Author's Notes: Sorry about the delay! Enjoy Chapter 3!
Chapter 3: Isolation
"Stay back!" Suzaku's gun was free from its holster in a blink, and he aimed it at the crowd, pointing it at anyone who moved, "I'll fire!"
"What do you hope to accomplish Suzaku?" Zero's voice boomed from above, "Are you going to hold all of them at bay? Are you going to fight your way out?"
"You're going to let me take her!" Suzaku shouted back, not looking away from the crowd, "Tell them to move!"
"Suzaku, I can not do that." Zero's voice was flat, "And even if I did… I'm not sure they would, now that they know the truth. She defied the king and spoke treason on a national stage." Zero shook his head, "Taking her back to Britannia would be a death sentence."
"Suzaku." Kallen took a step forward, "Please… put down your gun."
"No…" He shook his head, "No, I won't—"
"Suzaku, you're going to get yourself killed." Kallen took another step forward, "I don't want that to happen. None of us want that to happen."
"Zero lied to you…" Desperation filled Suzaku's voice and he took a step back, his hand shaking.
"Suzaku." Kallen stepped onto Gawain's hand, "Suzaku, put the gun down."
"N-no!" Suzaku shook his head frantically, "Stay back!" She was almost on top of him, his gun mere inches from her. "Please… Kallen…"
Kallen felt the cold metal against her shoulder, looking into his face calmly as she reached up to disarm him, "Suzaku," She smiled weakly, shaking her head, "It's over." The gun fell away from her shoulder, and she closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him as he began to cry, "Don't worry Suzaku, she'll be safe here. You'll be safe here."
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"Princess?"
Cornelia hovered over the computer screen reviewing maps, "Unless you have something to report, Guiliford, I suggest you get back to work."
"We have knightmares scouring the surrounding area and we've picked up several Elevens we think may be affiliated with the Order of the Black Knights, but we haven't had the chance to interrogate them yet."
Cornelia remained hunched over the computer screen, "And my sister?"
"Nothing yet, Princess."
"How can they be hiding?" Cornelia's voice betrayed a hint of anger he rarely heard from her, "What did brother do that to allow this to happen?"
"Princess," Guiliford closed his eyes, "there are other matters that need to be attended to."
Cornelia's body froze for a moment, then slowly, painfully, she rose, turning to look at him, "Are you telling me that there is a matter more important than finding my sister Guiliford? Are you telling me that finding an heir to throne is not what every loyal Britannian should be doing at this moment?"
"No Princess."
"Then please…" She stepped away from the computer, "Please, Guiliford, tell me what you mean when you say there are other matters that need to be attended to?"
"The press—"
"The press be damned." Cornelia glared at him, her face hardened, "Do you think I care what sort of news they report? Do you think that I should stand in front of them and announce that we, the strongest empire on the planet, cannot find a group of terrorists?"
"No Princess."
"Then what, Guiliford? What is it that I need to tell them?"
Guiliford closed his eyes, "Princess, the video of what happened has spread through the web." Cornelia narrowed her gaze on him and Guiliford looked at her forlornly, "Have you heard what she said, Princess? Did you see what she did? She shot Darlton. She tried to incite rebellion against the throne. This can not be ignored."
Cornelia looked at him ashen faced, "Just what are you suggesting Guiliford?"
Guiliford looked away, "I'm sorry, Princess."
Cornelia's hand struck him hard, jerking his face back with it, "What are you suggesting Guiliford?"
Guiliford ignored the sting, drawing a deep breath and looking into her eyes, "We have to consider what it means to have a princess commit treason."
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Zero stood outside the medical ward, or what stood for it. It was improvised, thrown together from what supplies they could buy legally without drawing attention, and what could be stolen from Britannia without being caught. Completely insufficient, it was all they had. Lelouch felt the pit of his stomach tie itself in knots and his eyes darted away from the door. They hadn't figured out what had happened to her, but he knew.
"Is this the fate of those who fight Geass?" Lelouch turned to CC, looking at her as she looked at him, "That's what you're thinking, isn't it?"
"Why is this happening to her?"
"You said it was an accident."
"No." Lelouch scowled at the door, "No. I mean, why is it happening to her?" CC stood silently, "Why did I lose control of Geass then? Why did I lose control in front of the only one who didn't need to be told what was right and what was wrong. Why did I use it on the only other innocent member of my family?"
"The power of Geass isolates you from others."
Lelouch looked to her, "Are you saying that Geass chose to break free from my control?"
"No." CC turned to him with a wan smile, "You made the decision for it."
"Stop speaking in riddles."
CC shrugged, "What are you going to do with her?"
"I—" Lelouch paused, looking back to the door, "Does it matter?"
CC looked to him, "If you want her to live, yes."
A chill ran down Lelouch's spine and he lowered his head, removing his mask, "What is it that I must do… to save her life?"
"You still don't understand." CC shook her head, "There's nothing you can do."
"Then why are you saying her life depends on it?"
"Because it does."
Lelouch balled his hand into his fist, "I told you to stop speaking in riddles!"
"There's only one person who can save her, Lelouch." CC murmured, "And it's not you."
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Diethard paced in front of the door, barely containing his excitement, "This… this is…" He shook his head at a loss for words, "A princess and her personal knight, the single most recognized honorary britannian in all of Japan?" He smiled giddily, looking to room that served as Suzaku's cell. "Imagine…" His hand swept out before him, visualizing the scene "recording Suzaku Kururugi renouncing ties to Britannia." A chill ran down his spine, "Support for the honorary britannian system would fall apart here."
"He won't do it." Tohdoh opened his eyes, looking up at Diethard, "I know Suzaku."
Diethard's smile fell into a scowl as he looked at the military genius. "Then we'll have to force him to do it."
"Coercion won't work. Suzaku is a strong man. He will not bend to your will or anyone else's."
Diethard sniffed, "Even strong men can break."
"You're not going to hurt him." Kallen glared at Diethard, "I promised him we wouldn't."
"This is a war." Diethard waved his hand dismissively, looking back to the door, "People are bound to get hurt." Kallen gritted her teeth, balling her hand into a fist, "He should be lucky Zero decided not to assassinate him."
Kallen's mouth fell open in shock and she looked away, her rage lost to doubt. If it weren't for Lelouch…
"What is your connection to him, anyway?"
Kallen's reverie was broken and she looked up at Diethard, "Huh?"
"You obviously know him. How else would you know he wouldn't shoot you."
"Uh…" She took a step back, "I go to school with him."
Diethard perked his eyebrow, "That's it?"
"Yes that's it," Kallen batted back angrily, "what did you think it was?"
Diethard shook his head dismissively, "I don't know. I just think it odd that you could form such a bond with someone that is… only someone you go to school with."
"Why you—"
The sound of a door opening stopped their conversation and they all turned as Ogi entered the room.
Diethard looked genuinely surprised, "Where's Zero?"
"He's still outside the medical ward, waiting for news."
Diethard smiled hopefully, "Did he say anything about what we should do with Kururugi?"
"Actually…" Ogi shifted awkwardly as all three of them watched him, "He told me he wants you back at your stations."
Kallen stood open mouthed, "But Suzaku—"
"Sorry Kallen," Ogi muttered, "But that's what he told me."
Diethard looked to the door and then back to Ogi, "Did he give you any hint to what he has planned?"
Ogi shook his head, "No. Sorry."
Tohdoh rose, nodding to the other two, "We should get back to our stations."
Diethard watched Tohdoh leave, and then looked back at Suzaku's cell, "Fine." He looked at Ogi sourly, "It'll give me time to write a speech for him to read."
"Ogi…" Kallen shifted awkwardly, "I don't know if there's anything I need to do. If you don't mind… I'd like to stay."
Ogi sighed, "Zero told me that you're supposed to meet Rakshata to figure out ways of improving the Guren."
Kallen shook her head, "But Rakshata doesn't need my help to improve the Guren."
"He knows that."
"Then why?"
"Because he doesn't want you near Suzaku." Ogi sighed, "Believe me Kallen, I don't want to send you away any more than you want to leave."
Kallen looked at Ogi miserably, bowing her head slightly, "I… have to go help Rakshata then." She walked past him on the way to the door and then stopped, looking back at him, "Ogi… what did Zero tell you to do?"
Ogi's head fell forward and he shook it gently, "He told me to talk to Suzaku."
Author's Notes: I'm sorry that it took me so long to write it up. My friend, who is in the military, just got back from Iraq and I spent the better part of July trying to spend as much time with him as possible before he got sent back to base.
The next chapter may take a little longer to post since I am going to be spending most of this week at Otakon! If you're going, you might even meet me. I'll be cosplaying as a villain from One Piece.
Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading and commenting!