Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or its characters.
Japanese is in italics. 'French is with a single parenthesis.'
July 11, 2023, New Tokyo, Italy (ruins of Rome)
Layla is alone in her house. After informing Akito of her new mission, he decides that he can no longer be her bodyguard. She is not sure why she agrees to this new mission. Even having gained Lelouch's trust, who can say how far she will advance. If she had known about this mission before, perhaps things would have been different during Lelouch's visit last month.
Due to the possible length of her new mission she has many affairs to take care of and things to prepare for her trip. Since she is now in control of her family's estate, she has to settle issue regarding this before she leaves. She also has to transfer command of the W-0 to someone else. Today she decides to visit the EU science team and her friend Anna Clement. As she travels to the facility, her phone rings.
'This is Layla Makal.'
'Do you recognize my voice? If you do, act normal.'
'Yes, I was about to call you.'
'In a few hours, your friend's secret research facility is going to be attacked by various forces because today is the perfect day for such an attack. I want to let you know that I am not involved with the situation although I will use it to extricate my people from the area.'
'That will difficult. I do not know how we will be able to get around to it.'
'No, you just have to ignore a few people walking towards an air transport. In return I will send you a detailed defense plan.'
'I don't believe that we will need your help in the matter.'
'Don't be like that. I will send you the plans either way. Good bye.'
Layla does not say anything as she closes her phone. She wonders what Lelouch vi Britannia is planning. Why would he bother warning her about something like this? Layla decides to continue her preparations for the duration of the trip. She still has some time before she arrives at the facility.
'Colonel Makal, I didn't expect to see today,' Kate Novak states.
Layla looks around.
'Where is everyone? Are they in the south conducting tests?'
'No, today they are conducting tests up north in the mountain passes, but Major Clement and Dr. Randall are still here. They are making sure that everything is being transferred for the tests. Some of the W-0 pilots may be here as well.'
Layla sees her friend waving at her. Layla quickly pulls out her phone and calls Lelouch.
"How did you know?" she asks.
"I know a lot more than you do about what is going on in Europe."
"What is going to happen?"
"They plan on kidnapping your friend and Dr. Randall. Maybe a few assistants. Personally I would take that Kate girl. Hair color any shade of red turn me on, but in particular pink and purple."
Layla hears Lelouch grunt like someone elbows him in the stomach. She turns to face Kate who continues working.
"How can I trust you?"
"I suppose you really cannot, but you should probably get close to a knightmare because you only have a few minutes."
"Why aren't our radar or warning systems picking anything up?"
"They have been disabled. Not all the refugees are happy with the situation. Let's be honest not all EU citizens are happy with the situation."
"Can you save Anna?"
"Of course, all you have to do is ask"
Several alarms being to sound before Layla can answer.
"I want you to save Anna," Layla says as she runs to her friend, "Anna run."
Layla rushes towards the nearest knightmare when the one of the walls explodes. Two cybernetic men walk through the hole.
Sophie Randall looks at the two cybernetic men walking towards her with a mixture of intrigue and horror. The one with a more Britannian face is almost completely robotic. The other looks Chinese and has long hair. His robotic parts are made to look human so that at a distance it would be difficult to know that he is a cyborg. Behind them is a wicked looking red haired man.
Xingke leaps towards Layla to keep her from entering her knightmare. She finds out the hard way that he is a cyborg. Layla leaps down to protect Anna. Conrad goes over to keep Kate from opening the door to allow soldiers to come into the room. By the hole, Paciano is snapping a few necks.
"Get the two brainy chicks. You might as well get the feisty blonde and the little purpled haired girl," Paciano says as he licks his lips, "They might be some fun."
The two cyborgs back the four women into a corner. A figure wearing a purple suit with a black and red cape with gold trim and a black helmet with a purple faceplate appears by the hole in the wall.
"Hey asshole, this is from you little brother," Lelouch says as he punches Paciano into the wall.
Lelouch walks into the room.
"Holy shit! Conrad, you are still alive. How many times does Gino have to kill you?"
Conrad and Xingke quickly attack Lelouch pushing him back. While Lelouch's power suit blaze luminous protects against projectiles, it does allow some punches and kicks through. Unlike his opponents Lelouch is completely flesh and bone so the blows hurt even if only for a moment.
Kenta Sato and Keiko Takahashi come and run over to the four women.
"Colonel Makal, come with us. We will take you to safety."
"Wait," Sophie Randall states, "I want to see this battle. Who is that person with the mask and cape?"
"He looks a little like that Zero person from before," Anna comments.
Layla stares at the fight. Ana is right about the masked figure looking like Zero.
"Colonel, you are in danger."
Layla nods and follows her subordinates. She drags Anna, and Kate pushes Sophie. As they reach the hole, another masked figure enters the room. The figure immediately kills Kenta and Keiko.
"These people are traitors."
"Help out the masked one," Edward Kensington Ashford says, "Today he is our ally."
The second masked figure jumps in and attacks the cyborgs.
"Why did you kill Kenta and Keiko?" Layla asks angrily.
"They were traitors," Lord Ashford replies, "Before you ask, these are well trained spies so I doubt that even the most extreme forms of torture would work."
"Who is that masked figure that accompanied you, Lord Ashford?" Sophie Randall asks.
"You may call it, Opaca Rubrum Lux. That is the name it chooses to go by."
"Shouldn't we keep moving?" Kate asks, "The situation looks like it is getting dangerous."
"Yes, that would be a good idea," Ze Dien states, "Why don't you come with us?"
Ze Dien and Rai are pointing guns at the four women and Lord Ashford. Paciano recovers from Lelouch's blow.
"It's a good thing that he is saving me for that little bastard brother of mine," Paciano remarks. He sees the two Peace Mark men, "Get these people out to the transport. I will get the freaks."
"I don't think so," Akito Hyuga says as he and Ayano Kosaka rush forward. Layla pushes Anna into a nearby room and charges at Paciano.
"I knew you were a feisty one. Just how I like them," Paciano remarks.
Inside Lelouch is finding Xingke to be a difficult opponent. He has a wicked idea that may resolve this situation. He pries open the door to the knightmare and powers it up. He manipulates the settings so that the sakuradite core explodes.
The subsequent explosion sends everyone into confusion. Lelouch leaps towards Paciano who has Layla trapped. He tosses the sadistic man towards his allies. The smoke and heat is quickly becoming unbearable.
"Come on you freaks! It's time to go," Paciano yells out.
"Wait let's finish the mission," Conrad replies.
"If you want to wait for the smoke to clear and more soldiers to come, be my guest."
Conrad and Xingke leap away making sure that their allies follow after them.
Akito goes for the door that Layla pushed Anna through. Lord Ashford, Anna, Sophie, and Kate step out of the room. Anna looks around.
"Hey, where is Layla?"
"Colonel Makal is probably attending to matters outside," Sophie remarks, "Lord Ashford, can we discuss your project here?"
Akito is worried that Layla does not bother to check on Anna. He decides to look for her.
Lelouch takes Layla out of the building away from the smoke.
"Wait, I have to check on Anna."
"Don't worry she is safe."
"How do you know?"
Lelouch points towards a VTOL in the distance. Paciano, Rai, Ze Dien, Conrad, and Xingke are walking alone.
"It seems that they are not taking anyone with them."
Layla sighs in relief. She has so many questions in her head about what just happened. Lelouch opens his faceplate to reveal his face. He takes Layla in his arms and kisses her.
"I will be waiting for you to arrive," Lelouch says as he walks towards his VTOL.
CC smirks as he enters.
"Do I get some that as well?"
"You are going to get more than that," Lelouch answers, "Let's move."
Akito and Ayano rush out to see what is going on outside. She chases after the cyborg group, but Akito stares as the masked man kisses Layla and walks away boarding a VTOL.
Layla walks away as Lelouch takes off. She notices Akito standing there staring at her.
'Captain Hyuga, we should get inside there is work to do.'
Akito grabs Layla's arm.
'Who was that?'
'A friend.'
'Your friend or our friend?'
'What is the difference?'
Akito stares off looking for Lelouch's air transport as Layla walks away.
"There shouldn't be, but there is."
July 13, 2023
Gino, Alice, and Dalque are still investigating the situation regarding the attack on Dorothea. By this point the trail is growing cold. Unfortunately they have only been able to capture mercenaries who do not know anything. Gino decides to put the operation on hold until some new leads come in. For now they provide some extra protection for Carolina, Shirley, and Isabelle who are vacationing in Maine. Naturally Gino takes the opportunity to spend some time with his wife.
Carolina and Shirley decide to take their children to a nearby village that has colonial age type buildings. It is a bit of a chore due to the issues of security because the twins are also in the area although they have Sancia and Lucretia watching over them.
"Hey Sancia, Lloyd and Cecile are coming to pick us up," Castor states.
"Ya, we get to work on some fun stuff with our girls," Pollux comments.
"You guys can have some time off."
After the twins leave Sancia and Lucretia decide to help with the other security team. The colonial village is such a small space, and the visit is very impromptu. Normally such a visit would be discouraged, but Lelouch is on his way so it is not that big of an issue.
Jamison and Olivia Cardemonde are with their significant others in small colonial type town in Maine. They barely escape Lelouch's patrols in Virginia and are waiting for an opportunity to escape elsewhere. Even though Karine insists that they make another attempt at taking out a traitor, they decide to flee to Europe. Another issue for them is that their group of mercenaries follows them. Some follow to escape while others come for more money. However Miya and Sophie are out of money and Karine will not send anymore.
"What the hell is going on out there?" Olivia asks.
Jamison looks through his binoculars.
"There is some commotion a few buildings down across the street," Jamison remarks.
Sophie bursts into the room.
"Holy shit! You won't believe what is going on out there. There are two empresses and their kids staying at a hotel across the street."
"Really!" Miya exclaims.
"Let's move," Olivia states.
"Are you serious?" Jamison questions, "This is no joke. If we do this, there is really no turning back."
"We have always been willing to die. What can be worse than that?"
"I don't know, but I am not in the mood to find out."
"This is our chance to avenge everyone," Olivia remarks, "An eye for an eye, remember."
"Fine, I will get some of the mercenaries in town to back us up.
"Sophie, head down to the dock and charter us a boat. We can use it to move down the coast and escape from there."
Thirty minutes later, they begin their attack.
Outside the building Alice notices that people on the street are acting strange. It may be because of the empresses, but it feels like there may be something else. Inside the building Carolina notices that every few minutes something pokes out of a window down the street. After it happens several times it begins to worry her.
"Sancia, can you take the children down to the vehicle," Carolina orders.
"Lucretia, help me gather the children," Sancia states.
Lucretia is much better with kids than Sancia so it makes sense for her to round them up.
"What is happening?" Shirley asks.
"There is something suspicious going on across the street," Carolina answers, "I want to get the kids out, but we need to make it look like everything is okay so for a few minutes act normal."
Shirley sighs and watches her children being taken out by Lucretia and Sancia. Carolina keeps looking at the suspicious window.
"Oh no, they are going to take this building down," Carolina gasps, "Shirley run!"
As the building collapses, Sancia and Lucretia are able to pull the kids out to safety.
Alice and Dalque rush back to the building and begin clearing debris in order to pull out Carolina and Shirley.
"Damn this doesn't look good!" Dalque screams, "Are the little brats gone already?"
"Yes, just keep digging. The empresses are our priority," Alice responds.
"Fuck! We should have been the ones who stayed in the building."
"We were downstairs. We had no idea that the attack was coming. Just keep digging."
"These guys don't give up easy, do they? When are they going to stop firing?"
Two smaller knightmares drop to provide cover.
"Now be gentle when you carry the empress out of here," Alice states.
"Damn, they look pretty beat up. Do you think they will make it?"
Alice sighs, "I hope so. Hopefully there are some good doctors around here."
"In a pissant town like this, I doubt it."
Jeremiah and Sayoko are quickly approaching the small Maine town where two empresses are being attacked.
"Things do not look good up there," Jeremiah states, "We better hurry."
Lelouch lands behind the two small knightmares.
"Why haven't you taken these fuckers out!?"
Alice looks at him in shock.
"The empresses where buried under the rubble."
Lelouch growls at no one in particular.
"I guess I have to do everything myself."
"Your Majesty, Jeremiah and Sayoko are on their way. Let them handle this. You should go back and check on your wives. The situation is dangerous here."
"No, I am dangerous! I am to be feared!" Lelouch yells, "Go back if you want. Scurry under a rock like a scarred mouse, but I will finish this," Lelouch walks past the two knightmares, "You two should go back and spend some time with Carolina. From the trail of blood it does not look good."
CC lands near Lelouch's position. The strain of the power suit is too much for her mortal body to handle, however she cannot let Lelouch down. She decides to make her life mean something.
"Lelouch, up in that building. From the air, I saw rockets coming from one of the windows."
Jamison begins to back away from the window.
"I think they spotted us. There are some bastards with power suits down there."
Miya is on the ground sobbing.
"Who knew that building would fall apart so easy?" Olivia asks, "What is happening out there?"
Jamison peaks out the window, but quickly backs away as Lelouch begins firing at them.
In the air Lloyd and Cecile are observing the battle from above. They go with Lelouch on his trip to Europe to observe the performance of his power suit. After securing the twins, they proceed to do the same here. Lloyd looks at Lelouch's output and is quite concerned about what is going to happen.
"Shut the tracking system down," Lloyd orders.
"But Lloyd, His Majesty wants us to see what the peak performance of the system is," Cecile replies.
"I don't care! I said shut it down!" Lloyd screams as he turns the instruments that measure Lelouch's power suit performance off. Lloyd sits down and runs his hands through his hair. He looks up at Cecile and continues, "What is about to happen should be seen by innocent eyes."
Lloyd looks towards Castor and Pollux who are preoccupied with Emily and Miranda in the small knightmares. In reality Lloyd is more concerned with what the others will think about Lelouch's capabilities. Lloyd understands this because he is very much afraid of what Lelouch can do. He can also see the concern in Cecile's eyes.
"Don't worry. He will be alright," Lloyd comments, "As for the others, only an act of God can save them for what they have done."
Lelouch looks up at the building for a way inside as they continue to fire down upon him. He decides to make his own way inside. Lelouch leaps into the air and punches a hole through the wall. For a moment Jamison is stunned, but he quickly recovers and attacks Lelouch.
Lelouch catches Jamison's leg and breaks it. He reaches down and breaks his other leg. Olivia charges at Lelouch so he simply fires at her with his hands blaster. He grabs Miya by the face. Naturally she faints. Jamison screams for Lelouch to release her.
"If I did that to the wall, imagine what I could do to her pretty face?"
Lelouch releases Miya and pulls something out.
"This is a nice little tool. It will only explode enough to kill those in this room, and it will not be a painless death," Lelouch says as he sets the bomb on Miya's lap, "You have five minutes to think about your pathetic lives."
Lelouch walks over to the window.
"Why haven't you taken out the people in the other buildings?"
"Lulu, Shirley and Carolina are hurt really bad. They might not make it," Lucretia replies.
"I know, but that does not answer my question," Lelouch states with a growl, "I will take care of this myself."
Lelouch withdraws his MVS and stands on the window.
"Let's kill all these fuckers, Scooter."
In the air Nunnally and Suzaku are approaching the scene. From a distance it looks serene, but up close they can see that all the fighting is concentrated in a single block.
"Are you sure you want to get in there, Nunners? It looks dangerous."
Nunnally gasps, "What is big brother doing?"
"It looks like he is overloading Scooter, is about to jump towards that building, and hit it with an energy blast."
"That's crazy. He can't survive that."
"Too late because he is already doing it."
The mercenaries in the next building stand there is shock as Lelouch attacks them with an energy blast from his MVS. Lelouch calmly lands in the room.
"Don't worry. I am going to make your deaths slow and painful. Then I am going to get your mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, kindergarten teachers, grade school crushes, the guy who sells you lottery tickets, etc. You get the idea. Shirley was Scooter's favorite wife. You fuckers are going to pay for hurting her."
The mercenaries throw their weapons down and surrender.
Lelouch grins, "Oh that is not going to save you. I said you were going to pay!"
Jamison sits up and tries to ignore the excruciating pain in his legs. He notices that the clock on Miya's lap is at zero.
"I think it has been five minutes already," Olivia remarks.
"So you are still alive," Jamison comments.
"Barely, but it hurts like hell."
Lelouch reenters the room.
"Looks like I forgot to set the explosive," Lelouch kneels in front of Jamison, "I am going to need a name. Who sent you?"
"Go to hell!" Jamison replies.
Lelouch kicks him in the face and walks over to Miya.
"I assume that you could care less what happens to her since you are about to die, but I am sure that Miya here cares about her own life."
Lelouch sprays something into Miya's nostrils forcefully waking her. Lelouch shoves a pill down her throat.
"Now that you are going to be awake for a while, I can torture you, and you will not be able to pass out from the pain. Would you like to tell me who sent Jamison and Olivia?"
Miya shakes her head so Lelouch pulls out a small knife and drags it across her face.
"It was Princess Karine! Karine sent them!"
Lelouch growls as Gino walks a purple haired woman into the room. Sophie Wood pushes away from Gino. She walks over to Lelouch and spits at him, but the blaze luminous stops it.
"You would have been able better off trying to slap me. That would have worked."
"What do with the mercenaries we caught?" Gino asks.
"Kill them and make it slow. Take these four to Milly and Kallen. They can deal with this."
Lelouch kneels in front of Jamison as people rush in to attend to his injuries. Gino sits Sophie down next to Olivia who is also being attended to.
"You are all about to wish that bomb worked," Lelouch says as he points to someone standing over him.
Olivia's face goes white when she sees who is behind Lelouch.
"That isn't possible, You killed him."
Lelouch taps the person behind him.
"I suppose I did kill him, but I remade him better than he was before. Meet Rivalz Cardemonde version 2. As a favor to Milly, I allowed him to mostly keep his free will, however most of his body is now robotic. Gino, take care of things here. I have bigger things to handle."
Lelouch jumps from the building and walks over to where Shirley and Carolina are being attended to.
"Cecile, I want this thing off me now."
"The power output is still too high. The risk is too great."
"Fine, I will take it off myself.
Lelouch proceeds to remove the power suit causing damage to its core. If he had been a normal human, he would be dead. He walks over to where Shirley is being attended to by doctor.
"Doctor, can I speak with my wife."
"Your Majesty, it is not prudent."
"Can you save her?"
"Even if I was in a major medical facility, it would be difficult."
"Then get out of my way or you will be joining her."
Lelouch pushes the doctor aside and kneels beside Shirley. She reaches up and touches his face. She smiles at the fact that he removes his power suit and makeup to be with her.
"Lulu, I'm glad we can talk at the very end."
"Shirley, conserve your energy. Cecile is preparing something for you."
"Lulu, no matter how many times I am reborn, I'll keep falling in love with you. I suppose that it's simply fate."
"I love you too."
Shirley goes silent as several members of Cecile's team come to her. Lelouch quickly leaps over to Carolina's position. He really wishes he would have kept the power suit on because it would make moving easier. Emily and Miranda are attending to their cousin. Lelouch kneels beside Carolina.
"Lelouch, promise me that you will kill them. The bastards that killed my parents."
"By the end of the day they will be dead."
"Promise me that you won't let them turn me into one of those things," Carolina says looking towards Cecile.
"I promise," Lelouch says, "I love you."
Carolina goes silent causing Emily and Miranda to cry.
Lelouch stands and taps his earpiece.
"Call Nicole Hillis."
….
"Major General Hillis here."
"Nicole, I need you in New York within the hour."
There is a slight pause.
"I will be there in thirty minutes. I have John Hellerman with me."
"I thought that man retired."
"Well he might be interested in participating in whatever craziness you are planning."
"How much?"
"One million pounds."
"He can have five and his great-grandchildren will continue to receive his military pension. I believe his final rank was colonel. If we make it back, that will be bumped up to brigadier. You can have the same."
"We will be there in twenty minutes."
"I will be waiting for you."
Jeremiah rushes towards Lelouch.
"Your Majesty, the situation needs to be addressed."
"Get out of my way, Jeremiah."
Jeremiah reaches out to stop Lelouch.
Lelouch glares at Jeremiah.
"I said get out of my way."
Sayoko pulls Jeremiah back. Lelouch walks away.
Castor and Pollux look up as Lelouch walks by them.
"Is it ready?"
"Big brother, we,"
"Is it ready?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good, then get it ready," Lelouch orders
Karine is sitting on her throne wondering what the repercussions of Jamison and Olivia's actions will be. She certainly does not plan on a direct attack on two of Lelouch's wives and several of his children. This may cause a war she is not ready for. For now her best knights are surrounding her palace as a precaution. If Lelouch decides to get revenge, it will not be easy. The Glaston Knights are patrolling the sky along with Andrea Farnese, Shin Hyuuga Shaingu, Augusta Henry Highland, and Michele Manfredi. Paciano, Thorin, and Salacia are watching over Karine personally. Rakshata is keeping the cyborgs fresh in case they are needed.
Alice leads Sayoko's team through the New York Thought Elevator to the one in South Central Africa. They quickly move towards Karine's palace. Once there they begin to disable the secondary electrical systems. Lelouch will handle the primary ones himself.
Kallen, Milly, Euphemia, and Nunnally take the New York Thought Elevator to the one in Tehran.
"Lelouch wants us to capture Cassius," Kallen states, "The torture will be left up to him."
"Was he really involved in what happened to Shirley and Carolina?" Milly asks.
"It doesn't matter. He was involved in that other shit from a few months ago," Nunnally responds.
"Yes, he helped pay for the mercenaries that attacked big sister and little Uly," Euphie says.
Recently Dorothea's son, Ulysses, has become a favorite of the royal court.
"Kill anyone that gets in our way," Kallen says as she powers her knightmare.
Lelouch crashes into Karine's palace using the new model power suit developed by the twins. Behind him Emily and Miranda land in their mini knightmares and begin to attack the primary power generators.
"Get the cyborgs out here," Paciano orders.
"The power is out so we cannot activate anything," Rakshata replies, "I can send you what we have up, but they will not last long against that demon."
Lelouch fights his way into Karine's throne room. Thorin quickly rushes at him, but Lelouch simply brushes him aside. Salacia falls to her knees as Lelouch walks towards Karine. Paciano stands aside knowing that in his anger Lelouch will not keep his promise to Luciano about who gets to kill Paciano.
Karine pulls out a gun and points at Lelouch.
"Stay away! Those idiots acted on their own."
Lelouch grabs Karine by the face and lifts her in the air. Lelouch uncovers his faceplate exposing his unchanged face. It takes Karine a few moments to realize that Lelouch's face looks different. He lowers her face so that it is millimeters from his own.
"It is that easy. I can kill you any time I want," Lelouch says as he points upwards, "It will be so fast that you will not even have time to react," Lelouch pushes Karine to her knees, "But I want you to suffer. It will be a slow painful death for you and all those who follow you. It will be a slow painful death for anyone who dares cross me."
Lelouch begins to walk away. He notices that Thorin is standing up from his previous blow.
"Oh I almost forgot something," Lelouch says as he withdraws his MVS. He decapitates Thorin and cuts his head and body into several pieces, "I guess he will not be coming back," Lelouch says with a wry smile.
Lelouch continues walking out as a VTOL lands in the hole he made in the palace.
"Nicole, get me out of here."
"No problem."
Conrad rushes into the room after Lelouch takes off.
"Why the hell did he kill Thorin?" Paciano asks.
"Years ago we were paid by certain imperial consorts to eliminate Lord and Lady Sforza. We failed to kill their daughter. It appears that she recognized our voices during the war."
Several small objects fly into the room. They begin turning as if searching for something or someone.
"Bradley, get Salacia and the princess out of here."
"What the hell are those things?"
"They are here to finish the job. Now get out of here!" Conrad yells as he tosses Salacia towards Paciano.
Paciano catches her and lifts Karine carrying them out of the room as Conrad explodes.
Lelouch sits quietly on his airship throne. Anya and Gino are standing at his side.
"Your Majesty, Lady Gottwald and her team are safely on board."
Lelouch nods as the airship heads back home.
Layla arrives in Neo-Pendragon to a very solemn environment. On her trip she hears about the attack on Shirley and Carolina. As part of the EU Embassy entourage, she attends the funerals.
Samantha ru Britannia and her children attend the funerals of Carolina and Shirley. She wonders if her husband has anything to do with the attacks. Over the last few years, Cassius has been growing restless about his position in the Empire. Unlike Maximus who stay quiet in New Zealand, Cassius begins to plot in Southeast Asia. However several months ago, the emperor transfers Cassius westward to Iran. He leaves his family in Bangkok while he travels to Tehran to prepare for their arrival. In all honesty, Samantha wants to use this opportunity to return to the Homeland. She also wonders why her husband is not here or why he has not contacted her in a few days.
"Princess ru Britannia, the Emperor requests your presence," Anya states.
Samantha wonders why the Emperor sends the Knight of One to get a hold of her at a time like this.
Anya and Gino take Samantha to small room at the edge of the palace complex. The room is a small office of sorts. Lelouch is sitting behind a large desk.
"My dear Samantha, have a seat."
Samantha sits down in front of the desk.
"I suppose that you have no idea where your husband is."
"That is correct, Your Majesty. I assume that Cassius is attending to his new task. To be perfectly honest I am worried about some of his recent actions. He has been meeting with unusual people."
"Yes, that appears to be so. It seems like Cassius has been making many wrong choices lately," Lelouch says as he stands, "Follow me into the next room."
Inside the next room Cassius is tied up next to someone Samantha does not recognize. She stays behind Lelouch. Cassius stares at her.
"It seems some introductions are in order. Samantha ru Britannia, allow me to introduce Oiaguro Zevon also known as the Wizard. Under this guise he supports the world renowned terrorist group Peace Mark. A group that your husband has also invested in."
"I didn't know about any of this. I thought Cassius was spending his time with other women," Samantha remarks dejectedly, "I know he has always felt trapped by our marriage. I always understood that our marriage was one of convenience since my father owns many sakuradite mines."
"Is that so? Then I have something that will set both of you free," Lelouch says as he places a document in front of Cassius.
"What is this?"
"It is a divorce agreement," Lelouch replies, "Before defecting from Britannia; you decided to grant your wife a divorce."
"I see how it is," Cassius grunts out, "You sneaky bastard."
"Just sign the document. At least this way you get to live as Karine's puppet."
Cassius take the document and signs it. Lelouch places the Imperial Seal on it and hands the document to Anya.
"Gino, escort this two individuals outside. Alice is waiting to take them to their destination."
After Gino escorts the prisoners out, Lelouch turns to Samantha.
"What happens now?" Samantha asks.
"Like I said you are now free. If you have someone you were friendly with in Bangkok, you can bring them here or you can find someone else to get friendly with."
"What happens to my children now that I am divorced from a prince? What will happen to me?"
"I suppose that you are still young so your father may try to arrange another marriage for you," Lelouch replies, "I decided if things went in this direction to officially declare you as my mistress or whatever number of wife I am at. We don't have to consummate the union or anything like that. I do believe that this will satisfy your father and family. Like I said you are free. Of course you will have to remain here in Neo-Pendragon, but I am sure that neither you nor your children will mind that. I am sure that you will have no problem finding someone to get friendly with."
"What about Cassius?"
"As for Cassius if Karine wants to keep, she can have him. He will be found wondering through North Africa soon."
"I am sorry for any harm that Cassius caused."
"There is no need for you to apologize. What happened a few days ago is the result of a few fanatical people. They have been dealt with. For now my friends Carter and Wiggins will watch over you and your children."
Lelouch leaves Samantha to her thoughts. He has to make some final arrangements for the funerals since Milly is a little distraught at the moment.
Kosetsu Urabe wakes up with a hangover. He is not sure what happens last night. Along with the other Knights of the Round, he returns to Neo-Pendragon to provide protection for the various funeral attendees. He imagines that at some point he will talk to Chiba about old times. He also expects to receive new orders from the Emperor. However what he does not anticipate is that he will hit it off with the former Knight of Four, Dorothea Ernst. A single mother in her late thirties is not exactly Urabe's idea of a good time. Yet with the help of that dastardly Nonette Enngream and a centuries old bottle of champagne from the Imperial Wine Cellar, Urabe and Dorothea end up doing more than just talking.
"In vino veritas," Urabe murmurs.
"What was that?" Dorothea asks as she leans up against the Knight of Twelve.
"Just an old saying I once heard."
Dorothea pulls him back towards her.
"I don't know about you, but that old champagne always make he horny."
Urabe lets out small chuckle and gets to work.
Jinta, James, William, and other members of Black Knights (Jr. Academy) are providing protection for Evelyn and the twins along with Lilicia. Also ragging along are some of the new residents of Neo-Pendragon (Kenta, Miyako, Hoshi, and Souta Inoue, and Chelsea and Abigail ru Britannia). With the amount of VIPs, there is a deficiency in competent, trustworthy guards.
"You know I am a little insulted that we get stuck with some Academy scrubs as our bodyguards," Evelyn remarks, "What is Dalque doing?"
"The Knights of the Round are providing protection for the Imperial consorts," Lilicia replies, "You do realize that you are dating one of those Academy scrubs."
Evelyn shrugs her shoulders.
"Jinta knows what he is."
After the funeral the kids are all taken back to New Aries Palace. Lilicia notices that James personally takes Chelsea and Abigail to their room.
"Have you had enough of the little girls?" Lilicia asks.
James grins, "It never hurts to be in the good graces of a princess."
"She is eleven years old, jerk," Lilicia says with a sigh, "I guess it make sense since you are like thirteen."
James frowns, "I just happened to turn sixteen last month."
"Well I will turn twenty next month," Lilicia states.
"So you are still technically a teenager."
This causes Lilicia to chuckle and ask, "Do you want to go for a ride? Even though it's hot as hell around here, the landscape is beautiful from inside a car."
"You have your own car."
"Well technically it belongs to the emperor, but he never uses it. If you behave perhaps I will allow you to drive it for a bit."
James smiles and pulls Lilicia towards him.
"I always behave."
After Shirley and Carolina's funeral, Lelouch goes to the Pendragon Thought Elevator. Once inside he closes his eyes. Suddenly he finds himself in a meadow. In the distance he sees people setting up a picnic, and he walks towards them. As he gets closer he recognizes Shirley and Edward.
"Oh Lulu, come and sit down with us. We are about to start."
As Lelouch sits down, Shirley hands him a plate. Off to the side he sees his other dead siblings and Knights of the Round having their own little picnic. VV is sitting alone playing with some animals.
"Where is Carolina?" Lelouch asks.
Shirley points towards a nearby forest.
"You must be the young man who married our little daughter."
Lelouch turns to face to two people who appear to be in their twenties. He recognizes them from pictures, but also because they resemble Carolina.
"Thank you for watching over our daughter. Now we ask you to take care of our grandsons and grandnieces."
"I promise," Lelouch replies as Shirley serves him.
As they eat, Shirley regales them with stories of Milly's crazy parties. After he eats, Lelouch excuses himself and begins to look for Carolina. At the edge of the forest a small hand reaches out and pulls him inside.
"Come on Lulu, let's play," a little girl says as she tries to climb a tree.
"Are you Carolina?"
"Of course, don't you remember me? Help me up the tree."
As Lelouch reaches out to help her up the tree, he notices that his body is small. He assumes that this is what makes Carolina happy. He also discovers that little Lelouch is not as athletic as he remembers. After playing for an indeterminate amount of time, Lelouch exits the forest. Outside Clovis is waiting for him.
"I do not see the old man or Schniezel here. Does that mean you had mercy on them or is it something else?" Clovis asks.
"It is more complicated then that."
"I see. Well I will wait for you to send them here. Good bye little brother."
As Lelouch walks away, he looks back at the joyous scene once more. He opens his eyes and finds himself back in the Pendragon Thought Elevator. Kallen is waiting for him at the entrance.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Yes," Lelouch answers, "Let's go. We have work to do."
Author's note: These first few chapters are meant to introduce the characters from Akito the Exiled and Oz the Reflection. Other characters like Jeremiah, Cecile, Cornelia, etc. will be featured as the story progresses. New characters like Jinta, his friends and eventually Lelouch's kids will get bigger parts later on as well. There is no need to worry about certain characters being left out even the dead ones.
There is going to be a four year time skip to the next chapter. A few surprises will happen from here to there. Do not be shocked if there are some major changes. The next story arc will develop the kids and their relationships.
I did not necessarily plan it, but Shirley and Carolina are dead. Lelouch's reaction or non-reaction is due to what he feels they would want. He is also much more mature than his anime counterpart in age and attitude. In this situation he is very much in control of the situation. The rest of the world tries not to piss him off too much. Karine knows that her days are numbered, but she plans on doing as much damage as possible before then. Lelouch also decides that a slow and painful death is what his enemies need. Lelouch, Milly, Kallen, Euphemia, and Alice wear makeup or face masks to disguise the unchanging teenage faces. Lelouch removes this before his attack on Karine.
Jamison, Olivia, Miya, and Sophie are about to find out what is worse than death. They are now in the clutches of Lelouch's most creative and possibly most sadistic wife (Milly). Use your imagination or don't if you don't want to think about that sort of thing. I will state what happens next chapter.
Lelouch kills Thorin and Conrad because they are responsible for the death of Carolina's parents as well as the attempted murder of Emily and Miranda's dad. This information was explained some time during the Battle of Boise near the end of Rise of the Black Prince. They are dead permanently.
Power suits are basically advanced versions of the Iron Man suit with blaze luminous. In other words sort of like small knightmares. Lelouch's looks just like his Zero costume.
If anyone can figure out who Opaca Rubrum Lux is, they get a prize. If they can figure out what it means, they can name Lelouch and Kallen's next kid.
In regards to something that happened last chapter. They had been giving the members of the JLF something to keep them awake. The pill reverses that effect. The pill also has some properties of refrain which is why Inoue wants more. The pill gives Miya is a stimulant to keep her awake.
These are the characters' ages as of January 18, 2027. Technically code bearers still get older even though their bodies do not age. I calculated CC's age with the thought that she received her code at 16 or 17. I don't have the ages for the Glaston Knights, but I figure that they would in their late twenties/early thirties by now. As usual the list is how the characters rank in importance at this point in the story. For now the EU/Akito characters fall into the background. It will change as the story progresses and characters are eliminated. There are also various real world characters that will have varying rolls as the story progresses. I was going to include a list of all the kids born since the beginning of Rise of the Black Prince, but I decided to wait because there will be some surprises. This list will come next chapter. I choose January 18 because it is Lihua's birthday. It is also near the beginning of the year.
Character ages as of January 18, 2027
Lelouch vi Britannia 27, Schniezel el Britannia 36, Gino Weinberg 26, Jeremiah Gottwald 38, Suzaku Kururugi 26, Castor vi Britannia 14, Pollux vi Britannia 14, Lloyd Asplund 40, Naoto Kouzuki 36, Jinta Futaba 18, Faramond Langley 23, Kosetsu Urabe 41, Luciano Bradley 32, Salzaar Gluten 29, Ichiro Futaba 31, Li Xingke 33, James Trevor Goodley 30, Anthony Michael Sanderson 30, Glaston Knights, James Longstreet VI 19, William Tecumseh Sherman II 19, Paciano Bradley 34, Shin Hyuuga Shaingu, Augusta Henry Highland, Andrea Faranese, Michele Manfredi, Leonhard Steiner 28, Tink Rockheart 28, Orpheus Zevon 27, Ze Dien 30, Ganabati 65, Akito Hyuga 25, Kenta Inoue 18, Kannon Maldini 38, Cassius ru Britannia 34, Theseus ju Britannia 30, Kewell Soresi 36, Charles Cunningham 51, Klaus Warrick, , Ryo Sayama 25, Yukia Naruse 25, John Hellerman 46, Charles zi Britannia 67, Maximus va Britannia 35
Kallen kou Britannia 26, Euphemia li Britannia 26, Karine le Britannia 24, Nunnally Kururugi 23, Evelyn Futaba 16, CC 23, Milly Ash Britannia 27, Alice Liddell 23, Oldrin Zevon 27, Maribelle mel Britannia 27, Dalque 25, Lilicia Gottwald 23, Kaguya yama Britannia 23, Lihua Jiang 22, Lucretia vi Britannia 26, Sancia Lamperouge 27, Cornelia vi Britannia 35, Sayoko Gottwald 33, Anya Alstriem 24, Cecile Croomy 33, Ayame vi Britannia 26, Layla Makal 26, Rakshata Chawla 39, Xianglin Lamperouge 29, Villetta Nu 36, Hannah Gottwald 24, Chelsea Nu 25, Sora Cummins 24, Nagisa Chiba Lamperouge 38, Marika Soresi 26, Liliana Vergamon 25, Salacia Ravenguard 29, Mariel Lubie 28, Emily Sforza 14, Miranda Sforza 14, Toto Thompson 26, Sokia Scerpa 26, Miyako Inoue 16, Hoshi Inoue 15, Chelsea ru Britannia 15, Nonette Enngream 37, Regina ha Britannia 23, Monica Langley 31, Aphrodite Bradley 32, Dorothea Ernst 41, Naomi Inoue 33, Nina Einstein 26, Midori Futaba 27, Ichijiku Hinata 26, Mitsuki Minase Futaba 26, Nicole Hillis 45,Samanth ru Britannia 33, Opaca Rubrum Lux, Ayano Kosaka 25, Anna Clement 28, Sophie Randle 32, Ferilli Paltrow, Kate Novak, Jean Low, Hilda Fagan, Chloe Winkel, Olivia Lowell, Sarah Danes, Isabelle Weinberg 24, Carmina Soresi 40, Annabel pe Britannia 25, Victoria ka Britannia 24, Gwendolyn ti Britannia 23, Selene ge Britannia 23, GG 43.