Chapter 14: Island of God
An unconscious Suzaku woke up laying on the shore of an island, seeing he was not in the Lancelot. He looked at his surroundings, looking from the sea and ground to the sky as he saw he was the only one.
"What happened to the Lancelot?" Suzaku spoke to himself, before he realized what happened before. "Zero! I was caught in his ambush. It's no use. I can't remember anything after that."
Elsewhere on the island, Zero and Valkyrie was walking by the shore as he saw Valkyrie unconscious. He ran toward her and knelt, nudging her.
"Valkyrie!" Lelouch exclaimed. "Alice! Alice!"
He saw a glimpse of her eyes opening, with Lelouch being the one she sees in front of her as she stood up.
"Lelouch?" Alice looked at her surroundings before turning to Lelouch. "Where are we? And where are the others?"
"A good question. Let's go."
Alice nodded. "Right."
Elsewhere, Archangel and Lobo look around their surroundings. They see that both of them are in an island of sorts, staring from the mountain to around the beach.
"Where the hell are we?"
"I think the bigger question is how did we ever get here?"
Back on Suzaku in the island, he walked around and confirmed his suspensions. He walked around a bit more and tried to figure out what he should do. All he could remember was capturing Zero and was ordered to stay put while bombardment holding his and Zero's way.
"Just as I thought. This is another island." he said. "The vegetation and climate are the same as Shikine island. We can't be that far from it. And there's no way to contact anyone without an in-com. What's more important right now is to find a source of drinkable water and shelter."
Suzaku walked through the island for some time, before he spotted something. Or rather, someone he could see at a distance. The more he walked, the more he saw this person near the waterfall. He got a closer look and was surprised to see that it was none other than Kallen, who happened to be completely naked as she was washing her body by the waterfall. Unknown to him, however, there was someone in the distance who spotted him and Kallen as they walked quietly without making a sound.
"It can't be... that's Kallen..." Suzaku spoke as he walked closer. "Excuse me!"
Kallen was shocked as she recognized Suzaku's voice and turned around to see the man himself. "Suzaku?" she said, grabbing her black knight jacket to cover herself as she glared angrily at him
Shocked and surprised, Suzaku saw Kallen with a Black Knight jacket. "A black knight uniform? You mean you're a-"
Kallen cut him off by charging him with her hidden knife, with a roar intent on stabbing him. The figure watching them moved closely, out of sight at the both of them.
"I don't believe it. It's really you?"
As Kallen was closing the distance between her and Suzaku, she thrust the knife at Suzaku who merely dodged and grabbed her arm. He used her momentum to flip her on the ground, then quickly followed up by pinning her and held her arms to hold her down. The figure remain undetected as they were nearly in close proximity while Kallen and Suzaku were too focused on their confrontation. The figure readied a weapon in their possession, drawing closer.
"Kallen! Kallen Stadtfeld! I don't believe it! You're a-"
"Don't call me that! Don't call me by that name!" Kallen strongly interjected. "Kallen Kozuki is my real name! I'm Japanese!"
"You're kidding me. Then, that means..." Suzaku tried in surprise
"Yes, I'm a Black Knight!" Kallen declared, proudly. "Got it? I'm not hiding it anymore!"
Suzaku frowned. "Well then, Kallen Kozuki... I'm placing you under arrest for conspiracy and rebellion against Britannia-"
"Hey." a voice said catching Suzaku's attention
He was suddenly knocked out from behind as he fell to the side of where Kallen was, with her moving away at the one who attacked him. To her relief, she saw it was none other than Yasuke of Fenrir team who came to her sudden rescue. Unaware to her, Yasuke was caught off guard seeing her nude in front of her and thankful that she could not see his face under his mask.
"Yasuke! You're here! Is everyone else with you?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. We're separated and I have no idea where we are. But..." Yasuke looked away from Kallen. "Uh..."
"What is it?"
"You're still naked." he replied, blushing on the inside of his mask as Kallen blushed heavily to cover herself. 'Is that twice now that I've seen her naked?' He thought as he turned his attention to the unconscious Suzaku. "I'll find something to tie him up while you get dressed."
Meanwhile, Zero and Valkyrie were still walking around trying to figure out what to do before Zero spoke. "Contacting Ohgi and the others is going to be a chore." he said annoyed. "Although, I suppose we could pass ourselves as ordinary people and ask the Britannian forces to rescue us."
Valkyrie shook her head. "That is if there's anyone even-" she is cut off when Zero stopped by her as they walked, looking to see Euphie drenched in water and not far from them as she noticed them. "Here."
With Archangel and Lobo, they were walking around the island thinking of anything to do to find the others or what to do to call help for help. They took their masks for only a few moments, once they realized they were alone before putting their masks back on their faces.
"We got a real problem here. We have no idea what happened to the others." Archangel said, looking around. "Is this part of Shikine island or another?"
"Dunno. We made it okay. So hopefully, so did everyone else too." Lobo stated
"All we know so far, is that this island is closer to Shikine island." Archangel replied. "As to if there are any Britannian military presence stationed on this island, that's still unknown to the both of us."
"You're not wrong." Lobo replied
Back near the waterfall, Kallen was sitting on a rock in her pilot suit while Suzaku was on his knees after his hands were tied. He slightly glared at Yasuke before turning his attention to Kallen.
"I see. Neither of you know what happened, either." he said. "When you came to, you find yourselves on this island. Is that right?"
Kallen scoffed. "So then you're stranded here too, huh? Serves you right." she said with a smirk. "When my people get here, you're the one who'll be a prisoner."
"You mean Zero and the Black Knights?" Suzaku turned to Yasuke. "And you, what's your stake as a mercenary serving terrorists?"
Yasuke scoffed a laugh. "You may not realize it, Kururugi, but the empire you serve are terrorists to countries who try to live their ordinary lives. As for the reasons of me and my fellow merc comrades, they are none of your business."
"Without a doubt." Kallen added, scowling at Suzaku
"Okay, then." Suzaku replied. "Before they do show up, tell me one thing. Tell me who Zero really is."
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Kallen said rhetorically, not looking at Suzaku
"Oh, I see. You don't know either." Suzaku guessed as Kallen was left surprised by his response
'I know Zero's identity, but he doesn't need to know.' Yasuke thought to himself. 'Besides, I don't know how he'd react if he finds out Zero and Lelouch are one and the same. Or what he would do after finding out.'
"How did-"
"I knew it." Suzaku said, convinced
"You tricked me?!" Kallen accused me
"Isn't it one masking own identity a bigger fraud?" Suzaku asked. "I'm curious, why do you follow Zero?"
Kallen glared at Suzaku. "I don't know. Why don't you figure that out yourself!" she said back
"Keep an eye on him." Yasuke said. "I'm going to check the perimeter."
Elsewhere in the island, near the ocean, Zero and Valkyrie had spotted Euphie below them. On instinct, Zero pulled a pistol and aimed at Euphemia with saying a word.
"Lelouch." she spoke, as both Zero and Valkyrie were shocked and in disbelief that Euphie knew Zero's true identity. "Lelouch. It's you, isn't it? I haven't told anyone about you, I swear! Please, before you shoot me... let me see your face."
'How does she know about him? Wait, could this be...' Valkyrie trailed in thought as looked to see Lelouch reveal himself to Euphemia.
"Lelouch!" Euphie said with a tone of emotional happiness if she was on the point of shedding tears
The Britannian forces stationed on Shikine Island were conducting search parties to find Princess Euphemia, with Lieutenant Colonel Fayer taking command of the situation. Knights of Two, Five, Nine, and Thirteen were leading search parties for the Princess while Lt. Col Fayer was overseeing the search on his side as foot soldiers were using metal detectors while they searched the area.
"Find her!" Fayer ordered. "Whatever it takes, find Princess Euphemia! Why couldn't she have behaved the way a sub-viceroy figurehead is expected to?! What a situation this is. If Princess Cornelia ever hears about this..."
"It will be your head on a spike, Lieutenant Colonel!" said the furious voice of Nonette Enneargram, the Knight of Nine. "Now, enough talking and find her!"
"Yes, my Lord." Fayer responded back in fear
Meanwhile, in the ASEEC trailer, Cecile is looking over and doing calculations on the Lancelot.
"Oh, my!" she heard Lloyd say as she turned to see him, only to be surprised who was with him. "Who would have imagined a floating aircraft carrier." he said, impressed. "You told me to gather data before practical application, correct?"
"Because I'm extremely interested in whatever you create." said the voice of Prince Schneizel himself
"Prince Schneizel? Right here?" Cecile said in surprise
"You impudent little-" Cecile turn to suddenly see Bartley rush over, looking offended. "How dare you look down upon the second prince of the Empire!"
"General Bartley!" she responded in shock before she tripped and fell landing on her rear, after trying to stand up
"Nice one." Lloyd commented
"You're not injured, I hope. Please, give me your hand." Schneizel said to her, offering his hand to her. "I am Prince Shneizel el Britannia."
"Yes..." Cecile nervously said as she was helped up by the prince. "Not hurt, I mean."
"Gah... she's unworthy!" Bartley spoke
"General, you're quite the devoted subject, are you?" Lloyd pointed out
"Primarily because the prince is the one who commuted my sentence and saved me from being chained up deep beneath Temple Tower!" Bartley exclaimed
"I wish you'd stop thinking of me so formally." Schneizel said as he looked back at Bartley. "You've been a great help to me in this current matter, as you were to my brother Clovis. It is I who should be grateful to you."
"M-My lord..." Bartley trailed off
"Please, Bartley..." Schneizel looked back at Cecile. "Now, my lady Cecile, if you'll excuse me." he then planted a kiss on Cecile's hand who blushed
"Y-Your highness!" Cecile exclaimed, still blushing
"Farewell." Schneizel said, as he and Bartley begin to walk off elsewhere
"You can wait for me at the base, Cecile." Lloyd said walking with them
Cecile blinked. "Huh? Where are you going?" she asked
"Just a little errand." Lloyd responded. "While I'm doing that, I'll use the Avalon to look for Suzaku. It's hard to find devicers like that young man, especially after yesterday's exploits."
"Please wait." Cecile suddenly spoke.
"Silence!" Bartley barked, glaring at Cecile. "You don't want to be in contempt of royalty, do you?!"
"Those orders were mine, Ms. Cecile." Schneizel stated. "I also fire the Hadron. Even in a situation like that, priorities mustn't be forgotten. Besides if something anomalous happened, we would have been able to rescue him. That's what I gambled. He is, after all Suzaku Kururugi, ace pilot of the Special Corps and Euphie's knight."
"Yes, my lord." Cecile said. "I understand now, and I sorely regret my rudeness. I accept any punishment you decree."
"Nonsense. It's my fault for not protecting my subordinates. Can you ever forgive me?" Schneizel spoke before leaving with Bartley
Euphie was sitting by one side of a large boulder, wrapping herself around Zero's cape as her clothes were drying. Lelouch was on the other side of the boulder while Alice was keeping watch over the both of them and any unwelcome visitors. Alice had find it odd that the Princess herself was able to tell that Lelouch and Zero were one and the same. Then again, Alice realized she had to have known Lelouch and Nunnally since they were children. They were related on their father's side, after all. Something she has in common with Suzaku.
"When did you figure it out?" Lelouch asked
"It was back during the hotel jacking." Euphie answered
"I see... At the time I said too much without thinking." Lelouch said
"Still, I wasn't convinced until now." Euphie replied
"I'm naive, as well. Even so, why did you discuss it with Cornelia?" Lelouch asked
"I didn't because she never listens to me." Euphie said. "Besides that, I think things are depressing enough as they are."
'So, this is the Euphie Nunnally told me about?' Alice thought to herself while still in her Valkyrie uniform
"Nunnally... how is she?" Euphie asked
"Still living, but blind and crippled like the last time you saw us." Lelouch answered, with Euphie recalled seeing Lelouch and Nunnally as her other siblings were present when they were sent to Japan
"The hatred you must feel for us." Euphie said, upset
"I only want to find out one thing." Lelouch glanced at Euphie's direction. "Do you know the circumstance in which my mother was murdered?" he asked as Alice glanced at Lelouch under her mask, slightly remembering his mother being killed back in Britannia
"I'm sorry. It seems my sister's investigated it, extensively. Same with Schneizel." Euphie stated. "Cornelia thought a lot about Lady Marianne and really looked up to her."
Valkyrie glanced between her and Lelouch. 'I wondered what happened to their mother. Lelouch never talks about it.' she thought
"May I ask you something, now?" Euphie asked Lelouch, unsure of what to say. "Are you... Zero? Or... or are you..."
"I am Lelouch." he spoke. "Here and now, I am the brother that you know."
"Oh, Lelouch..." Euphie said happy and relieved so much as tears streamed down her face. Suddenly, her stomach growled as she blushed. "I believe feeling relieved has made me hungry."
"Let's find some food, then." Alice said in her Valkyrie disguise, heading into the forest
Later on, Euphie was now dressed in her dry clothes as her and Lelouch were in the forest. Alice came back with a boar hovering over her shoulders as she carried it back to camp, while Lelouch was struggling to dig a hole in the ground.
"Are you sure this will work?" Euphie asked Lelouch
"From the paw prints and droppings, I can tell that wild animals use this path...! Case in point with Valkyrie showing up with that boar!" Lelouch said, as he started losing stamina and was getting out of breath quickly. "I plan to set up a trap that date back to medieval times..."
"Oh..." Euphie said, before seeing Valkyrie gently move Lelouch aside to help
"Rest."
"Valkyrie-" Alice set him instantly
"I'm not asking." she interjected, helping to set up trap while he rested
On the other side of the island, Yasuke tossed out a couple of fish from the ocean by the shore.
"There we go."
Kallen watching looked impressed while Suzaku was still tied by the shore. "Oh wow, you're not bad at that."
"Mind if I try? I'll promise to help you find food if you let me loose." Suzaku said
Kallen scoffed. "What do you take us for? You're not gonna win us over that easily."
"Man, you're stubborn." Suzaku commented. "You're not anything like the way you are at school."
"It's fine." Suzaku turned to Yasuke in surprise. "I got it."
Meanwhile, Valkyrie was finishing the trap while Lelouch sat on a rock with Euphie beside him.
"Even with... using a lever..." Lelouch said, still out of breath
Euphie glanced at Valkyrie who was working on the trap Lelouch set up to catch prey. "Why don't you let me help with that?" she asked
"No need. I can take it from here." Valkyrie replied. "Besides, manual labor isn't for royal princesses. Is it?"
"Well, I suppose. I could go and search for something like fruit, okay?" Euphie responded
"Be careful, Euphie." Lelouch yelled out loud enough for her to hear
"Right!" Euphie exclaimed with a smile
On a different side of the Island, Rai and Carlito were standing by the shore holding a few fish they catch together. Carlito flash a handful of fruit he and Rai used their masks to carry the fruit they had.
"You're a pretty good fisherman." Rai commented
"Thanks, snowflake." Carlito said, smirking
Rai sighed loudly. "Seriously?"
Carlito merely chuckled. "Nice getting some of that fruit to eat, by the way. So, what's the plan?"
"We'll press on the island tomorrow." Rai declared. "The more we do, the more we'll find the rest of Fenrir. Maybe even Lelouch and Kallen along the way."
"Let's hope so." Carlito replied
Portman Knightmare Frames were underwater as they continued with the search to not only find Princess Euphemia, but any trace of the Black Knights that escaped. Elsewhere under the ocean, the submarine Black Knights was in a spot hiding from the Britannian forces. The submarine wasn't only hiding from the Portman KMDs but also the Avalon, hovering above them over the sky. In the mess hall of the submarine, the remaining members begin to sigh in relief as they were able to stay under the radar of Britannian forces including the Avalon itself. To most of the members it was extremely nerve racking and all were worried about the fate of those that were missing. Washington called in some of his contacts in the Britannian military if they heard anything about any capture of Zero, Kozuki, or Fenrir team.
"Damn it. Nothing."
"No word on the whereabouts of our comrades?" Harkov asked
"Not a peep." Wash muttered in a reply
"You've gotta be kidding." the two hear Tamaki comment
"A battleship like that can hover in midair? That's great." Sugiyama said in sheer sarcasm
"We can't remain in this area any longer, with the risk being too great. We should pull out of here." Todoh said as Ohgi nodded in agreement
"Well, I disagree." Diethard said. "We ought to at least stay put and look for Zero."
"Along with Kozuki and Fenrir team." Wash added
"He has a point." Ohgi said
"But we can't send out a search party in this situation." Todoh pointed out. "Even though we're able to hide thanks to Rakshata, there's no guarantee Zero and the others are still alive. One wrong step and we threaten the very existence of our organization."
Diethard turned to Todoh. "What do you mean? It's entirely the other way around. This organization was built around Zero!"
"It's not a group without members." Todoh rebuked. "The way you speak, you sound like a typical Britannian to me!"
Diethard narrowed his eyes. "All right, then. Answer me this. We the Black Knights are a powerful force able to stand against Britannia and because of that fact we have followers of almost every ideology under the sun gathered here. Yet how is it that the whole lot of them can cooperate and work together toward the same goal? Because of the results we get? Tell me, who is it that gets us these results?!"
Todoh slammed his fists on the table. "I will be the first to admit that Zero does along with the help of Fenrir who made all of this possible. But is it worth the lives of everyone?"
"At times the life of a single man is worth more than those of a million!" Diethard said. "I thought that would be common sense for a typical soldier!"
Todoh glared at Diethard. "You dare say that here?"
"Easy, guys..." Ohgi said trying to break them apart. "This isn't the time to-"
"All right, then. I'll tell you." C.C said walking up to them. "They're very much alive."
"We can't put this on wishful thinking." Todoh said, dismissively
"And what are you doing, anyway? Didn't I-" Tamaki is cut off when Washington brushed past him, walking over to C.C. "Hey!"
"Got anything to back up that claim?" he asked her
C.C held out a small device. "I have this."
"What is that?" Ohgi asked
"A signal device." Wash spoke, glancing at C.C. "How did you..."
"Valkyrie. She gave this to me before Shikine island." C.C stated. "It would activate if she was exposed."
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Tamaki spoke loudly
"Simply because it was none of your business." C.C casually replied
"So, where is the location?" Ohgi asked
"An island near Shikine Island by the name of Kamine Island." C.C responded
"Kamine Island?" Minami asked. "How did they get there?"
"So, should we go in and rescue them?" Sugiyama asked
"This isn't even a question." Inoue said
Ohgi nodded. "Right. We hang in a safe zone, an ocean area just outside of detection range. From there, we can wait until the end of tomorrow. How does that sound for a time limit?"
"All right." Todoh spoke in agreement
"Well, I suppose we have no choice." Diethard said agreeing, with a nod as C.C went into the hallway with an annoyed look
"I'm irritated now and it's all thanks to your silly prank. You have a very poor taste for being an observer. You know that?"
It was now nightfall in Kamine Island as Lelouch and Euphie were sitting by a fire, while Valkyrie stayed behind a rock. Euphie was eating some fruit she found while Valkyrie eat a piece of cooked boar meat. Lelouch on the other hand just sat there with his head down after his trap failed.
"What's wrong? They're quite tasty!" Euphie said. "I'm sure you'll be able to make your pitfall trap tomorrow." she added in an attempt to cheer him up
"Besides, you need to eat. Can't stay skinny and lanky, either." Valkyrie glanced at a hand holding a piece of fruit. "Hmm?" she looked to see it was Euphemia
"Would you like some?" Euphie asked as Valkyrie took the fruit in her hand
"Thanks."
Meanwhile, Rai and Carlito ate their piece of fish which they dipped in berries after it was cooked over the fire.
"Man, this fish is starting to fill me up." Rai said, taking another bite of the fried fish
"You're welcome, snowflake."
Rai scoffed being called snowflake. "If you didn't cook this fish good enough, I would have thrown a berry or another piece of fruit at your face."
"Nice to see you're warming up to the nickname."
"So, you say, little wolf." Rai commented as Carlito slightly glared at him
"You did not just say that."
Elsewhere on the island, Kallen sighed with relief, as she relaxed having eaten one of the cooked fish while Suzaku was still eating his. Yasuke wiped his mouth of the fish he ate, bringing his mask down before turning to Kallen and Suzaku as he sat down beside them.
"Ohh, I can't eat another bite!" Kallen happily said. "Boy, am I stuffed."
"So, is this a glimpse of what you're really like?" Suzaku said with a smile.
Yasuke glanced at Kallen. "Hmm."
"Yeah." Kallen replied. "You want to make something of it?"
"No, I think it's charming to see you so much livelier than you are at school." Suzaku commented
'He's not wrong.' Yasuke thought as he and Kallen were surprised. 'She's different when it comes to being in Ashford compared to when she's with the Black Knights. Then again, that was an act but...' he stared at her for a brief second. 'She is pretty cute when she's like this.'
"Kallen, leave the Black Knights." Suzaku said in a serious tone. "It's not too late. A captured terrorist never winds up with a happy ending."
"I thought you weren't so bad, then you show true colors." Kallen responded. "Well, that won't work! I happen to be the captain of Zero's elite guard. And in fact, I've fought you once back at Shinjuku in my Knightmare."
'Shinjuku?' Yasuke asked in thought. 'Wait, was that because of her? Or was it mostly Lelouch helping her and her group along?'
"You were that red one?" Suzaku asked, slightly surprised
"Yeah, and even if I lose my life doing it, I'll beat that Knightmare of yours someday." Kallen said with determination
"Using Zero's methods offer no future." Suzaku replied
"What about your future, Kururugi?" Yasuke spoke, catching his attention. "You would rather live the life of a lapdog to the emperor as an honorary Britannian?"
"Or be the knight of the third princess? Hah!" Kallen rebuked loudly. "The name of Genbu Kururugi, the Last Samurai, weeps! I'm not you! This world is wrong, and I'm trying to change it! If I don't... if I don't, my brother's death will have been for nothing! That's my reason for fighting... and I'll do whatever it takes to win!"
Suzaku took in Kallen's words, unable to think of what to say next until he spoke. "Kallen. The truth is... I killed my father." he admitted catching them both by surprised as they were shocked. "My father didn't commit suicide. I took his life...with this hand."
'I wonder... does Alice know? Did she find out?' Yasuke thought, staring elsewhere in the distance
"Then explain something..." Yasuke heard Kallen say as she laid down and asked. "What higher purpose did the death of my brother serve? Who gets to sit in judgment? Who decides whether it's right or wrong? Kallen asked with sadness in her eyes
Yasuke took a deep breath before he spoke. "Kallen." said person turned to look at him. "I'm heading out to find the others tomorrow morning. If they're here, that is."
"I'll come too."
"No. You keep an eye on Kururugi." Yasuke than handed Kallen his watch. "If I don't come back in the next hour or tomorrow, you take Suzaku and go without me no matter what."
"But Yasuke-"
"No matter what. Understood?"
"I understand."
Elsewhere on Kamine island, the Avalon approached on the island. In the bridge, Schneizel, Bartley, and Lloyd were looking at the screen and saw an entrance of a cave. The Knight of Two and Five arrived on the bridge
"We couldn't find Major Kururugi washed ashore on the other islands, so it's obvious we should look here." Schneizel said
"We'll send out a search party in the morning." Bartley spoke
Schneizel stared closer. "Hmm... and this must be what you mentioned?"
"Yes! We uncovered it when the Shinjuku incident occurred." Bartley replied
"Ah, yes. I can see why this would've attracted Clovis' interest." Schneizel said
"What is that?" Mariel asked John who simply had his eyes on the cave
The next morning, the sun shined as Kallen and Suzaku walked up a hill. Archangel and Lobo were also on the same path of walking up the hill, with Lelouch along with Valkyrie and Euphie doing the same. Before that happened, Archangel and Lobo had an encounter with a boy with violet eyes. From that moment, every fiber of Rai told him and Carlito to run like a deer in fear of a hunter. While running they are spotted by a Britannian patrol which caught both of them off guard, but Rai used his Geass to affect them with his power. When the boy showed up, the Britannian patrol had their weapons trained on him. In one second the boy remained still, but in a split second the Britannian patrol was instantly killed. Both Rai and Carlito's eyes widened in shock while they hid away in the bushes, watching the whole thing play out. An entire patrol killed by a single, scrawny boy as he left to find them. Once he was gone, Rai and Carlito continued onward to the path leading up to the hill in Archangel and Lobo getup. As for Yasuke, he scouted ahead after a Britannian patrol on the island. He sneaked through the guarded area like a fox, avoiding detection and any contact from Britannian forces since this was only reconnaissance. Then, he went inside a cave and noticed a small Britannian force looking over some artifact. When he narrowed his eyes at the artifact in question, his eyes slightly widened.
"That's the same symbol..." he muttered, quietly to himself
"A thought elevator, you say?" he heard one voice say as he got into cover. "I'm afraid archaeology isn't my strong suit, especially this paranormal stuff."
"Why, you... show some respect!" another man berated, with Yasuke recognizing the voice
"That voice..." he growled under his breath
"As I was saying, this is way outside of my field." Yasuke turned his attention to the man with glasses and labcoat. "I wish you could've asked Cecile about this instead."
"Please don't complain so much." Yasuke turned to see prince Schneizel speaking to the two men. "My father is infatuated with this as well." the prince then turned to a man with a monocle wearing a superior officer's uniform. "Isn't that right, Bartley?"
"Yes." Bartley answered as Yasuke balled his fist at the sight of him. "We have found artifacts similar to these in a number of places around the world. Except this one that I've discovered, all the other sites are directly under imperial order. This is mere speculation on my part, but I think the real reason we're invading other countries is to obtain these objects!"
"Bartley..." Yasuke muttered in a sudden growl. 'What the hell is he doing here?' he glanced at the artifact housing the symbol. 'Is it because of that?'
"And so..." Lloyd trailed, looking at a black Knightmare with golden parts that was guarded by three, foot soldiers. "In order to analyze this ancient occult data, you're going to use the Gawain's Druid system. An untuned prototype is that it?"
"Gawain..."
"That's why we called you in." Schneizel said
"Ah, ha."
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the island, Archangel and Lobo make it up near the hill to hear arguing. As they got closer, they easily recognized the voices of Zero, Kallen, Alice Suzaku, and another they recognize the voice of Princess Euphemia. They got up to see Euphemia by Suzaku's side while Zero stood by Kallen and Valkyrie.
"You hardheaded-"
"What the hell is going on here?" Lobo shouted out, bluntly
"Archangel! Lobo!"
"More of you?" Suzaku spoke in surprise
"You two are here. Where were you?" Zero asked, turning to them
"Somewhere else."
"I see we might be at an impasse here? Would someone mind us telling what's going on?"
Before they knew it, the Geass of Lelouch, Rai, Malik, and Alice had suddenly activated as there was a huge red glow on the ground which bear the Geass sigil. The ground above them shook and started to give away as it begun to fall, much to the others shock. In the cave, the tremors were going on and the Druid system of the Gawain was going crazy. The symbol on the thought elevator itself was glowing bright red, shocking everyone as they did not know what was happening now.
"Not good." Lloyd commented
"My Lord, please get yourself to safety!" Bartley pleaded with worry in his voice
The platform from above had collapsed and there were the three small groups that were standing on the platform, before descending into collapse. The rest were surprised to see them. Among the crates, Yasuke spotted his team along with Zero, Suzaku, and Kallen. But to his surprise, he also saw Princess Euphemia standing beside Suzaku among the confusion. After all, they were all shocked to see where they were as Euphemia saw Suzaku only just stood with a mortified expression. Looks like Bartley would have to wait for Yasuke, as he took the opportunity to sneak around undetected.
"Major Kururugi? And is that Zero?"
Soldiers pointed their rifles at Zero, Kallen, and the rest of Fenrir before Bartley intervened once he saw them. "Don't shoot, you fools! Princess Euphemia is with them! Capture them! Capture them!"
"Zero! There's a Knightmare we can see." Archangel said, pointing at the Gawain as the Zero and the others saw it
"Perfect. We'll use that. Let's go." Zero said
"Right!" Kallen and Fenrir said in unison
Foot soldiers were rushing in to stop them from leaving but were fought off as Yasuke jumped in to their delight. Zero and Valkyrie got inside the Knightmare while Archangel hopped on its shoulder as Kallen and Lobo landed on its hands. Yasuke ran and leaped over the shoulder as Archangel caught him in time while Euphemia was concentrated on Suzaku as he remained frozen and scared while looking upward. Kallen and Yasuke were keeping the soldiers at bay after taking some rifles, as the soldiers themselves retreat and shot back at them.
"Suzaku! Suzaku, what's wrong?"
"This is good!" Zero said as he and Valkyrie were in the cockpit. "Not only unmanned but activate too!"
"Form a wall in front of Princess Euphemia! Hurry!" one of the soldiers had ordered as Zero was getting the Gawain ready and the pod closed
"What kind of Knightmare is this?"
"A new model from the looks of it." Valkyrie stated, looking at the Knighmare's system and how different it was from the others
"It's my lucky day!" Zero exclaimed before he was shocked at what he noticed. "Schneizel! Why is he here?"
Schneizel looked on surprised. "So that's him. That's Zero?" he asked as he saw the Gawain start to move with Kallen and the others jumped on to the shoulders
"The Gawain!"
"Stop that woman now! Get the machine back! We can't allow it to fall in Zero's hands!" Bartley ordered as a bullet zipped quite close to where he was, turning to Yasuke gesture a mock expression. His eyes widened with dread. "You?!"
"Schneizel... next time!" Zero said on the controls
Lobo stared in front as he saw Sutherlands rushing in toward the cave in attempt to stop them from leaving. "We got Sutherlands blocking our way out!"
"Hang on tight!" Zero said. "I'm going through them!"
"How-"
"Brace yourselves!" Valkyrie shouted for them to hear
"Disappear." Zero fired the Hadron cannon of the Gawain, firing at the Sutherland but was shocked that the weapon was imperfect and had no effect
"The weapons are incomplete!"
"Wait, there's another system here!" Valkyrie commented as Lelouch smirked
Zero pulled a lever and the Gawain started to levitate from the ground, now up in the air which surprised Kallen and the rest of Fenrir.
"We're flying? This Knighmare can fly!"
Zero laughed. "A new Knightmare for the Black Knights!"
Suzaku was finally able to move and wondered what had happened to him. Back with the Gawain, it flew and had escaped from the grasp of Britannian forces. While on the island, Bartley was mortified with what recently transpired as Euphemia and Suzaku came out of the cave.
"The Gawain! Our prized possession, gone!" Bartley wailed
"Well, It was only a test model, Bartley." Schneizel said as he smiled to see his sister
Euphie was happy to see Schneizel as she rushed over to him. "Oh, Schneizel, I missed you!" she said happily
"Dear Euphie, I'm sorry it took us so long." Schneizel said, happily to her
"No, it's all right." she replied
Soldiers from Shikine island had approached them. "Prince Schneizel. Shall we stick to the schedule?"
"Hm? Oh, right."
The soldiers surrounded Suzaku. "Major Suzaku Kururugi, you're under arrest for a violation of military regulations." This surprised Suzaku was being escorted away
"What's the meaning of this?! Suzaku Kururugi is my knight. You can't do-"
"Let them be, Euphie. This is something I can take care of later." Schneizel interjected as the soldiers disbursed
"Did something happened?" Euphie wondered
Elsewhere, the Gawain was flying over the ocean.
"I've contacted Ohgi." Zero said. "We can rendezvous with them out at sea."
"What about our Knightmares?" Lobo asked
"All of them were recovered." Valkyrie assured
"Suzaku, forgive me." Lelouch said. "I never intended to use the power on you, but..."
Alice looked at Lelouch upon realization at what he meant. She thought back to Shikine Island before the Hadron cannon fired on them. She remembered Lelouch using his Geass on Suzaku, telling him to live. Once he was under the control of Geass, he let go of Zero and rushed in the Lancelot. After Zero turned off the Gefjun Disturber and Suzaku entered the Lancelot, he powered it on and rushed to get away from the sandpit as the Hadron cannon fired.
"Suzaku..." Alice muttered to herself while looking down
Back with Suzaku, he was in the military base within Shikine Island, Suzaku, Euphie, and Schneizel met with Cecile and Fayer along with several soldiers there. When they arrived, Fayer played a recording of Suzaku regarding the Hadron cannon firing at the sandpit. The Knights of Two and Thirteen were also present, glancing at Suzaku as they saw his shocked expression. John glanced at Clara who nodded before he had Suzaku follow him to a room, with Clara behind them as Geass symbol flashing on her left eye while she stared at Suzaku.
"Lord Giovanni, I don't know how-" a hand gesture from the Knight of Two
"It's okay, Suzaku."
"He's right, Kururugi. We are going to get to the bottom of this." Clara said as she affected him with her Geass
In the Genkai Sea, there was a large number of Chinese watercrafts approaching Kyushu as they bore a print of the Japan flag. Elsewhere, a young boy who was very short stature with long blond hair had a sadistic smile on his face after what transpired on Kamine Island.
"My, oh my. How have things changed."