Groggily opening his eyes, Lelouch flinched at the sight of bright lights. It took him a few moments, blinking to let his eyes adjust before he could fully open them.
Quickly observed his surroundings, finding that he had woken up on a plain white table, within a basic white room.
So, they must have been connected to the authorities. This is clearly a holding cell, but why would they go after me? How did they even find me before? There must have been a way that they knew I wasn't from here, but whether or not they know who I am is to be debated.
A speaker clicked on and a moment later a deep voice spoke. "It's good to see you awake. I'm sorry for such underhanded tactics to bring you here, but I'm sure you understand we had to take precautions. I apologize if you were uncomfortable at all during the interaction."
Lelouch scanned the room again, his eyes falling onto the large mirror.
A two-way mirror of course. If they know about my geass then they're not going to come to talk to me in person. But, if that's the case, why didn't they just cover my eye? They could have easily kept me restrained to the chair and covered my eye to prevent me from using my geass on them.
"You talk about precautions… and yet you left me in a room without any restraints to tie me down."
"You haven't proven yourself to be a physical threat, so I saw no need to make that decision. Instead, I thought by providing a sense of ease due to not restraining you."
"Then why hide yourself behind that mirror?" Lelouch asked. He saw no reason to hide behind an innocent facade. If this group of people had captured him for an interrogation, then he wouldn't try to pretend he was clueless.
"Again, I wanted to provide a sense of ease for you. But, at the same time, we have determined your ability most likely comes from direct eye contact. So, surely you'd understand the need to take this measure."
They've determined…? Do they not actually know about geass?
Lelouch folded his arms on the table. "Then what do you want from me?"
"What you would think is most obvious. We want nothing more than for you to answer a few questions for us."
"And what answers do you hope to get from me? If you are looking for something specific, know that I'm not one who will easily break under pressure."
He heard the man chuckle. "Very interesting. I have no reason to force answers out of you, unless you prove to be difficult, but I have the feeling you'll cooperate."
"And why is that?"
"We could provide you with whatever answers that you need."
Lelouch nearly bolted from the chair. "You give me answers?! You mean…?"
"One of my men had been tracking a rogue Strain earlier this morning, and their ability seems to have some form of time or space displacement if we had to guess. While the Strain ran off, they used their ability and suddenly you were caught up in the readings."
Lelouch breathed in slowly, staring at the mirror. He wished he could see exactly who he was talking to, but he knew for the time being they were keeping themselves safe. But now, the prospect of answers was on the line… though more were already starting to build.
Strain…? What's that? Is that what they call people with geass here? Maybe this really is some alternate world… but then why is so much different?
"So, young man, what is your answer?"
Lelouch stood up, keeping his gaze sharp. "I'll agree to your terms. I'll answer whatever I can, but you must promise to also return the same to me during the interrogation."
The man was laughing again. "Interrogation? Now who said it was going to be something like that? Think of it more as… an interview, one that can go both ways."
"Fine. Ask me whatever then."
"Oh, I won't be asking the questions. But, I have someone who I think will fit the bill quite perfectly."
Before the speaker clicked off, Lelouch could have sworn he heard a different voice giving a small, annoyed groan.
All he could do now was wait. He sat back down in the chair and waited, keeping a close eye on everything in the room. He still needed a backup plan if all were to go south. While he had no idea what kind of building he was in, he was going to prepare himself for anything.
It took a few minutes, but he heard the door to the room open. A young man with dark hair walked in with a laptop in one hand. A dark visor covered his eyes, and as Lelouch stared carefully at it, he noted how the material was dark enough that he couldn't actually see the man's eyes underneath.
So they took extra precautions… if I can't see his eyes and make direct contact then my geass won't work.
"Alright… let's get this over with," he sighed, sounding almost bored with the situation.
There was something else about him, something about his voice… He had heard it briefly before he passed out, but there was something else. Something nagging him in the back of the mind, but Lelouch couldn't place what it was.
"You're not the voice from before."
"No, but the captain thought it would be amusing, or whatever goes on in that mind of his. Honestly, I think he finds all of this a funny joke."
The speaker clicked on again. "And I am still back here, Fushimi."
Fushimi, though Lelouch knew well enough that it had to be his last name, gave a low effort wave at the mirror before sitting down. He sighed as he placed his supplies on the table, setting up something on the laptop, quickly typing away on it.
"I guess we need to start with introducing ourselves," the man muttered. He looked up, presumably making eye contact under the visor.
"And you'd like me to go first?" Lelouch asked.
"You are, what the captain is calling 'our guest of honor'. Just an annoying title to make it less like you're a prisoner."
Lelouch chuckled. "Very well. My name is…"
If what I researched in the library is true… No data for any of the royal family… then there is no need to hide from that name here. Then again… I still despise it…
"My name is Lelouch vi Britannia, but I prefer to go by Lelouch Lamperouge," he decided to say for his answer.
"Saruhiko Fushimi," the man replied as he typed in the information on the laptop. "Now, can you tell us how you got here?"
"I was in my room relaxing. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but the next thing I knew, I was in this city."
"Hmm, so you didn't detect the effect of the Strain," Fushimi stated.
After thinking for a moment, Lelouch knew what his next question would be. "That word you and your boss are using… What exactly is a Strain?"
"A Strain is a person with unnatural powers that they have on their own, not acquired from any King."
Any king…? So there is royalty here, but so what is the difference…? But if they say a Strain has powers, that means they think I'm…
"I can tell by the look on your face what you want to ask next," Fushimi said, still writing down stuff within the laptop. "And yes, based on our data and what we analyzed from you out in the streets, we have reason to believe you are a Strain. A highly dangerous one at that."
He's good at reading my expressions… And yet he doesn't seem like he wants to put in much effort.
"Since it's obvious you don't know anything about Strains or Kings… Let's start with this. When were you aware of your ability?"
"Aware? No. I only acquired it about a month ago."
Fushimi hummed, not commenting on anything this time.
"Alright, next question," Lelouch stated, going over the large array of questions, figuring out what he wanted to ask next. "What exactly is this place? I figured based on the uniforms that this was some type of authority group. And with your boss talking about trying to track down a Strain, that only confirms it further. But, I still don't know what this is."
"We are Scepter 4… otherwise known as Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau, Civil Registry Department, Annex 4… which is just a mouthful," Fushimi sighed, giving a small click of his tongue. "As you correctly guessed, we are a police-based group, but different from what you'd normally see on the streets as we deal with Strains and other clansmen."
"And you believe that I'm a Strain?"
"That is what we're going with, unless you have a way to disprove it."
Lelouch grinned. "That is far off the mark. The truth is…" He stood up slowly, adding to the suspense. "I come from a different dimension. A different timeline where Japan is different."
Despite his flare to add a bit of dramatic tension to the mood, Fushimi didn't seem all too shocked or impressed. He only looked back at his laptop to add more information.
"That would line up with the captain's theory of the other Strain's ability." With a sigh, Fushimi looked back at the mirror. "Isn't that all you needed, Captain? I think there's enough information to satisfy you."
"Very good, Fushimi. But, wouldn't you say we should check the credibility of his claim? One can easily just say they are from a different timeline," the man from behind the mirror replied a moment later.
Fushimi clicked his tongue again before looking back at Lelouch. "Tch, and yet our readings can prove…"
Hm, he seems annoyed at this captain… his boss. If he doesn't enjoy working for him, then why bother staying? What keeps him here if he doesn't enjoy it?
"I can prove it, but I don't know if you'll enjoy what I have to say. The year is 2017, and the Japan I come from is war ridden, having lost the war to The Holy Britannian Empire. Nothing for the Japanese people is easy, as Britannian declared their homeland nothing more than a number. The people are in despair with few having hope of getting their rights back. So, I ask of you, help me get back to my dimension so I can help destroy Britannia!"
Lelouch breathed in deeply, watching and waiting for a response. He had given it his all, putting as much energy as he could into his speech, which wasn't anything new for him. If he could convince these Scepter 4 people, then they could release him so he could find a way home.
Then again they were tracking that Strain that brought me here in the first place. If that is their specialty then maybe I should see how I can use their power and information to help me. That would speed up the process since they know exactly what I'd be looking for.
The door to the room opened and a different man walked in. This man also had dark hair and glasses, but the way he carried himself told Lelouch that this was definitely Fushimi's boss.
Behind him was a blonde woman, looking a little weary. "Sir, are you sure this is wise? I could have called for someone to bring us another pair of visors."
"I appreciate your concern, Miss Awashima, but I think you can trust my judgment here."
Awfully foolish of you. I've given no reason for you to actually trust me. If it wasn't for Saruhiko still wearing that visor, I could easily use my geass on all of you to gain what I want.
"What do you plan to do, sir?" Fushimi replied, standing up as he gathered his laptop.
"I think we must help Mr. Lamperouge return home as soon as possible. His situation sounds quite dire," he said before looking at Lelouch.
"I still haven't learned who you are yet," Lelouch sighed.
He gave a small but polite bow. "My apologies. Reisi Munakata, Captain of Scepter 4 as well as the 4th King. And besides me here is my second in command, Miss Seri Awashima,"
4th King… So the kings they talked about… does that make this man actually royalty or is their way of using 'king' simply just a title to give them a sense of power? And if he is the 4th… There are definitely more, but then the question is just how many more kings are there?
"So, if you are wishing to aid me in getting home, what do we need to do to find that Strain?"
"You can leave that to my men, they will continue to search for that Strain. Once the Strain is captured we can bring them back here so you can be returned home. How does that sound to you?"
"And just what am I supposed to do until then?" Lelouch asked.
"Well, we can't have you wandering around, not when you don't know our Japan compared to your own. So, I was thinking we could provide you with some accommodations until we have properly captured the Strain."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "And you trust that I'll stay put?"
The man known as Reisi Munakata grinned. "You know, there is still one more question I wanted to ask, but I decided it would be best if I asked it myself."
Lelouch breathed in slowly. "And that is?"
"Your ability, you still haven't told us what it is exactly. From the sound of it, it is rather intriguing, and perhaps different from most of the Strains we've normally encountered."
Lelouch felt the slightest bit hesitant. He knew back home he couldn't tell anyone of his geass unless he wanted them to get roped deeper into his game. He had planned to keep it as tight of a secret as he could from everyone, but once again he was reminded he wasn't in his home… his world. This world operated differently and people with powers seemed to be common.
"My ability allows me to command anyone to do as I tell them. Any instructions I give, they will be forced to blindly carry out."
Awashima gasped. "Any command?"
"Yes, anything. Even the darkest thing you are imagining right now, it would be done if I commanded it."
Munakata hummed. "Very interesting. At least we were right to assume your ability would label you as an Extra Alpha Class Strain.
Lelouch frowned. So, they'll still see me as dangerous, even if they are telling me they'll help.
"You must understand Mr Lamperouge, we are only taking precautions. But, if you are willing to comply and promise not to use your ability against us, then there will be no reason to arrest and detain you. We do have ways of subduing Strain abilities, and while I'm curious if it would work on you, I'm sure you'd rather avoid that."
Perhaps it would be wise to play the waiting game. The more I play along, the more I can learn without force, since they seem rather willing to tell me anything I know. But, I'll still be on my guard. Either way, this group of people, Scepter 4, could be helpful regardless.
"Very well, I will wait with your accommodations."
Munakata smiled. "Good. Then how about you follow Fushimi to his dorm, that could be a good place to rest for the evening."
Suddenly, Fushimi slammed his hands down on the table, glaring with deep annoyance. "Captain, you can't just-"
"We can't very well put him in a cell, not right after we agreed we wouldn't detain him. Besides," Munakata smirked slyly. "You have the dorm all to yourself, and every dorm has a bunk bed. So, I don't see the problem."
"But-"
"This is the captain's order, Fushimi. Besides, I think having a temporary roommate could be fun, wouldn't you agree?"
Saruhiko clicked his tongue, breathing in sharply. "Tch, fine."
"Very well! Then if there are no further questions, then I call this interview done!" Munakata beamed cheerfully.
Lelouch watched as Munakata walked out of the room, leaving him with just a single thought.
What a strange man…
Alright, I am excited so I decided to post the second chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it so far... more to come in the future!