Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.
Stage 7: Complications
- The Demon and the Dragon -
The two strode between the half-open wall/door quickly, elated at the success of their first public resistance even as Suzaku's refusal dampened their spirits. Learme removed his helmet, his coat and quick-stepped to his locker to divest himself of his armor. After he whispered the correct phrase into the collar, the armor came apart, the torso splitting with the front swinging down to let him climb out of the heavy suit.
"Hold up." Learme said, frowning as he remembered something. "Isn't that freighter with the Indian supposed to get here soon?"
"Well, yes. All the preparations are ready, the bullion we're giving them is loaded up on a standard eighteen-wheeler, and the meeting place is set." Lelouch grunted, struggling with his Mephisto suit.
"And the other matter?" Learme asked, turning to eye his twin.
"Alas, I could not access the Doctor's mainframe. It's not even connected to the network."
"Well then, we'll have to connect it then, won't we?" Learme said, a dangerous gleam in his eyes, the right one glinting a malevolent red.
"Absolutely not." Lelouch barked, "We have to set up the supply lines, locate prospective recruits, acquire capital, designate future targets and familiarize ourselves with the terrorists' current command structure so that we can modify it to operate more efficiently. To speak bluntly, we're booked."
"Well, what about those two? They're in Japan right now, and I believe Mischa just finished up his business in Shikoku, and Tony has managed to add to his collection." Lelouch grimaced at the mention of the latter.
"Who was it this time?"
"The head of Kawasaki's regiment."
"Ugh."
"Say what you will about Tony, he's certainly made himself useful."
"....Fine, call them." Learme chuckled as Lelouch moved back towards this desk. Then the fitter twin walked over to his desk, opened a drawer, and removed a large, bulky portable phone. He quickly dialed in a number, and placed the phone to his ear.
"This is Okamoto, calling Aoki-san. Your Type 98 Shin gunto has arrived." Hanging up, Learme dialed another number. "Maeda-kun, your mother is very worried about you. Please, come back home." He hung up with a grin then, before hopping back in his armor and climbing in the bullion-loaded semi-trailer truck. Gunning the engine, he charged the vehicle through the open door, barely avoiding them as he drove it to the Mall.
- The Professional and The Bone Snatcher -
A few hours later
In the parking lot of Omotesandō Mall, two figures stood apart from another, facing Draco.
To his right stood a somewhat short, tanned European with short dirty-blond hair parted on the right, wearing a fairly disturbing smirk on his face.
He wore a pair of jeans with a simple black T-shirt, yet of obvious designer quality. Over that, he wore a leather jacket made from kangaroo, with steel-toed oil leather running shoes, and titanium-platinum alloy rings on every finger rounding out the assortment. Around his neck was roped a necklace of what appeared to be 'fake' finger bones. Most just left it at that.
On his belt, he had a holster on the right side and a sheath on the left, the holster filled with a large gold-plated Smith and Wesson Model 500 revolver. The sheath was empty, the more-than 50 centimeter long bowie knife being meticulously cleaned of some reddish stains by the owner, whose gray-green eyes glinted gleefully.
The man on Draco's left was almost the polar opposite, a Russian standing straight with a serious demeanor. He was over 195 centimeters tall, with platinum blond hair combed into spikes and had a pale complexion.
His clothing was an apparently standard black business suit that wouldn't have been out of place at the latest board meeting for Pizza Hut, with a white dress shirt and a scarlet tie. Black leather gloves covered his hands, while his feet were encased in highly-polished black shoes, apparently custom-made. Covering his ice-blue eyes was what appeared to be a pair of ballistic glasses.
To the untrained eye, he was unarmed as a toddler. Yet, to one with both excellent eyesight and the right training to detect such things, he had several concealed weapons on his person, judging by very, very slight bulges in the suit.
The European man, one Antonio Nicholi Bellaci, finished cleaning his knife and sheathed it, assuming a business-like demeanor.
"So 'Draco', what is it you called me for? I'm very busy you know. Still got the rest of Kanto to go through."
"Oh, don't worry Antonio." Draco rumbled, amused. "I'll be sure to compensate you well enough for your time." Then he turned to the Russian, Mischa Mriya Antonov. "I trust you have no complaints Mishcha?"
"Not at all Lord Draco." The Professional assured. "As you know, I just finished the deal with that group in Shikoku. May I ask what the assignment is?"
"You may." Draco said, leading them to the back of the trailer. Opening it, the dealer/revolutionary was pleased to hear a slight gasps from the two. "You, Mischa, are to deliver this to Dock 10 in Yokosuka Port, and negotiate a deal with the Indian there. Our terms are fifteen thousand pounds minimum and as much raw material from the freighter as can fit in the trailer." Mischa nodded, while Antonio looked bored. "Meanwhile, you Antonio, are to slip out under the truck cab and infiltrate the freighter. Tail the Indian, and when you reach the scientific facility he either works at or is delivering the bullion to, break into the lab and upload the program on this onto their mainframe." He explained, handing over an eight-gigabyte flash drive. "Then, download as much data on any and all Knightmare projects as you can, primarily those involving the use of a large amount of gold or silver. Mischa, you can keep the payment. Antonio, I will hand you one hundred thousand pounds when you return.....provided my superior confirms that you have done as asked, of course."
Both nodded in agreement, before Draco slipped away, disappearing quite easily.
Mischa turned to Antonio. "Bellacci, DON'T Screw this up." he said, his accent showing far more than when he conversed with Draco. Antonio grinned.
"Don't worry your pretty little Aryan head hekova, YOU just keep the lard ass's attention and we'll be fine." He blithely replied. Mischa pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, inhaling slowly, muttering in Russian 'I must not kill the toad'. Hearing this, Tony let out a small cackle as he slithered under the cab.
"Keshou", Mischa spat, before composing himself to meet the envoy.
- The Professional -
Later, Yokusoku Port
With the sun setting, Mischa pulled the truck up to the pier at which was docked a freighter, not of the old, standard design used by all nations. Instead, it seemed rather small and light. Apparently, it was designed for speed rather than load. Right next to it was a stack of crates, presumably full of the raw materials Draco had mentioned. Next to them was a rotund Indian man, dressed in a white lab coat that practically shone in the twilight, holding a briefcase.
The Indian's expression was nervous, mixed with a bit of apprehension when he saw Mischa step out. The Russian had replaced his ballistic glasses with his special balaclava, the opening for the eyes filled with the same material as his glasses were made out of, a special polymer rated against small arms rounds.
"You are not the Fucanlong!" the Indian gasped, backing up a few steps.
"My employer wishes to be known as Draco now." Mischa said, his balaclava's voice modulator changing his voice to a flat monotone. "And he, regrettably, cannot come to this meeting. Other.....responsibilities, you see." Thankfully, the Indian was not as thick as he seemed.
"I have the money. Fifteen thousand pounds, as agreed."
"That is not enough." The Indian was caught off-guard by this. It was actually amusing, seeing how his expression shifted to resemble a fish.
"B-but-"
"Lord Draco requires raw material as well. Iron, coal, lead, and such. I believe you have such materials right there." Mischa elaborated, nodding towards the crates.
"W-well yes...but-"
"The gold and silver more than recompenses. The bullion did not come at a small cost." The Russian said, not really caring whether the statement was true or not. The Indian floundered a bit there, trying to find a loophole. Then he gave in. Turning back to the freighter's ramp, he shouted up at the deck in Mandarin. Several workers, peons in coveralls, came down on the ramp, carrying more crates and such.
They started packing the gold and silver bars into the crates, carrying them back into the freighter. Out of the corner of his eye, Mischa saw one 'worker' who strangely resembled a European helping carry one of the crates. When no one else was looking, the worker flashed a smug smirk back at the Russian, before dissappearing into the ship.
Then they transferred the crates on the dock, filling the empty trailer until no more would fit. Grumbling, the Indian walked up to Mischa, dropped the briefcase at his feet, and boarded the freighter, moving quicker than his rotundness would suggest. Picking up the case, Mischa opened it and counted the cash, fifteen thousand Britannian pounds in five, ten, and hundred-note denominations. Nodding to himself, Mischa tossed the briefcase in the cab before climbing in himself and driving away, towards Shinjuku. It seemed a strange place to hold a transfer of material, but considering Draco's current profession, Mischa couldn't fault the man.
After all, Britannia practically invented the modern execution.
- The Knight -
Dressed in normal civilian clothes, Suzaku calmly walked away from the courthouse, moving past the Government building. His face was bandaged due to some of the more serious wounds he'd received from Jeremiah's 'interrogation. Despite that, Suzaku actually felt a bit sorry for the former Margrave. He'd been knocked down to a mere Warrant Officer in military rank, and been stripped of his title as Margrave. Despite this, or rather, because of it, he was supposed to be gnawing at the bit to find Zero and Draco.
Suzaku's musing was interrupted when, from above, he heard something.
"Look out below!" Looking up, he saw a pink-haired girl falling from above, holding her skirt down. He quickly dropped his things and held out his arms, catching her. Aside from a slight stagger from the sudden increase of his burden, he caught her smoothly. Still looking up, he let the girl down. From a window, very high on the Government building, there was a few sheets tied together to make a rather short rope.
"What did you jump down for?" Suzaku asked, looking at the girl. It seemed she was catching her breath.
"Uh.....there are....bad guys chasing me!" Seeing Suzaku's skeptical look, she changed tack. "Hey, you're Suzaku Kururugi, right?"
"Er....yeah."
The girl, Euphie as she introduced herself, took Suzaku on a tour around the Settlement. Actually, it was more like Suzaku took her around the Settlement. Eventually, they headed towards the Ghetto.
- The Orange -
Twelve Years Ago, Aries Villa garden
Lieutenant Jere- Themiah Gottwald was quite proud of his current post. He was also quite scared. After all, it wasn't every day a Leftenant was picked to guard on of the Emperor's consorts. Apparently, Jeremiah's infantry combat skills were well enough to rate him such a position. There was also his family's influence.
Off-duty, the Royal Guard tossed an orange up in the air. Jeremiah had no particular liking to the citrus fruit, but it was really the only snack he had.
A deafening crack split the air, and the Liutenant's orange crashed back to the ground, oozing juice out of the enormous hole torn through its center. Startled, Jeremiah duck for cover, diving into a nearby bush. When he heard footsteps, he rolled out of the bush, came up in a crouch, hand reaching for his pistol.
Then he saw the shooter. Standing in front of him was a black-haired boy with purple eyes, maybe five years old, frowning at the Guard. Across his shoulders was a 7.7mm Lee-Enfield Rifle.
"You made me miss." Jeremiah started for a second. The boy pointed, off to the side, and the Guard's head turned to follow. There, precisely where the boy pointed, was a standard bulls-eye, set up on the roof of a pavilion. "I was aiming for that when your fruit distracted me."
"Learme!" Jeremiah freezed when Lady Marianne's voice called out, growing closer. Then Her Highness came around a hedge, trailing who Jeremiah assumed was Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally. A chill crawled up the Liutenant's spine as he realized who the 'boy' was. "Learme! There you are!" Marianne passed Jeremiah as though he wasn't there, walking up to her son. "What have I told you about shooting in the garden!?"
"Ah......not to?" Learme lied innocently, vainly attempting to hide the rifle behind him. Marianne sighed, before grabbing Learme by the collar and dragging him behind her.
"Thank you for taking care of my son." Marianne said as she passed Jeremiah again, with Learme looking venomously at Jeremiah.
"I'll see you later.....Orange."
Now
"Er....Lord Jeremiah?" The tentative voice snapped Jeremiah out of his reverie, as the former Margrave looked up at his comms screen in his Arawn.
"Yes?"
"There's been a sighting of the one called Draco. He's in Shinjuku." The communication officer explained, marking it on the Arawn's built-in navigation system.
"Shinjuku? But why.....Never mind. Thank you." Jeremiah closed the channel, started up the Arawn's Landspinner's, and took to the road, heading for the practically annihilated Ghetto. The Mabinogi frame moved quickly, with barely an hour having passed since being informed of Draco's position. Now Jeremiah moved the Knightmare slowly, the Arawn's Factsphere's protruding from its shoulders. The multi-purpose super-cameras immediately detected large masses of heat that the former Margrave dismissed as huddled Eleven survivors from Clovis' attack. Then five more large heat blooms appeared on the screen, in the distinct giant humanoid shape of Knightmare Frames.
Not a moment later, five Sutherlands burst onto the scene, surrounding Jeremiah in the arena-like depression his Arawn was in, each wielding a standard Knightmare Lance. He immediately recognized the shoulder markings.
These are Purist Sutherlands..... His eyes narrowed.
"I hate to do this Jeremiah....but you're a disgrace and a traitor to Britannia and the Purists." Kewell's voice issued from the speakers of the lead Sutherland. Jeremiah gave no response, instead slinging out his Arawn's twin axes, the monomolecular edges gleaming brightly in the waning daylight.
"Have at it, Orange!" One of the others cried, a devicer Jeremiah trained himself. The Sutherland charged, lance aimed for the unguarded cockpit of the Arawn. Jeremiah slid the frame aside, twisting its torso to swing the right-hand axe directly into the lance. The blade split apart the toughened titanium nitride and steel, slicing up the length of the polearm to hack into the Sutherland's arm. The left axe came in, carving a line in the Knightmare's waist before exiting out the other side.
The Sutherland fell in two pieces, the torso slamming the cockpit hard against the ground as the legs toppled into a kneeling position.
"Cease and desist!" Jeremiah barked, the command seeming to echo in the cockpit. The Purists wordlessly moved, their Sutherlands taking a circling formation, each Frame equidistant from the other.
At this point, the Lancelot burst into the scene.
- The Knight -
Suzaku had been surprised when a group of Sutherlands had passed him and Euphie in the Ghetto. He had been even more surprised when Lloyd and Cecile had turned up in their trailer, with a subtly different Lancelot.
Well, he supposed a new weapon, the large Maser Vibration Spear attached to the side of the cockpit, wasn't all that subtle.
The weapon was four meters from butt to the twin tips. The blade was one meter long, and in fact, was actually two blades attached onto the end of the shaft.
"Stop fighting!" Suzaku yelled, when the Lancelot was almost hit by a Sutherland's lance.
"It's the Eleven!" One of the Purists, Kewell if Suzaku remembered right, yelled. Instantly, Jeremiah took advantage of the momentary distraction to get rid of one of his opponents, twin axes sweeping in to chop apart a Sutherland's legs.
And then they still didn't stop, a Sutherland charging the Lancelot. Hesitatingly, Suzaku drew the Spear, and thrust it at the Knightmare. The red-hot oscillating blades piercing the Frame in the waist, stopping it cold and leaving the lance a few centimeters away from touching the 7th-generation Knightmare. Swiping the spear from side-to-side sliced the Sutherland in half, and allowed Suzaku to lever the spear in the direction of one of the last three Sutherlands. When the shaft pointed directly at one of them, Suzaku triggered it. Several hundred volts of electricity jumped from the Lancelot's hand into the shaft of the spear, traveling inside along copper and silicon wiring to a 90mm copper round covered in gun propellant. The projectile fired with a boom, leaping from inside the barrel of the spear/pulse rifle to blast through the Sutherland's shoulder, the concave tip of the bullet causing it to expand drastically and blow the entire limb off.
"Tch, fall back." Kewell ordered the Sutherlands, wheeling his own back several meters.
'You're going to stop fighting?" Suzaku asked, hopeful. Kewell answered by drawing a grenade, causing the slight hope to sink like a lead bar. It was a chaos grenade. Rather then detonating in a large explosion, it instead burst in mid-air to send several dozen or hundred super-heated metal shards raining on the target area. Effective against infantry and vehicles alike.
Kewell tossed the grenade in the general direction of the Lancelot and Arawn.
At that moment, Euphie ran out into the battlefield, shouting. Suzaku didn't think, didn't wonder. Time seemed to stop as he dove the Lancelot for her. Behind him, the grenade expanded, exposing the firing ports for the needles. Suzaku swerved the Lancelot around the girl, covered her with the Knightmare's forearms, and activated the Blaze Luminous shields.
Then the superheated darts fired, bouncing off of the energy shields to fall impotent to the ground. Jeremiah, just barely in the range of the blast, was less lucky than Suzaku and Euphie. The shards pierced his Arawn in several places, torso, arms, legs, and even the head. Fortunately, none of the deadly shards penetrated to the Yggdrasil Drive to ignite its liquid Sakuradite, the improved armor working as well as its original designer anticipated.
Sighing in relief, Suzaku drew the Lancelot back from Euphie, and turned to face the three Purists. They seemed shocked that their grenade hadn't proven more effective. Then Suzaku heard something astonishing.
"I, Euphemia Li Britannia, order you three to stand down!"
- The Orange -
Five minutes later
Jeremiah sat on the destroyed arm of his Arawn, musing on the days events.
Saved by the very man I tried to implicate in His Highness's death......Learme would appreciate this irony.
"Yo!" Lloyd seemingly popped out of nowhere right next to the former Purist, causing Jeremiah to jump in, startled. "How are you, Warrant Officer?"
"Er......good, all things considered." Jeremiah responded. He never was able to figure out the 'Earl of Pudding'.
"Wonderful! Tell me, what did you think of my Arawn?" Lloyd advanced, pinning Jeremiah against said Knightmare's torso.
"I-it handled wonderfully my lord." Jeremiah stuttered. Just what is he doing? Is he.....GAY?
"How would you like to pilot something better?" Jeremiah got interested in that.
"Are you telling me.....?"
"Ararara, follow me please." Lloyd said, turning on his heel and walking for the A.S.E.E.C trailer. "Oh, and take this." He tossed a Knightmare key back towards Jeremiah, who caught it. It was gold, and shaped in the form of a battleaxe. Shrugging, Jeremiah followed.
- The Dragon and The Professional -
From atop of what used to be a high-rise building, the mercenary and his employer lowered their binoculars.
"Zero isn't going to be happy about this." Draco said. Conversely, Draco himself was quite delighted.
- The Author -
And thus we have the first showing of the Lancelot Enhanced. As well as Velshards Zero Squadron OCs, Mischa Mriya Antonov, and Antonio Nicholi Bellaci.
Replies:
Alex Yamato: He wil certainly show up in the next chapter. Somehow. I'll make it work.
00virtuezero: In this show, who isn't? And that is indeed why I chose that word. How about another OC?
Kojiro Kun: Yeah, there's probably going to be some of those weapons showing up. And as you can see by this chapter, Jeremiah gets an even better Knightmare. No problem about the OC, I'm glad to have him.
SharinganUserX: Be patient. Sheesh, I don't even like romance, but I know it takes a while for it to get started.
Blaid: I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'll use him....sorry.
aznblackhowling: thank you.
InfiniteFreedom: a 'little' more trigger-happy?