Disclaimer: Code Geass is written and owned by Ichirō Ōkouchi and Gorō Taniguchi, and produced by Bandai Namco's Sunrise studio. I own no characters, locations, or elements from the Original Series, Manga (Yes, there IS a manga), or Movie Trilogy/Resurrection Timeline. I own only my OCs and their respective Knightmares.
With that said, Please Enjoy The Show!
Normal Speech: "Hello"
Radio/Comms: "Hello"
Thoughts: Hello
Geass: "{Hello}"
Knightmare/Loudspeakers: "Hello"
Chapter 3: MERLIN
Port Yokosuka, Tokyo Settlement
The port was now buzzing with rebel movement when the sounds of Landspinners rolling became evident. This was rapidly followed by trucks grinding across the concrete and metal boots stomping outward.
Two Type-4 Glasgow Frames stood idly beside a pair of Type-5 Sutherlands, dull blue with black trimmings across the legs and cockpit, and a large handful of Infantry men who arrived in trucks. A bit much for some lowly Eleven radicals, but they were trespassing on military grounds. That and High Command made it very clear that they wanted to know which group was rummaging through their property.
Perhaps this will be the excuse we need to finally extinguish that shoddy ex-miliary force, The captain thought smugly before looking back out to the depot. Hell, if the Prince clears it, maybe we can finally get the Eleven populace within Area-standard numbers! But that would come later. Right now after less than a few minutes of silence, the Britannian's mouth spread to a wide grin.
"Hard way it is!" He said in mock disappointment. "Seregant - sweep the grounds. You two move around back."
"Sir!/Yes, My Lord!" The Infantry moved in and broke off between buildings, groups sweeping the grounds while the Glasgows began circling the depot lot. "No signs of life yet - they might be waiting us out in the far back."
"Then get on it! I don't want to sit here all day in the cockpit, I have better things to do."
On the other side of the depot, it was the complete opposite of the Britannians; by now most of the rebels who'd been gathering at their transports at the far back were arming themselves to the teeth. Any sort of confidence or reassurance in their mission going smoothly had been washed out in a wave of anxiety. Not that anyone could be blamed; to the Resistance group, fighting Military Infantry was either a breeze or trying to survive a sawmill, especially when in close quarters.
But to deal with that on top of Knightmares? Just one was enough to kill most of them in this tight space, and they were far from prepared to take out more. We should have figured they'd probably be more than these guards on the site, Nagata cocked his rifle tightly with a grim face. Maybe hidden cameras, silent alarms… Maybe that truck was wired too! But for that thing? What could be so special about it that you need this much firepower?
"I told you we should have brought the-the damn Glasglow!" Tamaki snarked, pulling him out of his thoughts and back to reloading his grenade launcher. Ohgi and the others did similar, passing whatever ammo or grenades/flashbangs were needed. "I told you this was a bad idea and none of you believed me!"
"You didn't say SHIT, Sinichiro!" He shot back harshly. "You gaze zero support at the briefing. So stop your bitching!"
"Then hell are we supposed to do?! They got Knightmares with'em, and we don't!"
"We make do with what we can-" Naoto's voice was like a breath of relief for them as he rushed out of the warehouse, brandishing his rifle too. He also had another radio on his person, albeit bulkier-looking. "Our friend is willing to help. All we have to do is buy him some time, lest we lose the chances of getting this Knightmare and losing our lives for nothing."
"Friend?" Oh. Oh no. "You don't mean that thing in there, do you?"
"The fucking zombie?!" Tamaki exclaimed, also looking indifferent at Naoto's reassurance.
And of course, the others had no clue as to their words. "Z… zombie?" Ohgi repeated.
"Later! Focus on the now!" Naoto's sharpened voice made everyone snap to attention again. " want us split into four parts - Nagata, you take the left; Tamaki, the right. Ohgi and I will take care of the Infantry coming down the front. The rest of you, take up arms and pick a side to fight at, otherwise you're with us in the middle!" He ordered in rapid succession, pointing between people and areas as the rebels moved, grabbing their guns and rushing to their respective positions.
While they did that, the redhead looked back to his new tool, flicking it to life. "Just for the record, you CAN get that Knightmare to move right?" He asked, answered by a low growl. "Hey, it's either yes or no - unless you wanna go back in the box!"
"Question...ing... my abilities... already?" The figure growled again. "I... will show... you. What I can do..."
Great. I made Clovis' dirty little secret mad, Naoto thought dryly before gripping his rifle tightly. He then took a deep breath, shaking off any ideas of further enticing this potential ally. While he would have preferred not trusting a potential hazard/weapon to an unknown object - hell Naoto would have preferred piloting himself if the controls were remotely close to a standard KMF - he also did not enjoy the idea of sitting in a closed space while everyone else was left exposed.
What kind of leader did that make him, leaving everyone out here to die?
"We can't hold them off forever." Naoto's voice cut through the air again, speaking between his radio and the rest. "Everyone, get ready! Stay clear of the warehouse doors, just the buildings as cover and concentrate on the Factspheres before the torso frames!"
A chorus of "Yes Sir!" and "Got It, boss!" answered him, and soon enough, the sound of Landspinners could be heard. Naoto gritted his teeth, taking cover by his friend. "I know I don't need to tell you the obvious problem of us being boxed in," Ohgi murmured beside him. "But are you sure we can trust… whoever you were talking to? What did you find in there?"
"I don't know what I found," Naoto responded bluntly. "All I can say is that I woke something up, and now it wants to help."
"W-what does that even mean?!"
"It means if we survive, I'll tell you." The was about as blunt as it could get and chances were Ohgi still wouldn't believe him. Hell Naoto was still processing what exactly that person was an-
"INCOMING!" Nagata's voice yelled, sending everyone scrambling or ducking down just in time for an anti-personnel shell to fly over and into one of the trucks, detonating on impact. The vehicle wreck was thrown apart in several pieces, leaving a smoldering wreck. The response of a Glasglow coming into full view was immediate as the rebels opened fire on the machines, with Nagata at the front tossing his first of tools salvo at it.
Glasgow's weren't normally up to Sutherland standards of system safety, which meant it had a mid-to-low chance of sensory overload when something bright came right up at it. The flashback echoed with its flash as the Knightmare halted, sent shuddering by two grenades lobbed between the legs and head again. The small explosive did its job, forcing it to its knees.
It didn't last long as the machine stood up, brushing off the damage and raising its rifle.
"Direct fire on the joints and rifle!" Naoto yelled, and the rebels responded accordingly, continuing to open fire on the Glasgow. But like before, even their modern weaponry proved almost useless against the Knightmare. It didn't help that the Infantry were moving in now, firing upon the warehouse and taking cover, either.
"Shit-shit shit!" Naoto hissed, his eyes shifting rapidly. "Nagata, focus on that Knightmare down, Ohgi, give me cover! Take out those troops before they get too close!" With a nod, the rebel leader turned to his radio. "What the hell you're doing HURRY IT UP!"
"Patience... is a virtue..." A raspy voice answered almost taunting him.
"Oh, I'll give you some patience you bastard!"
"System… online… ready…"
Naoto wanted to argue further, but his words were replaced by a loud noise which caught him and everyone else in alarm. What could only be the world's most violent engine coming to life was heard, old and sounding as monstrous as its pilot did. It was so loud he didn't even realize the Britannian Knightmares and soldiers halting, their heads swiveling to the sound as sensors rang out in distress.
What finally snapped him out of his shock was the sound of Landspinners coming up. Soon, the ground shook violently and a blue blur tore out of Warehouse 3F, kicking a wave of dust and debris in its wake. This sent rebels flying back or into one another, with some rushing for cover. The Britannians reacted similarly, their movements stopping at the sight of this new threat standing over them all.
And here in the open, Naoto realized just how tall this thing was. Much taller than the Glasgow and Sutherland units by at least 2 or 3 meters. The dark blue paneling was rusted and weathered in varying spots, the gold trimming around the pointed chest and knees was worn out, and the legs ended at large two-pronged toes around the ankle joints. Upper arms were completely unprotected despite the lower arms being covered by matching blue armor, ending with blocky shoulders where cylindrical attachments hung at the sides. Finally, red sensor optics scanned the field within a blue-armored head, topped by a gold front trim around a matching red jewel crest and a back fin, pointed up like an antenna.
Overall a very Britannia-looking Knightmare, even if time hadn't been its friend. Huh… if that doesn't belong in a museum, I don't know what does. Naoto couldn't help thinking as the new arrival began moving.
"We got a Knightmare! Unknown model!" One of the soldiers called, kicking the battle off again as the Glasglow on the far right opened fire.
Instead of charging or stepping around Naoto's forces, MERLIN jumped.
It was almost human how it leaped, going nearly several meters in the air over gunfire and coming down right in front of the Glasglow. The speed and mass of this Knightmare barreling into a machine far shorter in comparison sent the Type-4 flying right off the concrete, and to the pilot's horror, right off the pier, and into the water.
The Britannians didn't get the chance to even register this before, in all his wisdom and knowledge, Naoto yelled at the top of his lungs one thing: "ATTACK!"
"What the fuc-" The 2nd Glasgow pilot exclaimed, cut off by a shoulder-fired missile striking it in the head. The explosion was enough to send it back, and soon the Infantry was swarmed by the rebels who reinforced the front and were directing any other attention to the next big threat.
The 2nd Glasgow, meanwhile, had barely regained focus as the MERLIN swung around the depot and came into view of the captain and his Sutherland, who'd been eagerly awaiting his seated victor until now. "What? Who the hell are you?!" He demanded loudly, opening fire with his rifle.
"Rrgh..." The MERLIN staggered as shots impacted its armor; though damage was minimal, and the Knightmare recovered, leaping back a few meters. The next second, it revved loudly and came forward; without any weapons and no Shark Harkens, the pilot had nothing but MERLIN itself to rely on.
"I have no idea who you are, but you must be dumber than that pile of metal you're in! Going toe-to-toe with my Sutherland, as if!" The Sutherland captain laughed, charging forward to meet the enemy's head-on. He was confident his own superior machine would win, and so the battle was joined.
Though the Sutherland was slightly faster than MERLIN, its pilot was far from ready to meet the older model's speed. It was fast and more nimble despite its size; made clear when it reared back to dodge the Sutherland's rifle shots, circling between both KmFs. This time the Captain wasn't fast enough, and the MERLIN whipped its torso and arm fast enough to connect with the cockpit and throw the Sutherland off its feet.
Tch, controls feel sluggish. Same with the OS system and interface. Despite only being up for a few minutes, the pilot's mind was abuzz as they mentally diagnosed their Knightmare, numbly brushing between partial system checks and the second Knightmare engaging them. Left leg Landspinners need to be replaced, too... Poor girl needs fine-tuning.
But that could wait for now. Right now, they have to deal with the trash.
"How is it moving so fast!?" The Lieutenant shouted, firing his rifle in almost sheer desperation now. The MERLIN tanked several hits, leaving black marks as it closed the gap and landed a swift jab, followed by a sharp right hook at the head which practically ripped it off the torso. "Shit, shit, shit-!"
The Sutherland was finished off the moment it was forced onto its back. The MERLIN raised its leg, and without so much as a word, shoved it onto the side. It reeled its right arm back without sound, piercing the cockpit side. The lieutenant didn't have time to scream or call for his commanding officer as his world ended in a flash of steel and wires.
And of course, said captain had brought his Knightmare back to its feet and was staring at the sight of the wrecked Knightmare. "Im-Impossible! A Sutherland defeated by this-this… this trash?!" He gaped, tensing as the MERLIN turned around to face him again. "No… no this cannot be! It can't! It just can-GAH!" His last word was cut off with a scream as the MERLIN charged without hesitation, and this time there was no time to react, and was struck hard by a massive fist. The captain was knocked out cold the second the force sent his head into the glass, and with his unconscious form slumped as his Sutherland collapsed, unmoving.
Pathetic. MERLIN's pilot thought coldly, taking in a slow breath and closing their eyes. A few seconds passed, and soon their mind became at ease. Come on. Don't fall apart on me now. The MERLIN's body creaked and groaned as it began to walk back to the left depot side, eying the last KMF.
With a loud humming, the Knightmare Frame came to life once more, Landspinners spinning wildly before it took off and raced down the lot, charging at the last Glasgow. It didn't have the energy to even dodge from the amount of gunfire and grenade it took as the MERLIN barreled into it, and with a swift turn, the Glasgow was thrown into the concrete wall.
As this happened, Naoto's forces had also finished off the remaining Infantry, and nearly snapping heads when MERLIN barreled through the last enemy. When it didn't strike, they hesitantly eased.
The battle was over. But it was hardly a victory.
They'd lost a fourth of their allies, and the depot itself was bathed in combat, and they'd lost a transport too. Not bad by any means, but certainly not what Naoto wanted, even if he considered how the Britannians fared. That and Naoto could now see the extent of how damaged the MERLIN was in the lighting. The KMF looked almost worse for wear compared to when it came out; the paint was chipped away, scratched, and burned with dents and bullet holes scattered everywhere. It was almost amazing the machine could move at all, let alone fight the way it did.
And yet, here they were.
Me and my damn luck, He swallowed, cursing his earlier words. The red-haired man ran a hand through his hair, looking at his fellow rebels. He didn't have to say anything as most of the survivors began to move about and regroup, checking wounds and seeing who had died and what could be salvaged ammunition-wise. All the while, MERLIN fell silent beside them, standing like a guard for them.
"So. I'm ... guessing that's what you found inside?"
Naoto jumped at Ohgi's question, looking at the man and the other rebels who gathered around him. Most of them looked either shaken or in disbelief at what had just transpired, with some eyeing MERLIN like it'd come to life again. Others seemed concerned, while Nagata was the only one who was glaring at him, looking less than pleased.
"Well uh… putting it simply," Naoto faced the group before pointing a thumb back at MERLIN. "Yeah. This is what we found, and to that extent, came here for. And as it turns out, our friend is willing to help us fight."
"Help us?" Tamaki's tone was full of uncertainty, and the man shook his head. "Bull. Shit! That zombie thing ain't helping squat!"
"Seriously what are you going on about?" Yoshida muttered.
"That wreck is what we almost died for?" Another member asked, both shocked and disappointed by their tone.
"Look, I know how crazy this sounds but this is the intel we got, and now we have it!" Naoto exclaimed, turning around and facing the rest of them. "Yes, it may not be the best looking one but it cleaned up those Knightmares for us! And! The pilot isn't on good terms much with Britannia either. He says he'll offer to help, and right now we have no reason not to take him up! Especially since he could have just left us out here for dead."
"You can't be serious." Nagata was the first to speak up again. "We already put our lives on the line for that thing, and you wanna take it back with us?!" He argued, and he understood the logic and concern, really he did. But Naoto would give ANYTHING else for Nagata to trust him on this.
"Do you seriously think I'd take a risk without consideration?" He countered. "The way I see it we have one Glasglow and an assault rifle; with THIS-!" Again, he pointed at the MERLIN. "We have a greater fighting chance! And we can do a hell of a lot more damage to the Brit bastards too!"
There was still a wave of caution in the air. "Look, I hate to admit, Nagata, but Naoto is right." Ohgi cut through, stepping up and looking back at the others. "I'm not saying we can't be cautious, but we can't let an opportunity like this go to waste. Especially not after today." He added, gesturing around at the aftermath.
"I know it's not the situation you all like, but what other option do we have?" Naoto reasoned. "We came, we saw, and now we have a bit more of a fighting chance with this Knightmare at our side. If you want a better answer, you can take it up with our guest."
"And who says it will follow you?" Nagata demanded.
Naoto opened his mouth to retort, but no words came.
And suddenly, a loud high-pitched crackle from the MERLIN that nearly sent everyone's guns off, was heard. "I… have sworn my… loyalty," A familiar voice said chillingly. "You will have… MERLIN at your… disposal."
"See? There you go!" Naoto's voice was practically giddy at their newfound ally. "Dove deal! It's decided. We're taking it with us!"
Nagata looked somewhere between blowing a fuse or ripping Naoto's head off, but with a frustrated growl, he stomped away, muttering something. Ohgi and the others exchanged uncertain glances, but Naoto waved it off. He could deal with it at base.
"Right, let's grab whatever supplies and ammo we can take. Then we move! We got another truck inside that we can use, but I need help picking it for sensors or anything that can track it to Shinjuku!" He heard Nagata barking, getting several members to help. Everyone scrambled to get to work examining both vehicles, while the rest were checking the dead bodies for anything valuable.
Naoto, meanwhile, walked towards the MERLIN. It didn't react to him, remaining still even when he came to the side. "I hope you're up for trailing behind us since I don't think your unit's gonna fit in the trucks." He joked, only receiving a grunt as a reply. "Glad we're on the same page. You got a name or something, anyway? What do I call you?"
No response.
"Do you not remember having one?" Naoto asked hesitantly.
A soft grumble echoed. "Low..riel."
"Low-what?"
"My name… is Lowriel."
Naoto had to repeat the name slowly, feeling the way it rolled on his tongue. It sounded more like a title, not a name. Regardless, it's what he got, so he shrugged. "Well then: welcome to the Naoto Resistance Cell, Lowriel." The blue Knightmare didn't respond, its red sensors dimming. Naoto couldn't tell if he was tired, or just done talking.
Either way, the Resistance had their "shiny" new Knightmare now, and with it, a new chance at survival, and a new path ahead of them.
A/N: Man I gotta work on my battle scenes more, huh?
Hey guys, sorry for the delay! It's been a bumpy ride this past week, or at least it feels like one. University studies are no joke when it comes to coursework, especially when you have to learn the HELL that is Statistics (Eh, it's not that bad). But I'm glad to see you guys are enjoying it so far, and I've been feeling good about the way it's turning out too! It's something I struggled a lot with my previous stories if all those chapter rewrites are anything to go off of.
That and I've been playing this little game called Armored Core 6 and OH MY GOD WHERE HAS THIS GAME BEEN ALL MY LIFE?! I saw it when first came out, had no money to put it, managed to FINALLY get it on sale a few weeks ago on Steam, and man: This. Game. Slaps!
It's everything I wanted in a brutal, no-nonsense yet still emotional rollercoaster of a robot game, and I could not ask for more. I think it's also the reason I wanted to write Code Geass again, in this mindset. I do like how the show handled fights both with important characters and just how either side progressed in a fight, but I like to think there are way more pilots than just Akito or Suzaku who are just so... brutal when it comes to combat. I think there's more to a robot fight than one guy giving orders while playing chess with himself. Is that just me? (Probably is, knowing my sadistic side lol)
Also to answer one question: While I did have most of Lowriel's character design already in mind before writing, I did take a little inspiration from C4-621, mainly from fanart designs and another game I used to play.
So yes, Drone905! I DO know Armored Core and I'm enjoying it!
Anyway, I'm gonna get to work on the next chapter, so let me know what you think in the Reviews!
With that said, This is the KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!