I sighed and readjusted my old prosthetic again. I sat in my Office on a Monday as usual, as if there wasn't an ache in my bones and… well almost my entire body really. I was getting too old for this bullshit.
My left hand moved grading homework while my clunky prosthetic from my university days simply worked as a glorified paperweight. I wasn't here in my office to simply grade papers though, I would normally do that inside the student council room. Today I was here right before three in the afternoon for a simple… but difficult reason. My talk with Kallen. We hadn't scheduled it or anything but I knew Kallen would jump in at the earliest opportunity.
So predictably as the clock on the wall struck four o'clock almost right after Kallen's last lesson of the day, my door was knocked. "Come on in." I called out and didn't bother raising my head up to see Kallen with my own eyes, I had been tracking her the whole day to see if she'd out me to Lelouch. Thankfully she did nothing of the sort. I wouldn't know what I'd have done if she had.
She walked in almost timidly, as if worried I would suddenly leap at her and bite. "So… you weren't kidding with the counselling hours thing." She said as she sat in one of the seats in front of my desk.
"Only partially." I replied. She didn't say anything. I didn't say anything. The only audible noise in the room was the sound of my pen on paper. An awkward silence set in. "Oh, come on! Just go for it Taylor. Get the ball going!" Shouted the shadow from the window.
I took her advice. "So…" I began and let go of my pen. "I think we both owe each other something of an explanation." I continued. I got to watch the incredulous look on Kallen's face as it appeared. "Yeah! Please Miss Hebert explain to me how you're both a literature teacher, an apparent old friend of Britannian army scientists and a masked freedom fighter with superpowers!" I forced myself not to smile at her hysterical demand.
"Legacy of a misspent youth?" I tried only to see her bemused expression. Normally I wouldn't have just talked without first getting an explanation from her, but Kallen was my student and I wanted to be the 'bigger person'.
"Kallen, I don't know why you joined the Black Knights. In fact from my perspective you have no feasible reason to join." She made to speak but I held up my intact hand. "Let me finish. Would you like to know why I fight? I'm sick of how this country is. I despise the Aristocracy, I hate the censorship, I'm disgusted by the classism and racism, but I don't know any other way of fixing things other than fighting and threatening people until they do what I want. And I can't just stand by doing nothing. I fight against Britannia because it's the only way I know of doing things." I finished and sighed.
I looked at her, took note of the way her gaze was coloured by understanding for a second and decided to redirect the conversation to her. "But enough about my reasons, tell me why is a seventeen year old, noble heiress working with freedom fighters?" I asked.
A dark look came over her eyes at the 'noble heiress' bit. "I… have some issues regarding my family. They are the reason I'm sympathetic to the Japanese." She muttered. I saw the Shadow appear behind Kallen. I didn't look at Lisa's replica instead still keeping eye contact with Kallen and making a 'go on' gesture.
"She's clearly hiding something. But don't push right now, you need to get her trust first. Steer the conversation towards Britannia, she doesn't like them either." She advised me. Though I felt slightly betrayed that Kallen only went with the bare minimum, I still listened to Lisa. Well… it wasn't like I had told her the whole truth either.
Kallen didn't keep speaking so I had to pressure a bit. "Kallen, when people are 'sympathetic' to oppressed minorities, especially when they are rich heiresses they usually form charities and the like." Well at least I think they did. Not really sure on that one, never once saw it actually happen. Still I continued my rant.
"You Pilot a five metre tall machine of war against one of the most advanced militaries in the World. I get that you don't want to go into detail about personal matters but I want you to consider this, you don't have to tell me but please consider it. Are you fighting for the Japanese or are you fighting to change the World for yourself?" I waited to see how Kallen would react only to see her going through a hundred different emotions at once.
Doubt, despair, worry, determination, doubt again, perhaps indecisiveness, fear, hate, anger and many more expressions flowed through her face, but eventually they settled on one specific expression… Simple determination, it almost seemed like her most natural one. "It's purpose." She said with a low voice.
"Fighting Britannia is meaning. Liberating Japan is also a part of that purpose. I have nothing I can do but fight both for myself and… not for the Japanese but for the people I know. I don't have to fight, I could accept the hand dealt out to me, it's a bad one but much better than most people get. But if I did that I wouldn't be myself anymore, I'd be just another doll playing along to the masquerade." She continued.
"I'm done with my future and my life being out of my control. It's suffocating not being able to do anything, I want change and the only true way I can bring it is by fighting." Her gaze finally met mine and despite her totally different features she reminded me of myself. Not as I am now but as I once was, back when I was the original Weaver.
A person, a mask made out of a single goal. Built upon nothing but grit and determination. It would break her, just like it broke me. I feared I had made a mistake, but now that it was done I could only hope I would be there to help her pick up the pieces.
Before I could do anything, Kallen stood up. I tried to tell her to wait but as I opened my mouth to speak she interrupted me. "Thank you Miss Hebert, you've shown me that I was doing nothing but drifting till now. I won't tell the Black Knights your identity, I owe you that much." She said and exited the room after a quick bow.
I tracked her through the halls as she left but made no move to follow her. I was too stunned by possibly one of my greatest fuckups in socialising ever. A strained voice called out from my Window. "Taylor… Taylor you pushed in the opposite direction too far. I mean, it's recoverable. But right now little miss noble is in a dangerous spot."
I couldn't hold myself back from my sarcastic reply. "You think? That must have been one of my Worst conversations yet." She raised her eyebrow.
"Tecton? Golem? Armsmaster? Hell me after Leviathan? I'd say that one's a 7/10 for worst conversation." I winced slightly at the reminders. But she continued regardless. "It's just that Kallen is a different breed from them. We can go over your gaping lack of social skill in normal conversation later -to be fair even I didn't see that reaction coming-, right now you got to keep an eye on the girl. I mean long term, stick to her and make sure she doesn't do anything dangerous."
It's not like I wouldn't have her back already. Kallen's a seventeen year old piloting a mech for a terrorist organisation, she needs someone to help her out. Yes, I know how hypocritical that is. It doesn't change my opinion. I would make sure she still had a life to spend.
As I was thinking that I heard someone knock on my door. I checked outside with my Bugs and saw a somewhat blurry yet distinct mop of blond hair. "Enter!" I shouted. And Milly entered with her usual easy-going attitude, though I saw a hint of worry in her eyes.
"I'm guessing you saw Kallen?" I asked as I went back to grading to keep my mind off her. Milly sat down on the armchair to the site of the room and lounged on it like a cat. "Yeah, she seemed… not angry but intense. Reminds me of Grandpa and you a bit." She drawled. I let out a tired sigh. "Milly, what am I supposed to do if I see someone possibly making a mistake I did when I was young but I'm not in a position to stop them?" I asked.
She blinked at me in an incredulous way as if asking 'You're asking me?' but she saw that I was still waiting for an answer from her. She scrounged up her face and turned herself so that she could hang her legs from the side of the Armchair.
"You'd be better off asking Grandpa, you know? But he's always busy these days, something about changing administration or what not. Hmm… I guess simply be there when they do make the mistake or change the environment around them to prevent the mistake? I'm not really an expert in these things, you know, being young and all." She said without even looking at me. This brat just said something incredibly rude, but I'll ignore it… For now.
"Tough… What does that have to do with Kallen? Is she planning on giving up her education in one of the most prestigious academies in the homeland to travel to a foreign country or something?" I cringed at her sarcastic joke. I did also feel a bit hurt but without context what I did does look like bad decision making. Still I opened my mouth to reply but I remembered something made me pause.
I looked at the clock. Ten past four... Fuck. I promised Cecile I'd meet her and Lloyd in a Tea shop in the middle of the settlement by quarter till Five. "Hold that thought Milly, I have to go." I said and moved to grab my satchel and keys.
Milly let out a squawk as I blazed past her to grab my leather satchel. "Hey, what's the hurry anyway!?" Asked and demanded Milly, indignation coloured her voice. I was almost out of the doorframe by that point. I skidded to a halt. "I'm late to a meeting with my college friends." I deadpanned.
Milly suddenly smiled, a wide, dangerous smile. "Well don't let me keep you, I'll lock up the door behind you." She said with clear humour in her voice. "Don't forget about the funeral tomorrow!" I had already begun running by that point, so it took a moment for her closing remark to be processed. Funeral? Whose funeral…
Wait shit Shirly's dad's funeral! He was at the edge of Narita when Kallen caused the Landslide for some reason, one of the twenty civilians that had died during the attack. What bad luck.
I didn't have time to think about that. I sprinted down the corridors and bolted down the stairs almost crashing into a few students but barely managing to avoid them thanks to my bugs. I hoped I would be able to catch the Magrail, otherwise I'm late for sure. I really don't want that conversation to be even more awkward.
Cecile Croomy Kind-hearted Engineer
I tapped my finger on top of our table as I waited with Lloyd for Taylor to show up. The tea shop was oddly empty this time of day and our table was tucked away in a corner. What few patrons there were mostly just school age girls or middle aged women meeting with their friends. It was jarring with my usual image of Taylor, though it felt like it fit with her current happier state. I felt glad that she was more content these days and not just going through life like she was dead.
Though the source of that happiness concerned me greatly. Was Taylor some sort of… not psychopath but sadist? Her situation reminded of a quote Taylor once told me 'There is no Hunting like the hunting of man, those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.' Was Taylor like that? Did she join with terrorists to hurt people? To 'hunt'?
Or did she have some reason for helping the terrorists and her happiness came from her profession as a teacher? She always was passionate about literature so… maybe? Moreover, what did it have to do with that power of hers?
'Help out the Black Knights and I'll grant you unimaginable power.' sort of thing, no Taylor isn't the type to fall for something like that… Is she? I spent two years with her as friends during her computer science Bachelor, but I didn't know all that much about her.
She was a commoner from New England, she liked to collect banned books, liked literature, is a war Orphan, incredibly skilled at programming but her passion for it came and went depending on the project, she used to have sudden mood swings depending on the conversation topic, usually about the Aristocracy… I know a lot about her character, but nothing about her actual goals.
She knew of my passion for robotics and my desire to work in the industry. But other than her brief burst of passion for cybernetics I had never seen her interested in anything. She used to live like she was already dead. That power… does it have something to do with it, did she become like she is now once she gained it… or maybe regained it? I was about to follow that line of thought when Lloyd interrupted me.
"She's late." He drawled. I checked my watch. Ten till five. She was five minutes late. Unusual for Taylor, or was it anymore? I didn't have much time to ponder more as luckily for my sanity Lloyd saw Taylor outside the shop soon after.
"Ooooh! She's finally here! I have so much to ask, but what to start with! The bugs? Or the cybernetic project?" He exclaimed and clapped in excitement. I burst his bubble.
"We're starting with her affiliation." I said after making sure my voice had enough finality to trigger my eccentric boss/friends survival instinct.
Lloyd wasn't cowed though. "Are you sure Taylor will let you?" He asked with clear smugness. I seethed at the implication that Taylor would try to sweep things under the rug.
Speak of the Devil and she shall arrive. Taylor entered the Tea shop breathing somewhat heavily but otherwise perfectly fine. She saw us and gave a little wave then went to the counter to grab herself tea.
"Hello Markus, the usual please." She said with the practised ease of a routine. And was answered with a similar tone.
"Ah Miss Hebert, Assam with milk and a drop of honey, right?" Taylor nodded.
"I'll bring it to you, please take a seat. Those two have been waiting for some time now." Answered the supposed Markus. Taylor grimaced at his words but quietly moved to join us. She sat next to me and across from Lloyd. I chose to remain silent but softly glared at her to indicate my displeasure. Lloyd however seemed quite happy to see her.
"Taylor! It's been so long, you don't call, you don't write but the punch was just like back then so you can't have changed that much!" He exclaimed and thrust his left hand forward for a handshake. It brought a soft smile to Taylor's face.
Taylor took his left hand with her own, she kept her prosthetic on the table as they shook hands. It was the low quality one without motorisation she had used in university. Not the high quality custom model I had supposedly destroyed.
"It's nice to see you too Lloyd, though I wish it was in better circumstances. You too Cecile, I see the piercings are back and the sweater looks nice too." She softly said. I wasn't surprised to see her in the usual dress shirt and brown pants she wore, it suited her young literature teacher look well though the weathered leather satchel could've been better. Lloyd answered as I expected him to.
"On the contrary! Cecile might disagree but I think the situation is quite fine!" He exclaimed. I saw fit to not let the madness continue any longer.
"Enough of that Taylor, answers, now." I said, though my voice came off more aggressive than I had intended. Taylor's smile turned a little brittle. She glanced at the wall behind me for a fraction of a second. Then answered me.
"I get that you're rightfully angry at me but while we're here let's take care of the more 'over the counter' topics first, please?" She pleaded. My anger simmered for a second but as Taylor's tea arrived I remembered just where we were. I breathed deeply to calm myself.
"Yes… let's start with the easier topics first. But! We are going to talk about That and your power." I asserted. Taylor relented.
"Of course, I know a place where we can talk without eavesdroppers later." She answered. Seeing the opportunity Lloyd jumped in.
"Finally! Now that the boring parts of the conversation are over we can talk about something meaningful!" I bristled at his apathy at the situation but knew that trying to argue with him would be an uphill battle. He rummaged around his backpack for a second and finally pulled out two folders. My eyes widened at the bright and bold classified label on one of them. He'd brought that here?
I didn't get to scold him for his carelessness though as he quickly slid the files to Taylor, who grabbed them without fanfare. She glanced over the tittle of her own work and put her own half-finished thesis down. She spent a significantly longer time going over the other folder.
She calmly put the folder back on the table after she was done reading. "Where did you find this?" She asked, I felt a cold sweat run down my back at her tone.
"A secret lab in the city after the landslide. I'm guessing you understood the subtext in the folder, thankfully the researchers of Code R died to the last, in fact they were the only civilians to die that day." I answered her with all the cool professionalism I could muster. I heard Taylor's teeth grind for a second and I feared for the lives of everyone around.
I knew it was irrational but some part of me saw Taylor like a rabid dog that could be triggered at the slightest provocation. Thanks to whatever god was out there my fears did not come true.
"Good riddance." Said Taylor. She continued moments later. "Wait, all civilians? Does that include Joseph Fenette?" She asked.
"Ah, yes he was on the roster as well. Did you know him personally?" Said Lloyd with clear interest. Taylor looked at us with the most devoid of life face I had seen her make since she left for Japan. "Not really, he's one of my students' father. I'm invited to his funeral." She deadpanned and took a sip of her tea. I grimaced, what a shitty coincidence.
Lloyd giggled quietly. "Oh, that's perfect. You can thank him for providing the final part needed for your project. The nerve connections he and his team developed are truly revolutionary." He said. I worried for a second about Taylor's reaction but her face was totally blank. Almost like she was dead.
She replied nonetheless. "All it took was a few hundred lives lost to human experimentation." She sighed deeply and her already dead eyes lost a little bit more of their glitter. "I'm guessing you want me to help you complete that old project." She said softly and breathed into her cup of tea. She looked… like a stone statue. Not a single emotion flowed into her posture.
Lloyd didn't care for her lack of emotions though. "A few hundred lives? You'd think that right? But see the thing is… there was only one test subject, all of their intrusive surgeries and downright butchery was done on one person." His words attracted Taylor's attention to him. Her eyes burned with something I didn't understand but I felt like someone other than Taylor was also observing us through those eyes.
Lloyd, undeterred by the attention, continued. "We thought it was someone like you so while Cecile wanted to talk to you about finishing the project I wanted to see if you knew something about our supposed immortal."
I thought I could see Taylor going through her memories checking who could fit the bill. "No, anyone that could take that kind of punishment is either dead or can't be here." She said. So Lloyd was right!? There were more like her!
"So there are more like you?" I found myself whispering. She smirked teasingly, the expression didn't fit her. Almost like it was copied from someone.
"There are none like me." She said jokingly, though her usual seriousness returned soon after. "Not here at least." She finished. Not here… where was here? Japan? The Pacific? Asia? What did she mean by that?
"Let's get back on track, why do you want me to help you? You two are leagues better than me at this sort of thing." I felt embarrassed at that. The reason we couldn't simply do it by ourselves was…
"We can't read your or Rakshata's code, both of you didn't commentate your work and we don't have the time to spend starting over or beginning anew no matter how much it pains me to use Rakshata's code. We have to act fast if I am to keep Suzaku as my pilot and get him back on his feet." Lloyd blurted out.
Taylor processed the information and caught on to the most important thing. "What happened to Suzaku?" As I had guessed, she didn't know what had happened to Suzaku.
"He's lost one of his legs thanks to the Black Knights." I said. I watched with some guilty pleasure as Taylor flinched at what I had said. I felt bad immediately after but still seeing that she hadn't totally lost her humanity was good.
"I thought he hadn't come to school because he was busy, that's what he had said." She had placed her tea back down shakily, somehow shocked that firing high-grade munitions at your students could injure them.
"We came up with an excuse to hide his injuries from the military, so that he won't be discharged. But that'll only hold on so long, we need your help so that Suzaku won't be thrown into the Ghettos." I hated guilt tripping people especially my friends but for Suzaku's safety it could be excused.
I saw Taylor make her decision, she seemed hesitant for a second but buried it deep beneath. "I'll do it. Send me a copy of the code and we'll work on it together. Actually send it to me now, as soon as we're done with this mess I'll take a look at it." She said and did something woefully out of character for her. She chugged down the rest of her tea.
I couldn't believe my eyes, out of all the weirdness she had shown that one was the most out of character for me. She urged us along and we paid quickly. Taylor dragged us along the streets towards where I had no clue. Still I took the opportunity to ask some more mundane questions as we powerwalked through the streets.
"Taylor, why did you drop everything and leave for Japan back then?" A question that had gnawed at me for a long while. The betrayal I felt had faded as my childish crush on Taylor also faded with time but it still burned somewhat.
She didn't turn to look at me, simply continued forward. Before she curtly nodded her head. "I suppose this place is empty enough to talk about that." She didn't go on immediately after, instead she waited a second to steady her voice.
"I simply… had enough. I was tired of the Homeland, tired of the constant parades, showboating and pointless derision between classes. I hated all the channels spewing the Monarchy's bullshit, I hated the stupid cliques of nobles in Lewis Marshal, I despised most aristocrats ; no offence Lloyd. But most importantly I hated the feeling of powerlessness I got." She breathed out deeply but still didn't show us her face.
"So when I heard that you two and Rakshata were transferring to the Colchester Institute I simply had no more drive to continue. Without you and Lloyd around I would have had to actually deal with the nobles and if I did anything against them they would ruin my life, I was powerless. It reminded me too much of the past." She had slowed down now, her tone was growing weaker and weaker. I felt myself worry about her but she went on.
"I was initially going to say goodbye and leave at the end of the year but I didn't want to ruin your mood." My eyes widened at that, 'ruin our mood'? Did she even realise what it was like one day just seeing that she was missing? I thought she was kidnapped, had I not asked the administration I wouldn't have even known she had dropped out! I was left wondering if something had happened to her for nearly a fucking decade and her reasoning for leaving me in the dark was 'didn't want to ruin your mood'!? I grinded my teeth so hard I feared they would shatter. Still Taylor was too absorbed into her own tale to notice.
"Japan promised me a new start, I would visit as a tourist first and if I liked what I saw I'd settle down." She sighed. "...And I liked what I saw, sure there were still some problems but I liked the democratic nation. I had left Britannia behind." Her softer tone suddenly gave way to anger, so much so that I forgot my own frustration and took a step back. "I was happy, I felt peace for a singular fucking second! But no! The being known as Taylor Hebert can't have peace! Not since her mother died! No, everything has to be fucking downhill from there on!"
She almost screamed. Thankfully the streets were empty around us, wherever we were going it didn't have much foot traffic. It made me worry a bit, Taylor's sudden mood swing terrified me but it was too late to back down now. Ignorant of my plight Taylor continued her tale. Her anger had given way to an unnatural monotone.
"You two already know what happened afterwards. Britannia ruined everything, I barely managed to survive and eventually found the Ashfords. They gave me a job and I simply decided to stay here. It wasn't any worse or better than the Homeland." She laughed a little, it sounded wrong coming from her mouth.
"Taylor, why didn't you look for us? We could have helped you!" My desperate question, raw with emotion, was ignored. Quickly followed by Taylor's uncaring voice.
"We're here." She simply said. I wanted to repeat my question, force her to answer but my attention was brought back to our environment. A large park stood in front of us, lined by young trees and a thick set of stone walls. It must have been recently created, but it was oddly deserted.
"Oohhh, that's smart. A park that is empty during rush hour where you can monitor everything." Congratulated Lloyd. I could see the reasoning, Taylor would be practically omniscient if she could see through her bugs as we predicted she could. Taylor simply nodded her head and led us deeper into the park. It really was totally deserted.
We arrived next to a row of benches next to a small lake. Taylor sat on one and crossed her long legs in a way I only associated with her. Sassy but still serious. It was nice to see she still kept some of her old tics.
"Ask away." She said, despite being in a supposedly weaker position - other than the fact she could kill us at any moment and none of my contingencies could save us- she still held authority, it wasn't in her nature to give up control.
Still her apparent nonchalant attitude didn't bother me, I had far more pressing concerns right now. Such as the fact that my college best friend was a damned terrorist!
"We could start wi-" I began but Lloyd's patience must've run out as he interrupted me mid speech.
"So! How do you do the bug thing? Is it some kind of frequency? Oh! Oh! Is it nanomachines!? I remember you talking about them quite often, something about a 'nanothorn'. But, hmmm. That can't be it, you'd need to augment yourself to properly control and see through them… Of course the problem of sensory overstimulation is also a problem…" On and on went Lloyd, not ignorant but uncaring of his own rudeness.
As Lloyd was lost in his own world Taylor looked at me as if to ask 'should I?'. I signalled 'indulge him.', it was just like the old days. Taylor looked properly amused by her next words.
"I have no clue. As far as I know it might be that an alien supercomputer is hooked up to me and it just does everything for some inane reason."
Lloyds rant stopped abruptly and he tilted his head in an offended manner.
"Please be serious Taylor, I'm genuinely curious this time~." Lloyd pleaded.
Taylor mimed an over dramatic sigh that brought a small smile to my face despite how tense I was. She suddenly turned towards the lake nearby and raised an eyebrow at it. I looked at the lake too. It was still, there was nothing there. Was… was Taylor seeing something there?
She abruptly turned back towards Lloyd who had draped himself over another bench while I wasn't looking. If the atmosphere didn't demand me staying standing I would've sat down as well.
"Really I have no idea how the power actually works, I don't even have to think about it really. The swarm is me and I am the swarm. There is no transition, I control them to such a point that…" She stopped speaking but the forest around us completed her sentence. "I can do things like this." Finished the distorted and disturbing chittering of a thousand insects.
I inadvertently glanced around us. The display was beyond creepy but it raised a very good question. How the hell did Taylor deal with the sensory overflow?
"How does this work exactly? A normal person's brain would be fried if they micromanaged that many limbs." I found myself asking, my own curiosity had won over my caution.
Taylor pointed at her head. "All I know is that I have two growths in my brain that supposedly enable and manage the power. I don't know anything other than that." Her words clearly convinced Lloyd, who had suddenly lost all interest in the conversation and didn't care much anymore. Ugh, how like him. Still I wasn't convinced.
Taylor wasn't letting us know everything she knew but I knew I wouldn't get anything more from her if she got stubborn and the mechanics of her power were a secondary concern to me. Despite the clear mystery that attracted my attention I forced the urge to dig deeper down.
I let the conversation shift over. "Whatever, there is something more important to discuss. Terrorism. Reasons Taylor, I need something that makes sense." I said with my best… Taylor impression.
"It was about gear at first." She began and I prepared myself for another long-winded explanation. "I had my power and I wanted to make a difference, but I needed weapons first. I was already interested in the Black Knights when they made their debut. They are fairly well armed for an insurrectionist group aren't they? That interested me, furthermore they wanted the liberation of Japan, I wanted to see a democratic nation rise again so our goals were also aligned." A spark ignited in my mind. A realisation blossomed.
"You're a Washingtonist…god how did I not see it before? The banned books, the constant debates, your opinions about aristocrats." I accused. I felt immensely stupid for not seeing it before. It was obvious in hindsight, but I hadn't thought that Taylor could be part of that marginalised group. But now that I knew how far she could go to get what she wanted it made much more sense.
"I don't have to worry about having my neck chopped off, do I?" Semi joked Lloyd, though I saw him rubbing his neck in worry. It got a laugh out of Taylor.
"Despite the surname I'm not actually French. I'm thinking more along the lines of a constitutional monarchy for Britannia, it'll be far easier at least. Though the nobles might lose their titles, not that you'd care, Earl Asplund, you barely use it." She was right about that one, most people didn't even realise Lloyd was a noble. But a constitutional monarchy…like the Netherlands?
"Anyways back on topic. I thought the Black Knights were a good way of getting my hands on some real weapons mostly to be able to do something, anything. But once I was in… well things happened and I'm with them to protect some people rather than get gear now." Wait what? That sounds awfully like…
"Taylor, are the Black Knights a cult? Did you join a cult!?" I asked with genuine concern only to be laughed at.
"Ce-pfft! Cecile, I know what a cult is like… I saw quite a lot of them before college. Their members are a lot more… messed up than the Black Knights. I mean I see some similarities but Black Knights are freedom fighters, I'm just in a unique position right now." Still even if it wasn't a cult the Black Knights were terrorists. Not exactly 'good guy' material… okay to be fair most Britannian soldiers weren't much better but still!
"Protecting people doesn't justify killing or crippling dozens of others, Taylor." I said calmly. Taylor's face went dead still at that and I heard the noises of the bugs rise for a second but it went down just as quickly.
"And what would you have me do Cecile? Slave away under some sociopaths rule providing weapons to oppress people? At that point I might as well just grab a gun and start shooting the Japanese myself." Taylor's cutting words bit deep.
I struggled to find words. But anger took over. "Well maybe you could try a different avenue first before resorting to domestic fucking terrorism!?" I argued and Taylor looked like she was going to keep the argument going for a second but calmed herself with that unnatural stillness. I wondered if the persona of Taylor Hebert was just another mask for her. Were her emotions only surface level and this stillness her true face?
Before I could draw any more conclusions Lloyd interrupted us.
"No matter how amusing this may be, I think nerves are starting to fray on both sides of the argument. So let's take a breather… Now with me girls." No matter how much it hurt me to see that I had forced Lloyd to play the bigger person I did follow his instructions as he counted and breathed deeply.
"Now I understand why you're angry Cecile -Well… to a degree anyways- , I think we can put aside this matter until we get Suzaku his new leg. I get that there is an ideological issue here, no matter how stupid it might seem to me but the core of the matter is that Taylor isn't going to stop even if we do report her. Will you Taylor?" At Lloyd's question Taylor gave a simple answer.
"I'd kill everyone that knew my identity to protect the kids, but even if it did somehow leak I'd just double down." The simple admission that she would kill both Lloyd and I if we tried to leak her identity made me clench my teeth. It made sense that she wanted to keep the school safe, even if it was a little paranoid. You could never predict the public response to that kind of thing. Still it hurts to know that my life meant so little to her… if I betrayed her trust…
It all boils down to not betraying her doesn't it? To betray my former friend -was she ever truly my friend though?- or to betray my own morals and become an accomplice to all the murders Taylor would commit from now on. I felt blood flow down my right hand, I had cut open my skin with my nails. I released my clenched hand and let the blood drip down.
I saw Taylor move from my peripheral vision and flinched backwards as she moved towards me with a burst of speed. She grabbed onto my right wrist. I blinked in surprise at her gentle grip.
"Wait a second." She said as she rummaged around her satchel and pulled out an entire roll of bandages, just an actual roll of bandages. The type you see in medical kits. Along with some spray type disinfectant. I couldn't say anything as she delicately cleaned and bandaged the wound. She let go after it was done and my hand suddenly felt cold.
I felt doubt well up inside of me again. My emotions a pendulum that swung between paranoia, anger also… longing. God damn it.
"You get one chance." I found myself saying. "We finish the cybernetic and then I'll decide." I declared. A wondrous smile bloomed on Taylor's face and a feeling long forgotten cried out as it was freed once again. God fucking damn it, not again.
Lelouch Lamperouge The Masked Revolutionary
I walked through the temporary base of operations of my Black Knights in my guise of Zero. I basked in the afterglow that our victory had brought. My pieces were happy, I was happy and Britannia was despairing. Already I could see the way the administration of Area 11 was rippling from the blow.
Though they had hidden Cornelia's capture, such massive news could only be kept secret for so long. Soon panic would set in and they'd squabble among themselves to find a leader. Britannia's entire structure was built upon the basis that there would be a single leader and many nobles to tear each other apart under them. The Area's were no different. Without a person with enough force of will the nobles would tear apart everything.
The perfect opportunity to push my advantage and acquire Kyoto's support. I forced down the maniacal laughter that almost overcame me. Thankfully my face mask hid my wide smirk from the passing Black Knights around me.
Though my mood had soured after the pitiful results of my initial interrogation of Cornelia -It wasn't much of an interrogation with my Geass though-, I was now fairly content. After all, if even Cornelia didn't know anything about my Mother's assassination I would simply have to get my hands on either the Emperor himself or maybe Schneizel. Surely Schneizel would know what had happened, it wasn't in his nature to allow mysteries.
Thoughts of my begrudgingly respected elder brother turned back towards my once beloved elder sister. I had come upon her holding cell, it was in actuality just an oddly reinforced control room once used for the underground rail network of the Japanese. I thought it fit her. A sloppy jail cell for a reckless and prideful princess.
The guards posted at the door quickly unlocked the door for me. I stepped in without worry, I had ordered her tied down before I came. Mostly to humiliate Cornelia, these Japanese men and women knew some very comical and embarrassing ways to tie someone up.
Was it petty? Definitely. Did I find it hilarious? Absolutely yes. I deserved to enjoy what I was doing too, no?
I entered the room and glanced over at the chair my purple haired sister was tied to today. She didn't look as bad as I would've thought. Her hair hadn't yet lost its shine and defiant eyes stared at me despite her embarrassment at the position she was tied at. Her legs were bound so tight with multiple binds that she could barely move them. One of her arms was thrown over her shoulder and tied behind her chair, the other arm was bound close to her body right under her breasts almost as if she was propping them up. She was posed like the cover of a playboy magazine. Had it been Shirly, Kallen or hell even C.C even I might have stared. It must've been Tamaki that tied her up today. Good.
I held back the urge to burst out in laughter. Still despite my good humour at my half-sisters embarrassment I moved to loom over her.
"Zero." She half spat and half greeted me. I took a moment to get the right dramatic tone.
"Cornelia, I apologise for the lack of fresh air and sunlight but my Japanese friends insisted. Still for being such an elegant guest I must thank you. Though most of my guests don't often try to pose for me, it's a unique experience." I layered on the sarcasm at the end to taunt her.
"You swine! Is your wretched ambushes and scurrying on the battlefield not enough? Must you humiliate me her as well?" She growled with indignation.
I purposefully took a second to answer.
"Hmm…yes, yes I must. It's the least I could do for you after you made my job so easy." I answered. Rage bloomed across her face so very clearly. Ah… sibling banter, how I had missed you. It was terribly hard to banter with Nunnally, who was such an angel, but Cornelia made it oh so easy.
"Wretch! Once I am fre-'' she began to say but I interrupted her, as I had become bored of our little spat. This was all just entertainment after all.
"Answer my questions." I ordered without fanfare. Cornelia immediately went silent as my previously implanted order activated with the code-phrase. Red rings appeared inside her eyes. It terrified me how easy my Geass made taking someone's free will away.
"What would you like to know?" Cornelia asked. She was now oh so polite. It didn't suit her at all.
"Hmm… well, let's start today with military stockpiles, shifts in politics among nobles and military bases of strategic import shall we Cornelia?" I asked.
Her eyes shifted towards my face mask. "Of course." She answered without emotion and started listing everything she knew. Oh this made interrogations much more elegant and much much easier. What would I do without a little bit of witchcraft?
An: Hello, hel-ho and other such greetings. Sorry for the delay, I had to write with only my phone this week. Anyways this chapter mostly focused on the identity bit, and giving Taylor a more solid reason to stick with the Black Knights. I get that where I'm taking the story was disliked by some and I do get why. Please keep up the constructive criticism as I want to improve my writing. Also please write Code Geass fanfics, I started writing this to attract attention to this X-over. Well… for now I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as usual please do review!
An2:Hello fanfiction readers! This post was very late as I didn't have access to my PC and fanfiction mobile doesn't let me upload for some reason. Anyways this fic will be bi-weekly from now, except from this week. This week will have 2 posts.