Chapter Fourteen: Frame Of Mind

Arc Four: Discourses with the Chairman

Opening: "Nightmare Parade" - Fake Type

"Two coffees, both black?"

"Aye."

"Coming right up."

Moments later, the drinks slid across the desk, and a single note made the return trip, as Kallen Kozūki took the steaming card cups over to the table she shared with Suzaku. She sat next to the window, briefly looking out over the empty, bright plaza, a ways into Tokyo's hot afternoon. She sighed, before looking back at Suzaku and began to think as she sipped down her coffee. She could practically feel Suzaku glaring at her, however ultimately she had greater concerns than his scorn as she thought through the potential solutions. They were a ways away from the school, and could think freely. There was one hour and twenty minutes until their deadline, however hopefully they could save time by planning ahead.

"So what are we doing here then?"

Kallen paused to finish the drink before answering in monotone "We are thinking of a plan while enjoying some delicious coffee."

Her voice was dissonant from her worried thoughts, however even under a mask, Zero had given her plenty practise at an effective poker face. She had projected her voice and presence through fierce will and fiery rhetoric, uniting the rebel elements to bring the fight to Britannia, and now Lelouch, the key, had been captured by Mao. She could barely bare to think about it.

"And why, may I ask, could we not do either of these things in our apartment."

"It's bugged. Here is safer, and we can sort out our approach." she answered, before handing over the photograph. "Do you know where this was taken?"

Ideally, as much as possible ought to be figured out away from the Campus, to avoid giving Mao warning. Knowing him, he would not likely give an unsolvable puzzle. It was a shame she could not deploy the freshly minted Black Knights due to his preset rules, however Mao said nothing about Suzaku, and had not disallowed his use.

This was his big mistake. Kallen, and by extension Mao, had known what affect kidnapping Lelouch would have. Both Geass users also knew at least as of yesterday that Lelouch and Suzaku were close, however until they had been revealed to be Yuaikai, the extent to which they were close could not have been guessed at. Add in the fact that Mao must surely have been lying in wait for Lelouch before they had arrived back from the Convention, and one could thus presume his plan had been executed before he had any knowledge of how critical Suzaku or Ohgi would be to any rescue effort, hence he had not mentioned them in his hostage call.

This would prove his undoing, as Suzaku quickly responded "I recognise it. It's an old sewer exit near the bottom of the school. Lelouch hid there when-"

Suzaku stopped mid sentence, awakening Kallens eyebrow. It was implied from that he was hiding from something, and Suzaku's hesitation told her it probably wasn't Milly he had been hiding from. Still, she could always ask later; they were on the clock.

"That's fine. You know the way?"

"Yes" he nodded, as Kallen replied "Excellent. Is there anyone you trust to help get him?"

After a brief pause, Suzaku nodded, before Kallen explained "Give them directions to the room, without either mentioning where they are going, at least until they arrive, or why. Lie if necessary."

She considered suggesting this third party bring Kusakabe's pistol, however that would give her away. Suzaku looked rightfully outraged, before Kallen silenced him. "We don't know what Mao does and doesn't know. We need to maintain secrecy until we have him caught. I'm sorry."

He looked royally cross, however he dutifully dialled up a number on his mobile, beginning his terse discussion with "Sayako, I need your help. I can explain later, but follow these instructions."

Kallen nodded approval, before making a call of her own.

"C.C? I need you to go get something, and stand watch for further instructions."

After explaining the task to the unreadable witch, she hung up and returned her attention to Suzaku, who was awaiting updates from his maid, who was performing her task with great diligence. Based on Suzaku's brief explanation of Sayako's abilities and traits, she could hardly envision a more ideal person for the task. Loyal to the end, fiercely determined, and unquestioning. She was even Japanese. Kallen briefly considered recruiting her as her spy in Yuaikai, however she quickly dismissed the idea. She was loyal to the men, not the cause.

"She's just reached the last hall." Suzaku read from his text alert, before pausing. "There's a… turret on the roof."

"Eh?"

"A… a turret, machine gun. It's set to fire."

Kallen paused. Well that was certainly evidence enough they were on the right track, however it would be an issue for Sayako. That said, this did not fit with Mao's modus operandi. Mao was more into mind games, and so he would have only placed the turret there if his game was something else entirely. It was like in a game, a wall at the end of a maze that told the player to turn back, that the real end was elsewhere. Did Mao want them to meet at a second location, with Lelouch safely out of the way? It certainly seemed that way, though she couldn't see where the next step lay.

"Call your maid off." Kallen moaned absentmindedly. "There's no need to-"

"Um.."

Kallen looked up. "Mm?"

Suzaku appeared to go into a brief pause, as if mentally confirming what he was about to say before clearing his throat and explaining slowly "It appears, from this preliminary text, that Sayako has in fact ran past the machine gun and into the next room."

Well that was an alternative, Kallen thought, and was briefly stunned into silence. She wondered whether this maid was a ninja or something equally absurd, before focusing. "Did she say what she's seeing?"

"Next text…" Suzaku said, frowning into the small screen. "Ho… she sees him, she's there. Apparently, he's strapped up to several high explosives."

At that moment, Kallens phone rang. She fumbled to pick it up, however it wasn't giving notices. She frowned, before realising.

Mao was calling her on her 'Zero' phone.

She kept it in her inside coat pocket, a small brick which weighed next to nothing, and had about as many functions. It was closer to a shortwave radio than a phone. It would surely raise questions in Suzaku's mind, an effect she had no doubt was intended on Mao's part. Perhaps a little preemptive vengeance.

Either way, she slowly drew out the cardlike device and held it to her ear, sending Suzaku's eyebrows into another fit of furrowing as he raised his coffee mug. She looked him dead in the eye as she answered.

"Mao."

Suzaku choked on his drink as the mad Chinese mind reader laughed "Indeed, it's me, and while I must say I felt cheated, it's nothing compared to the shame you must feel in sending a little old maid down to rescue Lelouch, Zero."

Ignoring the jab to avoid alerting Suzaku, she countered "Caution has never hurt anyone, and neither has a strict interpretation of the rules. I did nothing wrong."

He laughed again. "Harsh! And oh Lord, unexpected! Spontaneous! Fresh! Truly wonderful. Alas, all good things must come to an end."

"Where are you?"

"I'm feeling a little… sinful today, so I've gone up to the Chapel for redemption. I'm hoping for a little angel to be arriving, though I can imagine a dance with the devil to be a tad feisty, if predictable. I hope either one arrives before my time is up."

Ignoring the halfway attempts at puns, she hung up, and grabbed a pad of ringed paper and began to scribble while Suzaku got in contact with Sayako, gathering details.

"She says he looks to have no serious harm, but doesn't want to move him."

As Kallen continued to write, she nodded in confirmation, before handing over the stack of cards and pausing. She had never, even in her darkest moments of Machiavellianism, considered what she was about to do. After inspiring her, she considered Suzaku and Lelouch allies, and wanted to win them over through words, and not this. It would be unthinkable, emotionally unfathomable. It was the sort of move that could only be rationalised through the most stringent 'good of the many' approach, which Kallen did not inherently subscribe to.

Ultimately, it could be the one thing Mao did not expect.

She looked up, and spoke authoritatively, as her Geass flashed into life.

"These are your instructions. You are to follow them to the letter, not reading ahead until you have completed your task before. You will begin immediately."

As Suzaku stood up to leave, Kallen whipped out a pocket mirror, and hoped this would work.

Kallen stared down at the chessboard in front of her in despair. Mao had seen everything, and even in her incompetence at the game, playing wildcards and throwing everything at the wall, Mao had never faltered from his easy smile. She had always detested the game for ignoring the human element of combat, however even now-

"I'm hardly surprised you hate it, you're worse than an infant! This is hardly fitting, your idol would be so disappointed in you. He's rather good at chess, you know. Not that he'll be around to learn about it of course."

-she was being kicked from one end of the board to the other. Why was she doing this? What was the damn plan? It was such a stupid idea to try play Mao's stupid game. She wasn't sure whether to kick him or herself. She could barely think of a move that could turn her situation around, which would be redundant anyway. She had to-

BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP.

Kallens body visibly jerked as the man in front of her spoke up.

"You're out of time. From now on you'll make a move every twenty seconds."

She didn't fully understand why he had said that, whether he was referencing something, however it succeeded in stressing her out further, jumbling her thoughts to screaming loudness.

"Caicing hell…"

As she swore, suddenly the volume was pierced by the sound of shattering glass from above, as her mind flew about the place in confusion and stress, as she saw a flash soar through her vision and down to the floor, as the sight of Suzaku Kururugi grew clear, his face filled with fury, eyes glowing red and mouth turned down with pain, likely his shoulder giving slightly from the exertion. Kallen was shocked, having no recollection of giving him instructions.

Mao was also surprised, nearly falling over himself as Suzaku stepped up and slugged him hard, a harsh thwack echoing throughout the chapel as Kallen stumbled up, looking on while Mao recovered, reaching through Suzaku's mind for something, anything, to dissuade him. After a moment of crawling away, he cried out "Kallen knows about Yuaikai! Yuaikai!"

Kallen froze in terror, however bizarrely, Suzaku was not moved, going on to slam his knuckles down onto Mao's forehead and knocking him out, before catching his breath and pulling out his phone with a clam serenity that was completely dissonant from the scene at hand. He dialled a number before reading off a cue card "Mao is unconscious, release Lelouch slowly and carefully."

With that, he hung up, and walked over to Kallen, looking down at her emotionlessly, as she finally saw what was happening looking into his glazed over eyes. Suzaku had been Geassed, and probably by her, which meant, given that she couldn't remember-

"Check your phone pocket."

Knowing what she would find, she did as she was told, pulling out her pocket mirror and staring into her own gaze, as her memories came rushing back.

"I should go to the hospital, get some rest." Suzaku commented, speaking out his final command.

"Aye." Kallen replied. "That would be best."

Lelouch frowned as his fragile eyes were finally restored to the light of the dim sewer, his vision briefly stolen in a rush of white light as he grasped at his surroundings. A woman, green haired and silent, was untying him from Mao's chair, not making eye contact as she broke the cords, allowing him to stand, before his weak, stiff legs gave way and he crumpled to the floor, held up by his elbows. The green haired girl looked down at Lelouch, who was deep in thought.

Said thoughts were scattered. It flitted from Mao, to his intentions, to Kallen, to Zero, to the girl. What connection did she have to Zero? After a moment's chaotic thought, his mind eventually settled, as he finally made the connection. This woman was the one he found in the capsule, who had been a bundle of sarcasm and cynical annoyance. She had also known his name, if only his first name. He turned around, and pointed a tired, accusing finger at her, harshly whispering "You."

"Oh, you do remember me. I'm flattered."

Flabbergasted, his hand fell in defeat, once again unable to respond to the casual, nonchalant attitude the woman carried around. Attempting to reach for one more answer, he asked "Are you with Zero? With Kallen?"

She shrugged, before cheekily responding "Ask her yourself."

Lelouch turned on his hips, now lying upwards like a Roman eating dinner as he looked upon Kallen, who at once looked just as normal, and yet so terrifyingly different with context and new knowledge. He hauled himself up, and marched over to her, barely carrying himself on much else other than willpower.

"Why." he hissed, injecting venom into his voice with little effort. "Why you?"

Kallen looked at him with a sort of pity "Both Mao and I told you why. I want to destroy Britannia, and free the Japanese. I told you at the Sakura tree, I told you at the hotel, and Mao told you over the phone. Ultimately, it is not a complex issue at all. They only speak the language of violence, and we are shouting. You on the other hand, are a silent enigma."

Lelouch snarled "I agree, there is little complexity to the ideals of terrorists and violent thugs, dressing themselves up as Knights while working against the interests of those they would protect!"

"It is better than wearing suits to Occupy!" Kallen roared in return. "The Britannians will never compromise, negotiate, discuss! Look at their leaders; Would the Emperor yield? Would Cornelia ever attempt to negotiate?"

"No, they would use the font that has writ their victories from the nation's entre existence! They've won wars for centuries, what makes you think you're different? We have to win the Long War, bring people over before we can think of winning a battle. Wasting our efforts running against the wall will bring all of us to ruin!"

"What will bring us to ruin, Lamperouge, is not demonstrating what they did was unacceptable! They will never learn without cost!"

"If that sort of vengeful, selfish thinking is your priority, you disgust me far more than the Britannians ever could."

Kallen looked set to explode as she hissed "I don't find that hard to imagine, you were awfully chummy with the Princess at the Hotel, and you shot at Kusakabe first. You also seem to be personally profiting pretty well off your damn Ponzi scheme! Can you not see damn well that we need to do this? What happened to audacity, to strength, to being an inspiration? What happened to proactivity? You sit in your ivory tower, not seeing what I am doing needs to be done, wasting your talents and energies on the Bridge to Nowhere! Join me, and with your organising talents we can be rid of their horrid regime, or be forgotten, thrown to the dustbin of history!"

Her voice had grown to a hoarse roar, as Lelouch sat back, in awe of her stunning display.

'That's it...' he thought, halfway to a grin out of sheer awe. 'That's Zero, right there.'

However, he noted how Kallen had recalled the instances where he had, unintentionally, inspired her, had told her things as either advice or conversation that she had apparently taken to heart, how her voice had begun to break, and there was a tear forming in her eyes, neither anger nor sadness, but an emotional overwhelment that left him at the mercy of her disappointment in his pragmatic ways.

With this, he came to a horrifying realisation.

He had done this. He had led, indirectly, to Zero's creation. A hole opened up in his chest as he looked up in horror. He had created his greatest obstacle, with the advice he had anonymously given to Kallen, and unlike Britannia it was one that actually had some popular support, and was run at a grassroots level. While he had not made her kill Clovis, which truly would have sent him over the edge, her activities after the fact, raising the profile of Japanese terrorism, giving justification to the Purists to massacre-

Lelouch had to resist the urge to vomit. To top it off, she admired him, to the point he was good enough to serve as a kidnapping victim for her, and she wanted him to join her in her efforts to violently slog it out with the Britannians.

This time, he really did empty his stomach onto the floor, the horror overwhelming him. There wasn't much in his stomach to choke up, not having eaten for some time, but his hollowness was much deeper.

By this point, Kallen looked apathetic in disappointment, which brought Lelouch some bitter joy. Perhaps it was petty, but spiting Zero seemed worth it, as sort of a doomed moral victor. He had very little expectation that he would survive. He knew she was more than willing to kill allies, and she knew he would sell her out in a heartbeat if he thought he could gain some advantage, and so it became less of an impasse and more of a cold calculation, something they both had the ability to do, however Kallen was ultimately the one whose job was easier.

"You will lose."

Kallen looked away and whispered "You said that before. I see how it is."

Lelouch paused and looked down, before he felt Kallen grab his shoulder and she whispered "Up. We need to leave."

With little choice, he stood up, and following Kallens guidance, while his thoughts wandered again. Where was Suzaku? Was he already dead? No, it couldn't be, he concluded; Kallen had only turned sour on Yuaikai based on what he'd just said, she couldn't have known to kill Suzaku before arriving down here. Then, he was forced to wonder; where was he?

It certainly wasn't the case that Lelouch himself could run away; even if Kallen was by some bizarre miracle of nature below his strength level, he was exhausted, starving, outnumbered and stiff, and was in a state of bitter resignation as Kallen led him away, up out and back into the side building. Lelouch wondered where they were going as he was led into the annexe and up to his room. He began to shiver. Was it going to be staged to make it look like suicide? Was she going to kill Nunnally? Lelouch's breath grew rapid and unsteady as Kallen dropped him at the floor of his bedroom with a thump. He looked up at his assailant, terrified and limp.

"Please…" he whispered, as he began to cry.

Kallen looked disgusted, before she spoke down with fierce, fiery eyes.

"Kallen Kozūki commands you to forget."

Indeed she did, but don't fret; I did not in fact just render this Chapter redundant with that last line, as while several insights Lelouch may have gained about Kallen are now lost to him, they are not lost to you. Character development and such. Also, Kallens views on Lelouch have now developed to the point which they are now near enemies, and while she doesn't kill him, she makes sure her identity will stay a secret. Kallen now refusing to operate alongside Yuaikai is extremely important. Also, Lelouch may have remembered more than Kallen intended, for reasons attentive readers will grasp.

The thing is, I'm beginning to realise I'm getting optimistic with how much I'm going to be able to fit into Chapters, which I try to keep within stringent size constraints for consistency. I was meant to introduce a whole other plot point into this Chapter. While I will be able to slip it in next Chapter, the overarching point is that I will need to either tell the story more efficiently, or I will have to drop several themes and ideas from consideration, which brings me great disappointment.

Ultimately however, I enjoyed writing this Chapter, particularly Lelouch's breakdown, and I hope you enjoyed reading it too. I hope you'll read on, in the next Chapter, Chapter Fifteen, The Plot Unravels. Until next time, be safe, try not to get kidnapped while I'm away, and please rate and review!

~Eth0