Chapter Twelve: Whatever happened to the Popular Front?

Arc Three: The Big Show

Opening: "Kikai Jikake no Cinderella" - Eliza

"And so, I hope you will understand the importance of implementing modern solutions through Sakuradite power in our cities, and that you distinguished guests will take these lessons onboard in future projects. Thank you."

Lelouch sat up, his tight suit holding him in place, not uncomfortable but hardly ignorable, to join the chorus of applause as the speaker concluded his half hour discourse on the potential commercial implementations of Sakuradite in transportation and infrastructure, using the Tokyo railway lines as an example. While its less militarised tone drew little love from the contractors listening for the next big revolution that could be applied to their wars overseas, it was still a well presented speech that made good points on the importance of public infrastructure, to the point he had even scrawled a few notes into his small ledger book, nearly out of pages after 3 months of being filled with his small, tight lettering.

It was the first night of the Kawaguchi Convention on Technology, and while Milly was being insufferable, Lelouch was still enjoying himself, even to the point of thanking Nina profusely for winning a prize that had gotten them tickets. He was enraptured by the breadth of the intellectual prowess on display, his focus drawn almost exclusively to the stage.

As this speaker waved back to the applauding crowd while he walked behind the curtain, they were allowed five minutes between speeches to converse, relax, and relieve themselves. Lelouch turned to the other members of their reserved row, who were all in various states of attent. Suzaku was similarly interested in the topic, though it seemed some of the dirty looks were beginning to make him uncomfortable. Milly appeared to be switching between observing the speaker and her friends, while Shirley had hurriedly looked away as Lelouch turned his head towards their row.

Some things never changed. Finally, Nina was in a similar stupor to Lelouch, though he couldn't help but notice she had insisted on sitting on the seat furthermost to the right, while Lelouch was the second furthest to the left, beaten only by Suzaku who had sat down first. He didn't want to leap to conclusions, but it was food for thought. He certainly was in no mood for negative assumptions, particularly about his host.

Milly noted his diverted attention, smiling and asked "Enjoying it?"

Lelouch nodded, thanking her as his stomach gurgled. He chuckled, and explained "I'll just be a moment."

"Take your time."

Stepping over Suzaku to enter the central row, Lelouch stepped down past the rows of seats, brass and suits and gowns passing him by as he approached the rear of the enormous amphitheatre, lit in blue upward tones reflecting from the bottom corners of the halls against the ceiling, like the Globe Theatre in the midst of deepest Shakespeare. He enjoyed the deep hues against the dark walls, like Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Finally turning away as he entered the small corridors out of the amphitheatre towards the hotel's international restaurant, which had been repurposed as a buffet to allow for quick eating between speeches. Fortunately, he had timed his journey well, with only one small group walking back to the hall in view. They passed by within a few feet of each other, as Lelouch, mind half engaged, surveyed the group. They were led by a young girl, about his age with a baseball cap and tracksuit, a bit informal for the event but with a face reminiscent of his favourite half sister at a glance. She appeared too old and informal for that to be the case, given that any Princess attending a place like this would be heralded and given her own booth and likely her own speech. He chuckled at the coincidence as their eyes met briefly, before they moved along.

After a moment's wait for an attendant to arrive, as he asked for a side of chilli manchow soup to keep him going, which were served promptly. Hoping to get some fresh air, he sat next to the open window of the restaurant overlooking the lake. He felt briefly guilty for leaving his friends, but it was a three day event. They could live without him for ten minutes.

He tucked into his soup, an incredibly spicy liquid that could nearly take your eye out, as he examined the lake below him. There was little wind tonight, and so the moonlight appeared flat, with little shimmer against the glassy surface. His eye fell further, towards the shoreline, as it lazily moved about.

Then suddenly, motion; his eye was drawn left by a line of movement. It wasn't conscious, his eyes merely sought out that which was changing. The bridge, split up into multiple portions, was being raised. This raised his eyebrow, and as he finished the first roll, he looked more closely, before examining the other bridge within view of the window. Sure enough, it was rising upwards, blocking off exit.

'Curiouser and curiouser' Lelouch thought, as he moved along the wall, his senses on guard. Uncertain, yet suspicious, he moved back into the corridor, spoon in one hand and bowl of soup in the other. It took some time for him to patch out what was happening, but as he approached the central stairway, he heard loud footsteps banging upwards from below. It was at this moment that he realised something was very, very wrong.

Moving quickly, thinking like a chess board in the vertical, he moved behind the row of stairs, as the first few men came up. Japanese, likely terrorists, moving in groups of four with rifles.

Lelouch mentally groaned. Why now, of all times? He leaned against the pillar where he hid, as a small detachment, perhaps the fourth or fifth of a dozen, moved past him. He pushed his breath inside him and hoped he wouldn't be spotted, as the time drew to a slow crawl. One man, tall and broad shouldered, pushed by, his physique drowning Lelouch's narrow, dark vision as the clock moved tenuously along, far slower than it should. The next man was slender, yet tall, far darker than the others in terms of skin tone. The clock marched slowly along the long road to 18:36, taking its long wandering route around the face of the white, minimalist disc. Next came a short, stout Japanese man, paler than the others with receding hair. Further, further, taking ten minutes to climb to 18:36's narrow tip, as the last man trudged along past his hiding place, his narrow eyes shifting from wall to clock to Lelouch.

The mans shock was betrayed by his eyes, and Lelouch acted fast to avoid getting shot by a twitchy terrorist, slamming his bowl of soup forward towards his face. Chilli Manchow soup was incredibly spicy, which suited Lelouch fine, but it also stung like nothing else if misapplied. He forced the bowl straight into the man's face, pushing for the eyes and holding it there as the man cried out as if his feet had just been dipped in lava, grabbing the attention of the rest of his group. Lelouch pulled the bowl back, ducking down and swiping the bowl against the dark skinned man, spreading the sauce against his face before grabbing the man and using him for cover.

But his stand was short lived, as one of the rear groups fired a warning shot behind him, freezing him in place with surprise. The terrorist who shot at him, a teen barely older than him, roared in guttural Japanese "Up, dog!", before switching to broken English "Get up, up, now!"

Lelouch obeyed, not giving away a potential advantage in being able to understand their private communications. He moved very slowly to not give the Japanese any opportunity to fire on him. No need to die for nothing. He felt a gun push into his neck, pulsing inwards, pressuring his skin into a depression. He took the hint, placing his hands firmly on his head before further pokes sent him walking down towards the amphitheatre. He received dirty look after filthy stare as he made his way down to the room. The door was manned by two rifle toting terrorists, who opened the door to a jarring scene.

The terrorists were holding down the well dressed men and women in enclosures, between 10 to 20 people huddled down in circles, chairs thrown about the place. The blue was gone, the amphitheatre was lit, and the earlier illusion was shattered, as if the mystery of a darkened haunted house was removed, only revealing a sight much more horrifying. The fear on people's eyes met the hate from the occupiers. While Lelouch was himself afraid, he compartmentalised his fear. It was selfish to feel fear right now; there were others at stake, and Nunnally too. And the plan. Fear was a paralytic, a surrender, a crutch he couldn't afford. He tucked it far away, and began to plan.

A peek up at the clock, now visible in the yellow light of the large theatre, told him the time was 18:38. The Britannian Army would discover their captivity in 18 minutes of camera swapping, plus or minus 3. He had until then to do something he suddenly realised, as there was no way he could leave this hotel on the Army's terms.

It occurred to him suddenly, as he saw terrified Britannian eyes flash up at him; he would be identified. Any attempt to liberate the hostages by the Britannians would be led by Cornelia, who when the hostages all went through processing would finger Lelouch on the spot.

Seventeen minutes to devise a plan.

The terrorists placed him back in his group, huddling together sharing nervous looks. Nina looked scared beyond comprehension, Shirley looked more shocked than worried, while Milly and Suzaku looked to him for some comfort, as the latter, knowing the score asked "Ideas?"

"Working on it…" he grumbled as he watched the clock rise further, past seven pm without fruit as Lelouch came to realise something was very, very wrong, even in this context. Cornelia should have attempted at the very least to breach the perimeter, given that she had never cared about casualties.

Suddenly, there was a struggle in the next enclave, as a man was being dragged out from the crowd in the tight grips of his wife. Lelouch looked over the crowds to get a better look as he was torn between the embrace of his wife and the roaring pulls of the terrorists.

"Oh God no, oh please not me!" the man cried, as the leader of the four men pulling at him hissed "Come on, you bastard! This is what we think of your Princess' 'negotiations'!"

Lelouch was shocked. They were no doubt referring to Cornelia, except that made no sense. Negotiations? Cornelia didn't know the word!

Lelouch felt uncertainty creep back into his mind as the man was hauled away, weeping loudly for help which never came. Lelouch had no clue how he was meant to escape, short of revealing himself as Yuaikai, which meant if the Britannians arrived he would be killed. Another item of great concern was Cornelia staying her hand. Had Euphemia talked her into holding off? No, the teen would never be allowed near the control room, even as close as Cornelia was to her sibling.

The only mystery that resolved itself in the ten minutes following was what had happened to the husband, who was seen falling past the window screaming for a fraction of a second through the long, panoramic window on the north face. Not that the knowledge the terrorists were killing hostages came as much comfort to Lelouch.

Nor, it seemed, did it come as comfort to Nina, who was now beginning to be a worry in and of herself to the Britannian Prince, as she shuddered and jerked about the place like a puppet on an industrial line. This experience had taken the nerves off the entire group, but Nina looked set to end her fuse, as happened soon enough, for as a terrorist passed by, rifle passing too close for comfort, he heard her blurt out "Elevens…"

Lelouch cringed into oblivion, head recoiling as if it were itself a rifle. Why, why had she said that?

The man had similar thoughts, aiming the weapon at the short girl and roaring "Not Elevens! We're Japanese, dammit!"

Suzaku tried to come to the rescue, replying "Please, peace. She is upset. It is not her fault."

"Please, as if you'd know, you filthy traitor!" he screamed in Suzaku's face. "Honourary, as if you'd know the meaning of the word."

'Please, please don't do something stupid Suzaku.' Lelouch almost prayed, before Suzaku did something stupid, swearing with a filthy Japanese expletive and ruining it. As Lelouch sank his head further, the terrorist asked "Who the hell do you think you are? Here, I'll show you, you're next for the drop! Boys, o'er here!"

Lelouch jerked back in surprise, reaching out for Suzaku as he cried out in indignant Japanese "You're making a huge mistake… dammit… I'm Yuaikai! Put me down!"

"What the hell did you say?" the man shouted as he dropped Suzaku like a hot rock, aiming his rifle at him. Lelouch was frustrated, though not as much as perhaps he would have been ten minutes ago. That had been too close for comfort. The man paused, making sure by asking "Are you being honest? What's your name?"

Not missing a beat, Suzaku replied "Akate."

The man's eyes widened as he backed off, while others closed in. To his credit, the man seemed to understand the need for the Yuaikai to remain private, and so he had Suzaku escorted out, though with less shouting and drama. Predictably, they returned for Lelouch, who stood willingly and maintained a dignified stance ahead of the men, refusing to be harassed now that he held the power. His eyes fluttered about the crowds, most of whom looked away, assuming he was the next to go and take the fall. Still, he kept his head bent low until he entered the corridor, shaking off his coat with a quiet "Hmph".

Most of the Japanese fighters weren't too keen on looking at him straight on, likely not fans of the fact one of the three members of a prominent resistance group was apparently not only a Britannian, but a blue blooded one. He drew some amusement as he passed a pair with blue noses, the ones he'd sprayed with soup, who were not impressed by his rebellious credentials. Still, after a brief conversation in Japanese, he was allowed into the room which served as the base of operations.

It was a small room, with three couches in the middle centered around a coffee table. Suzaku was sat on the furthermost couch from the door, while there was a lone fat man dressed in pre-War Officer garb faced away, looking out the one way window.

"Ah, Akira, welcome. I was surprised to hear of your presence, I never imagined that I would happen across you both here, I truly am sorry you had to be caught up in all this."

He spoke in Japanese, and as Lelouch silently tried to piece together his identity, the Officer laughed, before continuing as he turned around "And what news! The younger Kururugi, come to claim his heirdom! I must ponder who he chose to join him on such a venture-"

The man stopped in his tracks as he concluded his turn, as their faces met. Lelouch wore a scowl, teeth clenched and brows set apart scornfully. His amethyst eyes narrowed to a point on their inner edges, while the outer edge was still flayed open at full attent.

Suzaku cleared his throat. "Akira, meet Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe Josui, current commander of the Japanese Liberation Front, formerly the Popular Front."

It took all of Lelouch's willpower to not remark something along the lines of "So that's what happened to you.", or "So this is what you've decided to do with yourself after retiring.", instead opting for a simpler and more diplomatic "We've met."

And indeed they had, for while Kusakabe had not been present nearly as much as Tohdoh, he still remembered the Officer from the man's visits to the Kururugi Shrine. It seemed that the Lieutenant Colonel remembered him too, as he took a step back with realisation.

"Vi Britannia."

"I go by Lamperouge these days."

"So much for Akira…"

The pair fell briefly silent, staring at each other with shifting understanding and malice. Kusakabe cleared his throat, attempting to heal the awkwardness as he explained "So like I said, I am sorry you were caught up in this. As surprised as I am about how high profile you both are, you have both proven your dedication to the Japanese cause. Whatever you need, only ask."

Lelouch and Suzaku exchanged looks, neither certain of what they wanted to say. Lelouch wanted to rail against Kusekabe's tactics as, but he was still aware of the tenuousness of his situation. Attempting to get more details, he moved away from the door and stood against the wall parallel to the window, and asked "So what's the situation?"

"Cornelia has made limited attempts to breach through the service tunnels, however our Raikou has been able to repel their attacks thus far. A large scale attack has not yet been attempted, and there are few signs of a larger assault team." Kusakabe explained before frowning. "You know her, hm? What does this suggest to you, Lamperouge?"

"Several things, and most of them contradictory. She would charge in with a sabre herself sooner than be passive in the face of terrorism. One can only therefore deduce she is being affected by factors outside the tactical. Either there are strategic issues I have missed, or there is a third party in play. Still, I would nonetheless not count on us leaving anytime soon."

Kusakabe nodded. "I suspected as much. What are your thoughts, Kururugi?"

Lelouch watched with the edges of his eyes as Suzaku paused, before explaining "I'd agree, but either way this is hardly tenable. This attack was a mistake from the start."

Lelouch cocked a brief eyebrow, as he realised Suzaku was on his side for this, and so went and joined, quipping "I'm afraid I too think so. Violent terrorist acts are antithetical to the cause of Liberation, as you are painted as animalistic villains and cowards."

Suzaku shot him a glare, which Lelouch didn't feel was especially unwarranted. He had waited out of uncertainty for Suzaku to make the first move, and had leapt aboard the bandwagon now the issue had been raised. Still, Suzaku apparently had enough sense to not press the issue, allowing Lelouch to continue "Terrorism as a concept is going to fade away, because faced between hard nosed opponents and a suffering population you will be squeezed out, swept into the nothingness of history! You will lose The Long War!"

Kusakabe recoiled in fury, shouting "What? You insolent… We are the ones fighting for them! We are an army, not terrorists, fighting open war, unlike… unlike you! You both, unwilling to even risk your lives!"

"The idea that not outliving your own campaign is a good thing says more about you than about us, you fanatic. The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one" Lelouch hissed, quoting Salinger fluently as he observed out of the corner of his eye that Suzaku had turned down his head at Kusakabe's remark on cowardice and sacrifice. Still, he had to press on. "In fact-"

"Sir, we have a situation!"

Lelouch turned to see an exasperated terrorist at full attention. Kusakabe, losing the venom from his voice, said "Explain, Sergeant."

The man seemed to have to search for the words, before spluttering "Sir… It's a member of the Royal Family."

Lelouch could almost hear Kusakabe frown as he said "I'm well aware, he's right in front of me!"

The man at the door paled before moving aside and saying "No sir... another one."

"Lelouch?"

The world stopped again, as Lelouch became consciously aware of the weakness in his knees. His eyes grew wide as his breath drew short, barely able to categorise each sight. The pink hair, now open and worn in buns instead of hidden inside a cap, the short, round face, with tapered, determined lips and an emotional yet somewhat stoic look that cried of years lost.

"Impossible…"

Euphemia sighed slightly. "Unlikely, brother, would seem to be the better word. I suspected it was you when we passed in the canteen, and seeing you escorted out confirmed it. What have you been doing?"

There was not a sound from Lelouch as he leaned back, face still poised in anger from the surprise, yet his wide eyes told a story of overwhelming emotion kept within narrow frames, imprisoned for fear they would impede the hosts functions. He had given himself away, and had no retort to the thinly disguised accusations.

Kusakabe, not seeing Lelouch's torn face, leapt on the opportunity to grab a member of the Royal Family that could actually serve as a hostage, moving alongside Lelouch and commenting "So that's why Cornelia held her fire. I told you Lelouch, these operations hold merit. I've done exceptionally well out of this."

"Have you." Lelouch sourly pulsed, neither turning away or hiding his verbose cynicism. His anger at a lack of control was still present, and he was angry at that anger to boot in an ironic cycle. He was done addressing Kusakabe, his sparse attention drawn elsewhere.

"Need I remind us of our situation, everyone?" Suzaku reasoned. "Lelouch is… having a bit of a moment. Kusakabe, while this is a development, it neither addresses the criticisms we raised, or solves the central issue of how we are going to get out of here."

Euphemia blinked, and asked "So you two aren't with them?"

"No, we were caught up in it like the rest of you. We've… been doing other things."

She paused and smiled, moving to hug Lelouch. "I knew you didn't have this in you! You're too smart to need to take a hotel, what was I thinking?"

Lelouch froze as his sister wrapped her arms around him, stunning him into further silence. He could barely-

BANG

The unmuffled shot echoed through the walls, stunning Kusakabe and Euphemia, but reengaging Lelouch.

"Back." he warned, his brain coming back into gear as he called across "Suzaku, keep by Euphemia."

Suzaku nodded, getting up and moving across as there came a second explosion, closer this time. Lelouch looked back, seeing Kusakabe draw his pistol before he backed away himself. Suzaku held Euphemia back towards the couches, understanding Lelouch's instructions fully as he asked Kusakabe "Do you have a spare pistol?"

Before Lelouch could turn and scorn his hypocrisy, Suzaku prebutted with "Would you rather I go without the potential to threaten? I won't use it."

Lelouch scowled as Suzaku accepted a skeletal sidearm, before Kusakabe reluctantly handed the Prince one. It was clear they didn't like each other, but in the face of a potentially unknown enemy, it was for the best.

It was several minutes before a man entered the room, dressed in the terrorist uniform and several gallons of sweat.

"Sir… Zero would like to speak to you."

And cut.

Man, it feels good to have the writing bug back. For the first time in a while, I have gone over my page count, all while keeping single line paragraphs to an all time low. As well, the quality of this Chapter has me beaming with pride. And it's just in time; things are escalating, and our boys can no longer keep their dirty dealings at an arm's length. They will have to make real sacrifices, and even give up everything they have. This Chapter also marks the ¼ waypoint of the story from my plans, from the beginning to the end of R2. Wow, we have really come a long way.

A question I can imagine burning on all your minds is; Eth0, did you seriously just change the name of one of the antagonists organisations to make a half arsed Monty Python joke in the Chapter title?

Yes I did.

Still, I promise I'll try and keep Chapter titles a tad more substantive. That aside, thank you all for reading up to the end of Arc Three, and I hope you'll stay with me through the next Arc, Discourses With The Chairman, beginning my "better titles" streak with the Chapter 13, Paper Tiger, following a brief Flashback. Until then, stay safe, have an escape plan, and please rate and review!

~Eth0