Disclaimer: Code Geass is written and owned by Ichirō Ōkouchi and Gorō Taniguchi, and produced by Bandai Namco's Sunrise studio. I own no characters, locations, or elements from the Original Series, Manga (Yes, there IS a manga), or Movie Trilogy/Resurrection Timeline. I own only my OCs and their respective Knightmares.
With that said, Please Enjoy The Show!
Normal Speech: "Hello"
Radio/Comms: "Hello"
Thoughts: Hello
Geass: "{Hello}"
Knightmare/Loudspeakers: "Hello"
Chapter 8: Among The Wolves Part 2
Shinjuku Ghetto, Tokyo Settlement
It was dark out by now; most of Shinjuku and a good portion of the Settlement were fast asleep while Naoto's team rode through the darkness of the Ghetto. The mood of the rebels had grown somber, and more serious as they drove past half-dilapidated buildings, wrecked roads, and abandoned streets that made up their home.
Tailing behind was MERLIN, Landspinners smooth and silent as it followed.
Lowriel remained silent as he watched the world around him pass by, having only briefly brushed over the 'updates' to his Knightmare Frame before they set off. The cockpit was dark and cramped, leaving the pilot partially upright against the 'seat', which was little more than a cushioned back support. It is just as rusted and old-worn as the outside if not more with several dangling wires needing to be set back into the old paneling. 3 panoramic screens made up the MERLIN's system, with the middle set vertically for visual feed.
An old keypad and a small mess of old switches and buttons lay beneath them, along with
At least it all still works, given her rough state. Lowriel hummed faintly, flexing his grip at the handles and feet pedals. It felt calming to be inside the metal giant even if it was uncomfortably small. Here, he felt in his element compared to lying in an old cot or sitting in a wheelchair too small for him. I'll have to be careful this time. With less armor, I need to rely on speed and accuracy.
When the trucks finally arrived slowly, and he was able to see the ruins of Saitama ahead, he couldn't help but frown beneath the wrappings. To think thousands of people once lived in districts like this. Now it's a ghost town.
"Just keep quiet and let me do the talking. These guys aren't the most kind, even to friendlies." Naoto spoke up over the comms, slipping out the lead truck. It took a few minutes before a small group of armed Japanese came out of the nearby buildings, all bearing similar militia-esk clothing and in their hands. Most looked far older compared to Naoto's team, more battle-hardened. Scarred and experienced-looking. There was a cold, distinct lack of warmth or kindness in their expressions, but it was understandable. The way they stood, and the look on their faces, matched the tension of Naoto's boys.
Naoto stepped up first, approaching the older man who stood at the front of the group and gave him a stiff nod. "Momoi."
"Kozuki," The older man greeted, his tone gruff and sharp. "So you're the ones who let the strike on Yokosuba." He eyed the steady Knightmare behind their trucks, not looking much impressed.
"I'd say it's a pleasure, but..." Naoto trailed off.
"All the same. I don't have a lot of men to spare, but we'll make do with our combined force." The old rebel looked past him to the MERLIN and narrowed his gaze. "Not holding out on us, are you?"
"That thing looks like a wreck," One of his members remarked. "Can it even run on its own?"
"Believe me, it's seen worse. And its pilot is one of a kind - we wouldn't have made it out of Yokosuba without him." Naoto promised, gesturing. "Now, are we gonna stand here all night, or are we gonna start moving? We've got a chemical bomb to take down."
Momoi eyed the Knightmare for a moment before letting out a huff. "Let's get this over with."
Lowriel turned out the growing conversation as they left Saitama, guided through the lower-level streets to enter the Settlement. He focused on himself while the group put as much distance from any potential obstacles or pedestrians who may see them, rolling into the underbelly of the beast. He also did his best to ignore the sting of Tokyo's artificial lights as he monitored MERLIN's energy output. 3 hours before she'll switch to emergency power, if I'm lucky, He thought grimly, glancing up once the sensors stabilized. Tch. Wonder if they'd be willing to spare some energy.
Up till now, all Lowriel had seen was parts of the ghetto district and maybe a peek at Tokyo when he returned with the Resistance. Half-ruined buildings on their sides, streets littered or bombarded by big and small craters from a war long since passed. Absolute darkness, with Japanese history, culture, and its people left to rot and decay in. When Tokyo presented itself on the road ahead, it saw exactly what he predicted:
Pristine. Bright. Britannian. From here at the lower levels, the buildings were too sleek and tall, lights and electricity filling MERLIN's optic sensor as the city rested atop massive metal seismic reinforcements elevating the city from the Earth. At this distance, the Settlement felt huge, overwhelmingly so.
A perfectly clean picture, hiding the ugly underbelly of a rotten society.
And that was without the glaring deeds done to Mount Fuji, which stood looking more like a looming fortress of metal than a mountain. It was enough to make him feel sick, but the Brit forced it down and turned his eyes away, back to his screen. "Over... compen-sating… much." He said, keeping his voice as low as he could.
"You don't know the half of it." Kallen muttered back.
The next hour was spent in relative silence, let to his thoughts again. It wasn't until they finally reached the upper levels of Tokyo that Naoto spoke.
"Alright, you lost, listen up!" He said. "We're coming up on the base. Compared to Yokosuka we're expecting twice the manpower there, maybe air support too. We'll split into two teams while our Knightmares carve through the heavy stuff. The rest will follow and handle the troops. Once inside, we knock out the power, find where the gas device is being held, blow it to high hell, and bail. We CANNOT stay there any longer than we have to."
"If we pull this off properly, then a lot of people are going to be saved and a lot more Brits will be running scared. Got it?"
The Japanese answered with the sound of guns being checked and readied.
"Alright then," He said, and Lowriel could feel the smile of confidence in his words. "Let's get this done."
Lowriel took a sharp inhale and felt his body ache as he readied himself. He could hardly fight off the growing anticipation in his chest, feeling his adrenaline surge through him now. It wasn't the same as when he first awoke, but it was enough.
It would be enough.
Minato Southern Military Base, Tokyo Settlement
Set near the industrial zone, Minato Southern was twice the size of Yokosuba, acting as both a home for Britannian Infantry Forces and KMF units. Two front towers stood at the main gate, with guard posts set along the interior, and a large wall made up of concrete and metal surrounding the perimeter. Knightmare Frames, T-4 Dropships, VTOL gunships, and small armored vehicles silently in their holds/stations across the living spaces, personnel offices, and so on.
Naturally, soldiers patrolled the base, albeit far too lax and lazy to notice anything amiss. With how far they were in the Settlement's Defense Line, they were far from concerned about their mini fortress being attacked.
This, of course, made them perfect victims when the furthest back wall grew warm, a sudden blast erupting. The loud explosion echoed out, and a dozen soldiers jerked in semi-alert awareness to the sound as rock and metal frame pieces flew into anyone or anything close by.
But the damage was far from done.
Seconds later, a dark form burst from the smoke and rubble, fast and encroaching.
"What in the goDDAMN-!?" A soldier shrieked as he was crushed by debris, the large Knightmare roaring into the base grounds. Without the rattling of its old Landspinners, the rustic beast steamrolled over the debris and tore right through the soldiers in range. The rifle was loud and rang with every round fired, so it quickly awoke anyone not up after the first explosion.
"Go, go, go!" Naoto yelled over the feed, with his and Minamo's men pouring through the hole. Their guns flashed in the semi-lit zones as they ran, alert sirens coming to life soon after. "Nagata, take Yoshida and Inoue! Power generator! Cut these bastards off!"
"Got it!"
"Rest of you, with me! We need to cut them off from the armory!" He ordered, following behind the MERLIN. Lowriel did not leave the Britannians an inch, however, cold and calculating as he fired fewer rounds but at more prominent spots in his path. There was no room to waste time, so every shot had to count. "MERLIN, go ahead and keep the Brits scattering! We'll cut through the barracks and the armory!"
"Under…stood."
"Where the hell did these bastards come from?!" A soldier yelled.
"Who cares? Stop them! Don't let them get any further!"
"We have a breach in the perimeter! I say again: We have a breach!" While the rebels charged through the base, the Britannians on station scrambled to action. Orders and commands were shouted, and sleeping men were pulled out of their beds as they rushed for gear and rifles.
Lowriel eased on gunfire, leaving the soldiers to Naoto's forces while charged past and handled anything close to his eye range. It must have been terrifying, seeing this giant machine stomp over troops and anything set up post-hate, coming close to raised/second-story platforms and brutally swatting their supports away—that or swatted at the soldiers themselves like flies.
He advanced, turning a corner right into violent muzzle flares. "Rgh-!" Lowriel jerked the controls hard and reeled across the space, the warning systems crying out at the gunfire he took. He felt a cough nearly come out, but he forced it back to focus on the new blips in his radar. "Kozuki…. Enemy Knight. Mares are… ahead."
Two Sutherlands had appeared across the road from him, armed and waiting.
"Damn. I was really banking on them not being deployed so fast," Naoto cursed before speaking up. "No matter. Keep doing what you can! Momoi! Tell your men to grab whatever heavy weapons they can!"
While that went on, Lowriel gauged his ammunition; 10 rounds, but plenty of ammunition in the likelihood he dealt with those Sutherlands. Plenty of clear terrain to work with, He added, pivoting MERLIN entirely and going around the building. Tires roared against the pavement as the Knightmare tore into them. A blunt shoulder charge sent one Knightmare right into the other, followed by the roar of Lowriel's rifle as he burned his last ammunition.
The bullets met their mark at the cockpit, and before the second could react, he'd already collected a dropped rifle with the opposite arm and lunged again. Using the empty one as a blunt object, the MERLIN brought down two harsh blows to the chest plating, with a third decapitating the Sutherland completely.
Once he was certain the cockpit block was dislodged and its body wouldn't move, Lowriel continued through the base.
Minutes rolled by before a loud boom was heard, followed by a drop in lights and alarms which sent the soldiers into an even greater panic. "Nagata to Kozuki, Generators are down!" Nagata called. "Inoue's found an access and is cutting off any more outside communication, but that's not gonna hold for long."
"We only need 20 minutes, maybe less now. Kallen, start moving for the entrance; we'll cut through the remaining forces and finish this!"
"Already moving in, Naoto-Nii!" Kallen answered as a ripple of small explosions lit the base across them. The Glasglow's joins creaked and hissed as it came through, lighting up the Britannian soldiers trying to reorganize or rearm themselves.
"EAT LEAD YOU ENGLISH-FUCKS!" Tamaki yelled, firing his Assault Rifle at any soldier he could see with Ohgi and another handful of men right behind them. Knightmares moving for the back half of the base were caught off-guard, their cockpits rocked by loud grenades or Kallen's Knightmare shooting them. "Down with your shitty little fortress!"
"Don't let up!" Ohgi shouted. "We need to push through them and to the east block! Hurry!"
"We're being surrounded-!" A Britannian blurted out before he was gunned down.
"Hitting us from both sides? Mobilize! Scramble the rest of our damn cavalry! Throw anything we have available to stop them!"
"Them? To hell with them! Stop that freaky-looking Knightmare!" Unfortunately, though, nothing comes up. With how far into the city Minato Base was there was hardly a need for a full-scale military presence like the outer base zones. And with only a handful of Knightmare units mobile, the Japanese make it clear that they are not letting the Britannians get any sort of advantage.
Across from them near the east of the warehouse block, Lowriel's Knightmare slid through frantic gunfire from soldiers around another pair of Sutherlands by the KMF Repair/Storage block, as well as a Glasglow with a shield.
Easy pickings. Lowriel tried to fight the thin smirk forming beneath his mouth as MERLIN bolted past the gunmen and collided hard.
The momentum alone sent the Glasglow crashing down onto its allies, sending a couple of Britannians into a bloody mess. Gears turned with hard cranks as he swung the rifle on the Sutherlands, ripping the first block to shreds before moving back from a much closer strike from the second. "You and that frail thing, that's not even a real Knightmare!" The pilot screamed, having ditched the rifle in place of Stun Tonfas, chasing after. "How dare you come into our home!"
But the MERLIN was far from frail.
The rusted Knightmare recovered just as the enemy came close and, with a harsh kick, tore the chest plating off entirely, sending it spinning. Before they could even react, MERLIN closed the gap and drove its hand through the pilot's cabin, crushing it under the force.
The pilot never got a chance to scream or cry out as his life was gouged out.
With its support down, and soldiers too scattered to help, the Glasglow pilot had enough sense to run. He almost considered letting him go, but that could lead to even more trouble in the future. Lowriel gave chase, watching the Knightmare run as his gun was reloaded. "Get away! GET AWAY FROM ME!" The pilot screamed, Pulling one arm back and bringing the Factsphere sensor into focus as he kept pace, Lowriel punctured through the metal shield, sending the Ejection System online and into a building.
The Glasglow fell apart, and the pilot within was crushed to death before he could realize it.
Enemy units... Lowriel's eyes wandered over the image feeds, searching for anything left moving in this carnage. There was none. But he could feel the adrenaline dropping fast and with it, the aching he'd ignored in the chaos surging back into him. He let out a severe cough, feeling like his lungs were about to explode again as Naoto's voice came over the feed. "MERLIN? MERLIN, do you copy?"
"I'm-" He choked for a moment, coughing out blood and saliva, clearing his throat. "I'm fine... Stat-us?"
"We're all clear on this end. Momoi's men are sweeping up any soldiers still out here, and Nagata joins up with Kallen's group by the warehouses. We're heading there now."
"On... route..." He assured, scanning the area again before taking a deep breath. The air inside the cabin was hot and stale, and the blood was still fresh. But there was no time to wait. After a few seconds, Lowriel was able to focus and he headed off to meet with the Japanese.
Later
It wasn't long before the Japanese regrouped near the storage/cargo area on the west half of Minato. With how desperately the Britannia's had tried and failed to fight, only a few stragglers and the base civilian staff were left standing, and they weren't stupid enough to fight.
Well, at least the civilians surrendered; the soldiers went down like the rest, desperate and furious with the rebels.
The base had become a burning wasteland by now. The buildings were in tatters and the vehicles were mostly torn to pieces, with the Glasgow and rebel cells moving for the storage area. "Goddamn… Is this what it's like when you guys go out on missions?" Kallen breathed, taking in the view. She couldn't believe things had gone this crazy; hell, couldn't believe she'd helped be a part of this! "That was nuts!"
"You think that was nuts? You should've seen the port." Sugiyama chortled.
"We did it..." One of the Japanese panted, dropping to his knees. "Holy shit... we did it! I can't believe it!"
"We just raided a Britannian military base," Another whispered in awe."We raided a Britannian base...!"
"Certainly can't call us 'small hitters' now," Nagata murmured as he looked around at the ruined sight. "Great Kami, I pity the grunts who'll have to clean this!"
"Oi! Stay focused!" Momoi snapped, drawing attention back. Even with the relieved look on his face at their few losses, the man still gave them all a hard stare. "We still have a job to do here."
"He's right," Naoto nodded, stepping away from the Glasgow and wiping his face. "Everyone spread out and started searching the nearby warehouses. Our informants say it should be in Building 6, but I'd rather us not take any chances here. Especially not this far in." He ordered.
"Hai!" The group answered, splintering off. Or at least they started to, freezing at the sight of MERLIN approaching.
"Goddamn! That crazy mummy's Knightmare's a mess all over again!"Tamaki whistled, watching from afar as the MERLIN approached. It wasn't pretty. Plenty of bullet marks along the chassis, and the arms looked greatly rattled. But at the very least, it was still standing and operating. Silver lining, and all that shit.
"At least we know it works still," Ohgi remarked.
"Hell yeah, it works! Cause I made sure as hell it did!"
"Did you see how it tore through those Knightmares? It-It went through them like nothing!" A Yamato member gaped.
"Kozuki certainly has an ace up his sleeve now, doesn't he?" Another asked quietly.
That goes without question." Momoi murmured, eyeing it again. "Where did you find that machine Kozuki, or at least whatever man pilots it?"
"Just a stroke of luck, if you can call it that." Naoto dryly answered, looking towards the MERLIN. He had been worried given Lowriel's physical status, but he took to piloting like a fish to water. Certainly kept his word thus far, He thought before shaking his head. "Alright enough chatter, get to work! Get to work!"
The old Knightmare came to a halt beside the separating tables, falling silent.
With his part finished, Lowriel had little else to do but wait as the Japanese searched the sight. He had no real desire to move either, nor the strength to. His breathing was slow and shallow, his hands gripping the controls firmly as he sat there, unmoving. The MERLIN was damaged but nothing too extreme; energy output was done to 2 hours, and the limbs had taken several hard hits. But she stood tall, unwavering still.
God. His body no longer ached, this was just straight-up pain. His head was pounding, his lungs tight, and his body felt rattled like it was hard to even move. But he could do so, he was, and the adrenaline helped mask some of the agony. It was enough he nearly went for the collar latch before locking his arm.
No! Don't. That'll just make it worse! He took a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes. Just... Just a few more minutes, He told himself. Just... Just a little longer
"Hey?... Hey! Merlin? You good?" A familiar voice called.
"Here..." The man wheezed, calming down. "I'm here..."
"You sound like you're choking on air in there," Kallen argued from her Glasgow, eyeing the KmF. "What's wrong?"
"Fine." He assured, taking a deep breath and shaking off the aching. "...'m fine. Stub-orn."
"Hope so. We're at the end, don't go passing out on us, okay?"
"As.. you wish." He answered.
"You're still doing that? Thought you've dropped the 'Royalty' thing by now!"
"Habit."
Kallen chuckled at that, shaking her head. "Yeah, guess I can't blame you for that." She mused before sitting back. "Well, try to relax. We're not done yet, but at least this part should be easy." She suggested.
And Lowriel, who felt like his skin was on fire again and like he could throw up at any moment, could only hope that would be the case.
Minutes passed and the Japanese finished scouring the site. At some point, Nagata returned from the back of the warehouse with a grim expression.
"Don't tell me…?"
"Actually, it's the opposite," He answered, nodding with his head. "You're gonna wanna see this…"
The two slipped through a large double-doored entrance to one of the warehouses, walking past crates reaching to the ceiling and a few dozen containers and trucks. After a minute, they came up to a large cargo truck. For a moment, Naoto dreaded the possibility of having another Lowriel situation on their hands.
Thankfully (if you could even call this a 'thankful' thing) the truck was open. And sitting inside the cargo hold was the largest bio-chemical device Naoto had ever seen. A large, dome-shaped unit sitting on a metal platform with metal piping and wires connected to the metal chamber. There were no markings or even warnings on it, but the mere presence alone was enough to make both men sick. "Holy shit," Naoto gasped, looking between the truck and Nagata. "This- this is it. This is the gas, right?"
"So we burn this thing next, right?" Nagata asked, frowning at the sight. "I mean-hell, it's not like we're fucking experts on handling poison gas! I don't even wanna be near it."
"It's a risk we're going to have to take, unfortunately." Naoto sighed, shaking his head. "I don't even wanna touch it on the off chance it goes off…" After a moment of staring, thinking, and imagining the type of horrors that would come if they didn't do anything, he finally hardened his mind. "We'll set explosions inside the truck, and then outside of it. If we shut the door, that - hopefully - should contain the blast."
"I don't like the 'hopefully' part, Nao," Nagata muttered.
"I can't say I do either." Naoto agreed. "But we can't risk anyone knowing what we're up to."
"Right... Right, I'll start setting the charges."
Naoto sighed heavily before heading back out. He still couldn't shake the sight of that gas tank from his mind. It was huge. As big as a freaking person! To think a weapon like that existed was horrifying, even more under the pretense that Clovis was going to use that on them. Not even the rebels, but innocents, people who had nothing to do with what Naoto's cell or the Yamato Alliance did. At least it's here, and we know its not like our last 'surprise' with the MERLIN, Naoto thought with dark humor.
"Naoto?" A voice called, snapping him from his thoughts.
He looked up to see most of his guys had returned, looking at him again. "You guys find it?" Ohgi asked, looking nervous given his expression
"Yeah. Yeah, we did," He answered, shaking his head. "Nagata's rigging some charges in the warehouse now. How are things outside?"
"Quiet. But luckily the civilians aren't fighting back and nobody's come knocking."
"Good." He smiled faintly, looking around. "Momoi's men?"
"Not back yet," Sugiyama said, glancing around. "The guy was just here a second ago, too… What happened to him and his men?"
"Who cares?" Tamaki asked, shrugging. "The point is we got our mission done and didn't die! Thumbs up, all that good shit!"
Naoto frowned but said nothing, turning his eyes to the warehouses. He knew he shouldn't worry about the man, after all, he was the head of the Yamato Alliance and an accomplished leader. But still, something felt off. "Let's just hope nothing bad happened," He muttered, finally heading off. "I'm gonna go look for him. You lot stay here!"
And this is where Naoto's luck ran out. Because he hadn't gotten two steps away from the others when the sound of gunfire snapped everyone to attention.
"Focus up, now!" Naoto shouted, looking around for the source of the gunshots. They were slow and spread apart, so they weren't coming from a full-blown firefight.
"Who or what the hell's doing that?" Tamaki blurted, looking around. "The hell is happening?!"
"Are we under attack again?!"
"If we were, we'd be dead already!"
"Keep an eye out! All of you!" Naoto barked, heading back through the base. He had no time for this; his people had done their jobs, and the truck was found. They just had to go home. What was the problem now?
He didn't have to go far, turning a corner near a ruined building and greeted by the sight of another gunshot ringing out. If that feeling of dread building wasn't enough, the sight of Momoi and his men holding several unarmed Britannian civilians at gunpoint made it so much worse. "Stop!" Naoto shouted, raising a hand. "Stop! Stop firing, dammit! Stop shooting!"
Their ongoing execution immediately ceased, most whirling to him like children being caught.
"What the hell are you doing?! Shooting unarmed people? They're just civilians, for God's sake!" Naoto growled, moving between Momoi's men and the group.
"They're Britannians, Kozuki," Momoi answered sharply, leveling his sidearm. "And they've seen us. They could easily sell us out later or have someone come back. We can't afford that. You should know this."
"That doesn't mean we kill everyone who sees us! We're not executioners!"
"They're Britannians!" Momoi repeated with a gruff growl. "They would sooner celebrate our executions before thanking us for sparing them." He spat out. "What? Did you think we've just let them all go after this was said and done? You may not have the heart to do what is necessary, but my men DO."
"Then it's a good thing your men are under MY command," Naoto hissed, narrowing his eyes at the man. "So I am not asking. I am ordering you to put down your guns. Do you understand me, Momoi?"
The silence was thick, almost deafening.
For a moment he thought he got through. He thought maybe his guys would come up behind, having heard the commotion by radio, and would help force these idiots to relax.
And yet...
"I never took you for a sympathizer Kozuki, but I'm not too surprised given the rumors." Momoi snarled, glaring at him with disgust. "I should have expected even a half-breed would turn soft in the end."
Oh. Naoto felt all kinds of fury boil over at that.
Momoi stared him down, continuing. "I've heard talks—whispers around your group. About how you've been treating a Britannian-" He spat out the word with such repulse. "While our own suffer daily! You've started to lose sight of what we fight for. Of who our enemy is."
There was tense silence before the red-haired man snapped, "I don't know who the hell you think you are but-!"
Naoto had no way to react to the thunderous explosion that incinerated several of Momoi's men and sent him flying back against the ground.
And in a flash, he blacked out, surrounded by a thick fog of black smoke and concrete.
A/N: Hello everyone! I hope January has been kind to you. I'm sorry for the delayed chapter, this month has been hectic, to say the least, and that's without me going back into Spring classes. Looking at it now, it's good I decided to cut the chapters. 7 would've been WAY too long otherwise and would've felt too clustered, something I'm trying to get better at compared to previous stories. I thought similar with 8, so 9 will wrap this portion of the story up neatly while the rest of Code Geass pours in afterward. This is also the first serious battle I've written in a while! It's not perfect, but I can work off it and hopefully get you more into the story with my progression.
I've started on Chapter 9 already; no real timeframe or date planned yet. The goal is hopefully within 2-3 weeks, I've sort of got the first half plotted out. Just a matter of writing the emotional stakes, the shouting, and the explosions and...
All of it.
But I digress!
Please let me know what you think in the Reviews!
With that said, This is the KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!