Frozen Knightmare
Chapter 3: Turning the Tide
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of the characters involved except Guardian I. Ice
"They've all had their transponders removed, are we sure this is a good idea?" One of the rebels asked as they examined the Knightmares.
"That would mean the enemy can't track us in their suits," Kallen answered.
"But we can track them!" Ohgi added.
"Precisely. Mount up and be ready to move at my signal in fifteen minutes," Lelouch told them, "That should give you enough time to get accustomed to the controls."
The group turned from Lelouch to the sound of a rapidly approaching Knightmare and looked over to see Ice speeding toward them.
"What kind of Knightmare is that?" The same rebel asked.
"A friend," Lelouch answered.
"Report Q-1," he said to her as she got close.
"The Britannians have completed their encirclement of the ghetto and they're starting to close in. I'd say we have thirty minutes before this whole place is a ghost town."
"Then we don't have much time," Lelouch answered.
He turned to the rebels again, "Once you're in the Knightmares you'll also find a spare arm for our friend in the Glasco. Make sure to get that replaced before you report to me."
"And where the hell will you be?" The rebel asked.
"Somewhere I can see the entire battlefield."
Lelouch turned and sped off down the tracks, Ice following after him. The rebels looked amongst themselves, hesitating for a few seconds.
"C'mon! This is our chance. We've been handed the tools to fight back on a silver plate and none of you are going to take him up on it?" She asked.
Ohgi looked from her back to his team, the look of conflict evident on his face.
"Ohgi…" Kallen said, "I know he hasn't done a lot to earn our trust. You could even say he's been nothing but suspicious. But he's given us Knightmares, which is more than we've been able to accomplish until now."
Ohgi thought about that for a few seconds, then sighed.
"She's right. Let's get in these Knightmares and get moving. K-1 told us we have fifteen minutes."
The group went to work, climbing into the Knightmares and rolling them out of the train cars once they were ready. As they sped down the tracks after Lelouch and Ice his voice came on inside their cockpits.
"Glad to see you've joined us. I will give you designations to avoid confusion and to keep your names confidential. From there I will give you orders on where to move and how to engage the enemy. Is that understood?"
"Yes!"
"Good. Now…"
Lelouch ordered the various squads of the rebel force to move into different portions of the city. He had them firing through walls, above them from the subway tunnels, and engaging the enemy in guerilla tactics to keep the Britannians guessing.
At the command facility for the Britannians
Prince Clovis la Britannia watched as his forces began to turn from blue dots to the word "Lost" on his map of the area.
"What is going on?" he asked.
"We don't know sir, reports are coming in of enemy Knightmares, but no one has been able to confirm them yet," one of his officers answered.
"If they're using our technology against us they must be tracking them through the Transponders. Change the codes!"
"We have your highness, three times!" Another officer answered.
Clovis' face went pale, "B-but, that's… this is like facing my brother," he said to himself as he looked down at the map.
"Someone with Schneizel's head for tactics leading a force of Knightmares? This is bad…"
"Sir! A new report is coming in! The rebels, they've-"
Clovis' eyes widened as he watched his map flood with "Lost" markers.
"Wh-what just happened?" he asked.
"It seems they've collapsed a support structure in the center of the city, and as a result, a sinkhole has opened up that destroyed a large portion of our forces," an officer told him.
"They would destroy their own city just to stop us?" Clovis asked.
"Excuse me, Your Highness, if I might have a moment of your time," A voice said to him.
Clovis half stood from his seat to turn around, spotting a spectacled man wearing a lab coat with light purple hair in a bowl cut standing just behind him.
"What does the Special Corp want now?" he asked.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your majesty, but I thought that now might be a good time to remind you of our… special project?"
Clovis sighed as he dropped back into his chair, "Yes. yes, fine. Deploy the experimental Knightmare," he said.
The scientist grinned before giving a half-bow from the waist, "Thank you, your majesty. Come along, Cecile! We have an experiment to conduct!"
Back with the Rebels
Lelouch was smiling to himself as he reviewed the chessboard he had sitting on his lap.
"Everything according to plan," he said.
"K-1, we have a problem!" Ice's voice came in over the radio.
"What is it Q-1?" he asked.
"A new Knightmare has started appearing on the battlefield. He's wiping out our forces!"
"One man? Impossible."
"It's some kind of new Frame design, I've never seen anything like it."
"K-1, this is N-2 reporting. There's some kind of Knightmare, a white one. I've never seen-"
He was cut off as an explosion sounded from the radio.
"N-2?" Lelouch asked, but he did not get a response.
"P-1, what's your status?" he asked.
"We're on our way to the Imperial Convoy. Looks like the way is clear so we're going to end this," the doubtful rebel answered back.
"No, abort that objective, it's too dangerous. There's a new Knightmare on the field!" Lelouch shouted at him.
"Would you relax man? It's just one guy, he can't stop all of-"
He was cut off by an explosion behind him.
"What was that?" he asked, turning his Knightmare around.
His remaining companion followed suit, and their jaws dropped as they saw a thin, graceful, white, and gold Knightmare standing atop a collapsed building. The grapnel it had used to destroy their companion whistled back into the launcher in its chest.
"P-1?" Lelouch's voice came in over his radio, but he did not answer as he raised his weapon and opened fire on the White Knightmare.
"Of course, the one thing I didn't account for is the human will," Lelouch said to himself.
"K-1, permission to pursue this new Knightmare?" Ice asked.
"Permission granted. Take him out before he ruins our plans any further."