A/N: Here we go. This story is meant to be heavy AU, as I will take various things from various Code Geass media, and mush them all together. Some of it won't make sense, but I'll try my best to bring some sense to the nonsensical story this is turning out to be.
Several miles away, deep inside a hidden base, General Katase Tatewaki fought his own internal battle. He sat angrily with fellow JLF members beside him. They sat in a circle, and all waited his response to the recent news.
The men and woman around him were the most loyal members of the Japanese Liberation Front, and Katase was unbelievably grateful that they did not abandon him like the others.
"Josui...that fool!" Katase released his rage by angrily slamming his fist down.
"General...what shall we do?" Kyoshiro Tohdoh cut in, his rough features forming a permanent frown.
"What can we do?" The older man questioned absentmindedly, "More than half our members abandoned us to join Kusakabe in his half-assed plan to take back Tokyo. They managed to steal our newest shipment of Burai, along with most of those we already had. Then to top it all of they stole our experimental coil gun. The only good thing that came from this is knowing who I can trust."
"You are the only leader I answer to. Both as a subordinate and a friend." Tohdoh answered without fault.
The woman to Tohdoh's right, Nagisa Chiba nodded along with her fellow brothers in arms, "The Four Holy Swords are under Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh's leadership, so where he goes, we go."
Katase gave them a warm smile, "Thank you, but now I find myself feeling inadequate. Since the fall of Japan, I built this resistance in hope of liberating it one day. Now I find myself lost. Eight years of work, and all of it nearly lost in a night. Who knows? Maybe the Four Holy Swords would do more good joining them."
"General Tatewaki, permission to speak freely?" Ryōga Senba, the oldest member of the Four Holy Swords, spoke.
Katase turned to his subordinate, "Permission granted."
Senba faced him, "Do not presume to know more of us than we do. Especially when it comes to our judgment. Our loyalty lies with one man, Kyoshiro Tohdoh, so if he believes you to be his one and only leader, then you tarnish his judgment by thinking so little of yourself. Thus I kindly ask you to respect his judgment, so if he says you are an adequate leader than you are an adequate leader. End of story."
The older man finished with an aggressive crossing of his arms. He did not miss the stares given to him by his fellow Swords, and fought back a smile. He was known as the quieter member of the Holy Swords, so such a sudden outburst must be somewhat shocking.
Katase stared at Senba before nodding solemnly, "Right...sorry...thank you all for staying."
"Now back on what to do. The invasion is in full swing, and China has no intention to stop. Sawazaki was a fool to seek their allegiance; I doubt the Chinese Federation would give so many armed forces to liberate a country they themselves what to control."
"So we potentially escape Britannia's grip, only to fall into China's. When will Japan's suffering end?" Shōgo Asahina commented.
"What of Kyoto? Do you think the House will do something?" Kōsetsu Urabe suggested.
"I'm more fearful of what they'll do about the JLF. As far as they know, the entire JLF allied with China under Secretary Sawazaki's command. We could lose their support." Tohdoh answered.
"Damn it, why can't they communicate normally? Why must they be so reclusive? Sending letters in this day and age?" Asahina expressed his frustration.
"They support nearly every resistance unit in Japan. They must be secretive, in order to stay underground. Digital calls can be tracked or bugged. Letter on the other hand...rather resistant to such methods." Katase added semi-humorously.
"So as it stands, we can literally do nothing, but wait for victory or further tyranny."
"This is unacceptable! For Katase to use our Burai for such unwarranted attack is merely reckless. Not to mention, he never informed us of this event, even more so that they'd ally with China of all countries! They might as well surrender Japan again!" Munakato Tōsai angrily shouted at his fellow countrymen. His normally dapper attire, slightly disheveled due to his stress. He sat within a traditional Japanese home, and was surrounded by sliding doors as per usual for traditional homes.
"Munakato, please calm yourself. It only works against us if we begin losing our composure." Hidenobu Kubouin stated calmly as he sipped tea. His attire consisted of traditional Japanese clothing.
"Although Hidenobu is correct in keeping our composure, we must face the situation as it is. The Japanese Liberation Front has allied with China, and potentially turned against the Six Houses of Kyoto." Tatsunori Osakabe compromised, and he too was slightly disheveled as shown by his buttoned shirt being slightly unbuttoned, and his tie being loosened.
"Something does not add up. Katase would not bargain away Japan, simply to "liberate it." He wanted our freedom as much as anyone, but he is not an idiot. Even if he were, I doubt the Tohdoh of Miracles would allow it." Taizō Kirihara, the eldest member, grumbled in annoyance.
"Then he was tricked...we all know how mischievous the Chinese are. I am sure they somehow tricked Katase into joining Sawazaki's little band of exiles, and graciously offered their own forces to help. We all know the moment they take Tokyo, China will control the capital. Not to mention the Fuji mines." Munakato stated.
"You must give more credit to General Katase; he was never one for politicians, so I doubt Secretary Sawazaki could convince him." Taizō reasoned.
"Then what happened? Are you suggesting mutiny among the JLF?" Tatsunori questioned.
"Or a coup...whatever the case, we must come to terms with the possible outcome of this invasion. China will control the world's Sakuradite, and the question lies on whether or not they shall allow us to remain in power. This may very well be the end of the Six Houses." Taizō stated grimly. The other members grew weary at the prospect.
"That is under the assumption that Britannia will lose Tokyo." Another voice interjected. The youngest of the six and the leader, Sumeragi Kaguya.
"Lady Kaguya, Tokyo's government is in complete chaos, and this attack was skillfully coordinated. Even Britannia would lose against these odds. Then there is the additional forces China will surely send once they've secured the settlement. The reinforcements will most likely be in the millions."
"Even so, we must not begin to lose all hope. The Six Houses of Kyoto were given responsibility over Japan's industries, and due to that we became the very core of Japan's resistance. Whoever wins, we must not fall." Kaguya exclaimed passionately.
"Well we are lucky. Seems they've passed this district entirely. The evacuation center is too far to reach, so we'll need to wait out here." Richardson stated as he peered through the window.
"No." Kallen refused.
The older man looked to her, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I am not staying here. I need to get home." She stated rather calmly.
The gun shop owner merely stared at her incredulously, "In case you haven't realized...there is a goddamn invasion going on!"
"I don't care! I need to get home! My mother is there, and I won't lose anyone else!" Kallen shouted.
Richardson sighed and crossed his arms, "And how exactly do you plan to get there?"
Kallen seemed momentarily stumped before she faced him, "You have a car, don't you?"
This was unexpected, and again the older man sighed, he stared at her for a few seconds, before releasing a final sigh. He left the front area, and went to the back, and after a few minutes he returned with his keys. He tossed them to her, and she caught them easily.
"Do you even know how to drive?"
"Naoto taught me before he died...said it might save me one day." Kallen clutched the keys tightly before facing Richardson again, "Thank you."
The bespectacled man waved her off, "Yeah yeah, just try not to wreck it completely."
"Get moving you Britannian swine!" The armed Japanese soldier shouted at the frightened civilians. The area was filled with various Japanese militants, all displaying the rising sun proudly. Although they considered themselves an honorable group, what they were doing was far from honorable.
"Line up the lords, and keep their families near. If they try anything, shoot their families without mercy." The leader of the bunch, a 40 something year old, bearded man said. Lieutenant Colonel Josui Kusakabe, formerly of the Japanese military, and deserter of the Japanese Liberation Front.
As the attack on Tokyo began, he had his small group of 300 men waiting to enter Tokyo from the west, their goal was to capture the nobles to use as hostages. It was made easier by the settlement's outline. Made up of various interlocked plates, there were two levels to the settlement, with the higher members of society living on the outermost plate. Thus the grand estates and mansions were opened for the taking, so they arrived with knightmares and gunmen, and the cowardly nobleman easily fell in line. They were still gathering nobleman from the closed community, but would soon hold all noblemen within the district.
A few more noblemen were thrown before Kusakabe, and he stood with a sheathed katana, and looked down at the noblemen who were forced to kneel. The empowered Lieutenant Colonel could only smile as his enemies knelt in fear.
"Noblemen of Britannia, you should know this is the result of your country's evil. From here on you shall be prisoners of Japan, and shall be used for bargaining. Know should Britannia refuse to cooperate, we shall kill you one by one until we reach your families." Kusakabe explained to the men. Most were old and burly men who shook in fear.
Further down the street in a grand mansion surrounded by an elegance fence, various soldiers and Burai knightmare the Ashford family contemplated what to do.
"Come out now, or we shall kill everyone inside!" They shouted.
Meanwhile inside the home, the Ashfords were arguing. Specifically the head of the house and his son.
"Dad, don't be stupid! These terrorists will shoot you the moment you step outside!" The younger of the two men, Jonathan R. Ashford, shouted angrily, and slammed his hand on a coffee table for emphasis. They stood in the main entrance room, which was a grand room with a dual staircase leading to the upper rooms. Off to the side, out of the way of the two arguing were Milly and her mother Trisha Ashford, who were unsure if they should cut in.
Said father, Ruben K. Ashford, looked at his enraged son somberly, "If they wanted us dead, they would bust through that wooden door, and gun us all down. It is clear they are trying to hold hostages. They are smart to go after noblemen."
This enraged the Ashford heir further, "Stop being so nonchalant about this!"
Ruben calmly stopped his son's rant by placing his hands on the younger man's shoulders, "You have your mother's tenacity, but that also means you inherited her hothead. Rambunctious you may be, but you still have to think of your family. We may no longer be nobility, but they do not know that, and I doubt they'll give us the time of day to explain our situation."
He was right as not a second later, the front door burst open, and in came a wave of Japanese soldiers.
"Britannian scum! Get on the ground!"
Instantly they all put their arms up, and instantly they were all forced to the ground. Grabbed ruthlessly and carelessly, with guns against their heads. Both Ruben and Johnathan were treated worse, with the occasional kick here and there. The group of four were more or less dragged outside, and forced to kneel on the front lawn.
Kusakabe appeared in front of them, his katana still held like a cane in his hands.
"Sir this family refused to come out of their home. We had to force them out."
Kusakabe nodded in understanding, and set his eyes on Milly's grandfather. He walked up to the head of the family, and stared at him momentarily, "You are the nobleman, correct?"
Ruben struggled to see Kusakabe due to the Burai headlights blinding him, "Actually, you are mistaken, I'm not a - " The former Lord Ashford was interrupted by a hilt to the face. This sudden attack caused him to slump over.
Kusakabe proceeded to jab at the fallen Britannian with his sheathed katana, and added kicks and stomps, "How dare you! Mistaken am I?!"
"Stop, you bastard!" Jonathan shouted but was stopped due to a hit to his neck by a rifle. He too fell over, and was met with a beating by several gunmen.
"Show some respect, you Britannian swine!"
Milly and her mother watched from the sidelines, helplessly, "Stop! Please!" Milly shouted.
They didn't listen and kept beating the two men. After a few minutes they stopped, leaving two, battered Ashford men.
Kusakabe motioned to his men, and they grabbed Ruben by the arms, and forced him to kneel. The elder bled from his nose, and a black eye was clearly forming.
"It is you who is mistaken! How dare you patronize me!" Kusakabe shouted, "Because of your country, the Japanese have faced the greatest humiliation! Now that we stand before you, it is you who shall be humiliated. Come bring both of them, and put the women with the others!" Kusakabe shouted, and he turned and walked out of the grand yard.
The soldiers did as they were told, and forcefully moved the four toward the restrained noblemen. The lined up men watched as Ruben K. Ashford and his son were put in front of the line, displayed like trophies.
Milly and her mother were held off to the side with the other families, but had a clear view of their relatives.
Ruben eyed the other men, recognizing them as neighbors he's had for years, and one specific man caught his eyes. Mr. Stadtfeld, the father of one of his students. They knew each other on better terms due to Kallen's constant absence due to her illness.
"Stare at these men before you! They refused to cooperate, thus I shall show you what will happen if you do the same!" Kusakabe pulled out a simple handgun, and aimed it and Ruben's head garnering a physical reaction from his family.
"Oh god no!" Milly's mother shouted.
"Stop! Leave him alone!" Johnathan shouted only to get pistol whipped.
"Please, he's done nothing wrong!" Milly shouted toward the Lieutenant Colonel. She struggled to free herself from the grasp of two soldiers who stepped in after they noticed her getting wild. She involuntarily stepped towards her grandfather, but was held back.
Even though they shouted continuously in an attempt to stop what was going to happen, they all knew why the JLF was doing this. It was to send a message, to prove they were not empty threats, and they could do nothing, but watch.
Milly could not look away, and the noise around her grew muffled. She only stared at her grandfather, who seemed to be oddly calm. Memories flooded her mind of her grandfather, and the time they've spend together. She could do nothing, she could hear nothing, and it seemed like the world stopped moving. If only this was all a bad dream that she had yet to awake from...but the smile he gave her...made it all to real.
He looked towards her with a kind look, one only grandparents could give. Something she had seen several times in her life, but yet this time it seems far kinder, far more precious. She could not stop the tears the formed and were on the verge of falling. She knew that he knew what came next, and he was content. He was ready to join his wife, Milly's grandmother, who died a few years back. He accepted his death, and was content with his life.
A single shot rang, and his kind features were gone, replaced by the limpness of a corpse. Blood spewed from his head as the bullet exited, and his body slumped over which formed a puddle of blood underneath him. Ruben K. Ashford died with a serene smile on his face.
It all hit her at once, and the tears fell, "Grandfather!" She shouted, but obviously received no response. She struggled more, but was restrained soon after.
Johnathan who was right next to his father was rendered silent, as if frozen in disbelief. He felt something wet soak his knees, and looked down to see his father's blood forming an expanding puddle. Everything hit him at once, and he couldn't help but release the contents of his stomach onto the floor in front of him.
"This is what happens should you disobey me! Compared to the horrors Britannia has done, this is nothing!" Kusakabe shouted. He was in complete control of the situation, and allowed the sense of superiority to go to his head.
"Quickly form up, and head to the Raikō. It reached the main road to the Palace several minutes ago! We shall set up our own blockade there! There we shall imprison these fallen noblemen." Kusakabe ordered.
His men quickly went to action, and started moving the civilians. The Burai knightmares were covering the both the front and the rear, while the prisoners were pushed onto transport vehicles. Kusakabe went to the head vehicle, but an explosion from behind halted his steps.
Everyone stopped and looked back to see the Burai guarding the rear were now nothing but scraps. Luckily they were far enough to prevent casualties, but the explosion still caused a shock wave.
Kusakabe put up an arm to guard his eyes from the sudden wind and dust, and he could feel the scorching heat as if it were directly in front of him, "What happened?!" Kusakabe demanded an answer.
No one knew what to say which enraged him, "Was it the Britannians? Why is no one reporting!" He turned to his subordinates angrily, and was met with their shocked faces. They weren't even paying attention to him, and their gazes were locked on the burning fire. So he turned to look toward the fire, and he too froze.
Shadowed due to the burning fire, the cause of the explosion stood tall within the flames, and calmly walked out. It was shrouded in darkness, and every step it took sounded heavy and metallic. The fire parted as it stepped through, and the only visible aspect was its helmet which reflected the fire's burning light brightly.
Lelouch eyed the area, having dived straight through one knightmare, and easily disposing of the other. He knew something was not right when he saw the smoke rising from this district, and it only proved his hypothesis. These Japanese soldiers were JLF without a doubt as made evident by the knightmares they used. The previous Japanese forces used Chinese knightmares, the domed Gun-Ru, but these forces used what seemed to be modified Glasgow.
He caught eye of a familiar face, Milly stared at him in apparent fear, similar to the guards which kept her at bay. Seems he managed to arrive on time...His eyes then traveled to the body laying flaccid on the floor, with a visible pool of blood beneath it.
As he stared at the body longer, it grew almost recognizable, and then he noticed the man situated to the corpse's right. He knew this man, it was Milly's father. He subconsciously took a step forward, trying to get a better view of the dead person, his mind slowly realizing who it was. The moment he stepped closer he was confronted by gunfire from four Burai which forgot their initial duty, and focused on him. Two sped forward to block his passage while the others remained behind the crowd to provide cover fire should it be necessary.
Lelouch was having none of it, and easily disabled the Burai with a flash of his D.O.M ability. He walked passed the two knightmares easily, and faced gunfire from the panicking soldiers. They had all but forgotten about their prisoners, and were putting all their effort on stopping him. They threw a grenade towards him, and it landed at his feet. Realizing its explosion could hurt the Ashfords he quickly grabbed it, and held it against his chest before rapping his cape around him tighter.
The explosion was muffled, and he was left with nothing but smoke and shrapnel. At this point he was only a few feet away from the presumed corpse of Ruben K. Ashford, so he felt it time to rid the streets of Japanese invaders.
His cape came to life, and reached out toward anyone he deemed an enemy, cutting them apart or impaling them. Several ran once they realized they had no chance, but he did not let them get far. He leapt toward the closest deserter, and landed heavily upon their spine. Without removing his foot form the injured soldier, his swung his cape toward the would be escapees, slicing them to bits. It was then he realized he was angry, and what he did was probably out of revenge. His body moved mindlessly once he realized who was killed, and he did not feel remorse for the wood be conquerors.
He looked around for more enemies, and saw fear stricken civilians. Among them was the remains of their captors, and the innocent were riddled with random splatters of blood which resulted from his attacks. He eyes landed on a single soldier, who held a civilian in his arms.
"I don't know what kind of monster you are, but just think of cutting me down, and I'll send this girl to hell with me!" Kusakabe shouted wildly as he held Milly at gunpoint. The girl too frightened to respond. She was more scared of the masked monster than her captor, as she fully believed he would cut through her.
Lelouch remained as calm as he could, and he brought his cape to reform. It wrapped around him like usual, and he merely stood without saying a word. He watched as Kusakabe slowly backed away; trying to get as close to the frozen Burai as he could. Lelouch assumed Kusakabe felt safer next to the giant machines, but he was far from safe. In fact he just gave Lelouch what he needed to save Milly.
Lelouch took a step toward the frightened Lieutenant Colonel which received a violent response.
"Stop where you are, or I'll shoot her! I don't care if she's innocent! This is payback for all the innocent lives Britannia took for the last 8 years! All the Japanese people slaughtered! Those people had nothing to do with the war yet they were shot down like dogs!" Kusakabe defended his actions.
Lelouch stopped marching forward, and faced the desperate man, "Britannia murdered millions of innocent people, that is a fact. It is only reasonable that you would wish to do the same to its people, and if it were anyone else, I'd probably do as you said."
Kusakabe grew confused, and he was now directly in front of one of the Burai.
"But, it isn't just anyone...because of your poor choice in hostage...you alone will join your men in death." Lelouch stated ominously.
Kusakabe readied himself for an attack, but did not expect it to come from above. The Burai behind him reached down and grabbed him by the head. It pulled him up and away from his hostage before crushing his head. Kusakabe's struggling ended in a spasm of squirms.
Milly fell to the floor in shocked relief, and her parents rushed to her side to check if she was injured.
Lelouch watched the reunion silently before turning, and walking to the body of Ruben K. Ashford. He stopped when the blood hit his feet, and looked at the body solemnly. His thoughts going over the last 8 years when he and Nunnally fell into the care of the Ashfords.
"Mr. Ashford...you followed my mother until her death, and even after being disgraced and losing nobility, you remained kind. Even when knowing who Nunnally and I were, you aided us, sheltered us, gave us a life we always wanted. I fight to preserve that life you gifted us, but even with my powers I was not fast enough to save you," Lelouch glanced over at Milly and her parents who now watched him with intense curiosity, "Since I could not save you...I shall keep your legacy safe. As your family protected mine, I shall return the favor by insuring the safety of the remaining Ashford bloodline. That I do solemnly swear." Lelouch ended his silent promise, and faced the crowd of people who joined their respective loved ones.
Yet he could see how they all kept an eye on him, as if waiting for him to strike. Not even the Ashfords relaxed in his presence, and he can't blame them. Looking around, he noted the relative small amount of JLF members. He wondered if they decided to scatter, or take different districts.
"Does anyone know if there are more of them?" Lelouch decided to question those present. He gestured to the body of a JLF member who was not completely mutilated.
No one spoke which made sense. He did not exactly expect them to shout words of praise and gratitude at his intervention. People feared everything they did not know, and before them stood one of the greatest mysterious to ever plague the human race.
The former prince felt the need to reassure the frightened aristocrats, "I am not going to hurt any of you...unprovoked, so calm yourselves. Your chances of survival dwindle to nothing if you are too frightened to move or speak. I'll ask again, did they give any hint to there being more? These numbers are too little for the JLF."
Again no one spoke, and Lelouch grew annoyed, "I don't have time for this..."
"Very well...since no one will speak, I won't waste my time anymore than I have. I'm sure you all think getting to the nearest evacuation center is the best plan, but as of now fortifying yourself in your homes should be enough. I suggest remaining north of the palace where the presence of invaders is minimal. The military already set several blockades south of the palace, so you shall have no problem." Lelouch explained before turning to walk away. He was going to walk a bit before taking off, and as he distanced himself from the ever silent crowd, he heard the sound of an engine and screeching tires.
He turned toward the direction of the noise, but couldn't see anything due to the burning fire from the knightmares he destroyed when he arrived. He expected a knightmare, but was left surprised when a red pickup truck barreled through the knightmare wreckage, and slammed straight into him.
The vehicle stopped once it made contact, but its momentum shifted to him, and he was flung across the street. Surprised by the unexpected turn of events, he skid across the floor before stopping completely. He pushed himself up, and readied a defense and offense, but relaxed when he realized it was not a military truck. Then he grew confused to see a fuming, red-haired girl slam the truck's door shut.
"That old man didn't mention it being stick-shift! Who even owns such an outdated model anymore?!" Kallen shouted angrily.
She allowed herself this moment of selfish anger before focusing on the crowd. She then caught sight of Lelouch, and tensed. Common instinct in humans, assume everything unknown is dangerous.
Lelouch swore he knew this girl, maybe she was in his class or something? He cleared his mind of distracting thoughts, and focused on the girl, "Friend or foe?" Lelouch felt he knew the answer, but needed to be sure. He was still human after all, and instinct was ever present.
Kallen didn't expect it to talk, honestly she thought it to be some sort of machine, and now that she looked around, deduced it was probably the cause of this massacre.
"Friend..." She spoke hesitantly, unsure if that was the correct answer. When it relaxed, she followed, and looked around with greater attention. Her eyes widened when she realized who these men were. The uniform, the rising sun on their arms...members of the JLF. Now she rethought her answer, the armored figure might be her enemy. A new Britannian weapon?
"Kallen Stadtfeld! Where the hell were you?! Sneaking out in the middle of the night! And to choose tonight of all nights!" Mr. Stadtfeld walked up to his danger, anger clearly written all over his face. His hands landed roughly on her shoulders, and Kallen was taken back by the sudden rage.
Kallen held a very strange relationship with her father, and to an extent held some contempt for the man. Specifically for the way he treated Naoto and her. Rather uptight and Britannian at heart, her father displayed what he needed. He was a noble after all, and would only be disgraced should society discover he sired two children with a woman not of high society, and that is not mentioning the woman's Japanese ethnicity.
Thus their relationship was nothing normal, and was akin to casual acquaintances. Honestly she sometimes went days without talking to him, and as much as she hated to admit, held more conversations with the bitch of a woman he called wife. Given they were insults, there were still more words spoken between Kallen and that foul woman. So with the small amount of time she spent with her father, it was very rare to see him angry, and even stranger that he was angry to begin with. Her father was never the one to display emotion easily. A necessity when dealing with the politics of high end society.
"That isn't important..." Kallen started, but her father was having none of it.
"Not important?! Do you not understand what is happening? You could have died!" He shouted furiously at his rebellious daughter.
"But I didn't! I'm still alive!" She snapped back, and she quickly suppressed her ever growing survivor's guilt.
Mr. Stadtfeld physically lurched back at the sudden outburst. Call it fatherly instinct, but he felt her anger went further than the current situation. He knew he was not a good father...all he could provide were materialistic things in hope that it will create some sense of fatherhood, but he lied to himself constantly. As cold as he appeared, he still cared, even if he did not reconcile with his only living child.
"Don't waste your time on this lost cause..." Mr. Stadtfeld's wife stood next to her husband. Kallen grimaced at the sight of the blonde woman. She refused to acknowledge his father's wife (the only way she addresses the woman) as her stepmother. The two did not share a kind relationship, hell it was more of enmity between two opposing sides.
"No one asked for your input, witch." Kallen spat.
"No one asked for your burden, yet you're still here." Mrs. Stadtfeld replied.
"Why you plastic surgery addicted cun-"
"Kallen!" Mr. Stadtfeld stopped her from finishing her curse.
"You are not worth the energy..." Kallen stated before facing her father, "Where's my mother?" She asked.
"She's still at the mansion...she's Japanese so they didn't even spare her a glance." Her father explained.
"You mean Eleven, dear, and why do you care about that maid?" Mrs. Stadtfeld began, "From what I've seen you treat her as badly as I do."
Kallen went to retort, but knew what she said was true.
"As much as I hate to interrupt this...touching reunion. We still do not know if there are more members of the JLF. You could either wait here until the military catches wind of this small attack and follow them to the evacuation centers or return to your mansions and fortify." Lelouch spoke after having enough of the bickering. Time was short, and the group of civilians seem bent on the idea of traveling as one big horde of possible targets. Finally, they all decided he was right, and pushed passed their fear of him, to prioritize their fear of dying. Everyone began moving, and most headed for their homes, but others remained unsure.
"There are more."
Lelouch heard Milly's father, and turned to face the man. The Ashfords moved away from the still Burai, and refrained from looking at the corpse of their former patriarch.
"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked.
"After they...shot my father...I heard their leader say something about...the main highway. I wasn't really focused due to..." The man struggled to explain, and tried his hardest not to think of his father's death.
"Main highway? So there are more of them there?" Lelouch probed further.
Johnathan shrugged, "I'm not sure...he said something about forming a blockade."
Lelouch nodded, "Then I suggest you remain away from the main freeways. Seal yourself in your homes, I assure you, these invaders will not reach this far north. The JLF members are a few who snuck in from the west. I'll deal with the remaining few."
Lelouch left the man to take in his words, and believed it time to depart. There was so much to do, but so little time.
"Wait!"
Lelouch was halted once again. He glanced back at the new Ashford head, and waited for the man to continue. Seems the former nobleman did not think Lelouch would stop. After a moment of hesitation, Johnathan spoke.
"Who are you?" He asked.
Lelouch expected this, and could see others stopping to listen in on his answer. Lelouch thought of what to say, but had no time to think of anything grand, so he turned and activated his wings.
"I'm no one." Lelouch replied before taking off into the air.
Kallen watched alongside her father and his wife, "Doesn't seem like no one..." She murmured as the mysterious "no one" disappeared. She shook her head to refocus before turning and walking to the truck.
"Kallen, where are you going?" Her father questioned.
"To get my mother!" She shouted back. She slipped into the driver's seat, started the car, and circled around to head towards the Stadtfeld mansion.
Lelouch made it passed the skyscraper, and surveyed what he could see while thinking over the recent discoveries. It made sense that the JLF were north of the palace since they are situated outside the settlement. Must have used the confusion of the invasion to sneak into this district to take hostages by the looks of it. Probably as bargaining tools. Now that he thought of it, he hardly saw any Britannian forces north of the palace, especially this far north. They must be focused on keeping the palace safe, and keeping some control over the settlement by splitting it into north and south.
Although the JLF was nowhere near as big as the Britannian military, a surprise attack from the north backed by an aerial and land invasion focusing all their attention on the south, is a clever strategy. Yet it seems the military was not giving in since he noticed how the palace finally began fighting back with the sudden activation of their automatic defense systems. The thing he disliked was them seemingly abandoning the south, and reinforcing the defense line between the north and south. At this point they'll create a pseudo-"no man's land". If that were to happen, this invasion would only grow to become a full scale war.
The Chinese Federation is not stupid, and they would not risk such an obvious act of war without having something more in mind. In the end, what they wish to accomplice with this attack will be nullified by him. He will not allow them to turn Tokyo into a war zone.
Deep into his thoughts, Lelouch was surprised by the sudden ringing in his ear. He had yet to lower his phone's volume. It's not like he had anything special as his ringtone, just the default, but having it sound off at full volume was still rather shocking.
He removed his helmet to answer the call, and expected to hear Sayoko since that is the most plausible call.
"Finally! I called you like a thousand times!"
Lelouch flinched at the loud voice. He did not expect to get a call from him, but it made sense, "Rivalz? I don't think now is the best of times." Lelouch said as he flew over various streets. He went toward the main highway to start looking for the remaining JLF members, so if they were to set a blockade then he should be able to spot them from the air.
"Why? Is something wrong?! Where are you?!" Rivalz went from annoyed to worried.
"No, Nunnally, Sayoko and I made it underground to the Lifeline level. The real question is where are you? I assume you made it to the southern evacuation center." Lelouch lied flawlessly, but mentally cursed at the fact of a loose end. Now he needed to come up with an explanation as to why Shirley got hurt and he didn't. He couldn't just disappear like he wished since it would literally make no sense. Should he tell Rivalz?
"Well we were, but the military evacuated it ironically. Apparently the south is quickly becoming uninhabitable. Maybe you guys should get out before its too late." Rivalz kept Lelouch from enacting any plan.
"Evacuated? So where are you now? The west center?" Lelouch allowed his own curiosity to take hold, and a tinge of worry was also present.
"Originally, but it was overcrowded so they put me and my folks on a city bus, and gave us a six knightmare escort to take us to the northern center. Pretty cool huh...I'm like a celebrity...whose riding a bus with eighty random people." Rivalz was calm as always, "By the way, have you called the others? I tried calling Milly, Nina, and Shirley, but they haven't answered."
Again Rivalz sounded worried, so Lelouch felt the need to answer, "Milly called me, and told me she is safe, and Shirley...the concert ended at 10 so she would be home when the invasion ended. She hasn't called me so I don't know, and Nina...if the south is being evacuated then we can assume she got out with the evacuations."
Rivalz was silent for a few seconds, "I was hoping for better news...I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but such a vague answer only leaves room for doubt. I can't even be jealous about Milly calling you first...I mean really, so unfair," Rivalz's comedic undertone brought a small smile the Lelouch's face, "But you're right, I'm sure Shirley and Nina are fine, so let's think happier thoughts."
Lelouch realized Rivalz was probably very frightened about what was happening. All his friends were probably terrified since they've never come face to face with war, and he assumed they all had their own ways to cope with the harsh reality. Rivalz was an extrovert at heart, and craved human interaction. To Rivalz, his friends and family were the most important thing in the world. Thus here he was calling Lelouch in a worried frenzy, masked poorly by his humor, and seeking a conversation to calm his nerves.
"So you and Shirley huh," Rivalz started, "Be honest...how spicy was it?"
Lelouch rolled his eyes at his friend's, "Less than mild, Rivalz. I'm not one for such intimacy."
"Honestly I did not expect you to be, I was talking about Shirley. I bet Milly 10 bucks, that Shirley would make the first move." Rivalz said.
Lelouch was shocked, "She took you up on that? I thought she would be the one to bet in that direction."
"Oh she did, but she we-"
The call ended, and Lelouch was confused for no more than a second before he caught glimpse of an explosion in the distance. He stopped flying straight, and remained vertical in the air. He faced where the explosion was, and everything Rivalz told him went through his mind.
"Rivalz said they were given an escort to the northern center...he never mentioned actually arriving...if he evacuated from the south, then they would want to get civilians as far away from the invasion as possible...the quickest way to the north would be...the main highway!" Lelouch was flying toward the explosion before he fully came to terms with what happened.