R2 Interlude 27: Forbidden City Ransom part 2: Duel of Top! The Soul Still Burns!
"Despicable curs! Know that you face the knight of Orange on this day!" I bellow, rifle rounds taking out two approaching Gun-Ru units charging straight ahead at me.
On any other day, I would gladly and wholeheartedly throw myself into the fray for my lord's ambition. Today of all days, my heart is conflicted and troubled. My...paramour, and merely saying those words is a stinging rebuke that I must make an honest woman of her and properly wed her soon, is likely going into labor sometime soon. And if it is today of all days, I cannot be there for her.
In truth, even Britannian medical science cannot predict when a woman's labor pains will begin. It would be foolish for me to deny my stout arm and courageous heart for my lord's use on the mere suspicion of Sayoko's impending trial.
Of course if I did venture to ask, I have little doubt Master Lelouch would have gladly excused me from this operation at least. There will be battles in the future that all of our forces must fight if able. This however, is not one of them. The Chinese Federation forces are in a word, anemic. The Gun-Ru is a pauper's imitation of a knightmare. Their supplies are inadequate. And their command structures are riddled with corruption.
Swiftly I duck behind a concrete pillar, peering out briefly only to return fire at the approaching cluster of frames.
Unfortunately, the Gun-Ru has one saving virtue to its name. It is absurdly cost effective. As such their quantity of forces is like a horde of ants. So even if the individual quality of my foes pales in comparison, by sheer weight of numbers do they become a deadly enemy.
"Orange, danger close strike incoming!"
A vicious smile stretches across my face at the words from David T. Dalton, my landspinners engaged in a fighting retreat, firing backward as I bob&weave between their shots. Overhead, the scream of missiles alerts the fools chasing me that their position is exposed, an alert that they have realized far far too late to evade.
Explosions rock across the concrete as yggdrasil drives ignite from the blasts of Sattel Waffen missile rounds.
"Hah! They never saw it coming! Nice dodging, metal man!" Bart L. Dalton crows as he speeds up to my position, factsphere engaged to scout for additional foes.
I could easily have chosen to avoid this fight. But in truth, I will not deny that I have a love of battle, as any red blooded Britannian would have. Even more importantly however, to avoid this fight when my lord has need of my skills would be a disgrace to me as his knight of honor. Something Sayoko fully understands. It is in her name, as well as Master Lelouch's that I fight this battle. And for my soon to be birthed first-born son. We shall create a better world for you, my child. I swear it upon my name of Jeremiah Gottwald, Knight of Orange!
Another Gloucester wearing the black embroidered cape of our army swings in via a landspinner, coming to a halt behind me, "No sign of resistance! I believe this base is clear, Sir Orange."
With Edgar's report, the six of us relax and stand down from battle readiness. With luck, our compatriots striking the other enemy outlying bases will be faring similarly and our true objective will be all but accomplished. Truly, this has been a glorious night for the Black Kni-!
My eyes close at the ear splitting sound of the emergency comm alert sending a coded signal directly to my knightmare.
"GOTTWALD! THIS IS GENERAL TOHDOH! DO YOU READ ME?!"
Instantly I engage the signal scrambler to reply, "This is Gottwald! We are just finishing up at Shatuo base! What is the emergency?!"
"Kewell Soresi is here!"
Kewell?! The shock of hearing my former friend and comrade's name stuns me into silence momentarily. The general continues to explain while I recover my bearings, "Soresi has been upgraded! Whatever cybernetics he has been outfitted with are at least comparable to your own if not superior! Zero and Iah'bahad are fighting a running retreat against him in close combat as we speak!"
Master Lelouch is in danger?! I must rush to his aid!
"Where are you now?! I'm on the way!" I yell, checking coordinates for how far away the palace is from my current position.
"We are almost back to the military train we arrived on! Soresi brought a strike team with him, we suspect they have geass! Our teams have taken heavy losses, but we have the Tianzi with us! Einstein-san's virus is useless against him because we have no way to deliver it in the heat of combat! Zero is holding his own barely, but Iah'bahad was wounded and cannot sustain the pace of combat required for much longer! Zero will surely be overwhelmed by himself! You are the only one who can match him, Gottwald!"
"Understood! I shall ride with the speed of the wind!" I declare, shutting off the comm and turning to the Glastons.
"Kewell Soresi is here in China! I must rush to Lord Zero's aid! Sir Alfred, I have need of your Air Glide system!"
A thousand curses that I did not bring one of my own! In seeking to come in under the cover of night and avoid anti-aircraft fire, I have endangered my master! Thank the gods that Alfred brought one to provide aerial overwatch coverage for us!
Alfred G. Dalton lands from overhead in a crouch, turning around to present the system to me, "Go ahead! But take a second to reload the energy filler, this thing eats power like a pig at a trough!"
Seconds tick away as the Glastons switch out my filler and connect the Air Glide to the back of my Akatsuki command unit, my teeth clenched together as my fists ball up around the controls.
"Ok, all green!"
With that declaration, my thumb hits the accelerator as I stare straight ahead, steeling my nerve and praying that I make it in time, "Jeremiah Gottwald, KNIGHT OF ORANGE, LAUNCH!"
Landscape and clouds float past me as if frozen, the hum of the Air Glide the only sound in the skies, integrated factsphere scanning for anything that can lead me to my master.
Hmm, what's that..the train! That's where they are! I'm on the way, Master Lelouch! Hold fast till I come to your aid!
"Tenka….FUBU!" I roar out as I bring my frame into a sharp dive, firing my mounted left hand weapon at the enemy units laying down suppressing fire on our forces, autocannons decimating what remains of their ranks.
Now to find my master-what the devil?!
My screen becomes scrambled as something strikes the factsphere directly, damaging my primary scanner and freezing my system momentarily.
"You won't escape me, Zero! I'll change that black suit of yours to red soon enough!" Soresi yells from the shoulder of my machine. The cunning rascal! He leapt up here while I was distracted with his cronies and destroyed my factsphere! Which means-!
"Master Zero! Where are you?!" I cry out, trying to reinitialize my frame's operating system.
A clash of blades comes over the audio to my left as the backup camera finally comes on…after some percussive maintenance.
Master Zero is holding up both his sword in a diagonal crossguard to parry Kewell's right blade as he sidesteps the left one, Sir Kozuki-Stadfelt bleeding from the mouth as he struggles to his feet, his right arm slashed and bruised. The whistle of the train blows as the gears of the engine whine and grind as they begin rotating, signaling their imminent departure.
Two of our men help pick up Sir Kozuki-Stadfelt, dragging him onto the train, looking unsure whether they can risk firing at the deadly assassin pressing upon my lord. Fortunately, I am under no such consideration!
"Hold still and die-argh!" Kewell hollers in pain as I bat him aside with the barrel of the gun mounted on my left arm, his metallic body crashing through a pillar. Success! That will surely hold him long enough for us to escape!
"My lord, is her majesty aboard?!"
Zero nods, taking a few deep breaths to recover, sitting down on the back on the train, "Thank Mara you got here when you did. I was worried about missing a block once Iah'bahad went down. Yes, she's on. The strike team you blew away took out most of our men, they had a damn geass user. It didn't require eye contact, unfortunately, so we got caught off guard."
Despicable villains! To use such cowardly methods against us! Praise the gods I arrived in time to subdue Kewell. Old friend that he was at one time, he nonetheless today was an implacable foe. My left eye optic focuses on the train beginning to pull away slowly, speed increasing bit by bit. Yes, truly fortune favors the bol-!
A sharp shearing sound claws into my ears as my frame topples over, one of the legs destroyed by a close range attack of some-NO! JEREMIAH, YOU FOOL! YOU'VE DROPPED YOUR GUARD AND PAID FOR IT!
"ZEEEEERROOO!" Kewell bellows, feet a blur as he leaps towards the train, blades outstretched for the killing blow, furious bloodlust visible in his single organic eye.
*BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTT!*
The sound of machine guns firing at full auto stops him in mid flight, the remaining members of our team, along with General Tohdoh and Iah'bahad, firing everything they have at the cyborg, forcing him backward as he raises his arm blades to defend against the crossfire.
"YOU THINK THIS WILL STOP ME, DEMON KING?! THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO THAT WILL PREVENT ME FROM CLEAVING THROUGH THAT UGLY MASK OF YOURS!"
"Orange, get on the train, your air glide is totalled! HURRY!" Zero desperately yells out, gesturing at me to sally forth to his side. Yes, your majesty!
The hail of bullets intersperses with the train whistle as we make our escape from the Forbidden City, precious cargo safely secured along with…what remains of the raiding party.
"..Thank you."
Heads turn to the soft voice of the young ruler of the Federation. Tis' shocking that despite her appearance, she is only two years younger than Lady Sumeragi. Mayhapt her albinism had effects upon her growth?
Zero lets out a shallow breath as he takes in a puff of smoke before replying, "I promised I'd keep you safe, I kept my word. My apologies for the traumatic nature of your rescue, we weren't expecting….that clusterfuck."
General Tohdoh's sharp eyes look around the train car before grimacing, "We lost three quarters of our raiding team personnel. Iah'bahad is sidelined for the foreseeable future. And VV will likely intensify operations against us. While we achieved the operational objective, it was not without cost."
Sniffles echo in the room, her slim shoulders shaking as she curls up into a ball, holding her legs close to her.
"F-f-forgive me. That y-y-you all risked so much for me…," she whispers, tears rolling down her cheeks at the cost in human life paid for her freedom this night. Despicable. Absolutely despicable, that those worms who called themselves her advisors put her through so much suffering.
With instinct born of years spent comforting Lady Nunnally when she was much younger, my hand reaches out, rubbing the top of her head gingerly, prompting her to look up in surprise.
"Your compassion shows the nobility of your heart, your majesty. While we mourn the loss of our men tonight, they all willingly chose to go on this mission because they believed in our cause. It is the duty of a knight to defend the helpless and if need be, give everything they have to protect those under their charge."
Seeing her cherubic face lit up with a wan smile that brightens the room gives me pause to wonder how the woman I love is faring tonight with my own future progeny. My Lady Sayoko, I pray that I shall be a good father to my own child when the time comes.
"Bartley, it's Zero. We have a problem. It's Kewell, he was at the palace."
General Bartley's response is unheard as Master Zero stands up, clearly taking a call through the inbuilt communicator suite in his mask, but given the irritated tone, it was likely not what my lord was hoping for.
"No, we couldn't stop him. He was shrugging off assault rifles and he took out an Akatsuki on foot with arm blades. We only barely managed to get on the train to escape."
Kewell Soresi is an implacable foe. The sheer determination in his eyes…we have not seen the last of him yet.
"Well figure something out then! Because you can be damn sure he'll be coming after me again and I'd like some options to take him intact!" Zero yells over the communicator line as he paces back and forth.
"Why? Because he's got something I need in that cyborg body of his, something that will be essential for later! So we can't just blow his trigger happy ass up, got it?!"
My head turns towards General Tohdoh in confusion, only to see him just as puzzled as I am at that statement. What could my master possibly require from Soresi after everything that has happened?
"My lord, why do you-" "Hang on, let me fill the group in," Zero says, tapping his mask to put the call on pause before turning to us.
"Kyoshiro, remember that weird light Soresi put out and how he commented that I wasn't using geass? That thing in his eye is a system that can shut geass down."
By the gods! A device like that would be invaluable to our efforts!
Tohdoh nods once before speaking, "This is how you intend to save my wayward student then?"
Brilliant! To use the weapon of the enemy to not only bolster our strengths, but to deprive them of Sir Kururugi's stolen person is-what the devil?!
Lenses whirl in my left cybernetic eye as I look out the window behind us, alerted by a sudden sound, and see something in the far distance fast approaching the train leaving dust and wind in its wake. It cannot be! I thought for sure we escaped cleanly!
But it is! There behind us and closing fast on the train, running on foot and slowly gaining ground, is Kewell Soresi!
"MY LORD, HE'S HERE! SORESI IS UPON US AGAIN!" I yell out, swiftly drawing my sword to prepare for battle.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Zero exclaims as he looks out the window, only to gasp in surprise at the confirmation of impending doom. "IS HE FUCKING RUNNING ON FOOT?!"
My own cybernetics are formidable, but even I am unsure if I could accomplish this feat. Regardless, we have no choice but to repel him, he cannot be allowed to endanger the Tianzi!
Zero taps his helmet, resuming his previous call, "Bartley! He's almost caught up to the train! Give me something, ANYTHING that will work on him!"
Instantly Zero stops gesticulating before hitting the wall with his fist in anger.
"That's IT?! Motherfucker! Fine, I'll do what I do best!" he yells before silencing the call and drawing his blades, cracking his neck as he breathes out slowly.
General Tohdoh raises his sword for a swift draw, only for Zero to shake his head in refusal, "No, don't bother. Iah'bahad was much faster than you on foot and even he couldn't keep up with Soresi. It's got to be Orange and I. Anyone else is just meat for the slaughter. Just get the wounded and the Tianzi further up the train."
Sir Kozuki narrows his eyes at the orders, "Not to belabor the point sir, but do you have a plan? You saw what happened when you and I tag teamed him. Nothing we had even scratched him."
Damnation. I had heard they were outmatched, but to think it was to that degree….
"I'm working on it. Pass me your blind eye grenades, you have a few left, right?"
Reaching into his combat vest with one arm, the other holding his wounded side, Sir Kozuki feels around for a moment before pulling out a roll of cylinders each roughly the size of a man's fist.
"I've got four left at this point, you sure that's all you want?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. It is a reasonable question truthfully. Perhaps there are additional armaments we might avail ourselves of-
Zero shakes his head, putting the roll around his waist and tying it on, "No, this is enough. Anything we use against him has to work instantaneously, he's too fast for conventional traps. After that fight, I've got a good idea of his capabilities, and I can tell you one thing. In terms of skill, Jeremiah and I are both likely his superior in swordplay. If it weren't for his invulnerability and physical prowess, we could almost certainly take him out in a straight fight."
A grunt of annoyance issues from General Tohdoh's lips, "That may be so, but I reiterate my disagreement with this course of action. This is not a fight we need at this time. You, Zero, are letting your desperation to reclaim Suzaku cloud your judgment!"
….Though it pains me to say so..that may not be an incorrect assessment.
Sir Kozuki chimes in, "You know damn well everybody else would call you out on this plan, Zero, especially my sister. I know you miss the guy, hell we all do. But fighting a killer cyborg who we can't even hurt with any handheld weapons isn't the answer. We can do something to slow him down till we have backup, you can't save your boyfriend if you're dead!"
The arguments have the ring of truth, cold and brutal as it may be. My loyalty to my master precludes me from voicing my own concerns…and yet, did not Lady Cornelia and Lady Euphemia speak of being my master's friend as well as his knight? That my duty was not mere obeisance to him, but to protect him even from himself?
To be caught between loyalty to the man I consider as my master and my king, and the very real concern that his passion is leading him towards a dangerous course, such is the perilous course that a knight of honor must navigate! What should I do, what is the proper course I should take as a knight, no, as a man and his friend?!
The Tianzi flinches as Zero's eyes glow red beneath his mask, gravity cascading down upon us as he speaks.
"One word. Siegfried."
A deathly chill runs down my spine at that word, a grim reminder of how we ended up here, and why my master's body is in its current state. No doubt this feeling is mirrored in my compatriots given the expressions on their furrowed complexions.
"Yeah. Forgot about that one, huh? Because THAT is the alternative to fighting him here on foot. If he evades us here and now? Next time he won't come face to face. We'll be up against The Siegfried AGAIN. Last time I almost died fighting it, not to mention how it decimated our lines. If we can head that off, I'd say it's worth risking my neck here, right? It's inevitable that we'll come to blows with it in the future. Thus taking out the man who can best pilot it is guaranteed to save the lines of our men. So, any further objections?" Zero declares, crossing his arms across his chest, daring anyone to contradict him.
A moment of silence stretches for an indeterminate period, arguments and counter-arguments salvoing against each other in each man's mind. My mechanical eye gazes out the window, noting the approaching dust cloud.
"Comrades, Master Zero. We are out of time. Soresi will be upon us any moment now. If we are to stand against him here, then it behooves us to ensure those who would not be hostages or collateral damage to our duel should vacate this part of the train immediately," I solemnly announce, drawing my own sword, girding my loins for the fight ahead.
My master jerks his head to the right in a swift motion, "Go. Now. That's an order. Detach the rear cars if we can't hold him."
With a grunt of effort, Sir Kozuki struggles to his feet, hobbling to the door, General Tohdoh and the empress behind him.
The general's hawkish gaze looks backward for a moment, "I'll move all personnel as far up the train as possible. You'll have to hold out at least half an hour before Knightmare Frames can be diverted to your position."
Grim as the assessment might be, it's the wisest course. Though there is the possibility that Soresi will evade and regroup with his Knight Giga Fortress if we attempt to corner him…no, my master's safety is paramount. All other concerns are secondary.
"Understood. Just get the empress to safety. Good luck, Kyoshiro," Zero replies, saluting with a fist across his chest.
Mechanical clicks echo as the reinforced door seals behind us, preventing access to the next car, a distant sound of metal striking rocks informing our duo that Soresi is nearly here.
My head turns to look down at my master as he breathes out slowly, "What is the plan…Lelouch?"
Chuckling as he looks up at me, "About time you used my name, Jeremiah. Took you long enough. Well then, the plan is-"
*CLANG!*
Suddenly our conversation is interrupted by a heavy metallic clang, and sinister chuckling as Soresi struts into the train, cracking his knuckles, a smile promising only death on his lips.
"Now then Zero, where were we?" he hisses out, before turning to see me and blinking in surprise.
"Jeremiah? What are you doing here?" he utters in shock, a betrayed look on the non-mechanical side of his face as he faces me head on. The confusion in his expression is likely a mirror of my own at the moment-yee gods, of course! He had no idea I was a Black Knight up until this point!
Nodding solemnly to him, "I apologize for the deception, Kewell. In truth, I have been a Black Knight, nay, Zero's knight of honor, since after that night he first appeared to rescue Sir Kururugi. I am known as the Knight of Orange."
Kewell's jaw clenches, a rumbling growl emanating from his lips as he glares hatefully at me, fists clenching at his side.
"TRAITOR!"
The scream of rage precedes a explosion of motion from him as arm blades burst out from his sides, the right blade slashing towards my torso horizontally, a blow I manage to parry with my scabbard in a vertical guard before kicking him back long enough to draw my broadsword as Lord Zero draws his own steel. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the room is largely unencumbered with enough room for us to swing our blades, albeit with limited ability to dodge.
"I'LL GUT YOUR CRAVEN HEART FROM YOUR CHEST AND QUARTER YOUR METALLIC LIMBS AS YOU WATCH ME TAKE YOUR VILE LIEGE'S HEAD!" he shrieks at me, stabbing forward with his left blade, right blade swinging diagonally upward to parry Zero's own slashes.
Gah! I tumble backwards from a kick directed at my midsection, giving Soresi a moment to turn his blades against my master in a double blade thrust. Fortunately, Lord Zero sidesteps the clearly telegraphed attack and counters with an elbow to the head.
"Ow! Fuck that hurt!" Zero yells out as he hops back, which gives me the opportunity to attempt a low slash at his leg, aiming to cut the muscles there, or at least give him a glancing wound.
But no! Even that attack barely grazed him! The two of us move in opposite directions to avoid his spinning counterattack, my own person just as unaffected by the tip of his sword as he was by mine. To think such power is a tool of that devil VV, it boils the blood within my veins!
"Hahahahaha! So you're just as durable as I, Jeremiah? But your master is not so fortunate, it seems! Look!"
Glancing with my right eye forces my heart into my throat as it widens in fear. Master Lelouch unfortunately, did not escape the strike unscathed. For I note a line of blood staining the left shoulder of his costume, along with other small injuries...
"All I have to do is keep fighting and your previous liege will succumb to exhaustion or blood loss. AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME, ORANGE!" he snarls, the optic in his mask opening and darting between the two of us as he circles like a stalking hound, waiting for an opportunity to pounce.
Fist gripping my sword as I hold myself in a guard position, I whisper low enough that I doubt even Kewell's enhanced hearing can pick up anything, "My lord, he is not incorrect in his assessment. Against a foe who cannot be wounded by our blades, I fear your accumulated injuries will overcome even your vitality.."
Twirling his swords in both hands, Zero briefly looks outside to the right before turning back and pointing his left sword at the deadly assassin, "Don't be so cocky, Soresi. You don't have the nigh invincible Siegfried this time. And even with it, you couldn't finish me off."
"If thou desires to behead a king, then you best make sure your aim strike true. For if thou doth fail, thy own head is forfeit."
Scoffing in answer, Soresi cracks his neck, smiling sinisterly, "Bold words. I'll make sure to take your silver tongue along with your head, demon king. You're only delaying the inevitable."
Standing in front of my liege lord, my living and robotic eyes glare daggers at this cur, this man whom I once called friend. Our history together was long, but not even for a man whom I shared bonds with, would I ever betray my oath of loyalty to House vi Britannia..no. My oath of knighthood to my one true master.
"Of course I am."
What?
"Excuse me?" Kewell replies, raising his remaining red eyebrow, echoing my own confusion.
Zero's eyes glow as he taps the side of his mask a few times, "計画通り。" (Just as planned.)
Keikaku doori? That's..something plan? …plan! Of course my master would have devised a stratagem to turn the tables!
"Speak Britannian, you worthless cur, I'd rather not sully my ears with that foul sounding gibberish the Elevens call a language!" Soresi yells out as he charges forward, riposting my vertical strike at his neck with a deflection from his left blade, his swords moving into position for a combination strike! NO!
Zero strikes first with a right hand swing from the inside to parry the right blade, before twirling his sword down to block the diagonal strike aimed for his left leg, "I said, JUST AS PLANNED! KYOSHIRO, NOW!"
An explosion just outside rocks the car as the three of us lurch to the side, the compartment shaking from the blast. Are we under attack-no. There is no possible way the Chinese could have rallied or located us. And I doubt Kewell has reinforcements following us. Which means-!
My head sways backward, narrowly avoiding a wild slash from my cyborg counterpart's left arm blade, Master Zero pressing the opportunity to trip him with a leg sweep before rolling backwards.
*BANG! BANG! BANG!*
Heavy Rifle rounds. Three shots striking something metallic just up ahead of us. Before I can speak, the car suddenly turns sharply to the left, throwing us against the seats as Kewell digs his blades into the floor to hold himself in place.
"More of your tricks and tactics, Zero?!" Kewell barks out, the train car accelerating rapidly as the path inclines downward at a sharp angle-the train! We've been separated! I can see it continuing on the high road, while we plummet down a side track!
Chuckling to himself, Lord Zero boasts in a confident and reassured tone as he warily gets to his feet, holding onto a wall fixture to steady himself as the train shakes from the force of gravity exerting itself, "That blast was General Tohdoh blasting the couplings. The shots were the rail switch being hit. You're not getting anywhere near the rest of my men. It's just you, me, and Jeremiah, Soresi!"
Kewell grinds his teeth, rearing back his arm as the train bounces on the rails, before slamming his right blade into the wall and using that to pull himself to his feet.
"You damned lunatic! Just as crazy as the last time we met, but this time I'll make sure to finish the job!"
His left blade points at me threateningly, the razor sharp tip gleaming in the flickering lights of the room, "And as for you, you're not only a traitor to Britannia, but to our ideals as Purists! Tearing you limb from limb is the least you deserve, ORANGE!"
With a grunt of effort, he plunges his blades into the floor, using them as climbing spikes to slowly make his way closer and closer to our side of the train. Damn, damn, damn! I myself am using my sword impaled in one of the fixed seats to hold my own position, meaning I cannot fend him off right now!
"My lord, we're descending too quickly! We have to get off this train before it derails!"
The black mask of my master looks back and forth between the windows, muttering something under his breath that sounds like calculations, fingers twitching in nervous excitement. I can feel the angle starting to change, once Soresi is no longer fighting gravity, the fight shall be on once more-!
"オレンジ！私の信号の右側から飛び出して！" (ORANGE! JUMP OUT THE RIGHT SIDE ON MY SIGNAL!) Zero yells, forcing me to put my attention back on our current predicament.
"YES YOUR MAJESTY!" my baritone voice rings out as I brace myself with a foot against the seat in preparation of the car leveling off. I only caught half of that, but it was something about jumping to the right after he does something, so it should be fine!
Lights flicker as the train sharply levels off, finally returning back to a horizontal angle, Soresi yanking his blades out as he leaps into the air at us, swords slashing forward to sunder us in twain!
"いまな！" (Now!) Zero yells out as he tries to engage the emergency release on one of the windows before kicking at it, the glass cracking under his feet, but not shattering. Curses, it's bulletproof! Picking up a chair, I hurl it at Soresi's blades, the wood splintering as he slices through it. But it delays him long enough for me to aid my master with a boot of my own, finally smashing the window open!
Kewell's metallic feet stomp as he rears back for another strike, murder in his organic eye, "NOT THIS TIME, BASTARD!"
Only for Zero to pull an object from his cloak and hurl it right at hi-a grenade! And the detonator has already been activated! Two. Quickly, I pick him up under my arm as I ram my shoulder through the remnants of glass populating the window's shattered frame, all while the object, which I now note to be a blind-eye grenade, is hurtling in mid air towards Soresi! On-! Before the last second of the weapon's timer elapses, Soresi's weapon has already cleaved it in twain! Blast it all!
Rather than the expected explosion, there is a cloud of shimmering smoke that engulfs him, causing a scream of outrage as he swings wildly, our bodies hanging in mid-air momentarily as I hug my lord to me, shielding him with my own far more durable and enhanced body, before we suddenly and abruptly hit the ground, rolling on the concrete.
All while the train car hurtles down the remaining track…before suddenly and violently striking a damaged and twisted piece of railing, metal shrieking as the wheels shear&tear from the momentum, thus derailing itself and flying through the air briefly, Soresi tumbling within as he shrieks in impotent fury, skidding along the ground casting sparks every which way before it crashes into a bullet riddled building with a thunderous sound like a gong ripping in half, masonry collapsing onto of it, burying the conveyance beneath the rubble.
Dust wells up like a cloud, hanging in mid-air as we both catch our breath from the harrowing escape we just had.
His mask looks up at me, red eyes glowing, "Orange, that was superb. Well done, my knight."
Pride blooms in my heart at the earnest praise, secure in the knowledge that I have done my duty and safeguarded his person from-
"But that's not gonna stop him and we both know it."
Thus my good humor evaporates like the morning dew. Such is the life of a knight of honor. Servos whirl as I get my bearings, glancing around at our new location..which looks rather inhospitable.
"One of the bases we hit on our raids earlier this evening, I presume?" I inquire, looking at the grisly remains of destroyed Gun-ru units, shattered buildings, and dead soldiers littered around us.
Zero sheathes his blades, nodding, "This one is just outside Xi'an. It was one of the first we hit due to its importance and early warning system. Come on, we need to find a better place to make our stand. We're too exposed here in the open." A sensible suggestion. But that does beg an unfortunate question.
"Begging your pardon my lord, but given everything we have thrown at Soresi up to this point..how precisely do we intend to stop him?" my baritone voice echoes through the concrete ruins of the building our path has led to, as we leap to and fro across the various ledges and outcroppings that knightmare rifles and explosive shells have left exposed.
A single finger is held up indicating that a moment of pause is required. Somewhere nearby I can hear something..!
Gods be damned, he's on the move already! Can nothing stop that man in his tracks?!
"ZEEEEEEEERRRRRROOOO!"
Concrete shatters somewhere below us as metallic boots strike against pavement, sharpened blades tearing through obstacles. I'd estimate that we're currently on the fifth floor, around..fifty-sixty feet from the ground. And given how agile we are..
"It'll take him a minute or less to get up here. We haven't much time. Orange! ATTEN-SHUN!" Zero pronounces, looking around the room slowly, before picking something up off the ground as I snap to parade rest.
Zero nods in my direction before looking down after taking one last glance around the room, his hands busy with something as he talks, "I have an idea. It's risky, and I suspect various people will want to skin me for it if it works. But we've run out of options. See that wall over there on the left?"
Inclining my head in that direction, I note what appears to be cheaply done plaster repairs amidst obvious structural damage to the side of the building.
"The plan is for us to corner Kewell near that wall, at which point, I'll use all of these," he says as he pulls out the remaining three blind eye grenades, this time tied together with industrial tape in a bundle.
"At point blank range. With a manual detonation to ensure he doesn't cut them in half like he did the last one."
Utter lunacy! There is no way that this is the best option! "Master Lelouch, be reasonable! You are barely holding your own against him fighting defensively, and that was before all the injuries you've taken and your exhaustion! If you try to clash blades with him, Kewell will surely overwhelm you! I should be the one to-!"
"It cannot be you! Don't you understand?! You're a cyborg as well, the minute these detonate at point blank, you'll be too disoriented to push him through the wall! It has to be me, he'll never expect it! Not to mention I'm definitely not strong enough to knock him off his feet!" he shouts, pointing his finger at me, visible breath coming out of his mask filter along with sounds of heavy breathing.
…May a thousand curses fall upon my head if I fail now. My lord is right, this is the only way. If we falter here, I fear master Lelouch won't have the stamina to attempt a backup plan.
"I understand, Master Zero. I shall not fail you, your majesty," I solemnly proclaim, saluting with my arm across my chest, as he draws his blades, glancing around the room before turning towards the sound of our approaching doom as it ascends towards us.
"You never have, Jeremiah. Get ready!"
The door leading to the stairwell shatters into kindling as Kewell barrels through it, his arm blades extending, ready to finish what he started on the train.
"NO MORE RUNNING, COWARD! NO MORE HIDING, TRAITOR! PREPARE FOR YOUR DESCENT BACK TO HELL!" he bellows, right blade held low, cutting a line through the floor as he arches it upward, attempting to split my master in twain, a blow I only barely deflect at the cost of being stabbed through the torso by his left blade! Gah!
As if such a thing can stop Jeremiah Gottwald, KNIGHT OF ORANGE!
Rearing back my head, I slam it forward against his right temple, grimacing in pain from the impact of metal striking metal. Though thankfully, it seems it stunned him a moment as well. Opportunity knocketh but once! "My lord, with me!"
Master Zero's boot and mine lash out, both catching Soresi in the chest and pushing him back, his right blade pulling itself out of my abdomen from the force of our blows. Damn! Not yet, he's not in position! Soresi spits out a glob of blood as his eyes dart between us, likely trying to see how to split us apart.
"You want me, Soresi?! Here I am! TENKA FUBU!" Zero clamors out as he runs straight at the killer cyborg, a malevolent glee lighting up his face at this turn of events. Under any other circumstance, I'd be leaping right into the fray. But now, at this moment, this crucial painful moment! It takes every bit of loyalty and discipline within my heart not to move.
"Finally! DIE, DEMON KING!" Soresi exclaims as his right blade cuts downward in a helm splitting slash, the left poised to follow up with a thrust to the heart. Lord Zero repostes with a left horizontal block at the helm splitter, but rather than deflect the thrust? He throws his right sword at Soresi's face, a blow which is deflected with pitiful ease. But whose purpose was not to strike true, but to conceal another action.
"Pathetic!" "Checkmate da!" the two men exclaim at the same time, Soresi's face frozen in triumph and then shock as Zero hits the detonator for his jury rigged explosives, the grenades floating in mid air after Zero threw them at his opponent, right after he tossed his sword away.
Clouds of smoke and electronic jamming magnetic filaments erupt from the explosion, Kewell visibly disoriented from the blast. Much as I might have feared otherwise, master Zero's own electronics appear to be unaffected! Which means-!
"ORANGE, NOW!" he screams out, shoulder charging the taller man on one side as I rush over and join him in tackling our nigh-indefatigable enemy through the wall, my own systems glitching and blinding me from the blind eye grenade smoke as Soresi shrieks in frustration and outrage.
Our bodies plummet to the ground, flailing helplessly in mid air, Master Zero trying to use his remaining sword to stop his fall and failing to gain purchase. Fear not my master, I shall not let you come to harm!
With a grunt of effort that sets my gums bleeding from how hard my teeth clench and an unintelligible yell, my arms take hold of Lord Zero, tossing him through a window that had up to this point miraculously remained intact, thereby diverting his momentum from the fall. His safety secured, I brace for impact and the inevitable sudden stop at the end of this fall.
Argh! Once again, I am grateful for my enhanced body, for I would surely have perished were I only flesh and blood from that-
"GYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Blood curdles in my veins as a horrific soul crushing shriek echoes from right next to me. As I slowly turn around, bile rises in my throat.
Soresi too survived the fall, but his landing was far less fortunate than mine. While I had the dubious honor of hitting and breaking through a few ledges of concrete? He on the other hand, fell and was impaled upon numerous shafts of rebar, blood and metallic fluids leaking onto the remains of the concrete pillar that they were part of. Were he not a cyborg as well, I am certain he'd have been torn in half or ripped apart completely in a shower of gore.
"Gah…argh…YARRRRRGGGGHHH!" my former comrade screams out as he tries and fails to free himself from the rebar, unable to muster the strength to cut the bars holding him up, or lift himself off them.
Gods be damned..though he was our enemy and bound to kill us, still did I not wish for such a thing to befall him.
A short time later, a clearly exhausted Zero makes his way down the stairs, stopping briefly to catch his breath at the bottom, hands on his knees. A minute or so later, my lord makes his way over to me and kneels to look me in the eye, "You ok?"
Spitting out a bit of blood as my hand brushes a wayward lock of hair back into position, I nod, "This has not been a good day by any means, Master Zero. But thankfully, I believe I shall live to fight another day."
"Good to hear. Let's finish this, shall we?"
Saying that, he walks over to Soresi, looking at him face to face, the New Zealander having given up trying to escape his position and breathing heavily.
"Heh..heh…so this is it then. After all that suffering, all that misery, chasing you halfway around the world…I end up dying in a god forsaken hole in the Chinese Federation. Tche. My failure is complete…" the man ruefully notes, a bloody rictus grin on his face.
"I…have..but one question. And….one…final request, Zero. Would…you hear…a dying man's…words?"
Silently, my master nods in acceptance.
"Show…me…your face…I must…know. Who…was I…trying to…kill? And who…has beaten…me," he rasps out, blood dripping from his lips as he turns his head to the side, to see Zero as he slowly removes the mask on his face, my lord's pale features standing in stark contrast to the darkness around our trio.
Wind blows as my lord's cape twists with the breeze, "My name, is Lelouch vi Britannia. Son of Emperor Charles zi Britannia and Empress Marianne vi Britannia, once called "The Flash" and former Knight of Two."
Hissing and hideous sounds echo from Kewell's throat. The sound of a man laughing at a joke that is not funny in the least.
"Ha…hah….hah..ha. So…our ideal…it was…worthless to..begin with. A…half French…half Britannian…stands ready…to bring the empire…to it's…knees. And..haha…VV. Gods be damned…this is…this is all..a blood feud. To think that…I tried…to kill…Jeremiah..over this.."
The rasping sound of his laugh echoes through the ruins, blood and oil dripping onto the ground. And I? I dare not speak a word in this solemn moment.
"Lelouch vi Britannia..no. Zero. I…have…but one request. Not as…a soldier…but…as a man."
His left hand retracts the arm blade, reaching out to my lord as..tears..yes tears..fall down his face.
"S…save her. Save my sister…Marika Soresi. She…she is one of…the Valkyrie Squadron…VV promised…"
…Despicable vulture. To use a man's own family as hostage to ensure his compliance in vengeful schemes. You shall suffer for this treachery, Vincent Victor zi Britannia!
"Tell…tell her. Tell her…I'm sorry…for failing her…and for…disgracing our family…and Britannia…" he gasps out, breathing ragged, his energy clearly fading from his wounds.
Time passes. A moment, a minute, longer? I cannot say, only that in this time and place, it feels as though the world has frozen, having heard at last why Kewell Soresi fought so hard.
My lord's eyes glow soft red as he draws his remaining sword, holding it in a salute with two hands, an indescribable feeling surrounding us as he softly speaks, the words carrying a solemn and imposing weight.
"I shall not speak these words. Your sister shall hear that you died serving your country as a soldier and though you made mistakes in your life, your heart was courageous, and you died as a true son of Britannia."
And then to my surprise, master Lelouch begins singing a familiar and unexpected song..
"Truth and hope in our fatherland. And death to every foe."
Knowing the words by heart, even if I have no cause to sing them with any feeling in many years, I join my voice to his, "Our soldiers shall not pause to rest, we vow our loyalty."
Raising a shaking blood soaked hand to his brow with what appears to be immense effort, Kewell Soresi, my former..and perhaps regained friend at this final hour, contributes to the chorus, "Old...traditions they will...abide. Arise...young heroes."
For one moment, one shining moment, we are not foes opposing each other on a far flung field. We are not men of disparate ages and origins. We are simply, knights, and Britannians. Paying respect and homage to our shared valor and nobility.
"Our past inspires noble deeds, All Hail Britannia!"
As the last syllable of our national anthem leaves his lips, Kewell Soresi, Purist, knight, warrior, brother, and long forgotten friend..passes away, a wan smile on his face as his hand falls to his side.
My eyes blink at the feeling of tears running down my face. Strange, that a man who sought to do such harm, could inspire such feelings even now.
Lelouch slowly sits down, taking out his cigarette case, lighting up a joint and taking a deep pull, his face downcast and exhausted.
Minutes pass before I make a motion towards him, his head looking up at me at the sound of my moving.
"I'm sorry about your friend, Jeremiah."
Teal tresses shake as I move my head to indicate a negative, "Kewell Soresi made his choices. They were poor ones, but I shall not shame him at this moment. What you did honored him at his end, and I thank you for it."
A heavy sigh escapes his lips at that statement, "Jeremiah, what I'm about to tell you is something the command staff only learned recently. And I myself learned it from CC…and from Kallen."
What? What strange tale is there to tell now? Surely it cannot be that impor-
"My mother lives, in a fashion. Marianne vi Britannia yet walks this earth."
In an instant my world turns upside down. And I suddenly find I cannot stand, and thus am forced to sit as my lord takes another puff of his medication before continuing.
"CC gave her a geass. One that let her transfer her consciousness to another living person. Anya Alstreim was the sole witness not accounted for, the night of her 'death.' "
By the gods! It is impossible, inconceivable, outlandish! ….It must be the truth. For in these deranged and unprecedented times…what else could it be? And my master has never once lied to..oh.
He turns to me, his face melancholy and tired, "I understand if you're angry at me for not telling you. Or for manipulating you using your loyalty to her as a proxy to secure your services for myself. I'm not a good person by any means, Jeremiah Gottwald. But you should know that my mother is part of my father's ambition. It is her raison d'etre, as CC would put it. She cares not for the suffering Nunnally and I have endured, or any of the misery Britannia has inflicted in the name of Ragnarok. And I intend to make her answer for what she's done. Along with killing my father."
Though patricide and matricide are foul things, they are sadly not uncommon in our homeland's culture. But to think that after all this time, that my lady yet lived…and that this monstrous design was her goal..
"If you desire to leave my service, I shall release you from your oath of allegiance to me. I won't like it, but to bind the honor of a man as loyal and forthright as you is a dishonor to both myself, and to you," he softly intones, tapping ash out onto the ground. While I, I sit in silent contemplation of a world gone mad.
To serve my lady once more, to correct my greatest failure, to have not failed my oath that I swore in those bygone days…a dream I once thought unthinkable now stands before me.
And I need do, is forsake the man whom I serve now, whom I sacrificed my body, my honor, and all future in Britannia for…
"So what is it to be, Knight of Orange? What say you now, having seen the craven duplicity of your master laid bare?"
Though it be but a moment in the eyes of the gods, it feels like a hundred years pass before I commit to my answer. When all is said and done, in the end, there can be but one answer.
Concrete cracks as I plant my sword blade first into the ground, falling into the knight's pose, head bowed in shame, wet and bitter tears running down my face.
"Forgive me, my lord, my king. Forgive your weak hearted and unworthy servant!"
The joint falls from his lips as he blinks, expression clearly nonplussed.
"What."
"I swore my oath to you in lieu of your mother, it is true. But to think that my lady's true nature was so divergent from the face she showed to the world! Meanwhile you, Master Lelouch! You have been nothing but the very emblem of honor and heroism itself! Even now, knowing that it would be a dire handicap to your campaign, you offer to honorably release me from my service to you, because your honor will not stand for anything less!"
Picking up the joint, he smiles sardonically as he snarks, "That, and I figured telling you about this was better than you finding out later and having a crisis of honor at an inconvenient time. Or just stabbing me in the back on my mother's orders because I lied to you. Bitter experience has taught me honesty is the best policy, even when it might seem stupid or suicidal to do so."
Egad. That..that is not an impossible scenario, merely an unlikely one. Were my master of a different character and temperament, one that was more vile&craven, perhaps I might indeed turn my back on him in the event of discovering such a deception.
However, such is not the case.
"That you confided this to me, despite the risks, that you fought and risked yourself for my sake and others throughout this war, and that you chose here and now to speak of this, when you are your most vulnerable and exhausted from this battle, that my lord?"
Pulling my sword out with one hand, I flip the weapon around, presenting the hilt to him, as a brilliant smile illuminates my face, "That my lord, is why I am so humbled that a man so great as you, choose one who disgraced himself by even considering abandoning you for your mother just now, even if only for a moment! You Master Lelouch, are a man worthy to claim the crown of the world itself! My heart swells with pride at the loyalty YOU have shown me this night!"
Truly my master is the most magnanimous and glorious of men! Unyielding in his convictions, and unwavering in his devotions!
Barking out a laugh, he shrugs, reaching down to retrieve his joint, and takes another puff before responding, "Gods be damned. Every time I try to tell people how despicable and devilish I am, somebody fires back with a response I can't figure out how to rebut."
In his defense, he is not incorrect that this sort of thing has happened before. Though it is the first time I find myself in this position, Lady CC has complained bitterly at times about Master Lelouch's quote, 'mountain sized guilt complex and stupid self-hatred', unquote.
"Fine, fuck it. I'm gonna get chewed out, put on the rack, skinned alive, and worse by the time this is over by everybody. So I might as well have a damn good reason for it. Let's go."
Go? Are we not finished with tonight's business?
"My lord? Was there something we left undone?"
His violet eyes flash blood red as he holds his mask up, an expression of utter malevolence on his features before he looks down at me, his voice a growl of boiling fury as his fingers twitch in suppressed violence.
"Not quite. More that I realized that we need to settle an old score while the iron is hot. Uncle Vincent sent his pet assassin after me. And once he realizes Soresi has fallen? He's going to run. I'm not giving him the chance. This is long, long overdue."
Taking a deep breath, the red fades from his eyes as he puts the mask back on, "So my apologies to Sayoko, but we need to hurry to the Gobi desert. We'll get a skeleton crew together, CC, a few squads, and…some insurance. The rest of the group will be needed to secure the Federation, but we need to move NOW before he gets spooked."
Not the ending to this night I was hoping for, but under the circumstances, I believe seeing my son or daughter will have to wait.
"Much as I am sure Lady Sayoko will be aggrieved at this breach of custom, I believe she will understand the circumstances. Though I would hope you will be able to recover your strength by the time we arrive."
Zero cracks his neck and lets out a snort, "A few hours sleep on the way after a brief patchup, and some amphetamines to wake up when we get there is as much as I can expect. Come on, this isn't over yet."
Indeed it is not. But I would be remiss in my duty if that look I saw just now, that all consuming darkness in your eyes..did not worry me…
つつく。。 (To be continued…)