure that the fact that the world would undoubtedly betray him was an unspoken certainty, "he will not take the matter lying down. We will be facing a demon unlike any other.
"There are those in the United States that prioritize their loyalty to Lelouch over their loyalty to the world," Odysseus continued, pausing long enough to take a small sip from his wine glass before resting it down on the arm of his seat and keeping two fingers wrapped around it's base. "I'm sure that if he wanted, he could make an army of demons to face the world."
"The world could very well be destroyed," Guinevere remarked, her amused smile fading into a small, petulant frown. "Lelouch would destroy this world for his whims?"
"Everything started by his selfishness," Odysseus reminded her.
"Even so..."
Guinevere trailed off as the large doors at the opposite end of the throne room slowly slid open, revealing two guards. As soon as the doors were fully open they stepped aside, announcing in booming voices, "Her Highness, Euphemia Li Britannia, will now enter!"
Euphemia stepped through the threshold in her standard wedding gown style dress, smiling faintly as she approached her two siblings, allies, and possibly co-conspirators. "I'm not intruding on anything am I?"
"Nothing," Guinevere replied indulgently, though the annoyance she exuded was palpable. Evidently, Odysseus thought, he was not the only one who enjoyed the time shared simply between them. "What do you need, Euphemia?"
Euphemia frowned at the casual way with which the question had been worded, but she did not comment on it. "There isn't a way for us to settle things peacefully anymore, is there?"
"I wish there were," Odysseus sighed, sipping again at his wine before casting a whithering glance at the half-emptied glass – casual with alcohol as he was, he felt the burning need for some form of relief at that moment. "Jeremiah will be attacking us soon. And who knows what Lelouch has planned."
"My sister told me the same thing," Euphemia said, making note of her sister's possible betrayal of Lelouch in casual stride. "But not even she knows what Lelouch's target will be, just that he will be attacking us somewhere else."
"He really is an enigma," Odysseus groused, feeling the beginnings of a headache as his head tried in vain to predict what Lelouch would do. Surely nothing so bold as to put himself in a perilous position, but there was nothing that Odysseus could come up with that fit with Lelouch's propriety for dramatic actions. Lelouch would be doing something big, something decisive – if he wanted a war of attrition, he would simply attack alongside Jeremiah.
Euphemia frowned and began pacing, wringing her hands nervously all the while. "I wish we could solve this peacefully..." she murmured, shaking her head pitifully afterwards. "Lelouch won't listen to us?"
"We haven't tried," Guinevere admitted truthfully, tilting her head to the side and observing Euphemia. She was vaguely aware of a servant at her side with a bottle of wine, refilling her glass, but she paid him no heed. "It seemed pointless to do so, since he's all but declared war on us already."
"But..." Euphemia stopped pacing and looked up at her two siblings, a thoughtful and somewhat dismal look on her face. "Shouldn't we be trying to solve things peacefully until there's no choice left? Isn't that what we agreed to do?"
"The Knight of Three decided that, in lieu of permission to attack California, that he would be heading the defense," Odysseus explained, as if this explained everything – and sadly enough, it did. "At the very least, he will be defending our position in California. If that position crumbles, peaceful resolution will be impossible."
"Lelouch isn't after California, though," Guinevere added thoughtfully, rubbing at her chin with her right hand while her left again brought her wine glass to her lips, sending the stinging liquid down her throat in one large gulp.
Odysseus looked at his sister with an unreadable expression, but it was obvious – at least to her – that he was waiting for an explanation. "If he were, he would be assembling a larger army at the California Base than he is," she explained patiently, watching Odysseus and Euphemia bob their heads in understanding unity. "And more importantly, a lot of our forces are in California, preparing a defensive front against Lelouch. Whatever his real target is, he's using his military preparations in California as a diversion."
"And a good one," Odysseus said, catching onto his sister's thoughts. "If we try to avoid his diversion force, he will occupy California and be a stone's throw from here anyway. He planned this well."
"But where would he target?" Guinevere asked, turning in her seat to give her brother her full attention.
"With his victory over Schneizel, Lelouch has access to both the Atlantic and the Pacific," Odysseus stated with uncertainty, contemplating the question she had placed before him. "He could be targeting anywhere. But only a handful of them would provide the dramatic impact he's known for, and only one has the decisive impact that we can presume he's going for."
"Here," Euphemia said unnecessarily.
"He can't get here, though," Guinevere quickly said, her voice cracking a little at the thought of Lelouch leading a surprise attack on the capital when so many of their forces were dispatched elsewhere to protect them from that very possibility. "He would have to break through our entire Atlantic Fleet, or join up with Jeremiah and break through our forces on the Pacific Front! Not even he can pull off a miracle such as that."
Odysseus dearly hoped his sister was right, but he couldn't shake the thought that her presumptions were underestimating just how resourceful Lelouch was. That their thinking was on a level incapable of comprehending the depth of what Lelouch could do, and that they would pay dearly for it.
o---o
The fog from two days ago had dispersed – unsurprisingly, but Jeremiah felt it prudent that he note this anyway – and the horizon was clear, the rising morning sun beating down on the ground hotly. He was safe within the cockpit of the Edinburgh, where his only enemy was no air conditioning, causing a light sheen of sweat to slowly form along his brow and along his shoulder blades, slowly dripping down his face and back respectively. He felt positively disgusting, but hygiene was hardly the primary issue at the moment.
Back in the large hangar, Knightmare Frames were being prepared for the journey to Sacramento, their first target in their assault on California. It was imperative that they prioritize delaying the enemy, and given the numbers they were rushing into battle with, that was really all they would be able to do. For Britannia's massive forces along their bases in California, they had only forty-five Knightmare Frames with which to answer. All of them overpowered the outdated Sutherland and Gloucester primarily boasted by the Britannian forces, but the difference in numbers would probably mean something eventually. But this was alright. It was preferable, really. Lelouch had said that he wanted Britannia to know that he had no interest in actually subduing their forces along the Pacific Front, and assaulting them with such few forces was an ideal way to get that point across.
"Lord Gottwald, the Knightmare Frames are ready for deployment or transport," the on-duty Lieutenant's voice broke his calm, speaking lightly through the channel that had been established between the Lieutenant's handheld transceiver and the Edinburgh. "Should we get ready to deploy?"
Jeremiah thought it over for a moment, deciding which would be best for the occasion. On one hand they could make sure they were ready for battle the moment they arrived by forsaking transport and crossing the distance in their Knightmare Frames, but that meant putting the strength of their batteries, lasting as they were with the help of Yggdrasil drives, at risk. But transporting them meant they had to unload and prepare after they got there, giving the enemy those precious minutes to either fortify or attack them unprepared. Either way, it was evident that acting without a mobile military base was something Jeremiah didn't want to have to do again.
Ultimately, he decided to transport the Knightmare Frames, passing the word along to his Lieutenant before promptly declaring radio silence. The last thing he needed while preparing to escort his forces to the site of the most important role he had played since pledging his loyalty to Master Lelouch was to be disturbed, and he made sure that he was ready both in body and mind. Master Lelouch was counting on him to distract the Britannian forces long enough for him to carry out his part of the plan, at which point what became of Britannia's forces along the Pacific was inconsequential to him. Jeremiah felt a pang of regret for so carelessly squandering the lives of brave men whom he may have once fought alongside, but his determination to follow Master Lelouch stomped on the guilt and stuffed it away before it could bother him.
As per his orders, transport trucks began lining themselves up around him and opening up their backs, revealing storage for about five Knightmare Frames on each – nine trucks in all, to support the entire force of Knightmare Frames. Each truck seated as many as it held, offering passage to the entirety of their pilots as well as any foot soldiers that were to be required for the assault, pilots in their Frames and infantry driving the trucks or riding with the drivers. Jeremiah was the only exception, having decided long before he decided whether or not they'd bother with transport that he'd cross the distance in the Edinburgh either way.
The battle to come was one that was to be, and Jeremiah knew this with as much loathing as he could possibly muster, absolutely suicidal. There was the narrow hope that their better training and more advanced Knightmare Frames would go the distance in overcoming the sheer numbers Britannia had placed along their Pacific Front, but that hope was very slim. The troops under his command were scapegoats, soldiers picked by Lelouch to be used as pawns to draw Britannia's attention while he dealt the decisive blow he needed to deliver. Jeremiah himself was the only willing pawn, but he squashed the guilt that accompanied that thought before it could assail him.
Guilt would get him nowhere now. Not when he'd already become one of Lelouch's demons.
Jeremiah flipped a switch to open his communication channels again, immediately trying to block out the various voices of people as the Knightmare Frames continued to be loaded onto their respective transport trucks. By the sounds of things they were already in the last stages of loading Knightmare Frames, which pleased Jeremiah, but the beginning of a headache was the most harsh of matters that destroyed any elation he otherwise would have felt.
"Lord Gottwald, we're ready," the Lieutenant said suddenly, as if he knew that Jeremiah had opened his channels again. Jeremiah raised an eyebrow.
"Set out. I'll catch up shortly."
After a few minutes of hesitation and accompanying complaints from the Lieutenant, the trucks carrying their despairingly small army set out. Jeremiah leaned back and sighed, glad to be alone again before he headed off into battle. "This had better work..." he murmured, keeping his voice quiet. "Those are good men we're sacrificing out there, Master Lelouch."
Jeremiah again dismissed any dismal thoughts of brave men being sacrificed. It was for the greater good, or at least the good that satisfied Master Lelouch, and that was what mattered. Beyond serving Master Lelouch and seeing that his desires were fulfilled, no matter what was lost to see that end, nothing else mattered.
Jeremiah would be the epitome of a faithful soldier, a man who did his master's bidding without condition and without regret. He would be hated for it someday, he was sure, but he allowed that. It was a necessary element of following Master Lelouch to the bitter end.
No matter where that end was.
o---o
Rolo released his grip on time's passage, coughing violently and clutching at his chest. He fell to his knees as he coughed, feeling the familiar sensation of having come back from the jaws of death itself. This was something he did regularly, when time allowed. He would find a secluded space where his actions bothered nobody, often his own room, and use his Geass until his heart could no longer take the strain. He found it was something that grew easier to handle with practice, and bit by bit his heart was growing to withstand more abuse before it was ready to give out completely. He was careful to not put his life in any real risk with this practice, but if he could use his Geass just one more time than normal, he could help Lelouch that little bit more.
As soon as his heart had returned to a steady beat, broken only by an occasional moment where it forgot to beat, Rolo used his Geass again. He fought to hold his breath, for any breathing would urge his heart to beat when, in this state, it could not. He felt both alive and dead, sitting in a timeless plane where only he could move and where only he could see, feel, and hear. When the strain on his heart became too much he released it, clutching at the richly carpeted floor tightly as he fell into another fit of coughs. His throat stung from the harshness of his coughing, but before long they faded away, leaving only the raw feeling of pain lingering in his throat, like the lingering pain on his knee after receiving a particularly bad rug burn.
He hadn't noticed the door to his room opening until it was too late, and by that point his heart had already started beating again and he'd once again activated his Geass. He looked up at the face of Lelouch, his mouth hanging half open with words yet unspoken, a look on his face far too casual for it to have been possible that he'd noticed what Rolo was doing, almost as though he were actually under the effects of the Geass being emitted about the room. That look slowly turned far more worrisome and he closed his mouth, advancing on Rolo carefully when he took notice of the Geass sigil in his eye.
"What are you doing?" Lelouch asked in what appeared to be an attempt at being indifferent, but his voice held more concern than he seemed to be aware of. The thought that Lelouch could manage to be concerned for his wellbeing made Rolo want to smile, but he suppressed the desire for the time being. He would remember to smile brightly in reminiscence later, though.
Rolo quickly broke his focus and coughed, feeling time steadily beginning to pass around him again, in spite of the fact that it had been all along, if only for him and Lelouch. The time it took to regulate his breathing and heartbeat was less this time, and within a few seconds he managed to pull himself to his feet, gazing up at Lelouch's crooked smile and mirthless eyes, two conflicting elements of a swarm of emotions going through his mind.
"The strain on my heart gets easier to deal with the more I subject myself to it," Rolo replied with a nervous chuckle. "It does still hurt, but I'm getting better at ignoring it." He left it unsaid that subjecting his heart to the constant abuse it received was growing ever more painful with each attempt, but he was sure Lelouch knew that without it being said.
"Why does being able to bear the pain matter so much to you?" Lelouch asked. The thought crossed Rolo's mind that Lelouch already knew the answer and was asking simply to humor himself, and any unlikelihood of that being the case was squashed when Rolo considered just how well Lelouch knew him. Strange as it was, the odds of him not knowing was more weird than him knowing was.
Rolo glanced away from Lelouch's querying eyes, activating his Geass again while his face was turned away from Lelouch's. When he looked back he saw Lelouch's eyebrows rise in bemusement, but he did his best to ignore them. "If I can use my Geass just once more without my heart giving out, then I can help you just that bit more. I'll do anything to be helpful."
Lelouch's eyebrows slowly lowered and his bemused expression softened at the admission, as though he hadn't expected Rolo to so openly admit the truth. But Rolo had nothing to hide – he would not hide his desire to help Lelouch, no matter the cost, and he would not be ashamed of that burning desire. He accepted the fact that he was ready to lay his life on the line for Lelouch, be it in battle or through the help he could provide with his Geass. And if his practicing could make him more useful in controlling who and what was affected by his Geass, so much the better. That didn't necessarily apply to Lelouch, but everybody else was susceptible to his Geass unless he put the extra strain on his heart to exclude them. He smiled at the thought of being able to use such a helpful ability to Lelouch's benefit just a bit more before it killed him.
Again he dropped control on his Geass and again Rolo fell to the floor, clutching at it tightly and coughing for air desperately. Lelouch was kneeling at his side in an instant, rubbing his back in a manner that was almost comforting, though his hand retreated the moment Rolo's breathing evened out. "Your life is worth more than that, Rolo," Lelouch whispered. "You're lucky you've avoided Geass Runaway as long as you have. Don't push it."
"Geass Runaway?" Rolo asked dumbly. Lelouch groaned inaudibly; he should have suspected that V.V., for the sake of having a more useful minion, would have conveniently avoided telling Rolo about such things.
"The loss of your ability to control the Geass," Lelouch explained softly, trying to ignore the desire to let his eye twitch in annoyance at the thought of V.V. having so callously used Rolo as he had. "C.C. tells me that it doesn't happen to everybody, but both Mao and I suffered from it. If it happened to you, you would die immediately from the strain it would put on your heart, I am sure."
Rolo nodded, trying to make sense of the information that, in all fairness, he should have known long ago. This definitely complicated matters for him, but he tried not to let it bother him. After all, it was just another way that he may die in trying to help Lelouch, after all. His conviction to die for Lelouch was not shaken any, and after a few moments he managed a small, rueful smile. "I am ready for that risk."
"You're not!" Lelouch cried, perhaps too hastily to be passed off as nonchalant. "You do nobody any good if you die trying to perfect your Geass. We – no, I – still need you." Rolo felt that there was something else to be said but Lelouch, either because he felt it didn't need to be said or because he was reluctant to, made no move to continue.
That thought brought Rolo in a strange roundabout to a question that needed asking, preferably before he forgot altogether. "Why did you come here, anyway?" He knew that even if his words seemed rude, Lelouch would not read them as such. Lelouch, after all, was seldom known to visit his subordinates on whims. C.C. was the only exception to this, really, and that hardly counted since she took up residence wherever he happened to be staying at any given time. She was like his little safe of secrets, with a massive lock on the front that sealed what was held within from all others. For the most part, what he told C.C. was things nobody else would hear. Rolo tried not to feel bitter.
"The transport planes are ready, and we've already gotten everything in position in Britannia," Lelouch said by way of explanation, looking toward the ceiling as he spoke. Rolo took that chance to use his Geass again but, almost as though he'd sensed it about to be used, Lelouch's gaze snapped back to Rolo and he glared. Rolo broke his focus immediately, fearing what Lelouch may have had to say were he to not do so. "I'm going after the Knight of Ten. I want you to be ready to make sure the main army doesn't suffer if I get tied down."
"You're going to prioritize revenge over the battle itself again?" Rolo asked incredulously, but it could have passed for a casual question with it's lack of incredulity. "Is that a good idea?"
"This world will betray me eventually, Rolo," Lelouch said with a barely noticeable hint of sadness. "It needs to be that way. With the Code, I will live forever – I can't rule the world forever. If the world realizes that I am acting for my own interest, I will be shunned, and the world can move on."
"Do you really think that will work?" Rolo cried. He felt like wincing at the force he had put into his voice, but he didn't think it especially wise to show Lelouch that he was uncomfortable speaking his mind on even such important matters. "That you can conquer the world – the world! - and then have everybody turn on you, just so that they can move on?"
Lelouch didn't answer, and though he didn't know what Lelouch was thinking, Rolo hoped that his comment got through to Lelouch.
"We are the ones conquering this world!" Rolo shouted, resisting the urge to slap Lelouch for his audacious stupidity. "The world will just fall into chaos if it is handed over to somebody else after everything we've done! The people who appose us will think we've gone weak and will strike, and then what? The world will just be at war again!"
"I know," Lelouch replied softly. "But if the world doesn't move on, it will be ruled by an immortal. That cannot be."
"Then what would you do?!" Rolo exclaimed, unconsciously activating his Geass to ensure their privacy even if somebody were to walk in. He felt the familiar constriction grip his heart all over again, but for the time being he ignored it. Lelouch looked like he wanted to berate Rolo for using his Geass again, restraining himself only on the necessity to finish their argument. "Would you hand the world to somebody else, and then let it fall back into a state of chaos worse than what it had been in before you began? How does that solve anything?!"
"Somebody will be there to pick up where I left off," Lelouch said, about as convincingly as Rolo suspected that he himself would have been able to manage – which wasn't very convincing at all. "And the United States will become a democracy with my betrayal. The Black Prince Lelouch, the man who became King of the United States under the guise of keeping the various representatives in line, will be the first and only King. They will see the benefit of ruling hand in hand with one another. And Odysseus, as much as he wants peace, will not object to becoming Britannia's representative in the United States if the opportunity is given to him."
Rolo released his Geass once again, covering the coughing fit he was threatening to fall into with the back of his hand. The shaking of his shoulders, however, made it painfully evident that he was doing a rather poor job of hiding it. Lelouch stepped forward and, in a last minute turnabout that had Rolo sputtering foolishly for a moment longer than he would have liked, hugged Rolo to his chest. "Stop that," he murmured into Rolo's ear, with a biting edge that made Rolo's skin crawl. "The Geass will take everything from you someday. Don't help it."
Rolo instantly felt ashamed, turning his head and glancing at the ground while the occasional gasp of air unwillingly passed through his parted lips. He should have remembered who he was talking to, the man who's entire life had been ruined by one idealistic glimpse of the future that acquiring the Geass had afforded him. He had lost the only family he could honestly say he had, had nobody he could truly call a friend, and was hated by as many people as he was loved by. Compared to all that had happened to him, the losses Rolo could say he had suffered were minimal by comparison, in spite of having had the Geass for so much longer.
"Whatever it is you plan to do, I will help," Rolo whispered, pulling himself away from Lelouch, though keeping him at arm's length. He felt a strange sort of air about him, thicker than usual and almost as though he were... Rolo gasped lightly, but by the time he was aware that he was using his Geass, Lelouch's hand was outstretched with a small contact resting on his open palm. "How did you...?"
"This is V.V.'s Code," Lelouch replied softly. "I could feel that your Geass was going runaway, and I grabbed one of my contacts and came here immediately. Take it, or you'll die."
Rolo did so, fitting the contact over his right eye and effectively sealing his Geass. He coughed lightly, suddenly glad that he was used to that sort of light strain. "Then why did you say..." he left the rest unsaid, but again, Lelouch understood what he had meant to say perfectly.
"It would have caused unnecessary panic if I had walked in here and handed you a contact, telling you your Geass was going to go out of control, wouldn't it?" Lelouch paced over to Rolo's bed, where he sat down and began fingering at his own eyes. "I had hoped this curse would end when I sacrificed my power for V.V.'s Code, but it hasn't. I continue to lose everything I hold dear, and I will inevitably live to see the world beyond everyone else's lives. And sometimes, when I look into somebody's eyes, I remember how dependent I was on my Geass, and how I no longer have that power. Controlling people was vile, but it was a necessary evil I had become familiar with."
He looked up at Rolo with a look so desperate, so imploring, that it floored all of his senses immediately. He was rooted to the spot, watching the conflicting despair and hopelessness awash in Lelouch's eyes. "Enjoy what life you have left. Live to see this through, Rolo, and fight this curse. Hang onto everything you hold dear, because if you don't, it will be gone."
o---o
Private William Gordan was not necessarily the most distinguished soldier in the gracefully crumbling Britannian army, nor was he the keenest in his marksmanship, nor was he necessarily the bravest of the lot.. But he was a man who was determined, and to him that counted for something. He could count on one hand the number of men he knew in the army who truly still wanted to be there, be it out of necessity for their families like it was for him, or because they truly believed in their country. It was a rare thing in recent days to be a willing soldier even with the looming threat of the United States' rising dominance hanging overhead, contrary to the Emperor's statements that with the fall of the Federation things would turn peaceful. William rather prided himself on his willingness to stand against a force like that.
If he were honest with himself, he'd know that his willingness came not from bravery, but rather from the unlikelihood of having to actually fight. He was not a Knightmare Frame pilot by trade – military school seven years ago told him that he and Knightmare Frames were not to be associated on any level – and infantry was quickly becoming a thing of the past, useful only where Knightmare Frames couldn't reach and where gathering intel was an immediate necessity. He saw little field action and more messenger work than anything, which had him frequenting the underground routes through Pendragon often. His life as a soldier had been far more glorious back in Area 11, working extermination operations against terrorists left, right and center under the direct authority of Third Prince Clovis. But this was safer, and still secured him the same number on his paycheck, so he didn't mind. In fact, his family was delighted, so he too was delighted. It was a happy snowball effect that only a father of two children, both approaching their teen years could appreciate.
He was taking that route again, this time to deliver a message to Seargent Cole Osborne-Ainsworth – the latter of the two names came from his wife, William had been told, though he couldn't recall why it was his job to care – who was in charge of the infantry patrolling the outer reaches of the massive city of Pendragon, where the civilians were situated, all but begging to be hit first were the capital to fall under attack. The rest of the capital rested on plates not unlike those originally built in the construction of New Tokyo, except in the case of Pendragon it was to allow for expansions to be made on the city that couldn't be made with the city resting on the ground, as it had been in the past. It had been rather bluntly stated by higher-ups that His Majesty's claims of a coming peace were, and William quoted, 'A load of bullshit,' and that the capital would surely be a target before long. Nobody was quite sure how that was possible, but nobody doubted that the Black Prince would soon show them.
This fact made him more than a little nervous, and added credible proof to his lack of bravery. He didn't feel comfortable so close to the ground and near the civilian homes, and would much rather have been closer to the palace, where not only was an attack not likely to originate, but where defenses were at their highest. As it stood, with the majority of their forces off on the Pacific Front preparing to fight with United States forces, their forces in the capital were minimal and mostly stationed around the Britannia Palace, where His Majesty was. It was for this very reason that so many believed that the Black Prince would be attacking the capital, where a decisive blow would hit Britannia hardest and where defenses were at their weakest. He could maximize his gains while minimizing his losses, and if he played his cards right he could demolish Britannia with ease. Striking at the head was always a more effective tactic than attrition warfare, after all.
Not that he knew this from personal experience, or anything of the like. He had been told so by somebody... Somebody who's name, face, and everything escaped his mind entirely. Whenever he thought about it, a hazy shroud blanketed his memories and blocked it from his mind, like some supernatural sort of hypnotism. The only things he could remember was that he had met the person in the Tokyo Settlement mere weeks before his sudden transfer to the homeland, and strangely demonic eyes unlike any he had seen before. They were a deep violet beneath bleeding red, bird like symbols that replaced actual pupils. The moment he remembered those eyes, though... Those frightful, chilling eyes... His entire mind went blank, and when he tried to think of them again, nothing came. It was an eerie phenomenon that William didn't dare voice to any other.
As if to contradict the thoughts running through his head, those damned, demonic eyes emerged in his mind's eye. He could feel them weaving around him, like a spell bending his will to their whims. Before he realized it, his feet were carrying him to the control room, where just about everything to do with the underground tunnels was managed. The walls along the way looked slightly different, not enough so for it to be noticed by the average passers-by, but just different enough that he could notice it when he was looking for such irregularities. There was something out of place, something that didn't feel quite right. William couldn't for the life of him figure out what was different, though, and his mind was in no mood to allow him to ponder it further. His mind was dedicated to getting to the control room, and his every thought otherwise was quickly being squashed by the odd determination to get there.
When he walked into the small control room, hardly any bigger than one of the larger prison cells used to hold the many terrorists captured over the years, in which they had been fighting for the very security of Britannia's conquests, another odd compulsion overcame him. His feet dragged their way over to the control panel, where he began flipping switches and attaching wires that he knew shouldn't be attached the way they were. Some were even wires he didn't recognize. When he was finished with his oddly compulsive wiring and flipping of switches, he found he had complete control over his body again, unlike moments before where it felt as though a different, alien part of his mind had hijacked his every function. He stepped forward to fix the mess he had just made, but by then it was too late.
High above Pendragon, Lelouch was laughing insanely as he held in front of him a small button, resting atop a handheld object vaguely resembling a King chess piece. He pressed the button and threw his head back, laughing wildly as the loud noises of ensuing explosions began. The tunnels beneath Pendragon's upper tiers began collapsing one by one, destroying much of the city that rested atop the plates and badly damaging everything else. Within those short, few seconds, the entirety of the capital of the Holy Britannian Empire had been turned into a ruined mess, with dilapidated buildings as far as the eye could see. The only building that wasn't worse for wear was the Britannia Palace, built upon the regular ground and rising higher than even many of the buildings resting atop plates. The tunnels beneath the plates had been hit the hardest, and it didn't need to be said that there were no survivors within their depths.
"This is it!" he cried, his voice cracking with laughter. "This is the end, C.C.! Britannia will fall, and the world will be our's!"
"Was it worth the destruction you just caused?" C.C. asked casually, referring with a wave of her arm to the ruined remains of the once proud Britannian capital. The long, wide street known as St. Darwin's Street looked particularly bad, in spite of the relatively good shape the palace resting at the end of it was. "The world will hate you for this."
"So it will," Lelouch sighed, his laughter slowly fading away. "But that's alright. It's better this way. If they hate me, they will be more inclined to betray me. And then we can all move on, before the world expects me to rule over it."
Okay, first things first. Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know I said the hinting of romantic implication in the relationship between Odysseus and Guinevere would be a one time thing. But it just kinda flows out of me when I'm writing them for some reason, almost without me noticing. In this instance I didn't actually notice until I was proofreading, actually, but I can't deny that it is there. This may be a bigger problem than I foresaw it being, especially if any of ye faithful readers have a problem with incest. I can honestly say I don't (and I will admit to having a naïve ignorance in regards to any arguments people use against incest), but open-minded (and possibly blind) acceptance like mine is a rare thing. I'll try to keep it to a minimum, for the sake of those who do not agree with me.
While we're apologizing, sorry it took me so long to get this out. In truth, I've had this chapter done for some time, but because of the sheer length I felt that extensive revision was an absolute necessity. That being said, unexpected developments in my social life (ie. Actually briefly having one, heh) forced me to put off proofreading and the like for several days, and then general laziness forced me to look at this chapter and say, "Crap, I have to revise all that?" and thus I put it off for as long as I could... and yeah. Bad excuse? Yes. But at least I have a relative excuse.
Also, this chapter has basically established who's disillusioned with Lelouch, and who is sticking by him through good and bad. I won't point fingers and spoil it for the painfully oblivious, but I've basically thrown it in your faces here. This is to give a bit of perspective for later, and because the matter of who is on who's side will be important within the next few chapters. We only have another ten or so to go, and then this story is finished. To nip any thoughtful requests in the bud, a sequel is a no no, particularly because there is no way to make a continuation to this without making the plot redundant. If there were a way to do so, I probably would at some point. As it stands, the ending I have plotted ties up just about everything and leaves no room for future plots.
And to those interested in the vague resemblance, the scene between Rolo and Lelouch discussed matters that were, for the most part, a reference to the finale of R2 and my intense hatred of it. As a wise... something I read once said, it was basically as though Lelouch had used the two month lapse to watch Gundam 00. So yeah, I just needed to get that out of my system, really. And the whole Celestial Being-influenced plan of Lelouch's was insanely stupid, I think. That opinion isn't personal bias really (though I won't deny that I am biased against Sunrise's cop-out through killing Lelouch) and more my thoughts on their lack of creativity and the epitome of R2's failure in living up to the success of the first season.
Anyway, musical inspiration for this chapter was, again, TM Revolution. I also took some interest in Yousei Teikoku, particularly their song Stigma, from which yet another good MAD video was made. The latter of which is relatively dark (I thought of it as a sort of Japanese Amy Lee kind of feel, honestly) and that may have reflected in this chapter, but that's alright. This chapter needed to be dark.
