A/N: This is the end of the "invasion arc" if you would, not the end of the story. That's the next chapter which I may or may not have up before the end of this coming week. Depends how lazy I get. Still unsure of the ending thought, but from the looks of it, I have it going in one specific direction which will not be a favored ending to put it mildly. Now to make it as legit as possible. I'll hear any suggestions so feel free.
Sayoko sat calmly directly outside the barrack like room where Nunnally slept. The young girl fought sleep as long as she could, but eventually her stamina ran out, and she found herself drifting involuntarily. She was asleep after doing the tired "head nod", so Sayoko moved her from her wheelchair to the cot.
The bunker was a jumble of various doors and halls with the biggest room being the "cafeteria" area. There several stored tables, and chairs sat motionless in the dark corners of the wide room. The elevator was at the furthest wall inside a small corridor. The right of the corridor was door which led to the kitchen. To its left were most of the folded chairs and tables. The wall directly opposite had a big double door which lead into halls of small chambers. A large table was unfolded, and placed in the center of the room, having been used by Sayoko and Nunnally.
The hallway had four doors on each side, with a total of eight total. Each room possibly big enough for five to reside comfortably, with a maximum opacity of eight, should it be needed. Each room was more or less identical, in size and furniture. The hallway ended, and split in two directions. Both the right and left lead into another sub level which held the same amount of rooms. In both levels, at the opposite end of the entrances there were two unisex bathrooms which, area wise were similar to the sleeping chambers. With these four in the hallways, and the two in the cafeteria area, there were a total of six.
The first door to the right of the first hallway of rooms was where Nunnally slept. Using one of the foldable chairs, Sayoko sat directly outside the room, and blocked the narrow hallway. She propped the double doors open with the weight of various folded chairs. She kept her sight on the elevator which was directly across the hallway entrance. Her eyes more or less glued to the line of numbers atop the elevator doors. None of the numbers were lit which indicated the lift was not in use.
Sayoko sat straight in her chair, with her feet layer flat on the floor. Even though they were deep underground, Sayoko's trained ears could hear the hushed rumbles coming from the war above. The last few minutes they increased in frequency, so much so, the lights inside the bunker would flicker periodically. Sayoko was prepared should the lights turn off, and packed various lanterns and flashlights.
Other than the rumbling, and humming of the fluorescent lights above, Sayoko sat in complete silence. Her thoughts focus on the girl sleeping in the room to her left, and on the possible way to protect said girl should an enemy make it down here. After Nunnally fell asleep, Sayoko surveyed the bunker, and found a small floor hatch in a utility closet which led into a small tunnel. She could only assume the tunnel led out of the bunker, and down into the sewers.
That escape would be last resort, but she needed to have all parameters in mind when protecting Nunnally. Additionally some of her thoughts wandered to her Master Lelouch, who was currently fighting in the battle above. Her mind filled with the recent memory of seeing Master Lelouch, covered in armor, and flying into the sky to fight the attacking aircraft.
She held the upmost trust in Lelouch, and believed him when he said he shall explain, but the "when" is what concerned her.
"I'll explain when I return…"
Thinking about his words, she could not help but feel as though he was lying. Not in a malicious way, but in the way he lies to Nunnally. A protective lie which was meant for reassurance rather than deceit.
A ding drew her from her thoughts, and her darted to the numbers above the elevator. The "1" was on, and it turned off before the "2" turned on. Someone was coming down the elevator.
She was up instantly, and passed by the double doors. She removed the chairs, and allowed the doors to close. Her kunai were in her hands, and a ninjato was hidden within her dress. She moved passed the table she and Nunnally used earlier, and remained outside the corridor leading the elevator. She peered over the corner, and saw the number "3" light up, and a ding signaling the arrival of the elevator. She hid behind cover again, and waited for the sound of the elevator doors opening.
"Sayoko!"
She heard the doors opening, and went to confront, but Lelouch's voice kept her from acting. She turned to corner, and saw him still in his armor, but without the helmet, and her eyes immediately went to his appearance. He was pale, not considerably, and to any normal person it would be unnoticeable, but Sayoko could see the slight change in skin tone. Yet that wasn't the most concerning thing about his appearance.
"Master Lelouch…are you alright?" Her caring nature took over.
He looked at her confused, "I'm fine, why?"
C.C. decided to clear the one sided confused, "You might want to look at yourself."
Lelouch glanced in her direction before facing Sayoko again. The maid seemed to agree with the green haired stranger, so Lelouch walked forward, and out of the short corridor.
To his right was a giant mirror. Not floor to ceiling, but still sizable in height and length. There he saw himself, and two things caught his attention. The first was his complexion. Lelouch wasn't the tannest guy out there, but his natural tone wasn't completely pale either. That is why he could easily see the change, and he compared it to when he had a cold. Pale skin, without much color.
The second thing which caught his attention, and frightened him were the lines coming from his neck. Like the circuits which covered his armor, the left side of his face was marred by purple lines which went from his neck, where armor met skin, to underneath his cheek bone. They glowed slightly, similar to those on his armor.
Panicked he deactivated his armor, but the circuits remained. They slowly disappeared, and faded as if never there. With the removal of his armor, Lelouch suddenly felt the weight of the teenager over his shoulder, and his knees were moments from buckling.
"Sayoko…a bit of help…" His strained plea was heard, and Sayoko helped by removing the unconscious boy from Lelouch's grasp. She then set him on the table which was laid out.
Lelouch eyes himself in the mirror for a second longer. He still wore his tie and buttoned shirt, along with his trousers.
He turned away from the mirror to face Sayoko who watched curiously, "Tie him up, he's a prisoner."
She nodded, and went to grab one of the folded chairs. Lelouch glanced to C.C. who looked bored, "She's one as well, but I doubt you need to tie her up."
C.C. crossed her arms at this, "What? I'm not threatening?"
"You are immortal, and have vast knowledge in your arsenal. You're plenty threatening, but we are in a contract. You gave me this power, and in return I grant your wish. If you want I can grant it now, and we can part ways." Lelouch offered.
She chuckled, "You seem to have forgotten boy; your contract failed. Seems C's world doesn't want you wielding Geass, yet you've immerged with such a powerful Curse. Honestly I'm in the dark as much as you are."
"Then you are not needed." Lelouch threatened.
Again she laughed, "You're far stupider than I thought. I may not know how your contract failed, but still hold more knowledge than your mortal mind can comprehend. But if you feel the need to get rid of me, I can't stop you." She shrugged listlessly, "Just don't come seeking answers when you destroy all you love."
The sound of glass breaking resonated throughout the bunker. Lelouch held C.C. by her throat, and pressed her against the mirror. His armor already encompassing his body, "I'm tired of your elusiveness, witch! You are the one who gave me this power! The "Power of the King" was it not? In the visions you told me it will grant me power to change the world! To bring about my deepest desire! Now you contradict yourself! Telling me I will only bring horror and death! Oz was right, you are nothing but a witch!"
"Witch. Demon. Blasphemer. I've heard them all, you humans are no different. No matter the century, you are greedy for power, yet blame others when it all comes crashing down," She didn't struggle against her strangler, and merely provided a sly smile, "How terrifying." She whispered sarcastically.
They glared at each other without fault, but eventually Lelouch released her. She fell to the ground, and rubbed her neck.
"Sayoko, take any glass out of her back. Use as little supplies as possible. Then tie her up." Lelouch told the super maid.
By now Sayoko finished tying Oz to a chair, and went to do as Lelouch said.
"Where's Nunnally?" He asked.
Sayoko moved C.C. to a chair before answering, "She fell asleep around an hour ago. She tried to stay up, but eventually her body gave in."
Lelouch nodded, "Good, she needs the rest. I've wasted enough time here. I'm going to end this invasion, so wait for me." He walked away from the maid, not seeing the woman's bow.
He opened the lift doors, but flickering of lights, and rumbling stopped him. He didn't expect to be hear the sounds of war above. Then the rumbling came again, and the lights flicker off for a longer period of time.
"Something not right." He mumbled before stepping in. Again he felt rumbling, and the elevator shook. He feared it would snap and break, so he pressed the number "4", and allowed the elevator to descend. As it went down he activated his geass (Curse), and jumped through the roof hatch.
He flew up to the highest level, and forced the doors opened. Once they were opened, he stepped into the hallway, and braced when an explosion went off directly outside the hallway. The windows shattered, and the wall directly opposite crumbled.
"They're bombarding Ashford!" Lelouch said aloud before stepping out of the building, and flying into the sky.
One of the battleship's canons was firing upon the academy grounds.
Meanwhile inside the battleship's command center.
"Dammit! They took out our outpost so easily!" Cao growled, "Just what is that prototype!"
"The ground forces are at a stalemate with Britannia!"
Cao heard from one of the operators, "What of the Mount Fuji group?" He asked.
"They at least forty minutes from the mines, and have yet to be discovered."
At least something good was going for them. Once the transport reached Fuji, then China will be victorious. The cargo VTOL was the first to enter Tokyo airspace, minutes before the invasion actually started. Due to the loss of radar on Tokyo's part, they did not notice the massive cargo VTOL filled with more explosives than soldiers.
Lelouch came down on one of the main battery guns, and cut through the center barrel. He then jumped into the air, and brought his razor cape down to cut through the base of the giant cannons. He blindly cut through various explosive rounds, setting off a chain reaction. The front deck exploded, and the second 16 inch gun was caught in the destruction. The various sailors aboard the ship, weren't expecting the sudden attack, and were killed in the explosion.
The captain braced inside the bridge, "What the hell?!" After the explosion calmed down he stood, and looked through the window. He fell to the ground when Lelouch jumped through the window. All the sailors on the bridge were easily cut down, which left a blood splattered room. Another explosion shook the ship, and the hull was soon being flooded with water.
The ship stopped firing, and was sinking
Lelouch ran out of the bridge, and saw sailors fleeing from within the ship. He jumped down, and easily cut down anyone in his path.
Deep within the ship, General Cao along with several other operators, and naval officers were trapped. Due to an explosion which caused debris to fall on the door.
Cao ignored the screams around him. The others attempted to push the debris out of the door's way, but the several hundred pounds of metal were too much for 20 women and men.
He knew it was helpless, and soon felt water soaking his boots. He ran to the console, and quickly attempted to contact the High Eunuchs. After moments of waiting, it connected. The video was lagging, but it had to do.
"Ah, General Cao. We were awaiting your report." Gao Hai spoke first.
From the view of the High Eunuchs, they could see everything above Cao's waist. Cao could see the entirety of the High Eunuch table. They were celebrating with wine, and elegant meals.
"The battle is at a stalemate, and my ship is currently sinking. As it is, I do not think we have the upper hand. In fact, I doubt we'll come close to capturing Tokyo." Cao reported.
The High Eunuchs stared at the screen in contemplation, some even wore worried faces.
Gao Hai pressed his fingers together; features calm but conniving, "What of the Mount Fuji group have they arrived at the destination?" The leader of the eunuchs inquired.
Cao expected this and wore a serious expression.
"They should arrive at Fuji in about 30 minutes other than that we have yet to hear from them." Cao replied.
"Then the battle is not lost once they reach there we have won." Gao Hai smiled.
"But there's something you must know," Cao started, "They have greater power than we thought; some new prototype. Something unbelievable."
The High Eunuchs were confused. "Make sense, General." Gao Hai ordered.
"It's hard to put in words." General said as he thought of the right way to explain this to his leaders.
"It doesn't matter how powerful they are as long as we get Fuji we win." Gao Hai pressed.
General Cao went to retort, but the sound of metal stopped him. Had the others managed to clear the door? He went to glance back, but his body jerked violently as something went through his chest. The pain was striking. It extended through his body to the point where his fingers and toes felt numb. He reached for his torso, grabbed helplessly and the flat metal. What he thought to be metal slipped out of his body, with odd movements.
The High Eunuchs watched in horrified shock.
"Finally, I've found you." Lelouch's modulated voice cut through the air. After his cape moved out of Cao's body, the general lost the support needed to keep his failing body up. He slumped over the console before slipping onto the ground.
"The Fuji Mines, so that is what this was all about. Take control of Britannia's main power source." Lelouch spoke to the High Eunuchs through the video call. The connection was getting worse, due to the flooding of the room, and the destruction of the ship.
"Well you should know, they will not succeed. I will not let them. You've declared war on Britannian for nothing." With his final ominous statement, the call ended. At this point water reached below Lelouch's knees. The ship was done for, the general dead, but he still had one final thing to do.
He ripped through the sealing, and took to the skies.
Over the northern skyline of Tokyo, a single aircraft hovered above the Tokyo Dome Evacuation Center (Northern Center). On the side of the blade-less, VTOL like aircraft was the name "Hi-TV News".
Inside the aircraft were four men, the pilot, and three others. One of which clicked away at a laptop, "I can't believe I'm doing this…" The frightened man commented.
"Come on grow a spine, Karl. This is a cameraman's dream. Documenting a war!" Another of the vehicle's occupants, a burly man with graying hair said as he slapped Karl's back.
"You're the only lunatic who wants to document a war, and I'm still an intern!" Karl.
"Leave Karl alone, Luther." The other occupant stopped their minor bickering, "And Karl, you may be an intern, but you are the smartest techwiz I've ever met, and that's something given who I am."
"Diethard, you brag every second you can, I'm surprised you haven't broken your back from kissing your own ass." Luther replied.
Diethard ignored the man's words, "I don't brag, I'm merely truthful. In this business, there are more amateurs than genuine producers. Journalism is not something to joke about."
"Yeah, yeah. We've heard the same spiel hundreds of times." Luther rolled his eyes.
"Then shut up, and let Karl do his work." Diethard chastised.
"Easy for you to say, but hacking into the Emergency Broadcast Network is not a walk in the park. Not to mention it's illegal." Karl grumbled.
"We already stole this craft, so it's too late now." Diethard said.
After a few more minutes of waiting, Karl managed to provide a signal, "Its nothing special, and I don't think we'll have video at first."
"Audio is fine for now, but keep working on the video." Diethard told Karl, before clearing his throat, and putting on a headset.
"Alright, and connecting now." Karl said as he simultaneously pressed a key on his laptop's keyboard.
Across Japan, on millions of televisions and radios, the familiar screeching of the emergency broadcast resonated causing massive groans of annoyance. Several programs were interrupted to show a blue screen that showed "EBN" as the robotic voice spoke. Most residents thought of it as another annoying test.
"This is an emergency broadcast." The voice said.
Residents outside Tokyo, whom couldn't see the battle going on, had no idea the country was invaded.
"Alright Luther start recording." Deithard said. The buff man nodded, and aimed his camera at the producer. Even if they weren't broadcasting video, they still needed to record every second.
"The intro is done…you're live." Karl informed Diethard.
He cleared his throat once more before speaking, "Hello, citizens of Area 11. This is Diethard Ried, producer and reporter for Hi-TV, speaking. For those far from the Tokyo Settlement, this is a warning. Tokyo is under attack from what is speculated to be the conjoined efforts of the Chinese Federation and the Japan Liberation Front. We work to bring you news of this invasion, and will soon have live video coverage."
Inside the Viceroy's Palace General Colivett angrily shouted as his men, "How did someone manage to hack the emergency network? Find their location now!"
In a hidden location, the members of the Kyoto House sat around a large television. The video had yet to broadcast, but they listened intently to Diethard's summary of the past few hours.
Similarly within Narita, the remnants of the JLF listened in on what Diethard had to say. Although they received reports on the battle, they themselves were in the dark as much as everyone else.
"The invasion began around 11:00 p.m. with a series of bombings around the settlement, but it wasn't until thirty minutes later, that the full invading force arrived. Bearing the flag of Japan, various units overtook the skies and streets of Tokyo." Diethard's voice came from the television, but the JLF members droned him out to talk amongst themselves. Yet before they could go in depth, the screen flickers, and Deithard was seen.
The man stopped speaking as he was told they gained video, but soon continued, "We now have live footage," Deithard opened the side door to the aircraft which gave a better view of the Tokyo skyline. Luther aimed the camera toward the opening which gave it a full view of the south. The Viceroy's palace was in the lower part of the view. The aerial battles were more or less concluded since the palace managed to activate the anti-air turrets once again, and with the bombardment from the ship done, all the remained was rising plumes in the distance.
Even from television the destruction was clear. The south was devastated, and was still home to many scattered enemy forces both Chinese and Japanese.
"As you can see this invasion has devastated the southern wards of the settlement, and it is unsure how many enemy forces remain. Due to the danger of being shot down by enemy fighters, we must remain in the north of a defense line formed by the combined forced of the Settlement Police, and Britannian Military. Moments before we went live, the battleship docked in Tokyo Bay bombarded the south mercilessly, but it was destroyed. By whom, is unknown."
Luther zoomed in on the sinking ship in the distance. It was somewhat hard to see, but could still be made out due to the fire which still burned. As he looked through the viewer, a small lens flare caught his attention. It was quick, something akin to light reflecting of an object as it moved.
"What the hell…?"
A figure came into view, and in seconds, it came to an abrupt halt. Its wings flapped forcefully to stop its speed. The sudden stop, and wings flapping send a powerful gust of wind into the aircraft, and everyone inside gripped onto the inside for dear life.
Luther stopped looking through the camera's viewer, and stared at the anomaly with his own eyes, mouth agape. The camera still trained on the figure. It floated there for a few second before flying over the aircraft, and flying away.
All the aircraft's occupants were left in shock, "We all saw that right?"
Lelouch flew across the skies of Tokyo, his mind set on the Fuji Mines. Everything beneath him was a blur, as he flew faster than ever. He neared the Viceroy's Palace, and made sure to keep his distance. He eyed the palace, his mind wandering to the many siblings he had. With Clovis dead, they were surely going to send another, maybe a duke, but he doubted that. He faced forward just in time to see the news aircraft directly in his way.
He stopped forcefully, and was inches away from ramming into the flying newsroom.
"I thought all news stations were down…" He thought as he eyed the men inside. He then remembered what he was doing, and flew over the craft. He regained his speed, and flew toward Fuji.
Several minutes passed, but he eventually made it to the Fuji Administrative District. From his aerial view, he caught site of a landed aircraft on one of mine's landing pads. Surrounding it were various soldiers, probably twenty.
The soldiers were not expecting the attack, so he landed forcefully, and cut down anyone closest to him.
"What is it?!"
"Britannians! They've discovered us!"
"Cover!"
Lelouch ignored they yelling. He merely cut down any soldier he saw. He saw a group of four running away as fast as they can, heavy bags on their backs. They were trying to get into the Fuji Mines.
Shame they won't get close. Cutting down the few left by the aircraft. He focused on the group running, and was seconds from chasing, but the roaring engine of the cargo VTOL stopped him.
"A survivor?!" He shouted in confusion as the aircraft lifted off the ground, and would soon fly away. The aircraft's backdoor was wide opened, and standing at the edge was a soldier wielding an RPG.
Lelouch leapt into the sky to destroy the VTOL, but the rocket hit him, and forced him back. This didn't stop him from sending his cape up, and cutting through the enemy.
He stopped his descent, and flew upward. He caught up with the VTOL, and destroyed the engines. The aircraft erupted into an explosion.
Having finished with the VTOL, Lelouch looked over to where the group of four ran away, but they weren't there. He then caught sight of movement in the distance before he saw what it was.
The Fuji mines were expansive facilities, and did not only include the mine deep within the mountain. The outside was basically a large storage facility, which housed Sakuradite ready for shipment. Thus with such a big mine, there were various ways to get in and out of the core mine, and the storage facilities. One such method was an open train wagon which travelled at great speeds. Mainly for knightmare transport, since its speeds are considered dangerous under workforce regulations.
Seems these invaders did not care, and easily risked their safety to get into the refinery which is where the specific cart led.
Lelouch took off in a blink, but knew he would not make it in time. The train was nearing the entrance which came in the form of giant fortified doors which opened similarly to an elevator's. Given it was an automatic entrance which worked with the train, the doors were already closing since the train was mere seconds from passing their thresholds.
The fallen prince flew as fast as possible, but he realized he would not make it. The train cart passed the threshold, and the doors were only slightly open, he reached for it, as if wishing it were a knightmare he could control. He knew such actions were meaningless, and his will quickly gave out. In his anger, he did not notice how the door stopped for barely a second when he reached out with his hand.
He didn't stop flying, and crashed into the now shut door. The sound of the hefty gates closing resonating through the oddly silent facility. He left an indentation on the door, but it did not open. Such a fortified structure would not fall easily.
He landed on the train tracks and attacked the door with all he had. Yes, he scraped it. Yes, he left impressions. But it was not nearly enough. If he kept attacking, eventually it would part, but at this rate, it would be far too late.
He found himself out of breath, from his own frustration or finally having reached the limit of stamina this armor gave him, he did not know. Lelouch stopped attacking the door with his cape to inhale, and even removed his helmet after feeling uncharacteristically claustrophobic. He gave the door a light punch, before another, then another, until he was punching it uncontrollably and forcefully.
"I'm not letting this end here! I'm not failing! Not after everything I've done tonight!" He shouted as he used all his force to punch the wall in front of him. His anger reaching levels he thought impossible. He was normally collected in stressful situations.
He pulled his arm back, with his fist raised, "Open!" He shouted with pure rage. He fist connected with the door, and instead of the usual indentations he left with previous punches, the door buckled, and it exterior crumbled. He felt it move away from him; an indication that it was moved out of its functional position. Not to mention sparks flew around him, showing that he caused it to malfunction.
He eyed his fist in confusion. Did he cause that? The door was not opened, but it was severely damaged. So much so that if someone attempted to open it with the proper controls, he doubted it would move. He then realized he was pushed away from the door, no more than a few feet, but still a notable distance.
He thought over his fist hitting the door; trying to find what caused the damage, and why he was pushed back. Then something dawned on him. There was no sound when he hit the door. Yes, there was the sound of the door being damaged, but that was different from his fist hitting the door. There was no sound of metal hitting metal like the many times he hit it before.
He was sure he hits something, but thinking about it, it was like hitting it is what pushed him back. Like it was repelling his force. Like…like magnets with the same poles bouncing off each other.
He looked at his hand once more before looking at the door once again. "That's impossible." He thought, but still found himself questioning the impossibility.
Everything about this power was impossible, and Lelouch believed himself ready for anything to come. After knightmare control, what else could faze him? Then again, the possibility of controlling magnetic fields was out there even for him.
(A/N: Magnetism? If you are confused, I have an explanation at the end.)
This didn't stop him from trying, and he really didn't have any options. So like all his abilities, he thought of the door and his arm being of differing poles. Nothing noticeable happened other than his arm feeling somewhat tingly.
Lelouch faced the giant door in front of him, and took a few steps back before charging, with his arm raised, and an opened palm. He brought his arm forward, and right before his hand made contact with the metal door, his arm stopped. He hit an invisible wall, and with great force he repelled back, momentarily skidding before righting himself. The door was damaged more, and this time actually bent, leaving a slight opening at the bottom. It wasn't enough to let him inside, but the test was enough to confirm something. The armor has the ability to manipulate magnetism. Or it seemed that way at least.
The fallen prince's mind filled with possibilities; the most prominent being the possibility to manipulate metal through polarization. If such a thing was possible.
Now standing several feet away from the doors, he reached out with both his hands. With his arms extended with their full length, and his palms opened wide, he reached out for an indication. Any proof that his wild theory was possible. Then he felt it, like a click. The feeling of pulling on something. He tested if he could polarize any part of his body, separately from others, and smiled. His armored feet and legs were now stock to the metal ground, having opposite poles which allows them to attract. Thus no matter how much he tried, he could not lift or move his legs from their position on the ground.
Now on to the true display of power. He called to the door by polarizing himself. He was now opposite of the door's, or he should be anyway. The grinding of metal proved his theory, and he watched as the giant door shook in its hinges. Metal paneling began to peel of, and flew toward him at unbelievable speeds. He would change their polarity which created an invisible bubble around him. The shards of metals would near him before rebounding violently.
The grinding metal caused sparks to fly, and Lelouch could see the door would soon be ripped apart. The door wasn't the only thing affected by the opposite poles, he himself could feel his armor grinding, and saw sparks fly as the supernatural power healed itself.
More metal panels came to him, and with mere thoughts he changed their polarity, but missed some. They would ram to him, but due to him being magnetized to the floor, he would only jolt slightly. The panels would fold in on themselves like plastic, and stick to his body like glue.
Then the metal clasps and bolts holding the two doors which joined to make a wall, broke. The doors then burst outward violently, sending metal flying toward him. He released his grasp upon the door, and made sure to polarize his entire body. This created an even bigger bubble around him.
Some of the metal lost its velocity, and fell to the ground, but others continued and fly passed Lelouch due to the invisible shield surrounding him.
The door was ripped opened, and Lelouch wasted no more time. He flew into the tunnel to follow the would be detonators.
The sound of doors shutting behind them following the sound of something crashing into them was oddly satisfying for the small group of four. The cart they braced themselves in continued moving down the railway, but they kept their eyes on the closed exit. They heard bangs, but nothing came through. They were safe for now.
They all relaxed, but still kept a dead grip on the cart railings. It sped down the tracks dangerously fast, so they needed to brace for fear of losing balance. They could feel the car slowing down, so they looked ahead to see a small control room to the right. In front was an elevator for the cart which would take them down to the refining part of the mine.
The wagon stopped, and they all stood.
"Seems we have to allow the wagon passage." The leader of the group, Captain Jiang Tao, pointed out before facing the closest soldier to him. By the insignia on the soldier's uniform he could see they were a lieutenant.
"Lieutenant…" The captain's aid. He caught the younger soldier's attention.
The subordinate gave a quick salute, "First Lieutenant Chang Ning Sun, sir."
The captain nodded in acknowledgement, "Lieutenant Sun, go activate the elevator."
The lieutenant nodded, and dismounted the cart.
Captain Tao turned to the other two, who were taking advantage of the moment of calm. They sat against the cart walls.
The first was looking through the explosive bag, making sure none were damaged, a certain badge on their uniform signifying they were the explosives expert. At least they managed to get her out. They needed the explosives expert to plant the bombs without fault.
The other merely sat with their head against the wall, and they even removed their helmet to breathe easier.
"Lieutenant Liu." Tao addressed the explosive expert.
She looked up, "Yes, Captain."
"Were any of the charges damaged?" Tao asked.
She looked down at the bag of explosives, "Doesn't seem that way."
"Does it matter?" The other occupant of the cart spoke. They both turned to him.
"What do you mean, Li?" Liu asked.
The warrant officer looked away, "We only need one to detonate the mountain. As long as we place it on a pure Sakuradite ore, then this mountain will erupt easily. The only issue now is surviving long enough to plant them. Whatever that armored figure was, it won't stop."
They both couldn't help but agree with that.
"Captain…what do you think that armored figure was?" Liu asked.
Tao shrugged, "A new monster Britannia created. It's just like when they revealed the knightmare frames. Horrid creations meant for killing."
"But to keep it a secret until now? I'd expect to see reports of that weapon in Europia. They are at a stalemate at the moment. That monster would easily tip the scales, whatever it is." Liu said.
"I say it's a robot!" Lieutenant Sun returned from activating the elevator. He jumped onto the wagon as it began moving. He faced his comrades to elaborate on his comment, "Manned knightmares are a thing of the past. Thus artificial intelligence is needed in knightmares to make them more efficient. That armored robot is the first test of that."
"My only hope is there isn't an arms race to make more of that thing. When Britannia revealed the weaponized knightmares, the whole world scrambled to make counter measures. Thus the Gun-Ru was born, along with various other through different countries. If the same thing happens with this new weapon than the world will truly know chaos." Tao stated grimly
The wagon started descending diagonally, in a slow but steady pace. Far slower than before.
They remained silent, with the only sound being the machinery working to move the cart. This did not last. They heard the echo of metal grinding and bending.
They looked upward, "It is coming." Tao said quietly.
The other three tensed at his words, and fearfully eyed above them; expecting to see the armored figure come over the edge. They waited and waited, but nothing came.
They eyed each other, as if wondering if they all went momentarily mad. Then the echo of metal bending and grinding came again; this time it was far louder, and lasted longer. Now they knew for sure that it was coming.
"Dammit, we still have a ways to go!" Sun looked over the edge to see the straightaway some distance down.
"Even if we make it to the straightaway, there is still a distance until we reach the true refinery." Lieutenant Liu added.
"Then we're dead…there's no way we can fight that thing." Li said.
There was no point in arguing.
"It's here!" Sun shouted.
Everyone looked upward to see the armored figure standing at the top of the diagonal pathway.
"What if we surrender?" The Warrant Officer suggested.
"And be tortured? Rather die here than let those Britannian dogs have their way with me." Tao said bitterly.
"Death it is then." Liu added.
The elevator halted, and the grinding of metal followed. The four looked around confused. Seconds later the elevator began moving upwards. Sparks flew where wheels met track, and metal scraped against each other creating a screeching noise.
"What the hell is happening?!" Li shouted.
"It's doing this!" Tao point out. His subordinates looked up to see the armored figure still standing at the edge, but this time it held out its hand. It hand was extended wide.
"But how?" Sun asked no one in particular.
The sudden, resonating sound of metal snapping alerted them. Then the cart sped up greatly, forcing them all to its floor. It seems the various parts keeping it on the track snapping due to the counter force which allowed the armored figure to pull it up easily.
It made it to the top, and due to the shift of direction, the cart flew off the track, and the back hit a part of the roof, sending it turning in the air. The four were flying through air before landing roughly on the metal ground. The cart followed, and it landed upside down.
Tao felt great pain coming from his stomach area, and looked down to realize he was crushed by the train wagon's walls. He was sure most of his internal organs were beyond crushed, merely metaphorical liquid.
"Captain!" Sun ran up followed by Liu and the Warrant Officer.
He tried to speak but released a gurgled wheeze. Any hope for his rescue was shattered when the armored figure slammed onto the flipped wagon. The force further crushed the trapped captain, rendering him immobile.
The reaming three looked up at the cape clad figure; merely waiting to die.
Warrant Officer LI released a battle cry before unloading his machine gun. The bullets bounced off an invisible wall surrounded the figure, but the bullets soon froze. They floated in midair. Anymore which were fired resulted in the same position.
A calm closing of its extended hand, sent the bullets towards the three.
"No wait!"
Blood spewed as the three were shot down. The mission failed. The invasion thwarted.
Lelouch exited the tunnel, and took in the night sky. It felt as if he'd fought for days. China invaded a Britannian territory; the only result is war.
Now to deal with his own problems. He activated his wings once again, and flew off into the distance, pondering on what the future would bring.
A/N: There you go. Two chapters within a few days.
Now onto the explanation of what the hell Lelouch's magnetism is. Another ability very vaguely displayed in the manga. If I remember correctly, it was only used once, and never explained. He used it against Cornelia when she used a chaos mine against him. The steel balls which moved faster that sound were stopped by Lelouch posing. (Literally he poses by crossing his arms; says something like "You thought bitch!", and all the steel balls stop in midair before falling on the ground)
Since it was so vaguely explained, I've taken various liberties, and went back and forth on whether I should make it telekinesis this time round, but went against the inner desire to be a Jedi.
To explain in the most basic of ways, just think Magneto from the X-Men. Specifically from the movies since he was far less powerful in the films. Then I took away any remaining OPness, and left Lelouch with the powers as follows.
He can change the polarity of metals, and control metal, in a telekinetic way, but only with magnetic metals. Metals which are mostly non-magnetic will not work.
Examples include, making two different knightmares opposites poles so that they attack, then changing the poles so their the same, thus they repel with the same force at which they attract.
If he were to do this with say aluminum, it would not work.
Those are the basics. They'll be more explanations in chapter next time after Lelouch tests his abilities.