AN: Responses to reviews
Zero: I'm still debating about orange-kun. We know he would absolutely join Lelouch the moment he discovers the black prince, but we also know that he becomes one of the best KMF pilots in CG, on par with a rounds. (Granted this is after becoming a Cyborg but still)
Zero/Ghostly/Raventus Dracoria: It is indeed the Gracchus, my favorite knightmare aside from the Guren, Lancelot and Shinkiro.
Irontrooper8: That's just one of my limitations as a writer I'm afraid. I couldn't figure out an appropriate way for the Kozuki group to talk to Lelouch with his age in mind whilst still being able to get from point A to point B. So I rationalized that most of the group wouldn't care much because 1: They're britannian and brits aren't exactly a welcome sight at this time. 2: They're all on edge from being in a war zone. And 3: If Lelouch acts more mature for his age maybe they'll treat him like he's more mature. That's the best way I could rationalize my decision/incapability at the time.
RanVor: A mix of him having killed before and also just the fact that he ordered 5 people to kill themselves the moment he got his Geass in Shinjuku and his reaction was basically: "Huh, neat." And then he destroyed an entire mobile battalion and shot his brother in the face. I didn't think it would make sense for him to be broken up about shooting someone. But thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed my exploration of Kallen's first kill! In regards to Suzaku, I already have my plans for him. Needless to say you can put your fears to rest.
Dany le fou: A funny little idea I can maybe explore as a side plot, but I don't think Hina is the assassin type, she may learn a few tricks for self defense though.
ChunkyFunkyMunky: Same
Warlover1015: EXACTLY! Hundreds of years of loneliness, girl needs some loving.
Carla Nepster: I made a decision about that, see the A/N at the bottom after reading.
Raventus Dracoria: Don't worry, I have plans for the KotR
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
Kallen had been following Lelouch for a while now, he was being secretive. It was unusual for him to not tell her things, though maybe that was just her? Kallen liked to think at least that she knew what Lelouch was up to most of the time. She had gotten used to him opening up to her more and more, bit by bit, using her as a soundboard for ideas and taking what advice she could give. Granted most of what she had to say was usually something he admitted to already having considered but every once in a while she said something that surprised him, and that smile on his face that showed his gratitude was always worth the time she spent wracking her brain.
Their relationship had been progressing slowly. They both wanted to take their time with it, make sure of it. They may have both been horny teenagers but they where much more intelligent horny teenagers and knew better than to just rush straight into things.
Hand holding, hugs, cuddling and gentle kisses where the extent of things for now. But they spent a lot of time together.
For Lelouch, she was... special to him, special in a way he couldn't quite put to words, just like Nunnally.
Before- a long time ago when they where first starting out as friends he was able to, in a morbid way, quantify Kallen's value.
He couldn't now. When he tried to he came up with nothing. She was a part of his life now, she was on the same kind of untouchable pedestal that he had for Nunnally.
Naoto was close too- not as close, but the elder Kozuki sibling was absolutely near and dear to Lelouch as well at this point. He had become Lelouch's surrogate older brother, and while he certainly wasn't the type to look for another to dote on him, Naoto acting as a strong, protective and supportive older sibling had lifted an invisible weight off of him.
He was around the same level of value as Suzaku, maybe slightly lower, but that wasn't saying much considering Suzaku's position as Lelouch's very first friend and almost being a protective twin brother once they finally began to click. The Japanese boys in the markets stopped beating him up when Suzaku was around.
Lelouch turned to look at Kallen and offered a small smile, making her flush a little and smile back before finally reaching their destination. The pair had been trekking the streets of the Tokyo settlement for some time.
Kallen stopped alongside Lelouch and looked up at the sign above the establishment.
"Is this a club?"
"A high class one yes." Lelouch answered. "None of the drugs and rave music."
"You didn't have to bring me here for lunch-"
"I wanted to." The confidence in his voice and the love it contained was palpable, and it stopped Kallen in her tracks.
He raised a hand to gently lay on her soft red hair and pet her affectionately, causing her to relax.
"Well... if you're sure..." It still made her a bit uncomfortable. She knew Lelouch was probably the richest man in Japan aside from Clovis by this point so money was no object. But she always felt guilty when people spent money on her.
"I am." He insisted. "I'll let you treat me back however you want, but today, let me spoil you. You've helped me in more ways than you can possibly imagine. I... I would be a lot more lonely and much colder if I didn't have you around to keep me warm." He exposed while trying not to blush.
She answered by stepping a little closer, and hooking an arm around his. He was hitting his growth spurt now so the boy was beginning to grow taller, she had to start looking up at him now, but didn't mind it one bit.
Lelouch's smile stretched wide across his face, unable to contain the warmth he felt building up inside. He was too happy and honestly couldn't be bothered to put up the mask at that moment.
With that they walked inside. The place definitely looked nice. Dark purple carpets, dark oak chairs and tables with a black ceiling. It was an interesting combination of modern and rustic.
They were immediately seated and given menus, but just as Lelouch was about to get comfortable sitting across from Kallen, his eyes caught something in his peripheral vision. On instinct his eyes flicked over to see none other than Rivalz seated at a table across from someone who was very well dressed. A chess table was between them. His classmate looked nervous.
Lelouch frowned.
Why was Rivalz here? Why did he look nervous? Was his classmate in trouble?
Lelouch wasn't that open with the other members of the student council, but they had all been treating Nunnally very well, something he appreciated... perhaps if Rivalz was in trouble Lelouch could help him out?
Kallen saw the look of consternation on Lelouch's face, and followed his gaze, turning around to see the same sight Lelouch was focusing on.
"He looks like he's in a tough spot." She commented, coming to the same conclusion the prince had reached moments before.
"Shall we go see what the fuss is all about?" Lelouch inquired.
"Lets." Kallen agreed, and they both got up from their seats, walking over to get a closer look at the situation.
Something was made very clear, Rivalz was in deep shit based on the look on his face, and the sheer arrogance radiating off of his opponent could be seen a mile away.
Lelouch stared coldly at the man Rivalz was facing. Nicely dressed and groomed, but not just the usual amount of self care. His outfit was lavish, he wore many rings on his fingers all bedazzled in various gemstones and the sheer amount of smugness in his smirk made Lelouch want to punch him in the face.
'A nobleman.' Lelouch thought to himself, and forced the mask onto his face out of instinct.
He and Kallen both stopped at the table, and Rivalz noticed them, turning away from the board he was sweating over.
"Lelouch!?" Rivalz said in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm on a date." He said plainly, still gazing down at the chessboard before looking back at Rivalz. "Do you want our help?"
"Eh!?" First the renowned ice prince of Ashford admits he's dating and then he offers to help!?
The man across from Rivalz huffed. "What's wrong little pup? So incapable of loosing your own battles that you're calling in a substitute to fail for you?"
Rivalz' head whipped back around, baring his teeth at the noble. "Stop calling me that! My name is Rivalz Cardemonde!"
"Do I really need to know your name my dear waiter? You're the looser."
"I haven't lost yet!"
The Nobleman let out a mirthful huff of amusement. "From this position your options are limited and the clock is ticking. There's no point in delaying the inevitable."
'Damn...' Rivalz thought to himself. 'I underestimated this guy, I thought he was just some leisurely noblemen but now...'
"Rivalz." Lelouch's tone was cold, and it caught the attention of both Kallen and the 2 players at the table. "My offer stands, do you want help?"
"Uh..." Rivalz was sweating by this point. He had SO much money riding on this, and his dignity! But if it meant scoring that much cash, Rivalz would bite the bullet and swallow his pride.
The bluenette stood from his seat and gestured for it to be taken.
"Kallen, why don't you go ahead and have a seat. Don't get comfortable though, I'm sure this will be over shortly."
Kallen nodded, and took Rivalz's seat. She looked down at the board. Given the positioning of the pieces, she guessed she was playing black.
The Nobleman rolled his eyes.
"I really don't expect much from you either, but what do you say we make this more interesting? If you can turn this game around right now I'll crawl in circles on the floor 3 times barking like a dog. But when you loose, you'll do the same."
Kallen's gaze turned furious as she stared the man down. Lelouch however? His energy shifted. Sure, on the outside he remained impassive, his demeanor cold and apathetic.
On the inside, his hate swelled into a raging inferno.
She and Lelouch both immediately understood the wider implications of the suggested wager. The Nobleman was expecting her to debase herself.
He wanted Kallen to get down on her hands and knees and prostrate herself to him like a dog.
Like a bitch.
Lelouch wasn't having it. He wouldn't stand for this insult to the girl he loved.
At first he was willing to let the noble off with just the loss. Now he was going to destroy every ounce of confidence this man had and leave his pride as nothing more than ash and dust in the firestorm of humiliation he was about to unleash.
Lelouch briskly walked away to grab a napkin and pulled a pen out of Rivalz' vest breast pocket and began to silently write something down on it, before folding the napkin and placing it on the table.
"What's that?" The Nobleman asked.
"A prediction." Lelouch answered coldly, before raising a hand to place upon Kallen's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze that helped to calm her down from her enraged state.
She looked up at him, and he looked down at her, and simultaneously, they both nodded at one another.
They where so in-tune with each other in this moment that they knew what the other was thinking.
They both turned to look at the noble who seemed to be getting bored, but still looked smug.
"I accept your wager." Kallen answered coldly.
Rivalz gulped, walking over to the other side of the table. "Lelouch listen, if she looses I'll do it! I got myself into this an-"
Lelouch held up a hand, an air of authority radiating around him, it was enough to silence Rivalz mid-sentence.
The Nobleman laughed. "Well, come on girl, the clock is still going, tick-toc, 6 minutes remain."
Kallen looked down at the board. There was something this Nobleman wasn't counting on.
The fact that Lelouch was THE undisputed chess master in all of Area 11, maybe even the whole world bar Schneizel.
She had played hundreds- if not thousands of games against Lelouch. It was his way of training her in tactics.
True, chess and real warfare where very different, they both knew this. But chess was all about positioning, and having the ability to read your opponent through their movements to decipher their strategies.
There where now 2 people in the world that Lelouch had lost to before. Schneizel, and Kallen.
She didn't win often, oh no, it was a rare occasion. Once in a blue moon. She wasn't nearly as capable as he was. She wouldn't pretend to be THAT good. Chess was Lelouch's game. But every once in a while Kallen managed to best him, to figure him out just in time and adjust her strategy accordingly, and in those instances she managed to take the win- Lelouch was not angry.
He was proud. Just like she was proud of him for every milestone he reached in his workouts with her.
Being the third best chess player in the world- albeit with a wide gap- still meant something in this room, and she would show this Nobleman the error of his ways.
Lelouch had to admit he was feeling just a little sadistic. He couldn't wait to see this Nobleman get down on all 4's and bark.
Kallen smiled, it was a fake smile, the kind one wore when dealing with in-laws they didn't like, or a boss they had to put up with if only to avoid dealing with even more crap.
She reached out, and with grace, picked up the black king.
Lelouch smirked, Rivalz looked like he was about to have a stroke, and the Nobleman laughed.
It was over before time ran out.
The Nobleman stared at the board in shock. He still had more pieces than Kallen, but it didn't matter. Because she put him into check, and he couldn't get out. In the span of a few minutes he went from having a strong position to having lost completely.
"I... you... how!?"
Kallen smirked. It was as smug as the one Lelouch wore whenever he had put someone in their place. Kallen understood it now, why Lelouch liked to do this so often. It was immensely satisfying.
She looked down at the folded napkin on the table, and felt like she knew exactly what was scribbled within. But before she could comment on it, Lelouch spoke up.
"Why not read my prediction?" He asked.
Hesitantly, the Nobleman reached out to the napkin, picked it up, unfolded it, and began to read.
"Black Knight to B-6, White Knight to B-3... Black Bishop... to E-3... White... White Queen to B-1!?"
The record of a chess game.
This chess game.
Written before it happened.
Kallen and Lelouch both allowed the smirks on their faces to grow evil, whilst Rivalz was left staring wide-eyed and speechless.
"That... that's incredible- impossible! You, you can't have known! You predicted my moves!? My tactics!?"
"You follow formal strategies with no flexibility or originality." Kallen pointed out cooly.
"Typical of pampered nobles raised like Orchids in a hothouse." Lelouch pitched in, matching her tone.
"Who- who the hell are you!?"
"Lelouch, Lamprouge." The Black prince answered. "And this is my protégé, Kallen Stadtfeld, a Countess."
The noble paled- he was only a viscount!
"Now... about our wager-" Kallen began.
"Wait no please! I'll do anything! I'll double- no- triple the winnings your friend stipulated from earlier!"
Lelouch frowned.
"How much?"
"W- we agreed on 150,000 pounds."
Hmm.
"Kallen, it's your pride that was on the line, you should decide."
Kallen looked at the Noble, feeling vindictive. But the money was more important. If Kallen wasn't good at using masks like Lelouch and learned how to manage her temper in public over the years she probably would have demanded he start crawling around the moment they hit checkmate. She still was tempted to do it anyway, because even though she was able to mask her emotions she was still absolutely Livid.
However- as much as the thought tickled her fancy, she had priorities. The Ashford foundation needed liquidity, and she was about to get some.
"500,000 if you want us to keep this quiet." She stipulated.
"500,000" The noble agreed, sounding defeated, he was done. His pride and confidence thoroughly shattered.
Victory was sweet.
Lelouch and Kallen both walked out, with the former carrying the suitcases full of money. Rivalz followed out after them
"Hey, wait up!" He called out, running up to the pair as they turned around to face him. He bowed.
"Thank you guys so much! You really saved my bacon!"
True, he didn't get any winnings, but he was also saved from being in massive debt to a noble. He broke even today.
"It was no trouble Rivalz." Lelouch answered smoothly. "We hope you don't mind, but the money we won from the noble is quite important for a project. Milly is working on it with us but it's costing a pretty penny."
Rivalz shook his head. "Nevermind that!" He said cheerfully, brushing the conversation of money away. "You saved me from being humiliated and deep in debt, I don't care if I'm walking away empty handed, I'm counting myself lucky it's just that!" He laughed awkwardly.
"So what's up?" Kallen asked.
"Whaddya mean 'what's up' that was amazing! You beat that guy like it was nothing and Lelouch predicted every move made, it was like something out of a movie!"
"Oh? That was nothing really."
"To you guys maybe, but for me that was unreal! Do you mind if I hang out with ya more? I mean... if you don't want me around I get it really! But you guys are like super cool and I want to know you better, you where like heroes back there!"
They both smiled a little, taking the honest compliments and praise for what it was before turning to look at each other, holding a silent conversation before looking back at him and Kallen answered.
"We planned to have lunch, but the other clientele made us feel unwelcome. Want to join us for some grub?"
"Hells yeah!"
Jeramiah Gottwald sat next to Viletta Nu with his arms crossed and eyes closed. An air of calm swirled around the both of them.
The pair had known each other for some time now. The formal royal guard had seen potential in the woman, and had deigned to honor that potential with a chance.
He was not found wanting. While there were few- if any instances wherein the Purists got real combat experience, Nu preformed admirably in all of her training and battlefield class assessments. She would make a fine officer.
She was the kind of person that the Purists could use. Driven, passionate, ruthless. The Purist faction was created by the Margrave to help the Britannian common folk. It was the first Knight order to recruit from commoner households, rather than low nobility.
He did it in honor or her, in honor of his commoner Empress, Marianne. She had brought hope to Britannia. The work of EU terrorists saw her slain, and the commoners enraged. The call for blood washed over Britannia after her death. Then her children met the same fate of death at the hands of the native savages of this island.
He hated them. He hated the Europeans, he hated the Elevens. The former took his Empress, the latter took her wonderful children.
He would have justice in their name.
Finally the door to the office opened, and a young, pretty looking noblewoman walked out, fixing the collar of her dress to try and hide a hickey. She blushed and walked past them.
Clovis was very openly a prince-charming type of womanizer, so this certainly wasn't a surprise.
"Come in." The voice of the viceroy echoed, and Jeramiah got up alongside the mocha-skinned knight, both heading into his chamber.
They saw him looking positively pleased with himself as he picked up some papers that had gotten knocked off his desk and sitting down in his leather swivel chair.
"Margrave Jeramiah, what brings you here?"
Viletta and Jeramiah both took a knee and brought their hands up to their breast in salute.
"My lord, it is in regards to a recent development that has caught my attention, one I believe that may resolve your issue with the current Knightmare problem."
"Oh?" Clovis asked, leaning back in his chair. The situation had been resolved rather recently. Cornelia got his message, and had been obliged to send 60 additional Glasgow units from her reserves now that she was topped up on Sutherlands.
The word hadn't spread yet- still this might have been worth hearing out...
"Do you recall the Ashfords?" Jeramiah questioned.
Ah, how could Clovis forget? Ruben had been one to throw absolutely WILD parties, it's what got Clovis hooked on them, why he throws so many gallas- granted they weren't nearly as over the top as those party animals, and that was saying something as royalty.
"I do recall them yes." Clovis said as he fixed the collar of his coat. "What do they have to do with this?"
"Your highness, it appears that the Ashfords are planning an explosive return to the forefront of the nobility. They are preparing their old underground research and development facilities for top-line Knightmare production."
Clovis had to stop himself from gasping in shock. "The Ashfords are really coming back?"
It was too good to be true. They had built the Ganymede, a Knightmare that, in the right hands, can outperform even a Gloucester. It's specs where insanely high for the time but it was so complex only Marianne could pilot it right. Only the flash could bring out its true potential.
"Yes your highness. Millicent Ashford- Ruben's Heir approached me, they are asking for your favor in the form of licensing and contracts."
Clovis frowned in consternation. He would love nothing more than to help the Ashfords, but at what cost? Knightmares where expensive. Not as expensive as a modern battle tank or jet but still...
He couldn't afford much. His budget was limited. Most of his funding had gone to infrastructure projects within the Tokyo settlement and it's future expansions.
"I'm afraid I must decline." Clovis said with a sigh. "The knightmare issue has been resolved. I have 60 fresh Glasgows from Princess Cornelia, some of them even have a few modifications that increase their combat performance. I don't need more Knightmares right now. I even got a batch of Sutherlands for the Purists.
Jeramiah nodded, remaining respectfully silent.
"Please tell the Ashfords that I do apologize for being unable to help, but on the off chance that I lose a lot of Knightmares for some reason, I won't require their services."
"Yes Milord."
"If that is all you are dismissed Margrave, I have other things to attend to."
Without another word the pair stood, bowed, and then quietly left his chamber. The doors closed behind them.
"What now lord Jeramiah?" Viletta asked, finally speaking up.
"Now we deliver the bad news. I swore to help them, the least I can do is tell them in person that I failed."
She nodded in understanding. "What about the Knightmare you promised them?"
"That, at least, I have managed. The auction was a simple matter, the unit will be delivered to the Ashfords and they can do what they want with it."
"Understood my lord."
Viletta didn't really understand why Jeramiah was so insistent on providing aid to an all but defunct noble house. She could only assume it was personal. Still, there was a promotion coming her way if she preformed well with him. She wanted that more than anything and she'd get it come hell or high water.
With that, they left for Ashford, taking a car away from the viceroy's palace and leaving for the Tokyo settlement.
Once they arrived, Jeramiah stepped out, and she followed.
They walked onto the Ashford grounds and where greeted by Milly who was waiting by the front entrance.
"Lord Jeramiah, how did things go?"
"Unfortunately, not as well as I hoped." Jeramiah admitted. "Prince Clovis had his Knightmare reserves filled out by Princess Cornelia's old stock. He said that-"
"-unless he looses a lot of Knightmares he won't need any help from us." Milly huffed. "Swear to god these people only care until you stop being useful."
"Now you're getting it." Lelouch quipped as he walked out of the kitchen carrying a large platter with 4 plates on it, each had a gourmet beef cheeseburger on a brioche bun, and a wide variety of condiments and other toppings. And a side of house fries.
Kallen waited barely a second before cramming her favorite toppings onto the burger. The works, except tomato, she didn't like raw tomato, the texture was weird to her- blech...
She took a huge bite and practically moaned into it.
"Sho fuck'n good~" The redhead all but purred, earning a smile and eye roll from Lelouch as he sat down with her. Rivalz looked like he had stars in his eyes as he marveled at the food Lelouch made. Milly was much more casual, popping a fry into her mouth.
"Mm, bit light on the salt for my taste."
"Milly the amount of salt you use leads to death by dehydration-"
"But it tastes better! Anyway- how do you get them so crispy but so fluffy?"
"Trade secret." Lelouch grinned.
"Uh-huh, sure." Milly replied shaking her head. "Anyway... we're kinda up shit-creek without a paddle now. We have no licensing and no contracts. We couldn't even sell commercial construction frames if we wanted to." Milly lamented sourly, the words of defeat left a bitter taste in her mouth.
"We'll figure something out." Lelouch said confidently. "I have faith in our abilities." The Black Prince remarked as he rolled up his sleeves before constructing his burger and beginning to eat.
He wished Nunnally was here. But she was out getting pampered with Hina and Sayoko so she was having a good day. Still... they should have a day together, just the two of them. Nunnally was starting to feel left out, he could tell.
Milly finished a couple fries before continuing. "At the very least, we got that prototype knightmare, Jeramiah managed to score it for us."
"Yeh whatsh da deal wifat?" Kallen asked through bites. She was only pretending to not know to keep her cover up in front of Rivalz as a simple schoolgirl.
"How many times do Naoto and I both have to tell you not to talk and chew at the same time?" Lelouch asked with mild exasperation after swallowing a bite himself.
Kallen gave him the bird
Lelouch gave her the bird back
Milly gave him the bird too
Rivalz raised both hands and gave everyone at the table the double bird for good measure.
Charming
Everyone began to snicker and chortle before Lelouch brought everyone back on topic.
"Anyways, to answer your question Kallen right now we're working on disassembling the Gracchus. Our engineers are slowly taking it apart with Nathan as acting supervisor. We're gonna take it apart piece by piece, analyze it, and hopefully reverse engineer the design so we can start producing them."
"Wouldn't it be easier to start producing Glasgows instead?" Kallen asked and took a sip of water.
"If we where trying to get as many units as possible in a short time frame, yes. But if we want to make a name for the Ashford Brand we need to compete in a way that RPI can't. That means producing something better than they do for individual clients since we couldn't score any military contracts. As far as Knightmares are concerned the Gracchus IS the best frame in the world... with perhaps one exception but I'm still working that angle."
A complete lie, but since Rivalz was around they couldn't discuss anything sensitive to their plans as a rebel group.
"Oh?" Milly asked. "You found something better?"
"Supposedly." Lelouch commented. "Do you recall our conversation about doctor Chawla a while back?"
"That Indian doctor?"
"The very same."
"What about her?"
"She's swapped from making bionic limbs to making knightmares."
"How interesting."
"Quite. Word down the grapevine is that she's created a 7th Generation equivalent frame."
Kallen blinked owlishly. "Really!? Hot damn, Gen 5 rolled out just a couple years ago and the Gloucester is... well it's supposed to be Gen 6- more like 5.5 if you ask me, and the Gracchus feels more like a 6.5 based on its performance in trials but even so..."
"I know how you feel." Lelouch murmured. "Feels like only yesterday the Ganymede was out for test runs, now we're 4 generational leaps ahead and it's been what, just over half a decade since the Glasgow exited the trial phase?"
Things where progressing far too quickly, and part of Lelouch really didn't like the Implications. Britannia had found its ultimate fighting machine, and they where making each generation leagues better than the last.
How much longer would it be until Britannia was on the cusp of world domination. If they didn't act fast...
Lelouch shook his head.
"Time is of the essence, we need a way to get production going. I'll think of something..." Lelouch muttered.
He had to think of something. He had to, but what...?
Meanwhile at the viceroyal palace, the Viceroy was in a bit of a predicament.
Clovis groaned, pinching his brow. Why did things have to always go every way but how he wanted? Now he would have go cancel the orphanage education act just to shore up his coffers. It was the only thing that he could get rid of that wouldn't hamper Area-11's exponential growth in some capacity.
Somebody was taking out the refrain market.
HIS refrain market.
He set the elevens up with exactly what they wanted, a taste of their vainglorious past. He ignored the imported drugs from China, they sold it and gave him a cut of the profit for not hampering their business. It helped pay for the KPD Retrofit program and also kept the Elevens in line.
Some upstart group had been targeting them. In rapid succession over a dozen different distributors had been hit. Everyone was killed, all the drugs destroyed. Now the Chinese drug market was moving to southeast Asia due to how bad the losses were.
Only one distributor remained.
Clovis smirked. He was gonna catch these fuckers in the act, then have them all executed! That'll show the subhuman scum who's boss!
Clovis picked up his phone and dialed a number.
On the other line, one General Bartley picked up.
"Yes your highness?" The man on the other line asked.
"It's about what we discussed earlier." Clovis declared. "Is everything ready?"
"Yes my lord, we have the area locked down. The moment these terrorists strike we'll kill all who resist and take the rest prisoner."
"Excellent."
For once, everything would go to his plan!
He stepped, quiet and careful in the dark. Every step measured and calculated. He crouched in the shadows, his rifle in one hand, and a satchel slung over his shoulder as he crept low and slow, peaking every corner.
He stopped as he reached the end of an alleyway. He peered out into the crossroads of the industrial district. Most of the lights where out and his eyes had gotten used to the dark.
No sign of movement.
He took a deep breath and crouch-walked as fast as he could across the street to his target building.
He reached the door, and slid a knife into the crack of the window, using the leverage of the blade to wrench it up a few notches, before sliding his fingers in and lifting it up the rest of the way. He vaulted through the opening he made, quietly sliding across the desk that was inside the building against the wall, and landed on the floor.
He quickly closed the window, and then ran up the stairs for a few flights until reaching a high enough floor.
He then entered one of the offices, walking past the cubicles and towards the windows. He opened one from the inside and looked out towards the area he was meant to cover.
A solid angle, he had eyes on the entire building and the street running parallel alongside the loading docks. Yes this would do.
He grabbed a chair and rolled it over to the window. And propped his rifle up on the ledge before his hand reached out to tweak the sights on his scope. He ranged this out to be 500 meters at least... closer to 550 probably...
"B-1, are you in position?"
"A-firm K-1." Lelouch said as he finished adjusting his sights. "Scoping in now."
"Roger that, let us know what you see. We're en-route due East. ETA 3 minutes and counting."
"Don't keep me waiting." Lelouch chided with a chuckle. Now certain that he had adjusted his sights correctly, he grabbed his binocs and began to survey the area.
There was a large crane for offloading cargo containers, and there where a few of those containers stacked up along the edge of the loading docks. No movement... did they finish offloading early?
He narrowed his eyes and began to scan the warehouse, the lights where on. 2 guards where standing around outside. He didn't see any movement in the windows.
This was unusual. There was always something going on. People moving merchandise, taking smoke breaks, chatting, counting money, walking around, talking on the phone, eating something or having a drink.
Nothing. Zip, zilch, nada.
This was outside standard expectations and he didn't like it. No he didn't like this at all, it made him feel uneasy.
He moved his binocs and allowed himself to survey the wider area. Nothing still, it was too quiet, far, far too quiet. Something was off, this wasn't business as usual.
He ground his teeth anxiously and set his jaw as he glared out into the dark compound, his index finger on the right hand was tapping nervously against the metal of his binoculars.
Wait... what was that? He was certain he saw something... but he couldn't quite make it out.
He nervously set his binoculars down and looked through the scope or his rifle, it had a better zoom function anyways so it should be adequate.
He had hoped that it was just a trick of the light, that he was just seeing things... surely that was it? He was just being paranoid again, it was nothing to be worried ab-
THERE!
His vision snapped to a figure crouching in the darkness, within the shadows of an office building across the street from the warehouse.
A Britannian soldier was staring right at him, they had a hand up to their ear!
Lelouch's eyes went wide as he came to 3 horrifying realizations simultaneously.
This was a setup, he had been spotted, and all his friends where in danger.
He took a snapshot at the soldier- a miss! They ducked around the corner at just the right time DAMN IT ALL!
He scrambled for his radio.
"K-1 fall back! Everybody fall back!"
Naoto slammed the breaks on the semi truck and reached for the radio. "Talk to me B-1 what's the situation!?"
"It's a trap! My position has been compromised, confirmed Britannian military presence! RTB!"
Naoto snarled and got out of the drivers seat, tapping Nagata on the shoulder while heading to the back of the truck.
"Alright everybody except Kallen get out! Sis get ready to go in hot, we're rescuing your fucking boyfriend!"
Lelouch meanwhile cursed to himself as he frantically tried to reload his rifle, but the damn thing was old-
'Jammed!? At a time like this!?' Oh of all the rotten luck!
That's when he heard it, the sound of a door being breached. Lelouch who was already milky white somehow even went more pale as his head whipped around to stare at the entrance to the office like a deer caught in the headlights, before bolting into one of the cubicles, hiding in the corner as he struggled to get his rifle's loading bolt unstuck.
They where getting closer-!
Lelouch had to struggle not to panic and begin hyperventilating. He only had one option right now.
He reached into his satchel and pulled out the lead-lined blanket he stashed inside. He huddled up and threw it over his shoulders. It was the only thing that was going to stop the X-ray feature of Britannian VISR tech from spotting him through his limited cover and concealment.
'Kallen... Naoto... if I die, please, take care of Nunnally...' He thought to himself as he tightly clutched his gun. If anything he could try using it for blunt force trauma.
He stared out in front of himself. He was not looking for anything, but listening, his ears listening for even the slightest hint of movement, the barest sound.
The creak of a door, this office.
His heart skipped a beat.
The click of careful footsteps, boots on tiled flooring.
He stopped breathing, fearing that even the barest sound would give his position away.
To his left. They where to his left. His eyes flicked to that direction.
His mouth went dry.
Closer, they where getting closer.
Fight? Run? He did not know, a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face, he tried to swallow some saliva to get rid of the arid desert in his throat.
No way out, no escape route. He had been cut off.
To his right now.
No weapon, he didn't bring a pistol believing it would just slow him down. He was regretting that decision.
Silence.
His eyes flicked left and right expectantly. It was too much, had he been found? Was he going to he shot? Was he going to hear the click of the hammer? Where they going to try and capture him so they could execute him in public?
His grip on his gun was so tight that his hands hurt, and they where shaking as the anxiety he felt only continued to grow. His mind overactive as each horrible outcome he could think of played out in his head at rapid speed, what was-
He barely heard it, the sound of someone jumping into the air. Lelouch sprang up and held his gun like a baseball bat. A Britannian soldier- an unarmed one for some reason, came flying over the wall of the cubicle, Lelouch swung- only for the soldier to catch it!
The Britannian landed on Lelouch, pinning him to the floor, his hands where forcefully pushing the rifle down into Lelouch's neck. The exiled prince pushed back desperately. He struggled to stop the gun from pressing against his throat but it wasn't enough. Even with a massive adrenaline rush he was loosing the battle of strength handedly, and soon found the wooden stock of his gun pressing against his fragile windpipe.
"Surrender mindless murderer!"
While Lelouch was hiding from his hunter, the Kozuki siblings where not idle. Everyone quickly filed out of the truck and Naoto scrambled back into the driver seat, picking up the radio, he spoke to Kallen.
"Q-1 get ready for a hot exit, you're playing decoy, I'll get Lelouch!"
"Roger!" She replied.
She didn't mean it.
Nah, fuck playing decoy, she was gonna rip them apart.
The truck they where using barreled down the main road towards the warehouse, they where originally going to just pass it entirely to get to Lelouch, but then the door was ripped open as Britannian knightmares poured out, an entire squad! Sutherlands!
"Kallen, get ready!"
The radio remained silent for Naoto as Kallen gripped the controls and waited, narrowing her eyes and taking deep breaths through her nose.
This wasn't about avenging Japan anymore, this was about saving someone she loved.
Naoto shifted gears, slammed on the breaks, and yanked the steering wheel to the left as hard as he could!
The truck and it's trailer skidded against the pavement as it 180'd. The back hatch of the trailer turned to face the Sutherlands.
Kallen's Glasgow burst out of the trailer as it reached the final arc of its rotation, using the momentum to her advantage and going full throttle. Throwing the doors off of their hinges as she all but exploded out of the trailer with contrails and sparks, she raised her KAR and fired its grenade-cannon with a loud thump. The explosive shell smashed into the head unit of the mid-right Sutherland and decapitated it.
Jeramiah's eyes went wide as Kewel's Sutherland just got its head blown off. One Knight down before the enemy even hit the pavement!?
He didn't even get a chance to issue orders as the Glasgow then fired a torrent of 25 millimeter rounds at Sir Kalbast's Sutherland, hitting the chest, the bullets ripped though and killed him inside the cockpit.
Jeramiah and Viletta fired back, but missed as the Glasgow used its landspinners like roller-skates, spinning counter-clockwise and ducking low, they avoided the counter-attack and redoubled their assault. The red Glasgow fired the last of its magazine at Jeramiah's rifle, disabling it. He dropped the gun and activated his stun-tonfas before rushing into melee range, his landspinners skid across the pavement as he tried to land a hit, but the Glasgow pivoted and spun out of the way.
How!? How was a Glasgow doing this!? Jeramiah couldn't believe what he was seeing!
Horror washed over him as he saw the Glasgow duck under Viletta's grenade cannon before firing its Harkins at her Sutherland, forcing the dame to eject!
The Elevens had a fucking knightmare Ace!
How dare they!? Only Britannians where able to use knightmares! This was Marianne's legacy! HOW DARE THEY!? NO JUNKYARD GLASGOW WAS MEANT TO MATCH A SUTHERLAND!
Jeramiah, now half scared and half pissed off rushed at the red Glasgow, it turned to face him and dodged or blocked all of his attacks as he swung out with his tonfas.
Kallen wasn't going to let this brit prick win! She had already taken out a Knightpolice and 3 Sutherlands. This would be number 5, her Ace kill!
With a furious cry, her Glasgow grabbed the arm of the Sutherland as it tried to hit her again, she put the pedal to the metal, flooring her landspinners as she grabbed the head unit of the Sutherland and went careening into a concrete wall, smashing Jeramiah's Sutherland clean through the building, dust and debris went flying from the violent but ultimately non-lethal takedown
She was tempted to fire her slash harkens at the cockpit but every second counted, she spun around and went as fast as she could towards the truck and Naoto jumped out of the armored cabin and into the hands of the Glasgow, and Kallen went straight for the building that Lelouch was meant to be set up in.
She fired her anchors at the roof, using them as grappling hooks as she scaled the building up to the 6th floor and punched through the window, making an opening for Naoto to jump through.
Lelouch struggled to breathe. The soldier was applying just enough pressure to choke him out without killing him outright.
He heard the smashing of metal against metal. Cracked pavement, shattered concrete, broken glass.
Naoto jumped through the fresh hole Kallen made and drew his Pistol. The Britannian trooper had wicked reflexes, getting off of Lelouch and duck to the side, rushing for cover in the office as Naoto fired at him.
Lelouch rolled over onto the floor, coughing and gasping for air and Naoto ran out of bullets, the magazine went empty and his gun clicked.
He began to pull put his knife when the soldier sprinted out of cover and rushed him. The soldier began punching Naoto in the face as he tackled the rebel to the ground. Before seeing the knife and moving to defend himself from being stabbed by Naoto, grabbing his arm and twisting.
Naoto screamed as his wrist was forced to bend at a painful angle, dropping the knife.
Lelouch scrambled to his feet, grabbing his gun, he raised his rifle like a baseball bat for a second time and swung with all his might!
The wooden stock of the rifle smashed into the faceplate of the soldier just as he turned to see Lelouch, sending him sprawling to the floor next to Naoto with a pained grunt. He quickly tried to get up, only for Naoto to reach over with his good arm, grab the knife, and swing it at the soldier in a reverse grip.
His aim was true. The soldier's hand was on a filing cabinet, and the knife went through the back of his hand, causing him to scream in shock and pain as the blade ripped through skin, flesh and bone, going all the way through and pinning his hand to the cabinet. Blood gushed from the wound.
Lelouch grabbed the still dazed Naoto and yanked him up to his feet, jumping out of the window and into the hands of Kallen's Glasgow.
Run.
Kallen disengaged the anchors and fell back to street level, immediately speeding away from the location and back towards the ghettos.
Minutes later, Britannian Medics ran into the office building to find their wounded scout being helped by another uninjured scout who was trying to stop the bleeding.
"You're gonna be ok man! Just take deep breaths!"
"IT HURTS!" The soldier half-screamed, half cried through his partially broken mouth covering.
"I know man! I know!" The other scout said using the strip of cloth he found to apply pressure. "Just hang in there!"
The uninjured scout sighed.
"You're gonna be ok, Suzaku."
A/N: Lelouch's first draw against Britannia. Neither side finished their objectives.
With that out of the way, on to the elephant in the room. As most of you know I've been procrastinating over the C.C. thing for a few chapters now. Part of me wants her, part of me is worried it'll break the story's relationship dynamics.
But I have decided I love her too much to sideline her, and I planned for her to be in this anyways I'm gonna stick with it, my mind is made up. I WILL make it work. I already have a few scenes in mind that will help things go over smoothly. It will just take a while to get there.
Pizza is back on the menu bois!