AN: It makes me happy seeing that people have been enjoying the last few chapters, and I just want to say thank you.
Also, I do not own Code Geass.
Chapter 8: The School Festival, Pt. 2
"Q1, are you in position?" Lelouch called over Kallen's headset.
Currently, the red head was hiding behind a bush while staring at the Ganymede as it was surrounded by several students, "I'm in position. The targets guarded, just as you predicted, though from the look of things, they haven't touched the charging port, so that means the Ganymede must be at a full charge."
"Good. R1, make sure that P3's ready. P1, P2, status?"
It was exhilarating. Kallen hadn't been in action for so long, and to once again be commanded by Zero felt… great! Because as long as she was under Lelouch's command, everything was going to be okay, just like before. "Hey! There he is!" shouted a student as they spotted a wild Lelouch running away
"That's the signal!" she thought before running toward the Ganymede, quickly disconnecting the cables and climbing into the open cockpit, "This is the Ganymede…" the red head fawned while caressing the controls, "This is what Marianne used to gain her title, and become a Knight of the Round. Don't worry, I might not be able to use you as well as your former master, but I'm no slouch either!" she spoke to the machine as if it were sentient. "I still can't believe I'm about to pilot the Ganymede! And the best part is, I didn't even need to use my favor!"
Meanwhile…
"Lelouch-"
"Not yet!" the boy called out while running down a stone pathway, "We're almost there, just get that damn machine ready!"
Naoto sighed and turned to the science club members and asked, "So… what's this thing supposed to do anyway?"
"This?" one of the members said while tapping a small contraption, "We call it the S-RES! Super Rope Ejection System! You see, by pressing this little button right here-"
"Activate your stupid machine!" Lelouch's voice bellowed over the radio, "Hurry up!"
The mad scientist pressed a small red button just as the Prince passed by, then a large grappling hook shot out of the machine like a rocket, piercing through the wall adjacent to it, scaring a couple who were just passing by. With that, the rest of the mob chasing Lelouch ran through, and tripped over the steel wire, falling flat on their face, "Booyah!" shouted the club members.
"So you made an oversized grapple hook?" Naoto questioned, "Or rather, a worse slash harken?"
"Ah, but you don't understand, good sir. For you see," another member tapped the machine, "This is merely a smaller version of the contraption we hope to create, you see… this version is specifically designed to stop cars and such, but if we can make it bigger, it'll even be able to stop a Knightmare someday!"
The resistance leader stared at the machine for a few seconds and thought, "Stop a Knightmare? This thing? I mean, it's certainly possible as Knightmare frames are super top-heavy because of the cockpit, but how would you set something like this up before battle? Maybe have a team equipped with one of these things, and when they're called upon, they'll set up a kill box with the wire. Speaking of which…"
"What's the wire made of?" he asked
"The ROPE, is an inch thick, made from cold-hard steel."
"Jeez, were you trying to kill them with that!?" Naoto questioned as the mob began to stand up, "By the way, we should start running."
…
"Q1, P2 and P3 have set up the dough near the oven, go over there and flip it!" Lelouch commanded while running into the stands, followed close behind by the entire football team.
"Lelouch! We'll get you for cutting our budget last month!" one of the members shouted angrily
"Why're we even doing this?" Kallen asked while gracefully maneuvering the Ganymede around a corner like a master, "We really don't have an obligation to make this pizza."
"Maybe you don't, but I do!" the Prince replied while clumsily jumping over a yakisoba stand, "If the pizza's not made this year, Milly will literally put me through hell!"
"I thought this was hell?"
"No way! This is nothing compared to what she's capable of!"
A football player suddenly lunged at Lelouch, forcing him to duck instinctively, causing his assailant to crash into a cotton candy machine, causing the stand owners to shout in anger. Finally, the Ganymede burst onto the scene, it's pilot smiling with glee as the wind blew through her hair, "What!?" Milly exclaimed from a balcony, "But if Lelouch is down there, then who-" Kallen's bright red hair flashed by the blondes eyes, and she smiled cheekily, "Oh my~ don't tell me~"
Upon the Knightmare's entrance, students cheered in joy, making the red head smile even wider, "This is amazing!" she thought while gently manuvering toward the oven, when she suddenly noticed several students rushing to a certain area.
Out of nowhere, a large wrestling club member tackled Lelouch to the ground; both of them landed next to a small object that closely resembled a smoke machine, "Damn it… not now," the Prince muttered as his walkie-talkie slid across the ground, and into the crowd. Just as he began to crawl out of his oppositions grip, two football players grabbed his arms, pinning him down firmly.
"We got him!" one shouted
"Good, then let's bring 'im to the President!" the captain added
Suddenly, a large hand gently pushed through the pile, and picked up Lelouch, "You look like you need a little help," Kallen called from her cockpit, "Would you like some assistance?"
Lelouch slowly sat up, massaging his back in the process, "First off, tell P5 to initiate plan sigma, then drop me off at the edge of the festival. After that, go back to the pizza."
"Got it." the red head saluted with a smile, then she called in the order. With that, the small smoke machines turned on, causing pink sticky foam to flood the festival grounds, providing cover for Lelouch to run away once he got dropped off.
"What is this!?" a student shouted as he struggled to move in the foam
"It's so tough!"
"Ew! It's in my hair!"
…
A bespectacled man pushed up his glasses, causing them to gleam slightly, "We call it: Rose Schuim!"
Naoto tilted his head in confusion as the crowd screamed, "It's not hurting them, right?"
"No way! The foam's harmless! The most it's doing is adhering their movement, after a minute or so, it should disperse, but if it really gets to being a problem, you can simply just wash it off with water, that'll disrupt its glutinous properties."
"That's… an interesting creation you got there…"
"I know right!" another member shouted, "We're actually planning to enter it in this year's science fair, and thanks to this test, I think we can really win it!"
The Prince was currently running alongside a stone pathway by a hill, watching the chaos unfold in the background, "It looks like everything's going smoothly, now I just have to reach the second point on time, and plan sigma will be-"
Out of nowhere, Milly leapt out of a bush, tackling Lelouch in the process. As they rolled down the hill, Naoto watched the entanglement from a distance, "And anyway, here are the blueprints the commander asked for. It was nice working with you," a science member told the Kozuki while handing over a folder, "And I trust there'll be a hefty increase in our budget, correct?"
"Umm… sure, so long as he doesn't get caught right now."
…
Once they reached the bottom, the duo stopped rolling with Milly landing on top of Lelouch, "I caught you! Finally!" she shouted while pinning him to the ground, "Rivalz! Get down here, and make sure you bring the costume!"
Dressed in a turkey costume, Rivalz ran down the hill with another in hand, "Sorry about this, buddy, but the Prez said she'd delete my photos from the Cross-Dressers Ball if I helped."
"Damn it! You sellout!" Lelouch protested
Just before the blue-haired boy could reach the ground, a small ball landed in front of him, exploding upon impact into a bright pink foam, completely covering his body in the sticky substance, causing him to trip, and fall onto the president. "Sorry about that!" Naoto shouted while grabbing the Prince, and putting him on his shoulder.
"What are you doing!?" Lelouch exclaimed as the resistance leader humiliatingly carried him inside the main building.
"Taking you to that elevator you mentioned!" his ally responded while jumping over a group of students effortlessly.
"Damn it! This is embarrassing!" the Prince thought while be jostled around, "Just what's with this family and their insane agility!?"
A group of karate club members rushed into the hall, blocking the way forward, "We won't let you past!" one shouted while getting into a stance.
The rest followed suit, and let out one giant cry as they charged at the duo, "Sorry guys!" Naoto apologized while wall running over the group, stunning everyone, including Lelouch, "But I don't think it's legal to beat up students!"
After landing on the other side, the red haired man continued to move swiftly, easily outpacing the club members, "Take a right here!" Lelouch shouted.
They finally arrived at the elevator, and the Prince took out his key card, before swiping it on the keypad, causing the doors to open instantly, allowing for them to enter. "Close faster," Lelouch muttered while pressing the close door button repeatedly, then, just before the students could reach the elevator, the door closed.
Little did they know, they were being watched.
…
Meanwhile…
"I'm bored!" shouted Tamaki as he lounged around Ohgi's apartment
"Naoto told us to lie low," Naomi responded while looking out the window at two figures dressed in rags, "This place is still crawling with Britannians. I can't believe they're still so concerned over last month's mission!"
Ohgi placed four beers on his small table and said, "Well, we did successfully evade them after a trap they set, so they obviously can't just let us walk away without any consequences."
Minami reached for a beer, and cracked it open, "You're right. This whole thing should blow over this time next month."
"It's a shame we lost that Glasgow though…" Tamaki added while taking a beer.
"It's better to lose a piece of equipment than to lose our leader," Ohgi replied while opening his and Tamaki's beer in one swift fluid motion
"Speaking of the Glasgow, how's your project coming along, Naomi?" the brown haired man asked his colleague
The indigo haired girl sighed as Ohgi questioned, "What project? Didn't you hear what Naoto-"
"Yes, I did, but… it would've been such a shame to leave such an intact Knightmare frame lying around…"
"What did you do?"
"I hitched the carcass up with the towtruck, and brought it to a suuuuuuper secluded location where we'll be waiting for a replacement cockpit since the last one got damaged," Tamaki explained casually while taking a sip of his drink.
Naomi and Minami facepalmed as Ohgi's breath hitched, "Did anyone see you?! There's no way the military was just going to leave something like that lying around undefended!"
"Chillax dude, we checked the area beforehand, and apparently, they really did just abandon the frame"
"They did?" Ohgi thought as his brown haired friend chugged his drink, "Why would they do something like that? Perhaps they want to keep something like this out of the public's ear… but still… that doesn't explain why they'd just abandon the Glasgow. Perhaps they're fully committed to finding Naoto? Or is it something else?"
…
Back at Ashford…
"That was too close for comfort…" Naoto muttered as the elevator began to descend to the basement floor.
"Now that we're alone, shall we have that talk?" Lelouch asked as he used his phone to turn off the camera in the elevator.
"Yeah, I was actually thinking the same thing."
"Good. Then I'll start because I have a feeling your questions will be worthless." Naoto shrugged off the insult, and allowed the boy to continue, "Firstly, I thought you were Japanese, so why's Kallen able to attend Ashford, a Britannian school? And as a part of the Stadtfeld family no less."
There was no point in lying here, and the resistance leader knew it, "Well… I am Japanese, but I'm also Britannian. A half-breed, so to speak. Our father's some Britannian politician last time I checked, so that's where the Stadtfeld name came from; as for my last name, Kozuki, it came from our mother, who was supposed to just be some Japanese fling father had before the second Pacific War," the elevator doors opened up, and they began to walk down a hallway, "For obvious reasons, that wasn't very good for the Stadtfeld name, so father had to marry a Britannian, while my mother's working as a maid in the manor. Mrs. Stadtfeld is insufferable, she's your average Britannian noblewoman who thinks she's better than everyone because of her bloodline."
"Is that why you abandoned the Stadtfeld name and took up Kozuki?"
"Kind of. I mean, I couldn't stand my father's new wife, but by the time they married, I was already old enough to leave the house, so I don't have many stories about her. I'm sure if you asked Kallen, she'd tell you plenty more than I ever could." Naoto suddenly fell silent, then continued, "Is it okay if I ask you a question?"
"We can do a little back and forth," Lelouch responded while opening another security door with his key card, allowing for them to enter the sewers.
"What were you two doing in that locker?"
The Prince sighed, "Like I said: worthless…"
"Hey! Laugh all you want, but if it was your sister, you'd be asking the same questions!"
"You're right," Lelouch replied calmly, "Well, we were getting chased by Milly, the blonde woman who pinned me down earlier, and your sister had the brilliant idea to hide in a locker, once inside, she demanded to pilot the Ganymede, probably hoping for me to accept the conditions to her deal just to relieve some pressure. But that's when you called, and interrupted us. Thanks for that, by the way."
"That wasn't really my intention…" the older Kozuki replied with a smile.
"Nevertheless, if it wasn't for you, we might've been stuck in there for a while, or, and god forbid it, until Milly found us. So, thank you."
After finally reaching the exit, they left the sewers, and were met with a cool breeze, "Now then, do you have any other questions?" asked Naoto
"In fact, I do." Lelouch replied, "The reason you chose to trust me, is it because you're also Britannian?"
"That's… partially the reason. Everything I said to you, about the hate in your eyes, was real."
"I see…"
"Now, I have one last question, and… it's about my sister once again."
"Is it about that topic?" the Prince asked ominously
"Yes… now that I know you've been in contact with her for more than a month, how does she act? Does she seem, alright?"
An image of the red head's face stopping just inches before Lelouch's flashed by in his mind, reminding him of her actions inside the locker, nevertheless, he responded, "In order to answer that, I'd have to know how she acts normally. The Kallen I've been dealing with, is probably just a mask she puts on to hide her true identity as a Kozuki."
"That's probably true…" Naoto then slammed his fist against a nearby wall, "Damn it! This is because of me, isn't it!? It's because I wasn't there to protect her from that pretentious bitch! This is all my fault!"
"That's not something you know for certain," Lelouch responded, cutting through Naoto's anger, "If it's true that she's suffered some kind of traumatic event while being in that household, then you'll have to help her through it. Be her pillar of support, and show her that she's not alone. Of course, we'd have to first confirm she's indeed what you say she is."
"But I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Correct, but your sister gave an excellent response, after all, if I saw my sister in danger, I'd also throw my sense of morality to wind if it meant saving her. We have to make sure her outburst wasn't just a one time thing."
"How do we do that?"
"Simple. It's harder to maintain a mask in high-pressure situations, so we'll simply put Kallen through a few of those, and watch for any slips, or cracks in her fake-persona."
"Ok… that sounds good, we'll do that, so long as the situations aren't dangerous," the resistance leader then turned to Lelouch with a pleading look, "Also, I have… a favor to ask you… if it turns out my sister is a psychopath, will you help me support her?"
Lelouch thought about it for a second, and thought, "It would be a problem if this problem distracted him from my rebellion, so the best course of action here is…" he then responded, "Alright, I'll help you. And I expect you to do the same if my sister is ever in any trouble."
Naoto then outstretched his hand with a smile, "Deal!"
After a firm handshake, the duo began to make their way toward the Shinjuku ghetto, where they would meet the seller of a 'highly damaged' Glasgow.
AN: The Glasgow Lelouch and Naoto are going to get isn't the same one Kallen used at the beginning of R1. I'd say it's fair to assume judging by Jeremiah's comment, and the state of the Glasgow, that Ohgi or someone from his team recovered one that was damaged, and repaired it with poor replacement parts.