Rescue Angels

Wanda: And I'm back, with drama! goddamn this show is awesome.

Euphemia: (squeeing, while holding up a Vulpix) Oh, can't I have one, please?!

Wanda: (chuckles) I'd love to, but this isn't a crossover. Sorry. She can stay with you in the lobby though!

Euphemia: (pouts) please?

Wanda: C'mon. You know I'm not Suzaku. (pointedly looks elsewhere) I will not be guilted. I will not. (whispers frantically) The disclaimer! Now, before I'm overwhelmed! Also - this story now has a TVtropes page! Please show it some love! You guys are so awesome :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.

Chapter 12: Battle of Will

Shirley was being followed. She wasn't happy about it.

Knowing that Viletta Nu was following her discreetly – her silver hair was very distinctive, even when she was in civilian clothes – put paid to her plans of a relaxing day spent at the mall. Obviously the woman was still suspicious of her. Great, Shirley thought dismally, how am I going to make her leave me alone? She turned the corner into the food court. Last time I had to shoot her. And that didn't end well for anyone involved.

She bought a muffin and sat on a chair in the middle of the room. Her eyes glowed slightly. Maybe there is something... The Voice had said they now had the power to Smite an enemy. She shivered, the thought leaving something cold in her heart. I can't just use that on a whim...for Schneizel, or V.V., or something who truly deserves it. Not on just anyone who happens to get suspicious of me.

But if I don't, how else am I going to get rid of her?

Shirley chewed on her lip anxiously. I don't know exactly what she suspects I've done. Oh, if only I had Lulu's Geass, I could make her forget all about me...

Viletta was approaching her through the crowd again. Shirley tossed her half eaten muffin in the garbage, readjusted her bag, and walked straight for the elevator. While she was trying to act natural, a keen eye would describe her behavior as 'furtive'. Once inside the lift, she hit the button for the top floor of the mall complex and let out a sigh as the doors slid closed.

She had been so fixated on Viletta that she didn't realize someone else was watching both of them from the second floor.

The young man smirked, his hand sliding down to the gun holstered at his side. "There you are. Little girl. But you have a tail, what a pain. I'll just have to get rid of her first." He turned away and walked towards the stairs, earning a few odd looks from passer's by. It wasn't often that you saw a young man with bright white hair, after all. Even in Japan/Area 11.

~Line Break~

Shirley was turning a corner when a hand grabbed her wrist. She let out a frightened yelp when she was turned around to face Viletta Nu, who was frowning. "Miss, may I borrow you for a moment? It involves matters of the state." Those who had stopped to see the scene obligingly passed on when they heard that, to the orange haired girl's dismay.

"I...okay," Shirley said meekly. Viletta harshly pulled her over to the stairwell, shutting the door behind her.

"You were at Narita," Viletta began coldly. "You saw the woman in white when she stopped the landslide."

"I...I told you, I didn't see much of anything!" Shirley protested.

"DON'T lie to me," Viletta snarled, tightening her grip until it hurt. "Do you take me for a fool? One girl happens to get separated from the evacuation, just minutes before the Lady makes her appearance on the field? A young girl? And the Lady had an EMP...and you, the daughter of a respected scientist, would have the ability to produce or locate such a device. If you aren't the Lady herself, you're helping her, and that is treason!"

"I haven't! I don't know anything about her!" Shirley pressed her back against the wall. "I swear!"

"Well, the interrogators will find out soon enough," Viletta said coldly, starting to drag her away.

"Please! My father works for Britannia! Why would I do anything to harm it?" Shirley pleaded.

Viletta was about to respond when a cold laugh echoed through the stairwell, followed by soft clapping.

"Hehe...'why', indeed."

Shirley froze, turning to stone in Viletta's grip. The older woman spun around, one hand going for her gun, to face the new threat.

A scream got caught in Shirley's throat. She had recognized him before turning to face him, had seen him in her minds eye. He was an unusually tall, lanky young man dressed in a white coat that looked like casual wear from an insane asylum. A mask attached to a pair of headphones covered his eyes and ears, and his clapping was somewhat broken into metallic clicking by the powerful, military-grade handgun he was clutching in his right hand. His smirk and laughter had played a role in several of her recent nightmares.

Mao promptly levelled his gun at Viletta's chest and fired.

The bullet hit the would-be Knight dead on, splattering blood and gore across Shirley face. The horror seemed to break the frozen spell that had fallen over the young woman. As the woman crashed to the ground, Shirley's instincts came to life and kicked into overdrive. She took that split second pause and bolted up the stairs, several shots from Mao's gun barely missing her heels as she rounded the corner.

Mao tilted his head curiously, lowering his gun for a moment. His attention was on the single, odd thought that had rushed through his victim's mind seconds before she ran. "...'it's you?'" He wondered aloud. "What an odd thing to think. You don't know me...or do you, Shirley Fenette?"

His lip twitched slightly. "Well...isn't that fascinating!"

With a wild smirk, he gave chase. He wasn't concerned that his prey might escape – this was just a setback. He would get the answer he was looking for once he caught her There was nowhere she could hide from him...and once he had her, he could lure out the real prize. The thief.

And maybe, just maybe, the one person he had spent years trying to find again.

~Line Break~

Shirley emerged on the roof and slammed the door shut behind her. Panic and adrenaline had taken over; she ran to the edge of the building and jumped, despite being over six stories in the air. Her wings burst into existence long enough to break her fall and float her down a story. With a forceful thought, Shirley dispelled them, dropping to her feet with a pained yelp. For a second, she lay still, catching her breath, her fingers clenching the grass. Once she found that she hadn't broken anything, she forced herself to stagger to her feet, rush to hide behind a nearby tree, and tentatively stuck her head out from behind it.

Sure enough, Mao was standing on the edge of the roof, peering down at her. He was still smirking, as if to say, you didn't really think it would be that easy. Did you?

Shirley gulped and bolted in a zigzag, hurrying around another corner – praying he had wasted most of his magazine in the stairwell. At least, he couldn't directly jump down to follow her; it was too high up for him. He'd have to take the stairs. Well, maybe that will give me a head start...! The thought didn't give her much comfort. What should I do...? Where should I go?!

She crashed into a pedestrian as she ran, scrambling forward even as the middle aged man threw angry words at her back. For all she had tried to prepare herself for a second confrontation with this particular Geass wielder, now it was all she could do not to succumb to panic.

While running, Shirley tried to think about Mao's power. Could he hear all her thoughts just by standing nearby? Or did she have to think specifically about something for him to hear it? Her memories of what he'd done to her the first time were extremely blurry, so she had little to use as a guide. How much of what I know now can he hear?! She resolved that she could not think about it. She'd think about literally anything else – she'd think of a wall if that would keep Mao away from those memories.

Skidding to a halt at a street corner, Shirley risked a look over her shoulder. Sure enough, Mao was following her not too far behind, sedately despite the number of people who's thoughts were raining down on him. His plan would not be denied. Where should I go...?

She kept up the pace, crossing the street on a yellow light and nearly getting hit by a car. And it was at that point that her normal phone rang.

Shirley's heart jerked. Skidding to a halt, she pulled the pink device out and looked down at the caller ID. It was Lelouch.

Her hands trembled on the device. As Mao bore down on her and the phone vibrated, she was torn between keeping him as far away from this man for as long as possible, and asking him to help her. However, her strength had a limit, and she didn't think she could possibly get away from Mao without his help. So, glancing behind just once to see how close Mao was – just a block behind her, goddamn it – she hit talk and continued to run.

"Shirley? It's not like you to skip class; Milly's wondering where you are."

"Running!" Shirley gasped out, turning another corner and heading towards the bridge. She was exhausted and it was hard to put sentences together. I can't keep this up much longer...

"From what?" Lelouch's voice became serious almost instantly; he could read the sheer fear in the single spoken word she had given him. "Shirley, what's going on? You sound frightened."

"There's a man...following me," Shirley panted, skidding to a halt at under the bridge. A massive stitch had formed in her side and she couldn't feel her legs. She leaned against the wall, trembling violently. "I can't get away from him."

"He's uniquely capable." A mocking voice behind her said.

Shirley let out a frightened shriek and jumped backwards. Mao was now standing a few feet away, the muzzle of his gun levelled at her chest.

"Shirley?!"

Mao smiled coldly, and stretched out one hand expectantly. Shirley, hand shaking, slowly handed her phone over. The white haired man then struck her over the head, and the world went black.

**~Elsewhere. Some Time Later~**

Shirley woke slowly with a pounding headache. As her vision came into focus, she saw the roof of a train car and saw the scenery moving by through the nearby window. She tried to sit up, finding her hands tied behind her back – her feet, however, weren't tied up. There was at least that. Blinking the haze away, she focused on the sky. The sun was starting to set, and she could see a theme park in the distance. I guess there was no reason for him to go to Narita, she thought.

"Curious you should mention that. Yes, there was no reason to go to Nartia...this time."

Shirley choked and turned around. Mao was lounging on the other seat in the cable car, still holding the gun from earlier. There was a package on his right that held a shotgun...and possibly a chainsaw. Though it was hard to tell thanks to his visor, he seemed almost curious.

"I didn't think there was a Geass that could do that. Travelling back in time." He commented. At her nervous look, he elaborated, "I've gleaned a lot about your situation from those nightmares you've been having. I must say Shirley Fenette,you were much more interesting than I expected you to be."

Shirley closed her eyes momentarily. Instead of wondering how much the man knew now, she thought of a wall – a tall stone wall, reaching the sky. She fed all her thoughts into it – how wide it was, what shape the stones that composed it were. She focused on it and it alone.

"Oh, don't be like that!" Mao whined, sitting up straight. "You couldn't possibly focus on it for long enough. Not when you're frightened and being held hostage."

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Shirley rasped.

Mao chuckled. "You're still trying to protect that boy, Lelouch? When all he's done is lie to you? After he took your memories away? After he killed your father? After you were shot and killed by one of his men?"

"Yes." The thought was simple. It required no concentration or forethought."Father is alive and safe. His death never happened. And that boy decided to kill me on his own," Shirley whispered. "He was disturbed and had twisted loyalty to Lulu; he decided that I was a threat to him."

"So why haven't you gone and killed him? Gotten rid of your murderer? He may be able to sink his claws into darling Lulu this time around, couldn't he?" Mao asked rhetorically, tilting his head slightly. He smirked slightly. "You don't want to shed blood? Oh, you poor, naive little girl. You think that what you've done hasn't already caused people to die?"

Shirley felt it the moment he started talking – a sharp, piercing sense of pain in her head. A familiar one. Mao's Geass. "Why would I kill a little boy for something he hasn't done?"

Mao clicked his tongue. "You want to help your beloved destroy an Empire, but you'd leave the instrument of your death up to chance? You think you have that luxury?"

Shirley didn't answer. She was still thinking of the wall. Engaging Mao on any level was a mistake, and she knew it.

Mao pouted slightly. He wasn't used to being resisted. It must be the Grace, he mused. It's protecting her from the worst of my power. Let's see how much it can do, then!

"Then perhaps you're saving the smiting for some more important figures?" He guessed. A slight wince from his captive confirmed it. "Hm. Like the Prince Schenizel? Oh, he's certainly the biggest obstacle in the Black Knights way, save the Emperor himself."

"Why are you asking me?" Shirley inquired, pushing back for the first time. "You never cared much about the Empire or anything connected to it. You just want to find Miss C.C. again."

"Of course! That's why you're here. But I dislike sinners, don't you remember?"

The wall is so tall, that after midday the sun falls down behind it, casting a long shadow over the kingdom it encircles. Shirley imagined the wall was made of red brick. Her hands desperately clutched at the ropes binding them.

Mao frowned when she didn't rise to it. Clearly he had to push a bit harder. "I wonder what your parents would think if they knew you were planning to walk to your death for an uncertain 'good future'?" He asked.

Shirley eyed him nervously, clearly sensing a trap. "I don't understand..."

"The Grace will kill you if you use it enough." Mao noted. At Shirley's stricken look, he smiled. "The thought has entered your mind, hasn't it? You've tried to ignore it for the sake of focusing on your mission, but it faces you down in every nightmare you've had since. After you stopped the mudslide and felt that fatal gunshot again, you knew right away what it meant. If all that was the result of just stopping a measly mudslide, what will happen when you confront the Emperor, and the Elevator? You didn't really think you could just come back to life, without a price?"

Shirley stared down at her feet, trembling. "Oh, poor sweet girl. You're still afraid to die, aren't you? Even though you're already experienced it once." She shrank away from him, her jaw set.

"Death," Mao mused. He thought back to the many times on the street where he had thought he would die. Each time, he had listened to C.C.'s voice, allowing him to regain his strength. He hadn't truly been afraid of death until she left him behind. Because Death meant a world without her. "It's so terribly absolute. Would you and he even go to the same place if you died?"

"I think so," She whispered. "I'm certain."

"You're slightly biased though, aren't you?" Mao noted. Shirley let out a small sob. Progress, he thought with a smile, though he was still seeing that damned wall in her head. At least now, the wall was being thought of as blood red.

He was sure there was more about the future locked in that frightened mind of hers, but she was keeping those secrets tight against her chest.

"So much could go wrong, with this plan of yours," Mao went on, pushing more. "What if you or he end up dead? What if another Special Administrated Zone massacre happens, despite your and 'Euphy's' best efforts? A good future – any sort of future – and you're putting all your faith in that cruel thief. It's sort of tragic."

Shirley's head snapped up. The train shuddered to a halt in the final station – at the carnival.

Mao let out a startled yelp. Two burning Omega symbols glowed in the centre of his victim's green eyes. That fear and pain that he had been building up was utterly swallowed by a sea of anger and an utter certainty, driven by the sort of love legends were written about.

"Be careful, Mao," Shirley said, her voice dark and doubled over – as if two people were speaking at once. "He isn't a thief. He isn't an opportunist, or a terrorist, or any of the other labels people have thrown around. You haven't seen what I saw him do in the final moments of Britannia. You haven't seen the prince who gave up everything he was, so the world that betrayed him could know lasting peace and happiness. Do you think I am any less loyal than him? Do you think I won't do the same, so he can see the fruits of what he has always meant to create?"

"Maybe I do fear death. Maybe I'm afraid of what might go wrong, or be afraid of what might become of me if I use the extent of my power. But those are normal feelings a good person would have...not the deep, dark sins you're trying to convince me they are!"

The Grace...! This is it! Mao thought with a twinge of panic. Cautiously he reached back behind him, to unlock the doors to the train car.

Shirley's glowing eyes narrowed. "Threaten Lelouch, and I will destroy you."

Mao grasped the handle of his gun as the bindings on Shirley's wrists fell away. The girl stared back at him, waiting for him to make a move. Then a new voice split through the tension.

"Mao! I'm here!"

Lulu! Shirley thought.

Mao took advantage of her split second distraction to kick the girl in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. Quickly striding out, gun in hand, Mao went out to confront his opponent...

...unknowing of C.C. being perched on a building several metres away, armed with a sniper rifle. It was only loaded with tranqs – something CC had decided on by herself – so she could handle him permanently on her own terms.

Of course, Shirley didn't know about her being there either. So when Mao cocked his pistol, she jumped out of the train and tackled him, forcing his gun arm away...and in the struggle, just as she pried the weapon out of her opponent's hand, it abruptly went off.

Shirley felt a familiar, horrible stab of pain. Her cry of pain echoed across the empty carnival.

End Chapter

Yup. Cliffhanger. Haven't had one of those yet, I don't think. Next chapter will be nearly exclusively from Lelouch's POV, and I'm super looking forward to that - I hope you are too!

My first instinct was to kill Viletta, but upon reflection I decided to leave her fate open ended - my personal dislike of her notwithstanding, she and Ohgi did have a big impact on each other. She might have survived, but I'm leaving that ambiguous for now. I'm still not sure what to do with her.

Read and Review please!