Disclaimer: I own nothing of Code Geass, nor of Guilty Gear, nor to a lesser extent, BlazBlue and Rewrite. I do own this story, and all the inspirations along with it. And of course, the brain where the ideas came from.
"As an Honorary Britannian?"
"Yes," Schneizel's face nodded on the other side of the screen. Cornelia leaned back in her chair, frowning slightly at her brother. "It is the only way we can assure His Majesty's will is followed."
"But won't that only caused needless friction with the Order, brother?" she asked. "I don't think we can afford to squander our time and attention to intrigue, what with the uproar that Gear has caused. I especially can't afford tension in Area Eleven."
"It will certainly be seen by the others as a political move," Schneizel allowed, cupping his chin on his hands. "But only on the part of the other Powers. As to the Order, they are bound by a united sense of honor and duty. That is the ideal which they cling to. And that is why I've instructed Earl Lloyd to appeal to that sense of responsibility, by calling on the Eleven's action and requesting he be made to exert responsibility for it."
"So you did play that card, Brother."
"Yes, there was no other way," Schneizel sounded terribly put out. "But I have informed him to allow a compromise: the boy shall become an Honorary Britannian, but he shall be allowed to enter their ranks as a Knight."
"Won't that defeat your purpose then?" It only took Cornelia a few seconds to grasp the truth after she said that. She made a humming sound through her nose. "So the boy will then have layers of duty. Outside his Knighthood, he becomes a soldier of Britannia."
"Exactly. The Order will see it as fair and just, and to the world it will seem that the ideals of responsibility and honor have been upheld by the agreement. And it makes the Earl happy, since he legally now has a Devicer that he claims to be made for the Lancelot. In this way, everyone is satisfied. sOf course, the Frame will have to be used primarily for the Guardians, but that's a concern for another day..."
"You spin fine webs, my Brother," Cornelia offered the compliment briskly.
"I'm only doing my part as servant to the Throne," said Schneizel serenely, offering his sister a small smile. Switching topics, he continued, "Is it true then, about the Rounds invoking the Right?"
Cornelia pursed her lips, and nodded. Her brother adopted the same reticent expression on the screen, "Then there's little we can do. We can only hope Margrave Gottwald's loss will not be a keen one on the Empire."
"He is but one gear in the mechanism," dismissed the Princess. "There will be more capable parts to replace him."
"'Parts'? You sound just like the Earl now, sister," the Prince offered a rare chuckle. "But you must admit there are gears that are so prominent and important that they become indispensable, like the Emperor, or possibly, our newest countryman."
"Are we to continue in this vein now, Brother?" she asked in exasperation.
"...My pardons. We are busy in our own duties after all. How goes the reconstruction plan?"
Cornelia glanced at the window to her right, where the ruined spires of the massive pyramidal complex that was the Palace was swarmed by crews on lifts and many construction Knightmares. "I began as soon as the turnover ceremony was over. The builders already knew what to do when they were deployed. They started as soon as the last room had been flushed of water. We need to restore the image of the Empire, after all."
"As it should be. And what of...?" Schneizel let the question trail off, but it was clear what he wanted to ask.
"I've issued requests to the heads of the other Powers to search their districts, and I've already begun inspections at our own. I would've left the manpower to the Guardians, but it seems they're still focusing on debating Zero and the Preserve's defenses. It seems the Gear's last attack has shattered their confidences." That was no joke. For an array of that magnitude to have gone unnoticed had galvanized mages worldwide to seek greater research into Gear biology. "As it stands, every available soldier and Knight has been authorized to search every nook and cranny for Clovis."
"We can only hope our neighbors are cooperative in this," murmured Schneizel worriedly. "I'll look into requesting meetings with their representatives here."
"Thank you, brother."
Cornelia watched as her brother faded into silence, giving her a curious, sidelong glance. The edges of his lips threatened to quirk upwards, but with a supreme mastery, the Prince seemed to hold it down. "There is something else, dear sister, that you should be apprised of. Here in the Homeland, it's been such a fiery scandal."
"Is it a new intrigue brother?"
"Possibly," replied Schneizel delicately. "It does concern someone we both know and care about deeply." He sighed. "It's Euphie." The Prince seemed to brace for the immediate, inevitable outburst that came from the older sister of the Empire's High Druid.
)()()()()()()()(
"Lulu? I think he mentioned he'd started to work on his new project with Nina. So I'm guessing the...research rooms?"
It was a new day, and for Kallen Kouzuki, it was a day to seek an answer. She'd hoped to surprise Lelouch, whom she remembered as a sort of an early bird in coming to the council clubroom, but all she found upon storming in was the orangette, Shirley Fenette, preparing tea on the counter.
"Research rooms... Couldja tell me where they are, Shirley?" The average apprentice had no need to use Ashford's research rooms, where only the best and most brilliant students were allowed entry.
"Sure," replied Shirley brightly. "I was just about to call Nina in anyway. She's in charge of reporting to the President today. Come to think of it, wasn't your day tomorrow, Kallen?"
"Nn, no I think it was the day after..." she replied, and their casual chatter began as Shirley led the way through the hall, a talk she could not weasel out of – yet.
Her thoughts were another matter.
Since she'd seen Zero's latest "broadcast" during that day, many puzzle pieces had fallen squarely into place in her mind. It was unnerving to see the camera move and shake as it viewed absolutely nothing on the screen. The ars struck an insistent chord in her, and she thought then that it was a remnant of Zero's easily forgotten melody. How squarely the piece fit, when just days before she had been subject to a similar type of ars.
It was a really big coincidence. Lelouch might be Zero. Zero could be Lelouch. Not "Alan Spacer", but Lelouch Lamperouge. There was a biting, frantic possibility that he was. Was he? Was there anything to connect the suave, confident and powerful Gear to the aloof, serious and smart student who could barely reach 60% in the Knightmare syncs? Could Zero have adopted that good of a disguise?
And why not? She was herself many things, and being a Gear was one of them. She had lived in fear of her heritage being discovered, until he had come. Until Zero had entered her life. Zero, who knew her name...
Yes, there was more a chance. It was a low, low chance for Lelouch to equal Zero, but the chance, she had decided, wasn't zero.
"Kallen? Heeey, Earth to Kallen."
"Ah, sorry," she looked around, Shirley standing beside her giving her a quizzical look. "Where...?"
"Just a few more floors," said Shirley, gesturing to the stair landing near them. She turned back to Kallen with a worried look. "Are you sure you're alright Kallen? It's not one of those days, isn't it?"
"No!" she denied, crossing her arms before her chest. This girl...Shirley's bubbling could probably faze even Zero.
Well, if Zero was Lelouch...
"Let's go," declared Kallen. "I wanna talk about something important with that blockhead Lelouch."
"Something?" asked Shirley, eyes swimming. "But what could you be...? Huh? C-Could it be-?"
"Shirley."
The girl jumped. "A-a-ahahaha, sorry, I'm really sorry, it's none of my business after all and all that, but, nah, forget it, ahaha," This elicited another tired sigh from Kallen, who turned her thoughts back to Lelouch. No...Zero! Not Lelouch. Unlike the girl, she didn't care one bit for his disguise. If Lelouch did equal Zero.
And suppose it was true, what was she going to do? What're you gonna do Kallen? Expose Lelouch? Kill Zero?
"Here we are," Shirley announced, red still staining her cheeks. They'd stopped before an average-sized, grey door along a narrow corridor lined by similar-looking doors. She pointed to a light over the door. "It's not on, so they're probably not in the middle of something. Yet." She knocked on the door without hesitation, "Lulu, Nina? Heeey, we want to talk to the both of you..."
This was the time. Kallen steeled herself. When that door would open, she would do everything in her power to isolate Lelouch and wrest the truth from him. Showtime, Kallen.
The muffled voices answered them, sounding heated and frantic.
"Ah, yes, we'll be right out! Lelouch, where did you put my glasses?"
"It's right there on the shelf, could you get me mine too? Hey, stop struggling..."
"It's hard to see without your glasses...why'd you have to turn off the lights anyway?"
The two girls looked at each other, puzzled at the hisses and whispers that escaped through the door..
"Clothes...clothes..."
"Kyaah! Lelouch, that's my-"
"Ah, sorry, here...it...goes... ah, there, here you go, Nina."
"You have to smooth it out, we wouldn't want them to see..."
"This kinda smells, oh damn...did it get into your clothes too?"
"Could you guys hurry it up?" said Kallen impatiently. What the hell were those guys doing inside anyway?
"Almost there- is that Kallen? What are you doing here?" The doors whizzed open, and the two four-eyes of the Council emerged, clothes rumpled and in varying states of undress. A weird scent wafted out of the room behind them.
The two groups took some moments to stare at each other. Shirley was first to shut her jaw up, telling the two forgers, "Lulu, why are you wearing Nina's glasses? And Nina too..."
"Ah!" Lelouch exclaimed. "Knew something was off." They hastily exchanged their glasses. "So," the boy continued, rubbing his nose. "What do you guys want?"
"Before that, what were you guys doing?" asked Shirley. No, that isn't the time for useless things, Shirley! Kallen thought. I've got to ask Zero-
"Experiment," they said in unison. They shared a raised eyebrow, before Lelouch frowned. "Ah...sorry, I don't think I can take this smell. I rather doubt the instructors would be pleased. I have to go wash up at the baths. See ya Nina, Shirley... Kallen." Lelouch pushed his way out to walk swiftly down the hall.
Three pairs of eyes watched him trudge off in a hurry. It took a moment for Kallen to dash off in pursuit, crying, "Wait! Lamperouge!", leaving the two to stand in silence.
Once again, it was Shirley who broke it. "So what were you guys doing?" she demanded.
"We... were doing some tests..." explained Nina. Her eyes unexpectedly lit up. "Would you like to know how it-"
"No, forget it," the normally cheery Shirley rubbed her forehead morosely. "That's right Shirley. Forget it," she muttered.
)()()()()()()()(
Three knocks.
"Enter," said Jeremiah Gottwald, fatigued eyes poring over dispatch orders in his pad. His uniform, though fresh, looked faded, the once proud emblem of the Valorous Brigade on his chest drooping like a wilted flower.
He rose when he recognized the ornate armor that strode into his office, carrying with it the authority of the Throne.
"Your Grace," Jeremiah saluted smartly. He still retained his trained grace, even in his clouded state.
"Margrave Jeremiah," the Knight of Six said without preamble. "Do you acknowledge that you have failed the Throne? Answer truly from your heart."
The question unbalanced him, making his stern features falter. In that moment, he felt as if a dagger had been thrust near his neck. "Pardon, Your Grace? I-"
"Answer, Captain Gottwald. Did you fail your Emperor? Did you fail Britannia through your actions?" The emotionless voice fit in the steel unchanging expression of the helm.
Deep in his breast, the noble heart of Gottwald succumbed to the challenge. Immediately, he bowed, his hands placed contritely over his chest. "My humblest apologies, but it's true! I have been remiss in my duties. My powers were insufficient. I have failed, failed the Throne, the Empire, my Emperor. I have failed Britannia!"
"Very well," said the Knight, and she reached for him.
)()()()()()()()(
"Hey, wait, Lamperouge! I need to talk to you!" bellowed Kallen, breaking the rules by sprinting down the corridors. How the hell did he get to be so fast? Some of the loiterers stared after her in surprise as she dashed by, righteous fire in her eyes. "Stop!"
She was catching up, but the guy had rounded a corner. Making one last spurt, she skidded through the floor, catching a glimpse of Lelouch as he disappeared into a door a short distance away.
Just then, her cellphone rang. The redhead lifted an eyebrow when she saw "unknown number", then frowned when she pressed receive, walking all the while to the door through which the youth had gone through.
"Greetings young Flame. Now that you have all seen what I have intended you to hear, I would like you to-"
"Zero? No, Lamperouge, that's you right? Why the heck are you calling now?" She stopped, halted by the unmagical barrier of the "Men Toilet Room" sign over the door. Kallen frowned, before realizing that the "Zero" over the phone had not answered her question; in fact, he had gone on speaking as if he hadn't heard her, "- are many things for us to plan yet, as a family, and the first thing I deem necessary - "
"Hah. So it's a recording after all. As expected of Zero – no, should I call you Lamperouge now, Alan Spacer?" She smirked, and after ending the conversation, threw caution to the winds and entered the privy without fear.
The room was heavily perfumed, the scent cascading over her senses as she hesitantly edged around the stalls. The redhead narrowed her eyes when she saw no sign of the boy, then glanced shrewdly at the stalls. It was a large room, and there was a lot of stalls arranged around a central pillar. It would take some time to check them all.
BANG!
Using her fist, she knocked a stall-door inward. Empty. Her cellphone rang again, and after uttering an impatient grunt, she clicked receive, just as she knocked open another door. "You may as well give it up, 'Alan Spacer'. You can't hide from the truth," she said loudly enough for Lamperouge and the recording over her phone to hear.
"Kallen Kouzuki. What is the meaning of this? I know I was remiss but-"
"You can save your words for when I can confront you face to face." She began banging down doors every other second. "Once I get the truth-"
"-It is fine to joke, young flame, but isn't it rude of you go so far like this? You even interrupted my recording just now."
"Ah, so it was a recording!" she yelled into the phone. Why was she screaming? The culprit was right there, somewhere behind the stalls.
"I'm sorry to have to resort to that, but I've some very good reasons."
"Like what?" She wished she could bust all these stalls down. She was three-fourths of the way finished.
"I don't like to repeat myself; I will be telling you all later. But if you must know, I plan to-"
"Lamperouge! Get out right now! I'm sick of your damn games!"
"Lamperouge? Is that your friend?"
"Didn't I tell you to stop playing these damn games?" Last stall. Got you now. She broke it down with vindictive pleasure.
"Kallen Kouzuki, are you in some sort of trouble? Perhaps it would be better if I just left my recording in the voice mail. The instructions are all there. Formation Area G-2, Federation District, Dusk."
"No way," she caught her breath, staring at the empty stall. "But I saw him come in..." She stared wildly around at the other rooms. "How can this-"
"Are you sure you're not in trouble, young flame? Please confirm!"
"Whoa, wow, whoa! K-Kallen? W-w-what the heck are you doing here?" cried a sudden voice from behind her. The redhead spun around to face Rivalz, who was staring openmouthed at her – and Lelouch.
"How the heck did you escape?" she spluttered, running up to the surprised youth and grabbing him by the collar. "I-I saw you run in here myself-"
"Kouzuki, are you sure you're not feeling funny in the head? I didn't enter the privy until this very moment," answered the bespectacled youth, adjusting his glasses while he was being manhandled, as he and Rivalz stared at her like she had grown two heads. "But honestly, I would like to know why you entered here. You're a student council member after all."
"Who is that, is that the Lamperouge you mentioned? Kallen Kouzuki, are you in trouble from this man?" came the faint voice over the phone, as Kallen stared in horror at it. The boys' eyebrows raised as she backed away, shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm fine, I'm sorry for my rude behavior."
"...Well, as long as you're safe," said Zero doubtfully. "Remember, the instructions are in my recording. Be safe." The call was terminated. Cheeks burning with the fires of shame, Kallen fled, two dumbstruck boys in her wake.
"Crazy, huh? What was that all about?" wondered Rivalz, who looked like he was struggling to get over the surprise.
"Probably something foolish. How could she have forgotten our classroom was close to the toilet room?" Lelouch adjusted his glasses before turning to the mess Kallen had left.
"What did she want from you anyway? It sounded like she'd been chasing you."
"I have no idea," remarked Lelouch, adjusting his wrinkled collar nonchalantly.
It was in that moment that the ominous-sounding alarm blared over the school-wide speakers.
)()()()()()()()(
"Congratulations!" beamed Lloyd Asplund, leaning forward to offer his hand to the recently released apprentice. "That was a really tense moment, but I'm glad we all survived that!" He adopted a smarmy accent, "And welcome to the Empire, Mr. Honorary! Glad to have you on the team."
"Uh, yes, please take care of me," Suzaku replied, grasping the proffered hand.
"I'm sure you're tired, sir Kururugi," remarked Cecile Croomy from behind Lloyd with concern. "Why don't you take the time to go home and rest? We'll drive you there."
"Yup yup yup!" Lloyd agreed cheerfully. "You need to rest a lot, because we've got lots and lots of data to expect in the coming months! Oh, I can't wait! We can't thank you enough, Suzaku!"
"Lloyd sir, restrain yourself," Cecile chided her superior with a trace of a chill in her tone.
"...Well, I'm just that excited, Cecile." Lloyd acceded with a smile. He turned back to the boy after a pause, "No hard feelings, I hope? I know I don't have any."
The question was loaded with a lot of important things for this apprentice, who in the past days had experienced so much and gone through so many life-changing things.
At first there had been the trial, where the boy had feared for his prospects, being unfamiliar of Order ways. Then there had been the hair-raising moment when Zero himself had come, even if in the end, his sensei had proved that it had been but a simulacrum made from a devious illusion array. And then, before he was formally released from the Britannian prison, his sensei had come personally to inform him of the Order's decision, and that involved him having to forsake his Eleven citizenship to become an Honorary Britannian.
"There's one thing you have to admire about today's bureaucracy," remarked the Earl from the front seat, as their transport thundered through the skyway towards Ashford Academy. "Sign a few papers and an hour later, you're practically a new man!"
The process had taken several stunned hours, hardly enough time for the youth to let the news sink in. His sensei had told him to accept the agreement, promising that he would still be able to continue on to become an anointed Knight if he took responsibility here.
When it was done, Suzaku realized that technically, he would belong to the same country as most of the Ashford student council, together with the privileges it afforded. He would be summarily excused from being forced to attend re-evaluation seminars for the Japanese remnants, which the optimistic deemed as hopeful for the dying race while the cynical fueled rumors of mass experimentation.
Speaking of everyone...
That's right, he would meet everyone again, after what seemed like a long time. Lelouch, Rivalz, Nina, Kallen, Shirley, Milly and the rest – there was one thing to look forward to in the confusing mass of his circumstances.
"We're coming upon Ashford Academy," Cecile announced, as the spire of the tallest building came into view through the windshield.
After the deed was done and his sensei had left, he was immediately turned over to be employed under the "Special Division" with these two being the heads. He would be the Britannian-made Lancelot's Devicer, but it also meant that when he became Knight, the Frame would be his to use, owing to the centuries-old agreement between Guardian and the Empire.
"Ashford, huh?" Lloyd muttered roughly. "That outrageous family never seems to leave my mind."
"At least you've got the leg-up now, sir, what with the Prince backing your prototype," Cecile cheerfully said. Suzaku cocked his head, wondering what that meant as Lloyd shrugged violently.
"ALERT! ALERT!"
The two engineers jerked instinctively, Lloyd turning to look at the blinking alert light behind them with a strange look. "Another one? I don't know whether or not I should be happy about this. And...wow, this actually confirms your hypothesis last week Cecile. Congratz!"
As his two newly acquired superiors fell into worried chatter, Suzaku Kururugi slowly looked up to eye the light with renewed vigor.
)()()()()()()()(
Students and instructors scurried left and right around Kallen in ordered panic as she stood shell-shocked in the center of the hall. The doors along its length slammed shut, with a larger steel, ars-reinforced door crashing down over them a moment later. The automated system voice boomed instructions incessantly, ordering all the people in the school to head for the safe zones.
Rivalz and Lelouch ran up to her from behind, the former panting with the latter wearing a difficult look on his face. Kallen gave him a suspicious glance as the other boy commented, "Oi, oi, you guys don't think it's another Gear? It's the second time Ashford's had em this year!"
"I know, but owing to... recent events-" Kallen quirked an eyebrow when Lamperouge replied with an almost careless air despite the situation, "-one can never be too sure of absolutes anymore." After a pause, he nodded for them down the hall. "Let's go. We need to make sure everyone's gotten into the safe zones. The nearest surveillance room is two floors directly above. We don't have Suzaku back yet, so a retaliation against whatever it is is out of the question."
Rivalz laughed nervously as they began to run, "Hey, you're not thinking of fighting a Gear yourself again right? I know you three," he pointed between the other two, "managed to defeat that thing before, but- Y'know, wouldn't you be pushing it, Lelouch?"
"Hmph," smirked Lelouch confidently. "If I wasn't saddled with you guys I would've gone to challenge the Gear even without that Poster Boy, right now. This very instant."
"Excuse me?" Kallen stopped running, glaring at Lelouch. The suspicion of him still hadn't passed, and her brain was wondering if this weren't some sort of new ploy he- or, Zero- was planning to get her to play along. "I can challenge any sort of thing just as well as you breast-less sissies can. Do you remember who actually killed that thing back there?" Her voice shook when she said "kill", but she let it pass by.
"And would you have managed without the Knightmare?" retorted Lelouch, still wearing that odd smirk. "To add, it had been but a low-level Gear, and the Ashford guards had come in barely a minute after you 'killed' it."
Rivalz looked between the two, at a loss at the heavy atmosphere that had sprung up between them, before shaking his head and telling Lelouch, "Hey, but you know, what if it's Zero?"
Kallen carefully scrutinized Lamperouge's face after the other boy said that, watching for tell-tale twitches or a guilty shift in the muscles. Lelouch raised his eyebrows, seeming to consider that for a second before replying, "If it is that Gear, then I'd lay odds that no one will get hurt."
"And why is that?" Kallen was quick to ask that first, taking a challenging step forward.
The boy sighed dramatically, as if he were about to deliver a lesson that the other two should have long understood. "Well first, you have to consider that the Order has recently escalated its patrols since the two times Zero's appeared. That means there is a big chance that there are patrols right outside Ashford at this very moment, rushing here after the alert." Rivalz ah-ed like he'd gotten it. "And the second thing...well, don't you think Zero was a bit civilized for a Gear? Smart, even. He completely had the Order and the people under his thrall, and they didn't even know it. He has power, and the wits to use it. I do wonder what his plans for Ashford would be if it's him, but-" he smiled fearlessly behind his glasses, "-I'm quite sure a Gear of his intellect wouldn't appear so soon after his last appearance. I don't think Zero would stoop to quick, successive appearances. It makes it sound like he's just in it for the publicity. Of course, I may be misreading him, and the Gear's here in Ashford for some other sinister purpose only he would know."
"Maybe... Man, but remember the first attack? A lot of folks died!" said Rivalz, and to that Lelouch tilted his head and shrugged noncommittally.
"And what would you do, if you were Zero?" She hoped she didn't sound that obvious, but the boy was still too damn suspicious in her mind.
"I don't- You can't just assume- Well, if I were Zero...bah, speculation is speculation. We've dallied enough already. Let's head to that surveillance room now. Our first priority as student council members is the school," Lelouch declared, pushing past an unsatisfied Kallen towards the stairs.
Why that little-
"Yeah, Kallen, who knows what's going on inside the head of Gears?"
Surprisingly, it was Rivalz who overtook Lelouch and reached the door first. After imprinting their master-soul glyphs onto the door, they passed through it as it opened for them like a permeable barrier. There were three audible pops as the students stumbled onto the room.
"Oh good, you're here." Milly was already there. "And Lelouch, what a surprise to see you haven't been off doing heroics like your best friend would have done by now."
The boy snorted. He walked over to the screens, giving them a quick sweep. "Anyone unaccounted for? Where's Shirley and Nina? The rest?"
"The first two are in the research floor shelter. Hopefully they won't have to use the transport to the underground one...the rest of the council are in their respective classrooms' shelters... But I think you seem to have grasped the situation already."
"Hmph. And the Gear?" Lelouch turned a serious expresion on the President. "I don't see it anywhere."
As if in answer, the walls of the room shook, causing Milly to drop the datapad in her hands. "Well, here's the thing... It's kinda strong. It overcame the outside barriers and...er, injured the guards."
"Really? How does Ashford know?"
"We have our ways," replied Milly, smiling cryptically. "Thou shalt not underestimate the Ashford family and all that." She handed Lelouch the datapad she had dropped. "In any case, have a look. The signature seems dense enough to suggest a strong magical potential."
Another wave shook the walls of the room, visibly making the members shake. Lelouch adjusted his glasses. "Well, I guess we can assure ourselves that it's not Zero."
"Yeah," agreed Milly. "The data we got from intel said it was, like a million-times stronger than this..." she trailed off, looking quizzically at Lelouch. "What's up with you mentioning Zero?"
"Oh, Rivalz was wondering earlier if the Gear attacking us was Zero," replied Lelouch, elbowing the other boy. "Looks like it's just another berserk Gear. Now you know Zero doesn't do these types of things, eh Kallen?"
She whipped her head to match the boy's gaze, but it was just as quickly turned away. Yet another wave shook their bodies, as Milly then bent to input commands on the terminal interface.
"This doesn't look good." Milly's face was grave. "Defense arrays B through K have been taken down. This Gear's strong." A heavier shaking occured, knocking both boys off their feet. "Really, really strong."
"Milly! Triangulate!" Lelouch gasped.
"I'm trying-"
Lelouch had to crawl over to the terminals, and Milly hastily stepped aside as Lelouch inputted commands in a rapid-fire manner. "Well?"
"There's a 97.5% chance," Lelouch's voice was low, "- that it's headed in this direction." He punched another command, practically slamming his fist down. "We have to get the others to move to the underground...and we have to get out of here, ASAP!" The boy finished another set, before rising, taking Milly's hand. The grinding, cracking noises seemed closer, as several of the displays that were now blaring red fizzled to darkness.
The four students ran hastily for the door, as the wall exploded inward behind them. There was a hissing and clacking like pincers, before an unearthly wail filled the air.
"Hey, where's the Order when you need them!" Rivalz shouted, the only one dashing ahead. "I thought you said they'd be prepared!"
"The lockdown on the school also applies to them! I don't know if they have permission to brute-force through the barrier, but it may take them some time, right Milly!" cried Lelouch, as the hairs on his back rose after seithr crackled and ignited around them.
"That's something Grandpa's only been looking into-" replied Milly, as Lelouch rapidly created an ice-path through the stairs for them to slide through. "- and I don't think the board's given the go-ahead!"
"I'm gonna throttle those old geezers!" Kallen hissed as she now breathed in gasps. Milly nodded, "Right behind you on that!"
"For now, our closest shelter is through the research hall," Lelouch said in a calm, commanding tone, even though he was breathing far more heavily than the rest of them. "And we need to-"
"Lulu!" "Lelouch!"
The group skidded to a halt as their other two members, Nina and Shirley, ran up to them from the adjacent corridor. "What're you guys doing outside the shelter?" cried Milly frantically.
"It got stuck, wouldn't allow us to get underground even after the command, so-"
"You idiots, you should've stayed where you were!" shouted Lelouch, as he turned from the frightened faces on the two girls to face the direction from where he'd come. The sounds of the Gear's frenzied rampage, ripping through corridor after corridor, seemed to be getting closer and closer. "Can't help it then-
"Milly, the other closest underground transport is down three floors right? Take yourselves there. Rivalz, I'm counting on you!" said Lelouch as he began to run.
"Hey, are you crazy man? You're going in there without backup?" hollered Rivalz from behind him. Kallen gritted her teeth before taking off on a run as well. "Get them there, Rivalz!" the redhead shouted over her shoulder.
"Why the heck are they off going hero on us-" the boy was about to say before Milly's insistent tug on his arm had him running in the opposite direction.
"Kouzuki, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Lelouch demanded as Kallen caught up. They could both feel the thunderous presence of the Gear.
Kallen, for her part, could take it.
Lelouch knew it would be nothing for him.
But that wasn't the problem.
The mass of pincers and claws barreled through the ceiling, crashing down to bristle its ugly face at the two. Kallen prepped a fireball ars as Lelouch lunged, sending a precast frost ars through the floor. In that moment, the creature had fired off its own invisible blast of magic, which Kallen in her haste had to intercept with a weaker glob of fire.
The corridor exploded, sending ash and seithr residue through the hall. Lelouch grabbed Kallen's hand, who protested slightly as she was dragged back through the corridors and down another flight of stairs.
"Listen, if you're going to help fight, we need to make a plan," said Lelouch. "Right now, that thing is dangerous in closed quarters. It might even have a chance to damage students who still haven't gone to the underground shelters. So for now, we need to delay it-"
"In an open space?"
"You catch on quick. Close your eyes," commanded Lelouch. They had come to an open landing where a wide window gave the open view of an Open Field. In the heat of the moment, Kallen hesitated, wondering what tricks he would employ, but the sound of the Gear's pursuit behind them made her quickly do it.
"I've reinforced your joints, but you'll have to follow through with your own roll. Here we go!" With a rush of seithr, Lelouch blasted the barrier over the window with his own ars, and before it could reform, he and Kallen ran through, busting the glass as they began to sail through the air.
"Well, you've got to open your eyes before you land!" shouted the boy, which made Kallen do exactly that before she crassed to the grassy ground and began a recovery roll. Above them, the Gear had just arrived, and had shot a destructive shot of magic down before it descended.
Lelouch met it with his own frost ars which formed a barrier; its outer edges cracked and shattered under the sprain, as Kallen used the opening to begin running towards the open field, pre-casting her own ars.
When the beast landed down, spiky stalagmites of ice erupted from the ground to impale it, and it uttered a brief roar of pain as it hung trapped before it broke free, turning its head this way and that to see that its two prey had split up.
Oh god, Lamperouge, or Zero if you are, you have got to tell me your whole plan beforehand! Kallen thought when she looked back to see that the Gear was leaping after the boy, who was running towards the back of the building. She turned around, the plan to ignite the grass around her to obscure her own brief transformation aborted as she herself gave chase to the Gear.
She made good time, arriving just as the other members inexplicably emerged through the barrier near her. Kallen spared them an incredulous look as she fired off a rapid-series of small fireballs at the beast who had seemed to corner the boy in the middle of a bridge. The redhead realized her mistake too late, cursing as the distracted Gear turned its hideous face towards the group of humans behind it. It seemed to make an appreciative cry as it then ignored Lelouch's counter-attacks and turned towards the newly arrived group.
Like a dog that had just seen its next meal, the Gear dashed, firing off ars blasts that impacted the ground.
"Fucker!" Kallen flung ars after ars into it, causing it to slow down and stop to see the other next distraction. God damn thing was too far gone now, Tamaki was right, Zero was right! She had reached the group that was standing around frozen where they were, screaming, "Why the heck did you guys come out here?"
Rivalz had flung out his arms to stand in front of the group in a display of bravado, while Milly looked around worriedly, replying, "The other option Lelouch mentioned was locked. I thought this way would be free-"
The beast uttered another guttural roar, flinging a wad of concentrated magic right at the group. Kallen cursed, indecision rooting her to the ground. Milly knocked Rivalz aside as she flung her hands out, a barrier ars quickly materializing just in time to intercept it. Kallen and the others looked on in surprise as the force of it made the President's entire body vibrate, before Milly herself snapped, "What are you guys doing? Are you apprentices of Ashford or not?"
Immediately, they got to reinforcing the barrier as Kallen sidestepped to attack the Gear as it was being frozen in place by the Shadowfrost Prince's attempt with a sealing array.
"Take this, you bastard!" was Kallen's battle-cry as she charged, now fully ignoring the fact that she was yet again about to kill another one of her own.
)()()()()()()()(
A bluish-white glow surrounded the interior of the transport as the synchronization process ended, and the Lancelot had melded its Devicer to itself. A hiss of steam preceded the hatch opening as the stand rotated to allow the Knightmare to face the outside.
"Sakuradite matrix filled and ready," announced Cecile, typing rapidly on the terminal before her. "Yggdrasil Drive engaged. 85% native suppression. Sir Kururugi?"
"Synchronization rate – 89, 90.5, 92%-"
"Good enough," murmured Lloyd, watching the boy's energy suffuse the Lancelot's pristine armor in intermittent glows. The bright-red Variable Pack holding the seven seithr-conductive magiswords of varying sizes and shapes gleamed in the sunlight. "Very, very good."
"Variable Pack – Slash connection set. Core performance set."
"All status green, sir."
"Well then, go ahead, my dear Devicer! You have my blessings!" The Lancelot's creator chirped. "Show those Ashfords what a real Knightmare should be!"
"Lancelot: Kururugi Suzaku launching!"
The Knightmare shot out with the force of thunder.
)()()()()()()()(
"Are you going to try it again?" shouted Kallen, using every muscle in her body to roll out of the way of the Gear's attacks. She supposed the thing couldn't understand what they were saying – not at the moment anyway.
Lelouch's first two attempts at a seal had failed: the Gear, as he'd said, had too much latent resistance to ars. As the rest of the council frantically erected and reinforced a barrier around them behind the two, Kallen and Lelouch had set to distracting and attacking the mad Gear.
"I could, but-" His shields exploded into shards of ice, knocking him back. The boy was visibly tiring, Kallen saw. "-there's not much seithr in the area left! Best we can do is- damn you!" He ducked underneath a spike-tipped appendage that had shot out, and he managed to trap it with streams of ice.
The worst part of it were the two apprentices' specialties naturally clashed against each other, with Kallen's earlier plan of incinerating the whole field negating the ability of Lelouch's ice to trap and ensnare the Gear. But now-
"I'm doing it, Lamperouge!" She could also feel the scarce amount of seithr in the air as she sucked it all in to her ars, fueling it in her right arm as she slammed her fist into the grass.
Geysers of fire immediately erupted, bathing the sunny day with a fierce red glow. The fire quickly spread through the grass, causing Lelouch to back away hastily as they encircled the Gear, the fire making it hiss and howl in agony as it latched onto its hide, setting the creature alight.
It was no seal, but it seemed to work just as well. Lelouch landed a little ways behind her, utterly exhausted, and managed to gasp, "We've got to control the fire after. We can't have it spreading to the buildings." But the Gear seemed to have other plans.
Enraged, the flame-ridden Gear began firing off its magical might here and there, smashing through the barriers over the windows and the walls. A scream alerted the two to Milly finally collapsing under the strain of one part of the barrage that had been too strong, and Kallen's heart hammered in her chest when she realized they were vulnerable as she too had to dodge the Beast's attacks...
...And then the creature fired off another mad barrage, and one of them sailed with unerring precision at the now-vulnerable group. Kallen's gut lurched, wishing she could have gone into Gear to teach that bastard what for...
...When Lelouch appeared out of nowhere in front of the group, and the blast crashed straight into his body. The boy stood his ground as he absorbed it for some seconds, the power blasting bruises and cutting slashes across his entire frame.
In the aftermath, Lelouch's body stood for but a second, trembling, bleeding, mutilated and battered, before he finally slumped to the ground like a paper doll, glasses askew.
"Lulu!" "Oi, Lelouch!" The redhead gasped, battle momentarily forgotten as she too watched the fallen boy in horror.
"You fucking Gear! You're finished!" suddenly cried a robotic, amplified voice, and Kallen wrenched her eyes from the sight of Shirley desperately casting healing ars on the boy's fallen body to see a sight of blue-and-white.
)()()()()()()()(
He had come as fast as he could, on Landspinners that were faster than even a Gloucester, bristling with his own offered energy as he barreled past a surprised Order group and slashed his way through the barrier, Factspheres registering the lone, loathsome signature of another Gear threatening his school.
The dash there was even quicker than from before he entered, as he blazed past avenues, walkways and fields towards the Gears' location. When he finally arrived, it was just in time to see the Gear engulfed in a sea of flame – and Lelouch getting hit, Lelouch falling to the ground after being ravaged by the Gear's attack.
A white rage filled him as he screamed, the Lancelot instantly plowing through the flames to knock the monster back. How dare this thing, how dare-
The Lancelot reached into its Variable Pack, withdrawing one longsword from it and filling the weapon with his lightning, his vengeance. Suzaku glared at the interface, at the Gear that rose, flames still licking at its body as it charged to attack.
Before, facing down a Gear on his own (or with his best friend) required exerting a lot of effort with his body to avoid the enemy's endless assaults and retaliating with his own. It demanded every ounce of survival instinct, every skill and trick to stay ahead. A Gear could kill with one shot.
Yet now, all that was irrelevant. The Gear seemed fast, but the Lancelot was ten times faster. Suzaku was miles faster.
Criss-cross. Slash. The Gear's ugly face was frozen in surprise as it was brutally cut from side to side, from the head going down. Its wounds sizzled with leftover lightning energy.
The Lancelot gazed down at the fallen thing that writhed like a flattened insect before Suzaku raised its sword high in the air for a second, and then bringing it down in a final, decisive, downward stab.
"I have performed justice."
)()()()()()()()(
The soothing warmth of the healing fields was the first thing Lelouch Lamperouge felt when he awoke. The next was immediate, dull pain radiating from every part of his body.
"Ugh!" the boy exclaimed as his body struggled to move, but finding itself bound by an unseen ars. When his mind caught up, Lelouch ceased all movement, and instead focused his eyes on the ceiling. There was a soft, rhythmic beating sound coming from somewhere near him. He smelled purified antiseptic. The sight, sensations and situation were very familiar. Not too long ago, he'd woken up the exact same way in this very room, under the same healing fields.
"Lamperouge?"
Everything save for that.
He closed his eyes, trying to find strength in the darkness. This was honestly not the time and place to be confronted. Not after his big diversion plan had been cut off before it could really get going.
"Is that you, Kouzuki?" the boy uttered, licking his cracked lips as he spoke through an unresponsive mouth that seemed to be welded shut. He pried open his jaw and cast a bleary eye about, until he saw the girl's form standing at his bedside. "What happened?"
"It's been a day." The girl's voice was toneless, Lelouch noted as he watched her through the prismatic veil of the healing field. "...since the attack."
"Not entirely unexpected..." murmured the boy. His last memory had been someone crying right in front of him, the face a fluid blur, and then of his struggle to reach out with his shattered body, through his fading consciousness, to tell whoever it was that it was alright, to reassure them that he wouldn't die, not yet, not here. "That was quite an attack..."
"Why'd you do that?" came Kallen's next question. Lelouch made to lift his eyebrow, but found the action too painful. He settled for a twitch.
"Not too... hard to reach a conclusion... I guess there's really no way to quantify it logically..." He was rambling. "But in that moment...I saw it was the only way...the right way..."
"To get yourself killed?"
"Maybe?" His throat seized before he made a small cough. "I guess it wasn't...my usual...a spur-of-the-moment decision...even if I hated those kinds of things..." He coughed again. "The plan should've been...to erect a quick...three-part shield...but for some reason..." He lapsed into silence, the pain becoming slightly too much to bear for the moment.
"What about your plan?" Kallen's voice had risen. "What about all your intentions to 'lead the way to the world's destruction'?"
Lelouch cursed the way the beeping sounds increased in rate. Even if he managed to catch it a moment later, not even the dullest of interrogators could miss that. So that was the girl's plan. Damnit!
"What might you be talking about... Kallen Kouzuki...?"
"Please. You can't keep pretending anymore, 'Alan Spacer'. I know all the facts. I'm not some dumb apprentice, you know. So answer me. Why? Why risk your life? Zero would have ended on that day."
Lelouch expelled a short breath, willing the darkness to take him on that instant. She was indeed something. C.C was wrong.
But he knew he couldn't- shouldn't stop lying. Not for a single moment, nor for any reason. He would continue the lie, even if it pained him. Even if it would warp him.
That was what it meant to be Zero.
So he made a derisive sound, his mouth quirking upward in a smile that was too much of a grimace. "I still have no idea what you mean, Kouzuki. This has gone too far to be a simple joke." The pain seemed distant now. "In fact, I find your recent behavior rather suspect. It reflects poorly on your quality as a future mage. I thought you were better, and not have to stoop to petty gossip and intrigue like any of the ones in my fanclubs. Enough. If you continue to pursue this foolish endeavor, then I shall talk to the President. The principal even."
"How dare you- You can't-" her voice was laden with recrimination, with a hurt that pierced through the healing field. "You can keep your damn secrets, Lamperouge. And for what it's worth, I even thought you were a cool guy on that moment. But now you're just a freak of nature. A stupid hero." Something seemed to crack in her voice in that moment, and Lelouch heard her footsteps rapidly fading away.
"Kallen!" he called out, unsure if she'd already left out the door. He breathed out, and in, summoning his last reserves, "For what it's worth, you're a brave girl. You displayed great inner strength during that day, like an unquenchable, new fire. You've got great courage, and talent. Don't squander it."
Her steps came stomping back, until he could see the outline of her form through the field. "What?" he bit out. "I don't have any more compliments for you."
"...Just tell me this...Lelouch. Just one word, one gesture, hell, you can open your mouth to say yes or not... I won't be mad...not really. Please, just say it. That you're Zero." The appeal hollowly resonated in the boy, as if it had been blocked and cushioned by the ruthless barrier that kept them apart.
If Lelouch could've chuckled without summoning pain, he would have.
As it was, he remained silent.
After a few moments, Kallen left, the sound of the door slamming behind her echoing with a sure finality.
)()()()()()()()(
Lord Darlton couldn't resist gawking at the constipated expression that had come over his liege's face.
Those were usually reserved for instances where a tactical retreat on the field was necessary, or when a major blunder had been committed by someone under her command.
The princess had also suspended all meetings scheduled for that day – important meetings where the position of the Empire within the Preserve had to be reasserted. Cornelia would never willingly pass on work. Though he had never known Her Majesty to be a workaholic, neither did she wilfully give up the Britannian ethic of forward action.
"Darlton, remove yourself from my sight if you will continue to act this way," came Cornelia's command.
He cleared his throat. "My pardons, Your Highness, but your order... seems rather unprecedented if you'll excuse the term. There have been numerous requests submitted that require looking into-"
"Out. Please." Ever the loyal Knight, the hardened veteran bowed and excused himself from the room.
Not even the news of another Gear alert, coming soon after Zero's appearance seemed to faze Cornelia.
When Darlton came to report, she replied, "Unless it is Zero himself, it is of no concern to me, Darlton."
"It's been confirmed that it's a level-"
"Then go attend to your duties. But I think you can leave this one to the Guardians."
"Yes, your Majesty." For the second time, he bowed and left.
The Knight mulled over this strange development in his liege's behavior for the better part of the afternoon. Had there been news from Prince Schneizel? The Homeland? An ultimatum from the Circles? Was there a new offensive in Europe to consider? Tax cuts? A proposal of marriage? He scoffed at the last one: it would be a long time before the Emperor would allow Britannia's goddess of war to leave the field.
It was not until Guilford came running from the low-levels to claim audience with the Princess that he was finally able to guess at what bothered the Princess.
"Your Highness, there is a ship making for port that refuses to identify itself! It's flying the Imperial lion, but-"
"So she's here." the words were declared in the manner of a sword being drawn. The Princess marched past her Knights out the door, as the latter ran to keep up with their liege.
"Your Highness," began Darlton. It was inappropriate for a Knight to delve into their master's thoughts, but the relationship Cornelia had with her two Knights had grown too much to disallow such a restriction. "Does this mean-?"
"Yes," Cornelia uttered shortly. "It means my sister has seen fit to abandon her responsibilities, and carry on a foolishness that will scandalize the Homeland to no end. Euphie- no, the High Druid will soon be gracing Area Eleven with her presence." Her eyes flashed with the glint of the Valkyrie she was called. "I suppose she's forgotten a few key lessons her sister taught her long ago. Not to worry. Your sister's here to set you straight." The two Knights, battle-hardened and veterans of a hundred conflicts, shivered.
"My lords!" Before they could pass through the connecting hallway to the airstrip, a Knight ran up, panting. "Emergency call from Watson's unit! They received a box addressed to the Viceroy, Princess Cornelia!"
"And how does this concern Her Majesty?" said Guilford.
"Because, sir, the box is the size of a casket. And..."
The look of dawning realization on the Princess's face clashed with the contempt at the repugnance of the package. Cloak flaring behind her, Cornelia followed the Knight back to the guardhouse where the box was, and it was then that Darlton saw the Valkyrie in full.
"Did the mages test it for any traps?" Darlton asked of the Knight.
"Yes sir. All standard and advanced precautions were tested. It only remained to open the box."
"Why did you wait until you informed me to open it?" demanded Cornelia, her pace quickening.
"Because it read: 'from Zero', Your Highness," the Knight answered fearfully.
Arrays and barriers were set up around the box when they arrived. Cornelia glared at it, before nodding to Darlton. The Knight walked over to the group of soldiers huddled towards the side, saying, "Have you decided on who will get the rights to open that thing? Come on now, the Princess is waiting!"
A green-looking mage in dress robes stepped forward, passing the mug of coffee in his hand to another. He grabbed the crowbar with an air of finality, gripping it in his hands like a weapon. Then he strode through the field, stepping through the arrays on the ground to stand before the coffin. After a last look outside, the man crouched, plunged the end of the bar in, and pulled.
The casket opened, and almost immediately, the man screamed, "Your Highness, it's the Prince!"
"Clovis!" cried Cornelia, whose advance was stopped by Guilford. Darlton strode forward to confirm along with some of the other brave ones.
There the Prince lay, surrounded in what looked like a stasis bubble. His cheeks were pale and his brow was drawn, but there was no mistaking the rhythm of his breath when they finally dispelled the sphere.
"Your Highness, Prince Clovis yet lives!" declared Darlton.
"Get a medical team here, quickly! Re-cast a stasis spell until they get here. Move!" shouted Guilford. Behind her, the Princess stared at her sibling laying serenely inside the casket with frank, fascinated horror. It inevitably morphed into cold, granite fury.
Zero, you'll pay for this cruel joke! Upon my pride as a Scion of Frederick, you will answer for this!
AN: Originally, there was to be a continuation of Orange-kun's scene. But it didn't seem to fit, and so was relegated to the next chapter.
Thanks for reading!
Merlin Out.