Rescue Angels
Wanda: Here we are, folks! This is the start of Narita!
Shirley: (starting to hyperventilate) Oh god, oh god, oh god...!
Wanda: Hey, relax a bit. I've got a plan.
Shirley: (throws a book at my head) Don't tell me to be calm! My dad died here!
Wanda: I remember. I love the following episodes because it deals with Lelouch's guilt and conflict with himself beautifully (that and it builds up to Mao) He is such a wonderfully complex yet ultimately good and empathetic person. I want more protagonists like him, damn it! Shelf 'the everyman' for a while, I'm freakin sick of it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.
Chapter 8: Narita Rebellion
"Ow! Sorry, Lulu – I've been very distracted today."
"Yeah, I noticed..." Lelouch knelt down to help her coral the books and papers Shirley had dropped when the orange haired girl had crashed into him after turning the corner. He spotted a train ticket on the ground; puzzled, he reached for it. When he went to get it, her hand landed on top of his. Her skin was soft, like silk.
Shirley's face flushed slightly, and she pulled her hand back after a second. "Thank you," She said, smiling shyly as she packed her books back into her bag.
Lelouch stood up and examined the ticket. At the name of the place, and the time, a wave of worry rushed through him. "You're going to Narita this weekend?" He questioned. "Why? There's not much to see out there, unless you're going hiking."
"Oh, that." Shirley said, sliding her bag over her shoulder. "Well, my dad's been working there for a while, and he'll be stuck there for another few days. I thought I'd go and visit him for a little."
Lelouch swallowed slightly. What he wasn't telling her was that Narita was about to become a war zone between The Japan Liberation Front, Britannia, and the Black Knights.
Which would have been one thing...but now Shirley, and her father, would be at the sight when the flames of conflict exploded. The last thing he wanted was for Shirley to get harmed. Intellectually, he knew it was possible for innocents to get caught up in the crossfire, but it that fact hadn't had a face before now. Much less the face of someone he cared about.
"I imagine he'll be happy to see you," He replied academically. "...Where will you be staying?"
"I'm not sure yet; probably at a hotel. Though, I may just spend most of an afternoon there." Shirley said, before eyeing him for a moment.
Lelouch guessed what she was thinking a moment before she asked, "Would you mind walking me to the bus stop? Please?"
"Sure." Lelouch was surprised to see her eyes light up in response. Shirley reached out and took his hand, tugging him towards the door.
It was a twenty minute walk from the school to the station if you weren't in a rush. Neither student was in a hurry, for similar yet different reasons. Shirley was simply soaking up being with Lelouch...while the boy in question was trying to come up with a way to dissuade her from going to the mountain range. "I've been to Narita once," Lelouch commented. "The mountain is interesting, but it's about the only thing that is. You'll probably get bored quickly."
Shirley giggled. "Dad was complaining about being shut up in his lab the whole time; he also said he could see the mountain from the only window." She said. "I hope I can do a little hiking there before heading back."
No! If you go up there now..."Is this the best weather for that?"
Shirley turned around and smiled playfully at Lelouch, and it was like an arrow in his chest. She saw no reason to be afraid, but there was reason – some he himself would be responsible for. "Are you fussing over me, Lulu? I could swear you seem a little worried."
"Why is that surprising?"
"You usually only worry over Nuna. You don't show this side of yourself often." She clasped his hand again. Her hands were warm and gentle, and as he had before Lelouch wondered how something so genuine and pure could exist and flourish in such a decayed and battered world. "It's a good look on you, you know. It shows your gentler side."
"Gentler?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow.
Shirley laughed in response. "Yes, you try very hard to hide it, but when Nuna's around, I do see parts of it. You know, being nice is nothing to be embarrassed about!"
Being kind isn't something I can afford anymore. It never was. I was always marked as a member of the Britannia Royal Family, and they don't believe in being kind...except Euphemia. Kindness wasn't in my destiny...
...I wish I could always be that person you're seeing in me, Shirley... Lelouch tightened his grip on her arm protectively. A vision flooded his mind; a few orange hairs, partially buried under the massive gulf of slag, dirt and mud. A single frightened sob as the mudslide hurtled towards her, knowing there was no way to escape in time.
Sweet Shirley, buried alive, dirt filling her lungs. Crushed beneath stone and mud.
I have to get the surrounding area evacuated somehow, Lelouch realized. His thumb gently brushed against the back of her hand. I can't let her get hurt.
"I like being reserved. So people can't see what's going on in my mind."
"It's part of your gambling, isn't it?" Shirley did look disapproving, as usual, but it was mingled with a sort of odd respect and a little worry he hadn't noticed before. Her eyes dimmed slightly. "You know you don't have to wear a mask around me."
"Really?"
"I'd never give you up to anyone, Lulu." Shirley's expression was serious. Once again, Lelouch had the strange feeling she was seeing straight into him. The way she looked into his eyes left a warm, yet almost a little frightening, feeling in his chest. "I hope you know that!"
"Heh. I've never been afraid of you, or the other students," Lelouch said, smiling slightly back at her. "It's just part of my character."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Shirley said lightly. "That can be charming in its own way; depending on the circumstances. Your eyes are always incredibly intense when you're deep in thought!"
Lelouch looked back at those brilliant green eyes, wondering how long she had been watching his expressions. "If I didn't know any better...are you flirting with me?"
Shirley flushed lightly, but then she surprised him by bursting out laughing. "Y-You mean you've just noticed?" She said, putting one hand over her mouth. "I thought Milly had given me away!"
"But...Milly is Milly. She says stuff like that all the time." Lelouch pointed out, slightly taken aback by that easy admission. Shirley's cheeks were bright red, but she was meeting his gaze steadily. "And she's spent half the year hitting on you."
"She hits on you too, in case you haven't noticed," Shirley said teasingly.
"As a matter of fact, I had. I haven't gone blind yet." Lelouch responded, mock irritably. After a moment of silence, both teenagers found themselves laughing again. She's joking with me, then...right? Shirley smiled and him and squeezed his wrist slightly. I don't know.
Love was something Lelouch carefully filed out of his mind, because it could quite possibly compromise his mental facilities while he was plotting the destruction of Britannia. A lover can be taken hostage, a lover can be used against you. Lelouch had rarely experienced love, aside from Nunally's, which was quite different from what Shirley was thinly implying she felt for him.
But if this was love...is that why he felt so light? So calm, and at peace?
So worried, knowing where she was going?
They reached the train station a moment later. "Thank you for walking me, Lulu." Shirley said distantly, adjusting her bag. She hesitated for a moment, as if lost in thought, before stepping forward towards the train car.
Lelouch quickly lashed out and grabbed her arm. Shirley turned around in surprise. "Shirley, be careful out there." He instructed, with a quiet firmness rather reminiscent of when he activated his Geass. "I've heard rumours that the JLF has a base near the Narita mountain. If...if you hear word that something's going wrong, you and your dad should go and get someplace safe."
For a moment Lelouch worried that he had given himself away, but Shirley's expression shifted into a sort of concerned, touched acceptance. She wrapped her free hand around his and said, "I'll be careful, Lulu. I promise." Then, on a spur of the moment decision, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before turning and heading through the turnstile to the train.
Lelouch stood rooted to the spot for a minute, taking in the burning warmth that was sinking into his heart. This is definitely dangerous. His second thought was, C.C. will never let me hear the end of it if she knew about this.
~Line Break~
Shirley rushed onto the train and into a side compartment, her heart still hammering, cheeks red. Sliding the door closed, she took a cleansing breath and looked down at her bag, which she had slid off her shoulder and gently placed on the floor. Unzipping the back most compartment, Shirley cautiously reached in and removed a chain necklace with a glittering, silver heart shaped pendant. With a click, she opened it, revealing a series of clockworks and a miniature analogue detonator.
Nina's EMP device.
She worked incredibly quickly, Euphemia had told her over their phone last night. It looks like putting her into an internship with Lord Asplund was the best course of action. I used executive order to erase the few existing logs on it, so Suzaku won't get suspicious. She had sounded slightly pained at that; the pink princess didn't like lying to her knight. Nina rigged it to react strongly to the Britannia IFF chips, but weakly to anything else. The Black Knights should only experience mild technical difficulties, but my sister's forces will be completely blind. You just have to be there to activate it just after the landslide.
Shirley fastened the necklace at the back and hid it under her jacket. Her foot lightly tapped against the helmet piece of her Lady in White getup, which was packed at the very bottom of her bag. Shirley was glad that she had spent time talking to Lelouch, because that was the only reason her nerves weren't getting the better of her right now...she had a lot of bad memories associated with Nartia...
Dad will be there...I have to protect my dad, Shirley thought, swallowing. A whole armada of butterflies was running riot in her stomach; she pulled out a tube of mints and took one, hoping to ease her nausea. I'm going to need a whole lot more of these, she thought dully.
The train ride took a couple hours. Shirley tried to distract herself by reading books, and eventually drowned out her nervous thoughts with music – her mother had bought her headphones as a birthday gift, bless her. Eventually, however, she did reach Narita, and dismounted the train.
Shirley stopped at the entrance to the town, and swallowed. Sure enough, there were already Britannian soldiers parked near the town, and the mountain loomed ominously behind them. Immediately, her mind flooded back to finding her father's body, the mud caking the ground. She froze, her legs turning to ice, as she remembered it all.
Gold shimmered at the corners of her eyes. Taking a breath, Shirley forced herself to walk forward. There is no going back now.
**~With Euphemia~**
"Please, sister! There are civilians at the foot of the mountain; let me move them before you start the campaign."
"They're at the foot." Cornelia said impatiently, as Euphemia trailed behind her while they walked to the front of the G1. "There's no reason they should have to go anywhere."
"But we have no idea what the JLF might have built into the mountain!" Euphemia protested. "What if they plan to use the city as a human shield, like at the Lake? We have to move them!"
"Euphemia, if we move them now, the JLF will know we're coming," Cornelia said, before forcing herself to sound kinder for her sister's sake. Euphemia's eyes were starting to well up, and the purple haired princess let out a soft sigh. "Alright, if it's that important to you...I'll spare you a handful of men to quietly and discreetly start moving those people out of the valley. It will give you something to do. But when I go out, I'll need you at the con."
"Of course big sister. Thank you so much!" Euphemia said with relief, before turning and hurrying down the hall with her two mixed race bodyguards in tow.
Cornelia let out a small sigh of exasperation. Euphemia's newfound determination since Kawaguchi would be quite admirable, if she turned it towards the army. It was such a frustration for the older sister, who took great pride in her campaigns, to see a potential boon going to waste. Euphemia had come home with the righteous fury that could move mountains, yet her stubborn pacifism somehow remained – along with her inexplicable empathy towards Numbers. Not very benefiting for a Princess of Britannia.
She and Nunally used to have that in common, Cornelia thought, her hands clenching when she remembered her murdered sister. How can Euphemia feel anything for those insects after what they did to Nunally and Lelouch? She was so close them, too!
Meanwhile, Euphemia scrambled down the hallway, suppressing her relieved smile. It's not what we had in mind, but it's better than nothing! For a moment, she had been afraid that her sister would refuse to evacuate, leaving the stakes just as terrifying as they had been the first time around. I'm sorry I keep manipulating you sister, Euphemia thought sadly, But this is more important than anything you can imagine. Including the fate of this twisted Empire we were born into.
Turning the corner, she knocked on the door, which then slid open to reveal Jeremiah Gottwald and his assistant Viletta Nu. Both quickly stood up and bowed to her.
It was probably a good thing Shirley hadn't met Viletta again, because if she did she'd probably punch the woman's lights out – or smite her. The orange haired girl still bore a grudge against that "Knight of Honour".
Euphemia wasn't overtly fond of her either, given her contribution to the Black Knights betraying Zero/Lelouch. However, Viletta hadn't done it yet, and if she was loyal to Jeremiah, then perhaps that never would happen.
"Hello, Lord Gottwald. Please stand up, I have a task of great importance to give you," Euphemia said in her best authoritative voice.
"Name it, Princess," Jeremiah said, his heart soaring that he was once again being entrusted to do something by one of the Royal Family.
"I want you and Major Nu to start evacuating the city in the valley," Euphemia said firmly. "The JLF have proven they are not above causing civilian casualties in their war for independence. I refuse to allow them to put more of my subjects through the meat grinder for their 'cause'."
Jeremiah nodded sharply, though part of him desperately wished he had been ordered into the fray. An order from a Princess would go a long way to restoring his status in the eyes of the other Lords, even if it was manning an evacuation. "As you wish, Princess."
"My sister asks that you do it as quietly and discreetly as possible," Euphemia amended. She couldn't seem disobedient to her sister here. "But try to move as many people as you can at once. I have a bad feeling about today."
Shirley, this might not be fast enough, Euphemia thought worriedly as Jeremiah rushed out to fulfill her orders. I hope that, whatever we are capable of now, it will be enough when the mudslide starts!
**~At the top of the mountain~**
"Hey Zero?"
"Mm? What is it?" Lelouch asked the two Black Knights he had stationed down at the city. His instructions had been for them to fake some sort of gas leak or corresponding emergency, so the city might be somewhat emptied in the next ten minutes.
"It looks like there's already some sort of evacuation order down at the city...it's molasses slow, and being lead by that Orange character, but a bunch of people have already disappeared over the valley side, a safe distance from the conflict."
"Huh. It must be the Princess Euphemia's work. She has quite the soft heart, especially for a Britannia Princess." Lelouch was certain it was his sister, and his plan to somehow reveal himself to her and gain her alliance was bumped up on his list of plans. Tamaki wouldn't like it, but his half sister had made an impact on Kallen and Ohgi, and the rest could hardly deny the possibilities opened by having a Princess aide them.
"What do you want us to do?"
"Set off the coloured smoke anyway, if only to urge them to expedite their pace." Lelouch instructed. He resisted the urge to ask if any scientists and teenagers were among those who had already been spirited away. "The fewer bystanders caught in the crossfire, the less likely our mantra may be challenged."
"Protectors of the weak. Understood, sir!"
Lelouch turned towards the tools, which were starting to dig into the mountain. The battle between Cornelia's forces and the JLF had begun, and his forces were boxed in. None of them knew his trump card, but the timing had to be perfect. He couldn't afford to wait and check to see if everyone at the bottom had gotten away, so speed was at the heart of it.
Listen to you worry, Lelouch berated himself. You have to focus! This is why you tried not to get too attached to anyone aside from Nunally...!
**~With Shirley~**
"Dad, technology can be replaced! I think we should go, this sounds serious!" Shirley tugged at her father's arm, pulling him towards the door even as he protested about the importance of the 'project' he was offering advice on. She had her bag on her shoulder, prepared for everything. Everything except her heart was ready. If she didn't get her father out of here, she'd never be able to focus.
The pendant felt ice cold against her neck. She could almost hear a ticking clock in her ears. Time was ticking...
Joseph stopped struggling when he heard Jeremiah Gottwald's voice over the speaker, ordering a full evacuation as the 'smoke' spread. Shirley pulled him out the door just as a throng of people closed in around them, following Orange's Gloucester as it headed towards the slopes. Shirley gasped. Were they going to make it?!
**~With Cornelia~**
Cornelia saw the flares sent up by her knight, and grinned. "Well, it seems Andreas has found the main base, Guilford. Shall we?"
"After you, Princess Cornelia," Guilford responded with a smile. He liked it when Cornelia got revved up like this; her passion had attracted him to her from the very beginning. "You heard that men! Head forward, follow the Viceroy!"
**~With Lelouch~**
"It's time!"
Lelouch watched Kallen enter the Gurren MK II and took a deep breath. Shirley...! I hope you and your father have gotten clear! "Q1, activate it!"
"Yes sir!"
**~With Shirley~**
It was probably just as well that the anxious crowd had separated her from her father. Because a few minutes later, they were barely past the city when a horrible crack sounded, and the ground began to shudder under Shirley's feet. Turning around, her fingers tightening to the point of going white on the edges of her White overcoat, she faced Narita Mountain.
It was coming crashing down.
The evacuees shrieked in alarm and fear, and en masse they scrambled forward on the path marked by Orange, heading up to higher ground. Shirley looked up the mountain, and then back at the wave of mud and stone hurtling towards them. They were far up, but not far enough – many people would still get buried at this rate. They simply hadn't been given enough time.
Time.
A golden pulse surrounded Shirley. With a grunt, she willed her wings into existence, shot out of the crowd and flew several metres towards the flow of mud. It was falling towards her like a rushing tidal wave from a disaster movie. Shirley raised both hands out in front of her, the strange symbol coming to life in her eyes.
"BREAK!"
A giant golden clock exploded into existence in front of Shirley. The mudslide struck it and broke apart like a wave striking rocks on the shore. The civilians collapsed on the ground a few twenty metres ahead, staring in dumb shock back at the glowing light shield which spread as far as the mudslide's reach. The mud seemed to dissolve after flying in the air, as if it had never been there in the first place. Slowly the force let up, and the mud lost its power...
And Shirley cried out as if she had been shot, collapsing to her knees and pressing both hands against her stomach.
-She saw Rolo's eyes darken, and suddenly she couldn't move – he raised the gun and pointed it at her, and fired, and suddenly there was nothing but pain pain pain pain, fire in her stomach, she fell onto the floor with a pitiful cry of pain-
Her vision blurred, Shirley dazedly raised one hand. There were a few drops of blood on it. Very tentatively, she lifted up her hands...no rush of gore. Her stomach hadn't been torn open. But for a moment, the phantom pain of that fatal wound had engulfed her entire being.
Is that the price? Shirley wondered dazedly. The price of my power?
She heard people yelling on the slope. Quickly she reached into her bag, pulled out the helmet and set it over her face, under the hood that had been thrown back when she collapsed. Staggering to her feet, Shirley shook her head and blinked the spots out of her vision.
"I can't stop here." She pressed one hand against her necklace. "I have work to do."
The witnesses let out various shrieks of amazement as the Lady in White took to the sky on golden wings, heading for the peak of Narita Mountain.
**~With Lelouch~**
"Keep this up and crush Zero!"
"Gah!" Oghi grunted, keeping his Burai behind rock cover. "Maybe we should get Kallen over here!"
Lelouch was about to remind him that the plan hinged on Kallen's position when a shout, and a new signature, appeared on the radar. He looked up and jerked backwards slightly in shock.
The Lady in White perched on the rock directly in front of him, one gloved hand going to the device around her neck. She glanced back at his Burai, smiled, and then pressed the button. A massive shockwave rushed forward. Lelouch's communications and map outline briefly went berserk with static, but a few hits later and it was moving again.
However, the fire from the other side had abruptly cut out. As Lelouch straightened his mech, he saw the enemy Gloucesters stumbling into each other...as if blinded.
The Lady in White turned slightly towards him. "That was an EMP," She told the leader of the Black Knights. "The Britannia forces are now blind and deaf to your presence and approach." Her smile brightened just a bit. "I hope I can see you work a miracle today, Zero."
End Chapter
Yes, power comes at a price. And Shirley and Euphemia may not have been as free of those fatal wounds as they thought they were...if they have to keep using these granted powers, will those wounds reopen...? If so, when can they afford to use them? Kekekeke, the plot thickens...!
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