Warning: I do not own the rights to Code Geass, Transformers and Doom, these rights belong to Sunrise Studio, Hasbro and id Software.
" Command..." - Geass voice commands.
Chapter 3: The First contact
The Britannian troops were killing Elevens left and right, like some kind of exterminators - pests. Blood flowed like rivers, there were corpses of men, women, old people and even children everywhere. The despotic empire spared no one.
And now two children were hiding under the rubble of a building in the hope of surviving the nightmare that had become reality. They trembled with fear, holding on to each other, listening to the explosions that shook the ground, gunshots, accompanied by screams of agony and horror. Two tiny creatures prayed to God to survive, but unfortunately God had long since left these lands, because the next moment, before their eyes, the wall that protected them from the Britannian soldiers was destroyed. A purple demon appeared in front of them, whose pilot smiled sadistically, seeing the hiding children. He pointed his weapon of death at them, saying:
- This is your fate, the elevens - to be dirt under the heel of our great empire.
The children closed their eyes in fear, awaiting their fate.
- All hail Britannia! - the arrogant Briton was about to press the button, but his attention was immediately drawn to the horn of a car.
He turned around, seeing how his chariot was rammed at great speed by a green SUV. From the strong blow, Sutherland somersaulted a little during the fall, but then the "driver" decided to finish off the mech completely, destroying its head module. The first Sutherland hit the green thug Bulkhead. Leaving it behind, he moved on, but as soon as he drove behind the building, he immediately ran into a group of three British Nightmares, who had managed to aim their rifles at him, causing the Autobot to exclaim to himself:
"Scrap!"
However, at that very moment, two energon projectiles flew into the hulls of the Nightmares standing in front. A red and blue truck and a maroon and gray pickup truck, with blaster cannons on their sides, were rushing towards them at great speed. The pilots, who did not have time to understand what was happening, were immediately hit in the legs, thereby depriving them of the ability to move, and only then do anything, since their factspheres were destroyed by a couple of shots. The green Autobot sighed with relief, believing that the danger had passed, and thanked his comrades for saving him:
- Thanks, you guys came in time.
- Next time, think about your decisions before you rush into trouble! - Ironhide scolded him sternly, hiding his powerful blasters under the hood.
- You know, Heidi, I am a Wrecker, and we are supposed to go into the thick of things. - Bulkhead retorted playfully.
- Enough, we need to focus on the situation, not on our actions. - Optimus said, turning towards the center of the ghetto, while the others followed him.
Along the way, they came across all the traces of the Britannian troops' atrocities: huge piles of corpses, a carpet of red liquid flowing into streams that ran in different directions, thus resembling the roots of a tree. But in addition to death, they saw horror and despair on the faces of living people mourning their dead friends, family members and anyone else.
- Damn wannabes. Now I understand how Arcee felt when she saw all this horror! - Ironhide said angrily.
- What beasts! So many innocent people have died and they still don't have enough! For what?! - Bulkhead fumed, feeling his spark fill with rage.
- That's why we're here. - Prime said in a calm tone.
But inside, he felt pain and despair every time he found more and more corpses, as if the entire street was filled with only them. It reminded him of Cybertron in the very last days of the war, when Megatron stormed Iacon, destroying everyone in his path as if they were an ordinary obstacle. And Britannia even decided to arrange all this carnage for the sake of one stolen truck, for the sake of finding it. It was the height of madness and chauvinism, the Britons putting numbered ones on the same level as terrorists and trampling them like annoying insects.
- We must reunite with our comrades as soon as possible, so that we can organize a joint counterattack. And, if possible, find at least some signs of the presence of rebels in the ghetto. - Optimus explained.
- Arcee, Cliff, Bee, can you read us? - Ironhide contacted on the radio.
- We hear you loud and clear, Heidi. - the red bot answered, once again turning over an enemy tank together with his partner Arcee.
- We just arrived in Shinjuku. We are on the western side of the ghetto, moving towards the center. And where are you?
- We just passed the train station on the southern border. - Arcee reported. - We just recently discovered the location of the Nightmare "Glasgow", which is controlled by a rebel. I suppose by finding it, we will be able to find some resistance cell.
- Is Bumblebee with you? - Prime asked.
- No, we decided to split up to cripple as many enemy Nightmares as possible and haven't contacted him since. I tried a few minutes ago, but he didn't answer. - Cliff explained.
- Ratchet, can you track Bumblebee's signal? - the Autobot leader asked the medic.
Ratchet had long ago turned on the beacon scanner on a two-dimensional map of the entire ghetto, having found the yellow scout in the warehouse area.
- Yes, he is located not far from the center, in the warehouse area. I, like Cliffjumper, tried to contact him, but received no answer.
All the Autobots were very surprised by this, because the yellow bot was always present on the radio, despite the lack of his own voice.
- I checked the communication systems, everything works one hundred percent. - assured the orange minicon Fixit. - Maybe he is under the bridge... drugs... - he hit himself on the body. - ... radio silence?
- "Radio silence"? - the veteran Autobot did not believe. - Is he afraid of being wiretapped by Britain?
- I highly doubt it. Perhaps he got into a situation in which he cannot contact us? - the medic suggested.
From these words, each Autobot became wary, thinking that their yellow friend had problems.
- Autobots, we are heading to Bumblebee's location. We need to find him as soon as possible.
- Got it! - Arcee replied.
- Copy that! - Cliffjumper said.
- Then let's go! - Bulkhead rushed forward.
- Oh, these youngsters! - Ironhide sighed pitifully.
Bumblebee stood rooted to the spot, watching as the so-called Lelouch Vi Britannia made the Britannian soldiers commit suicide with a few words, as if they were happy to fulfill his will. For a moment, it seemed to him that the people's eyes had changed, acquired new outlines, namely a red glowing ring around the pupil. He ignored the calls of his comrades, being in shock and disbelief, while being in vehicle mode.
In turn, Lelouch, after his devilish laughter, looked at the unconscious green-haired girl, whose forehead was painted with the symbol of a bird, whose wings soared above her body.
"I don't know what you wanted..." - he thought to himself. - "...but I should thank you for this power."
But at that very moment, to the general surprise of the Autobot and the teenager, a purple Sutherland appeared at the warehouse gate, armed with a machine gun and scanning the area with its factosphere. The pilot, who turned out to be the same silver-haired woman with dark skin, seeing the result of the massacre and the teenager, behind whom a yellow and black muscle car was flaunting, pointed her weapon at Lelouch.
"How could all these guardsmen die here?" - she asked herself in shock, then looked at the car. - "Is this the car that attacked Lord Jeremiah?"
Then her eyes caught sight of the boy, causing her brows to furrow slightly.
- Who are you, boy? What happened here and what are you doing here? - the woman asked menacingly, but when she received no answer, she decided to act more radically, firing warning shots around the boy. - Answer me, now!
"Scrap! This is not good. I could transform to throw her away, but if I did that, then..." - Bumblebee thought desperately to himself, trying to come up with at least some kind of trick to protect the supposed Britannian prince. But Lelouch immediately beat him to it, addressing the pilot in a commanding tone:
- I order you to exit the nightmare immediately! - his ability activated, but it could not reach the pilot's eyes, who, upon hearing this, answered incredulously:
- Who are you to order me around?
Both Lelouch and Bumblebee were seriously scared, not expecting resistance from the British woman.
"It didn't work?" - the yellow scout said to himself in confusion.
However, Lelouch seemed to understand that his ability had its drawbacks, one of which was now showing itself.
"I see, so my power only works with direct eye contact." - he said to himself, after which a plan had formed in his head.
In front of the girl, whose name, by the way, was Villetta Nu, Lelouch raised his hands up, shocking the Autobot himself.
"What is he doing?" he said mentally.
- Excuse me, my name is Alan Spacer. I am the son of a duke.
- The son of a duke? - Villetta asked, puzzled.
- Yes, if you need my ID, it is in my left breast pocket. If you confirm my identity, can I ask you for protection?
The woman did not answer. She could not fully trust this "British schoolboy", especially with his claim to belong to the ducal family of Spacers, but he looked British, and perhaps he was taken hostage by terrorists for ransom. One way or another, everything led to the British woman turning off the engine of the nightmare, taking out the ignition key and her pistol, and then opening the pilot capsule.
- Keep your hands on top so I can see them while I take out your ID. - She said, climbing down from the sitting purple mech.
Lelouch grinned slyly, since the girl fell for his words, because in the next seconds she appeared in front of his face, which he took advantage of.
- And now I will ask you to give me the ignition key to your nightmare.
A red bird flew out of Lelouch's left eye, rushing to the neurons of Villetta's brain, rebuilding and, thus, subordinating the pilot to the will of the Britannian prince. The eyes widened, and two red rings formed in the orange pupils. Then she said good-naturedly, but seriously, giving him the key:
- Good. Access code: XG-21-G-2-D-4.
- I see. - said the young man, taking the precious key from the British woman's hands.
After that, he climbed into the Knightmare's cabin, closing the hatch behind him and activating the control panel by igniting the engine and using the panel access code.
The mech's limbs creaked. The systems were normal, the radar was functioning, which meant that it was possible to leave while the woman was still in a state of hypnosis. Meanwhile, the yellow scout thought about what had happened, coming to one correct conclusion:
"Apparently, he needs direct visual contact for this power to work properly."
Lelouch was about to leave, but remembering the "driver" of the muscle car, he immediately stopped, which attracted the attention of the Autobot. He did not know who it was, but he understood that his savior saw and heard everything: how he used this new power, and how he openly declared his belonging to the imperial family. Lelouch couldn't use his abilities because the "driver" wouldn't open the window, which was almost completely tinted. However, that didn't mean the former prince couldn't thank him:
- Hey, listen, I don't know who you are, and I hate being indebted to anyone, but could you make it so that everything that happened between us remains a secret, okay? And you really saved my life, thank you. Whoever you are. - He turned the mech towards the center of the ghetto. - By the way, cool car.
And he drove away, leaving Bumblebee and the female pilot in the warehouse until the former decided to follow this "mysterious prince". When Villetta was freed from hypnosis, she noticed that the guy, the car, and even her Sutherland were no longer in sight, as if they had evaporated into thin air.
- What the? - She said in amazement.
Driving past the ruins, the yellow bot kept a decent distance so as not to accidentally scare the "Prince of the Empire", who in turn was riding a nightmare in an unknown direction. And then Bumblebee remembered that his comrades had tried to call him many times.
- [Uh, Bumblebee to Team Prime. Can anyone hear me?] - he responded over the comlink.
- This is Optimus, I hear you fine, Bumblebee! - Prime responded.
- Where in the name of Cybertron are you?! We've tried to call you many times, but you haven't answered any of them! - Ratchet exclaimed angrily.
- [About that... um...] - Bee hesitated.
- What? Spit it out, soldier, what's up with you? - the veteran Autobot pressed.
- [Well, you should hear this!] - said the yellow bot, playing the recording of what happened:
"Lelouch vi Britannia commands, all of you... DIE!"
The recording they heard discouraged all the Autobots.
- Wow, stop, Bee, rewind! - asked Cliffjumper, taken by surprise.
The scout fulfilled the request:
"Lelouch vi Britannia commands...
- What? Lelouch vi Britannia?! You mean like the Britannian prince?! Seriously?!
- [Yes, Cliff, seriously. That's who I met!] - Bumblebee confirmed.
- Is he in league with Clovis? - Arcee asked suspiciously.
- [No. Definitely not!]
- How are you so sure? - the red bot asked.
- [Because those he ordered to die were the Britannian soldiers! But that's not the most important thing... listen!] - he started the recording again:
"- With pleasure, Your Imperial Highness!" - he put his pistol to his temple.
A burst of machine gun fire and a pistol shot followed, which greatly shocked the Autobots, who did not expect something like this.
- What the hell?! - Ironhide responded.
- Did they really kill each other?! - Bulkhead asked, not believing his ears.
- [Yeah. I couldn't believe it myself until I saw it with my own eyes.] - the scout replied, still not recovering from that incident.
- Who is this Lelouch anyway?
- I'll find out! - Fixit said, entering data into the digital console.
A quick search of the data followed until the computer returned the result.
- Lelouch vi Britannia is a member of the Britannian Imperial Family, the 11th prince and the 17th heir to the throne of Britannia. But it says here that he was killed during Britannia's invasion of Japan seven years ago.
- That must be a bit of an exaggeration, since I assume they couldn't find a body, right? - Cliff asked.
- Yes, the Britannian forces were unable to confirm Lelouch vi Britannia's death with any evidence.
- So, we've sorted that out. Now what?
- [Well, first of all, the prince does not support Britannia, even openly despises it] - Bumblebee turned on the recording again:
"- Tell me, commander of the guard, how should a Briton live who hates his country?"
- Wow, first time I hear this from a Britannian prince. Although it is not surprising, considering how many atrocities this country has committed. - Bulkhead commented.
- Let's focus on what happened there. - Ratchet intervened. - What did you see, Bumblebee?
[This Lelouch suddenly got a power, with which he ordered the soldiers to kill himself!] - the yellow Autobot squeaked.
- Power? - Arcee wondered.
- [It looked like a red bird-shaped pattern imprinted on the prince's eye. Then, after the words were spoken, the same color rings lit up in the guard commander's eyes. And then they were all lying on the floor, dead and shot point-blank. I've never seen anything like that even on Cybertron.]
- Wow. And he did this just by looking at them? - Cliffjumper was amazed.
- [Aha! But that's not all! When it was all over, Sutherland drove up to us. The prince improvised by posing as someone else, and when the pilot went outside to get his ID, he used his power again, hypnotizing him as well. The pilot gave him the key to the nightmare, and then he just took off, leaving his unconscious.]
- Where is he now, Bumblebee? - Optimus asked.
- [I'm keeping an eye on him, Optimus! And it looks like he's heading for downtown Shinjuku.]
- Why? Should we destroy these punks? - Ironhide asked.
- Bumblebee, continue to follow him, but keep your distance until we figure out his intentions. Perhaps we can come to an agreement with him about cooperation. - Optimus ordered.
- What? Form an alliance with the Britannian prince?!" Arcee asked, puzzled.
- The former prince. - Cliff clarified.
- What difference does it make? He's still a member of the Imperial family! - she continued to protest against this decision.
- Arcee, there's still a lot we don't know about this world. We shouldn't let prejudices and preconceptions affect our relationships with potential allies. If Prince Lelouch was willing to use this power to kill his own countrymen, then he has his reasons for doing so. However, we must also learn his true intentions, so Bumblebee, the orders remain the same. I order the remaining Autobots to gather at Bumblebee's location. If you find any resistance cells, report them immediately. We may have to form an alliance to mount a counterattack.
The Autobots, some reluctantly, agreed to Optimus's plan.
Infirmary at the Mobile base G1
- You're having a bad day today, huh, buddy? - Lloyd Asplund asked enthusiastically of the soldier lying in the hospital bed and having Japanese features.
- What? - he said, coming to his senses and examining his surroundings.
- It looks like you missed your chance to go to heaven, Private Kururugi.
- I'm... alive? - Suzaku said in shock, not believing his eyes and ears. He was alive and could even feel pain in his lower body, which was all bandaged.
- You were badly injured and were transported here. - Cecile Crumie said compassionately.
- Where am I?
- Well, you're in an ambulance now, and the ambulance itself is located next to Prince Clovis's mobile base, which in turn is still in the Shinjuku ghetto.
- This seems to be yours. - the blue-haired girl handed the soldier a pocket watch. - It was the one that stopped the bullet from flying through. You were very lucky. This thing is probably very dear to you.
- Yes, thank you. - Suzaku thanked, taking the memento, remembering the old days when he could play together with Lelouch and Nunnally.
And as soon as he remembered his friend, he immediately began asking about everything:
- Lelouch? What's the latest news on the situation in Shinjuku?
- Well, they say that terrorists released poison gas and now the army is trying to eliminate the spread of the poisonous substance.
"Poison gas?! There was none! Someone gave out incorrect information!" - Suzaku said mentally, replaying the last hours in that subway in his head.
- By the way, Private Kururugi, what experience do you have piloting a nightmare? - the scientist-engineer asked, wanting to hear a negative answer, and with such enthusiasm that he was ready to pounce on the soldier just to shove him into the simulator and thus make him a pilot of his project.
Kururugi himself did not expect such a question, since he knew that the Elevens was forbidden to operate a nightmare. And even despite the fact that he was a honored Briton and a soldier of the imperial army, he still would not have been allowed to this machine.
- What? But aren't the Elevens forbidden to pilot a nightmare?
Asplund had been expecting this question, excited about the idea like a small child. He pulled a golden key with metal embroidery out of his pocket.
- And if I tell you it's possible? - he asked, smiling slyly.
Suzaku could only look at the scientist with a puzzled look, not knowing what the Briton was talking about and not noticing what was written on the embroidery in large letters. However, he understood that this could be an excellent chance to save his friend and that girl.
Bulkhead, taking advantage of the elevated position among the rubble of the building, flew up above the ground and hit the body of the purple nightmare, mangling its head module and the front part of the cabin. By inertia, Sutherland flew to the road, where at that moment a Britannian tank was standing, which was immediately crushed under the weight of Sutherland's weight. Behind the destroyed vehicles there was another group of mechs, who were ready to blow up the "driver" of the green SUV, but they themselves were blown up with a couple of shots from energon grenade launchers into the fuel rods from another corner of the street, from where a maroon pickup truck emerged.
A block away from the two Autobots, Optimus Prime was working in his red and blue truck uniform. In front of him was a group of four purple mechs and two four-barreled tanks. The Britons spotted the approaching object, initially demanding that the transport be stopped, but then opening fire on it. The shots were ignored by the Cybertronian casing, after which Prime turned around at great speed, ramming the legs of some Sutherlands and turning over all the tanks. Some pilots managed to recover, pointing their machine guns at Prime, but the volleys from the energon blasters crossed out all the plans of the wayward Britons. Another side ram and the purple mechs flew out of the arena field, bringing down the fragile structure on themselves. The impudent one turned out to be a red Autobot in the form of a car with horns on the hood.
- If you want to hit in the back, you'll get it in the horns! - Cliffjumper threatened his disabled opponent.
At the same moment, Bulkhead and Ironhide arrived at the scene. Each of the Autobots continued to maintain their disguise, since there were still many people left in the ghetto.
- Cliffjumper, glad to see you! - the green thug rejoiced.
- And me too, big guy!
- Well, you guys caused quite a stir, I tell you! - Ironhide said with some indignation.
- Listen, Heidi, it's not our fault that these cretins staged a real massacre because of just one stolen truck. It seems that they kill people just to leave no witnesses.
- And what do the officials say about this? Ratchet? - the veteran bot asked.
- The Britannian media claims that the terrorists used poison gas. And that's why Prince Clovis brought troops into the ghetto.
- Gas? Ha! Why the hell would the rebels use a poisonous substance on their own compatriots?! These punks are clearly hiding something, since they kill everyone left and right, advertising it as liquidation of the consequences! - the maroon Autobot exclaimed angrily.
- It doesn't matter how they present it to the public, I am ready to tear them to shreds! Just say the word and I will do it! - Bulkhead got angry, roaring his engine very aggressively.
- Cliffjumper, where is Arcee? - Optimus asked calmly.
- She went to look for a resistance cell. And along the way I came across the trail of our "Glasgow", where the rest of the rebels are probably hiding. I also learned that Bee is heading to the same place.
- Do you think it's a coincidence? - asked Ironhide.
- No, it looks like Prince Lelouch intends to help the rebels. - suggested Prime.
- Do you think it would be advisable to cooperate with him? - the medic doubted.
- Until we learn his motives, we will do nothing. At least until he takes some steps towards the rebels.
- Got it, boss. Follow me. - Cliff was the first to move, leading his friends towards the railway embankment.
Far from the rest of the Autobot group, a battle was underway between a one-armed red nightmare and combat units of the Britannian army. The last piece of equipment of the imperial forces - a tank, which up to this point had shot a group of civilians, was destroyed with the help of Slash-Harken, which tore its turret into pieces.
After its pilot - Callen looked towards the corpses of adults and children dripping with blood, her gaze distorted by melancholy and anger.
"Damn you, Britons!" - she cursed silently.
- Callen, is Glasgow still capable of moving? - asked the head of the local resistance cell, Ohgi.
- Yes, it is still moving. Don't worry, Ohgi. I will lure them to myself, and in the meantime you evacuate people from the subway.
- It's not working! The exit is blocked from the other side! We are surrounded!
- Wait, I will try to distract their attention and..." Callen did not have time to finish, feeling a strong vibration from the shots on the casing of the nightmare from the left side.
It was the remaining Sutherland, trying to riddle the rebels' Glasgow. However, at that very moment, something unprecedented happened. A blue motorcycle, jumping from the fourth floor, flew into the head module of the purple mech, completely finishing it off. Then the same "driver" landed in front of the red nightmare, whose pilot was very discouraged by such an unexpected victory of an ordinary two-wheeled vehicle over one of the most advanced machines in human history. But the motorcycle was not ordinary at all. In front of Kallen stood the fembot Arcee.
- Follow me! - she exclaimed in a serious tone, using her hologram to call the Japanese woman.
- What... Who are you? - Kallen addressed through the loudspeaker, which stunned Arcee, who thought that some guy was sitting inside.
But there was no time for a long dialogue, so she had to refuse to answer:
- It doesn't matter! Just follow me if you want to live!
The girl herself understood that now was not the best time to find out names and everything else. But since that woman is fighting against the Britannian army, that means she is on their side. Maybe even Kallen will be able to form an alliance with her.
Ashford Academy
Shirley, the brown-haired beauty of the school, was taking off her swimsuit, since her swimming club classes had long since ended. But suddenly her phone rang in her pocket, which surprised her while her classmates were looking at something on their laptop.
Seeing a familiar number, she was even more surprised, but then frowned, nevertheless answering the call:
- Hello?
Lelouch was finally able to find a place where he could get a good signal for a call. Which he succeeded in doing, as the called party picked up the phone.
- Hello, Shirley!
- Lulu! What are you doing? Do you know that I've been trying to reach you for the hundredth time? Where the hell are you? Although let me guess, are you playing your gambling games again? - Fennett sighed in disappointment.
- Listen, Shirley, I don't have much time. Are you near the TV? - Lelouch asked, to the girl's surprise.
- TV? - she asked, puzzled.
- It's very important to me!
The girl blushed a little at the thought that Lulu had entrusted her with a very important request, which, although unconsciously, made her think that she was very valuable. And since he was asking, it meant that she needed to do it. Noticing that her classmates had turned on the official channel on their laptop, she decided to intervene:
- Em, excuse me, can you change the channel?
- Which one? - asked one of the girls.
- Um... - Fennet hesitated, turning to her friend in a whisper. - Which one?
- News. Is there anything about Shinjuku? - Lelouch answered.
- Turn on the news.
The schoolgirls complied with the request, since Fennet was a member of the student council, and the girls did not want to cross their path.
- Um, well, it says here that entry into the ghetto is restricted. - Shirley explained, which did not surprise Lelouch.
- Why restricted?
- I don't know, they don't say the reason.
- I see. - Lelouch said thoughtfully. - "It looks like they are in no hurry to publish the results of their operation, having staged everything so that a poisonous substance was sprayed in the ghetto. And apparently the military and Clovis' personal guard are involved in this. I wouldn't be surprised if he organized this whole mess for the sake of one person and announces on television that the army managed to eliminate the consequences of the poisoning, which means the destruction of the entire population of the ghetto." - he thought to himself, seeing a broken chessboard with several intact pieces under his feet.
- Lulu, you're gambling again, right?! Do you understand how dangerous this can be? - Shirley scolded her friend in a stern tone.
And the former prince came up with the idea of playing the fool:
- Yes, you caught me, Shirley. - He admitted (lied). - By the way, tell my sister that I'll be home late today. Thank you and bye.
And he ended the call, which really pissed off Fennett.
- What? You hung up again?! - she exclaimed in annoyance. - How many times can this go on?!
The girl tried to call him again, but heard this from the operator:
- Dear customer, the number you are calling is currently out of range.
- Argh! - Fennett grinned angrily. - Damn it, not again!
Shinjuku Ghetto
Taking a few chess pieces with him, Lelouch decided to act. He opened a two-dimensional map of the entire ghetto via the console, which the girl had used before. And since Sutherland belonged to the imperial army, it meant that radio signals marked other Britannia nightmares as allies, and others - as unidentified objects. With this function, he could easily determine the location of his enemy, no matter where he went.
"These idiots dug their own grave by announcing publicly that the entrance to the ghetto was closed, thereby cutting off their supply line and access to reinforcements. Apparently, they naively believe that there is no one here except for civilians and a pathetic bunch of terrorists. But to their great regret, I have access to their database. Let's see how you can play this game, Clovis." - Lelouch muttered to himself with a devilish grin, making his first move.
Or rather, he wanted to make a move, until his eyes caught the outline of the hood of a yellow and black car parked far away from him through the camera. Bumblebee saw Sutherland turn in his direction, which horrified him, realizing that he had just been exposed:
"Scrap, he exposed me!"
Lelouch himself was no less surprised, not expecting the appearance of his savior. But apparently the "driver" was interested in what happened in that warehouse, when the former prince revealed his real name and used the power acquired from the girl on the guard soldiers. Plus, this driver personally flew through the wall, covering the prince and the girl, which actually made him an enemy of Britannia. And this means that they have a common goal - to destroy or at least kick these bastards in all the cracks. It is even possible that they can help each other. Having weighed all the solutions, Lelouch called out to Bumblebee:
- Hey, I'm surprised you're still here!
Bee said nothing, as he maintained a camouflage silence.
Lelouch got out of the nightmare to inspect the muscle car, which had a few minor scratches, but not a single broken casing, as if the car's body was much stronger, like an armored car.
- I assume you drive an unusual car, right?
And again silence from the Autobot scout.
- I can also assume that you are not a fan of Britannia, right? - Lelouch asked, which greatly surprised the yellow bot. - If so, then I will also say that I despise Britannia for everything she took from me.
Shock struck Bumblebee, who did not expect such words. However, he realized that the hatred of the former Britannian prince was motivated by a thirst for revenge, which is not surprising, given how rotten the Empire is both from the outside and from the inside. And the current genocide is a clear example of its rotten system. And since the prince himself said this, it means that he has a certain grudge against Britannia, which may well serve as the basis for creating an alliance, albeit temporary.
- We can help each other, if you allow it. - Lelouch said, which made the Autobot think.
And while they were having a kind of dialogue with each other, in another part of the ghetto at the same time the red nightmare and the blue motorcycle were retreating. They were pursued by aviation in the form of a link of combat helicopters, firing at the mech and the Autobot from all sides. But as soon as one of them was over Glasgow's head, the nightmare, having found a kind of springboard from a green overpass sign, rose up and broke the helicopter's tail in mid-air with a turn, thereby depriving it of control. Then Glasgow landed safely on the ground, which greatly impressed Arcee, who had been watching the trick through the side mirrors the whole time.
"She's good!" flashed through her thoughts.
However, she had no time to admire. As it turned out, a pair of purple Sutherlands were chasing them on their heels, one of the pilots of which was Jeremiah Gottwald, who had previously fought with a yellow and black muscle car at the border of the Settlement and the ghetto.
- Oh, that's our friend in Glasgow!" he said mockingly, seeing a blue motorcycle as well. - And with him, that impudent eleven on a motorcycle, who interfered with Nyu. What luck!
They were about to riddle the girls, but Arcee turned the corner in time, dodging bullets, while Kallen followed her, not wasting a second to slip away on her barely breathing red Glasgow.
- Optimus, this is Arcee. I found the rebel from Glasgow, but we are being pursued by two Sutherlands.
- Hold on, we are a few clicks away. - Prime answered, accelerating. - Autobots, Arcee and the rebels are in danger, maximum acceleration.
- Got it! - said Ironhide.
- Bulk and I are already on our way! Hold on a little longer, partner! - Cliff contacted his partner.
But time was running out, and Glasgow was losing too much energy, causing Kallen to angrily hit the panel:
- Damn it, thirty minutes left!
But suddenly an unknown voice came from her radio:
- Western entrance!
- What? - the girl said in bewilderment.
- Use the rails to get to the western entrance! - the unknown voice continued its mite.
- Who is this? How do you know this code?
- It doesn't matter, but if you want to win this battle, then you'll have to trust me!
Kallen was stupefied, not understanding who was able to penetrate their broadcast. And he claims that these British can be defeated if she trusts him. She was overcome with doubts, which immediately evaporated to dust when her nightmare received several more damage from the Sutherlands pursuing her and Arcee. There was nothing to do, she would have to believe the words of this stranger.
Seeing a narrow alley, Kallen turned into it, to the general surprise of the Autobot.
"Where did she go?" - flashed through her mind until she was distracted by the squeak of her old friend:
- [Arcee!]
- Bee? What's going on?
- [I just made contact with the Britannian prince!]
- You... what? - the blue bot was shocked.
- [Just trust me! Now the Glasgow pilot is going along the route Lelouch tells her. You must follow him. We will meet there.]
- Oh, okay! - Arcee gave in, turning towards the alley.
From there they drove over a fence leading to a railway embankment, from where they crossed a kind of ramp onto the tracks.
- Okay, we're there, what now? - Kallen turned to the stranger.
However, at that very moment, the Sutherlands jumped out in front of them, aiming their weapons at them.
- Ha-ha-ha, pathetic elevens, do you think you can escape from me?! - Gottwald responded arrogantly.
But then Kallen received the long-awaited answer from the radio:
- Since you trusted me, I will help you win! Jump on the train, quickly! - the voice quickly exclaimed, as if warning of impending trouble.
However, instead of danger, on the other side of the tracks, as the stranger said, a freight train was rushing. Kallen was shocked that the unknown voice accurately determined the location of the locomotive, and therefore, feeling at the same time that he could help, she decided to once again accept his words:
- Got it! - with the help of a jump, she threw Glasgow onto the roof of one of the cars.
Arcee, in turn, realizing that the girl could not be stopped, decided to also jump on the train. Accelerating on the spot, she suddenly rushed forward, simultaneously dodging oncoming bullets, until she saw a stone sticking out on the embankment, jumped on it, hitting the skin of the enemy mech, which she used as a springboard, allowing her to land on the roof of the car. This trick really impressed Kallen:
"Wow, she's cool!" - she said to herself enthusiastically.
But at that very moment, she felt a strong push, which almost made her fall off the train. After seeing what happened, she was shocked that the Briton jumped onto the tracks, standing right in front of the diesel locomotive, which he began to stop with the help of a nightmare.
- You thought you could escape like that, huh? - Jeremiah mocked, until he noticed that his comrade had recovered from that stunt. - You! Go for Glasgow!
- Yes, my Lord! - answered the pilot of the second purple mech, who climbed onto the roof of the car.
However, at that very moment, something unprecedented happened. Two shots from a grenade launcher on the left side of the tracks and the British nightmare turned into a pile of scrap metal. This shocked everyone, even Gottwald, who looked towards the dilapidated building, seeing a purple Sutherland in it.
- What the? Shot... by friendly... fire?! - He muttered, not believing his eyes, and then turned on the loudspeaker. - You! Name and unit!? We're chasing the one-armed Glasgow!
However, Sutherland did not speak. Instead, he continued firing his machine gun, causing the shocked Briton to retreat and realize that the pilot in the mech was not a Briton.
- It can't be! How... did a terrorist steal Sutherland?!
But even here, Jeremiah could not foresee the enemy's next move, because a yellow and black muscle car was flying straight into his face from the collapsed wall above the roof of the carriage. A blow to the hull and the gigantic humanoid machine flew off the rails, flipping over several times on the move. The car, in turn, somersaulted twice during the fall, but was able to land safely on its wheels. Gottwald, who had recovered, saw the familiar outlines of the muscle car and his gaze hardened.
- You! SON OF A BITCH! - he shouted, emptying almost the entire magazine of his machine gun into his opponent.
The yellow bot dodged the bullets, simultaneously responding with his own shots from the energy blasters, cutting off the nightmare's legs, forcing it to fall face down. But the Briton did not give up, lifting the main body of the mech with one hand, and aiming a grenade launcher at the muscle car with the other.
- Damn you! - he exclaimed in a depressed tone.
However, he was not allowed to fire a grenade, since at that very moment a blue motorcycle counterattacked from the side of the tracks, crashing into the nightmare's head module in a jump, and a red Glasgow, destroying the arm with a rifle with a harpoon. Realizing that the numerical and qualitative superiority was on the enemy's side, Jeremiah pulled the handle, thereby starting the emergency ejection system. The pilot's cabin, which had become an escape capsule, flew out of the defeated nightmare like a rocket, leaving the two Autobots and the rebel to watch the enemy's parachute open in the distance.
After that, Kallen, sighing with relief, turned to her savior on the radio:
- You saved my life! But how did you manage to get Sutherland... - she drove towards the opening where the ally's nightmare should have been, but it was no longer there. - What? Where is he?!
It also dawned on her that the one who had knocked the British nightmare off the tracks was none other than the "driver" of the same yellow and black car that had protected her at the border of the Settlement with Shinjuku.
At that moment, Arcee and Bumblebee started talking again:
- Thanks for your help, Bee! - the first one thanked.
- [You're welcome.] - the last one squeaked.
- So, it was him? The Britannian prince?
- [Yeah. And he's definitely not a fan of Britannia.]
- Hey you! - Kallen addressed them through the loudspeaker. - I'm in your debt, thank you!
And then the three heard a shout from the other side:
- Kallen!
The rebel turned around, seeing her group led by her friend.
- Ohgi?
- What the hell is going on, friend? What was that radio message?
- Wait, that voice contacted you too?! - she said in shock.
- Yes, Yoshida's group also received a message from him. They should arrive soon too.
"Who the hell is this guy?! How did he get so much information to predict our actions?" - the girl thought indignantly.
At that very moment, the rest of the Autobot group, led by Optimus Prime, drove onto the embankment from the right side.
- Hey, guys! Glad to see you all in good health! - Bulkhead said good-naturedly.
- We are too! - Arcee replied.
- Wow, looks like we found the rebels? - Cliffjumper was surprised. - Your work?
- [No, our little prince, who rose from the dead, did this.] - Bumblebee squeaked quietly, trying not to give himself away.
- Let's first adjust our radio frequencies, otherwise a whole group of people is coming towards us. - Ironhide interrupted the dialogue, pointing at the approaching rebels, whose commander was a Japanese guy with a prominent head of hair.
- Hey, guys, is this radio message yours? - Ohgi tried to find out information.
- Oh, this is the yellow and black machine that saved me during my escape from the settlement. And it practically destroyed this nightmare. - Kallen said, pointing at the legless purple mech.
- Oh, shit! Is this real? - the rebel with flaming red and spiky hair exclaimed in shock and disbelief.
But despite the surprise of the confirmed information, the cell leader still decided to turn to their "allies":
- Who are you?
- We don't exist. That's all you need to know! We will help you in the war against Britannia, but after that you will not see us anymore! - Arcee answered for everyone, adjusting the frequency so that her voice was spoken by the hologram of the girl behind the wheel.
- What do you... - Ogi wanted to ask a question, but then he received a radio message from the same voice:
- Comrade, are you in command of this group?
- Um, yes? - the Japanese answered in a questioning tone.
- Then as a gesture of friendship and cooperation, I provide you with this train along with all its contents. The cars contain the tools for your victory. But if you want to defeat our enemies, then you need to follow my instructions, okay?
- What are you... - he wanted to ask again, but he was immediately called out.
- Holy shit! Ohgi, look at this!" one of the rebels shouted, shocked by the cargo in the car.
- What's in there? - Ohgi ran to the sliding door of the carriage to be shocked by what he saw. - Come on, are you kidding?!
The rebels couldn't believe their eyes, the carriages were filled to the brim with purple Sutherlands. A real treasure for those who intend to fight against the heavily armed army of the Britannian Empire, which surprised not only the Japanese, but also the Autobots.
- Wow, where did such a gift come from? - Cliffjumper asked in amazement.
- Did the prince really do all this? - Ironhide was dumbfounded.
- [What am I telling you! This prince is on our side! Otherwise, he wouldn't be so generous with the Nightmares!] - Bumblebee said, filled with delight at the sight.
Optimus watched what was happening with the same calm, although he himself was quite surprised by such prudence of the British prince. He brought the rebels at the very moment when the military train was passing by the ghetto, which he used to his advantage to gain the trust of the rebels. He was even able to predict or even calculate the time of arrival of the train and the enemy nightmares to the meeting place with everyone, given that he stole the enemy nightmare and now uses its map as a radar to track down the British mechs. Prince Lelouch was clearly not devoid of strategic thinking, as it seemed to Prime.
- Ratchet, Fixit, we have found the rebels and Lelouch himself. Connect our comlinks with their radio frequency. Including his frequency. - He contacted the medic and the minicon, who were at that time with Warpath on the Ark.
- Got it, I'll set it up now. - Fixit obeyed.
- What? - Ratchet was dumbfounded. - Are you sure about this, Optimus? We still don't know much about this boy's history! He may be on our side now, but that could change at any moment! We don't even know what kind of power Bumblebee was talking about! - he said warily.
- I agree with you, Ratchet. We still have many questions that need answers. However, if we want to have at least some hope of saving those living in the ghetto, then trust is of paramount importance! Everything else can wait.
The medic himself understood that Prime was right. Right now, the main priority is saving the ghetto residents and destroying Clovis's troops. Everything else loses meaning as long as Britannia continues to exterminate the Japanese cruelly and mercilessly, like some kind of parasites.
- Done! Communication lines are repaired... fixed... - the minicon hit himself on the head. - ...calibrated and connected to the rebels' communications equipment.
The situation was going well for the rebels. There were at least a dozen Sutherlands in the cars, armed with modern weapons.
- Wow, like a New Year's gift! - one of the rebels exclaimed joyfully.
- Damn, we just got lucky! - said a rebel with the same spiky red hair.
- All this... but how? - Kallen said in shock.
- You are the leader of this resistance? - a new, quite powerful voice was heard, as if a ringing baritone had just sounded. It was none other than Optimus Prime.
- Yes, it's me! - Ohgi quickly answered, realizing that one of the "drivers" of the cars was talking to him now, and not the "woman" on the motorcycle. - Wait, you are in one of the cars, right?
- You're right. - the red bot answered confidently.
- Who are you? Are you from the Japan Liberation Front?
- No, - the veteran Autobot said in his hoarse baritone. - Let's just say we're from another city, and that's all you need to know. Now listen carefully, soldiers, we're synchronizing our communications with yours to better coordinate our actions. This will allow us all to defeat these Britannian punks.
Ohgi was a little worried about the current situation, since he couldn't really trust those who were constantly hiding something and were in no hurry to meet him halfway. These people had saved them, that was a fact, but their excessive secrecy and mystery did not give him peace. However, the surrounding situation required him to calm his rational skepticism in favor of decisive action and some trust in the "allies". Besides, they got their hands on the Knightmares, which is saying something, considering that the Britannian troops have now mobilized almost all of the Settlement's Knightmares, so it's better to trust than to regret the death of your own comrades later.
- The woman in Glasgow. - the mysterious voice came from Kallen's radio again.
- Y-yes? - she stuttered in surprise.
- Stay put! We'll use your Nightmare as bait, okay?
- Got it! - Kallen braced herself for battle.
- What's the state of the energy filler?
- Fifteen minutes left!
- Then charge it. You'll receive your next instructions in ten minutes, over.
And, as the Autobots had thought, that voice belonged to Lelouch, who was patiently, albeit with a tired look, waiting for his brother Clovis and his entourage to make their move. But just as he was about to lean back in his seat, he received an unexpected message from the radio:
- Are you Lelouch vi Britannia? The seventeenth heir to the throne of the Britannian Empire?!
The former prince's cool composure cracked, causing his eyes to turn into large peaches.
- How... - he hesitated, remembering that the only one who knew about his true origin was the "driver" of the yellow and black car. - Are you the driver of the muscle car?
- No, but I am his comrade.
"I see, so he told his other comrades about me." - Lelouch said to himself.
- But I assure you, you don't need to worry, I have no intention of telling anyone else about your true identity. My comrades and I will help you push back the Britannian troops, but once this is over, we would like to discuss future cooperation with you.
Lelouch thought about it. Of course, it would be more advantageous to use the rebels' power to defeat Clovis and destroy him. But this guy knows about the former prince's true origins and, apparently, also knows about the power he received from the mysterious girl, which creates a dual situation - he is not forced to cooperate, but at the same time they told him the revealed information, which does not bode well. Moreover, Lelouch himself revealed himself, showing himself in all his glory in front of the yellow and black muscle car, so in fact, the Briton himself put himself in this precarious position, so there is only one thing left - to agree to an alliance with these mysterious "drivers".
- Okay, I agree. - Lelouch replied. - Just please do not tell anyone about my secret.
- I understand. Contact us when you are ready to begin the operation. But before we begin, we also need your Sutherland codes so that we can track the movements of Britannian troops in the ghetto.
- Hm, fair enough. - Lelouch responded thoughtfully. - Access code: XG-21-G-2-D-4.
- Codes received. - Optimus confirmed the transmission. - Ratchet?
The Autobot medic entered the access code, eventually receiving the same image of the ghetto map on the bridge display as Lelouch's Sutherland. The same icons with the name of the British Nightmares call signs and the same location of the Clovis Mobile Base.
- Code download complete. We received the image, Optimus. - the medic answered affirmatively.
- Good. We'll be ready to begin when you say so.
Mobile Base G1
While closely monitoring the destruction of some of the Nightmares that had gone deep into the enemy's rear, General Bartley stepped away from the touchpad to report the situation to the third prince Clovis, who was sitting on his throne:
- Your Highness, the terrorists are using the ruins of the ghetto as cover to ambush the wayward fools who think that they are invincible while in a Nightmare. But this is only minor resistance, which does not pose a threat to our numerically and qualitatively superior army.
- I already know this, General. And if that is all, then order our forces to move on. - the prince ordered somewhat lazily.
- Yes, Your Highness!
- What about the capsule?
- We still cannot contact Captain Yorick.
The alienated prince frowned at these words.
"Damn it! This good-for-nothing is no use. She must be found, otherwise my reputation will be ruined and then I will forever lose my right to the throne!" he thought to himself. - Then continue the search. Find her alive or dead, but bring her here! - he ordered in a heavier tone, which spoke of the importance of finding the Code R project.
Meanwhile, all the rebels gained access to purple nightmares. Kallen, acting on the stranger's plan, recharged Glasgow and was ready to rush into battle as soon as he ordered. However, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. The red-haired Japanese was unsure about the lack of the IFF system, with which one can determine who is friend and foe.
- Ohgi, are you sure about this? - he turned to his leader. - They all have their recognition systems removed. What if this is a trap?
- It's pointless for our enemies, Tamaki. Why would they set a trap if they had a huge advantage in numbers and quality of weapons?
And then the conversation was interrupted by a ringing voice from the radio:
- Are you ready to begin? - it was Prime's voice.
- Yeah, we're ready. But are you sure you don't want to use Sutherland yourself? You guys may be good drivers, but I don't think a few cars and trucks can stand up to a superior army of Nightmares. - doubted the wisdom of this decision.
- We'll be fine. You'll need those Nightmares more than we will. - Cliffjumper replied, his tone radiating with burning optimism.
- Okay, but who are you? At least tell us your name.
- I'm sorry, but I can't do that. - Optimus said mournfully. - However, if we want to save the ghetto residents and defeat our enemies, then we need to trust each other, despite the lack of any knowledge about each other.
Ohgi caught a grain of truth in the Autobot's words. The situation now is such that it is necessary to forget about pressing issues for a while and focus on the upcoming battle against the Britons. So the Japanese's answer was immediate, although accompanied by a depressing sigh:
- Oh, okay.
At the same moment when Prime hid inside the dilapidated building, he contacted Lelouch:
- We are ready!
- Got it. If Q-1 and A-3 work on schedule, then the enemy nightmares will reach them in twenty seconds. Shoot them through the wall.
- What is he kidding me or something? - Tamaki muttered irritably.
- Hey, we're the ones risking our lives here to lure the Sutherlands into a trap! If you want to be bait, then go ahead. If not, then shut up and do as you're told if you want to stay alive! - Arcee practically growled into the radio, which made the Japanese man turn a little pale, realizing that it was better not to mess with this woman.
- I... got it! No more sounds! - he barely managed to say.
- Everyone, check your weapons and gear. - Ohgi ordered, reloading his huge cannon.
The red mech Kallen and Arcee's motorcycle rushed towards the square like crazy, trying to get as far away from the advancing forces as possible, until they found themselves in its center.
- We're in position! - the red-haired girl exclaimed.
The maneuver the helicopter pilot saw immediately made him report to headquarters:
- The enemy has been detected at point F-31!
"A trick, huh? How ordinary for the Elevenths." - Clovis thought.
However, the naive General Bartley did not think so, who ordered:
- Laszlo's squad goes straight ahead! And let Ugin and Vallery strike from the rear!
On the radar, the British Sutherland icons were divided from the general mass into three groups, which was what Lelouch had expected, putting the chess piece on the table with a sly smile, while Ogi exclaimed:
- Three, two, one... FIRE!
A powerful and rapid cannonade of bullets riddled the concrete wall of the building, simultaneously catching the unsuspecting Britannian pilots by surprise.
- What? - only managed to exclaim the soldier, when several hit his gas tank, causing the nightmare to explode.
Another group of purple mechs, heading straight for Kallen and Arcee and consisting of four units, were met by a red and blue truck that jumped out from under the rubble, ramming them so that they fell one after another, like dominoes, which then lost their heads under the weight of the huge Prime.
An attempt to use the "balcony tactic" ended in failure and the complete elimination of all six units of Britannian nightmares.
- Sir Ugin... Sir Vallery and... and Lazlo's squad - all lost! - the staff officer reported somewhat stutteringly, which greatly shocked Bartley.
"Ambush, huh?" - Clovis guessed.
And Lelouch chuckled at such a prank, muttering to himself and holding the knight figure in his hand:
"The identification signal is essentially a double-edged sword if used correctly. Besides, if these people follow my orders, my task will be completed without any mistakes.
There was a similar picture on the bridge of the Ark. Six Britannian nightmares icons, which were near the beacons of the hiding Autobots and rebels a few seconds ago, quickly disappeared from the air, which marked the end for them.
- This ambush was flawless. - Fixit responded positively.
- It was elementary. Considering that we have access to their database, we can easily determine their further actions or intentions. - Ratchet explained, noticing three signals moving towards the red bot and the green brute. - Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, three are heading your way. Nightmares. They're two clicks away from your location.
"Roger that, doc, - Cliff replied. - Come on, Bulk, let's give them hell.
The big guy responded with a powerful roar of his engine and a sharp shift of the body from the roof right onto the heads of the unsuspecting Britannian pilots, crushing their hulls along the way. The third one had already managed to grab his weapon, but alas, he did it in vain, since Cliffjumper was sitting inside the neighboring building, shooting the enemy from behind, which led to the explosion of the fuel tanks and the subsequent release of energy, destroying both the pilot and the mech at the same time.
Lelouch saw this on the console screen, surprised by the efficiency and coordination of the two bots.
"Wow, the two of them took out three Nightmares, practically without using their weapons. Impressive, these guys know what they're doing." - He thought until he noticed the maroon pickup truck running away from several units of mechs. - P-1, P-4, P-7! - He addressed the three rebels. - Follow the red pickup while it lures the enemy into position! Then make an attack, focusing on three o'clock!
- Did you hear that? Do what that voice says! - Ohgi ordered.
- Damn, what else does he want us to do? - Tamaki complained, but then he heard:
- CARRY OUT THE ORDER, NOW! - Arcee exclaimed angrily, hearing the complaint and causing him to scream in fear.
- HAI! - he said automatically.
- Get ready! They're right behind me! - Ironhide said quickly, dodging bullets like a professional stuntman.
And as soon as he passed the opening where the allies were holed up, he immediately shouted:
- FIRE, NOW!
Slash-Harkens flew out of the Sutherland belts, flying with their tips into the pilots' cabins and breaking through the hull, and then pulling the damaged parts behind them, thereby breaking the mechs in half.
The headquarters could not, in particular Bartley himself could not believe his eyes and ears. They lost three more nightmare signals, but none of the officers reported any losses on the terrorist side, as if they were fighting not some pathetic bunch of rebels, but a group of well-trained fighters who handled the nightmares like their extra hands.
- The enemy is moving towards G-28! - the officer reported.
- Send Lazlo's squad, ouch... I mean Globay's squad! - the heavy general ordered, stuttering and confused.
The endless losses still attracted the attention of the prince, who was already beginning to sense some kind of danger.
Meanwhile, Kallen, using Slash-Harkens, caught on to the roof of the building, causing it to collapse, knocking down the still-sitting nightmare sniper with her. In turn, Arcee was running away in motorcycle mode from the purple Sutherlands firing at her, luring them straight into a trap. As soon as the yellow-black silhouette appeared in the distance and as it pointed its blasters in her direction, she immediately swerved, making the motorcycle slide to the ground, thereby bending down in motion. The pilots did not have time to come to their senses when Bumblebee opened fire on their nightmares. One of them launched the ejection system and got away in good health, which was reflected in the radar system.
Mobile Base G1
- Sir Globay ejected! His entire squad was shot down! - one of the staff officers reported.
- Change our codes! They are intercepting our transmissions!
- Tried, sir! Four times!
- Do it again!
Clovis unexpectedly rose from his throne from the information he received, his face expressing his anger, but inside he felt fear.
- This failure is unacceptable! - he muttered angrily.
- Forgive me! - the general apologized.
However, at that very moment the screen changed, showing the overly smiling face of a scientist-engineer from the Camelot division.
- Hello everyone! - Lloyd responded affably.
- What the... How dare you interfere in the midst of a military operation?! - Bartley responded angrily.
- Or rather, in the midst of an operation failure, my dear General Bartley. I believe that the very moment has come for my special weapon.
- We don't have time for this!
The green SUV rammed the tank, which overturned under strong pressure and flew into the building. Leaving it to its fate, the Autobot moved on.
- R-2, fire! - Lelouch ordered, placing a black rook on the table.
The rebel launched a harpoon, shooting down a helicopter in the air.
- O-6, the enemy unit is twenty meters ahead of you! - he moved the black bishop figure.
Optimus, noticing the enemy, who responded with a mutual disclosure, turned towards a four-story building. The Nightmares chased after him, simultaneously firing at the rushing truck, which rammed the wall, rushing into the building. But the naivety of the pilots played a cruel joke on them, because instead of running away, Prime simply lured them into a trap. He collapsed the internal columns of the building, which buried the Sutherland squad in a few seconds.
- Group H, continue the attack! - Lelouch made another move, placing the black knight with a thud.
Arcee, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper led a group of Nightmares straight to the enemy Sutherlands passing by, who, without having time to react, received several doses of lead and fire.
- FUCKING ELEVENS! - one of the fighters yelled, trying to return fire.
But alas, this was not destined to come true, as the cars and motorcycle rammed the legs of the mechs, forcing them to fall to the ground. The rebels took advantage of this, riddling the enemy's head modules, thereby forever burying the British.
- We just lost Bradlow's squad!
At this point, Clovis' patience ran out, as he not only stepped away from his throne, but also ordered:
- Contact the Quincy squad! Tell them to move out!
This decision shocked almost all the officers, because it would mean breaking the defensive ring around the base. - But Your Highness, this will break through our ring! - Bartley tried to object, understanding the risk of such an undertaking.
However, neither Clovis nor Bartley knew that the fate of their army was practically predetermined, since Lelouch had all the cards.
- Now the enemy has only five options for a move. - He said to himself, smiling triumphantly.
But it wasn't just the former prince who thought the same, because Prime was receiving the same information from Ratchet:
"The enemies can stop fighting and retreat, or withdraw completely from the ghetto, or try to gather their remaining forces into one fist, or gather around Clovis's mobile base, or continue the offensive as they are now, or send several squads from his personal guard, which will greatly weaken the base's defense."
"Send the squads guarding me!" the third prince ordered, thereby signing his own death warrant.
The Britannian nightmares and tanks, located at the foot of the mobile transport, moved from their place, leaving the Clovis base in the care of ordinary infantry. A huge pile of military equipment moved in a column deep into the ghetto, leaving behind a vast curtain of dust and visible traces of wheels and tracks.
This picture was witnessed by the barely saved Jeremiah Gottwald, horrified that the defensive ring was broken.
- Who... Who ordered them to break the ring?! - he asked himself out loud, not understanding who came up with the most terrible of all ideas.
Ratchet noticed the movement of a huge cluster of enemy icons on the map, which made him very wary.
- Optimus, even more forces have moved away from Clovis's guard to the center of the ghetto. They are trying to surround you. - he warned.
- Doc, maybe it's time for me to give these half-cons a good beating? As support for the team? - Warpath asked, slamming his hands together.
- No, Warpath, you're not ready yet! Your transformation form will shock the people, causing them to panic and run in different directions, which in turn will lead to even more casualties among the civilian population.
The red and silver Autobot could only hiss pitifully from his own helplessness, because Ratchet and Optimus were right. Warpath still doesn't have a form of Earth transport, and given the specificity of his form, this task becomes almost impossible. Ratchet understood the impulsive Warpath's intention to help these people, because he himself reproaches himself for his own weakness and inability to participate with the rest of the team in the fight against this totalitarian empire.
- Optimus, even more forces have moved away from Clovis's guard to the center of the ghetto. They are trying to surround you. - the Autobot medic warned.
- Got it. All units go underground! Immediately! - Prime ordered, turning in the opposite direction.
The rest of the rebels and Autobots did the same, heading for the subway territory, which did not go unnoticed by Lelouch, who watched in surprise as his improvised army retreated to the center of Shinjuku. However, seeing the huge number of enemy icons, and also recognizing the meeting point as the central subway, he smiled knowingly:
- Hm, underground? Not a bad idea. - He contacted Prime. - O-6, do you have a map of this area?
- I have a map of the entire ghetto! - Ratchet answered instead of the Autobot leader.
- Good. - he said with a devilish smile.
Clovis, seeing how the terrorists retreated with their heels flashing, smiled triumphantly. It was enough to let additional forces into the battle to intimidate the Elevens and they themselves would run in different directions, like cowardly hares. However, they had nowhere to run - his troops took them into a ring of encirclement, so it was not surprising that the enemy would try to hide in the underground tunnels.
- Very good! Send Bertz and the others! Concentrate our forces there! Surround them! - he exclaimed triumphantly.
Almost all of the British forces rushed towards the subway. They were already entering the central room with the hope that the terrorists were trapped and would soon be swatted like insects. However, to the general shock and disbelief of the soldiers, there was no one inside.
- Lord Bartley, there is no one here! - Quincy reported.
- How come there is no one? We can see their signals! - Bartley exclaimed, watching the huge red dot around which the icons of the allied forces were crowded.
But suddenly all the signals of the enemy nightmares unexpectedly went out, to the horror of the general and the third prince.
- What? Where is the enemy? - the latter asked himself, not believing his eyes.
A quick change of signal frequency and leaving a false beacon along with a huge accumulation of explosive fuel rods is the simplest tactical maneuver in battles, which was called a "Trojan horse". In fact, both the Autobots and the rebels had long since fled from there through the emergency exits. And when they stood at the entrance, Lelouch made his move:
- Ready?
- We are ready! / Yes! - Optimus and Callen said in unison.
- Good... ready... - he closely watched that the enemy icons were near the center. - ... Three... Two... One... FIRE! - he exclaimed.
And the shelling of fuel elements began, causing a huge explosion that destroyed not only the nearby nightmares, but also buried all the combat units located inside the subway, since the shock wave brought down the supporting columns, which led to the collapse of the structure. The Trojan horse worked like a charm.
- I checkmate you, Clovis!
Station "Mars-City", Planet Mars.
Hayden watched the scene in his office, keeping his cool as all the British Forces' badges were instantly destroyed, as if with a snap of his fingers. Secretary Olivia Pierce stood next to him, marveling at such a clever ploy:
- Amazing. They managed to lure the enemy into a trap.
- A Trojan horse tactic. Nothing surprising. If I were Lelouch or the Autobots, I would have done the same thing. - Samuel commented. - However, I must give him credit, the former prince played his cards well, allowing the arrogance of the British command to believe in his victory, which turned out to be just a trap.
- Do you think so?
- Trust me, Pierce. You can overestimate the enemy's capabilities, but you should not underestimate them and rely only on personal experience, because this will not be enough to defeat an opponent who knows all your moves in advance. And sometimes he can turn the capabilities of his enemy against him. This is exactly what Lelouch did - he turned the faith in the invincibility of the Knightmares of the British against them. No matter how good the technology, the main element of each of them was and always will be a person. And a person is a multifaceted and complex creature.
Olivia was always amazed at the genius of her mentor, because he said the most outstanding and complex things with such ease and ordinariness that it was impossible to determine how experienced the professor was in each aspect of his activities, because wherever you look, he is one step ahead of his rivals. And the creation of a monopoly company in the field of space research is significant evidence of this.
- However, Lelouch should not relax his vigilance either.
- Why? - Olivia asked in confusion.
- Because of this. - the professor pressed a button that changed the map to an image from the camera of the Clovis Mobile Base, where the emblem of a dragon was seen, stoically rising against the background of the flag of the Holy Britannian Empire.
- This is ... - the secretary was shocked. - ... the sign of Camelot. It turns out ...
- My wayward student still made himself a toy, based on "my" own developments. - the head of the UAC sarcastically drawled on the word "my", thereby trying to emphasize the significance of his indignation, which greatly angered Pierce.
- What a bastard! - she cursed.
- There is no point in expressing yourself. He himself once refused to join our ranks, probably believing that among us he would never achieve satisfaction of his own exorbitant ambitions. - Samuel reassured his assistant.
- And in what form are his ambitions expressed, may I ask, Professor Hayden? - Pierce asked curiously. Hayden only sighed heavily in disappointment in response, remembering how easily Asplund had succumbed to the bribe of the Prime Minister of Britannia, whom he had once beaten in chess, which had apparently earned him his disfavor.
Optimus looked at the map with both surprise and thoughtfulness.
"He was able to withstand all of Britannia's forces and devise a strategy that not only neutralized the enemy units, but also did not allow any of his own soldiers to suffer casualties. His strategic thinking is impressive. Perhaps... if we learn more about him... he could be a valuable ally." He mused, although he still had questions related to Lelouch's mysterious power.
At the same time, Clovis and his entire entourage could not believe their eyes. All of their combat-ready forces had been destroyed in the blink of an eye. They had been fooled and allowed to play on their vanity and arrogance. And the naive pilots of the Nightmares paid for it, buried forever under the rubble of the subway.
"How... - the prince said to himself abruptly, feeling a tremor in his entire body and experiencing fear. - How... is this... possible? Who... Who the hell... am I up against?" - then he suddenly called the engineer. - Lloyd!
- Yes, Your Highness? - Asplund responded smilingly, anticipating the appearance of his brainchild on the stage, which caused ecstatic enthusiasm in him.
- Will he be able to win? Will your toy be able to defeat them? - asked Clovis.
- My lord, be so kind as to call him Lancelot! - the scientist answered somewhat indignantly, but without removing his smile.
- Z-0-1 "Lancelot" is now activating! Lancelot is activating! Free the hatch! Z-0-1 "Lancelot" is ready for activation! Pilot interface launched! - a female mechanical voice sounded, warning about the activation of the nightmare.
In the locker room at that moment, a former infantryman from among the British paid Suzaku Kururugi was putting on a white and black jumpsuit specially designed for this nightmare - a tight-fitting fabric that allows free movement.
- Have you read the instructions, Mr. Kururugi? - asked Cecile Crumey through a special communicator.
- Yes! - the Japanese answered, zipping up the jumpsuit.
- Excellent. According to the calculations, you scored the best result in the class on the simulator.
- Em, listen, about what you said earlier? - he asked warily.
- Huh? Oh, it is possible, but the probability is almost zero.
- But still, there is a probability of such a thing, right?
- Yes, I'm afraid that's true. But even then, you shouldn't do anything reckless. The new system isn't equipped with an ejection mechanism.
- Okay, I understand, Miss Cecile. - Kururugi accepted the request, standing next to the hidden nightmare, which was immediately thrown off the body of the mech, which struck with its shine and impressive size. - This... is it?
- Yes, an advanced weapon developed by us in the Special Forces Engineering Corps: Lancelot. The world's first seventh-generation nightmare.
It seemed to Suzaku that this mech was much larger than any Sutherland, but at the same time he noticed that Lancelot had a more humanoid appearance than its predecessors, because it looked like a knight with long arms and legs, and instead of a fact sphere, a completely human face adorned the head module. But some features inherent to all machines remained unchanged, namely the elongated hump, which is the pilot's capsule and separate panels on the legs for the chassis. But even so, the nightmare struck Suzaku in the very soul, as if he was looking not at a mech, but at a living creature clad in metal armor.
- Well, if you're ready, Suzaku, can we begin the launch? - asked Lloyd, who appeared from behind, handing the young man the key to his masterpiece.
Suzaku took the key, climbing into the cockpit, whose rear doors closed, plunging the interior into darkness. But that was until the Japanese inserted the keys into the ignition lock.
- Initial launch completed. Equipping energy filler - restart confirmation, energy fillers filled to one hundred percent. Thirty seconds until reaching critical voltage. Core activated. Initiating device configuration. Confirming device entry into Z-0-1. Flight control center identifier registration confirmed. Confirm activation of the human-machine interface? - the computer announced, giving Kururugi the opportunity to take hold of the control levers.
But at the same moment, the semicircular depressions suddenly covered the forearms, leaving the hands and wrists moving.
- Control activated. Begin the process of turning on the sensor sensors.
The factspheres, which turned out to be hidden on the chest of the white nightmare, blinked with the same green light, allowing the front of the pilot's cabin to activate the holographic image in front of them, as if by magic.
- Wow! - Suzaku exclaimed enthusiastically.
- Surprised? This is a new development of our department - a new type of sensory interface.
"A new development? Didn't this idea belong to our mentor Hayden?" - Cecile said to herself, looking reproachfully at Lloyd.
- It's as if I'm looking at everything with my own eyes. - Suzaku said, moving the control levers forward, allowing the huge mech to step forward.
Then Kururugi took a fighting stance, hitting the empty space with his hands several times in order to check how fast and smooth the movements of this giant were.
- Lancelot, activate ME-acceleration! - the Japanese exclaimed.
- Request accepted. - the system obeyed, activating additional turbines on the legs of the nightmare.
And as soon as Lancelot switched to wheels, he rushed towards the ghetto with all his speed, which was very lightning fast even compared to Sutherland. This made Lloyd and Cecile lose their balance.
- What speed! - Lloyd laughed heartily, seeing how his brainchild exceeded all expectations.
Suzaku could not believe it. This mech felt much more unusual than he expected.
"Better than in the manual and on the simulator. With this I can..." - however, he completely forgot that he still had a wound on his stomach, which made him shudder and grab it.
Tamaki, who was passing by on Sutherland, noticed something strange on the screen.
"Huh? What is that?" - he asked himself, trying to make out this "something".
However, this was the last thing he managed to do, because the next second a white silhouette suddenly appeared in front of him, cutting off the head module of the nightmare with a blow of his hand.
At the same time, Arcee was approaching Optimus, finishing her survey of the situation:
- We destroyed almost every nightmare in the entire ghetto. And all this thanks to His Imperial Highness.- She said with a hint of irony.
- Yes, Lelouch's strategy was quite impressive.- Prime responded.
- Wait... are you serious, Optimus? Are you really going to involve him in our war?
- Maybe. If he really is against Britannia, his strategic thinking, as well as his knowledge of their internal structure, could really come in handy.
- That's true, but... - Arcee didn't have time to say anything, because she heard a transmission from one of the rebels:
- This is Team B, reporting the presence of the enemy.
At these words, both the Autobots and the rebels became wary, sensing danger.
"More Nightmares?" - she asked herself seriously.
Lelouch also heard this transmission, somewhat surprised by the courage of the British to continue the attack on them.
- What's the situation? - he asked.
- Everyone ejected, but four units were destroyed in an instant!
These words made everyone even more wary, even Lelouch.
- The enemy's numbers? - he asked in a more serious tone.
- Only one.
"ONE?!" - the young man mentally exclaimed, not believing his ears.
- I think this is a new model. I've never seen anything... AAAH!... - the broadcast was interrupted.
However, the scream seriously alarmed Lelouch and the Autobots.
- A new model? - Arcee said in shock.
- Ratchet, a new Knightmare has appeared on the battlefield. Can you track its signal? - Optimus asked quickly.
- No, Optimus. But whatever it is, it does not use the same identification signal as the Sutherlands of Britannia. However, I can track its location by the route of destruction of allied Knightmare.
- Ready! - exclaimed the orange Minicon. - Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, you two are closest to the location of this Knightmare. Can you determine what it is?
- Already on its way! - Bulkhead answered, accelerating along with the red bot.
Sutherland tried to fight back against the instantly appearing Lancelot, but he quickly suppressed his resistance, forcing the pilot to eject. Cliff and Bulk, who looked out from behind the corners, were surprised by the sharp and lightning-fast movements of the enemy. The first one even whistled:
- Eww, wow! What a beautiful suit!
- That's definitely not Sutherland! - the last one noticed, amazed at the dexterous movements of the nightmare.
Then Lancelot was overtaken by two more purple mechs, which immediately opened fire on him, but to everyone's shock, a green energy shield formed on the white knight's hand, from which the bullets bounced off, as if from a ricochet.
- That thing reflected the bullets?! - Cliff said, dumbfounded.
Then, when the Sutherlands ran out of ammo, the white mech moved towards the opponents with lightning speed, depriving them of their head modules with one wave of his hand.
- Holy shit! That was fast! - Bulkhead was horrified. - Ratchet, I'm sending you an image!
And to confirm his words, a picture of a white and gold knight instantly slashed the heads of the Sutherlands appeared on the screen.
- What is this...? - Fixit asked, horrified by what he saw and hiding behind the medic's hand.
- I don't know, but I can tell you one thing for sure - we're in trouble! - Ratchet said, his optics gleaming with shock and worry.
Ironhide also received a visual image of the object, which made him himself unable to believe his eyes.
- I got an image! Damn, it's moving faster than a rocket!
Then he noticed how the real Lancelot cut through the purple Nightmares in an instant, rushing through them like lightning.
- Wow! That thing tore through the squad like nothing happened! - he exclaimed, discouraged.
- Ironhide, are you okay? - Arcee contacted him.
- I'm fine. He drove past me as if he didn't notice.
- That's because we're in cloaking mode. And while we stay in it, we're invisible to him.
- I understand, we are safe, but what about our allies - the humans? - Cliff asked curiously, realizing that his question was more rhetorical.
- [I think I spotted him! I'll try to follow him!] - Bumblebee said in a squeaky voice, trying to go after Lancelot, but Optimus immediately stopped him on the comlink:
- Bumblebee, stop! Don't do anything reckless! Keep your distance! Don't engage this nightmare unless absolutely necessary! Do you understand?
- [Got it, Optimus!] - Bee answered, carefully driving out of the alley so that the enemy wouldn't spot him.
Lelouch was becoming more and more perplexed, because the radar showed the gradual total destruction of his improvised army, as if someone was very quickly knocking out his chess pieces in another game. But then he was caught off guard by a message to all the rebels:
- Attention, all units! Britannia has deployed a brand new Knightmare! Do not engage it under any circumstances! Everyone must retreat immediately! - Optimus said.
"Retreat? Because of just one Knightmare?!" - the former prince said to himself, confused.
- I have loaded a meeting point where we can reorganize and plan a counterattack. - An icon appeared on the radar screen. - Go there as soon as possible! If you see a white Knightmare, do not engage! Eject immediately!
Lelouch did not understand what was happening at all. His soldiers were losing one after another, and all because of just one Knightmare.
"What is going on? Did I not foresee something?" - he wondered.
From almost all directions, the Sutherlands retreated to the meeting point together with the Autobots. However, on one of them, two Sutherlands saw a white Knightmare, which is why they had to fight it, covering the retreat of their comrades. But Lancelot released a Slash-Harken from his wrist, breaking the head module of one, while the other Knightmare tried to shoot at the white knight. However, here, too, the mech went beyond common sense, punching the ground and releasing a second Slash-Harken into it, so that the recoil would send it flying upward. This discouraged the pilot, who did not expect such an outcome, because of which Lancelot slashed his hand in the side while falling, which forced the Japanese to eject.
"Yes, I can do it! - Suzaku declared to himself. - With Lancelot, I can stop this whole fight at once!"
But at the same time, he didn't notice that he was being watched by a confused Bumblebee.
"This thing... moves... like a damn Decepticon!" - he said to himself.
Even at the Clovis Mobile Base, the officers praised the combat performance of Lancelot, who destroyed enemies with a single blow of his hand.
"Damn!" the third prince cursed to himself. "Now I will have a debt to my older brother that I do not want to take on myself!"
However, despite the resistance of the terrorists, Suzaku did not seek to cause a massacre, trying only to damage the nightmares, thereby forcing the people to eject. He also repeatedly ran past the camouflaged Autobots, who watched the movements of this white knight with shock and disbelief. Rather, he considered them to be abandoned cars, which did not match their almost clean and intact appearance in comparison with the other cars, which looked like they were torn to pieces by some marauders. By that time, almost all of the rebels had managed to get away from Lancelot, who was searching through the factsphere system, whose data in turn was sent not only to Kururugi's holographic display, but also to the base of the engineering division "Camelot". They were closely watched by the division leader's main assistant, Cecile Crumi, and he himself.
- These readings are even higher than expected! - Cecile exclaimed in surprise.
- Well, that's because our pilot takes his job very seriously. - Lloyd explained, adjusting his glasses.
But then the knightmare's scanners detected something on top of a dilapidated building, where, as it turned out, another Sutherland was located. However, Suzaku had no idea that none other than his best friend Lelouch was sitting there.
"If I can stop all the Nightmares, then this battle will be over! No matter what, I must save Lelouch and this girl!" - he said to himself, preparing his harpoons.
Arcee was driving down an alleyway to meet up with the others when she bumped into her scout friend.
- Bee?
- [Quiet!] - He squeaked under his breath, pointing his blaster in the direction where Lancelot was.
- Wow! Is that what's causing all the trouble?!
- [Yeah! Wait...] - The yellow bot narrowed his optics to see where the white knightmare was heading, until he spotted Lelouch on the roof of Sutherland, which shocked him. - [Oh no, he's heading straight for Lelouch's knightmare!]
- Scrap! - Arcee cursed, revving the engine to full along with Bumblebee.
Lelouch didn't even have time to realize that his cover had been blown when Slash-Harken flew into the ceiling of the room, followed by the white knightmare. The enemy used a second harpoon, but the former prince blocked it with his hands. However, the blow was truly powerful, causing Sutherland to roll back several meters, which discouraged the young man:
- And this thing ruined my plan?!
But the white mech did not stop there, trying to strike at blind spots, which is why Lelouch had to fight with the superior force of the enemy.
- So you command the terrorists?! - asked Suzaku, but his question could not reach the ears of his opponent, since the speakers were turned off.
But at that very moment, from the constant shaking caused by metal hitting metal, the floor under the nightmares cracked, and then collapsed, forcing them to fall through several floors. And when they both fell to the first tier, Lelouch was the first to recover, wincing a little from the severe pain in his arms and legs.
- There is no choice, we need to get out of here!
He managed to get Sutherland to his feet, but at that very moment a white knight appeared from the side, ready to strike him, which could mean the end of Lelouch's disguise. However, something unexpected happened here too. Lancelot punched a red Glasgow who appeared out of nowhere, which was blocked by the white knightmare, but threw him back a few meters.
- I'm returning the favor! Go away! - Kallen shouted over the radio.
She launched Slash-Harken at the knight, but he dodged and tore the cable between them, pulling the enemy knightmare towards himself with the opposite end. Glasgow tried to put up a block, but Lancelot was faster, as he managed to smash the knightmare's last arm into pieces.
- I can't hold him back! - the girl exclaimed angrily.
However, at that very moment the situation took another unexpected turn, as a blue motorcycle fell on Lancelot from behind, throwing him to the side a few meters.
- Go away! Quickly! - the Autobot shouted, allowing the Japanese woman to activate the catapult and fly out of it like a cannonball, thereby leaving herself alone with the white Nightmare.
Suzaku's eyes widened in shock when he saw that the one who pushed him from behind was an ordinary motorcycle driver.
"She... is going to confront Nightmare with only a motorcycle?!" - he said to himself, not realizing that the woman he saw was only a hologram of the real Arcee.
The blue bot, having gained the necessary speed, rushed forward, while Lancelot tried to catch her in his hand, so as not to harm her. But Arcee needed this in order to then sharply turn at the feet of the Nightmare, thereby causing a dust curtain through which even Lancelot's sensors could not see.
Seeing this in front of him, Lelouch made an important conclusion for himself:
- Regardless of the type of battle, the most important element in each confrontation is a person. I must remember! - He turned around and was surprised that in addition to the biker girl, his old friend, the driver of the yellow and black muscle car, had also arrived here.
He honked at him with his headlights, and then turned around and drove away from the scene of the fight. Lelouch, understanding his plan, obediently followed him on Sutherland, mumbling to himself:
- You owe me a second time!
When there was enough dust, the Autobot looked towards the fleeing Bee and Sutherland, realizing that she had gained enough time, because of which she herself moved away in the direction of Kallen's landing site.
Suzaku could not discern anything in this peculiar fog, from which he seriously cursed:
- Damn it, I can't see anything! - He waved his hands, noticing that there was no one else in the area. - Where... Where did they go?
He widened his view of the factspheres, seeing the silhouette of a purple mech receding.
- No, I won't let you get away!
Kallen was hitting the pod doors with all her might, which gave in only on the tenth try, allowing her to get out. At that moment, Arcee was rushing towards her, braking right in front of her.
- Get in. - She said in a commanding tone.
The girl complied, sitting up and grabbing the back seat, after which the blue bot rushed on.
- What the hell was that thing?! - the girl asked, amazed.
- I don't know, but right now we need to get to a safe place to prepare a plan of action.
- What about him?
- Don't worry, my brother is with him.
"Brother?" - the girl said to herself, somewhat absorbed in the memories of her older brother, which made her face darken.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee was riding at full speed with Lelouch on his tail to the meeting point. However, when they reached a high-rise building, Sutherland's radar detected something approaching from behind. But the former prince quickly realized that it was a white nightmare. Bumblebee also noticed it on his radar, amazed at the speed of this mech:
"Are you kidding?! Has he already caught up with us?!"
Lelouch quickly turned Sutherland in the opposite direction, simultaneously shooting at Lancelot, who very deftly and lightning-fast dodged the steel tips. Then the former prince decided to collapse part of the buildings on him, but here too the white knight was able to answer him with a very high-speed somersault, which further discouraged the guy and the Autobot. Taking advantage of this confusion, Suzaku struck the purple Knightmare, but Lelouch blocked it with a machine gun, which was crushed by Slash-Harken, after which the white mech suddenly moved towards him, hitting the body, causing Sutherland to fly back several meters, subsequently falling on his back and crashing into the rubble of the collapsed building.
"That's all that remains, all that's left is to disarm him and take him into custody!" - Suzaku said to himself, thinking about how to immobilize the terrorist.
"Damn it! - Lelouch cursed to himself, trying to come up with an escape plan. - The Knightmare is badly damaged, I can't lift it. If I try to open the doors, they will see my face. The ejection system will not work, since I am pressed from behind. - Through the sensors, he saw the white Knightmare slowly approaching him. - Damn it, what should I do?!" Bumblebee didn't know what to do. Lelouch's Sutherland was out of action, and this monster didn't give a damn. The situation was critical, everyone else had managed to evacuate, and because of this nightmare Lelouch could be exposed. And if this happened, he could be in serious danger, because all people believed that the eleventh prince died during the invasion of Japan. The yellow scout was surprised at himself, despite everything, he continued to worry about the fate of a person, although it was rather the nature of the Autobots that affected him. But what should he do to save Lelouch? What? And then... Bumblebee was overcome by one, albeit effective, but... very crazy idea:
"This thing can withstand the Nightmares, but... what about the Autobots?
He placed himself in the white Nightmare's line of sight, preparing for something. Through his alt-form, it was impossible to see his facial expression, but if it were possible, then everyone would see the determination and fearlessness in his eyes.
Lelouch, noticing that the yellow and black car stood between him and that white Nightmare, was shocked and horrified.
- What are you doing?! Get out of here! - he shouted into the loudspeaker, but Bee did not listen to him.
Suzaku was also taken aback by the appearance of the muscle car, which, having accelerated on the spot, rushed at full speed straight at Lancelot.
"Is he going to ram me?! Maybe if I go around him..." Kururugi thought, preparing his nightmare for an evasive maneuver.
Noticing his movements, the yellow Autobot accelerated. And as soon as the distance between them reached one meter, he said to himself:
"Sorry, Optimus, but I have no other choice!"
And he did what no one expected! In front of Suzaku, Lelouch, and even Lloyd and Cecile, he transformed. The body of the muscle car turned into a humanoid exoskeleton. The same black tires were on his feet and shoulders, the front of the car was divided into two parts, and the waist was covered with gray parts from the lower part of the car.
No one expected this, and could not expect it, which is why an unprecedented shock was imprinted on people's faces. Taking advantage of this confusion, Bumblebee flew at the white nightmare with the momentum he had gained, raised his fist back, and then slammed it into its main body. The blow was powerful enough to throw the enemy back several dozen meters, and even with several somersaults and flips in motion.
- What the ... WHAT THE HELL ?! - Lelouch shouted out loud, shocked by the unexpected appearance of a new, supposedly, nightmare, who turned around, showing him his face and big blue eyes, which stunned the guy even more. Seeing this through the monitor, Cecile jumped up from her seat, not believing her eyes, while Lloyd fell out of his chair, shocked for the first time by what he saw.
- Did this machine just turn into a Nightmare?! - the girl exclaimed.
However, Lloyd did not answer, as he simply lost the power of speech from what he saw, his mouth hanging open to the floor.
After the blow, Suzaku was able to get to his feet, still amazed by what he saw.
"What is this? In the blink of an eye, it turned from a machine into a Nightmare! - His eyes were riveted to the robot's pronounced evil gaze, which, noticing the enemy's confusion, turned its hands into weapons, which shocked the guy even more. - Hands turned into weapons?!"
A cannonade of energon shells rained down, leaving huge dents and black spots on Lancelot, like burns, which forced Suzaku to use an energy shield.
"Damn, this thing is fighting with terrorists. I have to defeat it!" - the Japanese man firmly declared to himself.
He launched a Slash-Harken at Bumblebee, which the scout managed to dodge with a sharp shift of the body to the side, and then, transforming into a machine again, went into a frontal attack, but Kururugi was able to recognize his trick, jumping at the very moment when the Autobot was under him. But Bumblebee hoped that his opponent would jump up, because at that very moment he returned to his original form, and then jumped with all his might straight towards his opponent, which again discouraged him. Finding himself right in front of him, Bee grabbed Lancelot in his arms, and then, spinning 360 degrees, threw him down like some kind of ball.
And Lelouch watched the fight all this time, watching the yellow-black robot's movements with awe and amazement.
"Is this... some kind of specialized nightmare? No, for a nightmare, it is too maneuverable and... - Lelouch saw movements on the front part of the mech's head. - ... it has a face! The eyes move and... change during the fight! Is it... alive?! No, definitely not a nightmare!"
Meanwhile, the fight between the two giants continued. Lancelot again launched harpoons, which the Autobot dodged with a vertical flip in the air, but then he grabbed them and broke them into pieces. However, Suzaku tried to use these seconds to get behind him and cut off the head module of the nightmare, but alas, Bumblebee quickly understood his plan, managing to do a forward somersault at the last moment and transform into a car to retreat. However, he then turned around and began firing from his blasters to force the pilot to put up his shield, thereby blocking his ability to carry out a preemptive strike. And as soon as the distance between them was half a meter, Bumblebee immediately switched to his original form and, by inertia, hit the white knight's shield with a right hook, causing him to be slammed into the wall under the strong pressure of the shock wave, until the yellow Autobot began to beat him in the face, pressing him even more to the ground.
But then the unexpected happened. Due to the constant pressing of the nightmare into the wall, the building cracked and shook badly, causing a huge block of concrete to fall off the main part. However, the fall of the debris was accompanied by screams of horror and fear from a Japanese woman holding a child in her arms. Bumblebee's optics widened from what he saw, which is why he decided to spit on his opponent, rushing at full speed towards the woman falling from a great height. Suzaku was also horrified by the fall of his compatriot, shouting:
- NOOO!
However, Bumblebee managed to catch the mother and child at the very last moment, simultaneously covering them with his body during the landing. He opened his eyes, opening his arms and seeing that the woman was safe and sound, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. However, the Japanese woman, seeing the huge robot, screamed in fear, and then ran away wherever her eyes looked, which made the Autobot sad, but he was still glad that she was saved.
Lelouch and Suzaku were terribly surprised by such an unexpected turn of events.
"It... saved them?! But... didn't the terrorists come to kill?!" the Japanese muttered to himself, stuttering.
"In the midst of the battle, he decided to save people?!" the Briton said to himself in shock.
But then the robot turned towards Lancelot, showing his disdain through an angry look and compressed blue pupils, which made Kururugi feel uneasy. However, then Bee noticed that Lelouch's Sutherland had long since left the battlefield, which gave him the opportunity to escape. He transformed his hands into blasters, firing several times at the fragile structure, which fell to the ground with a loud roar, raising huge clouds of dust and plaster into the air. The Japanese immediately tried to get to the other side, but the only thing he noticed was the transformed car, which rushed away, leaving the guy alone with his thoughts.
"If it saves lives, then why is it fighting for them?! What is going on?!" Suzaku thought until a blue-haired girl contacted him through a communicator:
- Suzaku, can you hear me?
- Miss Cecile, did you see the same thing as me?
- Yes, I saw it and... I don't know what it was! - Krumi answered uncertainly. - If you're exhausted, you can go back and take...
- No, it's okay! I can continue to act. I don't know what it was, but I have to find out! - he declared decisively, leading Lancelot in pursuit of the car.
And Lelouch, in turn, due to the serious damage to the nightmare, got out of it, still continuing to think about what had happened. But then a faint noise of the engine reached his ears, which then stopped, giving way to the grinding of metal parts. He turned around, looking dumbfounded at the gigantic body of the yellow Autobot, from which he took a sharp step back. For the first time he saw this robot up close, which stared at him without showing any emotion. This somewhat calmed the former prince, after which he straightened up and was the first to break the anxious silence:
- You're not a nightmare, right? Bumblebee didn't say anything, because due to the lack of a voice module, a person wouldn't be able to understand him. So he nodded affirmatively.
- Do you understand me?
Bee nodded in agreement.
Lelouch then chuckled slightly, and then burst into full-blown laughter, because he considered everything that had happened to be real madness. First, he received the ability to control people just by looking at them, and now he was talking to some intelligent machine that could turn into a car whenever and wherever it wanted.
"Oh, God!" He tried to hold back his laughter with his hands. - What kind of day is this? What the hell of a day is this? "
The yellow scout was just waiting for the young man to calm down in order to have a full-fledged conversation with him, since it was Optimus who suggested the idea of cooperating with the Prince of Britain, albeit a former one. So, in essence, Bumblebee was now laying the foundation for this fruitful cooperation. And when Lelouch finally managed to calm himself down, he asked:
- Are the other machines the same as you? - He continued, seeing a nod of agreement. - I suppose I can talk to them later. Look, according to Sutherland's data, we are not far from the Clovis Mobile Base. What do you say if we get a chance to finish all this at once?
The Autobot was slightly surprised by these words, but then became serious, as the prince decided to suggest something completely dangerous and, perhaps, even insane.
Mobile Base G1
Lloyd stood outside his transporter, talking to himself like some kind of madman, and reviewing the footage from the Lancelot's external camera:
- Incredible. A Knightmare that can transform into a vehicle. I came here hoping to test Lancelot. Not only have I succeeded, but I think I have found something truly impressive! - He laughed giddily, like an excited schoolgirl, pressing the tablet to his chest. - I don't know what kind of thing it was, but I want it!
However, he didn't even suspect that the toy he wanted to buy now was rushing at full speed in transport mode to the territory of the base, which, due to the mistake of the Britannian command, was now guarded by only a small number of nightmares. There were only soldiers everywhere, dressed in dark gray armor, over which there was a bulletproof vest, and on their heads there was a helmet with protective glasses. When the car reached the Clovis transport, one of the guards gestured to stop, holding a machine gun in his hand.
- Get out of the car, this is Prince Clovis's personal transport! - He exclaimed very sternly, as befits a sentry.
Lelouch grinned, pressing the button to lower the window. The soldier approached him, which allowed the prince to use his power. His left eye glowed, and a bird symbol appeared in the pupil.
- I would like you to let us in! - he demanded.
A red symbol flew out of the eye, through the soldier's eyes, straight into his brain, redesigning it to obey the prince's will.
- Yes, sir, you may pass!
Bumblebee sighed to himself as he passed the guard. He hoped that Lelouch's plan would be successful.
Arcee was able to drive Kallen to the meeting place with the rest of the Autobots, the rebels, and a few ghetto residents who had taken refuge here.
- Kallen, over here! - Ohgi called out to the girl, holding the gate to the warehouse open along with the other rebels until the Autobot and the Japanese woman drove inside, allowing the boys to close it.
Jumping out of the back seat, Kozuki looked around, noticing that there were only five rebels and a few dozen civilians here. Also inside were all the vehicles of their allies, with the exception of a yellow and black muscle car.
- This is all your fault! - one of the civilians shouted. - This is what happens when you go against Britannia!
- What? - Tamaki drawled angrily.
- So many people died because of this! - a crying woman exclaimed, hugging her child tightly.
- Shut up! Do you know how many of ours were killed by those fucking Britannia, huh?
- They have it tough. - Cliff commented sympathetically, communicating with his comrades through the comlink. - All these people lost their families, friends, and even their own homes.
- And all because of Britannia! - Ironhide growled. - Damn those fucking wannabes!
- Wait, where's Bee? - Bulkhead asked that the yellow bot was not among them.
- He went to help Lelouch the last time I saw him. - Arcee answered, which made all the Autobots, including Optimus, very wary.
- Bumblebee, can you hear us? Answer! - he said.
- [I'm here, Optimus! Don't worry, we'll end this once and for all!] - the Autobot scout confidently answered, which made them puzzled.
- Wait, "we"?! - the Autobot asked in confusion.
- Ratchet, can you track Bumblebee's signal? - Prime asked.
- I was able to track his signal. He... - the medic looked at the coordinates, not believing his eyes. - ... He's on the very edge of the ghetto! Very close to Clovis's personal transport!
- WHAT?! - the Autobot veteran exclaimed.
But their conversation was interrupted by an explosion of the gate, from which the outlines of a dark gray tank could be seen. The Shinjuku residents screamed in panic, backing away to the very back of the warehouse, while the Autobots rushed forward, forming a defensive line of themselves in front of the Britons.
- See?! This is what happens when we blindly trust some random guys! - Tamaki shouted irritably.
- So this is where you, damned parasites, were hiding! - exclaimed a soldier on top of the tank. - Prepare to die, pathetic Elevens!
- Optimus! - Bulkhead drawled expectantly.
Prime himself understood that they were in a difficult situation. In front of them were British troops, and behind them were the Japanese they wanted to save. Due to the tight line, it was impossible to turn the weapon in their direction, and the camouflage would not be able to keep the completely crazy sadists outside, so the only way out of this situation was to abandon the camouflage.
The tension grew with each passing second. Every person was huddled in a fetal position, praying for a miracle. The rebels were also scared, Kallen was scared to death. She was going to be executed? Here? Now? And this despite everything she had done and wanted to do - to achieve justice? However, all she could do was close her eyes, mentally screaming the name of her older brother:
"Naoto!"
Optimus realized that this was the only way out of the situation, so he exclaimed:
- Autobots, trans... - the leader of the Autobots did not have time to finish, as he heard this:
- Attention to all forces! Cease fire immediately! - Clovis's voice echoed throughout the ghetto, surprising everyone: the Japanese, the Britons, and the Autobots.
- What? Cease fire?! - Arcee was perplexed.
- Cease fire? - Suzaku exclaimed in his nightmare, stunned.
Even Ratchet, Fixit, and Warpath heard the announcement, stunned by its contents.
- I, Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of the Britannian Empire and Lieutenant Governor of Area 11, command you!
All the Britannian soldiers, including the stranded Jeremiah and Villetta, heard the announcement with surprise. Even Lloyd and Cecile were stunned by it.
- All forces are ordered to immediately cease fire and cease destruction of any kind of property and real estate! All wounded, whether Britons or Elevens, are to be given medical attention, including assistance in rescuing those Elevens trapped under the ruins of the ghetto! In the name of Clovis la Britannia, I order everyone to cease hostilities immediately! I will not tolerate further bloodshed!
No one could have expected this, except one. And this one was now behind Clovis's transport, holding back his laughter and waiting for his partner.
- Bumblebee, did you do this...? - Ratchet asked in shock.
- [Well, actually, Lelouch did it.] - the yellow scout answered.
- You and Lelouch managed to get to Clovis? - Arcee said, not believing her ears. - How did you get past the guards?
- [Aside from the fact that most of them were sent to the ghetto in advance, Lelouch used his vision to get here. Simply put, thanks to his power, we were able to enter the base.]
- Where is Lelouch himself then? - Ironhide asked.
- [He is now with Clovis, chatting with him, trying to find out something.]
- Then it turns out... it's all over? - Cliffjumper asked thoughtfully.
- [Um, not quite!] - Bee squeaked uncertainly, which attracted the attention of the other bots.
- What do you mean? - Optimus asked.
- [Well... um... sort of...] - the Autobot scout spoke vaguely, trying to find a way to express himself more gently.
- Come on, finish! What happened there? - Ironhide hurried him.
- [Okay! Fine! Just please don't be offended, but Lelouch... he... saw me take on... my original form.]
There was an awkward silence.
After the broadcast ended, the lights in the room went out, leaving the third prince alone with a stranger dressed in a British army uniform and pointing a gun at him. Due to the darkness, Clovis could not see his face.
- Are you satisfied? - he asked, leaning on the edge of his throne.
- More than. Good work!
In response to the compliment, the prince only grinned.
- So what should we do now? Sing a few cheerful ballads? Or maybe play a game of chess? - Clovis inquired.
- That sounds familiar. - said the stranger, surprising the third prince. - Don't you remember? When we were kids, the two of us played chess. And, of course, I always won.
This made the blond frown a little, suspecting something was wrong.
- What are you talking about?
The stranger grinned in response, saying:
- Do you remember? At the Villa of Aries?
Clovis was confused, as he did not expect that anyone would remind him of that cursed place.
- What? W-W-Who are you...? - he asked, stuttering.
However, instead of words, the stranger threw off his helmet and slowly walked out of the shadows, revealing his lilac eyes and jet-black hair, which Clovis always remembered, because they belonged to none other than his...
- Long time no see, big brother.
Clovis jumped up from his chair in horror, his eye sockets widening in shock and disbelief, while his pupils narrowed, making his eyes look like billiard balls. It was him, definitely him!
- The eldest child of the late wife Marianne, 17th in line to the imperial throne, Lelouch Vi Britannia at your service! - Lelouch admitted, imitating a noble bow in front of the stunned Clovis.
- Le-louch? But... But... I thought you...
- Were dead? You're wrong! - said the former prince, showing his devilish grin. - And I returned... to change everything!
Note: The Autobots helped the rebels in the fight against British repression. Lelouch learned that the driver allies are huge humanoid robots and that they know his secret. And Lelouch also revealed himself to his older brother Clovis. What will he do now?