Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Toaru Kagaku no Railgun/Toaru Majutsu no Index
The Trinity of Tokiwadai
Chapter Fifty One: Rise of the Black Knights
Beta:
"We're all here Konori-sempai," Namikaze said with a grin gesturing to the entire gang sitting scattered all over the break area of the 177th Judgement Branch, even Kurozuma-san was present though since Konori-sempai had called the meeting maybe that wasn't so strange. "So what's this about?"
"It's about a new Skillout group calling themselves the Black Knights." Konori-sempai explained, as she finished serving everyone a round of refreshments by handing Kurozuma-san a glass of Musashino Milk.
She called us all together to talk about a Skillout gang? Mikoto thought as she couldn't help but blink in confusion. Why? Surely they can't be much of a threat.
"Uh, why?" Namikaze was kind enough to say, voicing their apparent shared confusion. "They're just yet another of the seemingly endless Skillout gangs. What makes them so special?"
"I'll take this one Mii," Kurozuma-san said, stepping forward and putting his already empty glass of milk aside. "Since I was the person who investigated them, or more accurately got a guided tour of their base by their leader, it's better that I do the explaining."
Konori-sempai nodded and offered her boyfriend a smile.
The former Skillout smirked in reply before launching into his explanation.
"Well, there's three things that make them special. One, they seem to have amassed quite an arsenal. The average gang might have the one high tech gizmo or two but these have a whole load of them. They honestly remind me of a budget Maniple."
"Okay, that's a little worrying." Mikoto had to concede as she thought of the sheer amount of firepower she knew the paramilitary organization allied to Saten had at its disposal. If these Black Knights had enough weaponry for Kurozuma-san, who worked extensively with Maniple, to make the comparison then these Skillouts must really be well armed indeed.
"Yeah, and it's not just in terms of their weapons either. They also remind me of Maniple in terms of their discipline. They certainly aren't the run of the mill gang of thugs you typically find among Skillouts."
"So they're a new paramilitary Dark Side group," Namikaze said with a shrug. "That's only a little more dangerous than a Skillout gang. Certainly not enough to call us in."
"I would think it is," Kuroko said with a sigh.
Mikoto nodded in agreement but Namikaze just rolled her eyes.
"Please~! They are dime a dozen and sprout up like weeds." The veteran Dark Sider said dismissively.
"Maybe," Kurozuma-san allowed. "But what really sets these guys apart is their goal."
"And what's that?" Mikoto asked, curious despite herself. Surely, they were just like every other Dark Side group she'd ever encountered and were just amoral or immoral bastards.
"They want to impose some order and morality on the Dark Side." Kurozuma-san said, with a grim frown.
"Really?" Mikoto couldn't help but ask, only to get a nod in reply. "Then isn't that a good thing?"
A bark of laughter from Namikaze turned her gaze to the blonde, her face clearly looking unimpressed. "Please, they'd have better luck making the sun rise from the West. I don't see how that's even important."
"It's important Namikaze-san, because we're worried that the Black Knights will use their arsenal to start a shadow war in the Dark Side to enforce their will." Konori-sempai cut in. "A war that will very likely cause collateral damage, possibly even civilian lives."
"Yeah," Kurozuma-san said in agreement. "Considering how fanatically devoted those guys seemed to be when it came to their leader, if he told them to do that, they'll do it without hesitation. Civilian casualties be damned."
"Okay, that might be a problem." Namikaze finally conceded.
"That's an understatement," Kuroko snapped at their schoolmate before turning to look at her Judgement superior with a frown. "Konori-sempai, if you're worried that might be the case then why didn't you raise the issues with the higher ups?"
"I did," the high schooler said with a frustrated sigh. "But they just brushed my concerns aside so I'm turning to the one group of power brokers I'm sure will take me seriously."
Namikaze seemed to preen at being called a power broker, causing Mikoto to roll her eyes at her prideful kohai. Speaking of kohai though, there was one member of their gang that met that description that was being strangely quiet.
"Saten, any opinion on all this?" Mikoto asked the Number 3 who was seated next to Uiharu and was looking down at a tablet in her hands with a thousand yard stare.
"Sorry, I was distracted helping Uiharu research these Black Knights and their leader, Zero." The [AIM Sovereign] said as she looked up. "And yes, I do find this group worthy of some concern."
"You two have been researching him while we chatted?" Namikaze asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yup," Uiharu cheerfully agreed as she looked up from her own tablet. "Here's what we found!"
At that she turned her device towards them, showing off a picture of a lanky, almost scrawny looking, man in a flamboyant costume complete with a spiky black and indigo full face helmet.
"That's their leader, Zero." Uiharu declared with a grin.
"He's trying too hard." Namikaze-san said with a laugh. "Seriously! Is he cosplaying as a Tokusatsu hero or something?"
"Maybe he is raging against the system because he didn't get the role in whatever Tokusatsu he had auditioned for." Kuroko said with a chuckle.
"Or maybe he's really plain looking and is embarrassed by it so now he's overcompensating?" Mikoto suggested.
"There have been Dark Siders motivated by sillier reasons." Saten said with a shrug.
"You girls are in ruthless form today, eh jou-chans?" Kurozuma-san said with a chuckle.
"However Zero looks under that costume, he's good." Saten said, cutting their joking short. "Not only has he built a formidable organisation in a short amount of time. He's done so without attracting much attention."
"Until now," Namikaze noted nodding towards Konori-sempai.
Saten nodded in agreement.
"What should we do, Konori-sempai?" Kuroko asked the high schooler.
"We'll need to ascertain the Black Knights' intentions. So I would like you to interview them. As Level 5s, you have the clout to get their attention."
"Or we could just smash them and be done with it," Namikaze suggested dismissively. "The last thing we need is people spilling blood for a hopeless dream. Especially innocent blood."
Mikoto had to suppress a shudder at the way Namikaze so easily suggested just murdering these Black Knights. It reminded her of the monster that her kohai kept hidden under the cheerful mask she usually wore and which she'd only recently had an uncomfortably close glimpse at.
She keeps that monster chained though. And since she does, I've got to think that she doesn't want it getting out. So… I've gotta do my part to help her do that.
"W-Why don't we try Konori-sempai's way first," Mikoto suggested, stuttering just slightly as she shook off the lingering fear her recollection brought to mind. "And just ask nicely?"
"I agree," Saten said with a smirk directed at Namikaze. "We can smash them afterwards if that proves necessary."
"Two to one, Namikaze-san." Kuroko noted with a chuckle. "It's a majority vote of the Trinity. Looks like you've lost."
"Boo, how boring." Namikaze pouted with crossed arms. "Didn't know we were a democracy. But yeah, let's do it your way Konori-sempai."
"Thank you, Namikaze-san." The high schooler said with a pleased grin. "I appreciate you letting me try out a diplomatic option first."
"Yeah, yeah." The blonde said with a pout. "Let's just hope it works."
Mikoto exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. It seemed her kohai wasn't quite the murder happy monster she thought she was after all.
It was late at night and Alice Fennette found herself hired on to provide some Esper support for some paramilitaries as they attacked a Dark Side outfit's base as part of some dispute between rival higher ups in the City.
Just another day on the City's Dark Side. The middle schooler thought to herself with a tired frown as she watched the breaching charge they placed on the base's front doors blow them open. And we pawns end up risking our lives to settle whatever petty scores the damnable higher ups have with each other.
She put her thoughts on hold as she peeked out from behind the cover of the armored vehicle they'd arrived in to inspect their newly opened entryway when suddenly a burst of flames shot out of it.
"Pyrokinetic!" Alice cried out to the paramilitaries that she was working with today as she ducked back behind cover. "I'll handle them. Advance while I take care of them."
"Yes mam!" The commander of the paramilitaries said with a nod.
Nodding back, Alice waited for the flames to recede before bravely stepping out from cover.
"Hey fire boy! You want to fight? Let's fight!" She shouted tauntingly even as she activated her Esper ability, the Speed, and sent whatever she could flying in the direction of the redhead young man dressed up like a punk rocker that was standing in the blasted open doorway.
Sent flying by her unique Level 4 variant of the Synchrotron Esper ability that allowed her to manipulate gravitons and through it gravity, she was able to manipulate the gravitational pull of objects within 10 meters of her and thus the many pieces of junk she had sent flying were as deadly as bullets.
"You'll have to do better than that!" The pyrokinetic shouted as a blast shield shot out of the ground in front of him and protected him from her barrage. "Burn!"
With that overdramatic declaration, the redhead unleashed a wave of flame surging towards her.
Shit! Alice cursed as she broke into a run and burning through one of her 'charges' she reduced the effect of gravity on her body to allow her a boost to her speed and agility, pushing her well beyond the levels of an Olympic athlete.
This allowed her to run around the edge of the fire wave and leap over the pyrokinetic's protective shield.
Damn! With the power he's giving off and its relative heat… he's Level 3. At best. Alice thought as she forced her breathing into a normal pattern as she pushed through the strain using one of her 'charges' put on her body.
Admittedly, she felt somewhat sorry for the boy. A Level 4 with an Esper ability with high combat applicability against a novice -in her opinion- Level 3? It was such terrible odds. Sadly, it was his own fault for being in this situation in the first place.
"Stay back!" The redhead shouted, his eyes wide in alarm as he created another fire wave and sent it at Alice.
It seems he has some tactical awareness at least. Alice thought as she dodged out of the way of the anemic attack. It seemed that in his panic, the pyrokinetic's technique was suffering. Though he needs to work on keeping his cool when under pressure.
Behind her, she could hear the paramilitaries leaping over the blast shield like she had earlier and streaming into the base. The thing was only a little over a normal person's height, what was it supposed to stop? A dwarf?
Guess someone was cutting corners.
The arrival of the paramilitaries seemed to shake the pyrokinetic out of his freak out and he moved to send his flames at her temporary comrades.
"Yeah, no." Alice said as she drew her pistol from the holster she'd strapped to her thigh under her skirt and using her ability, sent a bullet whose power was gravitationally enhanced flying at the boy. With its speed enhanced by the reduced effect of gravity as it shot out of the gunbarrel and its weight increased as it hit its target, its destructiveness was at least doubled.
"Argh!" The boy cried out as he collapsed, clutching at the massive wound as the bullet caused his shoulder to explode.
"Stay down." Alice said as she moved to stand over him, leveling her gun at his head. "Or I'll put you down. Permanently."
"D-Damn you!" The boy hissed as he sent a lance of fire at Alice.
Burning another 'charge' and putting even more strain on her body, Alice dodged out of the way of the fire that had been en route to charbroil her.
"Screw this." Alice sneered and aimed her gun before pulling the trigger without hesitation.
"Bang." She spat under her breath as the super charged shot fired from her gun with an ear bleeding bark of the muzzle and the boy's head exploded like a melon.
Before she could move further into the base to support the paramilitaries she was working with, beams from powerful spotlights suddenly shot their way, blinding them.
"What the hell?" Alice shouted, pointing her gun in the direction of the lights but holding fire. For now. She didn't want to shoot blind and risk killing someone she didn't want to die after all. The talking to she'd get from her agent if she did that would be insane!
"All of you cease fighting and surrender!" A voice that was clearly distorted by a vocal modulator said as a group of figures stepped in front of the lights.
They were all dressed in black uniforms and were wearing visors that hid their faces, but more importantly were armed with what Alice's returning vision identified as the City's latest high tech guns, plasma carbines.
Science! Who are these people!? Those things cost more than I make on a job! Where the hell did they get enough to equip so many of them!?
"Who the hell are you people?" One of Alice's temporary allies, apparently their commander had detached one of his squads to watch her back, said, giving voice to their shared surprise.
With an over the top gesture that sent his black and gold cape flying dramatically the apparent leader, a man in a sleek bodysuit that held elements of a Victorian aesthetic, the aforementioned cape, and a spiky black and indigo mask that completely hid his face addressed them.
"I am Zero of the Black Knights!" He declared grandiosely. "And in the name of justice I demand you stop fighting and surrender!"
"Yeah right! Eat this, you cosplay reject!" One of the Alice's temporary teammates said and raised his gun at the self-proclaimed Zero.
He managed to get out a short burst from his automatic rifle but it was casually blocked by a Black Knight with a riot shield that had stepped in front of his leader. In return for his defiance, the man earned himself a plasma bolt to the knee that sent him crashing to the ground.
Everyone but Alice had put their hands up in surrender after that. She however was far too busy staring at Zero in shock, her body shivering as one thought raced through her mind.
Lelouch, is that you?
At the same time as the Alice was making her acquaintance with the Black Knights, Shirley Fennete, a tall teenager with long orange hair tied into a tight bun and hidden behind a cap whose attached visor also hid her yellowish green eyes from view and dressed in a military style uniform completed with a miniskirt, was leading a seperate Black Knights assault against another Dark Side outfit halfway across the City.
Looking at the unremarkable factory that housed her target for the night, the second in command of the Black Knights could only frown in disapproval.
Seriously? Where's the armed guards? Or lookouts at least? She thought, spotting none of either. There's a limit to trusting the abilities of surveillance equipment you know!
Then again, I shouldn't complain too much. She mused as she looked up at the roof of the building where a team of her men were working on the building's ventilation system. Our whole plan is about exploiting the enemy's weaknesses to our advantage after all.
Something that she knew would allow them to accomplish their goals for the night easily enough despite the lack of many powerful Espers in their ranks at least in comparison to their opposition. She knew their other operation for the night for example would take advantage of another outfit's attack on their target. In her case, they had covertly pumped knock out gas, a cocktail formulated by the late Andrew Schnitter, through the enemy base's ventilation system to render their targets unconscious whilst their men went in protected inside environmentally sealed Powered Suits.
"Ma'am, the gas has been in the system for ten minutes now. That should be enough time to incapacitate any opposition. Permission to go in?" The leader of the insertion team asked over the radio.
"Affirmative, you have a go." Shirley replied confidently, emulating as best as possible the casual charisma of their organization's leader.
"Affirmative, we're going in."
Watching as the man and his team entered into the building in their bulky Powered Suits, Shirley couldn't help but reflect on the origins of said pieces of armor.
Buying those scrapped Powered Suits left over from the Silent Party Incident was worth it, even if repairing and repurposing them was a pain and cost us a pretty penny. They are really proving their worth now. Shirley thought with a grin. Besides it feels good to have the damned things which hurt Nunnally prove themselves useful for a change. There is a poetic irony to it.
Shaking her head of such unnecessary thoughts, Shirley turned to her adjutant.
"Alright, the team is in." She told the older man, a former special forces officer that they'd managed to lure out of retirement. "Now all we can do is wait."
"Waiting is always the hardest part," the old soldier told her with a grin.
"Does it ever get easier?" Shirley asked conversationally as she bit her lower lip in worry for her men. Whilst she was sure they were fine, a part of her worried they might run into something unexpected.
"Never," the old man said with a chuckle. "But you start getting used to it after awhile. It's the burden of command."
Shirley just nodded and they lapsed into a tense silence as they awaited news from the insertion team. Ten thankfully uneventful minutes after they entered the targets' base, the team inside finally radioed back with a much awaited message.
"Targets eliminated," the leader of the breach team reported with clear grim satisfaction. "No casualties thanks to the gas. I have some of my men carrying the prisoners out now."
Most of them would probably be out of the Reformatory fairly quickly thanks to their backers among the City's authorities. As such, Black Knights policy was to execute any truly dangerous individuals but thankfully there were none of those involved in this particular operation. As necessary as that was, since they didn't have the resources to keep such prisoners, Shirley couldn't help but find it distasteful.
"Understood. We'll tie them up nicely for Anti-Skill to pick up later." Shirley replied, sharing the man's satisfaction. "The goods?"
"We've rounded up all the drugs we've found in one place and just await your order to set it alight."
Shirley smiled. With the destruction of this drug production operation, the supply of Body Crystal and other dangerous drugs like that accursed psychotropic drug Refrain that had been gaining popularity lately would take a huge hit.
"Burn it all and get out of there. Oh, and good job."
"Thank you, ma'am. We'll be out in a minute."
"We'll be waiting." Shirley said, the satisfied smile still on her face.
The day after their meeting about the Black Knights, the Trinity along with Konori-sempai, Shirai-san and Uiharu's combat robots, were taking a leisurely drive to the aforementioned outfit's base in the van/mobile arsenal that Ruiko's allies in Maniple had provided them.
"Jouchans, are you sure it's a good idea to go visit them armed to the teeth like this?" Wataru-san asked from the driver seat. "Aren't we trying to be diplomatic?"
"Better to be over prepared than to be caught off guard." Naru replied with a shrug.
"I understand where you're coming from Sempai," Konori-sempai added. "But I agree with Namikaze-san. Plus this van is really the only one that can carry Uiharu-chan's combat robots."
"Don't remind me," Ruiko's classmate said with a pout. "All my vans are still being refurbished to include space for them. Ruiko! Why did you get her such big robots?"
"Because they can carry more powerful weapons," Ruiko said with a grin, thoroughly amused by her friend's childishness. "Don't feel too bad though, Maniple is having trouble securing more vans that can transport them too."
"More stuff?" Mikoto-sempai said with an exasperated shake of her head. "It seems like the array of gadgets at our disposal just keeps growing."
"You just noticed this now, Onee-sama?" Shirai-san asked wryly.
"No, just saying is all."
"Well, I like it." Uiharu chimed in via the speakers of one of her robots. "It's thanks to it that I can finally really join in when you guys get into a fight."
"I'm not sure it's something to be happy about," Konori-sempai said with a sigh.
"I'm happy anyways," Uiharu countered whilst making her robot shrug, quite a feat to be honest considering its limited range of mobility.
"Okay, it's time to wind up ladies." Wataru-san announced from up front. "We're here."
"And it looks like we've got a welcoming party." Mikoto-sempai noted as she looked out the front windscreen.
Standing in front of the warehouse that served as their base was Zero and a cadre of his Black Knights. A cohort that included, to Ruiko's slight surprise a very unhappy looking Alice Fennette.
She's not a Black Knight. What is she doing here?
Mikoto looked around the surprisingly well appointed conference room inside the Black Knights' base that Zero had invited them to have tea in and couldn't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. Sure, their dealings with these guys were pretty damned good so far. Too good. Things never went so smoothly on the Dark Side.
That wouldn't stop her from hoping otherwise though and doing her part to try to make sure things didn't go pear shaped.
"So Zero," Mikoto said, trying and barely succeeding in stopping herself from snickering at the guy's choice of pretentious moniker. "Mind telling us why you're doing what you're doing?"
"Certainly," the man said with a sophisticated air that put even the most upper crust girls at Tokiwadai to shame. There was just an aura of, dare she say it, majesty around this Zero that Mikoto had never seen from anyone else before. "I am driven by a desire to create a kinder, gentler world for my little sister and other innocents like her."
"That's a pretty good reason," Saten admitted whilst looking in the direction of her house.
She's probably thinking of Febrie, Janie and Last Order. Mikoto concluded. Of all of us here, she's the one who can best empathize with a motive like that.
"Hey Zero, I have a question!" Namikaze said with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Ask away, Namikaze-sama." Zero said with a chuckle.
"Where do you get your capes?" The Number 2 asked, pointing at the masked man's enormous cape that encircled his head.
Mikoto couldn't help it. She facepalmed at her kohai's childishness.
"Namikaze! Stop being an idiot and be serious!"
"But Sempai," the blonde said with a cheeky grin. "I am being serious."
Zero burst into a laugh at this and most of the room joined him.
"To answer your question Namikaze-sama," Zero said as they calmed down. "They are tailored inhouse. Same with my men's uniforms. One of them is a very capable tailor and has trained a number of the others to help him out."
"That's pretty self-sufficient of you." Naru said with a whistle of appreciation.
"That self-sufficiency won't save you if you rock the boat too much and the other Dark Side outfits feel the need to eliminate you." Saten cut in to warn after glancing at a wall mounted clock.
Her words killed all levity and the mood in the room took a serious tone once more.
Why is she being a killjoy all of a sudden? Does it have something to do with the time? If so, why?
"I know that, Saten-sama," Zero reassured them, unfazed by the sudden change in mood. "That is why I pick our targets very carefully. I limit them to groups whose ire we can handle."
At least he has enough sense to do that. Mikoto thought as the room lapsed into silence to process that statement.
"I've got no more questions." Mikoto said after a moment. "Anyone else?"
"Zero," Konori-sempai said with a nod to Mikoto. "What would you have done to Sempai when you caught him if he wasn't representing a group as powerful as the Trinity or if he had come with hostile intent instead of just on reconnaissance?"
"I wouldn't have done anything differently." Zero replied with a shrug. "I understand when someone is just following orders. So sending that person back after detaining them so there is a chance of a dialogue with the real decision makers is just the smart thing to do. Though I admit that if Kurozuma-san had been here with hostile intent, I would have at least roughed him up a little."
"Can't fault you for that." Naru said with a nod. "I'd at least give anyone meaning me or my friends harm at least a black eye."
Everyone nodded or murmured in agreement at that.
Saten who was sitting next to Namikaze nudged the blonde and they exchanged a look before both of them nodded. They then turned as one to give Mikoto a questioning look.
She nodded back.
Like I would have issues with this guy if you two didn't. She thought with a roll of her eyes even as she gave voice to their conclusion.
"Zero, the Trinity are convinced that you and your Black Knights aren't a threat."
"I can't speak for all of Judgement," Konori-sempai said before Zero could respond. "But I at least agree with the Trinity."
"That is indeed good to hear." Zero said, sounding pleased.
"Yes, it is." Saten said as she stood.
That's hasty of her. Is she in a rush or something?
"And since that's settled, let's go ho-"
Before the Number 3 could finish her sentence, an alarm sounded.
Whilst Lelouch was meeting with the Trinity and their lackeys, Alice found herself in the open area that had been converted into a lounge area just underneath the floating pod which contained the conference room. Glaring up at it intently, she paced around aimlessly, worried that he was alone with those monsters
"Alice, stop being so worried. Lelouch has everything under control." Her cousin and sister in all but name, Shirley Fennete chided from where she was relaxing on a sofa.
Shirley was dressed in the stylish uniform that Lelouch had equipped the Black Knights with. The skirted version, Alice noted, that showed off her impressive legs. Something Alice was sure was very deliberate seeing as since the woman was Lelouch's second in command she surely had a say in the uniform's design.
"How can you not be worried Shirley!" Alice hissed. "You know how dangerous the Trinity is. As Lelouch's wife shouldn't you be more worried about his safety?"
"Yes, I know." Alice's older cousin told her while shooting her a stern look. "But I also know that he can handle himself. He would never put himself in a position where he is in undue danger. That is not how the man I love operates."
Alice couldn't help but blush at the very open way that Shirley expressed her love for her beloved.
If only I had her courage.
Something of her thoughts must've shown on her face because Shirley's face transformed as it adopted a kind and understanding look.
"You should tell Nunnally how you feel."
"Eek!" Alice squeaked in alarm, cheeks blazing in a blush. "H-How?"
"You are more obvious than you think you are." Shirley told her with a shrug. "Nunnally too for that matter. Lelouch and I have both known for a while."
"N-Nunnally t-too?"
Did Shirley mean what I thought she did.
Unfortunately before Alice could question the matter any further the alarms signalling an attack suddenly went off and ignoring Shirley's call to wait she jumped to help defend the Black Knights' base by what appeared to be, if the shouted comments among the men she passed were to be believed, a sizable coalition of small time Dark Side groups.
Shirley Fennette watched her younger cousin run off at the first sound of the alarm and could only groan in frustration.
"Something the matter?" Lelouch asked as he walked over to her from the lift that led up to the conference room.
"Alice just ran off." Shirley told him.
"Ah," her husband said, sounding exasperated but unsurprised. "She always did have an unfortunate tendency to run headlong into danger."
Shirley could only sigh in exasperated agreement.
"Whatever are we going to do with that girl?"
"We will figure something out," Lelouch said squeezing her shoulder comfortingly.
"You two aren't really putting much effort into hiding who you are, are you?" The Level 4 Teleporter that was Misaka Mikoto's loyal roommate said with a sigh. "She's not even hiding her face with a visor like the rest of your men do."
"Should we?" Lelouch asked with a grin that they could all hear in his voice. "I am sure that even with our best attempts, we would not be able to hide them from a determined effort by Saten-sama. Especially not with help from such capable detectives as you, Shirai-san, and Uiharu-san."
The Teleporter puffed up in pride at the praise and Shirley had to fight hard not to laugh at her.
"Uh, no offense but why are you two just standing here? You guys aren't worried about the attack?" Misaka Mikoto asked, looking confused.
"No, this is in fact all part of Zero's plan." Shirley said with a shrug as she used her Hydro Hand to summon a tendril of water out of the sink in the lounge area's little kitchenette and used it to smack the invisible attacker that had just managed to sneak it, knocking him into unconsciousness and disabling the light manipulating ability he was using to keep hidden.
"You sensed the water in his body?" Saten Ruiko asked with a raised eyebrow.
Shirley just nodded. It was at the upper limit for what a Level 3 like her could do but still within the scope of her abilities.
"If he got in here," Lelouch said, sounding just a little worried. "Then the situation out front must be more chaotic than I expected."
"Or he got lucky." Namikaze Naru said with a shrug.
"Either way, it seems we must take this situation more seriously." Lelouch declared.
"Finally! Some sense!" Misaka Mikoto said with a grin.
"You want us to help you fend off this attack don't you?" The high school aged Judgement agent said, looking annoyed.
"That was not initially our plan, but if you're offering…" Shirley said, offering the Trinity and their allies a smile.
"Goading your enemies into attacking you in a prepared position by antagonizing them and now using us to buff up your capabilities, you truly are a sly one aren't you Zero-san?" Saten Ruiko observed with narrowed eyes.
"I try," Lelouch said with an exaggerated bow. "So will you guys help?"
The Trinity and their allies exchanged looks before they all finally nodded.
"Sure," Namikaze Naru said with a grin. "There's a new technique I've been meaning to try anyways."
That sounded somewhat ominous.
As Alice reached the fighting at the front of the base, she was almost immediately pinned down behind the cover of some sturdy metal crates by a hail of gunfire being shot her way from who she recognized as a team of the cyborg assassins from the misleadingly named Giarraputo Social Welfare Agency
They were led by a bespectacled teenage girl with fair skin and long, straight, blue-black hair, dressed in combat fatigues and armed with a MP5 variant.
Her squadmates consisted of a young girl with fair skin, short, light brown hair and bangs in a very feminine dress and equipped with a P90. And a third girl about middle in age to the other girls with tanned skin, long blond hair that she wore in two high pigtails, dressed in an outfit that consisted of grey pants, a waistcoat, a tan-coloured tie, and who was carrying a Winchester M1897 Trench Gun.
Wonderful, these blasted girls! Alice grimaced. She hated fighting these girls, not only did their cybernetic enhancements make them tough to fight, but mainly because fighting them always made her feel like a heel for hurting someone who already had been dealt a bad hand in life. Seeing as the whole reason they'd been turned into cyborgs in the first place was due to them having been through some really nasty stuff.
"Must we fight?" Alice shouted at the cyborgs as she hid behind some cover and used her power to send random junk flying back at them in reply to their constant suppressive fire.
"You know how this works Fennette-san," the leader of the Giarraputo girls shouted back. "So long as we're paid, we need to fight."
"This sucks!" Alice said under her breath. She really hated fighting the Giarraputo girls.
But if anything happened to Lelouch, Nunnally would be inconsolable and that was absolutely unacceptable.
Damn you Lelouch! How can you risk yourself like this, you moron! Alice screamed in her mind.
Suddenly, the ground around the enemy started to bubble, rapidly turning into lava. The enemy began to scream and Alice turned to its probable source and saw Lelouch, Shirley, and the Trinity crew standing some distance back and with Namikaze preening, dusting off her hands.
Holy shit! They can do stuff like that!?
"You really shouldn't let yourself be so easily distracted, Fennette-san." The twintailed Giarraputo girl with the shotgun said as she vaulted over Alice's cover and leveled her gun at her. The legs of her pants were scorched. Even the false skin of her prosthetic legs were burned and flaking off, revealing the cybernetics underneath.
Damnit! I forgot that the Giarraputo girls can withstand extreme environments!
"You really shouldn't," Saten-sama agreed as she appeared behind the Giarraputo girl and tapped her on the shoulder. "As for you Triela-san, you better stand down."
Triela froze but didn't lower her gun.
"Oh? Why?" The tanned girl asked defiantly.
"Otherwise Zero-san might be forced to blow your sisters' brains out." Saten-sama said with a nod towards the direction where the other Giarraputo girls must've been.
Looking over, Alice saw the other two cyborgs being held at gunpoint by squads of Black Knights equipped, she was surprised to see, with no less the City's latest railgun rifles. Weapons that Alice was sure were more than powerful enough to pierce the girls' armored bodies.
"Claes! Henrietta!" Triela-san cried out in alarm, dropping her shotgun immediately and causing Alice to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Sup." Namikaze-san said as she teleported in suddenly.
Looking at the monster that had won the fight in a single move, one thought passed through Alice's mind: The devil truly was blonde.
In the wake of their victory, Naru couldn't help but gloat at having essentially won them the day.
"Like my lava field technique? That's what I've been experimenting with recently. Territory sculpting is pretty tough, but hell if it isn't rewarding!"
"That's great, but can you cut it off!" Sempai whined like the whiner she was. "Not all of us are heat resistant!"
"Uh? Oops." Naru sheepishly answered and cooled the lava.
"Thank you Naru-chan," Rui-chan said with a sigh. "Keeping up all those cyro bubbles to make sure our allies didn't burn up was getting tiring."
"You were doing that?" Naru asked, her eyes wide. "I didn't even notice!"
"Yes, I did." Rui-chan nodded. "Your new technique needs more work."
"I'll take that into account next time. I promise. Hm, maybe we can work on it together?"
"I don't know."
"I'll pick up those brownies you like. The ones with the fudge."
"Oh! The ones you import from Tokyo? Can I have some too?" Sempai said with a grin. "Those were great! If I can have some, I'll help with your technique too!"
"Hm, fine~ But you have to pull your weight during the power pow-wow! Maybe we can add something to do with magnetism to it too?"
"I'm not sure how that would work," Rui-chan said with a chuckle. "But we can try I suppose."
"We don't know until we scientifically try!"
"Perhaps you could do that somewhere else though," Zero said as he walked over with that Alice girl as his shadow. "Seeing as I'm sure your experimentation is liable to level my base and I do rather like it as is."
"Duh~!" Naru said with a roll of her eyes. "Of course we'll do it somewhere else. We're not stupid."
"I did not imply you were," Zero said with his hands raised in surrender.
"No, you were just implying that we should leave." Rui-chan said with a sigh. "And I suppose we have overstayed our welcome. Naru-chan, Sempai, let's go."
Without even waiting for them Rui-chan walked off towards where Wataru-san was just pulling their van into the base and the others in their group were gathering.
"What's her problem?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naru glanced at her watch and winced.
"She's almost late for her date with Accel." Naru explained. "If she doesn't get home in like ten minutes, she'll barely have time to get ready."
Sempai glanced at her phone and frowned.
"Isn't her date like in two hours?" Her clueless Sempai noted.
"Yeah, but a girl's gotta get ready ya know." Naru told her with a roll of her eyes. "As expected of my clueless lonely heart Sempai."
"Hey!" Sempai said indignantly.
Ignoring the sparking Electromaster, Naru turned towards their hosts.
"See ya, Helmet Hair!" Naru cheerfully waved as she skipped after her bestie.
"Peace!" Sempai said quickly before stalking after Naru and scolding her for calling her lonely.
Naru just smirked in reply. After all, Sempai's protests were just proving her point weren't they.
So in lieu of listening, the blonde began thinking about what to do on her next date with Shu-chan.
Maybe a trip to the shooting range? The Number 2 thought. We haven't spent time blowing stuff up in a while.
A day after the fracas with the Black Knights, Mikoto had decided to go to a public pool to do some laps. Her Mama had apparently taken up swimming lately and had been recommending Mikoto do the same and after persistent badgering in multiple emails and calls, she was finally relenting. She wasn't about to make use of the Tokiwadai pools though. They might be exclusive in regards to the public but the attention from her Tokiwadai fellows was worse. She could just imagine the hell Shokuhou's clique would spin spotting her in the pool into.
As she walked into the complex's changing room though, she ran into someone unexpected. Standing in front of a mirror was a familiar orangette dressed in a sporty one piece that showed off her fantastic figure, leaving Mikoto slightly jealous, and tying her long hair into a bun.
Isn't that Zero's second in command? Mikoto blinked as the recognition set in. Better check.
"Hello," Mikoto greeted in a whisper as she walked over to the older girl.
The orangette glanced at her but without much of any other reaction continued, "Hello, Misaka-sama."
"You're the Black Knights' second in command, aren't you?" Mikoto asked, whilst looking around to make sure no one was close enough to eavesdrop.
"That's me." The older girl said as she finished tying her bun and picked up a swim cap that she left hanging on a hook next to the mirror. "Shirley Fennette at your service."
Mikoto quirked an eyebrow at the easy admittance.
"Why are you surprised, Misaka-sama?" The orangette said with a quirked brow of her own. "Didn't Zero tell you that we weren't hiding our identities from the Trinity? Though I do hope that you won't go spreading them around."
"Yeah, I know how to be discreet." Mikoto said with a sigh. "That's why I am whispering."
"Why thank you." The older girl smiled pleasantly as she slipped on her swimcap. Tucking in a few loose strands and giving a brief nod when she was satisfied, the ginger headed out of the changing room with graceful steps.
"Nice to meet you again, Misaka-sama." The older girl said over her shoulder. "See you in the pool."
Mikoto just nodded with a frown.
Watching her go, Mikoto couldn't help the spike of envy at the figure the older girl had. Not to even mention her more substantial bust!
Why can't I grow up faster?
Some time and a good dozen laps of her own later, Mikoto stood along with a crowd of the pool's other patrons at the edge of the complex's Olympic pool as they applauded Shirley as the orangette finished her laps. The older girl was fast. Like Olympic athlete fast!
Climbing out of the pool, Fenette-san offered the still cheering onlookers an exaggerated bow.
Probably picked that up from Zero. Mikoto thought as she went forward to offer the older girl one of the complex's complimentary towels.
"That was amazing, Fenette-san!" Mikoto said as she walked up to the incredible swimmer. "You were so fast! You should apply to join the Olympic team."
"Can't unfortunately," Fenette-san replied with a laugh as she accepted the offered towel. "Esper swimmers aren't allowed to compete in the Olympics just yet. Unlike a few other sports, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and FINA (Fédération internationale de natation/International Swimming Federation) haven't figured out the terms they can do so fairly."
Mikoto frowned at the news. "I'm guessing they're afraid of Esper swimmers who would use their powers to cheat?"
Fenette-san nodded as she dabbed at her face with the towel a little.
"That's a shame." Mikoto said with a pout. "If you could compete, you'd have a real shot at being an Olympic champion."
"It's alright," Fenette-san replied with a shrug. "I'm quite happy living in obscurity and swimming in my own time."
Gesturing to the poolside showers, the orangette continued. "Did you want to talk to me about something besides my swimming?"
Mikoto thought about it for a moment before she followed after the older girl.
"I did," Mikoto confirmed. "What's your relationship with that person?"
"Saten-sama hasn't told you?" Fenette-san said, surprised.
"I didn't ask," Mikoto confessed.
"I see," the orangette said as she put her towel aside before stepping under a shower and pressed the button, releasing a jet of water from the shower head to cascade over her body as she pulled off her swim cap and let her hair free.
Feeling a little awkward just standing there, Mikoto followed the other girl's lead and used one of the free showers to wash herself too.
When they were both done, Fenette-san guided Mikoto towards a jacuzzi.
"Soaking in one for a while after a swim feels great." The seasoned swimmer advised as they both sunk into the hot tub and let the warmed water and the tub's jets relax their muscles. "As for your question, Lelouch is my husband."
"H-Husband!? How old are you? How can you be married?" Mikoto cried out in surprise.
"We're both seventeen and yes, that's below the legal age here in the City." Shirley explained. "But it's not in our home country, and we got married there. The City doesn't have full reciprocal recognition with our homeland though, so doesn't legally accept our marriage so we just tell most people we're engaged."
Mikoto just nodded. Married at seventeen!? That sounded insane to her! What was this? Some kind of Shojo manga?!
Fenette-san giggled into her hand, a knowing gleam in her eyes. "Yes, most look like that when we explain the truth. They also call us crazy for being married so young, yet… we knew what we wanted and took it! It's as simple as that~"
"Wow, that's just…" Mikoto trailed off, feeling a little impressed by that. "Well, I can only hope I can be that certain when I get older."
"I'm sure you will." Fenette-san assured with a kind smile. "You just need to find someone you think is worth the effort."
Briefly an image of a certain spiky haired boy flashed across her mind, but Mikoto quickly shook the image away, despite the warmth filling her cheeks.
"Ho? Thinking of someone already?" Fenette-san asked with a catty smile.
"W-What?! No, no way!" Mikoto rapidly shook her head.
"Alright, so is he taller than you or shorter?" Fenette-san asked, leaning in with all the power the urge to gossip could offer. "Come on, dish!"
Mikoto felt like a cornered mouse.
Later the same day of Mikoto-sempai's run-in with Fennett-san, Naru and Rui-chan were standing across the street from the Lamperouge house and hidden behind an illusion created by the latter. From under it, they watched as Shirley-san, Lelouch-san and Alice-san had tea with the boy's wheelchair-bound litter sister, Nunnally, on the front porch.
"Hm, so she was injured during the Silent Party Incident, huh? A stray bullet from one of STUDY's Powered Suits?"
"Yes." Rui-chan nodded with a puckered look to her. "That's apparently why Alice-san dislikes us. I believe she blames us for it."
"Irrational, but most people are. Hm, think she'd forgive us if we got Heaven's Canceler to treat her? I'm honestly surprised they hadn't done so already."
Rui-chan sullenly shook her head. "No, from their psych profiles in the Bank, they wouldn't accept such kindness. Besides, Nunnally-san is already getting the treatment she needs. It might not be as fast as Heaven Canceler, but the City's medical technology is entirely capable of curing the girl's injury."
As Alice-san helped Nunnally-san wipe at a spill, Naru hummed and tilted her head. "I wonder how close those two really are."
"Apparently Nunnally-san helped Alice-san through some tough times when her family was having money problems. Plus, they're both European nobility in the City, which is somewhat rare. Them being close isn't much of a surprise. Of course that's discounting the other connections their family have with each other."
Naru snorted in amusement.
"Really? That's the only reason?" She asked, watching the two aforementioned girls' hands brush against one another, before they pulled away with growing blushes on their faces.
Her bestie shrugged, "I never said that there wasn't more to their relationship."
"I wonder how that works? Aren't their brother and cousin engaged already?"
"Married actually," Saten corrects. "At least by the laws of their home country. The City government is unwilling to recognize it until they reach their majority though, so for legal purposes here they're considered only engaged."
"That just makes things worse doesn't it?"
Rui-chan shrugged again. That seemed to be the pattern for the day.
"Shirley-san and Alice-san are only cousins, even if they were raised like sisters." Saten pointed out. "So there's no issue. Besides, even if they were sisters, it might be awkward but marrying the sibling of one's brother-in-law is not illegal."
"Awkward is an understatement."
"It works for them, so what gives us the right to say otherwise?"
"I suppose you're right there."
Naru turned her attention to Lelouch-san and said, "He looks so ordinary. Hard to believe that lanky guy is Zero."
"I'm absolutely certain he is."
"Hey, I don't doubt you, Rui-chan. I'm just trying to wrap my head around some silver spoon guy having the guts to be the charismatic leader of the Black Knights."
"We all wear masks." Rui-chan informed, giving her a knowing gleam.
The mention of masks made Naru think back on her conversation with their Sempai after the LeBeau sting and she gave a curt nod of agreement.
"We've intruded enough, I think." Rui-chan declared and turned to walk away, her illusion still held up to cover their departure.
Naru followed, glancing back to give the family one last look.
A part of her felt wistful, her thoughts wondering. I wonder if I could ever have a family like that.
But don't you already do? Kurama chimed, sounding genuinely confused.
Now that you mention it… Naru thought in reply as she was reminded of the rest of the Trinity, Shutaura and all her other friends.
Smiling at the realisation that she did have family, she hurried to catch up with her bestie.
Once she did, she wrapped her arm around the taller girl's and said. "Let go do some shopping! I know this boutique we'd both love!"
"Maybe? I have the time." Rui-chan said as she tilted her head consideringly. "Does it have outfits that will wow Accel's pants off?"
"It's got some nice lacy stuff if you catch my drift~"
"Sold," Rui-chan said with a gleam in an eye. "Let's go pick out outfits that'll get us to third base!"
"Slow down, you pervert." Naru said with a giggle. "But yeah let's go shop for something sexy."
"Let's!" Rui-chan declared as they pulled off a tandem teleport and began their shopping trip.
Done and done! Thanks to Nameless as always!
And so we learn the intentions of the Black Knights! Or well, what Lulu wants to do with them. Naru has her doubts, but she's the most cynical of the Trinity and has been baptised in the black ichor of the Dark Side for a long, long time. And yes, she was playing with lava. There is no end to her experiments!
Nameless: Hope you liked our addition of Code Geass elements. And yes, Naru's experiments will never end. It's the burden of having an Esper ability with multiple applications.
We mixed up some of Lelouch and Shirley's background a bit, along with Alice's to better fit them into the story. It's not like nobles haven't been sent to Academy City before. Why not for refuge and such? Yes Shirley is a touch different, but that's more making her fit with the Black Knights and the Dark Side. Though she still has her gossipy self a bit when it comes to romance since she got her Prince Charming.
Nameless: Yeah we are very liberal with changes to the background of the imported Code Geass characters. Don't assume anything from Code Geass canon applies. They might be expies but their background is wholly our design so please don't make assumptions. For example, in this world Lelouch and Nunnally are not British. We left their home country ambiguous but they are of French descent, as the surname Lamperouge implies, but they're not French either. Think one of any number of European countries with French populations or one unique to the TOTverse with such. So yeah, they won't play a part in the British Royal Family Arc.
You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!