Dislaimer: I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.
This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.
Black As Night - Act 3
{●}
"Do you know what is my greatest passion?" Anson began as they descended the spiral staircase. "It's hunting. I hunted lions in Africa, tigers in India and wolves in Area 1."
Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Why, were the sharks of the Imperial Court too tough for you?"
The noble ignored him. "I hunted so many beasts, and yet even the most dangerous ones after a while became utterly boring. There wasn't contest, I was just too skilled."
Anja made a vulgar gesture mimicking a certain male self-pleasuring action. Lelouch's right eyebrow twitched just as his lips rose into a grin.
Anson reached an armored door, typing a code to make it open. "That's when I thought: if a beast dangerous enough to be a challenge doesn't exist, why don't creating one myself?"
"What do you mea-!" Suddenly the lights turned on and a veritable cacophony of screams and screeches assaulted their ears, briefly stunning Anja and Lelouch. Anson took the chance to run away.
"Stop right the-!" The question died in Lelouch's throat as he finally saw what was inside the room.
Cages. A myriad of cages, each one containing a strange, deformed beast. There were dogs with two heads, snakes with fur, lions with tentacles instead of a tail and many more, all different. But one thing that they had in common were the pink, glowing crystal embedded into their bodies: Sakuradite.
"It wasn't easy, using the Wyld Taint to mutate the specimens in appropriate ways." Anson's voice rang out. Without wasting time Lelouch, Anja and the Anuhles ran in the direction it came from. "Until I discovered that Sakuradite not only absorbs the Taint, it replicates the effects! Thanks to it my research sped up greatly!"
"Can you just shut up!? You're fucking creepy!" Anja snarled.
While running Lelouch spotted a figure lying in a cage. An immobile, humanoid figure.
Suddenly the revolutionary was glad the Black Knights weren't there, because when he was done Anson's body would be unable to be shown on TV.
They turned around a corner and the Marquess was there, standing in front of a cage larger than the rest, the inside hidden by darkness. "You're dead." Lelouch hissed, feeling anger bubbling under his skin like lava.
"No: you are dead!" Anson smiled like a loon before yanking open the cage. "Behold! My greatest success!"
Two large red eyes opened in the darkness, followed by a deep growl.
"Now come out my servant and kill my enemies!" He ordered while pointing at Lelouch and Anja.
In response to his order a maw larger than a full-grown man, and filled with razor-sharp fangs, came out of the darkness and closed around Anson's body.
"Wait, what are you doing? No stop I am your maste-EEEEAAARGH!" The Marquess screamed as he was dragged inside, his voice quickly replaced by loud chewing sounds.
But neither of them were of any relevance to Lelouch, because he could perfectly see what was inside the cage. "You've got to be kidding me." And yet he could not believe his eyes.
A giant, white-furred paw steps out, soon followed by another and the rest of the body the size of an elephant. It stood on all four, white fur covering its body save for the paws, face and the midriff.
"...I hate dogs so fucking much." Anja deadpanned.
"Me too." Seyrun and the Anuhles groaned at the same time.
The giant mutant poodle roared.
Everyone ran away.
They barely managed to reach the reinforced door and shut it behind them. The monster slammed into it as Lelouch and the others ran up the stairs, bending it outwards. The young Fiend didn't think it was going to resist for long.
"Boss! We need help!"
'I know!' He snapped back. But he really had only two options. The first, to contact Akio and Milly, who he has positioned nearby in case something went wrong. Surely four Celestial Exalts and twenty demons together were enough to put down that monster without any casualties?
The second, to have the two Knightmares he brought with him shoot the monster to death.
He made a few counts before choosing the second option. As much as he was sure Akio could keep the monster busy, the Knightmares had ranged options and could deal much more damage in a shorter time. Anti-tank rounds ought to do the trick.
"Q-1, R-1, prepare an ambush! An ally and I are being pursued through the main corridor by a, err, a heavy unit! All other Black Knights, get clear!" He yelled into the radio.
Kallen responded quickly. "Roger that Zero! What's following you?"
The sound of the unspeakable nightmare roars loudly as he was about to respond, its voice going over the radio.
"...What was that?"
"...proof that this world is neither sane or just. Just try to put it down quickly. It shouldn't have any ranged attacks, so keep your distance if you can. Position at these coordinates..." His forces would defeat this Wyld tainted beast, even as it shattered their expectations. Better them that his life.
"Please tell me your goons can deal with that!" Anja half-asked, half-plead.
"They have Knightmares!"
"That's great!"
There was a great crash, followed by the sound of heavy stomping.
"...provided they can get here quickly!" She screamed before redoubling her efforts to run.
He gulped before addressing the Anuhles. "Let's split up: take a different route and bring the Goremaul where Akio and Milly are hiding!"
"Yes Boss!" When the corridor crossed with another they turned to the right, while him and Anja kept running forward.
They have almost reached the main door when the monster dog burst through the one at the other end of the corridor. Not willing to risk it going after the Anuhles Lelouch took out his gun.
BANG!
"GRAAAAAHH!"
"Congratulations genius!" Anja screamed as her and Lelouch ran into the garden.
"Gotta protect my investments!" He was relieved to see the two Sutherlands crouched down behind the largest trees, rifles at the ready.
BOOM!
The monster dog literally flied outside, landing on all fours before standing up and roaring, blood flowing from where the Fiend hit it above the eye and hindering its vision.
The two Knightmares seemed to hesitate, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"KILL THE FUCKING DOG!" Zero shouted into the radio. "SHOOTING FIRST, SHOCK LATER!"
That did the trick: Kallen and Yoshitaka took aim and fired. The rounds designed to punch through a Knightmare's plating ravaged the monster's flesh, tearing out huge chunks of flesh and, surprisingly, red blood. Shot from two different directions all over its body the monster howled in pain, moving forward on pure rage and force of will.
Then a burst of gunfire opened a hole into its head. Eyes rolling back it emitted a final gurgle and fell down, finally dead. Miraculously not one of the Sakuradite crystal detonated.
Danger averted Zero finally let go of the tension, both hands on his knees as he tried to get his breathing back under control. Meanwhile the Frame pilots and the other Black Knights came out and gathered in front of the massive corpse, staring slack-jawed.
"What the fuck?" Tamaki was the first to vocally state what was on everyone's mind. "Is that a giant mutated poodle?"
"Yes Tamaki, it's a giant mutated poodle." Lelouch sighed and straightened up, injecting venom into his words. "Marquees Anson turned out to be even more twisted than we thought. There is an actual bio-lab in the basement, full of many mutated creatures like this one, though luckily not as large."
"That freak!" Kallen punched her other hand's palm. "Where is he? I'll give him a piece of my mind."
He gestured to the corpse. "Inside the mutt's stomach. He thought to use it as a weapon, but overestimated its loyalty."
Many of the Black Knights gulped, their faces ashen. "Is something like this even possible?"
"Evidently. Though I can imagine many better uses for science than…this." He scoffed. "But enough of that. I have the evidence of the Marquess's crimes, but someone has to have heard the shots: we probably don't have much time. The experiments within are dangerous, we can't risk them falling into Britannia's hands. Tamaki!" Zero pointed at the male redhead. "Take someone and set the building on fire."
"Sure!" He grinned. "Heard the man? Bring the gasoline you slackers!"
"Ohgi. Take the rest of the men and paint the Black Knight's symbol, a list of the Marquess's crimes and anti-Britannia slogans on the walls outside the villa as we planned, but add 'Illegal Bio-Engineering', 'Human Experimentation', and 'Playing God' to the list of crimes. Do it as quickly as you are able."
"Yes Zero." He replied resolute.
"Kallen, Yoshitaka: use the Sutherlands to drag the monster's remains over to the walls for display."
"Alright Zero." The half-Britannian nodded before she seemed to remember something. "Who was the woman that was with you? The ally you mentioned? And where is she now?"
Now that Lelouch thought about it, Anja was nowhere to be seen. Where did she go?
'She didn't stop running even when the mutt dropped dead.' Seyrun informed him. 'At this point who knows where she is.'
Regrettable. She could have been a chance to find out how the Lunars' presence in Japan was organized. "Yes: she said she was a foreign spy investigating Anson's activities, and I believe her." Lelouch looked around before shaking his head. "She must have ended her mission. Nonetheless she wasn't with Britannia, of that I am sure."
"Uh, alright then. Let's get to work." Yoshitaka muttered, turning around to reach his Knightmare.
"Wait a moment." Zero stopped him and Kallen, hit by a sudden idea. "Those crystals in the monster's body...they're Sakuradite. Use the insulated gloves for Knightmare maintenance to take out a few and put them into a sealed box. I want to find out how it was possible for the Sakuradite to be used like that."
They nodded before getting to work. Once he was alone Lelouch gestured with his finger for one of the still dematerialized Anuhles to come closer. "There were humans in the lab, or something close enough. Go there and extricate any humanoids who seem like they might be saved: if they breathe, they're valid targets. Just wrap them in silk cocoons for now and discreetly get them out. However, prioritize your own escape if needed. Don't you dare die in the fire." He gestured to the villa. "Meanwhile two of you will remain nearby to watch the place and see if anyone discovers the bio-lab during the investigations of what happened. If you can either retrieve or destroy any data found in that time do it, but don't take unnecessary risks to do so. If you can't and someone discovers something, then tail them to find out where the data went."
They gave a signal of understanding before skittering off.
Lelouch sighed again. 'This...was so weird.'
"In Malfeas, it's a Moonday."
'Lovely.'
"Zero! You sneaky bastard!" Akio greeted him with a large smile, the Goremaul resting on his shoulder. "I saw everything! Why didn't you call me? That would have been so cool!"
"Was that really a giant poodle?" Milly asked with a crooked smile.
"Yes. Yes it was." Lelouch massaged his forehead. "Sorry Akio, I wanted to see if my men were competent enough. As an alternative, you can keep the hammer if you want."
"If I want? Man, this thing is too cool! Of course I want it!" He swung it before frowning. "But it's strange: it feels like something is missing, and I don't know what..."
"It's an artifact, you need to attune to it first." Lelouch explained.
The Slayer stared blankly at him.
"...Just pushes Essence into the hammer and leave it there."
He went back to smiling. "Now why didn't you say so from the start?"
'Because I forgot how stupid you are!' Lelouch thought in irritation. Just then the Anuhles that he sent to the lab returned. Empty-handed. His face turned blank. "No one?"
"No one." Cuabuhm confirmed. "They were all dead, unlike the other beasts. If you ask me, whatever they did is lethal to humans."
The Fiend sneered before clicking his tongue in disgust. Ignoring everything else he walked to the edge and looked down, his Exalted sight allowing him to see the burning villa of the late Marquess Anson, the firemen futilely trying to put out the fire.
'Charles Vi Britannia. Your kingdom is a rotting nest of poisonous, decadent vipers. I don't know if it was because of you or if it was already like this before you sit on the throne-'
"But I swear! Just like I did seven years ago!" He shouted to the sky. "I WILL! DESTROY! BRITANNIA!"
The news of the attack at Anson Villa spread on the web like wildfire not even a hour after the fact. Despite the work of Britannia's censorship machine the macabre photos of the surrounding walls taken by bystanders were the subjects of constant debate, opinions ranging from simple fakes to conspiracy plots.
And then, exactly an hour and ten minutes after the fact, the most famous forums and major news stations received an anonymous file containing incredibly accurate photos, digital proofs that Marquess Anson was guilty of numerous crimes, bribery of the police among them, and a video:
"To all who are watching this. Fear us, or rally behind us as you see fit! We are the Black Knights!"
As the voice spoke the symbol of the Black Knights appeared on the screen.
"We of the Black Knights stand with all those who have no weapons to wield...regardless of whether they be Japanese, Britannians or any other nationality! Marquess Gregory Anson has been found guilty of crimes not only against the law, but human rights themselves! He sought to hide from judgement with money and even dared to play God; therefore he has been punished!"
The symbol was replaced by the figure of Zero.
"I am Zero! The Leader of the Black Knights! I will not repudiate battle on a fair and level field, but neither will I tolerate a one-sided massacre of the weak by the strong. The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed! Wherever oppressors abuse their power by attacking those who are powerless, we shall appear again, no matter how mighty or formidable our foe may be!"
"Those of you with power, fear us! Those of you without it, rally behind us! We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world!"
Unknown to the citizens of Area Eleven, the same file was sent to all the Areas, the Homeland and every other nation of the world.
Inside a castle on the border of France and Germany, headquarters of the W-0 Unit, a group of people stared with wide eyes at the video played on screen.
"Is this the guy we are supposed to help?" Anna Clément asked.
Leila could only nod silently.
"People with guts like him, they're either madmen or revolutionaries." Claus Warwick commented with an intrigued tone. "Seeing how this was sent all over the world, I'm betting on the latter."
Akito was grinning like a shark that smelled blood, such that the other pilots and the rest of the staff gave him a wide berth.
"Commander! Reporting!" Oscar Hamel walked into the room and made a military salute. "It has been confirmed by General Gene Smilas. We're going to Area Eleven!"
Akito erupted into a cruel laugh.
"There isn't even a single mention of me. Meanies." Anja pouted.
"Considering your contribution, or more precisely lack of it, I can't fault them." The cat mercilessly commented. "At least the Wyld trafficking has ended."
He rested his head on his paws, tail moving lazily. "Zero, huh? I wonder..."
"As expected of Lelouch-sama!" Kaguya exclaimed with stars in her eyes.
"So Sakuradite can absorb and replicate Wyld energies?" Rakshata read the e-mail before looking back at the screen. "Well, I suppose it's something worth looking into."
"...Is that a giant poodle?"
"Apparently."
"Did you-"
"No. Even if I wanted them to make me a giant monster, I wouldn't ask for it to be a poodle of all things."
"So you don't want a giant monster?"
"...It's an idea worth considering. I will ask Second if First can think of something."
"Lelouch?"
"Quiet!" The raven-haired youth whispered to Suzaku. "What do you want?"
"What, exactly, are we doing here?" He whispered back, Rivalz nodding to express his own interest in the answer to said query.
"It's simple." He peeked around a corner, looking out for witnesses. "My Fan-Club is using one of the computers in the Science Lab to host their damnable site. We are going to find and purge it of the taint. If that doesn't work you, Suzaku, will kick it until it stops spreading its blasphemies."
"...Lelouch. We've been friends for e- er, some amount of time now. So believe me when I say I am seriously worried for your mental hea-"
"Cease your prattle!" He commanded. "The road is clear. Onward!" He stood up and ran forwards, forcing his friends to go after him.
"Oh boy. So it finally happened." Rivalz groaned. "The President infected Lelouch with the Milly Virus!"
Suzaku wondered if it wasn't best to ask for a transfer. Sure the episodes of bullying stopped since Lelouch came back...but every day after that has just turned out weirder and weirder.
Geoffrey Althaus took a deep, contented breath of fresh air as he took his customary morning stroll through his mansion gardens. He could already tell it would be a beautiful day from the dawn sunlight just barely peaking in over the grounds' walls and through its trees, and the gentle tweeting of birds only contributed to the small piece of perfection he was enjoying.
Of course, he knew his current sense of peace wouldn't last- he was scheduled for political and business meetings through almost the entire day- but that was why he took these walks. To pretend, even for just a short while, that all was right with the world.
Stopping a short way from the walls, he looked up to the sky, half closed his eyes, and smiled. It truly was a beautiful morning, with such a wonderful feeling in the air-
"Dragonblood."
-Geoffrey snapped out of his reverie the moment he heard the calm, unfamiliar voice. 'Who? No, how?' He thought, alarm flaring through him. This was his private estate- there should be no way for someone he didn't know to enter it! And to call him Dragonblood…
It took him less than a second to spin to face the direction the voice had come from, body already tensing and readying to fight- but the moment he saw who had spoken, he paused.
Sat on a small boulder, drinking some sort of soup out of a simple cylindrical cup, was a young girl- probably not much more than twelve years old, from the look of her. She was wearing a plain white shirt and knee length purple skirt, and had her hair cut into a bob with long bangs that reached almost to her chin and mostly covered one eye, though not enough to hide it or its companion's deep red iris. A slight shift of her head as she lowered the cup from her lips revealed enough of her features for Geoffrey to identify her as an Eleven.
'No, that's not right.' He realised after a second; he'd been in Area 11 long enough to recognise Elevens, and whilst the girl before him looked similar she definitely wasn't one. Korean, or Chinese, perhaps? Not that it really mattered; what was important was that the girl was either shockingly ignorant of the meaning of what she had just uttered, or far more than she appeared. And seeing as she'd broken into his estate, he was willing to bet on the latter.
Slowly, he began to edge his hand toward the personal alarm he carried in his pocket; even if mere mortal soldiers wouldn't be able to do much against whatever this girl was, together with him perhaps-
"Don't bother." She spoke again, cutting him off with both her words and a piercing stare. No, not piercing- that would have implied she was putting effort into it. Instead, she simply looked at him and he felt as if her gaze was boring deep into his soul. Apparently uncaring of the effect she was having on him, she continued, "One of my subordinates had your security systems malfunction, and altered the guard schedule. You're completely alone."
Ignoring her words, Geoffrey abandoned subtlety and yanked the alarm from his pocket nonetheless- but it seemed she hadn't been lying, as nothing happened when he tried to activate it. Looking up from the useless electronics to the unconcerned girl, he narrowed his eyes and demanded, "How? I have wards, checks."
"It's simple." The girl said, in that same empty, uncaring tone, before lazily reaching up a hand and tapping her own forehead.
For a moment Geoffrey simply looked at her, uncomprehending, before his blood suddenly ran cold. "No…" He said, staring at her with eyes wide as he stumbled back, sudden fear overwhelming the surge of hatred and anger he knew he should have felt. 'I, I could shout for help? No, she said the guards are nowhere near.' "You… you're…"
"Yes." The girl cut him off bluntly. She fell silent for a moment, apparently giving his whirling mind a chance to come to terms with his situation, with exactly what was sitting before him, before stating simply, "I'm here with a choice. Either agree to be bound by oath into my service and the service of my master, or I kill you before you can take three paces."
"You… but… why?" Geoffrey stammered, before swallowing and forcing himself to regain his composure. He Dragonblooded, and one from the lines of Britannia no less- such displays were beneath him! Steadying his footing once more, he glared at her and tried to forget his fear as he demanded, "Why come to me? Out of all the Dragonbloods, why come to me? Why think I would serve you, Anathema?"
The last word came out as a hiss, but if it bothered the creature before him she didn't show it; instead, she simply raised her cup to her lips and closed her eyes as she took a long, shallow sip. A part of him insisted he should use the opportunity she was giving him, to try and run or try and kill her, but he held himself back; if she was willing to show moments of weakness to him, it meant he was small enough of a threat to her that she could afford to show them. He was still tempted to try anyway, just on the small chance it might succeed… but then the moment passed, as she lowered the cup and opened her eyes again.
"You got too close. Even if you didn't know what it was, you saw evidence of my subordinate's work." She said, her tone still empty and uncaring. "And so you must be removed. One way or another."
'I saw her subordinate's work? What does she mean-' Geoffrey wondered, before it suddenly occurred to him what she had to be referring to; a certain strange pattern of behaviour he'd noticed recently amongst some of the mortal Britannian nobles. Whilst it was nothing too far out of the ordinary, it had still been enough to catch his curiosity just a little and prompt him to probe a little deeper…
…and that, apparently, had been enough to bring an Anathema to his doorstep. Geoffrey took a moment to silently curse his own foolishness, before a possible way out occurred to him. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at the girl, clenched his fists, and said, "You're bluffing. You just want to fool me into making that oath. If you kill me there'll be an investigation and they'll just find out about you anywa-"
"No, they won't." The girl interrupted him, and the certainty in her tone made his heart sink; apparently, he was wrong. The girl's empty, unnerving gaze bored into him as she continued. "Anybody who investigates your death will find evidence leading back to one of your rivals. Anybody who becomes suspicious of that will find evidence leading to two of their rivals. If someone can see through that… well, then perhaps we deserve to be found."
"In short, the only reason you're not already dead is you might be more useful as a living servant." She concluded. Pausing, she closed her eyes and slowly brought her cup to her lips, taking another long, slow sip. Then, the moment she'd lowered it her eyes snapped open and locked onto his, and in a cold, flat tone she stated, "Choose."
For a long moment, Geoffrey considered accepting. The girl's unnatural attitude and certainty, what she'd implied about her nature… he knew without a doubt she wasn't bluffing about her intentions or her abilities. If he refused, he would die. It was that simple. And yet…
Taking a deep breath, Geoffrey gathered his courage and shook his head. "No." He said, straightening his back and standing tall and proud.
"No." He repeated, narrowing his eyes. He was of the house of Althaus- he would not disgrace his family's legacy by surrendering to the monster before him. Settling down into the stance of the Golden Janissary, his voice was filled with absolute certainty as he repeated for a final time, "No."
In response, the girl simply regarded him for a moment before sighing quietly, standing, and saying, "So be it."
With a simple jerking motion, she pushed the heel of her hand up and sent her cup flying into the air- not in a tumbling motion, but simply travelling straight up. 'A distraction?' He thought, forcing himself not to follow the cup with his eyes. Instead, he kept his focus on the girl as she crouched and brought her hands together, obviously preparing to attack. And the next moment? She launched herself forward.
Geoffrey knew the attack was coming. He was braced, and ready. Had Charms prepared and ready to activate with a single thought. Within his limits? His defence was perfect.
It didn't make any difference.
There was a blur of movement, a flare of essence emptying from his reserves, a sharp tugging sensation at his waist, and then he was falling. The morning sky filled his vision, and then his back hit the floor. He immediately tried to move, knowing that lying on the floor would just get him killed, tried to stand-
'-oh.' There was really nothing else he could think as the realisation of what had just happened set in. Bending his neck, he looked down his body to where his feet had been. Had been.
Now, however, his body simply ended at his waist, his blood spilling out onto the grass from the ugly wound. He shuddered as a hacking, bloody cough choked its way out of his lips, sending painful jolts through what was left of his body, before a shape moved into the corner of his vision- the girl who'd just killed him, looking down at him with empty, uncaring eyes.
As he watched, she swept her sword- a monstrous daiklave with a blade over a foot and a half taller than she was- off to the side, sending his blood flying off the edge. Then she swung it up and rested it across her shoulders, before reaching out with a hand, palm up-
-and catching the cup she'd flung into the air just before she attacked. A quick twist of her wrist caught the droplets trailing behind it and kept it from spilling, before she brought it up her mouth and closed her eyes as she took another long, shallow drink. Lowering the cup after several seconds, she breathed in and closed her eyes as an expression of contentment appeared on her face-
-then without ceremony she spun on her heel, her daiklave fading away into nonexistence as she turned her back on him, and began walking away.
The back of his uncaring killer, not even finding him worthy of the attention needed to watch him die, was the final sight of his dying eyes.
Lexicon:
Wyld Taint: The chaotic effects of the Wyld on beings and things of Creation, inducing random and often negative effects.
AN: I really can give justice to the *snicker* giant mutated poodle without the pic. You can find the link on my profile.