Chapter XXII :Come gather round people….
(Tokyo, Slayers headquarters)
Todoh entered the conference room, and was surprised at what he saw over two thirds of the command chairs where vacant.
"Inoue, Yoshida, Minaue, Sugiyama, Senba, Urabe and Asahina-san…gone, all gone in a blink of an eye…" Ohgi lamented to those present.
"I knew Brittannia was cruel, but I never thought Lelouch would create and use such a weapon" Kaguya through the communication monitor said to those present.
"I do not consider Lelouch to be the one who did this tragedy" Todoh said.
"What do you mean?" Xingke asked through the communication monitor.
"His forces where on the verge of defeating us, from the intelligence we gathered his army suffered more than our own, also the F.L.E.J.A was controlled by a group of noble officers outside his command chain" Todoh replied.
"Wait a minute! But that means that…that.." Tamaki stampeded as the implications was clear to him.
"That the nobles tried to kill him…..Him! Their champion, the man who brought more successes in war to their country that any other, the one who is their greatest hero they tried to kill!" Kallen said to those present.
"Damn it!" Tamaki said as he slammed his fist on the table.
"I have no great love for the guy…but even so….Is there no limits to how evil the Empire can be, to treat its leading general like that!" Tamaki added.
"A city in ash, an army heavily damaged, and a table which is almost empty…what have we done this day?" Chiba asked those around.
"We've won" Kaguya said to those present much to their surprise.
"Although this is not how we imagined out victory we did win, our strategic objective to capture Tokyo is achieved, what we must decide now is how to exploit this victory" Kaguya added.
"Although we have won today, our forces are too heavily damaged to press on, the Empire may not be able to push forward, but neither can we, for now I suggest we try to appeal to a cease-fire with them" Xingke replied and it was a good idea.
(Tokyo, Black Knight hospital)
"Oooooooooooo!"Guilford said as the doctors gave him another painkiller.
Alfred watched helplessly as his father's best friend was now in pain from the great injuries he received from the bomb, Guilford would probably from his wounds remain a blind cripple the rest of his life, but considering the fact that from Darlton and the other Gladstone knights not even the Ashes from their bones remained he was the lucky one, a million questions and confusion raced through Guilfords mind but one thing he was certain:
"This isn't was its murder! Bloody murder!"
Cornelia ,Suzaku and Lelouch were walking through the hospital searching for Euphie and Nunnally.
After a while they found them and the doctor which was treating Euphie came up to them to brief them.
"Has something happened to her?" Cornelia said very concerned.
"She is no mortal danger, but your highness the light from before was so powerful in its intensity that I am afraid that while Princess Euphemia was shielding Princess Nunnally she..had the left side of her body experience third degree burns, she is now in convalescence, she will recover, but I am afraid she is greatly scared " the doctor replied and let them in, where Nunnally was holding the arms of a leaping Euphie, needless to say all three of them were shocked at what happened to her.
Cornelia took it the hardest, she scampered , lost sight of reality and in her confusion scampered outside where rain started falling now that it was night and an eerie song began playing in her head
Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left it's seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.
"This had to be some king of knightmare" was what was constant in her brain
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
'neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.
There Cornelia saw how hundreds of her dead soldier and thousand of her wounded where moved, treated and buried, the men she knew for a lifetime all destroyed in an instant.
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare
Disturb the sound of silence.
She then remembered how only a few minutes ago Darlton her second in command and her mentor, the man who was a father figure to her was now gone forever and how Guilford was now greatly injured
"fools" said i, "you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you."
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence
"And it was not the numbers who forced Clovis to blow his brains out, it was fear!... fear that his mother, his uncle, his friends would all pay for his incompetence, we as humans are willing to accept the consequence of our actions, but we are unwilling to let others suffer for our transgressions, that is the kind of country we serve!." Lelouch then took two steps towards Cornelia brought his head closer to her and said with a soft and angry tone:
"How long before I blow my brains out to protect Nunnally? Or you blow yours to protect Euphie? As long as this system remains sooner or later that day will come!" he finished, with a rasp of disgust which was heard as he said the final nine words of the sentence.
Cornelia's mind flashed back to the conversation she had with Lelouch almost two years ago
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made.
And the sign flashed out it's warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the sign said, "the words of the prophets
Something then snapped inside Cornelia and she picked herself up from the floor and went back inside, past the horror, past the madness past the shier blasphemy against life which was done this day.
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls."
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence
"Lelouch….." She said to him and he turned around to face her.
"…You where rightLelouch, you where right" she added.
"Sister..please…calm down Euphie is hurt but she will..h..heal" Lelouch said as he still tried recover from the shock.
"….you want the throne you can have it, I'll give it to you…but on one condition…" Cornelia said as they were now face to face she then leaned her head forward and placed her hands on Lelouch's chest and with tears in her eye said.
"I want their heads! The nobles who fired that weapon, they families heads, the heads of those who knew what was going to happen…you can have the world…BUT I WANT BLOOD!" Cornelia said and she collapsed to the ground and started crying.
"You'll get it Cornelia….Believe me you will get it!" Lelouch said, his shock was now replaced with anger and a thirst for revenge, but first he had to distract the Slayers.
(Black Knight lounge a few hours later)
Shirley and Rivals where both sharing a drink and both where to shocked about what happened today.
"So much death…so much blood" Rivals said out loud.
"Half the city has been turned to ash, this is madness" Shirley added.
"What did you think it was going to be like?" they heard someone behind them and they turned to see general Patton.
"Did you think that this was some kind of game in which we all just pretend to fight and die? A nice campy and fun show where everything is for fun and laughs where death never appears? That this is Batman: The Brave and the Bold?...Well news flash this is Batman TAS: Is dark and it's serious and the show is not for the weak of heart….so if you don't like the program I suggest you change the channel" George said to them, but before he could answer the speakers blurted the following: "All senior commanders report to the Bridge of the Sarmizegetusa"
"Well guess it's time for a new episode" George said and started to walk towards the Sarmizegetusa.
(Impact crater a few hours earlier)
Kallen was now at its edge, she wanted to see with her own two eyes just how great the destruction was when she heard a voice.
"Hello Kallen" a whisper was heard and she turned around only to see Lelouch pressed against the Guren like he had no care in the world "We need to talk" he added.
"Talk?" Kallen asked puzzled.
"Well I could rip of your clothes and ravage you here and now..or we could talk" Lelouch said as he produced from his back a yellow rose and he started plucking the petals from it.
"Have you ever heard stories about witches, warlocks and demons?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes of course, but what has that to do with….." Kallen said but was stopped from a raise of the hand from Lelouch.
"You see Kallen all those stories, they are true, the origin of those powers is called Geass, it exist, it's not a fairytale and here is proof of it" Lelouch said as he finished dispetaling the flower and throw Kallen a flash disk.
"And if for your information there is a man who is using this power, that fruit cake of a Kusakabe has Geass." Lelouch said and saw that Kallen was a bit disbelieving.
"That's absurd!" She said.
"Is it? At Fukuoka his soldiers had some kind of animal bloodlust in them, that is common knowledge, he then somehow made the guards kill each other when he was held prisoner by the Chinese and then he made political chaos in Germany which made his old friend Beck be able to win the elections, it's that's all a coincidence then I am a monkey's uncle" Lelouch finished and then bit of the flower body and chewed it.
"And before you say anything else know that I am not doing this because I care about the well being of the Slayers, I am doing this because Kusakabe is getting more and more powerful everyday, at this rate he will conquer the U.F.N and your precious little democracy will become just another evil empire under his leadership another hell, and two hell's is one hells to many" Lelouch said and Kallen then looked down at the Flash disk and then back up at Lelouch only to notice he was gone.
"Batman wannabe" Kallen said with a chuckle and went to deliver the disk to the others.
(Excerpt from the 2090 Kenneth Burns the Third documentary: The Century of War)
"After the Battle I was promoted to command of the Regiment since I was the highest ranking officer to survive the battle, but my promotion was cut short by my shock of just how great the destruction was"
"I did not know what to think until I saw the angelic voice of Princess Nunnally announce the following:"
"Everyone I have the following announcement to make: At the Battle of Tokyo heavy casualties have been reported on both sides, but upon recommendations from Field Marshall's Cornelia and Lelouch I have evacuated the city and there are no civilian casualties"
"That moved us all to tears, since there was many of us both former numbers and Brittannian's that had family in Tokyo and the Iron Prince protected them"
"GOD SAVE THE PRINCE AND TO HELL WITH WHO SAYS OTHERWISE!" I shouted out and everyone agreed, that was what sealed the deal for us for life, the only loyalty we now had was for the Iron Prince and him alone, the rest of the world be damned.
Recently Gazeted Colonel Naoto Kan 761st regiment, 501st division, 42nd corps Black Knights.
Excerpt from the Diary of Naoto Kan
(Black knights hospital)
"Don't look at me Suzaku" Euphie said to him while she turned away.
"Why?" Suzaku asked concerned.
"Why? Cause I am a monster now that's why, look at me!" The only thing missing is a two headed coin 'mand I'm…I' ha h nwaaaaaaaaaa" Euphie started crying
"Euphie it's not your face that I love, it's your love for everyone and your forgiving nature, I love you no matter what" Suzaku confessed deeply.
"Then…..if you love me…will you….will you" Euphie said as she now stopped crying and started fidgeting with her fingers.
"What?" Suzaku said.
"…..m-marry me?" Euphie said and at that moment Suzaku's jaw dropped.
"M-m-marriage?" he hesitantly replied.
"Well well look at this, you my friend hurl yourself in battle without a moment's hesitation and the simple thought of marriage makes you shake in fear, and some people say that you are not wise" Lelouch said as he suddenly appeared with Cornelia behind Suzaku.
"Are you saying Kururugi that you intended to deflower my sister and not take responsibility for that?" Cornelia told him.
"W-well I I *Gulp* I do" Suzaku said and immediately Euphie jumped him and hugged him.
"Well that's all fine and dandy but we have some unfinished things to do Suzaku and you miss need to rest" Lelouch said and with Cornelia and Suzaku went to the command center.
(Black Knights logistical headquarters)
To say that Diethard Reed was disappointed was an understatement, he expected the Black Knights to vanquish the Slayers and then he would continue his documentary to where the Iron Prince would become this world's leader.
"But after what he sustained today I doubt there is much hope for that now" to him the great story he felt was the Iron Prince now ended here in Tokyo, Diethard said as he prepared to go to Kyushu to see if Prince Schneizell was a more interesting story.
(Lloyd's laboratory)
"Still it's a shame the Bellerophon's where a failure" Lloyd lamented.
"What do you mean? They changed the course of the Battle." Cecile added.
"Only because the enemy never saw any of these before, after the recovered from the initial shock, they immediately started firing at them, despite the fact that they had energy shields, they are simply too big a target and lack to much maneuverability to be practical" Lloyd replied.
"Well the prince will be disappointed when he gets back" Cecile replied.
"He has bigger issues to think about now" Lloyd replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Just a few hours ago a few nobles tried to openly kill him, and now that he survived he is now powerful enough for revenge" Lloyd replied.
"You don't mean!"
"Yes, our star sponsor will either soon be a king or a corpse" Lloyd replied and was curious at what tomorrow will bring.
(Sarmizegetusa)
"So the time has arrived then" Cornelia said determined.
"W wait a minute! Regardless of the fact that he is our sovereign, he still remains our father! We can't just do this to him" Odysseus pointed out.
"Yes he is our father, a father who sees all and knows what goes on in his kingdom and he did not lift a finger to stop the nobles with their F.L.E.J.A plan, let me ask you this do you want to continue to live under such a ruler who doesn't even care about his own children, let alone his own people?" Lelouch said to him and at this Odysseus could give no reply.
"Then it's settled: We will now launch our coep de ta: Jeremiah you ,George, Omar and Odysseus will remain here to keep the Slayers in line, the rest of you will come with me to where father is, we will try to apprehend him, but if not you know what we must do" Lelouch said to them.
"What bout Viletta and the Kyushu Black Knights?" Jeremiah asked.
"I have already given the order for them to break off from Schneizell's force and to form a defensive position at Fukuoka and to be weary of him, oh and before we must make it clear who will rule after him, do you any of you object to myself?" Lelouch said and everyone replied that they would be okay with it
A couple of minutes later the Sarmizegetusa and a few elite pilots left to where Charles was.
As Lelouch looked outside the window he thought to himself:
"This is it, it all or nothing today everyone who died is now with us, today we will see if all the blood spilled until now was spilled for a purpose or if it was all in vain"
Meanwhile, in another section of the Black Knights camp in Tokyo
C.C quietly stayed in the new room was provide for her by Lelouch, she was confused what to do since, she still being in her memories was used to hard labor from dust till dawn so she was polishing Lelouch's sword, just then *Bang* was heard outside her door, her guars where slayed and a small pink haired lady walked into the room.
"Who are you and why have you intruded in my masters home" C.C said while she jumped up
"You know C.C I never thought you would forget me your old friend Marianne" Lelouch's mother from the body of Anya said to her.
Author's note
Here's a late Christmas Present, Enjoy and Review.