Upon his vow when Japan fell Lelouch was met with assistance from an unexpected ally who has offered to help him obtain the education and training to create his own army to topple his father, although with the aid of new allies Lelouch might have a chance if he is willing to take considerable risks. Harem: Lelouch with Ayano/Oldrin/Marirrosa/Kallen/C.C.
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The Demon and his Knights (Code Geass story)
- Thread starter StrifeHavoc
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The Demon and his Knights Ch1
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StrifeHavoc
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Author Notes: Due to issues with Fanfiction.net making me worry about the sites future I am posting the story on Fanfiction.net, Archive of Our Own and here.
The basis for this story's idea came from those discussions which I expanded upon further using my knowledge of the side materials related to Code Geass. At the very least, it might be refreshing to try my hand with a Code Geass story that isn't a crossover for a change.
Basically, this story takes place a few months before events of episode one, which will play out somewhat differently given the set up below. After spending some years preparing to lead the rebellion that Lelouch hopes will topple his father's Empire he has found a group of teenagers who want a home for themselves to form the foundation for what will become the Black Knights.
But before returning to Japan/Area 11 to begin his rebellion, there are a few things Lelouch intends to obtain to have enough resources to get a solid start, which was possible thanks to a particular man the Ashford Family had reached out to who helped them cover up Lelouch's demise. Yet he knew of Lelouch's desire to destroy Britannia and sought to assist the young man as a means to help himself and to atone.
Will it all go according to plan?
"Your invitation please," an armed guard standing on the driver side of a black limo inquired.
The guard attire consisted of a black coat with matching pants and boots. His black leather gloves allowed him to accept the invitation envelope readily, but his other hand steadied the assault rifle slung over his left shoulder while his fellow guards, wearing identical black cloth caps observed.
The guard studied the invitation before passing it back to the limo driver, "welcome Mr. Dufresne. Please enjoy yourself on my employer's behalf."
"Thank you very," The passenger in the back seat replied, "I appreciate that."
The man sitting in the back of limo appeared to be in his early twenties wearing a black tuxedo; he had brown hair with green eyes and a fair skin complexion while wearing white gloves. The driver of the limo was a middle-aged man with black hair and blue eyes wearing a black uniform with a matching cap on top of his head. Sitting in the backseat next to Mr. Dufresne was a young woman wearing a black suit with a skirt and stockings with black hair styled into a bun held in place by two large needles.
The limo pulled forward while the passenger in the back placed one hand on his right ear before speaking into a concealed microphone on his person.
"This is K0 to other units," the man in the blue suit spoke, "B1, what is the status of the others?"
Parked three miles away from the private estate where the party was taking place at, which was just seven miles outside of the small town of Gottlieben, Switzerland. A white van, lacking windows in the back, was parked in the ruins of an abandoned vineyard, but inside the vehicle was a computer terminal with a keyboard, three monitors and a powerful transmitter and receiver set up outside. Sitting behind the computers was a young sixteen-year-old teenager with brown hair and green eyes. He wore a blue mao style suit with a black glove covering his left hand. The boy was Japanese as was the young woman who sat in the driver's seat of the van keeping watch.
The woman was around the same age if not slightly holder with long brown hair with plum eyes wearing a light brown jacket with a blue shirt underneath with white pants.
"B1 here," Yukiya Naruse answered, "everything is proceeding as planned we are forty seconds ahead of schedule. Knights one and two have infiltrated the mansion and reached the security room."
"What of B2, P3, P4, and P5?"
"They are on schedule, ETA ten minutes."
"Roger that," K0 answered, "I'll proceed as planned, await my signal."
Yukiya grinned, "I'll be ready when I detect your signal. In the meantime, I'll lighten security for all of you to make moving around a lot easier."
Inside the four-story European-style mansion, three black-uniformed security guards laid dead in the computer monitor lined room four Japanese youths were standing in. One of them was a seventeen-year-old young man with spiky brown hair and matching eyes. He wore a form-fitting black suit, designed for swimming while also made for use in sub-zero temperatures such as the waters by the mansion's boathouse. Even though the nighttime conditions gave them an advantage, it had also made the waters of the Rhine River virtually frozen over.
The other two were dressed in identical gear, one of them was a young man with rusty brown hair, and light brown eyes with a slightly tanned complexion. Besides him, there was a young woman with shoulder-length black hair and pink eyes, and finally, the fourth member was a young woman with short brown hair and matching eyes with a fair skin complexion, she and the other were planting devices around critical areas of the room.
Thankfully the four prepared teens had the equipment and tools needed to cut their way through the gates that extended below the water's surface of the small dock for the mansion using a specialized cutting torch. Once they were inside, they cautiously cut their way out of the thin ice sheet that allowed them to climb up to the dock before hiding by the boathouse. It took them a while, but the four had managed to infiltrate their way into the security room having memorized a map of the mansion and the grounds they were given for planning tonight's operation.
Knowing the guard's routes and Yukiya having managed to hack into their security cameras were invaluable, but now with their help, Yukiya had full access to their security systems by seizing the security room via a remote transmitter the duo had installed for him.
"The last bomb is set and ready once we have finished our job here," a female voice reported.
"Nicely done Ayano," Ryo Sayama complimented.
"Hey don't forget about us," The second boy in the room, Hiroto, said before gesturing with his finger to his partner the girl with short brown hair Fukumi.
Aside from their suits, they were carrying various pouches that held tools and weapons, but Ayano had brought a waterproof bag filled with remote bombs to plant inside the security room once they secured it.
"K1, K2, R1, and R2 have secured the security room and are holding position," Yukiya reported to their leader.
"Good work, just hold your positions until the package arrives. Report any changes in the meantime; Q-1 and I will begin phase two."
"Everything is going smoothly," the young woman behind Dufresne noted.
"Maybe, but stay on your toes."
Mr. Dufresne, followed by the young woman acting as his secretary ascended a large staircase in the mansion foyer seemingly to inspect the pieces of art and paintings decorating the hallways of the second floor. He was mindful of acting casual and avoiding doing anything that would make him appear suspicious in the eyes of anyone who might be observing him.
"I'll wait here and keep an eye on things as planned," The young woman offered before Mr. Dufresne nodded before she went to begin examining the paintings and artwork on display while discreetly watching for anyone.
Upon nearing a pair of double doors leading into the mansion's study, Mr. Dufresne waited for an opportunity before slipping into the study. After confirming that no one was going to enter the room behind him, the blonde haired man opened a pair of doors leading out to the balcony.
Looking down Mr. Dufresne observed some guards patrolling the grounds below, but after he was confident their eyes weren't looking up, he quickly climbed onto the stone railing before he began scaling the walls of the structure. He was fortunate that the stone bricks making up the mansion provided secure places for his hands and feet, allowing him to begin climbing up to the balcony directly above him. The climb was challenging, but only because he wasn't naturally athletic by any means and his success was only ensured because of the ease he found places for his feet and hands to grab hold of allowing him to climb up.
After pulling himself over the stone railing above the balcony he was on Mr. Dufresne was exhausted, so he took a few moments to rest before regaining his strength.
Upon entering the room beyond the balcony, thankful to find the doors were not locked, Mr. Dufresne was inside a large and spacious office with bookshelves, a large ornate wooden desk with a computer on top of it. Mr. Dufresne knelt down, finding the computer desktop before removing a small device from his coat, which he plugged in into a port on the back of the computer before powering on it and the transmitter.
Mr. Dufresne was careful to make sure the computer's holographic monitor was turned off, so if anyone walked it in, no one would notice what was happening.
"B1, are you receiving the signal?"
"Yes, I am," Yukiya replied with a devious smile, "I need a few minutes to crack these files, then I'll begin downloading everything."
"Roger that," K0 replied, "I'll return to the party below and await word for the arrival of the package."
He was not looking forward to climbing down again, but Mr. Dufresne knew if he attempted to return from the third floor, he would be noticed by the guards inside who were tasked with preventing entry to the upper levels. Nevertheless, he steeled himself, and the man who went by the name Mr. Dufresne began climbing back down, but upon being close enough, he merely leaped onto the balcony before slipping back inside.
"Q1, how is the hallway?"
"All clear you can come out," Q-1 replied.
Thankfully no one was inside the study, but as he walked to the double doors leading back out to the hallway.
Descending the stairs Mr. Dufresne, accompanied by Q-1, rejoined the crowd and began acting causal waiting word from Yukiya when the package would arrive at the mansion, but he was waiting for confirmation for when Yukiya succeeded in hacking into the private computer of the mansion's owner, Hugo Strandberg. Hugo is a wealthy industrialist and weapons manufacturer who is a high ranking member of the European Mafia with strong ties to both the military and politicians within the United Republic of Europia.
As Mr. Dufresne causally observed a group of partygoers chatting and talking, but he was concerned that unless he found someone to mingle with, he could draw some attention to himself. Scanning the room as he began walking through the foray towards a grand ballroom, a young woman dressed in a blue and black military uniform trimmed with red drew his attention. She wore a white dress shirt with a black tie that matched the skirt she wore along with the thigh-high heeled boots she wore.
What caught his eye was the book she was reading, which Mr. Dufresne, followed by his secretary, saw someone to mingle with and blend in until it was time for the final phase of their plan.
"Gilbert's Essays on Tactics," The blonde haired man began getting the attention of the girl who was leaning against a wall reading the book in question. "A good choice for a Major of the military to read, but you don't seem to be the partying type."
The young woman blinked at him in surprise, but Mr. Dufresne noted.
"If you haven't already, I would suggest reading Sun Tzu."
Standing close to her, the blonde haired young man saw that the woman in front of him was five inches shorter than he was. Nevertheless, she was a beautiful young woman with waist-length light blonde hair with some of it styled into two egg-shaped buns on top of her head with mauve eyes and a fair skin complexion.
"I already have," the young woman answered with a French accent, "and you are?"
"Forgive me I am Sean Dufresne, and this is my secretary Miss Quatra," Mr. Dufresne replied apologizing with a polite bow, and his companion did the same after Dufresne introduced her.
"Major Leila Malcal," Leila replied, introducing herself.
"A pleasure to meet someone with an appreciation for intriguing literature," Mr. Dufresne complimented.
"Likewise I am sure," Leila replied politely, but there was a hint of indifference in her voice.
Mr. Dufresne didn't seem bothered by it, but his conversation with her was serving its purpose as he was able to blend in.
"I am sure being here isn't an enjoyable experience for you?"
"No, it isn't it," Leila admitted, "it's more of an expectation for my presence here."
"I see…"
"K0, I've cracked the files, and I am downloading everything now," Yukiya said triumphantly. "Even better news the package will be here within the next few minutes."
"Then I apologize for your taking your time," Sean said before excusing himself.
Once he was out of earshot and notice from anyone, Sean tapped his earpiece, "Excellent, I am moving into position."
Mr. Dufresne made his way towards the back of the mansion where two guards dressed in suits blocked off the passageway to a small storage warehouse that was connected to the villa through a tunnel. The tunnel cut underground while the warehouse itself appeared to be much smaller, but this was due to it being partially underground to make the estate as a whole to look more picturesque.
"Hold it," one of the guards ordered, "this area is off limits, sir."
"I am Mr. Sean Dufresne," Sean said before explaining, "Mr. Strandberg is expecting me in the warehouse because we have a matter of business to discuss. Is it alright if my secretary accompanies us?"
The guard exchanged glances before speaking into a concealed microphone in his coat.
"Yes, Mr. Strandberg is waiting for you in the warehouse, the truck you promised is just pulling in now. And she can come too," the guard replied, pointing to Miss Quatra.
"Thank you, and I was hoping to time my arrival perfectly."
"Of course, and Mr. Strandberg expresses his appreciation for the consideration. He's waiting," the guard said as he stepped aside to allow the blonde haired man and his companion to pass.
"I appreciate it."
The guards opened the door allowing him entry into the tunnel that passed below ground outside the mansion that went straight to the warehouse. The door was closed behind him, but about midway through the hallway, he came across a connecting passageway where he saw Ryo, Hiroto, Fukumi, and Ayano stepped out with the former possessing a big smile on his face.
"Well fancy running into you here," Ryo replied, handing Sean a pistol with a silencer attached before giving him a small cylinder-like device that was the size of a pen. Ayano handed Miss Quatra a small gun with its own silencer, and a knife meant for close quarters fighting who proceeded to hide the gun in her jacket while the knife she hid under her left sleeve above her hand using a strap to secure its holster.
"Are you four ready?"
"Of course," Ayano replied, taking the safety off of the submachine gun she carried, which also had its own silencer attached to it. Ryo was holding a similar weapon since their plan demanded that they had to be quiet and avoid as much attention as possible. Hiroto was armed with a modified assault rifle with its own silencer as was Fukumi.
"Once I set this off take out the targets," Sean reminded the two, "did you scout out the package?"
"Yeah, and it looks like we only need Mr. Strandberg's handprint to open it," Ryo answered.
"Alright, let's do this, then."
With Ryo, Hiroto, Fukumi, and Ayano following close behind Sean and Miss Quatra entered the warehouse after opening the door at the end of the passageway, but he left it open allowing Ryo and Ayano a chance to pass through and enter the warehouse. Ryo and Ayano took cover behind some of the metal racks that lined the warehouse filled with several wooden crates and military strongboxes designed for storing weapons and equipment. Hiroto and Fukumi found a forklift and a large container to hide behind nearby. Upon clearing the towering shelves, Sean found Mr. Strandberg in the company of two armed guards, but before meeting the businessman, he took a chance to survey the warehouse.
No other guards and Ayano, Hiroto, Fukumi, and Ryo haven't been noticed anyway it seems.
He didn't know if Strandberg was merely arrogant or just that confident in his security personnel, or both since they had metal detectors and armed guards at the entrances that prevented him from bringing a gun.
"Mr. Dufresne," Hugo Strandberg greeted, offering his hand to the young man, "a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
"Likewise," Sean said, returning the greeting, "I have been looking forward to meeting you as well, especially given tonight's business transaction."
Hugo laughed, "of course, this is quite the big payoff, and I am glad you timed your arrival with the arrival of the merchandise you are offering me."
"I think you will be very pleased with it and more."
Suddenly the truck pulled in and had reserved into the loading dock. The rear trailer of the vehicle connected with the wall outside creating a seal between it and the walls as a means of protecting the secrecy of the cargo and protecting the contents of the transport from the elements outside.
"Let's have a look shall we," Hugo replied as one of his guards went to unlock the back of the truck before lifting the cover to reveal the interior of its trailer.
Very subtly Sean tossed the smaller cylinder towards the opening trailer which caught the attention of Hugo and his guards, but before they could say anything, it released a blinding flash of light. It was a small flashbang that didn't explode, but the light emitters around the top were designed to release a blinding light. Sean and Miss Quatra had closed their eyes just before it went off, so they were unharmed, but the sounds Hugo and his men made were the signal Ryo, and the others were waiting for.
Moving swiftly Ayano and Ryo went through the warehouse ensuring no one else was nearby nor coming to the aid of their boss as Hugo and his guards were gunned down by members of their group who were hidden aboard the truck armed with silent automatic weapons. Hiroto and Fukumi aided their friends aboard the truck before quickly working alongside Ryo and Ayano to ensure the warehouse was secured.
"The warehouse is secured," Ayano said as they approached Sean and three young Japanese teenagers who emerged from the interior of the trailer.
The last member was currently driving the truck was waiting on standby.
"Good work, but now we have to move," Sean said before running to grab a metal cart used for moving large containers. "Load their bodies onto this cart and let's begin dropping off the contents of our vehicle to make room for our quarry."
Ryo and Hiroto quickly helped pile their bodies onto the cart, saving Hugo's corpse for last since they needed him. Meanwhile, Ayano, Miss Quatra, Fukumi, and the other teens began using a forklift they had been hauling in the back of the truck to start moving a large object covered by a black tarp off the vehicle.
"We got three minutes, so let's go," Sean said, starting a stopwatch function on his wristwatch. "Ayano, I'll leave you to supervise things here. Grab any weapons and supplies we can use and start loading the truck."
"Right," Ayano replied as she, Fukumi and another Japanese teen, a tall young man with slick back blonde hair and dark blue eyes named Eisen.
The other two who had disembarked the truck, one was a boy with brown hair and green eyes wearing a heavy blue jacket and a white dress shirt with jeans named Akio. His friend, Chiyo, a girl had long black hair styled into a long braid she wore over her right shoulder with a blue cap on her head and a blue jacket with matching pants and a white shirt.
Sean, Hiroto, and Ryo worked together to move the cart as the later directed them to where the vault was located. Using the passageway, they traveled under the mansion where the hall served as both as a possible escape route for Hugo, but also a means of secretly moving whatever he kept in the vault to the warehouse.
This only worked to their advantage, given how security was more focused on the exterior than the interior.
Hiroto holstered his rifle, allowing him, to operate a small electric cart used to move heavy objects, which they were sure they would need once they opened the vault.
"There it is," Ryo replied parking the metal cart by a large, heavy metal door with a biometric scanner attached to the wall next to the door.
"Alright," Sean replied before moving Hugo's hand onto the reader, causing it to glow green for a moment.
A loud clicking sound was heard before the heavy metal door was unlocked and started to open automatically.
Once Hugo's vault was open, Sean, and Ryo stepped inside, finding it filled with gold bars. The shelves were loaded with paintings, and various artifacts were stored in the room. Neither one was an expert on antiques, yet the idea Hugo would keep such items in his personal vault was a clear indication that the objects must be priceless.
"Let's load as much gold as we can onto the cart and then we'll take the paintings and jewels stored in here. I am sure they will fetch a good price," Sean ordered as Hiroto followed them into the vault pushing the cart. After dumping the bodies in the vault, the trio worked fast to load the cart with whatever they could load onto it.
The group cut it close, but after three minutes Ryo, Sean, and Hiroto returned to the warehouse with their electric cart carrying as many gold bars it could take with seven valuable paintings on top while Ryo and Sean were taking the precious jewelry they discovered inside the vault. Upon arrival, Ayano had finished loading the trailer of the semi truck with as many weapons and military supplies and equipment they could load while ensuring they left room for Ryo and the others along with the contents of the vault.
"Alright, let's load up and leave," Sean ordered before speaking into his earpiece, "P1 we are finished here. Leave and meet us at the rendezvous point."
"Roger that," the limo driver replied before departing from the parking area set aside for limo drivers and their vehicles.
Like K-0, P1 wore a disguise, but under the mask, he was a young man of seventeen with copper hair and blue eyes with a fair skin complexion named Bunta.
"All aboard," Ryo shouted joyfully, "let's get moving before the security shift change."
Closing the semi truck's trailer once they were all on board and everything was secured.
"K0 to P5 we're all onboard, so move out."
"Understood, hold on!" P5 replied.
The last male member of the group, Gakuto was a black-haired young man with dark blue eyes with a small scar on his cheek.
The truck started up before it pulled out of the loading dock as the automatic system had sealed the door, but even if someone entered the three bodies had been left inside the vault, and it would probably take some time before anyone found them.
Ryo and the others waited nervously, but the truck was able to depart the estate without incident as it began making a beeline for the nearest road leading to Germany. Yukiya was already leaving to depart for the same rendezvous point as the others.
Inside the truck's trailer, Sean began unbuttoning the top of his tuxedo before pulling on his face to tear off the human-like mask he had been wearing modeled after the man known as Sean Dufresne who, unknown to many, had an unfortunate run-in with their group a few days ago. The same thing befell the actual owners of the truck they were in after a tip from a reliable source about a window of opportunity for tonight's mission.
Once the mask was removed, the seventeen-year-old teen pulled off the white cap, he wore to compress his black hair before using a free hand to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"How was it wearing that mask Lelouch," Ryo asked addressing their leader by his real name.
"It was unpleasant and hot," Lelouch Lamperouge answered as he removed the contacts that disguised his natural amethyst eyes.
"Small price to pay," Ryo replied with a cocky smile.
Lelouch returned the smile, "I suppose that is true."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Lelouch's supposed secretary said as she removed the wig she had been wearing before pulling off the skin-like mask she had been wearing eager to be free of it.
Once the disguise was gone, she quickly styled her long orange hair back to her preferred style, which was a top-do ponytail and her contacts removed revealed her brown eyes. Unlike Ryo she was a Britannian similar to Lelouch except she was actually half-blood, a half-Britannian and half-Spaniard being the result of a Britannian mother who fled from her family of born nobility who tried to force an arranged marriage before fleeing to Spain where she got married starting a family.
"I was dying in that thing," Marirrosa Noriega complained before Ayano handed her a towel to wipe her forehead clean of sweat before being offered a bottle of water.
Ryo merely laughed, "come on now you survived, so suck it up."
Marirrosa glared at Ryo while Lelouch merely found the scene amusing.
Marirrosa was a recent addition to their group who was the sole survivor of the Star of Madrid, a resistance group based in Spain when it was conquered by Britannia during a surprise attack almost two years ago. However, about six months ago Britannia was forced out by the United Republic of Europia who didn't want a rival superpower they were at war with so close to their capital in France. However, retaking Spain was not without very significant costs.
One was that they had to pull troops from military fronts in Russia and in Africa allowing Britannia to claim more of the territory with half of Africa under Britannia's control and the complete loss of Russia to the Euro-Britannians having fought them for years to keep them from conquering the rest. But for Marirrosa, the cost of freeing her homeland was a heavy and personal one for her. Her older brother, Fernando Noriega, the founder and leader of the Star of Madrid, had been killed along with the other members of their resistance group.
It was only because of Lelouch she didn't join her brother.
(May 21st, 2016 A.T.B.)
"What do you mean you won't be going," Marirrosa arguing with her brother who was four years older than her.
Fernando was a handsome man who looked identical to his younger sister with the only difference was the attire. Fernando wore an outfit that was primarily red trimmed with gold that bore similarities to a Matador with black boots and a long yellow sash. His sister, Marirrosa, was dressed in similar themed and colored attire including the same sash and boots, but her attire was more revealing showing her lower torso and some of her cleavage coupled with hugging her voluptuous figure.
During his time with their group, Lelouch didn't understand why they chose to dress in such outfits instead of using more attire that wasn't so bright, which would draw attention too quickly.
Sometimes Mr. Lamperouge theatrics is a useful tool for inspiring those you wish to liberate if they believe you to be something more than a man then they will follow you, The words of Fernando echoed in his mind when Lelouch asked him out their group's outfits.
Still, Lelouch had his doubts…
"I need you and Lelouch to leave because it's going to be hell within the next few hours."
"Why aren't the E.U. army here to liberate us?"
Both Lelouch and Fernando possessed solemn expressions on their faces, which was because of the information had obtained through hacking and his other skills allowing him to deduce something worrying about the way the E.U. army was moving their troops and the heavy weapons they were bringing to bear.
"They do intend to liberate Spain, but how they intend to do it is concerning, to say the least," Lelouch admitted grimly.
"The sheer amount of heavy artillery and bombers they are bringing isn't something you bring for liberation its something you bring when you intend to completely destroy something," Fernando explained.
"The E.U. Army is desperate, I have heard they pulled a lot of troops from their fronts in Russia and Southern Africa," Lelouch added.
"Indeed, but they are playing right into Britannia's hands," Fernando pointed out.
"Why?!"
"Your brother and I believe the only reason Britannia has occupied Spain was solely to force the E.U. to pull troops from its major fronts in a desperate bid to drive Britannia out. Otherwise, why haven't they made Spain into a proper Area like the other countries they have conquered," Lelouch explained which was the only conclusion.
Unlike other countries, Britannia has conquered Spain wasn't formally declared an Area like Japan was, which was odd but not unusual especially when its part of a larger landmass. However, the lack of colonization and more of stripping Spain was the apparent signs that Britannia isn't expecting to hold Spain for long, which could only mean…they didn't intend on holding onto Spain.
"The politicians in charge of the E.U. are likely in a huge panic demanding they retake Spain just to keep Britannia away from France, and the military knowing they could lose two of their most important fronts are just trying to retake Spain as quickly as possible even if it means devastating parts of it."
"That's crazy," Marirrosa commented.
"That's politics," Lelouch remarked coldly.
"We'll do what we can, but I cannot say if we'll survive."
"Then you should leave," Lelouch urged.
"He's right brother, don't do this!"
"We cannot abandon the people, which is the reason we chose to fight the oppressors who conquered our land, but," Fernando said before hesitating, "as a brother, I cannot let you die."
"I can't let you die either," Marirrosa said with tears forming.
"I know," Fernando said before embracing his sister in a tender hug, "but…the older sibling must do what is best for his younger sibling."
"Huh?!"
Suddenly Marirrosa felt something poke her lower back on her exposed skin before realizing her own brother had injected her with a tranquilizer he had hidden in his sleeve.
"No…brot…her…"
Lelouch was shocked by what Fernando did, but he reacted quickly before Marirrosa hit the ground by catching her.
"Lelouch, please take care of my sister."
"Why did you do that," Lelouch said cradling Marirrosa's unconscious body.
"As someone with a younger sibling, you of all people should know why I did it. Wouldn't you have done the same for your sister?"
For once, Lelouch didn't have an answer.
"You both should leave now…"
"You have to live on, and remember what you learned because I think you can change the world someday."
"That is my goal once I destroy Britannia," Lelouch pointed out.
"Destruction can bring about creation, and remember if you do not want people to see your face then create a new face that isn't a man but something more. A man can be silenced and destroyed, but create something greater than a man, and you'll have followers greater than any resistance group because symbols and legends don't fall easily."
Lelouch pondered those words for a moment until "and what do I tell her when she wakes up?"
"Give her this," Fernando said, handing Lelouch a letter he had in his coat. "Now go and remember you are always an honorary member of our group."
After leaving Marirrosa would come to and to her horror would realize the worst had come to past, in their aggressive campaign to retake Spain. The E.U. army had devastated most of Spain leaving towns and cities in ruin, but even worse was the fact the E.U. had lost most of Africa and the rest of Russia to Britannia earning nothing more than a pyrrhic victory.
With no one left for her and no home to return to Marirrosa vowed to follow Lelouch, although it was no surprise it took her some time to recover.
I am one step closer to making that dream a reality because I'll have everything I'll need soon, Lelouch thought as his mind returned to the present.
An hour would pass before people began asking of the whereabouts of the party's host, which led to security to start a search of the estate for the missing Hugo. Upon entering the security room when their calls to them were met by a pre-recorded message, created by Ayano, Hiroto, Fukumi, and Ryo before they eliminated the security guards inside the room. It was thanks to some remote help from Yukiya using a digital recorder they had brought with them.
Once they walked inside the bombs left behind by Ayano and the others detonated, which triggered the giant bomb the group had left behind in the warehouse setting its interior ablaze which was made worse thanks to the various weapons and military arms stored inside.
No one had found Hugo Strandberg that evening thanks to the chaos caused by the explosions, but regardless Lelouch, Ryo, and the others had crossed the border into Germany before the sunrise.
It was close to ten in the morning by the time the group parked the truck at an old warehouse six miles outside of Sigmaringen, which the group despite being tired began loading a similar semi truck with different markings, color, and plates with everything they had taken from Strandberg. Using the chance those who had no tasks seized the opportunity to rest, which included Lelouch who changed out of his tuxedo and into more casual clothing consisting of a white dress shirt with black pants.
Lelouch had found an old sofa to use as a temporary bed while leaving the mattress the warehouse had left over to use as more proper beds to rest on after throwing some plastic over them for the others.
As he slept, Lelouch's mind dreamed of that moment seven years ago when his life as a former prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch vi Britannia, ended and Lelouch Lamperouge began. His demise was necessary because had he lived Lelouch and his younger sister would've been used as political tools that would've ended with their deaths as casualties of imperial ambition.
His mother, Empress Marianne vi Britannia, was one such victim with his young sister almost becoming one as well.
Or so he believed based on the fact the men responsible were never caught and had breached some of the highest security measures put in place.
Angered, Lelouch went to his father to demand why nothing more was being done to apprehend those responsible for his mother's death. At the end of their conversation, Lelouch was exiled to Japan along with his sister. Nunnally had been rendered crippled by gunshot wounds to the legs and blinded by the trauma of her mother's demise forcing Lelouch to care for her on his own.
He and Nunnally were to serve as little more than political bargaining tools between Japan and Britannia, but after several months of trying living conditions, Britannia and Japan went to war with the other. In one month Japan had lost becoming Area 11, a dominion of the Empire having wholly ignored the fact Lelouch and Nunnally were still in the country.
It did open the door for an opportunity for Lelouch.
"I swear Suzaku, so help me," a ten-year-old Lelouch spoke to the one and only person he befriended in Japan. "That one day, I'll obliterate Britannia!"
Suzaku Kururugi, the son of Japan's last Prime Minister, looked at his friend in stunned silence. He had brown hair and green eyes wearing a faded red dress shirt with a green tie and jeans while Lelouch wore a white dress shirt with red suspenders and black pants.
"Your Highness," a man who was twenty-two years of age with brownish-blonde hair and bluish-green eyes wearing a black suit said, "it's time to go."
Lelouch was hesitant but complied, and it would be the last conversation shared between the two friends for years to come.
Later that same evening aboard a private yacht located out in the middle of Toyko Bay as the Britannian Army had finished securing the area and beyond as the occupation and colonialist were already moving in to begin reshaping Area 11 to suit the needs of the Empire. Inside a small room below deck, Lelouch was called alone to meet with the older man who had picked up his sister and himself on behalf of the Ashford Family who was taking them in.
They intended to use the siblings as liability insurance and not out of some form of kindness to shelter them.
"Your Highness," the man began, but Lelouch quickly cut him off.
"Stop calling me that! We're supposed to be dead."
"I suppose that is true," the man replied before correcting himself, "then Lelouch is what you said to that young man true. Your vow to destroy Britannia?"
Lelouch seemed nervous at first, but the man raised a hand.
"Do not worry, but in truth, I wish to help you if you are indeed serious."
"What do you mean?"
"You know who I am, right?"
"Yes you are Oiaguro Zevon," Lelouch said, recognizing the man who had been responsible for covering up their deaths on behalf of the Ashford Family. "The younger brother of the head of the Zevon Family."
"That is correct, but did you know the head of the Zevon Family is the leader of an organization called Pluton who has carried out black operations and assassinations for the Royal Family for generations," Oiaguro pointed out causing a look of surprise to appear on Lelouch's face.
"Wait, were you sent to," Lelouch began to ask as realization dawned on him.
Oiaguro nodded, "yes, I was sent to kill you, but I decided to defy that order because I have grown to dislike how my own family and even Britannia conducts itself."
"Are you serious," Lelouch asked with a suspicious expression.
"That's good. You should be suspicious and mindful of others." Oiaguro praised before adopting a more serious expression. "My point is I can't do anything about it, especially given my position within my own family and Pluton where I help with technical details and cover-ups. However, I can arrange for you to receive training and care from someone who can help you to one day fulfill that vow or at least prepare you for it."
"What do you get out of this?"
"Think of it as mutual gain," Oiaguro answered. "I will help you provide training and preparation to become someone who with the right people and resources to engineer Britannia's downfall, and in exchange, we help each other towards destroying the system and world Britannia is that we despise. If you prove capabilities, I can use my position to provide intelligence and support in whatever form I can provide."
Lelouch wasn't convinced prompting a question, "Let's say I believe you, but how can I be sure you won't double cross me?"
"My orders were to kill you, so if people find out you are alive, then I would be as good as dead if anyone discovered you were alive. Nevertheless with you declared dead you have much more freedom to move around and given what you can still lose, I know that will instill a sense of caution in you," Oiaguro answered.
Lelouch was hesitant to trust Oiaguro, but the older man noticed this and asked.
"Besides how far do you think you'll get on your own in the care of the Ashford Family?"
The young man didn't want to admit it, but if Lelouch wanted a chance to destroy Britannia and get revenge for what befell him, his sister and his mother, then he had little choice.
"Alright, so what happens, then?"
"You and Nunnally will be moved to Area 8 for the time being. There is a friend of mines who trained new recruits to Pluton who lives in retirement there. He will teach you what you need, including how to survive and the skills you'll need, but the rest will be up to you."
In the five years that followed Oiaguro had been true to his word as the friend who cared for him and Nunnally began teaching Lelouch everything he would need to one day lead a rebellion against Britannia. The only problem that arose was the fact that Lelouch wasn't very athletically inclined, which was an issue that plagued him throughout his childhood. This made learning any forms of close quarters combat difficult, but Lelouch made up for it by becoming skilled with firearms of various types, computer hacking and Knightmare Frame piloting after their introduction that played a role in Japan's conquest.
At the age of fifteen, Lelouch, with Oiaguro's help began freelancing as a mercenary through the terrorist deployment organization known as Peace Mark under a different alias to prevent his true identity from being discovered. However, Lelouch avoided being on the front lines and kept to small operations such as using his skills to steal information using his hacking skills and then selling it. The jobs he earned through selling the information he took helped, but few jobs required someone of his skill set.
This is what led him meeting Fernando and joining his resistance group initially as an aid to help collect intelligence for their group before Fernando discovered Lelouch's natural talent for strategic planning and soon involved him in planning raids and operations for their resistance group. Following the end of the Star of Madrid group, Lelouch and Marirrosa would travel together using their combined skills to complete contracts as mercenaries until events lead them to meet Ryo and his group.
"Hey Lelouch," Ayano said nudging Lelouch awake.
"Ugh," The young man muttered as he began to wake up.
"Everyone is rested, and you said to wake you when everyone was ready."
"Right," Lelouch said as he was still waking up while waiting for his vision to clear, "what time is it?"
"It's after six, and the truck has been loaded." Ayano replied, handing Lelouch an apple as an unofficial breakfast, "we got rid of the other truck already."
"Excellent now we need to plan out our next move and our final mission in the EU," Lelouch said as he sat up on the sofa before biting into the apple.
After taking a moment to freshen up and finishing the apple, Ayano provided the two teens joined Ryo, Marirrosa, and Yukiya downstairs in one of the smaller offices they had converted into a temporary planning room.
"First, I want to say a job well done, but this was merely a prelude to the true operation." Lelouch began joining the meeting.
"I don't know, we made off like kings last night," Ryo said before adopting a concerned expression, "you might as well try invading heaven's gate compared to this plan. Do we have to do it?"
"Its riskier than what we accomplished last night," Lelouch said in agreement, "nay it's the riskiest of the missions we have ever done. However, I believe the pay off will be worth it to go along with everything we have so far."
"It will be impressive if it's pulled off, but this is a heavily guarded military installation we are talking about," Marirrosa argued with both arms folded across her chest.
"Don't worry the plan will work with Yukiya's help," Lelouch said boldly while gesturing to their resident computer hacker, "I trust everything we needed was in those files?"
"That and more, including the guy who goes in and out of the target we just need to intercept," Yukiya replied.
"Cleaning out his bank accounts wasn't enough," Ryo mused as Yukiya had spent a good part of the evening once they had escaped using Hugo's financial files to begin cleaning out his personal bank accounts. Yukiya used various plots and methods to move the money around a dozen ghost accounts before relocating it into a dozen different accounts the hacker created to be recovered and transferred to a particular account for future plans.
"Are you kidding once we make a little withdrawal at the banks I divided his fortune amongst we'll be rich, and that's not even counting how much that gold and antiquities we swiped," Yukiya pointed out triumphantly.
"Technically ever since we began working with Lelouch we have been coming into a lot more money than we would've, the mercenary life has been good all things considered," Ayano offered which led to others among the group agreeing as well.
Ryo wasn't sure how to respond, but given what laid ahead Lelouch couldn't blame him for his concerns especially since he saw all eleven members of the group he had formed with Yukiya and Ayano as a family.
"I won't force any of you to take part in this mission, but given the discussion, I should ask, do you all wish to follow me?" Lelouch asked before he elaborated further, "after this I plan on returning to Area 11 full time to begin building the army I shall use to liberate Japan so I can build a nation that will crush Britannia."
"And when you liberate Japan," Yukiya asked.
"It will be a new nation because the old Japan is gone forever, so I intend to build something better in its place. It can not only be a home for all of you but maybe a place for people without a place to call home they can belong to," Lelouch answered before adopting a solemn expression. "However that being said the risks are that some of you getting killed or worse can happen, so if any of you want out you still have a chance. You'll get your share from tonight's operations as a thank you, which should be enough to set you up for life."
Lelouch would be stupid not to consider the worst-case scenario since trying to build a rebellion with just eleven people, plus himself didn't seem like the building blocks for an uprising to topple of a mighty empire. No matter what assurances he could give Lelouch knew some of those who had joined Ryo's group before meeting the former prince would end up dead by the time his plan succeeds or fails at worst.
After a moment of silence, Ryo grinned, "I guess no one wants to leave, so we're in it to the end, I suppose."
"I told you that I am with you until the end Lelouch," Marirosa said reminding Lelouch of the promise they made to one another to allow the latter to keep Fernando's promise of looking after Marirrosa.
"Thank you," Lelouch said with a smile, "then let's get started. Ryo you'll take the others and everything we took to the airfield north of Sigmaringen where a cargo plane will be waited prepared by Wizard. You'll fly to India and obtain what we need for recovery once Ayano, Marirrosa, and I complete our task."
"I guess we get the easy part."
"Just make sure you are at the pickup point, but in the meantime, Ayano, Marirrosa, Yukiya and I will travel to Offenburg that sits close to the border between Germany and France," Lelouch explained unrolling a map of a castle and the surrounding grounds. "As we wait for you to reach India, we'll carry out Yukiya's plan to move the money we cleaned out from Hugo Strandberg into a more secure account for later use. Then we'll take out the target so I can assume his identity, allowing Ayano, Marirrosa and me to infiltrate Castle Weisswolf."
"Just like last night I'll support you two from the outside by hacking into the castle, but you two will need to give me remote access using this," Yukiya said holding up a small device. "I can only do so much from the outside, but for the plan to work, I must have full access."
"Right, so we will make our way to the security room where we'll disable surveillance. Then we should be able to enter the server room for the computer network that runs through the entire castle where we can set up the transmitter," Lelouch said as he went over the map using a finger to trace their intended path.
"Our jobs are to protect you if we run into complications," Ayano said exchanging glances with Marirrosa, acknowledging her own role in Lelouch's plan.
"If my plan runs smoothly as last night did then we should hopefully be in and out as long as Yukiya can disable the air defenses, so we don't get shot down during our escape," Lelouch said aware that much of their plan hinged on Yukiya's hacking skills.
"Don't worry, I'll live up to everyone's expectations, but Ayano will help smuggle in the bombs you'll set to provide a distraction for your escape."
"Yes an explosion somewhere in the castle should be enough to draw their attention from us during our escape," Lelouch said in agreement. "Before that, we'll need to steal all data on the target before our escape, and ensure your virus will wipe out anything that could allow them to track our location."
"You can count on me Lelouch, but can you and Ayano and Marirrosa do it?"
"Don't worry Yukiya, we'll steal their new Knightmare Frame, and before we leave expose the commander of the W-0 unit for how corrupt he is on the way out." Lelouch smiled deviously as his most daring plan was laid out, but could they accomplish it was the question.
A/N: To address some questions.
Yes, Oiaguro Zevon is an ally of Lelouch and given the Zevon Family's role as the head is the leader of Pluton I suspect the other members of the family such as Oiaguro probably assist in some lesser capacity. Given how guilty he was over what happened to his nephew given his actions in trying to protect him and Oldrin I thought that perhaps he grew to dislike the way his family conducted itself and how Britannia as a whole operated as a result.
I admit it was difficult without knowing any other details about his life before he took over the Zevon Family and what his motivations were early on, so I do hope it works. Those who I shared the idea with and early drafts of the chapter did find it agreeable.
Where Nunnally is and where things stand with her will be revealed in the next chapter.
Marirrosa Noriega is a new character introduced in Oz of the Reflection as a member of the mentioned resistance group who shares some similarities with Kallen.
Also in trying to keep Lelouch as close to his canon self as possible, although he has been trained and tried his hand at being a mercenary on his own his lack of proper physical fitness was a problem. Lelouch tried to get into suitable shape, but hand to hand combat isn't his thing while he can handle some athletic-related tasks better in canon (such as scaling a mansion with easy to climb walls). On the other hand, he has more experience actually leading a group while being skilled with firearms and piloting a Knightmare Frame, he is no ace, but Lelouch is a more capable pilot than in canon.
The struggle I am facing with this story is keeping things in a realistic context and not giving Lelouch too much of an advantage that would mark him as a Gray Su, which leads to the next part pairings.
Speaking of harem pairings, I am aiming for a harem with a minimum of nine and a max of twelve, with only Oldrin Zevon and Leila Malcal being questionable if they'll make into the harem, with people probably able to guess why.
I have begun a new updated poll on fanfiction.net, which sadly I couldn't put here since the polls don't go to 30 choices, to gauge interest in other candidates and auxiliary choices, Kallen and C.C. are in the harem, but their placement on the poll will determine when they join after Marirrosa, Ayano and Mariko.
I am planning lemon scenes for this story for the harem members and Lelouch, which will only be posted here in the correct thread location, and on Archive of Our Own.
The other chapters will be getting posted shortly.
The basis for this story's idea came from those discussions which I expanded upon further using my knowledge of the side materials related to Code Geass. At the very least, it might be refreshing to try my hand with a Code Geass story that isn't a crossover for a change.
Basically, this story takes place a few months before events of episode one, which will play out somewhat differently given the set up below. After spending some years preparing to lead the rebellion that Lelouch hopes will topple his father's Empire he has found a group of teenagers who want a home for themselves to form the foundation for what will become the Black Knights.
But before returning to Japan/Area 11 to begin his rebellion, there are a few things Lelouch intends to obtain to have enough resources to get a solid start, which was possible thanks to a particular man the Ashford Family had reached out to who helped them cover up Lelouch's demise. Yet he knew of Lelouch's desire to destroy Britannia and sought to assist the young man as a means to help himself and to atone.
Will it all go according to plan?
Chapter 1
The Twelve Knights and their King
The Twelve Knights and their King
"Your invitation please," an armed guard standing on the driver side of a black limo inquired.
The guard attire consisted of a black coat with matching pants and boots. His black leather gloves allowed him to accept the invitation envelope readily, but his other hand steadied the assault rifle slung over his left shoulder while his fellow guards, wearing identical black cloth caps observed.
The guard studied the invitation before passing it back to the limo driver, "welcome Mr. Dufresne. Please enjoy yourself on my employer's behalf."
"Thank you very," The passenger in the back seat replied, "I appreciate that."
The man sitting in the back of limo appeared to be in his early twenties wearing a black tuxedo; he had brown hair with green eyes and a fair skin complexion while wearing white gloves. The driver of the limo was a middle-aged man with black hair and blue eyes wearing a black uniform with a matching cap on top of his head. Sitting in the backseat next to Mr. Dufresne was a young woman wearing a black suit with a skirt and stockings with black hair styled into a bun held in place by two large needles.
The limo pulled forward while the passenger in the back placed one hand on his right ear before speaking into a concealed microphone on his person.
"This is K0 to other units," the man in the blue suit spoke, "B1, what is the status of the others?"
Parked three miles away from the private estate where the party was taking place at, which was just seven miles outside of the small town of Gottlieben, Switzerland. A white van, lacking windows in the back, was parked in the ruins of an abandoned vineyard, but inside the vehicle was a computer terminal with a keyboard, three monitors and a powerful transmitter and receiver set up outside. Sitting behind the computers was a young sixteen-year-old teenager with brown hair and green eyes. He wore a blue mao style suit with a black glove covering his left hand. The boy was Japanese as was the young woman who sat in the driver's seat of the van keeping watch.
The woman was around the same age if not slightly holder with long brown hair with plum eyes wearing a light brown jacket with a blue shirt underneath with white pants.
"B1 here," Yukiya Naruse answered, "everything is proceeding as planned we are forty seconds ahead of schedule. Knights one and two have infiltrated the mansion and reached the security room."
"What of B2, P3, P4, and P5?"
"They are on schedule, ETA ten minutes."
"Roger that," K0 answered, "I'll proceed as planned, await my signal."
Yukiya grinned, "I'll be ready when I detect your signal. In the meantime, I'll lighten security for all of you to make moving around a lot easier."
Inside the four-story European-style mansion, three black-uniformed security guards laid dead in the computer monitor lined room four Japanese youths were standing in. One of them was a seventeen-year-old young man with spiky brown hair and matching eyes. He wore a form-fitting black suit, designed for swimming while also made for use in sub-zero temperatures such as the waters by the mansion's boathouse. Even though the nighttime conditions gave them an advantage, it had also made the waters of the Rhine River virtually frozen over.
The other two were dressed in identical gear, one of them was a young man with rusty brown hair, and light brown eyes with a slightly tanned complexion. Besides him, there was a young woman with shoulder-length black hair and pink eyes, and finally, the fourth member was a young woman with short brown hair and matching eyes with a fair skin complexion, she and the other were planting devices around critical areas of the room.
Thankfully the four prepared teens had the equipment and tools needed to cut their way through the gates that extended below the water's surface of the small dock for the mansion using a specialized cutting torch. Once they were inside, they cautiously cut their way out of the thin ice sheet that allowed them to climb up to the dock before hiding by the boathouse. It took them a while, but the four had managed to infiltrate their way into the security room having memorized a map of the mansion and the grounds they were given for planning tonight's operation.
Knowing the guard's routes and Yukiya having managed to hack into their security cameras were invaluable, but now with their help, Yukiya had full access to their security systems by seizing the security room via a remote transmitter the duo had installed for him.
"The last bomb is set and ready once we have finished our job here," a female voice reported.
"Nicely done Ayano," Ryo Sayama complimented.
"Hey don't forget about us," The second boy in the room, Hiroto, said before gesturing with his finger to his partner the girl with short brown hair Fukumi.
Aside from their suits, they were carrying various pouches that held tools and weapons, but Ayano had brought a waterproof bag filled with remote bombs to plant inside the security room once they secured it.
"K1, K2, R1, and R2 have secured the security room and are holding position," Yukiya reported to their leader.
"Good work, just hold your positions until the package arrives. Report any changes in the meantime; Q-1 and I will begin phase two."
"Everything is going smoothly," the young woman behind Dufresne noted.
"Maybe, but stay on your toes."
Mr. Dufresne, followed by the young woman acting as his secretary ascended a large staircase in the mansion foyer seemingly to inspect the pieces of art and paintings decorating the hallways of the second floor. He was mindful of acting casual and avoiding doing anything that would make him appear suspicious in the eyes of anyone who might be observing him.
"I'll wait here and keep an eye on things as planned," The young woman offered before Mr. Dufresne nodded before she went to begin examining the paintings and artwork on display while discreetly watching for anyone.
Upon nearing a pair of double doors leading into the mansion's study, Mr. Dufresne waited for an opportunity before slipping into the study. After confirming that no one was going to enter the room behind him, the blonde haired man opened a pair of doors leading out to the balcony.
Looking down Mr. Dufresne observed some guards patrolling the grounds below, but after he was confident their eyes weren't looking up, he quickly climbed onto the stone railing before he began scaling the walls of the structure. He was fortunate that the stone bricks making up the mansion provided secure places for his hands and feet, allowing him to begin climbing up to the balcony directly above him. The climb was challenging, but only because he wasn't naturally athletic by any means and his success was only ensured because of the ease he found places for his feet and hands to grab hold of allowing him to climb up.
After pulling himself over the stone railing above the balcony he was on Mr. Dufresne was exhausted, so he took a few moments to rest before regaining his strength.
Upon entering the room beyond the balcony, thankful to find the doors were not locked, Mr. Dufresne was inside a large and spacious office with bookshelves, a large ornate wooden desk with a computer on top of it. Mr. Dufresne knelt down, finding the computer desktop before removing a small device from his coat, which he plugged in into a port on the back of the computer before powering on it and the transmitter.
Mr. Dufresne was careful to make sure the computer's holographic monitor was turned off, so if anyone walked it in, no one would notice what was happening.
"B1, are you receiving the signal?"
"Yes, I am," Yukiya replied with a devious smile, "I need a few minutes to crack these files, then I'll begin downloading everything."
"Roger that," K0 replied, "I'll return to the party below and await word for the arrival of the package."
He was not looking forward to climbing down again, but Mr. Dufresne knew if he attempted to return from the third floor, he would be noticed by the guards inside who were tasked with preventing entry to the upper levels. Nevertheless, he steeled himself, and the man who went by the name Mr. Dufresne began climbing back down, but upon being close enough, he merely leaped onto the balcony before slipping back inside.
"Q1, how is the hallway?"
"All clear you can come out," Q-1 replied.
Thankfully no one was inside the study, but as he walked to the double doors leading back out to the hallway.
Descending the stairs Mr. Dufresne, accompanied by Q-1, rejoined the crowd and began acting causal waiting word from Yukiya when the package would arrive at the mansion, but he was waiting for confirmation for when Yukiya succeeded in hacking into the private computer of the mansion's owner, Hugo Strandberg. Hugo is a wealthy industrialist and weapons manufacturer who is a high ranking member of the European Mafia with strong ties to both the military and politicians within the United Republic of Europia.
As Mr. Dufresne causally observed a group of partygoers chatting and talking, but he was concerned that unless he found someone to mingle with, he could draw some attention to himself. Scanning the room as he began walking through the foray towards a grand ballroom, a young woman dressed in a blue and black military uniform trimmed with red drew his attention. She wore a white dress shirt with a black tie that matched the skirt she wore along with the thigh-high heeled boots she wore.
What caught his eye was the book she was reading, which Mr. Dufresne, followed by his secretary, saw someone to mingle with and blend in until it was time for the final phase of their plan.
"Gilbert's Essays on Tactics," The blonde haired man began getting the attention of the girl who was leaning against a wall reading the book in question. "A good choice for a Major of the military to read, but you don't seem to be the partying type."
The young woman blinked at him in surprise, but Mr. Dufresne noted.
"If you haven't already, I would suggest reading Sun Tzu."
Standing close to her, the blonde haired young man saw that the woman in front of him was five inches shorter than he was. Nevertheless, she was a beautiful young woman with waist-length light blonde hair with some of it styled into two egg-shaped buns on top of her head with mauve eyes and a fair skin complexion.
"I already have," the young woman answered with a French accent, "and you are?"
"Forgive me I am Sean Dufresne, and this is my secretary Miss Quatra," Mr. Dufresne replied apologizing with a polite bow, and his companion did the same after Dufresne introduced her.
"Major Leila Malcal," Leila replied, introducing herself.
"A pleasure to meet someone with an appreciation for intriguing literature," Mr. Dufresne complimented.
"Likewise I am sure," Leila replied politely, but there was a hint of indifference in her voice.
Mr. Dufresne didn't seem bothered by it, but his conversation with her was serving its purpose as he was able to blend in.
"I am sure being here isn't an enjoyable experience for you?"
"No, it isn't it," Leila admitted, "it's more of an expectation for my presence here."
"I see…"
"K0, I've cracked the files, and I am downloading everything now," Yukiya said triumphantly. "Even better news the package will be here within the next few minutes."
"Then I apologize for your taking your time," Sean said before excusing himself.
Once he was out of earshot and notice from anyone, Sean tapped his earpiece, "Excellent, I am moving into position."
Mr. Dufresne made his way towards the back of the mansion where two guards dressed in suits blocked off the passageway to a small storage warehouse that was connected to the villa through a tunnel. The tunnel cut underground while the warehouse itself appeared to be much smaller, but this was due to it being partially underground to make the estate as a whole to look more picturesque.
"Hold it," one of the guards ordered, "this area is off limits, sir."
"I am Mr. Sean Dufresne," Sean said before explaining, "Mr. Strandberg is expecting me in the warehouse because we have a matter of business to discuss. Is it alright if my secretary accompanies us?"
The guard exchanged glances before speaking into a concealed microphone in his coat.
"Yes, Mr. Strandberg is waiting for you in the warehouse, the truck you promised is just pulling in now. And she can come too," the guard replied, pointing to Miss Quatra.
"Thank you, and I was hoping to time my arrival perfectly."
"Of course, and Mr. Strandberg expresses his appreciation for the consideration. He's waiting," the guard said as he stepped aside to allow the blonde haired man and his companion to pass.
"I appreciate it."
The guards opened the door allowing him entry into the tunnel that passed below ground outside the mansion that went straight to the warehouse. The door was closed behind him, but about midway through the hallway, he came across a connecting passageway where he saw Ryo, Hiroto, Fukumi, and Ayano stepped out with the former possessing a big smile on his face.
"Well fancy running into you here," Ryo replied, handing Sean a pistol with a silencer attached before giving him a small cylinder-like device that was the size of a pen. Ayano handed Miss Quatra a small gun with its own silencer, and a knife meant for close quarters fighting who proceeded to hide the gun in her jacket while the knife she hid under her left sleeve above her hand using a strap to secure its holster.
"Are you four ready?"
"Of course," Ayano replied, taking the safety off of the submachine gun she carried, which also had its own silencer attached to it. Ryo was holding a similar weapon since their plan demanded that they had to be quiet and avoid as much attention as possible. Hiroto was armed with a modified assault rifle with its own silencer as was Fukumi.
"Once I set this off take out the targets," Sean reminded the two, "did you scout out the package?"
"Yeah, and it looks like we only need Mr. Strandberg's handprint to open it," Ryo answered.
"Alright, let's do this, then."
With Ryo, Hiroto, Fukumi, and Ayano following close behind Sean and Miss Quatra entered the warehouse after opening the door at the end of the passageway, but he left it open allowing Ryo and Ayano a chance to pass through and enter the warehouse. Ryo and Ayano took cover behind some of the metal racks that lined the warehouse filled with several wooden crates and military strongboxes designed for storing weapons and equipment. Hiroto and Fukumi found a forklift and a large container to hide behind nearby. Upon clearing the towering shelves, Sean found Mr. Strandberg in the company of two armed guards, but before meeting the businessman, he took a chance to survey the warehouse.
No other guards and Ayano, Hiroto, Fukumi, and Ryo haven't been noticed anyway it seems.
He didn't know if Strandberg was merely arrogant or just that confident in his security personnel, or both since they had metal detectors and armed guards at the entrances that prevented him from bringing a gun.
"Mr. Dufresne," Hugo Strandberg greeted, offering his hand to the young man, "a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
"Likewise," Sean said, returning the greeting, "I have been looking forward to meeting you as well, especially given tonight's business transaction."
Hugo laughed, "of course, this is quite the big payoff, and I am glad you timed your arrival with the arrival of the merchandise you are offering me."
"I think you will be very pleased with it and more."
Suddenly the truck pulled in and had reserved into the loading dock. The rear trailer of the vehicle connected with the wall outside creating a seal between it and the walls as a means of protecting the secrecy of the cargo and protecting the contents of the transport from the elements outside.
"Let's have a look shall we," Hugo replied as one of his guards went to unlock the back of the truck before lifting the cover to reveal the interior of its trailer.
Very subtly Sean tossed the smaller cylinder towards the opening trailer which caught the attention of Hugo and his guards, but before they could say anything, it released a blinding flash of light. It was a small flashbang that didn't explode, but the light emitters around the top were designed to release a blinding light. Sean and Miss Quatra had closed their eyes just before it went off, so they were unharmed, but the sounds Hugo and his men made were the signal Ryo, and the others were waiting for.
Moving swiftly Ayano and Ryo went through the warehouse ensuring no one else was nearby nor coming to the aid of their boss as Hugo and his guards were gunned down by members of their group who were hidden aboard the truck armed with silent automatic weapons. Hiroto and Fukumi aided their friends aboard the truck before quickly working alongside Ryo and Ayano to ensure the warehouse was secured.
"The warehouse is secured," Ayano said as they approached Sean and three young Japanese teenagers who emerged from the interior of the trailer.
The last member was currently driving the truck was waiting on standby.
"Good work, but now we have to move," Sean said before running to grab a metal cart used for moving large containers. "Load their bodies onto this cart and let's begin dropping off the contents of our vehicle to make room for our quarry."
Ryo and Hiroto quickly helped pile their bodies onto the cart, saving Hugo's corpse for last since they needed him. Meanwhile, Ayano, Miss Quatra, Fukumi, and the other teens began using a forklift they had been hauling in the back of the truck to start moving a large object covered by a black tarp off the vehicle.
"We got three minutes, so let's go," Sean said, starting a stopwatch function on his wristwatch. "Ayano, I'll leave you to supervise things here. Grab any weapons and supplies we can use and start loading the truck."
"Right," Ayano replied as she, Fukumi and another Japanese teen, a tall young man with slick back blonde hair and dark blue eyes named Eisen.
The other two who had disembarked the truck, one was a boy with brown hair and green eyes wearing a heavy blue jacket and a white dress shirt with jeans named Akio. His friend, Chiyo, a girl had long black hair styled into a long braid she wore over her right shoulder with a blue cap on her head and a blue jacket with matching pants and a white shirt.
Sean, Hiroto, and Ryo worked together to move the cart as the later directed them to where the vault was located. Using the passageway, they traveled under the mansion where the hall served as both as a possible escape route for Hugo, but also a means of secretly moving whatever he kept in the vault to the warehouse.
This only worked to their advantage, given how security was more focused on the exterior than the interior.
Hiroto holstered his rifle, allowing him, to operate a small electric cart used to move heavy objects, which they were sure they would need once they opened the vault.
"There it is," Ryo replied parking the metal cart by a large, heavy metal door with a biometric scanner attached to the wall next to the door.
"Alright," Sean replied before moving Hugo's hand onto the reader, causing it to glow green for a moment.
A loud clicking sound was heard before the heavy metal door was unlocked and started to open automatically.
Once Hugo's vault was open, Sean, and Ryo stepped inside, finding it filled with gold bars. The shelves were loaded with paintings, and various artifacts were stored in the room. Neither one was an expert on antiques, yet the idea Hugo would keep such items in his personal vault was a clear indication that the objects must be priceless.
"Let's load as much gold as we can onto the cart and then we'll take the paintings and jewels stored in here. I am sure they will fetch a good price," Sean ordered as Hiroto followed them into the vault pushing the cart. After dumping the bodies in the vault, the trio worked fast to load the cart with whatever they could load onto it.
The group cut it close, but after three minutes Ryo, Sean, and Hiroto returned to the warehouse with their electric cart carrying as many gold bars it could take with seven valuable paintings on top while Ryo and Sean were taking the precious jewelry they discovered inside the vault. Upon arrival, Ayano had finished loading the trailer of the semi truck with as many weapons and military supplies and equipment they could load while ensuring they left room for Ryo and the others along with the contents of the vault.
"Alright, let's load up and leave," Sean ordered before speaking into his earpiece, "P1 we are finished here. Leave and meet us at the rendezvous point."
"Roger that," the limo driver replied before departing from the parking area set aside for limo drivers and their vehicles.
Like K-0, P1 wore a disguise, but under the mask, he was a young man of seventeen with copper hair and blue eyes with a fair skin complexion named Bunta.
"All aboard," Ryo shouted joyfully, "let's get moving before the security shift change."
Closing the semi truck's trailer once they were all on board and everything was secured.
"K0 to P5 we're all onboard, so move out."
"Understood, hold on!" P5 replied.
The last male member of the group, Gakuto was a black-haired young man with dark blue eyes with a small scar on his cheek.
The truck started up before it pulled out of the loading dock as the automatic system had sealed the door, but even if someone entered the three bodies had been left inside the vault, and it would probably take some time before anyone found them.
Ryo and the others waited nervously, but the truck was able to depart the estate without incident as it began making a beeline for the nearest road leading to Germany. Yukiya was already leaving to depart for the same rendezvous point as the others.
Inside the truck's trailer, Sean began unbuttoning the top of his tuxedo before pulling on his face to tear off the human-like mask he had been wearing modeled after the man known as Sean Dufresne who, unknown to many, had an unfortunate run-in with their group a few days ago. The same thing befell the actual owners of the truck they were in after a tip from a reliable source about a window of opportunity for tonight's mission.
Once the mask was removed, the seventeen-year-old teen pulled off the white cap, he wore to compress his black hair before using a free hand to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"How was it wearing that mask Lelouch," Ryo asked addressing their leader by his real name.
"It was unpleasant and hot," Lelouch Lamperouge answered as he removed the contacts that disguised his natural amethyst eyes.
"Small price to pay," Ryo replied with a cocky smile.
Lelouch returned the smile, "I suppose that is true."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Lelouch's supposed secretary said as she removed the wig she had been wearing before pulling off the skin-like mask she had been wearing eager to be free of it.
Once the disguise was gone, she quickly styled her long orange hair back to her preferred style, which was a top-do ponytail and her contacts removed revealed her brown eyes. Unlike Ryo she was a Britannian similar to Lelouch except she was actually half-blood, a half-Britannian and half-Spaniard being the result of a Britannian mother who fled from her family of born nobility who tried to force an arranged marriage before fleeing to Spain where she got married starting a family.
"I was dying in that thing," Marirrosa Noriega complained before Ayano handed her a towel to wipe her forehead clean of sweat before being offered a bottle of water.
Ryo merely laughed, "come on now you survived, so suck it up."
Marirrosa glared at Ryo while Lelouch merely found the scene amusing.
Marirrosa was a recent addition to their group who was the sole survivor of the Star of Madrid, a resistance group based in Spain when it was conquered by Britannia during a surprise attack almost two years ago. However, about six months ago Britannia was forced out by the United Republic of Europia who didn't want a rival superpower they were at war with so close to their capital in France. However, retaking Spain was not without very significant costs.
One was that they had to pull troops from military fronts in Russia and in Africa allowing Britannia to claim more of the territory with half of Africa under Britannia's control and the complete loss of Russia to the Euro-Britannians having fought them for years to keep them from conquering the rest. But for Marirrosa, the cost of freeing her homeland was a heavy and personal one for her. Her older brother, Fernando Noriega, the founder and leader of the Star of Madrid, had been killed along with the other members of their resistance group.
It was only because of Lelouch she didn't join her brother.
(May 21st, 2016 A.T.B.)
"What do you mean you won't be going," Marirrosa arguing with her brother who was four years older than her.
Fernando was a handsome man who looked identical to his younger sister with the only difference was the attire. Fernando wore an outfit that was primarily red trimmed with gold that bore similarities to a Matador with black boots and a long yellow sash. His sister, Marirrosa, was dressed in similar themed and colored attire including the same sash and boots, but her attire was more revealing showing her lower torso and some of her cleavage coupled with hugging her voluptuous figure.
During his time with their group, Lelouch didn't understand why they chose to dress in such outfits instead of using more attire that wasn't so bright, which would draw attention too quickly.
Sometimes Mr. Lamperouge theatrics is a useful tool for inspiring those you wish to liberate if they believe you to be something more than a man then they will follow you, The words of Fernando echoed in his mind when Lelouch asked him out their group's outfits.
Still, Lelouch had his doubts…
"I need you and Lelouch to leave because it's going to be hell within the next few hours."
"Why aren't the E.U. army here to liberate us?"
Both Lelouch and Fernando possessed solemn expressions on their faces, which was because of the information had obtained through hacking and his other skills allowing him to deduce something worrying about the way the E.U. army was moving their troops and the heavy weapons they were bringing to bear.
"They do intend to liberate Spain, but how they intend to do it is concerning, to say the least," Lelouch admitted grimly.
"The sheer amount of heavy artillery and bombers they are bringing isn't something you bring for liberation its something you bring when you intend to completely destroy something," Fernando explained.
"The E.U. Army is desperate, I have heard they pulled a lot of troops from their fronts in Russia and Southern Africa," Lelouch added.
"Indeed, but they are playing right into Britannia's hands," Fernando pointed out.
"Why?!"
"Your brother and I believe the only reason Britannia has occupied Spain was solely to force the E.U. to pull troops from its major fronts in a desperate bid to drive Britannia out. Otherwise, why haven't they made Spain into a proper Area like the other countries they have conquered," Lelouch explained which was the only conclusion.
Unlike other countries, Britannia has conquered Spain wasn't formally declared an Area like Japan was, which was odd but not unusual especially when its part of a larger landmass. However, the lack of colonization and more of stripping Spain was the apparent signs that Britannia isn't expecting to hold Spain for long, which could only mean…they didn't intend on holding onto Spain.
"The politicians in charge of the E.U. are likely in a huge panic demanding they retake Spain just to keep Britannia away from France, and the military knowing they could lose two of their most important fronts are just trying to retake Spain as quickly as possible even if it means devastating parts of it."
"That's crazy," Marirrosa commented.
"That's politics," Lelouch remarked coldly.
"We'll do what we can, but I cannot say if we'll survive."
"Then you should leave," Lelouch urged.
"He's right brother, don't do this!"
"We cannot abandon the people, which is the reason we chose to fight the oppressors who conquered our land, but," Fernando said before hesitating, "as a brother, I cannot let you die."
"I can't let you die either," Marirrosa said with tears forming.
"I know," Fernando said before embracing his sister in a tender hug, "but…the older sibling must do what is best for his younger sibling."
"Huh?!"
Suddenly Marirrosa felt something poke her lower back on her exposed skin before realizing her own brother had injected her with a tranquilizer he had hidden in his sleeve.
"No…brot…her…"
Lelouch was shocked by what Fernando did, but he reacted quickly before Marirrosa hit the ground by catching her.
"Lelouch, please take care of my sister."
"Why did you do that," Lelouch said cradling Marirrosa's unconscious body.
"As someone with a younger sibling, you of all people should know why I did it. Wouldn't you have done the same for your sister?"
For once, Lelouch didn't have an answer.
"You both should leave now…"
"You have to live on, and remember what you learned because I think you can change the world someday."
"That is my goal once I destroy Britannia," Lelouch pointed out.
"Destruction can bring about creation, and remember if you do not want people to see your face then create a new face that isn't a man but something more. A man can be silenced and destroyed, but create something greater than a man, and you'll have followers greater than any resistance group because symbols and legends don't fall easily."
Lelouch pondered those words for a moment until "and what do I tell her when she wakes up?"
"Give her this," Fernando said, handing Lelouch a letter he had in his coat. "Now go and remember you are always an honorary member of our group."
After leaving Marirrosa would come to and to her horror would realize the worst had come to past, in their aggressive campaign to retake Spain. The E.U. army had devastated most of Spain leaving towns and cities in ruin, but even worse was the fact the E.U. had lost most of Africa and the rest of Russia to Britannia earning nothing more than a pyrrhic victory.
With no one left for her and no home to return to Marirrosa vowed to follow Lelouch, although it was no surprise it took her some time to recover.
I am one step closer to making that dream a reality because I'll have everything I'll need soon, Lelouch thought as his mind returned to the present.
An hour would pass before people began asking of the whereabouts of the party's host, which led to security to start a search of the estate for the missing Hugo. Upon entering the security room when their calls to them were met by a pre-recorded message, created by Ayano, Hiroto, Fukumi, and Ryo before they eliminated the security guards inside the room. It was thanks to some remote help from Yukiya using a digital recorder they had brought with them.
Once they walked inside the bombs left behind by Ayano and the others detonated, which triggered the giant bomb the group had left behind in the warehouse setting its interior ablaze which was made worse thanks to the various weapons and military arms stored inside.
No one had found Hugo Strandberg that evening thanks to the chaos caused by the explosions, but regardless Lelouch, Ryo, and the others had crossed the border into Germany before the sunrise.
It was close to ten in the morning by the time the group parked the truck at an old warehouse six miles outside of Sigmaringen, which the group despite being tired began loading a similar semi truck with different markings, color, and plates with everything they had taken from Strandberg. Using the chance those who had no tasks seized the opportunity to rest, which included Lelouch who changed out of his tuxedo and into more casual clothing consisting of a white dress shirt with black pants.
Lelouch had found an old sofa to use as a temporary bed while leaving the mattress the warehouse had left over to use as more proper beds to rest on after throwing some plastic over them for the others.
As he slept, Lelouch's mind dreamed of that moment seven years ago when his life as a former prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch vi Britannia, ended and Lelouch Lamperouge began. His demise was necessary because had he lived Lelouch and his younger sister would've been used as political tools that would've ended with their deaths as casualties of imperial ambition.
His mother, Empress Marianne vi Britannia, was one such victim with his young sister almost becoming one as well.
Or so he believed based on the fact the men responsible were never caught and had breached some of the highest security measures put in place.
Angered, Lelouch went to his father to demand why nothing more was being done to apprehend those responsible for his mother's death. At the end of their conversation, Lelouch was exiled to Japan along with his sister. Nunnally had been rendered crippled by gunshot wounds to the legs and blinded by the trauma of her mother's demise forcing Lelouch to care for her on his own.
He and Nunnally were to serve as little more than political bargaining tools between Japan and Britannia, but after several months of trying living conditions, Britannia and Japan went to war with the other. In one month Japan had lost becoming Area 11, a dominion of the Empire having wholly ignored the fact Lelouch and Nunnally were still in the country.
It did open the door for an opportunity for Lelouch.
"I swear Suzaku, so help me," a ten-year-old Lelouch spoke to the one and only person he befriended in Japan. "That one day, I'll obliterate Britannia!"
Suzaku Kururugi, the son of Japan's last Prime Minister, looked at his friend in stunned silence. He had brown hair and green eyes wearing a faded red dress shirt with a green tie and jeans while Lelouch wore a white dress shirt with red suspenders and black pants.
"Your Highness," a man who was twenty-two years of age with brownish-blonde hair and bluish-green eyes wearing a black suit said, "it's time to go."
Lelouch was hesitant but complied, and it would be the last conversation shared between the two friends for years to come.
Later that same evening aboard a private yacht located out in the middle of Toyko Bay as the Britannian Army had finished securing the area and beyond as the occupation and colonialist were already moving in to begin reshaping Area 11 to suit the needs of the Empire. Inside a small room below deck, Lelouch was called alone to meet with the older man who had picked up his sister and himself on behalf of the Ashford Family who was taking them in.
They intended to use the siblings as liability insurance and not out of some form of kindness to shelter them.
"Your Highness," the man began, but Lelouch quickly cut him off.
"Stop calling me that! We're supposed to be dead."
"I suppose that is true," the man replied before correcting himself, "then Lelouch is what you said to that young man true. Your vow to destroy Britannia?"
Lelouch seemed nervous at first, but the man raised a hand.
"Do not worry, but in truth, I wish to help you if you are indeed serious."
"What do you mean?"
"You know who I am, right?"
"Yes you are Oiaguro Zevon," Lelouch said, recognizing the man who had been responsible for covering up their deaths on behalf of the Ashford Family. "The younger brother of the head of the Zevon Family."
"That is correct, but did you know the head of the Zevon Family is the leader of an organization called Pluton who has carried out black operations and assassinations for the Royal Family for generations," Oiaguro pointed out causing a look of surprise to appear on Lelouch's face.
"Wait, were you sent to," Lelouch began to ask as realization dawned on him.
Oiaguro nodded, "yes, I was sent to kill you, but I decided to defy that order because I have grown to dislike how my own family and even Britannia conducts itself."
"Are you serious," Lelouch asked with a suspicious expression.
"That's good. You should be suspicious and mindful of others." Oiaguro praised before adopting a more serious expression. "My point is I can't do anything about it, especially given my position within my own family and Pluton where I help with technical details and cover-ups. However, I can arrange for you to receive training and care from someone who can help you to one day fulfill that vow or at least prepare you for it."
"What do you get out of this?"
"Think of it as mutual gain," Oiaguro answered. "I will help you provide training and preparation to become someone who with the right people and resources to engineer Britannia's downfall, and in exchange, we help each other towards destroying the system and world Britannia is that we despise. If you prove capabilities, I can use my position to provide intelligence and support in whatever form I can provide."
Lelouch wasn't convinced prompting a question, "Let's say I believe you, but how can I be sure you won't double cross me?"
"My orders were to kill you, so if people find out you are alive, then I would be as good as dead if anyone discovered you were alive. Nevertheless with you declared dead you have much more freedom to move around and given what you can still lose, I know that will instill a sense of caution in you," Oiaguro answered.
Lelouch was hesitant to trust Oiaguro, but the older man noticed this and asked.
"Besides how far do you think you'll get on your own in the care of the Ashford Family?"
The young man didn't want to admit it, but if Lelouch wanted a chance to destroy Britannia and get revenge for what befell him, his sister and his mother, then he had little choice.
"Alright, so what happens, then?"
"You and Nunnally will be moved to Area 8 for the time being. There is a friend of mines who trained new recruits to Pluton who lives in retirement there. He will teach you what you need, including how to survive and the skills you'll need, but the rest will be up to you."
In the five years that followed Oiaguro had been true to his word as the friend who cared for him and Nunnally began teaching Lelouch everything he would need to one day lead a rebellion against Britannia. The only problem that arose was the fact that Lelouch wasn't very athletically inclined, which was an issue that plagued him throughout his childhood. This made learning any forms of close quarters combat difficult, but Lelouch made up for it by becoming skilled with firearms of various types, computer hacking and Knightmare Frame piloting after their introduction that played a role in Japan's conquest.
At the age of fifteen, Lelouch, with Oiaguro's help began freelancing as a mercenary through the terrorist deployment organization known as Peace Mark under a different alias to prevent his true identity from being discovered. However, Lelouch avoided being on the front lines and kept to small operations such as using his skills to steal information using his hacking skills and then selling it. The jobs he earned through selling the information he took helped, but few jobs required someone of his skill set.
This is what led him meeting Fernando and joining his resistance group initially as an aid to help collect intelligence for their group before Fernando discovered Lelouch's natural talent for strategic planning and soon involved him in planning raids and operations for their resistance group. Following the end of the Star of Madrid group, Lelouch and Marirrosa would travel together using their combined skills to complete contracts as mercenaries until events lead them to meet Ryo and his group.
"Hey Lelouch," Ayano said nudging Lelouch awake.
"Ugh," The young man muttered as he began to wake up.
"Everyone is rested, and you said to wake you when everyone was ready."
"Right," Lelouch said as he was still waking up while waiting for his vision to clear, "what time is it?"
"It's after six, and the truck has been loaded." Ayano replied, handing Lelouch an apple as an unofficial breakfast, "we got rid of the other truck already."
"Excellent now we need to plan out our next move and our final mission in the EU," Lelouch said as he sat up on the sofa before biting into the apple.
After taking a moment to freshen up and finishing the apple, Ayano provided the two teens joined Ryo, Marirrosa, and Yukiya downstairs in one of the smaller offices they had converted into a temporary planning room.
"First, I want to say a job well done, but this was merely a prelude to the true operation." Lelouch began joining the meeting.
"I don't know, we made off like kings last night," Ryo said before adopting a concerned expression, "you might as well try invading heaven's gate compared to this plan. Do we have to do it?"
"Its riskier than what we accomplished last night," Lelouch said in agreement, "nay it's the riskiest of the missions we have ever done. However, I believe the pay off will be worth it to go along with everything we have so far."
"It will be impressive if it's pulled off, but this is a heavily guarded military installation we are talking about," Marirrosa argued with both arms folded across her chest.
"Don't worry the plan will work with Yukiya's help," Lelouch said boldly while gesturing to their resident computer hacker, "I trust everything we needed was in those files?"
"That and more, including the guy who goes in and out of the target we just need to intercept," Yukiya replied.
"Cleaning out his bank accounts wasn't enough," Ryo mused as Yukiya had spent a good part of the evening once they had escaped using Hugo's financial files to begin cleaning out his personal bank accounts. Yukiya used various plots and methods to move the money around a dozen ghost accounts before relocating it into a dozen different accounts the hacker created to be recovered and transferred to a particular account for future plans.
"Are you kidding once we make a little withdrawal at the banks I divided his fortune amongst we'll be rich, and that's not even counting how much that gold and antiquities we swiped," Yukiya pointed out triumphantly.
"Technically ever since we began working with Lelouch we have been coming into a lot more money than we would've, the mercenary life has been good all things considered," Ayano offered which led to others among the group agreeing as well.
Ryo wasn't sure how to respond, but given what laid ahead Lelouch couldn't blame him for his concerns especially since he saw all eleven members of the group he had formed with Yukiya and Ayano as a family.
"I won't force any of you to take part in this mission, but given the discussion, I should ask, do you all wish to follow me?" Lelouch asked before he elaborated further, "after this I plan on returning to Area 11 full time to begin building the army I shall use to liberate Japan so I can build a nation that will crush Britannia."
"And when you liberate Japan," Yukiya asked.
"It will be a new nation because the old Japan is gone forever, so I intend to build something better in its place. It can not only be a home for all of you but maybe a place for people without a place to call home they can belong to," Lelouch answered before adopting a solemn expression. "However that being said the risks are that some of you getting killed or worse can happen, so if any of you want out you still have a chance. You'll get your share from tonight's operations as a thank you, which should be enough to set you up for life."
Lelouch would be stupid not to consider the worst-case scenario since trying to build a rebellion with just eleven people, plus himself didn't seem like the building blocks for an uprising to topple of a mighty empire. No matter what assurances he could give Lelouch knew some of those who had joined Ryo's group before meeting the former prince would end up dead by the time his plan succeeds or fails at worst.
After a moment of silence, Ryo grinned, "I guess no one wants to leave, so we're in it to the end, I suppose."
"I told you that I am with you until the end Lelouch," Marirosa said reminding Lelouch of the promise they made to one another to allow the latter to keep Fernando's promise of looking after Marirrosa.
"Thank you," Lelouch said with a smile, "then let's get started. Ryo you'll take the others and everything we took to the airfield north of Sigmaringen where a cargo plane will be waited prepared by Wizard. You'll fly to India and obtain what we need for recovery once Ayano, Marirrosa, and I complete our task."
"I guess we get the easy part."
"Just make sure you are at the pickup point, but in the meantime, Ayano, Marirrosa, Yukiya and I will travel to Offenburg that sits close to the border between Germany and France," Lelouch explained unrolling a map of a castle and the surrounding grounds. "As we wait for you to reach India, we'll carry out Yukiya's plan to move the money we cleaned out from Hugo Strandberg into a more secure account for later use. Then we'll take out the target so I can assume his identity, allowing Ayano, Marirrosa and me to infiltrate Castle Weisswolf."
"Just like last night I'll support you two from the outside by hacking into the castle, but you two will need to give me remote access using this," Yukiya said holding up a small device. "I can only do so much from the outside, but for the plan to work, I must have full access."
"Right, so we will make our way to the security room where we'll disable surveillance. Then we should be able to enter the server room for the computer network that runs through the entire castle where we can set up the transmitter," Lelouch said as he went over the map using a finger to trace their intended path.
"Our jobs are to protect you if we run into complications," Ayano said exchanging glances with Marirrosa, acknowledging her own role in Lelouch's plan.
"If my plan runs smoothly as last night did then we should hopefully be in and out as long as Yukiya can disable the air defenses, so we don't get shot down during our escape," Lelouch said aware that much of their plan hinged on Yukiya's hacking skills.
"Don't worry, I'll live up to everyone's expectations, but Ayano will help smuggle in the bombs you'll set to provide a distraction for your escape."
"Yes an explosion somewhere in the castle should be enough to draw their attention from us during our escape," Lelouch said in agreement. "Before that, we'll need to steal all data on the target before our escape, and ensure your virus will wipe out anything that could allow them to track our location."
"You can count on me Lelouch, but can you and Ayano and Marirrosa do it?"
"Don't worry Yukiya, we'll steal their new Knightmare Frame, and before we leave expose the commander of the W-0 unit for how corrupt he is on the way out." Lelouch smiled deviously as his most daring plan was laid out, but could they accomplish it was the question.
A/N: To address some questions.
Yes, Oiaguro Zevon is an ally of Lelouch and given the Zevon Family's role as the head is the leader of Pluton I suspect the other members of the family such as Oiaguro probably assist in some lesser capacity. Given how guilty he was over what happened to his nephew given his actions in trying to protect him and Oldrin I thought that perhaps he grew to dislike the way his family conducted itself and how Britannia as a whole operated as a result.
I admit it was difficult without knowing any other details about his life before he took over the Zevon Family and what his motivations were early on, so I do hope it works. Those who I shared the idea with and early drafts of the chapter did find it agreeable.
Where Nunnally is and where things stand with her will be revealed in the next chapter.
Marirrosa Noriega is a new character introduced in Oz of the Reflection as a member of the mentioned resistance group who shares some similarities with Kallen.
Also in trying to keep Lelouch as close to his canon self as possible, although he has been trained and tried his hand at being a mercenary on his own his lack of proper physical fitness was a problem. Lelouch tried to get into suitable shape, but hand to hand combat isn't his thing while he can handle some athletic-related tasks better in canon (such as scaling a mansion with easy to climb walls). On the other hand, he has more experience actually leading a group while being skilled with firearms and piloting a Knightmare Frame, he is no ace, but Lelouch is a more capable pilot than in canon.
The struggle I am facing with this story is keeping things in a realistic context and not giving Lelouch too much of an advantage that would mark him as a Gray Su, which leads to the next part pairings.
Speaking of harem pairings, I am aiming for a harem with a minimum of nine and a max of twelve, with only Oldrin Zevon and Leila Malcal being questionable if they'll make into the harem, with people probably able to guess why.
I have begun a new updated poll on fanfiction.net, which sadly I couldn't put here since the polls don't go to 30 choices, to gauge interest in other candidates and auxiliary choices, Kallen and C.C. are in the harem, but their placement on the poll will determine when they join after Marirrosa, Ayano and Mariko.
I am planning lemon scenes for this story for the harem members and Lelouch, which will only be posted here in the correct thread location, and on Archive of Our Own.
The other chapters will be getting posted shortly.
The Demon and his Knights Ch2
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A/N: As a quick note I named every member of Ryo's group and added in a new character from Oz of the Reflection as Lelouch's right-hand woman before joining up with Ryo's group, however due to Code Geass Lost Stories, one member, Mariko was named with her character explored more recently so all chapters were updated with this info and name. Lelouch also ran with another resistance group in Spain when it was "temporary" conquered by Britannia to drive the E.U. into a panic about liberating Spain which puts Britannia right next to France causing them to abandon critical battlefronts allowing Britannia to capture them while they stripped mind Spain before the E.U. pushed them out. Some of this character, Marirrosa's backstory, was elaborated upon in that chapter acting as his Q-1, which not to offend Lelouch/Kallen fans but Marirrosa actually shares several things in common with Kallen.
Anyway, beyond that, nothing else about the chapter changed, so here we go. You don't have to go back and read it, but just be aware the last chapter introduced Lelouch's partner before meeting Ryo's group who he met when he ran with her brother's resistance group in Spain giving Lelouch invaluable first-hand experience of operating a resistance group. You can take as many lessons, study and prepare, but real life experience is probably the best teacher.
Now on with the chapter.
It was December 10th, and it was her brother's birthday, but Nunnally Lamperouge wouldn't be able to celebrate it with her brother because Lelouch was away in Area 14 and would be unable to return in time for his own birthday celebration. Even though she knew this would be the case the sandy brown haired fourteen-year-old girl held a framed photo of her brother in her hands.
"Miss Nunnally," a young Japanese woman of twenty-four called, "dinner is ready."
"I'll be there in a minute, Miss Sayoko," Nunnally said sadly, she missed her brother.
Even though these trips, he took to Area 14, which was formerly Papua New Guinea for business to secure a future for them once they graduate from Ashford Academy, Nunnally didn't like it her brother was gone for weeks and sometimes a whole month at times.
And those times were increasingly regularly, which was upsetting alone.
He should be back soon, but he has been gone for so long on both his business trip and his intership.
Sadly Nunnally wheeled herself towards the dining room to eat the meal their maid Sayoko prepared. Despite her blindness, Nunnally was remarkably good at navigating herself around thanks in part to being able to remember where everything else.
Across the world in Paris, France, in the middle of a lush green park was Lelouch dressed in a black coat with large black sunglasses covering his face to conceal his identity assisted with a blonde wig. He had a briefcase next to him while he was waiting for someone to meet him. It was early morning still and approaching midday, although this was difficult for Lelouch given it was both his birthday and his sister was no doubt disappointed that he wasn't home so she could celebrate it with him.
Forgive me Nunnally, but this must be done for both of our sakes.
"Is this seat taken," a man with a French accent asked.
He was taller than Lelouch, but the man possessed brown hair and light blue eyes wearing casual clothing including a dark green turtleneck sweatshirt with black pants and a black coat. Lelouch glanced at the man seeing he was disheveled, which would explain the small bits of facial air on his face. Lelouch's suspicions about the man's untidy condition when he observed him taking a sip from a silver flask.
"It is not," Lelouch said before speaking the man's name, "Lieutenant Colonel Claus Warwick, I presume?"
"I suppose this means you are Zero then, an odd name for a person."
"I just don't want anyone I don't trust to know my full name especially since you are a spy for Britannia," Lelouch replied while grinning to Claus's shock, "relax I am not here to expose you."
Claus began to show signs of anger, but he knew he had to keep his composure. "So you want to cut a deal? Is that why I was called here to be blackmailed?"
"Not exactly, but rather, we can help each other."
"How so?"
"Were you aware of the fact your commanding officer, Pierre Anou, has been selling weapons, military equipment and even the intact corpses of the pilots of the W-0 he commands to former wealthy industrialist Hugo Strandberg to sell their organs on the black market?"
Claus's shocked expression was enough of an answer to Lelouch that he did not.
"Mr. Strandberg had been investigating you to find a scapegoat to cover Commander Anou's tracks, and he discovered your status as a spy for Britannia who passes any information along to them in exchange for money to cover for your sick daughter's medical bills."
The older man appeared genuinely worried that his secret might be out.
"Relax Mr. Strandberg didn't have a chance to relay this information to your commander and we made sure no one else could too, so if you help me I'll expose your commander's actions and any suspicions of you being a spy will be dropped on him. Of course, I'll pay you very well for your assistance too," Lelouch offered as he pulled the briefcase into his lap before opening it to reveal its contents to Claus.
Claus's jaw was left hanging as he saw the briefcase was filled with EU banknotes, although he couldn't tell precisely how much was in it he suspected the amount was easily three times what Britannia was paying him.
"What's the catch other than exposing my scumbag of a superior?"
"I just need you to disable the surveillance systems in Castle Weisswolf for a short window and provide me with an access card to reach the castle's server room, that's it," Lelouch answered.
"That's it?"
"Yes, because I intend to obtain some of your Alexander Knightmare Frames for my usage," Lelouch admitted.
"Not sure if you are either a genius or crazy?"
"Maybe a bit of both, but I have an escape plan in mind. However, for it to work, I need access to the castle's server room."
"I see," Claus said although he suspected that Zero probably had an excellent hacker on hand who was going to support him through the task of stealing one of the Alexander units. He even deduced the escape route Zero had in mind, which was logically the best way to escape provided if you weren't shot down by the anti-air defenses or it wasn't remotely aborted first.
"My goal is to get in, steal some Alexander units along with any related technical data, and then escape. If all goes well, there will be no casualties and then…"
"Then my soon to be former superior will not only be exposed, but the realization that he had been selling weapons and our secrets will lead to him getting blamed for the theft of the Alexander units as the source of the leak on top of his other crimes," Claus correctly deduced was Zero's intention.
"That's right, and your secret stays safe, and of course, you get paid extra."
"Well," Claus began as a smile formed on his face, "no one likes that bastard, so I think they'll be glad once he is gone."
Later that evening Lelouch returned to the hotel room he was staying at with Yukiya and Ayano in their connected double room, Ayano and Marirrosa were given their own room while Yukiya and Lelouch shared the other for obvious reasons.
"I was little worried about Claus, but it seems he'll work with us for now," Lelouch said although he didn't trust the Britannian spy the former prince was confident Claus wouldn't betray them. He had much more to lose if Lelouch was caught since he could expose Claus's activities as a Britannian spy effortlessly, and Claus was more than aware of that especially with his daughter's life at stake.
"I've kept an eye on him, but so far there isn't any indication he has told anyone," Yukiya reported after checking from his portable computer.
"This was just the easy part, but the real challenge will come soon," Lelouch said before pulling a soft drink out from a nearby mini-refrigerator. "Ayano, Marirrosa and I will infiltrate Castle Weisswolf to obtain the Alexander units, and according to what you have uncovered the Apollos' Chariot can hold up to four reentry modules, which they can hold up to five units each."
"So we'll be making off with twenty Knightmare Frames," Yukiya said with a smile. "That's plenty for all of us with a few extras."
"Yes, but this drone system of theirs will be useful for us to guide them to the rendezvous point," Lelouch said with a wicked smile before an idea came to mind. "I would like a chance to see if we can do anything further with a system that can remote control Knightmare Frames?"
Yukiya grinned recognizing what Lelouch was thinking. "You are thinking of replicating it to puppeteer other Knightmare Frames."
"Yes, because all we'll have will be fifteen drones that we cannot replace as we are now if we lose them. That being said, I do see potential uses if we can redesign the system so we can mount it on any Knightmare Frame using parts we can obtain easily in Area 11." Lelouch paused, taking another sip. "Furthermore, the Alexanders are high-performance machines, and we both know obtaining replacement parts if they get damaged will be a problem."
"Of course," Yukiya offered in agreement before stretching his arms, "we could dismantle a few to keep for spare parts or even sell one or two of them on the black market?"
"That is true," Lelouch agreed, "but I wonder if we should keep them regardless since we have more than enough funds to cover our needs for a while."
In the room next door, Ayano was watching television while Marirrosa was lying on one of the beds in deep thought while staring up at the ceiling.
I really hope we aren't making a mistake by trusting that bastard, Marirrosa commented internally.
This heist has been in planning since early November, especially after Lelouch's benefactor arranged a meeting between Lelouch and the last person he had ever expected to hire them.
(November 2nd, 2016 A.T.B.)
The meeting took place in the small city of Prayols, located in southwestern France, and the town had less than three hundred people as a whole. Upon arriving Lelouch with Marirrosa, wearing the uniform of her resistance group in memory of her brother, entered the town's chapel while Ryo and the others were nearby in case this meeting proved to be a trap because of the lack information about who they were meeting.
Two men wearings suits stood by the doors, but upon seeing Lelouch, who opted to wear a blonde wig applied some make-up to disguise his face a little, the two guards gestured for him to halt before their pair performed a quick pat down of Lelouch and Marirrosa. Once they were satisfied Lelouch, and his companion had no weapons on them, the pair stepped aside gesturing for Lelouch to walk inside.
Inside the old and small chapel, Lelouch found additional bodyguards around positioned around crucial corners of the chapel, and the man they came to meet was sitting in the front pew on the left side of a row of twelve pews, six on each side.
Lelouch was genuinely surprised when he came face to face with the man Wizard had set up a meeting for the two to meet.
"Zero, I presume?"
"Indeed, but I wasn't told you would be the one we would be meeting?"
Sitting on the pew was a man in his late thirties, possibly older, with dark green hair and a beard while possessing a large and presumably muscular frame along with being very tall given his sitting posture. He wore a black suit with a cape and a hood folded beside him on his left. Even out of uniform, anyone familiar with those in the highest levels of the E.U. military knew this man instantly.
"General Gene Smilas, you're the last person I would've expected."
Gene Smilas smiled clearly amused by Lelouch's surprise, but he adopted a more business-like seriousness before he gestured for Lelouch to sit next to him on his right as Gene brought up a briefcase he had sitting next to him on his left.
"As far as you two are concerned, you didn't see me here."
"Of course," Lelouch replied, but overall he was intrigued over what the highest ranking general of the United Republic of Europia would go through such lengths to have a meeting with him in a small town in the middle of nowhere.
"I have been an unofficial supporter of Peace Mark, and when Wizard and I spoke recently on the state of the E.U. and certain issues plaguing it he recommended that you could help pave a path for me to solve those issues?" Gene explained before he started opening his briefcase upon his lap.
"How so?"
"Have you heard of our special forces unit, the W-0?"
"I heard rumors, but I didn't have a reason to probe the matter," Lelouch answered.
Gene cleared his throat before explaining, "The W-0 or officially known as the wZERO Unit is a secret special unit within our army that recruits Japanese refugees to serve as pilots of the unit's Knightmare Frames in exchange their families are granted full citizenship within our nation."
"The catch is these missions they carry out are presumably perilous with an equally low survival rate? Otherwise, why the secrecy around the unit?" Lelouch asked deducing the oblivious catch to such an offer.
"You are exactly right," Gene admitted, "the missions they take on are mostly suicide missions and very few of them ever return from a deployment, but the machines they use are special."
"Using them as test pilots for a new machine?"
"In a way, but the WOX-Type01 Alexander capabilities are much higher than our current mainstay Knightmare Frames," Gene explained before pulling out an electronic tablet from his briefcase so Lelouch can examine the video footage and the technical specs of the Alexander Knightmare Frame. "In terms of speed and mobility, the Alexander surpasses every Knightmare Frame we possess even outpacing some of Britannia's current machines like the Sutherlands."
Lelouch began studying the data before him and watching the recordings of the Alexanders in battle.
Those units may even be faster than the Gloucester, especially in the lands of a capable pilot.
Their design was unusual, notably as Lelouch observed the Alexanders were capable of transforming their frames from the standard humanoid configuration with landspinners to a bipedal mode, and a quadrupedal configuration where Lelouch saw that some could use mounted heavy weapons more easily in that mode. Lelouch grew more impressed with the machines and their high performance, primarily upon observing one pilot using his Alexander to brutally cut down and destroy a dozen Sutherlands in combat.
"Do the army intend to field these machines to the rest of your military armed forces?"
"No, they do not," Gene answered, disappointed, actually shocking Lelouch.
Lelouch was actually shocked by this, and if his expression was any indication he was very irritated by the stupidity of NOT working to mass produce such a high-performance machine, "They have created a machine that can outpace most Knightmare Frames and they aren't thinking of mass producing it?"
"I completely agree with you, which is one of the reasons for this meeting today?"
"I am listening," Lelouch asked, intrigued.
"I wish to convince my superiors of the value of the Alexander and push for the creation of a mass production model we can use to replace the Panzer-Hummel, but we need to give the Alexander some attention, and it cannot get the attention it deserves if limited to use within the wZERO unit."
Lelouch's eyes narrowed understanding what the General was proposing. "You want us to make use of the Alexanders against Britannia?"
"Yes, and if you successfully used them to liberate Japan, then that could hopefully convince my superiors of its value, and you'll have some high-performance machines at your disposal."
The offer was tempting, but Lelouch knew there was likely a catch.
"What's the catch?"
"Other than us asking for any technical and combat data you'll have to steal the Alexander units from the wZERO headquarters," General Smilas replied.
"That's quite a catch," Lelouch said wondering if the general was insane or was there something he hadn't mentioned yet.
"Part of it is a test," Gene began to explain, "we want to know the Alexanders will be put to good use, so you're going to have to prove you are worthy of them by stealing them. In turn, it will prove you are also worth any unofficial support we would be willing to provide you with."
The general opened the briefcase again before handing Lelouch a sealed book with discs inside transparent containers.
"This contains everything about the headquarters of wZERO unit; Castle Weisswolf, and this is information on a man named Hugo Strandberg a wealthy industrialist with some very questionable ties to some very shady people," Gene said before taking back the tablet from Lelouch who then gave him the envelope with the details on the industrialist.
Sitting the books and discs upon his lap, Lelouch opened the envelope to examine the details before a thought came to mind.
"You are not just using this as a test, but you are hoping to use the theft to clean house, aren't you?"
The general smiled clearly impressed with Lelouch's deductive abilities, "Indeed because the current commander of the wZERO unit, Pierre Anou, is completely incompetent and he throws away the lives of his mind using them as suicide bombers. I have learned he has an amicable relationship with Mr. Strandberg and has received some hefty payments from him, but we haven't found anything illegal to charge him with."
"I see," Lelouch said realizing what the General was suggesting, "not only do you want us to steal the Alexanders as a test of our worthiness to use them, but you want us to blame the whole incident on the current commander while unearthing any crimes he might've also committed allowing you to remove him."
"Exactly," Gene replied with a smile. "Pull this off, and you'll have what support I can provide to help you get going in Japan. I'll provide you with personnel who can assist you and someone to act as an emissary for future negotiations when Japan is liberated."
"That seems a bit too generous, but I assume you are aware of the risks these people you will give me will be in?"
"Of course, which is why who goes will be based upon volunteers I'll seek secretly and chose those qualified to help you."
Lelouch was skeptical of that part of the issue, but he knew his plan of rebellion against Britannia still needed some necessities such as a medic and mechanic, especially for the Alexanders. Of course, Lelouch was expecting the general would try to slip a spy into their ranks, which had their positions been reversed he would've done the same thing.
"I assume part of their role will be to keep tabs on us, right?" Lelouch asked, which surprised the general before Lelouch assured him. "Its something I would've done, but I'll give you the technical and combat data on the Alexanders and anything I deem will be of use to you. My identity through and anything that would be too risky for a spy with Britannia to pick up I will withhold, fair enough?"
The older general smiled, "fair enough. You just might have what it takes after all, but you have to show me first."
Once the meeting was over Lelouch and Marirrosa left the chapel, but once they were in their vehicle, the two drove away, a conversation began with Lelouch asking.
"You have something on your mind, Marirrsoa?"
"Do you really think we can trust him?"
"No," Lelouch answered flatly, "but we'll make use of him since those Alexanders might give our resistance group the edge it needs once we move operations to Japan."
"And the people he sends?"
"We'll deal with that bridge when we cross it, but we could use some skilled medics and mechanics in our group," Lelouch noted.
"And what if the general tries to backstab us," Marirrosa asked clearly distrustful of the general, and give what happened to her brother it was hard to blame her.
"We'll take him down with us," Lelouch replied with a devious smile before pushing the play button on the car's radio causing a recording of their conversation with Gene to be replayed much to Marirrosa's shock.
"How did you sneak a transmitter into the chapel after they padded you down?" Marirrosa asked realizing a recording device would've been impossible to sneak in without it being found, so Lelouch was likely wearing a concealed transmitter with a microphone attached that required the whole conversation.
"It was hidden in my belt buckle," Lelouch replied.
Marirrosa chuckled a little impressed by Lelouch's forward-thinking, "leave it to you to plan ahead."
"Hey, are you alright," Ayano asked, looking down at Marirrosa, "don't go staring off into space on me."
"HUH," Marirrosa said before her mind returned to the present.
"Thinking about Lelouch?"
"Uh," Marirrosa said before regaining her composure, "not really, but I am a little worried about trusting that general?"
Ayano nodded her head in agreement, "maybe but I am sure it will work out since Lelouch wouldn't even consider such a plan unless he was certain it could be done."
"I guess you are right."
Despite her concerns, Marirrosa knew Ayano had a point, and Lelouch wouldn't have gone ahead with this mission unless he was completely confident in its success. Part of the reason Marirrosa was among those included was because of her skills as a Knightmare Frame pilot, and she was skilled in close quarters combat. Ayano was brought along because of a similar skill set with maybe a difference of fighting style and experience between them.
Ryo or any of the others could've worked, but Lelouch suggested bringing Marirrosa and Ayano since not only were they the most qualified for the mission but it would play well with their cover of school-aged teenagers on vacation with their friend and girlfriends respectively.
Ayano reflected back on the day Lelouch and Marirrosa bailed them out of trouble.
July 12th, 2016, A.T.B.
Lelouch took a deep breath as he typed on the computer in front of him while using a second screen to his left to monitor the security camera feed he had hacked into. The young man was presently inside a van parked inside an alleyway while Marirrosa was currently infiltrating a twelve-story building, but was making her way to the basement where there were rumors of an old subway line that ran below the building until it was closed down due to a lack of maintenance and misuse.
"The hallway ahead of you is cleared," Lelouch advised through the microphone on the headset he was wearing.
"Copy that," Marirrosa replied wearing black clothing and a black mask with night-vision goggles on.
"Either they are careless, or they are all gathered in the subway tunnel," Lelouch noted as he was trying to find any sign of guards and security sensors.
He had taken care of the security cameras upon hacking their systems while they were only seeing a looped recording of recent footage Lelouch was viewing a live feed to help direct Marirrosa through the darkened corridors.
Their purpose tonight was to investigate and obtain information for members of the mafia who are rumored to have been selling information about Peace Mark and their connections to Britannia and the Euro Britannian factions to be more specific. Once they have the data, they are to identify the ones they are obtaining their information from so Peace Mark could quell the problem of the leak quickly before it could damage their connections to other resistance groups around the world.
The information they had suggested what they sought would be in the tunnels below the building where the mafia stored and conducted most of their most illegal business deals.
Lelouch would've preferred running the mission with her because he didn't want to risk her so carelessly and break his promise to Marirrosa's brother, but the latter insisted pointing out that she was better suited for the job than he was. Not to mention his skills at hacking would allow him to provide critical support of monitoring the movements of the mafia members and shutting down any security remotely.
Marirrosa was right to a point, but still…
"Hey…I heard gunfire up ahead," Marirrosa reported.
"I'll take a look," Lelouch said, typing in some commands trying to access the cameras in the tunnels head to see what was going on.
Maybe it could explain why the guard is so light.
Accessing the cameras in the tunnels, Lelouch found a firefight taking place between members of the mafia and teenagers, Japanese teenagers once Lelouch zoomed in on the face of a group of them hiding behind a large shipping container. Lelouch was trying to make sense of what was happening, but with little information on hand, Lelouch could only assume some kind of deal must've gone badly between them or these kids merely stumbled into the wrong tunnels.
The entire subway station had been converted into a storage area for the mafia's illegal goods ranging from military weaponry and other contraband. The platforms for passengers were demolished and flattened out to make it easier for Knightmare Frames to move about regardless if they were an item to be sold or they were being used to move any of their merchandise. The entrance was passengers would descend from a flight of stairs to the surface was sealed off, but parts of it were converted into an office judging from what Lelouch could make out in the distance.
What's this?
Lelouch detected someone else had hacked the same system as he has, although he was careful not to make his presence known he tried to piggyback on the signal to learn more about what was going on.
They're good, but their equipment seems to be second-rate at best, so…
Judging from what he saw of this hacker's skills Lelouch suspected whoever it was could be a much better hacker than him, but Lelouch merely had better equipment. Still, Lelouch had to be careful because if he was too careless, then this hacker could notice him right away unless of course he or she was probably occupied with the firefight happening in the tunnel.
That was assuming if the hacker was involved with those Japanese teenagers.
"Yukiya," Ryo shouted on a radio channel that was tied to the hacker, "find us a way out of here!"
"I am trying, but it's a dead end behind you guys," Yukiya replied almost panicking that his friends were in trouble.
"We're pinned down," Ryo shouted.
From the angles of the gunfight Lelouch was observing using the security cameras Lelouch could at least determine they were enemies of the mafia, but little else beyond that.
"Maybe we can use this to our advantage," Lelouch suggested to Marirrosa just as she reached the old subway station where the clash was happening at.
"Are we going to help them?"
"Yes, but," Lelouch began before turning the camera looking for something to assist them until he spotted an Mk3-E2E8 Panzer-Hummel, an E.U. Knightmare Frame designed solely for long-range combat.
But it's machine guns alone would be more than enough to handle a dozen or so armed mafia members.
"Perfect," Lelouch said with a devious smirk, "Marirrosa, just to the right of the tunnel's exit there is Panzer-Hummel."
"I get it," Marirrosa replied, realizing what Lelouch had in mind, "so we're going to help them?"
"That depends," Lelouch answered before weighing his options.
Deciding to take a gamble Lelouch sent a text message to Yukiya while Marirrosa quietly made her way to the Knightmare Frame slipping behind crates and other partially disassembled Knightmare Frames.
Do you need help, A text-only message to Yukiya read catching the hacker by surprise. I'll help you if you'll just let me download some information from the office, and we both go our separate ways.
Yukiya wasn't sure how to respond, although he usually would've hacked the bastard right back and find out who he was but seeing his new family in danger who had taken him in after destroying the school building where he was constantly violently abused and bullied by the other Japanese living there meant a lot to him.
Enough to where he would gladly lay down his life for them if the situation demanded it.
Yes, Yukiya typed in response as quickly as possible.
Lelouch smiled as he typed.
Your wish is granted.
"Do it Marirrosa," Lelouch ordered.
"This won't take long," Marirrosa said as the Knightmare Frame began powering up.
Marirrosa had no trouble activating the Knightmare Frame thanks in part it had to security restrictions upon it so anyone could be activated so either it was a machine taken fresh off the assembly line or it had been wiped in preparation for sale. Regardless Marirrosa had the means she needed to clear out the room of the mafia and save Ryo and his group.
Using its machine cannons, the Panzer-Hummel opened fire catching the mafia members entirely by surprise, but with little time to retaliate as they were shredded by the machine cannon shots of the Knightmare Frame. This panic and scramble to seek cover from the Knightmare Frame allowed Ryo and his friends to fight back gunning down the fleeing mafia members. It didn't take long until the room was cleared, but Marirrosa remained in the machine while Lelouch alerted her to whenever more members of the Mafia were approaching so she could gun them down before they had a chance.
"Well, whose in the machine?" Ryo asked wondering if the Knightmare Frame who saved them was on their side or not.
"He's on our side," Yukiya answered through the radio Ryo was carrying. "I guess we were the only ones after these guys."
"Relax," Marirrosa said speaking through the Knightmare Frame's external speaker, "we're after some information these guys have. We don't know what you are all here for, but we both don't like the mafia it seems so…"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Ryo offered with a grin.
"You could say that," Marirrosa replied.
Lelouch took a deep breath, but now all they had to do was get the information then mission accomplished.
Suddenly a video chat was opened on his computer as Yukiya's face appeared.
"Well, you got some nice equipment there. I could've seen you if I wasn't so…occupied," Yukiya replied with a grin.
"I had a feeling you are a better hacker than I am," Lelouch complimented as his suspicions of Yukiya's skills as a hacker was proven correct.
"Heh, well, either way, thanks for helping them."
"It was no problem at all."
Later after collecting what Lelouch and Marirrosa were after while Ryo and his group took what they wanted, the two groups met up in the industrial area of Paris.
"That was crazy of you two, but thanks for bailing us out," Ryo greeted shaking Lelouch's hand, "say why don't you join us?"
"I appreciate the offer, but Marirrosa and I have our own goals for the future so I must respectfully decline." Lelouch offered.
Ryo was more curious than offended, "what kind of goals?"
"I wish to bring down Britannia," Lelouch answered without hesitating, "so I make a better world in its place."
Ryo and some members of his group couldn't help but laugh at Lelouch, but he slowly stopped when he saw the serious expression on Lelouch's face.
"Hold on, you're actually serious?"
"He's very serious about this, and when he has enough money he plans on forming a resistance group to take Britannia down," Marirrosa added.
"You're crazy, but I like it, you got guts."
Lelouch smiled at this, "thank you. You know I may not be able to join your group, but if you guys are going after the mafia, I could set you guys up with some countries Peace Mark is offering on the mafia if you want to earn a little extra cash."
"Bounties, you say, so basically bounty hunting?"
"In a way, but usually more than one target is involved," Lelouch answered with a smile.
"Sounds, interesting, maybe we can work together sometimes."
"Maybe," Lelouch added approving of the idea since there was only so much he and Marirrosa could do together.
After spending a month working together on Peace Mark missions that targeted the French Mafia, Ryo and his group found that working for Lelouch was beneficial and Lelouch was in some ways a very effective leader especially when it came to planning. Ryo was a capable planner himself, but he lacked the level of tactical insight and intellect that Lelouch had. The two groups merged into one with Lelouch as the new leader and Ryo as his right-hand man.
Ayano reflected on how Lelouch had shown through his actions that his claim about bringing down Britannia may not be so crazy after all, he had a charisma that could compel you to believe he could make the impossible possible, and Lelouch has proven with the right planning he has helped them accomplish things they would've had difficulty with.
Without that faith in him, they wouldn't have agreed to his plan of stealing Alexander units from the E.U.
After this, there will be no going back, and we won't be able to stay in the E.U. after this, but I kinda want to see Japan, and yet, Ayano thought as she allowed her thoughts to trail off as she thought about Lelouch.
Around the same time downstairs in the hotel's gym, Marirrosa had changed into a pair of workout shorts and a shirt who was lifting some weights as part of her usual exercise routine although how often she would have access to weights and equipment to conduct a full work out was hit or miss sometimes.
Ever since she had lost her brother and all of her friends who had made up their resistance group, Marirrosa had nowhere to go and no one else she could turn to except for Lelouch. He had proven himself capable of collecting intelligence for them using hacking, but his real talent lay in his strategic mind and decision making skills. Her brother had discovered Lelouch was a natural strategist and combined with his genius intellect could devise some ingenious plans with the right information and people on hand.
You went from information gathering role to working next to my brother planning operations, Marirrosa mused internally.
Yet nothing they could do could prevent the horrible disaster that claimed the lives of her brother and the rest of her friends who were determined to save as many people as possible from the destructive crossfire between Britannia and the E.U. in their desperate blitzkrieg invasion of the captured nation of Spain. Her brother did succeed in saving many lives, but only for him and his friends to lose their own tragically.
You know there was a time I laughed at him once when he told me he would destroy Britannia and build a better world once it was gone, but…
The only didn't laugh was her brother.
Fernando told her once after pulling her aside, What he says might sound ridiculous, but that look in his eye. He is a man who has made a vow, and he aims to fulfill it, but he is smart enough to know its not something he can accomplish alone without people and resources to make such a thing possible.
Her brother, Fernando, believed Lelouch could one day accomplish his goal and took him under his wing more closely.
Ever since then what I saw what you were capable of him I did begin to wonder if I can make that dream of yours real, but maybe this heist will be the ultimate test if you can genuinely make the impossible possible.
Sighing Marirrosa focused on her training knowing that soon they would begin their plan to steal the Alexander units, and she intended to follow Lelouch to the end of the road to see if the faith her brother had in him wasn't misplaced.
A/N: Next chapter, Lelouch, Ayano, Marirrosa, and Yukiya begin the heist to steal the Alexander units and make their escape.
I have a plan of how the heist will go down, and I believe it will take up most of the chapter, and before they return to Japan Lelouch and company are planning a pitstop in India on the way home. Part of the reason this chapter took so long to update was that I kept planning out the heist and devising different ways to ensure it could not only work out, but it was within realistic possibility without being too…improbable.
Now the pairing so far will be Ayano and Marirrosa, BUT I am planning on potentially including Kallen, Milly, C.C., Kaguya, Leila and/or Shirley depending on how certain events play out. So the harem I have in mind will be anywhere between four at minimum or ten at max, but I am hoping it won't get that big. Who among those five joining Ayano and Marirrosa as harem members will depend on which of them (likely Kaguya or Milly) can get Lelouch to accept the idea of a harem. But they won't be the only ones to nudge Lelouch I assure you.
Beyond those five there is a poll of other characters I am looking at including as potential harem members who I think can work well off of one another which may be a deciding factor (one of many) who among Kallen, Milly, C.C, Kaguya, Leila or Shirley become harem members. It's on my profile, but since some of these characters are relatively new characters like Marirrosa, I have prepared two posts with information on them and some of my ideas and reasons for considering them under "Stand Alone Code Geass Crossover Brainstorm" forum topic under my Code Geass Crossover R&D.
My most recent post should be part two of the post in question with a link taking you to part one, but my announcement post for this chapter's release on my deviant art account, under my same name will also have the link too. I would post it here, but I would know it won't let me.
Otherwise, every character except for the two on there who were nameless characters can be found on the Code Geass wiki. I just see some potential in these characters, and I can do something interesting with them as my posts will show on some and could open the door for some interesting interactions among the primary six harem candidates added with two confirmed members.
Thank you guys for reading and likes are always welcomed.
Anyway, beyond that, nothing else about the chapter changed, so here we go. You don't have to go back and read it, but just be aware the last chapter introduced Lelouch's partner before meeting Ryo's group who he met when he ran with her brother's resistance group in Spain giving Lelouch invaluable first-hand experience of operating a resistance group. You can take as many lessons, study and prepare, but real life experience is probably the best teacher.
Now on with the chapter.
Chapter 2
Making the Impossible Possible
Making the Impossible Possible
It was December 10th, and it was her brother's birthday, but Nunnally Lamperouge wouldn't be able to celebrate it with her brother because Lelouch was away in Area 14 and would be unable to return in time for his own birthday celebration. Even though she knew this would be the case the sandy brown haired fourteen-year-old girl held a framed photo of her brother in her hands.
"Miss Nunnally," a young Japanese woman of twenty-four called, "dinner is ready."
"I'll be there in a minute, Miss Sayoko," Nunnally said sadly, she missed her brother.
Even though these trips, he took to Area 14, which was formerly Papua New Guinea for business to secure a future for them once they graduate from Ashford Academy, Nunnally didn't like it her brother was gone for weeks and sometimes a whole month at times.
And those times were increasingly regularly, which was upsetting alone.
He should be back soon, but he has been gone for so long on both his business trip and his intership.
Sadly Nunnally wheeled herself towards the dining room to eat the meal their maid Sayoko prepared. Despite her blindness, Nunnally was remarkably good at navigating herself around thanks in part to being able to remember where everything else.
Across the world in Paris, France, in the middle of a lush green park was Lelouch dressed in a black coat with large black sunglasses covering his face to conceal his identity assisted with a blonde wig. He had a briefcase next to him while he was waiting for someone to meet him. It was early morning still and approaching midday, although this was difficult for Lelouch given it was both his birthday and his sister was no doubt disappointed that he wasn't home so she could celebrate it with him.
Forgive me Nunnally, but this must be done for both of our sakes.
"Is this seat taken," a man with a French accent asked.
He was taller than Lelouch, but the man possessed brown hair and light blue eyes wearing casual clothing including a dark green turtleneck sweatshirt with black pants and a black coat. Lelouch glanced at the man seeing he was disheveled, which would explain the small bits of facial air on his face. Lelouch's suspicions about the man's untidy condition when he observed him taking a sip from a silver flask.
"It is not," Lelouch said before speaking the man's name, "Lieutenant Colonel Claus Warwick, I presume?"
"I suppose this means you are Zero then, an odd name for a person."
"I just don't want anyone I don't trust to know my full name especially since you are a spy for Britannia," Lelouch replied while grinning to Claus's shock, "relax I am not here to expose you."
Claus began to show signs of anger, but he knew he had to keep his composure. "So you want to cut a deal? Is that why I was called here to be blackmailed?"
"Not exactly, but rather, we can help each other."
"How so?"
"Were you aware of the fact your commanding officer, Pierre Anou, has been selling weapons, military equipment and even the intact corpses of the pilots of the W-0 he commands to former wealthy industrialist Hugo Strandberg to sell their organs on the black market?"
Claus's shocked expression was enough of an answer to Lelouch that he did not.
"Mr. Strandberg had been investigating you to find a scapegoat to cover Commander Anou's tracks, and he discovered your status as a spy for Britannia who passes any information along to them in exchange for money to cover for your sick daughter's medical bills."
The older man appeared genuinely worried that his secret might be out.
"Relax Mr. Strandberg didn't have a chance to relay this information to your commander and we made sure no one else could too, so if you help me I'll expose your commander's actions and any suspicions of you being a spy will be dropped on him. Of course, I'll pay you very well for your assistance too," Lelouch offered as he pulled the briefcase into his lap before opening it to reveal its contents to Claus.
Claus's jaw was left hanging as he saw the briefcase was filled with EU banknotes, although he couldn't tell precisely how much was in it he suspected the amount was easily three times what Britannia was paying him.
"What's the catch other than exposing my scumbag of a superior?"
"I just need you to disable the surveillance systems in Castle Weisswolf for a short window and provide me with an access card to reach the castle's server room, that's it," Lelouch answered.
"That's it?"
"Yes, because I intend to obtain some of your Alexander Knightmare Frames for my usage," Lelouch admitted.
"Not sure if you are either a genius or crazy?"
"Maybe a bit of both, but I have an escape plan in mind. However, for it to work, I need access to the castle's server room."
"I see," Claus said although he suspected that Zero probably had an excellent hacker on hand who was going to support him through the task of stealing one of the Alexander units. He even deduced the escape route Zero had in mind, which was logically the best way to escape provided if you weren't shot down by the anti-air defenses or it wasn't remotely aborted first.
"My goal is to get in, steal some Alexander units along with any related technical data, and then escape. If all goes well, there will be no casualties and then…"
"Then my soon to be former superior will not only be exposed, but the realization that he had been selling weapons and our secrets will lead to him getting blamed for the theft of the Alexander units as the source of the leak on top of his other crimes," Claus correctly deduced was Zero's intention.
"That's right, and your secret stays safe, and of course, you get paid extra."
"Well," Claus began as a smile formed on his face, "no one likes that bastard, so I think they'll be glad once he is gone."
Later that evening Lelouch returned to the hotel room he was staying at with Yukiya and Ayano in their connected double room, Ayano and Marirrosa were given their own room while Yukiya and Lelouch shared the other for obvious reasons.
"I was little worried about Claus, but it seems he'll work with us for now," Lelouch said although he didn't trust the Britannian spy the former prince was confident Claus wouldn't betray them. He had much more to lose if Lelouch was caught since he could expose Claus's activities as a Britannian spy effortlessly, and Claus was more than aware of that especially with his daughter's life at stake.
"I've kept an eye on him, but so far there isn't any indication he has told anyone," Yukiya reported after checking from his portable computer.
"This was just the easy part, but the real challenge will come soon," Lelouch said before pulling a soft drink out from a nearby mini-refrigerator. "Ayano, Marirrosa and I will infiltrate Castle Weisswolf to obtain the Alexander units, and according to what you have uncovered the Apollos' Chariot can hold up to four reentry modules, which they can hold up to five units each."
"So we'll be making off with twenty Knightmare Frames," Yukiya said with a smile. "That's plenty for all of us with a few extras."
"Yes, but this drone system of theirs will be useful for us to guide them to the rendezvous point," Lelouch said with a wicked smile before an idea came to mind. "I would like a chance to see if we can do anything further with a system that can remote control Knightmare Frames?"
Yukiya grinned recognizing what Lelouch was thinking. "You are thinking of replicating it to puppeteer other Knightmare Frames."
"Yes, because all we'll have will be fifteen drones that we cannot replace as we are now if we lose them. That being said, I do see potential uses if we can redesign the system so we can mount it on any Knightmare Frame using parts we can obtain easily in Area 11." Lelouch paused, taking another sip. "Furthermore, the Alexanders are high-performance machines, and we both know obtaining replacement parts if they get damaged will be a problem."
"Of course," Yukiya offered in agreement before stretching his arms, "we could dismantle a few to keep for spare parts or even sell one or two of them on the black market?"
"That is true," Lelouch agreed, "but I wonder if we should keep them regardless since we have more than enough funds to cover our needs for a while."
In the room next door, Ayano was watching television while Marirrosa was lying on one of the beds in deep thought while staring up at the ceiling.
I really hope we aren't making a mistake by trusting that bastard, Marirrosa commented internally.
This heist has been in planning since early November, especially after Lelouch's benefactor arranged a meeting between Lelouch and the last person he had ever expected to hire them.
(November 2nd, 2016 A.T.B.)
The meeting took place in the small city of Prayols, located in southwestern France, and the town had less than three hundred people as a whole. Upon arriving Lelouch with Marirrosa, wearing the uniform of her resistance group in memory of her brother, entered the town's chapel while Ryo and the others were nearby in case this meeting proved to be a trap because of the lack information about who they were meeting.
Two men wearings suits stood by the doors, but upon seeing Lelouch, who opted to wear a blonde wig applied some make-up to disguise his face a little, the two guards gestured for him to halt before their pair performed a quick pat down of Lelouch and Marirrosa. Once they were satisfied Lelouch, and his companion had no weapons on them, the pair stepped aside gesturing for Lelouch to walk inside.
Inside the old and small chapel, Lelouch found additional bodyguards around positioned around crucial corners of the chapel, and the man they came to meet was sitting in the front pew on the left side of a row of twelve pews, six on each side.
Lelouch was genuinely surprised when he came face to face with the man Wizard had set up a meeting for the two to meet.
"Zero, I presume?"
"Indeed, but I wasn't told you would be the one we would be meeting?"
Sitting on the pew was a man in his late thirties, possibly older, with dark green hair and a beard while possessing a large and presumably muscular frame along with being very tall given his sitting posture. He wore a black suit with a cape and a hood folded beside him on his left. Even out of uniform, anyone familiar with those in the highest levels of the E.U. military knew this man instantly.
"General Gene Smilas, you're the last person I would've expected."
Gene Smilas smiled clearly amused by Lelouch's surprise, but he adopted a more business-like seriousness before he gestured for Lelouch to sit next to him on his right as Gene brought up a briefcase he had sitting next to him on his left.
"As far as you two are concerned, you didn't see me here."
"Of course," Lelouch replied, but overall he was intrigued over what the highest ranking general of the United Republic of Europia would go through such lengths to have a meeting with him in a small town in the middle of nowhere.
"I have been an unofficial supporter of Peace Mark, and when Wizard and I spoke recently on the state of the E.U. and certain issues plaguing it he recommended that you could help pave a path for me to solve those issues?" Gene explained before he started opening his briefcase upon his lap.
"How so?"
"Have you heard of our special forces unit, the W-0?"
"I heard rumors, but I didn't have a reason to probe the matter," Lelouch answered.
Gene cleared his throat before explaining, "The W-0 or officially known as the wZERO Unit is a secret special unit within our army that recruits Japanese refugees to serve as pilots of the unit's Knightmare Frames in exchange their families are granted full citizenship within our nation."
"The catch is these missions they carry out are presumably perilous with an equally low survival rate? Otherwise, why the secrecy around the unit?" Lelouch asked deducing the oblivious catch to such an offer.
"You are exactly right," Gene admitted, "the missions they take on are mostly suicide missions and very few of them ever return from a deployment, but the machines they use are special."
"Using them as test pilots for a new machine?"
"In a way, but the WOX-Type01 Alexander capabilities are much higher than our current mainstay Knightmare Frames," Gene explained before pulling out an electronic tablet from his briefcase so Lelouch can examine the video footage and the technical specs of the Alexander Knightmare Frame. "In terms of speed and mobility, the Alexander surpasses every Knightmare Frame we possess even outpacing some of Britannia's current machines like the Sutherlands."
Lelouch began studying the data before him and watching the recordings of the Alexanders in battle.
Those units may even be faster than the Gloucester, especially in the lands of a capable pilot.
Their design was unusual, notably as Lelouch observed the Alexanders were capable of transforming their frames from the standard humanoid configuration with landspinners to a bipedal mode, and a quadrupedal configuration where Lelouch saw that some could use mounted heavy weapons more easily in that mode. Lelouch grew more impressed with the machines and their high performance, primarily upon observing one pilot using his Alexander to brutally cut down and destroy a dozen Sutherlands in combat.
"Do the army intend to field these machines to the rest of your military armed forces?"
"No, they do not," Gene answered, disappointed, actually shocking Lelouch.
Lelouch was actually shocked by this, and if his expression was any indication he was very irritated by the stupidity of NOT working to mass produce such a high-performance machine, "They have created a machine that can outpace most Knightmare Frames and they aren't thinking of mass producing it?"
"I completely agree with you, which is one of the reasons for this meeting today?"
"I am listening," Lelouch asked, intrigued.
"I wish to convince my superiors of the value of the Alexander and push for the creation of a mass production model we can use to replace the Panzer-Hummel, but we need to give the Alexander some attention, and it cannot get the attention it deserves if limited to use within the wZERO unit."
Lelouch's eyes narrowed understanding what the General was proposing. "You want us to make use of the Alexanders against Britannia?"
"Yes, and if you successfully used them to liberate Japan, then that could hopefully convince my superiors of its value, and you'll have some high-performance machines at your disposal."
The offer was tempting, but Lelouch knew there was likely a catch.
"What's the catch?"
"Other than us asking for any technical and combat data you'll have to steal the Alexander units from the wZERO headquarters," General Smilas replied.
"That's quite a catch," Lelouch said wondering if the general was insane or was there something he hadn't mentioned yet.
"Part of it is a test," Gene began to explain, "we want to know the Alexanders will be put to good use, so you're going to have to prove you are worthy of them by stealing them. In turn, it will prove you are also worth any unofficial support we would be willing to provide you with."
The general opened the briefcase again before handing Lelouch a sealed book with discs inside transparent containers.
"This contains everything about the headquarters of wZERO unit; Castle Weisswolf, and this is information on a man named Hugo Strandberg a wealthy industrialist with some very questionable ties to some very shady people," Gene said before taking back the tablet from Lelouch who then gave him the envelope with the details on the industrialist.
Sitting the books and discs upon his lap, Lelouch opened the envelope to examine the details before a thought came to mind.
"You are not just using this as a test, but you are hoping to use the theft to clean house, aren't you?"
The general smiled clearly impressed with Lelouch's deductive abilities, "Indeed because the current commander of the wZERO unit, Pierre Anou, is completely incompetent and he throws away the lives of his mind using them as suicide bombers. I have learned he has an amicable relationship with Mr. Strandberg and has received some hefty payments from him, but we haven't found anything illegal to charge him with."
"I see," Lelouch said realizing what the General was suggesting, "not only do you want us to steal the Alexanders as a test of our worthiness to use them, but you want us to blame the whole incident on the current commander while unearthing any crimes he might've also committed allowing you to remove him."
"Exactly," Gene replied with a smile. "Pull this off, and you'll have what support I can provide to help you get going in Japan. I'll provide you with personnel who can assist you and someone to act as an emissary for future negotiations when Japan is liberated."
"That seems a bit too generous, but I assume you are aware of the risks these people you will give me will be in?"
"Of course, which is why who goes will be based upon volunteers I'll seek secretly and chose those qualified to help you."
Lelouch was skeptical of that part of the issue, but he knew his plan of rebellion against Britannia still needed some necessities such as a medic and mechanic, especially for the Alexanders. Of course, Lelouch was expecting the general would try to slip a spy into their ranks, which had their positions been reversed he would've done the same thing.
"I assume part of their role will be to keep tabs on us, right?" Lelouch asked, which surprised the general before Lelouch assured him. "Its something I would've done, but I'll give you the technical and combat data on the Alexanders and anything I deem will be of use to you. My identity through and anything that would be too risky for a spy with Britannia to pick up I will withhold, fair enough?"
The older general smiled, "fair enough. You just might have what it takes after all, but you have to show me first."
Once the meeting was over Lelouch and Marirrosa left the chapel, but once they were in their vehicle, the two drove away, a conversation began with Lelouch asking.
"You have something on your mind, Marirrsoa?"
"Do you really think we can trust him?"
"No," Lelouch answered flatly, "but we'll make use of him since those Alexanders might give our resistance group the edge it needs once we move operations to Japan."
"And the people he sends?"
"We'll deal with that bridge when we cross it, but we could use some skilled medics and mechanics in our group," Lelouch noted.
"And what if the general tries to backstab us," Marirrosa asked clearly distrustful of the general, and give what happened to her brother it was hard to blame her.
"We'll take him down with us," Lelouch replied with a devious smile before pushing the play button on the car's radio causing a recording of their conversation with Gene to be replayed much to Marirrosa's shock.
"How did you sneak a transmitter into the chapel after they padded you down?" Marirrosa asked realizing a recording device would've been impossible to sneak in without it being found, so Lelouch was likely wearing a concealed transmitter with a microphone attached that required the whole conversation.
"It was hidden in my belt buckle," Lelouch replied.
Marirrosa chuckled a little impressed by Lelouch's forward-thinking, "leave it to you to plan ahead."
"Hey, are you alright," Ayano asked, looking down at Marirrosa, "don't go staring off into space on me."
"HUH," Marirrosa said before her mind returned to the present.
"Thinking about Lelouch?"
"Uh," Marirrosa said before regaining her composure, "not really, but I am a little worried about trusting that general?"
Ayano nodded her head in agreement, "maybe but I am sure it will work out since Lelouch wouldn't even consider such a plan unless he was certain it could be done."
"I guess you are right."
Despite her concerns, Marirrosa knew Ayano had a point, and Lelouch wouldn't have gone ahead with this mission unless he was completely confident in its success. Part of the reason Marirrosa was among those included was because of her skills as a Knightmare Frame pilot, and she was skilled in close quarters combat. Ayano was brought along because of a similar skill set with maybe a difference of fighting style and experience between them.
Ryo or any of the others could've worked, but Lelouch suggested bringing Marirrosa and Ayano since not only were they the most qualified for the mission but it would play well with their cover of school-aged teenagers on vacation with their friend and girlfriends respectively.
Ayano reflected back on the day Lelouch and Marirrosa bailed them out of trouble.
July 12th, 2016, A.T.B.
Lelouch took a deep breath as he typed on the computer in front of him while using a second screen to his left to monitor the security camera feed he had hacked into. The young man was presently inside a van parked inside an alleyway while Marirrosa was currently infiltrating a twelve-story building, but was making her way to the basement where there were rumors of an old subway line that ran below the building until it was closed down due to a lack of maintenance and misuse.
"The hallway ahead of you is cleared," Lelouch advised through the microphone on the headset he was wearing.
"Copy that," Marirrosa replied wearing black clothing and a black mask with night-vision goggles on.
"Either they are careless, or they are all gathered in the subway tunnel," Lelouch noted as he was trying to find any sign of guards and security sensors.
He had taken care of the security cameras upon hacking their systems while they were only seeing a looped recording of recent footage Lelouch was viewing a live feed to help direct Marirrosa through the darkened corridors.
Their purpose tonight was to investigate and obtain information for members of the mafia who are rumored to have been selling information about Peace Mark and their connections to Britannia and the Euro Britannian factions to be more specific. Once they have the data, they are to identify the ones they are obtaining their information from so Peace Mark could quell the problem of the leak quickly before it could damage their connections to other resistance groups around the world.
The information they had suggested what they sought would be in the tunnels below the building where the mafia stored and conducted most of their most illegal business deals.
Lelouch would've preferred running the mission with her because he didn't want to risk her so carelessly and break his promise to Marirrosa's brother, but the latter insisted pointing out that she was better suited for the job than he was. Not to mention his skills at hacking would allow him to provide critical support of monitoring the movements of the mafia members and shutting down any security remotely.
Marirrosa was right to a point, but still…
"Hey…I heard gunfire up ahead," Marirrosa reported.
"I'll take a look," Lelouch said, typing in some commands trying to access the cameras in the tunnels head to see what was going on.
Maybe it could explain why the guard is so light.
Accessing the cameras in the tunnels, Lelouch found a firefight taking place between members of the mafia and teenagers, Japanese teenagers once Lelouch zoomed in on the face of a group of them hiding behind a large shipping container. Lelouch was trying to make sense of what was happening, but with little information on hand, Lelouch could only assume some kind of deal must've gone badly between them or these kids merely stumbled into the wrong tunnels.
The entire subway station had been converted into a storage area for the mafia's illegal goods ranging from military weaponry and other contraband. The platforms for passengers were demolished and flattened out to make it easier for Knightmare Frames to move about regardless if they were an item to be sold or they were being used to move any of their merchandise. The entrance was passengers would descend from a flight of stairs to the surface was sealed off, but parts of it were converted into an office judging from what Lelouch could make out in the distance.
What's this?
Lelouch detected someone else had hacked the same system as he has, although he was careful not to make his presence known he tried to piggyback on the signal to learn more about what was going on.
They're good, but their equipment seems to be second-rate at best, so…
Judging from what he saw of this hacker's skills Lelouch suspected whoever it was could be a much better hacker than him, but Lelouch merely had better equipment. Still, Lelouch had to be careful because if he was too careless, then this hacker could notice him right away unless of course he or she was probably occupied with the firefight happening in the tunnel.
That was assuming if the hacker was involved with those Japanese teenagers.
"Yukiya," Ryo shouted on a radio channel that was tied to the hacker, "find us a way out of here!"
"I am trying, but it's a dead end behind you guys," Yukiya replied almost panicking that his friends were in trouble.
"We're pinned down," Ryo shouted.
From the angles of the gunfight Lelouch was observing using the security cameras Lelouch could at least determine they were enemies of the mafia, but little else beyond that.
"Maybe we can use this to our advantage," Lelouch suggested to Marirrosa just as she reached the old subway station where the clash was happening at.
"Are we going to help them?"
"Yes, but," Lelouch began before turning the camera looking for something to assist them until he spotted an Mk3-E2E8 Panzer-Hummel, an E.U. Knightmare Frame designed solely for long-range combat.
But it's machine guns alone would be more than enough to handle a dozen or so armed mafia members.
"Perfect," Lelouch said with a devious smirk, "Marirrosa, just to the right of the tunnel's exit there is Panzer-Hummel."
"I get it," Marirrosa replied, realizing what Lelouch had in mind, "so we're going to help them?"
"That depends," Lelouch answered before weighing his options.
Deciding to take a gamble Lelouch sent a text message to Yukiya while Marirrosa quietly made her way to the Knightmare Frame slipping behind crates and other partially disassembled Knightmare Frames.
Do you need help, A text-only message to Yukiya read catching the hacker by surprise. I'll help you if you'll just let me download some information from the office, and we both go our separate ways.
Yukiya wasn't sure how to respond, although he usually would've hacked the bastard right back and find out who he was but seeing his new family in danger who had taken him in after destroying the school building where he was constantly violently abused and bullied by the other Japanese living there meant a lot to him.
Enough to where he would gladly lay down his life for them if the situation demanded it.
Yes, Yukiya typed in response as quickly as possible.
Lelouch smiled as he typed.
Your wish is granted.
"Do it Marirrosa," Lelouch ordered.
"This won't take long," Marirrosa said as the Knightmare Frame began powering up.
Marirrosa had no trouble activating the Knightmare Frame thanks in part it had to security restrictions upon it so anyone could be activated so either it was a machine taken fresh off the assembly line or it had been wiped in preparation for sale. Regardless Marirrosa had the means she needed to clear out the room of the mafia and save Ryo and his group.
Using its machine cannons, the Panzer-Hummel opened fire catching the mafia members entirely by surprise, but with little time to retaliate as they were shredded by the machine cannon shots of the Knightmare Frame. This panic and scramble to seek cover from the Knightmare Frame allowed Ryo and his friends to fight back gunning down the fleeing mafia members. It didn't take long until the room was cleared, but Marirrosa remained in the machine while Lelouch alerted her to whenever more members of the Mafia were approaching so she could gun them down before they had a chance.
"Well, whose in the machine?" Ryo asked wondering if the Knightmare Frame who saved them was on their side or not.
"He's on our side," Yukiya answered through the radio Ryo was carrying. "I guess we were the only ones after these guys."
"Relax," Marirrosa said speaking through the Knightmare Frame's external speaker, "we're after some information these guys have. We don't know what you are all here for, but we both don't like the mafia it seems so…"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Ryo offered with a grin.
"You could say that," Marirrosa replied.
Lelouch took a deep breath, but now all they had to do was get the information then mission accomplished.
Suddenly a video chat was opened on his computer as Yukiya's face appeared.
"Well, you got some nice equipment there. I could've seen you if I wasn't so…occupied," Yukiya replied with a grin.
"I had a feeling you are a better hacker than I am," Lelouch complimented as his suspicions of Yukiya's skills as a hacker was proven correct.
"Heh, well, either way, thanks for helping them."
"It was no problem at all."
Later after collecting what Lelouch and Marirrosa were after while Ryo and his group took what they wanted, the two groups met up in the industrial area of Paris.
"That was crazy of you two, but thanks for bailing us out," Ryo greeted shaking Lelouch's hand, "say why don't you join us?"
"I appreciate the offer, but Marirrosa and I have our own goals for the future so I must respectfully decline." Lelouch offered.
Ryo was more curious than offended, "what kind of goals?"
"I wish to bring down Britannia," Lelouch answered without hesitating, "so I make a better world in its place."
Ryo and some members of his group couldn't help but laugh at Lelouch, but he slowly stopped when he saw the serious expression on Lelouch's face.
"Hold on, you're actually serious?"
"He's very serious about this, and when he has enough money he plans on forming a resistance group to take Britannia down," Marirrosa added.
"You're crazy, but I like it, you got guts."
Lelouch smiled at this, "thank you. You know I may not be able to join your group, but if you guys are going after the mafia, I could set you guys up with some countries Peace Mark is offering on the mafia if you want to earn a little extra cash."
"Bounties, you say, so basically bounty hunting?"
"In a way, but usually more than one target is involved," Lelouch answered with a smile.
"Sounds, interesting, maybe we can work together sometimes."
"Maybe," Lelouch added approving of the idea since there was only so much he and Marirrosa could do together.
After spending a month working together on Peace Mark missions that targeted the French Mafia, Ryo and his group found that working for Lelouch was beneficial and Lelouch was in some ways a very effective leader especially when it came to planning. Ryo was a capable planner himself, but he lacked the level of tactical insight and intellect that Lelouch had. The two groups merged into one with Lelouch as the new leader and Ryo as his right-hand man.
Ayano reflected on how Lelouch had shown through his actions that his claim about bringing down Britannia may not be so crazy after all, he had a charisma that could compel you to believe he could make the impossible possible, and Lelouch has proven with the right planning he has helped them accomplish things they would've had difficulty with.
Without that faith in him, they wouldn't have agreed to his plan of stealing Alexander units from the E.U.
After this, there will be no going back, and we won't be able to stay in the E.U. after this, but I kinda want to see Japan, and yet, Ayano thought as she allowed her thoughts to trail off as she thought about Lelouch.
Around the same time downstairs in the hotel's gym, Marirrosa had changed into a pair of workout shorts and a shirt who was lifting some weights as part of her usual exercise routine although how often she would have access to weights and equipment to conduct a full work out was hit or miss sometimes.
Ever since she had lost her brother and all of her friends who had made up their resistance group, Marirrosa had nowhere to go and no one else she could turn to except for Lelouch. He had proven himself capable of collecting intelligence for them using hacking, but his real talent lay in his strategic mind and decision making skills. Her brother had discovered Lelouch was a natural strategist and combined with his genius intellect could devise some ingenious plans with the right information and people on hand.
You went from information gathering role to working next to my brother planning operations, Marirrosa mused internally.
Yet nothing they could do could prevent the horrible disaster that claimed the lives of her brother and the rest of her friends who were determined to save as many people as possible from the destructive crossfire between Britannia and the E.U. in their desperate blitzkrieg invasion of the captured nation of Spain. Her brother did succeed in saving many lives, but only for him and his friends to lose their own tragically.
You know there was a time I laughed at him once when he told me he would destroy Britannia and build a better world once it was gone, but…
The only didn't laugh was her brother.
Fernando told her once after pulling her aside, What he says might sound ridiculous, but that look in his eye. He is a man who has made a vow, and he aims to fulfill it, but he is smart enough to know its not something he can accomplish alone without people and resources to make such a thing possible.
Her brother, Fernando, believed Lelouch could one day accomplish his goal and took him under his wing more closely.
Ever since then what I saw what you were capable of him I did begin to wonder if I can make that dream of yours real, but maybe this heist will be the ultimate test if you can genuinely make the impossible possible.
Sighing Marirrosa focused on her training knowing that soon they would begin their plan to steal the Alexander units, and she intended to follow Lelouch to the end of the road to see if the faith her brother had in him wasn't misplaced.
A/N: Next chapter, Lelouch, Ayano, Marirrosa, and Yukiya begin the heist to steal the Alexander units and make their escape.
I have a plan of how the heist will go down, and I believe it will take up most of the chapter, and before they return to Japan Lelouch and company are planning a pitstop in India on the way home. Part of the reason this chapter took so long to update was that I kept planning out the heist and devising different ways to ensure it could not only work out, but it was within realistic possibility without being too…improbable.
Now the pairing so far will be Ayano and Marirrosa, BUT I am planning on potentially including Kallen, Milly, C.C., Kaguya, Leila and/or Shirley depending on how certain events play out. So the harem I have in mind will be anywhere between four at minimum or ten at max, but I am hoping it won't get that big. Who among those five joining Ayano and Marirrosa as harem members will depend on which of them (likely Kaguya or Milly) can get Lelouch to accept the idea of a harem. But they won't be the only ones to nudge Lelouch I assure you.
Beyond those five there is a poll of other characters I am looking at including as potential harem members who I think can work well off of one another which may be a deciding factor (one of many) who among Kallen, Milly, C.C, Kaguya, Leila or Shirley become harem members. It's on my profile, but since some of these characters are relatively new characters like Marirrosa, I have prepared two posts with information on them and some of my ideas and reasons for considering them under "Stand Alone Code Geass Crossover Brainstorm" forum topic under my Code Geass Crossover R&D.
My most recent post should be part two of the post in question with a link taking you to part one, but my announcement post for this chapter's release on my deviant art account, under my same name will also have the link too. I would post it here, but I would know it won't let me.
Otherwise, every character except for the two on there who were nameless characters can be found on the Code Geass wiki. I just see some potential in these characters, and I can do something interesting with them as my posts will show on some and could open the door for some interesting interactions among the primary six harem candidates added with two confirmed members.
Thank you guys for reading and likes are always welcomed.
The Demon and his Knights Ch3
New
StrifeHavoc
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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A/N: The heist itself was tricky to plan because while I wanted Lelouch to succeed, I didn't want to make it a cakewalk for him, but add in enough difficulty for some close calls that could've almost compromised it, but not ruin it. So this felt like a really tricky balancing act, and it was the reason an update for this story hadn't come out for a while.
So let's take a leap of faith and see what you guys think, and I added in a few easter eggs for fun.
"Your identification please," an armed guard requested standing by the open window of a four-door vehicle.
A disguised Lelouch handed the guard his identification, and aside from an E.U. military uniform bearing the rank of a colonel he wore a copper hair wig with blue contacts and a latex mask to conceal his identity.
The guard was satisfied with the identity card before handing it back to Lelouch.
"Thank you, sir, everything is in order," the guard replied with a salute.
"Keep up the good work," Lelouch complimented while doing his best to imitate a French accent, before returning the salute.
As the guard waved for his fellow guards to open the gate to allow Lelouch and his group to proceed across the bridge towards the island where Castle Weisswolf stood, the headquarters of the wZERO. Lelouch was sitting in the passenger seat while Ayano was behind the wheel with Marirrosa seated in the backseat. Once the car began moving the black vehicle proceeded to drive over the wide stone bridge that connected the island with the mainland.
"How did you endure hours in a mask like this one?"
The question came from Ayano, who like Lelouch, wore a latex mask to conceal her Japanese heritage while wearing blue contacts and a brown wig. Her own uniform gave her the rank of Sergeant while the military uniform Marirrosa wore held the rank of Major.
"I hated every minute of it. I assure you. After this I don't expect to use such a mask again," Lelouch admitted.
The discomfort the mask brought was even worse this time around because both Ayano and he had to put on their disguises after leaving the hotel, and then endure a four-hour drive from Paris to the border between France and Germany where the castle was located. Marirrosa was the only one among the pair who didn't need to wear a mask this time, but she did wear green contacts to conceal her actual eye color, and a black wig with some makeup to better disguise her appearance.
"This is B-1 to K-0, are you three hearing me loud and clear?"
"We hear you," Lelouch said, responding to Yukiya's call through a concealed earpiece in his right ear, Ayano and Marirrosa each had one as well.
"Looks like the transmitter we hid in the car is working," Yukiya commented.
The young hacker was currently set up in the office of an empty aircraft hanger Lelouch had rented for the day which was located within the local airport within the town of Luxembourg, and Lelouch had made arrangements for a private plane to take Yukiya to India where they would rendezvous with him after Ryo picks them up. The trio had made a quick pit stop along the way to their destination where they dropped him off before setting up his equipment in the hotel room. It was portable enough for one person to move it all quickly enough, but it included powerful based transmitters allowing Yukiya to use the military satellites belonging to E.U. for both communications and to hack their systems remotely.
"I am reading you loud and clear," Lelouch said pleased that everything was according to plan so far.
"Right, and the bomb is ready to go whenever you want to set it off."
"I'll save it until we make our escape to cause a distraction, but we'll have other distractions in place if all goes according to plan."
"Right, so you three are carrying the miniature smoke bombs, and once I have full control of their systems, I can make them think they have real fires happening wherever you plant them to sow further confusion among them to keep them from realizing our true objective."
"If you guys can make it to the server room I can take full control of their systems once you have given me full access," Yukiya said reminding the group.
"The rest will be a leap of faith beyond this point," Lelouch said knowing that as well as he had planned this heist, he knew that it was impossible to prepare for every possibility.
Regardless they were here, and they would stick to the plan, and Lelouch had studied the documents General Smilas had supplied Lelouch which included the duty schedule, which he had examined very thoroughly planning the operation on the day when most of their pilots were out on training maneuvers. Something that was a regular necessity given how the wZERO's commanding officer tends to sacrifice most of his pilots in suicide attacks.
The pilots should've conducted training with their machines earlier this morning so they would likely be occupied with tactics and planning for an upcoming mission to Russia where they are expected to assist the E.U. forces in their pull out of Saint Petersburg in Russia. Most of the command staff should be held up in those planning missions for the next hour, so Lelouch and his group had one hour to set the smoke bombs and then breach the server room before finally making their way to where the Alexanders units are kept.
An hour seemed like a lot of time, but the castle where the wZERO was headquartered was quite large so everyone needed to be on time even though Lelouch planned it by giving them extra time in the event of any unforeseen complications.
"Does everyone remember your roles," Lelouch asked as they drove along the road towards the castle once they finished crossing the bridge.
"Ayano and I will head for checkpoints A, B, and C to plant the smoke bombs and then meet you at the server room," Marirrosa answered.
"Right and I'll make my way to the server room and gain access allowing Yukiya full access for the final stage of our plan. His role will be the most critical because we'll need their air-defenses shut down and all control to our escape vehicle disabled, which is why my role will be to plant this electromagnetic bomb in the server room. Once it goes off, it should completely disable their systems and ensures that Yukiya should have plenty of time to escape," Lelouch explained.
"And as we leave we'll set off the bomb in this vehicle," Ayano noted.
"Let us begin then," Lelouch said as they approached the castle gates where Marirrosa slowed down to give the guard a chance to open the gates for them before the black car drove in.
Locating an ideal parking spot the Marirrosa parked the car before she, Lelouch and Ayano disembarked the vehicle. Nodding to each other Lelouch proceeded towards the main keep while Ayano and Marirrosa started their role in the plan.
"Begin," Lelouch muttered as he ascended the stone steps into the main keep with a metallic clipboard tucked under his right arm.
Lelouch took a deep breath, he was in the lion's den now, and one mistake could be fatal. Walking into the keep Lelouch had his keycard ready, which according to Yukiya, should give him access to just about anywhere in the castle thanks to having hacked the castle's security systems. He had control over sensors, alarms, access points, and security cameras, but only when Lelouch plugs him into the server room could Yukiya take full control of everything.
I am surprised I am just being allowed to walk in here, Lelouch thought as he passed a few lower-ranked members of the wZERO unit who saluted him before Lelouch returned the salute.
As much as Lelouch wanted to feel more confident about the mission ahead of him, he focused on the task ahead because if he didn't complete his part of the plan, then everything was at risk of falling apart. Proceeding further into the keep, Lelouch had made sure to memorize the map of the entire castle and the underground facility attached to it. Making his way down another corridor right before passing an intersection that split the passage into three paths; Lelouch was heading for the server room when a noise caught his attention.
"AHHHH!"
Reacting quickly Lelouch extended one of his arms caught a young woman who seemed as old as he was with long pinkish-purple hair styled into an updo ponytail with blue eyes and a fair skin complexion wearing a white lab coat over a cyan spaghetti strap top with black boyshorts, lilac thigh-high stockings, and light blue heeled loafers.
The young woman had expected to hit the ground but was surprised that someone had caught her in time.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh," The young woman said, realizing she had been saved, "thank you for catching me. But I am so sorry!"
The seventeen-year-old girl quickly recovered with Lelouch's assistance before dusting herself off while glad she didn't lose any of the papers she had been carrying.
"Its hardly your fault, but what happened?"
Lelouch examined the corridor from which the girl came from before vaguely noticing a pool of water on the ground, which then Lelouch spotted a pipe above had a small leak.
"Someone from maintenance better look into that," Lelouch said before seemingly writing down a note on his clipboard to keep up appearances he was conducting a surprise inspection of their headquarters as his cover story.
"I didn't even see that, but once again thank you so much for catching me…uh," The girl asked not knowing the name of the man who caught her.
"I am Colonel Boris Flagg," Lelouch said, introducing himself.
"Oh," the girl's eyes widened before saluting realizing she had failed to notice his rank, "I am interning medical specialist Kate Novak from the civilian private sector."
"At ease," Lelouch offered before another voice caught his attention.
"Kate, are you alright?"
Joining the two from the hallway where Kate had just come from was a young woman around the same age as Kate. The new arrival had shoulder-length green hair with two light purple hairclips and yellowish-orange eyes with a fair skin complexion wearing a similar lab-coat to Kate except underneath it she wore a collared black and beaver blouse with a black cravat and a matching skirt with sandy brown loafers.
"I am fine Ferilli," Kate said, reassuring her friend and coworker, "thanks to him for catching me before I hit the ground. He is Colonel Boris Flagg."
Ferilli quickly saluted, which Lelouch returned before gesturing for her to be at ease with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you for catching Kate. I am Ferilli Baltrow, a member of the research division under an internship as an assistant."
"A pleasure to meet you both."
"If I may, sir, why are you here?"
"I am conducting an inspection on your headquarters per the request of General Smilas," Lelouch said before opening his clipboard to hand the young woman a document proving his story. It was a very carefully crafted forgery, but Lelouch was confident it would be more than enough since the general told him he did typically send a high-ranking officer to conduct surprise inspections at least once a month. "I'll be sure to make a note of that leaky pipe in my report."
"I see, well I apologize for questioning you like that," Ferilli said before handing the paperback to Lelouch who in turn placed it back in his clipboard.
"It's fine. I am an unfamiliar face here, so it only makes sense that you would question my presence."
"Of course, but I know I am broken record for saying this thank you for catching Kate."
"Not at all?"
"Is there anything we could help you with?" Kate asked wishing to repay Lelouch for saving her.
"Not really, but you could tell me where I could find the command center. It's my first time here," Lelouch asked.
"I know it's easy to get lost in this place when you first come here," Kate commented before giving Lelouch directions that would take him to the command center.
"Thank you very much," Lelouch said once he had gotten his directions, although he knew where to go, it was merely part of his efforts to maintain appearances.
The server room should be near the command center, Lelouch noted internally.
Around the same time, Ayano and Marirrosa were at checkpoint B where Marirrosa was keeping watch while Ayano removed a pair of smoke bombs hidden around her waist under the uniform she was wearing.
The pair had made their way to one of the primary ventilators that provided air into the underground complexes, their first checkpoint had them planting smoke bombs at the foremost of the two main ventilators, which once their distraction plan is put into effect should further solidify the illusion of fire having broken out.
Their final checkpoint before meeting up with Lelouch would take them to the auxiliary ventilators, which should put them close to an access point where they could reenter the main keep.
"Are you almost done Ayano?"
"I am finishing up, just making sure no one will stumble upon these bombs," Ayano reported upon attaching the smoke bomb and ensuring it was secured before activating it.
"I got its signal K-1," Yukiya reported.
"Right I am finished here we're moving onto checkpoint C," Ayano replied.
"You ladies are twenty seconds behind schedule, so pick up the pace," Yukiya reminded acting as mission control.
"Now that we are finished we'll try to pick up the pace," Marirrosa pointed out.
Minutes later Lelouch had reached the Server Room, and thanks to the modified keycard Yukiya had set up for him Lelouch had no problems getting inside.
"K-0 to B1 I am inside the server room, and I am proceeding with establishing a direct link for you," Lelouch said taking out a mini-computer with a holographic screen from inside his clipboard that was just small enough to fit inside.
"Copy that," Yukiya answered eagerly.
Lelouch was working to create a backdoor in the system for Yukiya while mindful he didn't do anything to alert security to his presence.
Their cybersecurity is a joke, Lelouch thought, but it was possible his ease at infiltrating their systems was likely due more to the fact he was onsite at the computer core for their whole operations.
Working diligently Lelouch hacked his way in before a few minutes later his backdoor for Yukiya was successfully created and Yukiya now had complete access to every system in the wZERO's headquarters.
"B-1 is in the house, I repeat B-1 is in the house," Yukiya reported with a big grin on his face. "Oh, I am going to have a lot of fun with this, but first time to upload my virus."
"The rest is up to you, I'll wait for Q-1 and K-1 per the plan."
"Roger that I'll get to work setting up your escape route, and I'll do some data mining while I am at it."
Smiling Lelouch disconnected his computer, but he made sure he was wirelessly connected to the network, so if Lelouch needed it, he had a tool handy should an unforeseen complication arises. With complete access, Lelouch could override any security door he wanted and even manipulate their systems as freely as need be as long as he had time to type in the proper commands.
The final part of his role was Lelouch planting the electromagnetic bomb on the servers, and after it was firmly secured, he armed it.
Checking his watch, Lelouch noticed he was a few minutes ahead of schedule.
All that is left is to wait for the others.
"Is there anyone outside the server room, B-1?"
"No, its all clear and I have confirmation of the bomb's readiness, and it's at my command," Yukiya replied.
Exiting the server room, Lelouch started walking down the hallway.
"Inform K-1 and Q-1 I'll be waiting at rendezvous point two," Lelouch said discreetly.
"Got it, I'll pass it along."
Now I just have to wait, Lelouch thought before a voice behind him asked.
"Excuse me, why are you down here?"
Turning around, Lelouch came face to face with another young woman the same age as him accompanied by three others who appeared to be identical in age as well. Some of them were even carrying books and folders in their arms as well too.
The first young woman, who appeared to be the highest rank among the four, was a Captain. She wore a blue uniform with a black skirt under it while seemingly part of the outfit itself as the blue coat overlapped it. The seventeen-year-old also had waist-length light purple hair, light green eyes with a pair of glasses over them and a fair skin complexion with one arm holding three books.
Her companions wore identical uniforms with some differences consisting of a blue and black skirt with a sleeveless coat top with a white-collar shirt underneath it and a blue ribbon tie, but that was where the similarities end. The shortest of the three, standing at five feet and two inches, possessed shoulder-length auburn hair with a pink headband and green eyes, and having the same complexion as his superior, wearing white socks and black boots. The second teenager stood at five feet and four inches with waist-length black hair, pink eyes with glasses over them and black tights with matching boots.
The last member of the group and tallest of the four at about five feet and six inches being almost as tall as Lelouch with waist-length purple hair and light blue eyes while possessing a mocha skin tone. The only other difference was that unlike her two fellow friends, she wore the same boots as they did, but Lelouch did notice any apparent signs of socks like the shortest of the three.
"I am Colonel Boris Flagg conducting a surprise inspection," Lelouch replied before presenting the young woman with light purple hair with the document confirming his presence and purpose has been authorized by the higher-ups.
Anna Clément accepted the document before examine it, and upon seeing it was legitimate as far as she could tell handed it back.
"Oh, I see, in that case, please forgive me," Anna apologized before saluting a superior officer.
Lelouch returned the salute, "it's alright it's perfectly fine to question my presence, especially since you haven't seen me here before Miss…"
"My apologies I am Captain Anna Clément, the chief engineer," Anna said before politely introducing herself before introducing those with her. "These two are my assistants, Sergeant Chloe Winkel…"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," the auburn hair greeted.
"Sergeant Hilda Fagan…"
Hilda, the black haired teen with glasses, nodded her head politely, "it's nice to meet you."
"And one of our operators of the command center Sergeant Sarah Danes."
"Sir," Sarah, the purple-haired young woman, replied with a salute demonstrating a very business-like attitude.
"At ease and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Lelouch replied.
That surname Clément sounds familiar, Lelouch before remembering where he heard it from, oh that's right she was the developer of the Alexander.
Lelouch was surprised that such a capable machine was developed by someone of Anna's age, which to him spoke highly of her intellect she must possess to have designed such a high-performance Knightmare Frame at her age.
"I apologize for poking around like this, but it's merely the job headquarters gave me."
"I understand, and I suppose it is about around this time they come," Anna said remembering the last inspector came around early the previous month.
"Well, so far everything seems good, other than a leaky pipe I came across that nearly left one of your own suffering a nasty spill," Lelouch reported checking his clipboard.
"That is good to hear," Anna replied with a sense of relief.
But your security could use some serious work, Lelouch acknowledged internally which he attributed to lousy management by the unit's command if he is indeed as corrupt as he had heard about.
"I'll be sure to speak with your commander on my way out," Lelouch offered before bidding farewell to four women.
After exchanging farewells, Lelouch began making his way down the corridor before he heard Yukiya tease him through his earpiece.
"My aren't you a real chick magnet," Yukiya teased causing Lelouch to twitch his eyebrow in annoyance.
Lelouch was the first to reach the hanger where the cockpits for the Alexander units were kept with Ayano and Marirrosa likely to come within the next minute. Lelouch was hoping they would arrive soon because they are two minutes late and they have about used up their extra time.
In the meantime, Yukiya had already used the automated systems and loaded the Apollo's Chariot, their escape vehicle which happened to be an intercontinental missile, loaded Alexander units with the AI drone modules leaving three cockpits for Lelouch, Ayano and Marirrosa to board. The AI modules could be removed, and a pilot could be allowed to use them, but more importantly, they were the key to ensure they would make it to the rendezvous point with twenty intact Knightmare Frames.
"We're lucky they were planning to conduct some testing with the AI drones using a planned launch to conduct field testing, an expensive test to be sure, but a lucky break for us."
"Yes, and it makes it easier for us to get away with twenty of them, otherwise having them land at the rendezvous point would've been a problem." Lelouch offered, dropping his French accent, in agreement before asking, "Where are Q-1 and K-1?"
"Don't worry, they are arriving right now," Yukiya answered assumingly.
At that moment the doors opened, and Marirrosa and Ayano disembarked the elevator much to Lelouch's relief.
"You two are late, what kept you?" Lelouch questioned, although he was thankful they made it in time.
"Sorry, this place is huge," Ayano admitted.
"We had to take a different route," Marirrosa explained.
"You two weren't followed?"
The two women shook their head, but Yukiya noticed something on the security camera.
"Uh guys, you three have company," Yukiya warned, "they'll be coming out of that elevator, you two just exited."
"Shut it down," Lelouch ordered, but he realized Yukiya couldn't shut down the elevators fast enough before gesturing for Marirrosa and Ayano to position themselves along the sides of the elevator to ambush whoever was going to come out.
Lelouch opened his coat and quickly assembled a tranquilizer gun with a silencer attached to it.
Taking cover behind one of the cockpit blocks Lelouch readied himself while Ayano and Marirrosa were ready to ambush whoever came off the elevator. Upon opening, Ayano attacked the first person who walked off who happened to be a Japanese teenager with dark blue hair and light blue eyes wearing a blue uniform typical to the Japanese members of the wZERO.
Akito Hyuga responded to Ayano's attack who swiftly blocked her punch before Ayano retaliated by trying to kick him. Marirrosa was about to join in, but at that moment another person accompanying Akito stepped off the elevator.
Leila Malcal had followed Akito, and before she could help him, Marirrosa attacked her, forcing Leila on the defensive.
"Did you shut down the elevators leading here?"
"Yeah, they are closed off, and I am beginning silent lockdown procedures so no one else should drop in on you guys."
"Get the rocket ready to go, once we're done we'll have to leave," Lelouch ordered before intending to take aim at one of them.
Lelouch intended to shot the one he determined who was the more significant threat, and with the other free of their foe, they could quickly subdue the other.
Ayano was holding her own against Akito who was proving to be a capable fighter himself, although Ayano wished she had her kodachi. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring it with her forcing her to give it to Ryo for safekeeping.
Marirrosa was pushing Leila back, who surprisingly proved to be skilled at aikido, yet Marirrosa held her own by being an experienced mixed martial artist with a preference for kickboxing. Marirrosa's strength was making the clash between the two difficult, which Leila was being mindful to avoid being hit; realizing a direct hit from someone like Marirrosa would hurt a lot. Lelouch took aim waiting for an opening before taking aim at Akito's back just as Ayano was being overpowered with the former about to restrain her.
Lelouch shot Akito in the back with a tranquilizer dart, but when Akito refused to go down Lelouch shot him again before he finally collapsed.
Ayano immediately gained a second wind before joining Marirrosa to take down Leila together, and the two skilled combatants quickly overpowered Leila, following a fierce struggle from Leila, restraining her before shooting Leila in the neck with a tranquilizer dart.
"Why did those two follow you?" Lelouch asked before Ayano dragged Leila away before using zip ties she was carrying concealed on her person to secure Leila's hands before doing the same to Akito.
"I think that girl got suspicious of us," Marirrosa answered before recognizing her, "Hey, didn't we see her at that party?"
"Yes, we did, but right now, we need to get in those cockpits," Lelouch said deciding to take this incident as a sign that they had to leave now.
"Everything is ready," Yukiya reported, "you guys just need to hop in."
"Let's move," Ayano said before she, Lelouch and Marirrosa climbed into the readied cockpits.
Once they were inside, they began moving down the tunnel towards the prepared Apollo's Chariot which led to Yukiya beginning launch procedures as the launch silo started opening on a far corner of the island the castle stood on. It didn't take too long as mechanical arms loaded the cockpit blocks onto Alexander units inside one of the reentry capsules. After loading them the rocket was in final preparations to launch, which Yukiya took as the signal to trigger their distraction.
"Setting off smoke bombs now," Yukiya said before the smoke bombs were set off while Yukiya's virus set off false alerts there were fires in areas of the underground complex. "That should occupy them for a few minutes beginning final preparations, all self-destruct devices are disabled, and navigation is set."
"Launch us as soon as we are ready," Lelouch said before relaxing inside the seat of the cockpit.
"Almost there…T-minus twenty seconds," Yukiya announced as the engines were powering up for launch.
Meanwhile, the launch was detected by those in the command center, causing members of the command staff to hurry into the command center.
"What the hell is going on?"
The current commanding officer; Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Anou, a middle-aged officer with silver hair and blue eyes, entered the command center furious over the unauthorized launch.
Sarah was at her station trying to gain access but found they were completely locked out of their systems.
"Sir we are completely locked out I can't do anything to stop the launch," Sarah reported before her partner and fellow operator a young woman wearing the same uniform as her except she had blonde hair styled into a pair of shoulder-length braided pigtails and purple eyes with freckles upon her face and possessed a fair skin complexion.
"Neither can I, the system is completely locked," Olivia Reuel reported.
"I am not having any better luck either," Claus pointed out.
"Our systems are completely unresponsive," another member of the command staff noted.
He was a middle-aged man with an obese figure wearing a white lab with a dark green polo shirt with tan pants and brown shoes. He also had dark grey with glasses over his green eyes.
"I can't get around whatever is locking us out," Joe Wise announced followed by his superior a woman around his age with shoulder-length brown hair and light indigo eyes wearing a white lab coat over a red dress.
"Accessing," Sophie Randle said as she was seemingly having more success, but instead a pink chibi rabbit appeared on their computer screens waging its finger in front of its face before mocking them in a cute voice.
"Ah ah ah, you didn't say the magic word," the chibi rabbit said before repeating itself over and over again much to the anger of the current commander.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS HACKER CRAP!"
Suddenly Apollo's Chariot lifted off soaring higher into the sky.
"Can we track it?" Claus asked although he was aware there was no stopping it.
"No sir we are completely locked out we can't do anything," Sarah reported as Anna and her assistants entered the command center next.
Lelouch could feel the rocket ascending higher, and since Yukiya wasn't reporting any problems, it meant they were successful.
"Ha, ha ha…Aha ha ha ha ha!" Lelouch's high pitched triumphant laughter began to echo in the cockpit as the craft kept climbing higher and higher.
Approaching the castle using aerial transport, a VTOL transport accompanied by gunships, was General Smilas in the company of armed soldiers who had arrived just in time to observe the missile-carrying Lelouch and his bounty of Alexanders higher into the sky.
I had my doubts, but he actually did it.
Upon his transport landing, the General disembarked flanked by troops under his personal command dressed in black uniforms and armed with weapons before making their way into the keep from the landing zone for VTOL craft.
"ALL OF YOU ARE USELESS!" Pierre ranted while he was between being furious and on the verge of a complete breakdown.
"Heh heh," Lelouch's laughter began, but this time he was using a device to electronically distort his voice, giving it an echo. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't skimmed off of your own unit's budget for your own pursuits. More money could've been spent on hiring more security personnel and improving your cybersecurity and fix your leaky pipes."
Lelouch admittedly added in that one to merely rub more salt in the wound.
"Who are you!" Pierre demanded.
"Call me Zero, and I wanted to thank you for your generous donation of twenty Alexander units," Lelouch said speaking through an open communication channel that was being provided for him since he did tell Anna he was going to talk to their superior before leaving.
"You stole them!" Anna said, sounding slightly distressed.
"I intend to make excellent use of them I assure you, and if it's possible, I'll forward you any combat data I can collect off of them," Lelouch offered.
"YOU ARE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!"
"I would be more worried about yourself, but you'll find out soon enough.," Lelouch said before ending the communication.
Meanwhile, their chariot had reached the upper atmosphere and was nearing low orbit where the missile ejected its stage one engines before activating its stage two engines.
"Almost there," Lelouch muttered, "and then comes the final challenge of this job."
After three minutes had passed, back within the command center of the wZERO, General Smilas arrived in the company of his armed escort much to the surprise of those present. Accompanying him was the captain of the castle guard with the rank of Major possessing grey hair and green eyes dressed in the traditional E.U. uniform, except his was black instead of blue, who was glaring daggers at Pierre.
"Well, Major Oscar Hammel, I guess those fires are under control," Claus greeted casually, "and greetings General Smilas."
"Those fires weren't real, the result of smoke bombs set upon our ventilation systems, but we have another more pressing issue to address," Oscar admitted coldly as Smilas approached Pierre who appeared to be on the verge of breaking down into a terrified wreck.
"It seems coming personally to address your," General Smilas began slowly as his eyes bore down on the trembling Pierre, "crimes I arrived to witness the biggest blunder a commander of your station can make."
"Please, sir I can explain," Pierre struggled to say before in a rare moment of anger General Smilas swiftly punched Pierre in the face knocking him to the ground allowing two members of his escort to seize the fallen commander promptly handcuffing him.
"Former Commander Pierre Anou you are at this moment under arrest for crimes of corruptions, gross mismanagement of a special forces unit, illegal sale of weapons onto the black market, accepting bribes and much more along. And that is not including your failure to prevent the theft of twenty Knightmare Frames," General Smilas declared as his two escorts dragged the fallen commander to his feet.
Pleading and ranting about his innocence before claiming he was set up the general gave one look before gesturing for the man to be dragged away before turning his eyes away in disgust.
"Now then Major Hammel I would like you to provide a list of your recommendations for security enhancements to ensure this doesn't happen again," Gene Smilas asked.
"I shall have it right away."
"Good, and now to appoint a new commander," General Smilas began before realizing the person he wanted to put in charge was nowhere to be seen. "Where is Major Leila Malcal?"
Claus merely shrugged his shoulders.
Around the same time, Apollo's Chariot had reached orbit as it was nearing the drop point which was being monitored by Yukiya using the wZERO's own resources to ensure their flight went as smoothly as possible. Activating the external cameras Lelouch, Marirrosa and Ayano had a chance to marvel at the Earth from orbit as they were passing over some cities on the Britannian Contitienet, their lights during the nighttime hours could be viewed from orbit.
"It's beautiful," Ayano commented.
"Oh wow, I saw pictures, but I never expected this," Marirrosa added while Lelouch found himself marveling at the view before him.
"It's one hell of a view," Lelouch said before an announcement came from Yukiya.
"Ok guys this is it time to free fall," Yukiya reported as the missile came apart releasing the four reentry pods. "You better get ready, K-0."
"Roger that," Lelouch said while activating the displays to provide commands to the drone controlled Alexanders while taking care of his own descent. "Here we go!"
The four capsules began descending towards the planet below before the heat upon reentry temporary disrupted their cameras, but after clearing the atmosphere, the capsules opened up releasing all twenty Alexander units into the sky.
"Deploying wings!" Ayano announced followed by Marirrosa who did the same, enabling their machines to glide down to the ground safely.
"Wings deployed," Lelouch announced as he worked to ensure the commands to the drones were received as they deployed their wings and began following the Commander unit, which Lelouch had taken for his own.
"I think we got a little turbulence up here," Marirrosa said as she was struggling to keep her machine steady while free-falling from forty-nine miles in the sky.
"Just keep it steady, and we'll make it through this," Lelouch replied, although it was rough at first their descent began to smooth out.
"I see the island," Ayano reported.
"I see it too," Lelouch said as he spotted the island on his display before zooming in on the old airfield on the abandoned island.
Years ago, as part of their plans to invade Africa in its conquest of the world, Britannia had established a secret base on an island in the Indian Ocean they had created to serve as a staging point. Ultimately it lost its value as a strategic asset and was abandoned with its existence known to Oiaguro since it was mostly used by special forces and intelligence divisions of the military.
Oiaguro had suggested the island as a landing point while it had a port that would allow their cargo ship to dock in its mostly intact harbor so loading the Knightmare Frames would be an easy task.
"Get ready!" Lelouch said as he lined up the runway as his Alexander landed first soon followed by the first set of drones before their machines ejected their wings.
Ayano and Marirrosa followed next to the cheering of Ryo and the others, and soon the last of the drones landed, all twenty had made it.
Kneeling his commander type Alexander on the ground Lelouch opened the hatch of his cockpit where he promptly tore off the mask he had been wearing after undoing the buttons of the uniform he had been wearing.
"You crazy son of a bitch you pulled it off!" Ryo congratulated while throwing one arm around Lelouch's shoulder.
"Heh, was there any doubt?"
"No, but I would be lying if I wasn't worried."
"I don't blame you we did have some close calls," Lelouch said as he observed some of the others cheering for Ayano and Marirrosa as they disembarked their Knightmare Frames.
Meanwhile, Yukiya set off the EMP bomb Lelouch had planted after using his virus to wipe out any trace of where the Alexanders had landed, and even if they did recover any data they would be long gone and in India by then. Once that was finished he detonated the bomb destroying the car that brought Lelouch and the others to the castle covering up the last traces left there.
It took him ten minutes to pack up and load his packed equipment, in suitcases onto a parked jeep that had been prepared for him as a temporary rental.
"Well time to get the hell out of this country," Yukiya mused before driving to the hanger where the private plane Lelouch had set up for him was waiting, and it was right on time.
"Ah, you must be Mr. Naruse," a flight attendant said, standing at the base of the boarding stairwell next to the private jet ready for lift-off.
"That's me, and what I got in the back is all I have," Yukiya greeted before using a hand gesture to point to the suitcases in the back of the jeep.
After loading the plane with his suitcases, Yukiya boarded the craft before taking off.
So this is what it feels like to fly first class huh, Yukiya mused as he noticed how luxurious his ride was going to be. I wouldn't mind doing it again in the future.
Later that afternoon Lelouch had showered and changed out of his uniform for more casual attire as he walked out onto the deck of the cargo ship Ryo and his group had acquired for them to transport the Alexanders to their next destination the city of Mumbai located in India. Of course, Lelouch could've had landed in Japan, but deemed it too risky since transporting the Alexanders away from their landing zone without being noticed was a potential risk.
And they wouldn't be able to modify them as easily as they could in India.
Loading the Alexanders was nearly finished after the group had taken time to ensure any self-destruct devices within them were safely removed, and while Lelouch stood on the deck observing the efforts of Ryo and the others, he was approached by Mariko.
"Hey Lelouch," Mariko spoke as she approached the young man who noticed she was in the company of two others he wasn't familiar with.
"Mariko…"
"I would like to introduce the two Wizard recommended to us after we arrived in India," Mariko said, referring to Oiaguro by his alias within Peace Mark.
"I see so you two must be the engineers he recommended to me," Lelouch said before offering his hand in a greeting, "I am Lelouch and you are must be…Neha Shankar."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lamperouge."
Neha was of Indian descent who appeared a year younger than Lelouch with pink, lavender eyes and waist-length black hair, tied into a ponytail before leaving the rest to fan out below the next, and a red bindi on her forehead. Her attire consisted of a white lab coat with a cyan and gold-trimmed choli top and a lehenga of a matching color. Neha's legs, however, appeared to white matching the loafers she wore, which was because when she was ten years old, Neha had lost both of her legs as the result of battle she was caught in. They were replaced with cybernetic prosthetics by the one person she came to admire and chose to follow in her footsteps.
"I heard about you," Lelouch said knowing that despite her age she was another engineering prodigy. "The pleasure of meeting you is all mine."
Originally Neha had sought a medical field out of respect for the one who gave her new legs, but at some point changed careers to engineering heading specifically for Knightmare Frame development. To pursue this goal, Neha was accepted at the E.U. General Engineering University in Berlin at fifteen, but she drew the attention of the Euro-Britannian Faction who wanted to use her skills for their use. Thankfully Peace Mark rescued her and brought her to a lab owned by her idol and has worked with the organization since.
"And you must be Miss Kagari Savitri," Lelouch greeted before offering his hand.
"Please, you don't have to be so formal, just Kagari is fine."
Kagari possessed a similar skin tone as Neha, but unlike the latter, she was actually half-Japanese and half-Indian and possessed a red bindi on her forehead with light blue eyes and shoulder-length black hair. She wore a white shirt with a sleeveless black jacket and matching pants with black sandals. Kagari acted as Neha's assistant and was also an engineer in her own right despite her age, which spoke highly of her intellect and skills.
"So what do you two think of the Alexander units?"
"They are certainly impressive, which is baffling because I cannot understand why the E.U. didn't pursue exploring the possibilities of mass production," Neha acknowledged.
"Can you do anything to improve or customize them?"
"I believe we can," Kagari said after exchanging looks with Neha, "although it would be faster if we had our teacher with us. Unfortunately, she is occupied with a development job for another client."
"Very well, when you two are available, I have some suggestions for the commander unit and for those AI modules I would like to discuss once we get underway."
"Of course," Neha replied.
"Excuse me, Lelouch, do you have a second?" Ryo asked, approaching Lelouch while stepping by Mariko.
"What is it, Ryo?"
"We're about finished loading the Alexanders, but there is someone else you should meet?"
"Did you guys pick up someone else?" Lelouch asked before he started following Ryo.
"Yeah, and she was recommended to us by Wizard."
"He didn't mention this to me."
"Well, you were busy with the whole heist we decided not to bother you, but I think she might be a good recruit."
"She? Who is she?"
Ryo and Lelouch began walking down some stairs into the lower decks of the ship as Ryo started to explain.
"Xu Lifeng, she was a member of the Crimson Dynasty resistance group and her father Xu Xinfeng was its leader."
"Was?"
"They were wiped out not too long ago with Lifeng as the sole survivor, she was away at the time when one of their own sold out the group. I carried out an assassination job on behalf of Peace Mark after learning he had escaped to Mumbai to get away from the wrath of the other anti-Eunuch resistance groups whom the Crimson Dynasty had some ties to."
"I see," Lelouch said although he was concerned Ryo had done some work while waiting for him because he had wanted Ryo and the others to stay out of trouble. "I trust you left no traces?"
"Of course, hell I mean Mumbai is the kind of city you can get lost in. But unfortunately for that guy, he didn't hide well enough," Ryo explained.
"I assume Lifeng was involved then?"
"Yup, and she was curious after Wizard told her about what you were planning, so she became interested in joining us."
"I wish you two had discussed this with me. Not that I don't trust you two, but…"
Ryo shrugged his shoulders, "Hey, I understand and trust us we wouldn't have if we didn't think if she was worth it."
Arriving at one of the cabins below deck, Ryo knocked on the door.
"Hey Lifeng I got Lelouch out here for you to meet him," Ryo said before knocking on the door again.
The door opened a moment later revealing a young woman around the same age as Ryo and Lelouch wearing a white and red-trimmed changshan with red pants with bell-shaped bottoms and black sandals used by martial art partitioners. Her long copper-brown hair was styled into a pair of long braided pigtails with the rest styled into buns on the top of her head and green eyes with a fair skin complexion.
"So this is the guy who stole twenty brand new Knightmare Frames from the E.U. huh," Xu Lifeng said as her eyes scanned Lelouch sizing him up. "Ryo told me you are really ballsy, so working with you might be interesting."
"How so?"
"Ryo told me your goal is to take down Britannia right," Lifeng began, "so once you liberate Japan you are going to need the United Europia and the Chinese Federation to back you up am I right?"
"You are yes," Lelouch admitted, "I have been working on plans to remove the High Eunuchs who are the reason for your group's existence in the first place, correct?"
"You damn right it is," Lifeng as her eyes narrowed in anger, "those dickless bastards are just letting the common folk waste away in the slums while enjoying the high life off of our suffering. The true Empress needs to take back the throne, but with her surrounded by those bastards and used as their puppet, something has to be done about them."
"I agree," Lelouch said with a nod.
According to what Lelouch has gathered the High Eunuchs have been using their power solely for ensuring they live in opulence while starving those of the lower class. It was even rumored the death of the previous Emperor was caused by them, which allowed them to use his child as the time as a useful puppet. However, Lelouch already suspected the Emperor and Empress's level of influence in the court had been dwindling over the past few decades, allowing the High Eunuchs to seize control of the Chinese Federation.
If Lelouch wanted the Chinese Federation on his side for the upcoming fight with Britannia, then he would need them dealt with.
"With you, I think I can devise more in-depth plans for dealing with the High Eunuchs since you have been fighting their supporters and more," Lelouch said, although he was still uncertain if he could fully trust Lifeng given events surrounding her recruitment. Yet Lelouch knew having another seasoned resistance fighter, especially one familiar with the Chinese Federation would be useful.
"Well if you could pull off stealing twenty high-performance machines from another country, then you might be able to accomplish what the other resistance groups in my country have failed to do. I'll help you liberate Japan, but in exchange, I expect you to liberate my country from those bastards."
"Agreed," Lelouch said, offering his hand to shake on it to make official. "Welcome to the group."
A/N: Lelouch has successfully made off with twenty Alexanders and has even gained three new recruits for what will become the Black Knights after Lelouch and company return to Japan once they do a little pit stop in the Militarized Zone of India.
I was debating on alternate ways of introducing Xu Lifeng into the Black Knights, but I thought this way was better since either Lelouch saving her or something might seem too clichéd. If she doesn't join the harem, then I might pair her with Ryo, but other than Benio Akagi, who I plan on introducing during events of Shinjuku, I have presented just about all of the new characters not counting Oldrin's friends.
Next who will the General Smilas send to provide Lelouch and company support, sadly not Leila because she'll be running the wZERO, and you can expect their reactions next chapter. However, members of the wZERO baring Akito are among those who might be considered, especially if the General can't find anyone else to send on what could be a one-way trip.
While some events of Shinjuku Ghetto will be the same how it ends will be dramatic cause and effect for the rest of the story, because for as much as I am giving Lelouch I am going to increase the difficulty accordingly. I did try to make his heist of the Alexander units more difficult without leading to something that could ruin the whole thing, which was one of the reasons the story was previously delayed for an update.
Something else to note I have had a lot of issues trying to read Code Geass: Oz of the Reflection so what I know about the characters involved come from what pages I have managed to see and judge their reactions and such by, Tv Tropes and Code Geass wiki. So if anyone who has actually read the manga through and through feels any of them is out of character, then please let me know.
When I also introduced Neha, I had a bit of trouble trying to describe her clothing, so I apologize for that if I somehow got it wrong.
Anyway the poll is about halfway down at this point in the story, so hopefully with most of the characters on it introduced it should make things easier. I'll hold a curiosity poll later for the likes of Kallen, Milly, Kaguya, C.C. and Leila, but I just didn't include them in the current poll because it would've defeated the purpose of the curiosity poll in the first place. Its second purpose was to gauge if any potential harem candidates around the ages of 15-16 wouldn't be a problem, but they could always be added in later.
Anyway, that's it, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
So let's take a leap of faith and see what you guys think, and I added in a few easter eggs for fun.
Chapter 3
Grand Theft Prototype
Grand Theft Prototype
"Your identification please," an armed guard requested standing by the open window of a four-door vehicle.
A disguised Lelouch handed the guard his identification, and aside from an E.U. military uniform bearing the rank of a colonel he wore a copper hair wig with blue contacts and a latex mask to conceal his identity.
The guard was satisfied with the identity card before handing it back to Lelouch.
"Thank you, sir, everything is in order," the guard replied with a salute.
"Keep up the good work," Lelouch complimented while doing his best to imitate a French accent, before returning the salute.
As the guard waved for his fellow guards to open the gate to allow Lelouch and his group to proceed across the bridge towards the island where Castle Weisswolf stood, the headquarters of the wZERO. Lelouch was sitting in the passenger seat while Ayano was behind the wheel with Marirrosa seated in the backseat. Once the car began moving the black vehicle proceeded to drive over the wide stone bridge that connected the island with the mainland.
"How did you endure hours in a mask like this one?"
The question came from Ayano, who like Lelouch, wore a latex mask to conceal her Japanese heritage while wearing blue contacts and a brown wig. Her own uniform gave her the rank of Sergeant while the military uniform Marirrosa wore held the rank of Major.
"I hated every minute of it. I assure you. After this I don't expect to use such a mask again," Lelouch admitted.
The discomfort the mask brought was even worse this time around because both Ayano and he had to put on their disguises after leaving the hotel, and then endure a four-hour drive from Paris to the border between France and Germany where the castle was located. Marirrosa was the only one among the pair who didn't need to wear a mask this time, but she did wear green contacts to conceal her actual eye color, and a black wig with some makeup to better disguise her appearance.
"This is B-1 to K-0, are you three hearing me loud and clear?"
"We hear you," Lelouch said, responding to Yukiya's call through a concealed earpiece in his right ear, Ayano and Marirrosa each had one as well.
"Looks like the transmitter we hid in the car is working," Yukiya commented.
The young hacker was currently set up in the office of an empty aircraft hanger Lelouch had rented for the day which was located within the local airport within the town of Luxembourg, and Lelouch had made arrangements for a private plane to take Yukiya to India where they would rendezvous with him after Ryo picks them up. The trio had made a quick pit stop along the way to their destination where they dropped him off before setting up his equipment in the hotel room. It was portable enough for one person to move it all quickly enough, but it included powerful based transmitters allowing Yukiya to use the military satellites belonging to E.U. for both communications and to hack their systems remotely.
"I am reading you loud and clear," Lelouch said pleased that everything was according to plan so far.
"Right, and the bomb is ready to go whenever you want to set it off."
"I'll save it until we make our escape to cause a distraction, but we'll have other distractions in place if all goes according to plan."
"Right, so you three are carrying the miniature smoke bombs, and once I have full control of their systems, I can make them think they have real fires happening wherever you plant them to sow further confusion among them to keep them from realizing our true objective."
"If you guys can make it to the server room I can take full control of their systems once you have given me full access," Yukiya said reminding the group.
"The rest will be a leap of faith beyond this point," Lelouch said knowing that as well as he had planned this heist, he knew that it was impossible to prepare for every possibility.
Regardless they were here, and they would stick to the plan, and Lelouch had studied the documents General Smilas had supplied Lelouch which included the duty schedule, which he had examined very thoroughly planning the operation on the day when most of their pilots were out on training maneuvers. Something that was a regular necessity given how the wZERO's commanding officer tends to sacrifice most of his pilots in suicide attacks.
The pilots should've conducted training with their machines earlier this morning so they would likely be occupied with tactics and planning for an upcoming mission to Russia where they are expected to assist the E.U. forces in their pull out of Saint Petersburg in Russia. Most of the command staff should be held up in those planning missions for the next hour, so Lelouch and his group had one hour to set the smoke bombs and then breach the server room before finally making their way to where the Alexanders units are kept.
An hour seemed like a lot of time, but the castle where the wZERO was headquartered was quite large so everyone needed to be on time even though Lelouch planned it by giving them extra time in the event of any unforeseen complications.
"Does everyone remember your roles," Lelouch asked as they drove along the road towards the castle once they finished crossing the bridge.
"Ayano and I will head for checkpoints A, B, and C to plant the smoke bombs and then meet you at the server room," Marirrosa answered.
"Right and I'll make my way to the server room and gain access allowing Yukiya full access for the final stage of our plan. His role will be the most critical because we'll need their air-defenses shut down and all control to our escape vehicle disabled, which is why my role will be to plant this electromagnetic bomb in the server room. Once it goes off, it should completely disable their systems and ensures that Yukiya should have plenty of time to escape," Lelouch explained.
"And as we leave we'll set off the bomb in this vehicle," Ayano noted.
"Let us begin then," Lelouch said as they approached the castle gates where Marirrosa slowed down to give the guard a chance to open the gates for them before the black car drove in.
Locating an ideal parking spot the Marirrosa parked the car before she, Lelouch and Ayano disembarked the vehicle. Nodding to each other Lelouch proceeded towards the main keep while Ayano and Marirrosa started their role in the plan.
"Begin," Lelouch muttered as he ascended the stone steps into the main keep with a metallic clipboard tucked under his right arm.
Lelouch took a deep breath, he was in the lion's den now, and one mistake could be fatal. Walking into the keep Lelouch had his keycard ready, which according to Yukiya, should give him access to just about anywhere in the castle thanks to having hacked the castle's security systems. He had control over sensors, alarms, access points, and security cameras, but only when Lelouch plugs him into the server room could Yukiya take full control of everything.
I am surprised I am just being allowed to walk in here, Lelouch thought as he passed a few lower-ranked members of the wZERO unit who saluted him before Lelouch returned the salute.
As much as Lelouch wanted to feel more confident about the mission ahead of him, he focused on the task ahead because if he didn't complete his part of the plan, then everything was at risk of falling apart. Proceeding further into the keep, Lelouch had made sure to memorize the map of the entire castle and the underground facility attached to it. Making his way down another corridor right before passing an intersection that split the passage into three paths; Lelouch was heading for the server room when a noise caught his attention.
"AHHHH!"
Reacting quickly Lelouch extended one of his arms caught a young woman who seemed as old as he was with long pinkish-purple hair styled into an updo ponytail with blue eyes and a fair skin complexion wearing a white lab coat over a cyan spaghetti strap top with black boyshorts, lilac thigh-high stockings, and light blue heeled loafers.
The young woman had expected to hit the ground but was surprised that someone had caught her in time.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh," The young woman said, realizing she had been saved, "thank you for catching me. But I am so sorry!"
The seventeen-year-old girl quickly recovered with Lelouch's assistance before dusting herself off while glad she didn't lose any of the papers she had been carrying.
"Its hardly your fault, but what happened?"
Lelouch examined the corridor from which the girl came from before vaguely noticing a pool of water on the ground, which then Lelouch spotted a pipe above had a small leak.
"Someone from maintenance better look into that," Lelouch said before seemingly writing down a note on his clipboard to keep up appearances he was conducting a surprise inspection of their headquarters as his cover story.
"I didn't even see that, but once again thank you so much for catching me…uh," The girl asked not knowing the name of the man who caught her.
"I am Colonel Boris Flagg," Lelouch said, introducing himself.
"Oh," the girl's eyes widened before saluting realizing she had failed to notice his rank, "I am interning medical specialist Kate Novak from the civilian private sector."
"At ease," Lelouch offered before another voice caught his attention.
"Kate, are you alright?"
Joining the two from the hallway where Kate had just come from was a young woman around the same age as Kate. The new arrival had shoulder-length green hair with two light purple hairclips and yellowish-orange eyes with a fair skin complexion wearing a similar lab-coat to Kate except underneath it she wore a collared black and beaver blouse with a black cravat and a matching skirt with sandy brown loafers.
"I am fine Ferilli," Kate said, reassuring her friend and coworker, "thanks to him for catching me before I hit the ground. He is Colonel Boris Flagg."
Ferilli quickly saluted, which Lelouch returned before gesturing for her to be at ease with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you for catching Kate. I am Ferilli Baltrow, a member of the research division under an internship as an assistant."
"A pleasure to meet you both."
"If I may, sir, why are you here?"
"I am conducting an inspection on your headquarters per the request of General Smilas," Lelouch said before opening his clipboard to hand the young woman a document proving his story. It was a very carefully crafted forgery, but Lelouch was confident it would be more than enough since the general told him he did typically send a high-ranking officer to conduct surprise inspections at least once a month. "I'll be sure to make a note of that leaky pipe in my report."
"I see, well I apologize for questioning you like that," Ferilli said before handing the paperback to Lelouch who in turn placed it back in his clipboard.
"It's fine. I am an unfamiliar face here, so it only makes sense that you would question my presence."
"Of course, but I know I am broken record for saying this thank you for catching Kate."
"Not at all?"
"Is there anything we could help you with?" Kate asked wishing to repay Lelouch for saving her.
"Not really, but you could tell me where I could find the command center. It's my first time here," Lelouch asked.
"I know it's easy to get lost in this place when you first come here," Kate commented before giving Lelouch directions that would take him to the command center.
"Thank you very much," Lelouch said once he had gotten his directions, although he knew where to go, it was merely part of his efforts to maintain appearances.
The server room should be near the command center, Lelouch noted internally.
Around the same time, Ayano and Marirrosa were at checkpoint B where Marirrosa was keeping watch while Ayano removed a pair of smoke bombs hidden around her waist under the uniform she was wearing.
The pair had made their way to one of the primary ventilators that provided air into the underground complexes, their first checkpoint had them planting smoke bombs at the foremost of the two main ventilators, which once their distraction plan is put into effect should further solidify the illusion of fire having broken out.
Their final checkpoint before meeting up with Lelouch would take them to the auxiliary ventilators, which should put them close to an access point where they could reenter the main keep.
"Are you almost done Ayano?"
"I am finishing up, just making sure no one will stumble upon these bombs," Ayano reported upon attaching the smoke bomb and ensuring it was secured before activating it.
"I got its signal K-1," Yukiya reported.
"Right I am finished here we're moving onto checkpoint C," Ayano replied.
"You ladies are twenty seconds behind schedule, so pick up the pace," Yukiya reminded acting as mission control.
"Now that we are finished we'll try to pick up the pace," Marirrosa pointed out.
Minutes later Lelouch had reached the Server Room, and thanks to the modified keycard Yukiya had set up for him Lelouch had no problems getting inside.
"K-0 to B1 I am inside the server room, and I am proceeding with establishing a direct link for you," Lelouch said taking out a mini-computer with a holographic screen from inside his clipboard that was just small enough to fit inside.
"Copy that," Yukiya answered eagerly.
Lelouch was working to create a backdoor in the system for Yukiya while mindful he didn't do anything to alert security to his presence.
Their cybersecurity is a joke, Lelouch thought, but it was possible his ease at infiltrating their systems was likely due more to the fact he was onsite at the computer core for their whole operations.
Working diligently Lelouch hacked his way in before a few minutes later his backdoor for Yukiya was successfully created and Yukiya now had complete access to every system in the wZERO's headquarters.
"B-1 is in the house, I repeat B-1 is in the house," Yukiya reported with a big grin on his face. "Oh, I am going to have a lot of fun with this, but first time to upload my virus."
"The rest is up to you, I'll wait for Q-1 and K-1 per the plan."
"Roger that I'll get to work setting up your escape route, and I'll do some data mining while I am at it."
Smiling Lelouch disconnected his computer, but he made sure he was wirelessly connected to the network, so if Lelouch needed it, he had a tool handy should an unforeseen complication arises. With complete access, Lelouch could override any security door he wanted and even manipulate their systems as freely as need be as long as he had time to type in the proper commands.
The final part of his role was Lelouch planting the electromagnetic bomb on the servers, and after it was firmly secured, he armed it.
Checking his watch, Lelouch noticed he was a few minutes ahead of schedule.
All that is left is to wait for the others.
"Is there anyone outside the server room, B-1?"
"No, its all clear and I have confirmation of the bomb's readiness, and it's at my command," Yukiya replied.
Exiting the server room, Lelouch started walking down the hallway.
"Inform K-1 and Q-1 I'll be waiting at rendezvous point two," Lelouch said discreetly.
"Got it, I'll pass it along."
Now I just have to wait, Lelouch thought before a voice behind him asked.
"Excuse me, why are you down here?"
Turning around, Lelouch came face to face with another young woman the same age as him accompanied by three others who appeared to be identical in age as well. Some of them were even carrying books and folders in their arms as well too.
The first young woman, who appeared to be the highest rank among the four, was a Captain. She wore a blue uniform with a black skirt under it while seemingly part of the outfit itself as the blue coat overlapped it. The seventeen-year-old also had waist-length light purple hair, light green eyes with a pair of glasses over them and a fair skin complexion with one arm holding three books.
Her companions wore identical uniforms with some differences consisting of a blue and black skirt with a sleeveless coat top with a white-collar shirt underneath it and a blue ribbon tie, but that was where the similarities end. The shortest of the three, standing at five feet and two inches, possessed shoulder-length auburn hair with a pink headband and green eyes, and having the same complexion as his superior, wearing white socks and black boots. The second teenager stood at five feet and four inches with waist-length black hair, pink eyes with glasses over them and black tights with matching boots.
The last member of the group and tallest of the four at about five feet and six inches being almost as tall as Lelouch with waist-length purple hair and light blue eyes while possessing a mocha skin tone. The only other difference was that unlike her two fellow friends, she wore the same boots as they did, but Lelouch did notice any apparent signs of socks like the shortest of the three.
"I am Colonel Boris Flagg conducting a surprise inspection," Lelouch replied before presenting the young woman with light purple hair with the document confirming his presence and purpose has been authorized by the higher-ups.
Anna Clément accepted the document before examine it, and upon seeing it was legitimate as far as she could tell handed it back.
"Oh, I see, in that case, please forgive me," Anna apologized before saluting a superior officer.
Lelouch returned the salute, "it's alright it's perfectly fine to question my presence, especially since you haven't seen me here before Miss…"
"My apologies I am Captain Anna Clément, the chief engineer," Anna said before politely introducing herself before introducing those with her. "These two are my assistants, Sergeant Chloe Winkel…"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," the auburn hair greeted.
"Sergeant Hilda Fagan…"
Hilda, the black haired teen with glasses, nodded her head politely, "it's nice to meet you."
"And one of our operators of the command center Sergeant Sarah Danes."
"Sir," Sarah, the purple-haired young woman, replied with a salute demonstrating a very business-like attitude.
"At ease and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Lelouch replied.
That surname Clément sounds familiar, Lelouch before remembering where he heard it from, oh that's right she was the developer of the Alexander.
Lelouch was surprised that such a capable machine was developed by someone of Anna's age, which to him spoke highly of her intellect she must possess to have designed such a high-performance Knightmare Frame at her age.
"I apologize for poking around like this, but it's merely the job headquarters gave me."
"I understand, and I suppose it is about around this time they come," Anna said remembering the last inspector came around early the previous month.
"Well, so far everything seems good, other than a leaky pipe I came across that nearly left one of your own suffering a nasty spill," Lelouch reported checking his clipboard.
"That is good to hear," Anna replied with a sense of relief.
But your security could use some serious work, Lelouch acknowledged internally which he attributed to lousy management by the unit's command if he is indeed as corrupt as he had heard about.
"I'll be sure to speak with your commander on my way out," Lelouch offered before bidding farewell to four women.
After exchanging farewells, Lelouch began making his way down the corridor before he heard Yukiya tease him through his earpiece.
"My aren't you a real chick magnet," Yukiya teased causing Lelouch to twitch his eyebrow in annoyance.
Lelouch was the first to reach the hanger where the cockpits for the Alexander units were kept with Ayano and Marirrosa likely to come within the next minute. Lelouch was hoping they would arrive soon because they are two minutes late and they have about used up their extra time.
In the meantime, Yukiya had already used the automated systems and loaded the Apollo's Chariot, their escape vehicle which happened to be an intercontinental missile, loaded Alexander units with the AI drone modules leaving three cockpits for Lelouch, Ayano and Marirrosa to board. The AI modules could be removed, and a pilot could be allowed to use them, but more importantly, they were the key to ensure they would make it to the rendezvous point with twenty intact Knightmare Frames.
"We're lucky they were planning to conduct some testing with the AI drones using a planned launch to conduct field testing, an expensive test to be sure, but a lucky break for us."
"Yes, and it makes it easier for us to get away with twenty of them, otherwise having them land at the rendezvous point would've been a problem." Lelouch offered, dropping his French accent, in agreement before asking, "Where are Q-1 and K-1?"
"Don't worry, they are arriving right now," Yukiya answered assumingly.
At that moment the doors opened, and Marirrosa and Ayano disembarked the elevator much to Lelouch's relief.
"You two are late, what kept you?" Lelouch questioned, although he was thankful they made it in time.
"Sorry, this place is huge," Ayano admitted.
"We had to take a different route," Marirrosa explained.
"You two weren't followed?"
The two women shook their head, but Yukiya noticed something on the security camera.
"Uh guys, you three have company," Yukiya warned, "they'll be coming out of that elevator, you two just exited."
"Shut it down," Lelouch ordered, but he realized Yukiya couldn't shut down the elevators fast enough before gesturing for Marirrosa and Ayano to position themselves along the sides of the elevator to ambush whoever was going to come out.
Lelouch opened his coat and quickly assembled a tranquilizer gun with a silencer attached to it.
Taking cover behind one of the cockpit blocks Lelouch readied himself while Ayano and Marirrosa were ready to ambush whoever came off the elevator. Upon opening, Ayano attacked the first person who walked off who happened to be a Japanese teenager with dark blue hair and light blue eyes wearing a blue uniform typical to the Japanese members of the wZERO.
Akito Hyuga responded to Ayano's attack who swiftly blocked her punch before Ayano retaliated by trying to kick him. Marirrosa was about to join in, but at that moment another person accompanying Akito stepped off the elevator.
Leila Malcal had followed Akito, and before she could help him, Marirrosa attacked her, forcing Leila on the defensive.
"Did you shut down the elevators leading here?"
"Yeah, they are closed off, and I am beginning silent lockdown procedures so no one else should drop in on you guys."
"Get the rocket ready to go, once we're done we'll have to leave," Lelouch ordered before intending to take aim at one of them.
Lelouch intended to shot the one he determined who was the more significant threat, and with the other free of their foe, they could quickly subdue the other.
Ayano was holding her own against Akito who was proving to be a capable fighter himself, although Ayano wished she had her kodachi. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring it with her forcing her to give it to Ryo for safekeeping.
Marirrosa was pushing Leila back, who surprisingly proved to be skilled at aikido, yet Marirrosa held her own by being an experienced mixed martial artist with a preference for kickboxing. Marirrosa's strength was making the clash between the two difficult, which Leila was being mindful to avoid being hit; realizing a direct hit from someone like Marirrosa would hurt a lot. Lelouch took aim waiting for an opening before taking aim at Akito's back just as Ayano was being overpowered with the former about to restrain her.
Lelouch shot Akito in the back with a tranquilizer dart, but when Akito refused to go down Lelouch shot him again before he finally collapsed.
Ayano immediately gained a second wind before joining Marirrosa to take down Leila together, and the two skilled combatants quickly overpowered Leila, following a fierce struggle from Leila, restraining her before shooting Leila in the neck with a tranquilizer dart.
"Why did those two follow you?" Lelouch asked before Ayano dragged Leila away before using zip ties she was carrying concealed on her person to secure Leila's hands before doing the same to Akito.
"I think that girl got suspicious of us," Marirrosa answered before recognizing her, "Hey, didn't we see her at that party?"
"Yes, we did, but right now, we need to get in those cockpits," Lelouch said deciding to take this incident as a sign that they had to leave now.
"Everything is ready," Yukiya reported, "you guys just need to hop in."
"Let's move," Ayano said before she, Lelouch and Marirrosa climbed into the readied cockpits.
Once they were inside, they began moving down the tunnel towards the prepared Apollo's Chariot which led to Yukiya beginning launch procedures as the launch silo started opening on a far corner of the island the castle stood on. It didn't take too long as mechanical arms loaded the cockpit blocks onto Alexander units inside one of the reentry capsules. After loading them the rocket was in final preparations to launch, which Yukiya took as the signal to trigger their distraction.
"Setting off smoke bombs now," Yukiya said before the smoke bombs were set off while Yukiya's virus set off false alerts there were fires in areas of the underground complex. "That should occupy them for a few minutes beginning final preparations, all self-destruct devices are disabled, and navigation is set."
"Launch us as soon as we are ready," Lelouch said before relaxing inside the seat of the cockpit.
"Almost there…T-minus twenty seconds," Yukiya announced as the engines were powering up for launch.
Meanwhile, the launch was detected by those in the command center, causing members of the command staff to hurry into the command center.
"What the hell is going on?"
The current commanding officer; Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Anou, a middle-aged officer with silver hair and blue eyes, entered the command center furious over the unauthorized launch.
Sarah was at her station trying to gain access but found they were completely locked out of their systems.
"Sir we are completely locked out I can't do anything to stop the launch," Sarah reported before her partner and fellow operator a young woman wearing the same uniform as her except she had blonde hair styled into a pair of shoulder-length braided pigtails and purple eyes with freckles upon her face and possessed a fair skin complexion.
"Neither can I, the system is completely locked," Olivia Reuel reported.
"I am not having any better luck either," Claus pointed out.
"Our systems are completely unresponsive," another member of the command staff noted.
He was a middle-aged man with an obese figure wearing a white lab with a dark green polo shirt with tan pants and brown shoes. He also had dark grey with glasses over his green eyes.
"I can't get around whatever is locking us out," Joe Wise announced followed by his superior a woman around his age with shoulder-length brown hair and light indigo eyes wearing a white lab coat over a red dress.
"Accessing," Sophie Randle said as she was seemingly having more success, but instead a pink chibi rabbit appeared on their computer screens waging its finger in front of its face before mocking them in a cute voice.
"Ah ah ah, you didn't say the magic word," the chibi rabbit said before repeating itself over and over again much to the anger of the current commander.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS HACKER CRAP!"
Suddenly Apollo's Chariot lifted off soaring higher into the sky.
"Can we track it?" Claus asked although he was aware there was no stopping it.
"No sir we are completely locked out we can't do anything," Sarah reported as Anna and her assistants entered the command center next.
Lelouch could feel the rocket ascending higher, and since Yukiya wasn't reporting any problems, it meant they were successful.
"Ha, ha ha…Aha ha ha ha ha!" Lelouch's high pitched triumphant laughter began to echo in the cockpit as the craft kept climbing higher and higher.
Approaching the castle using aerial transport, a VTOL transport accompanied by gunships, was General Smilas in the company of armed soldiers who had arrived just in time to observe the missile-carrying Lelouch and his bounty of Alexanders higher into the sky.
I had my doubts, but he actually did it.
Upon his transport landing, the General disembarked flanked by troops under his personal command dressed in black uniforms and armed with weapons before making their way into the keep from the landing zone for VTOL craft.
"ALL OF YOU ARE USELESS!" Pierre ranted while he was between being furious and on the verge of a complete breakdown.
"Heh heh," Lelouch's laughter began, but this time he was using a device to electronically distort his voice, giving it an echo. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't skimmed off of your own unit's budget for your own pursuits. More money could've been spent on hiring more security personnel and improving your cybersecurity and fix your leaky pipes."
Lelouch admittedly added in that one to merely rub more salt in the wound.
"Who are you!" Pierre demanded.
"Call me Zero, and I wanted to thank you for your generous donation of twenty Alexander units," Lelouch said speaking through an open communication channel that was being provided for him since he did tell Anna he was going to talk to their superior before leaving.
"You stole them!" Anna said, sounding slightly distressed.
"I intend to make excellent use of them I assure you, and if it's possible, I'll forward you any combat data I can collect off of them," Lelouch offered.
"YOU ARE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!"
"I would be more worried about yourself, but you'll find out soon enough.," Lelouch said before ending the communication.
Meanwhile, their chariot had reached the upper atmosphere and was nearing low orbit where the missile ejected its stage one engines before activating its stage two engines.
"Almost there," Lelouch muttered, "and then comes the final challenge of this job."
After three minutes had passed, back within the command center of the wZERO, General Smilas arrived in the company of his armed escort much to the surprise of those present. Accompanying him was the captain of the castle guard with the rank of Major possessing grey hair and green eyes dressed in the traditional E.U. uniform, except his was black instead of blue, who was glaring daggers at Pierre.
"Well, Major Oscar Hammel, I guess those fires are under control," Claus greeted casually, "and greetings General Smilas."
"Those fires weren't real, the result of smoke bombs set upon our ventilation systems, but we have another more pressing issue to address," Oscar admitted coldly as Smilas approached Pierre who appeared to be on the verge of breaking down into a terrified wreck.
"It seems coming personally to address your," General Smilas began slowly as his eyes bore down on the trembling Pierre, "crimes I arrived to witness the biggest blunder a commander of your station can make."
"Please, sir I can explain," Pierre struggled to say before in a rare moment of anger General Smilas swiftly punched Pierre in the face knocking him to the ground allowing two members of his escort to seize the fallen commander promptly handcuffing him.
"Former Commander Pierre Anou you are at this moment under arrest for crimes of corruptions, gross mismanagement of a special forces unit, illegal sale of weapons onto the black market, accepting bribes and much more along. And that is not including your failure to prevent the theft of twenty Knightmare Frames," General Smilas declared as his two escorts dragged the fallen commander to his feet.
Pleading and ranting about his innocence before claiming he was set up the general gave one look before gesturing for the man to be dragged away before turning his eyes away in disgust.
"Now then Major Hammel I would like you to provide a list of your recommendations for security enhancements to ensure this doesn't happen again," Gene Smilas asked.
"I shall have it right away."
"Good, and now to appoint a new commander," General Smilas began before realizing the person he wanted to put in charge was nowhere to be seen. "Where is Major Leila Malcal?"
Claus merely shrugged his shoulders.
Around the same time, Apollo's Chariot had reached orbit as it was nearing the drop point which was being monitored by Yukiya using the wZERO's own resources to ensure their flight went as smoothly as possible. Activating the external cameras Lelouch, Marirrosa and Ayano had a chance to marvel at the Earth from orbit as they were passing over some cities on the Britannian Contitienet, their lights during the nighttime hours could be viewed from orbit.
"It's beautiful," Ayano commented.
"Oh wow, I saw pictures, but I never expected this," Marirrosa added while Lelouch found himself marveling at the view before him.
"It's one hell of a view," Lelouch said before an announcement came from Yukiya.
"Ok guys this is it time to free fall," Yukiya reported as the missile came apart releasing the four reentry pods. "You better get ready, K-0."
"Roger that," Lelouch said while activating the displays to provide commands to the drone controlled Alexanders while taking care of his own descent. "Here we go!"
The four capsules began descending towards the planet below before the heat upon reentry temporary disrupted their cameras, but after clearing the atmosphere, the capsules opened up releasing all twenty Alexander units into the sky.
"Deploying wings!" Ayano announced followed by Marirrosa who did the same, enabling their machines to glide down to the ground safely.
"Wings deployed," Lelouch announced as he worked to ensure the commands to the drones were received as they deployed their wings and began following the Commander unit, which Lelouch had taken for his own.
"I think we got a little turbulence up here," Marirrosa said as she was struggling to keep her machine steady while free-falling from forty-nine miles in the sky.
"Just keep it steady, and we'll make it through this," Lelouch replied, although it was rough at first their descent began to smooth out.
"I see the island," Ayano reported.
"I see it too," Lelouch said as he spotted the island on his display before zooming in on the old airfield on the abandoned island.
Years ago, as part of their plans to invade Africa in its conquest of the world, Britannia had established a secret base on an island in the Indian Ocean they had created to serve as a staging point. Ultimately it lost its value as a strategic asset and was abandoned with its existence known to Oiaguro since it was mostly used by special forces and intelligence divisions of the military.
Oiaguro had suggested the island as a landing point while it had a port that would allow their cargo ship to dock in its mostly intact harbor so loading the Knightmare Frames would be an easy task.
"Get ready!" Lelouch said as he lined up the runway as his Alexander landed first soon followed by the first set of drones before their machines ejected their wings.
Ayano and Marirrosa followed next to the cheering of Ryo and the others, and soon the last of the drones landed, all twenty had made it.
Kneeling his commander type Alexander on the ground Lelouch opened the hatch of his cockpit where he promptly tore off the mask he had been wearing after undoing the buttons of the uniform he had been wearing.
"You crazy son of a bitch you pulled it off!" Ryo congratulated while throwing one arm around Lelouch's shoulder.
"Heh, was there any doubt?"
"No, but I would be lying if I wasn't worried."
"I don't blame you we did have some close calls," Lelouch said as he observed some of the others cheering for Ayano and Marirrosa as they disembarked their Knightmare Frames.
Meanwhile, Yukiya set off the EMP bomb Lelouch had planted after using his virus to wipe out any trace of where the Alexanders had landed, and even if they did recover any data they would be long gone and in India by then. Once that was finished he detonated the bomb destroying the car that brought Lelouch and the others to the castle covering up the last traces left there.
It took him ten minutes to pack up and load his packed equipment, in suitcases onto a parked jeep that had been prepared for him as a temporary rental.
"Well time to get the hell out of this country," Yukiya mused before driving to the hanger where the private plane Lelouch had set up for him was waiting, and it was right on time.
"Ah, you must be Mr. Naruse," a flight attendant said, standing at the base of the boarding stairwell next to the private jet ready for lift-off.
"That's me, and what I got in the back is all I have," Yukiya greeted before using a hand gesture to point to the suitcases in the back of the jeep.
After loading the plane with his suitcases, Yukiya boarded the craft before taking off.
So this is what it feels like to fly first class huh, Yukiya mused as he noticed how luxurious his ride was going to be. I wouldn't mind doing it again in the future.
Later that afternoon Lelouch had showered and changed out of his uniform for more casual attire as he walked out onto the deck of the cargo ship Ryo and his group had acquired for them to transport the Alexanders to their next destination the city of Mumbai located in India. Of course, Lelouch could've had landed in Japan, but deemed it too risky since transporting the Alexanders away from their landing zone without being noticed was a potential risk.
And they wouldn't be able to modify them as easily as they could in India.
Loading the Alexanders was nearly finished after the group had taken time to ensure any self-destruct devices within them were safely removed, and while Lelouch stood on the deck observing the efforts of Ryo and the others, he was approached by Mariko.
"Hey Lelouch," Mariko spoke as she approached the young man who noticed she was in the company of two others he wasn't familiar with.
"Mariko…"
"I would like to introduce the two Wizard recommended to us after we arrived in India," Mariko said, referring to Oiaguro by his alias within Peace Mark.
"I see so you two must be the engineers he recommended to me," Lelouch said before offering his hand in a greeting, "I am Lelouch and you are must be…Neha Shankar."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lamperouge."
Neha was of Indian descent who appeared a year younger than Lelouch with pink, lavender eyes and waist-length black hair, tied into a ponytail before leaving the rest to fan out below the next, and a red bindi on her forehead. Her attire consisted of a white lab coat with a cyan and gold-trimmed choli top and a lehenga of a matching color. Neha's legs, however, appeared to white matching the loafers she wore, which was because when she was ten years old, Neha had lost both of her legs as the result of battle she was caught in. They were replaced with cybernetic prosthetics by the one person she came to admire and chose to follow in her footsteps.
"I heard about you," Lelouch said knowing that despite her age she was another engineering prodigy. "The pleasure of meeting you is all mine."
Originally Neha had sought a medical field out of respect for the one who gave her new legs, but at some point changed careers to engineering heading specifically for Knightmare Frame development. To pursue this goal, Neha was accepted at the E.U. General Engineering University in Berlin at fifteen, but she drew the attention of the Euro-Britannian Faction who wanted to use her skills for their use. Thankfully Peace Mark rescued her and brought her to a lab owned by her idol and has worked with the organization since.
"And you must be Miss Kagari Savitri," Lelouch greeted before offering his hand.
"Please, you don't have to be so formal, just Kagari is fine."
Kagari possessed a similar skin tone as Neha, but unlike the latter, she was actually half-Japanese and half-Indian and possessed a red bindi on her forehead with light blue eyes and shoulder-length black hair. She wore a white shirt with a sleeveless black jacket and matching pants with black sandals. Kagari acted as Neha's assistant and was also an engineer in her own right despite her age, which spoke highly of her intellect and skills.
"So what do you two think of the Alexander units?"
"They are certainly impressive, which is baffling because I cannot understand why the E.U. didn't pursue exploring the possibilities of mass production," Neha acknowledged.
"Can you do anything to improve or customize them?"
"I believe we can," Kagari said after exchanging looks with Neha, "although it would be faster if we had our teacher with us. Unfortunately, she is occupied with a development job for another client."
"Very well, when you two are available, I have some suggestions for the commander unit and for those AI modules I would like to discuss once we get underway."
"Of course," Neha replied.
"Excuse me, Lelouch, do you have a second?" Ryo asked, approaching Lelouch while stepping by Mariko.
"What is it, Ryo?"
"We're about finished loading the Alexanders, but there is someone else you should meet?"
"Did you guys pick up someone else?" Lelouch asked before he started following Ryo.
"Yeah, and she was recommended to us by Wizard."
"He didn't mention this to me."
"Well, you were busy with the whole heist we decided not to bother you, but I think she might be a good recruit."
"She? Who is she?"
Ryo and Lelouch began walking down some stairs into the lower decks of the ship as Ryo started to explain.
"Xu Lifeng, she was a member of the Crimson Dynasty resistance group and her father Xu Xinfeng was its leader."
"Was?"
"They were wiped out not too long ago with Lifeng as the sole survivor, she was away at the time when one of their own sold out the group. I carried out an assassination job on behalf of Peace Mark after learning he had escaped to Mumbai to get away from the wrath of the other anti-Eunuch resistance groups whom the Crimson Dynasty had some ties to."
"I see," Lelouch said although he was concerned Ryo had done some work while waiting for him because he had wanted Ryo and the others to stay out of trouble. "I trust you left no traces?"
"Of course, hell I mean Mumbai is the kind of city you can get lost in. But unfortunately for that guy, he didn't hide well enough," Ryo explained.
"I assume Lifeng was involved then?"
"Yup, and she was curious after Wizard told her about what you were planning, so she became interested in joining us."
"I wish you two had discussed this with me. Not that I don't trust you two, but…"
Ryo shrugged his shoulders, "Hey, I understand and trust us we wouldn't have if we didn't think if she was worth it."
Arriving at one of the cabins below deck, Ryo knocked on the door.
"Hey Lifeng I got Lelouch out here for you to meet him," Ryo said before knocking on the door again.
The door opened a moment later revealing a young woman around the same age as Ryo and Lelouch wearing a white and red-trimmed changshan with red pants with bell-shaped bottoms and black sandals used by martial art partitioners. Her long copper-brown hair was styled into a pair of long braided pigtails with the rest styled into buns on the top of her head and green eyes with a fair skin complexion.
"So this is the guy who stole twenty brand new Knightmare Frames from the E.U. huh," Xu Lifeng said as her eyes scanned Lelouch sizing him up. "Ryo told me you are really ballsy, so working with you might be interesting."
"How so?"
"Ryo told me your goal is to take down Britannia right," Lifeng began, "so once you liberate Japan you are going to need the United Europia and the Chinese Federation to back you up am I right?"
"You are yes," Lelouch admitted, "I have been working on plans to remove the High Eunuchs who are the reason for your group's existence in the first place, correct?"
"You damn right it is," Lifeng as her eyes narrowed in anger, "those dickless bastards are just letting the common folk waste away in the slums while enjoying the high life off of our suffering. The true Empress needs to take back the throne, but with her surrounded by those bastards and used as their puppet, something has to be done about them."
"I agree," Lelouch said with a nod.
According to what Lelouch has gathered the High Eunuchs have been using their power solely for ensuring they live in opulence while starving those of the lower class. It was even rumored the death of the previous Emperor was caused by them, which allowed them to use his child as the time as a useful puppet. However, Lelouch already suspected the Emperor and Empress's level of influence in the court had been dwindling over the past few decades, allowing the High Eunuchs to seize control of the Chinese Federation.
If Lelouch wanted the Chinese Federation on his side for the upcoming fight with Britannia, then he would need them dealt with.
"With you, I think I can devise more in-depth plans for dealing with the High Eunuchs since you have been fighting their supporters and more," Lelouch said, although he was still uncertain if he could fully trust Lifeng given events surrounding her recruitment. Yet Lelouch knew having another seasoned resistance fighter, especially one familiar with the Chinese Federation would be useful.
"Well if you could pull off stealing twenty high-performance machines from another country, then you might be able to accomplish what the other resistance groups in my country have failed to do. I'll help you liberate Japan, but in exchange, I expect you to liberate my country from those bastards."
"Agreed," Lelouch said, offering his hand to shake on it to make official. "Welcome to the group."
A/N: Lelouch has successfully made off with twenty Alexanders and has even gained three new recruits for what will become the Black Knights after Lelouch and company return to Japan once they do a little pit stop in the Militarized Zone of India.
I was debating on alternate ways of introducing Xu Lifeng into the Black Knights, but I thought this way was better since either Lelouch saving her or something might seem too clichéd. If she doesn't join the harem, then I might pair her with Ryo, but other than Benio Akagi, who I plan on introducing during events of Shinjuku, I have presented just about all of the new characters not counting Oldrin's friends.
Next who will the General Smilas send to provide Lelouch and company support, sadly not Leila because she'll be running the wZERO, and you can expect their reactions next chapter. However, members of the wZERO baring Akito are among those who might be considered, especially if the General can't find anyone else to send on what could be a one-way trip.
While some events of Shinjuku Ghetto will be the same how it ends will be dramatic cause and effect for the rest of the story, because for as much as I am giving Lelouch I am going to increase the difficulty accordingly. I did try to make his heist of the Alexander units more difficult without leading to something that could ruin the whole thing, which was one of the reasons the story was previously delayed for an update.
Something else to note I have had a lot of issues trying to read Code Geass: Oz of the Reflection so what I know about the characters involved come from what pages I have managed to see and judge their reactions and such by, Tv Tropes and Code Geass wiki. So if anyone who has actually read the manga through and through feels any of them is out of character, then please let me know.
When I also introduced Neha, I had a bit of trouble trying to describe her clothing, so I apologize for that if I somehow got it wrong.
Anyway the poll is about halfway down at this point in the story, so hopefully with most of the characters on it introduced it should make things easier. I'll hold a curiosity poll later for the likes of Kallen, Milly, Kaguya, C.C. and Leila, but I just didn't include them in the current poll because it would've defeated the purpose of the curiosity poll in the first place. Its second purpose was to gauge if any potential harem candidates around the ages of 15-16 wouldn't be a problem, but they could always be added in later.
Anyway, that's it, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
The Demon and his Knights Ch4
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A/N: I had some trouble with the first bit below, but I won't stall and save it for the end of the chapter.
Enjoy…
The day following the infamous Zero's heist of twenty Alexander units, most of which had their latest in artificial intelligence pilot modules was also profoundly concerning combined with the fact could be removed for an average pilot to use the Knightmare Frame. The AI drone project was meant to be top secret, and with over a dozen in questionable hands, many within the wZERO were understandably worried.
Meeting in a conference room within the main keep the newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Leila Malcal was seated at a round table with Anna, Claus, and Oscar discussing yesterday's events and going over overhauling their security protocols to prevent a repeat of such an incident.
Silently, everyone agreed on the only good thing to come out of yesterday's fiasco was that Pierre Anou had been removed as their commanding who was the root cause for many of the lapses in security among other problems. No one missed the corrupt, self-entitled incompetent fool, or did anyone shed a tear when he was executed.
"What a huge mess this turned into," Claus commented before dropping the morning newspaper onto the table.
"The biggest theft of Knightmare Frames in the history of the E.U. military now followed by the biggest scandal," Leila noted with some mild annoyance.
Earlier that same morning newspapers and media outlets had received information exposing a vast web of corruption that involved not only former Commander Pierre Anou but the recently dead industrialist Hugo Strandberg and others who included members of the representatives of more prominent members of the council of forty, otherwise called the Central Hemicycle. The reveal of such corruption involved in the selling of weapons onto the Black Market, including military secrets that have fallen into the hands of the Britannia and Euro-Britannia…the list goes on.
As a result, the public backlash was…ugly, to put it mildly.
The military was forced to clean house with a dozen representatives who either resigned or were arrested with General Smilas alongside the Prime Minister vowing to ensure such corruption will not be allowed to take root once again.
"I wasn't surprised by the corruption among the council and representatives, but I never would've dreamed it was this bad," Oscar commented while using one hand to massage his right temple.
As much as some wanted to deny corruption in their government, it was merely impossible for kind of "clean" government to exist without having some corruption in one form or another. It was an unfortunate truth, but that was simply something that was to expected, but how much corruption and how it affected the government varied from country and choice of government either as a democracy or a monarchy.
But the level of corruption exposed was nothing short of distributing.
"It set off quite a shockwave," Claus said before taking a drink from his flask much to Oscar's annoyance. "But on the bright side, General Smilas got us a blank check so we can beef up security and replace those Alexander units we lost."
Leila sighed, "Lieutenant Colonel Warwick, could please not be so casual about yesterday's events?"
"Forgive me," Claus replied, "no offense was intended, but we should be glad no one was killed."
"I agree, but our concern should be ensuring this never happens again," Leila said sternly because was among those caught up in it.
She had observed Lieutenant Hyuga yesterday following a pair of female officers. Leila had happened upon the scene purely by chance after seeking to distance herself from her loathsome superior after enduring a near hour of him belittling the Japanese pilots, including the newcomers.
Leila had inquired of Lieutenant Hyuga upon seeing him following those women.
"They have been acting suspiciously around the base."
According to what Akito told her it seemed the pair claimed they were inspectors conducting a surprise investigation of the base. Such things were not unusual, but after silently observing them from afar Leila did find the movements suspicious joining Akito in tailing them.
It led up to being ambushed by the pair before being hit by a tranquilizer dart fired by a third member of their group.
"They knew Lieutenant Hyuga, and I were coming, and they didn't seem aware of us as kept our distance," Leila mused.
"Probably because they had someone providing off-site assistance if that satellite transmitter, or what's left of one, we found in that blown up car. Judging from the looks of it that thing wasn't cheap," Claus pointed out.
"When they planted that EMP bomb they must've created a backdoor into our systems whoever was aiding them," Oscar noted before adding. "Then the EMP's detonation covered their tracks and crippled our ability to find out where they when should we have regained control."
"This was a daring and well-orchestrated plan," Leila noted unable to deny how extensive planned out this heist was. "Yet they clearly had remote access to our security before they arrived, so someone helped them."
Leila rules out her former commander because as much of a bastard and incompetent fool he was she highly doubted he would've helped this Zero with such a heist.
"This Zero had someone provide critical details about our headquarters and presumably allowed them remote access which they used to seize our security systems," Leila noted before glancing to Claus for a moment.
Claus felt no reason to be concerned because the EMP charge wiped out any traces of the access point he made for Zero's hacker allowing them outside access to gain control of their security ensuring Zero and his accomplices could access the deepest areas of the castle.
"Who could've done that?" Oscar asked before the door opened, revealing General Smilas.
"Apologies if I am interrupting your meeting," Gene Smilas said apologizing to the group.
"Oh," Leila said before she and the others were about to salute the General until he stopped them with a hand gesture.
"At ease, officially, I am not here." Gene Smilas said before explaining. "If it's not an inconvenience, I would like to talk to Lieutenant Colonels Malcal, Warwick and Captain Clément in private?"
Leila quickly read everyone's to see if anyone objected, but no one did leading to Oscar politely excused himself from the room. Once he was gone, and doors behind him closed, Gene took the former's seat at the table.
"I am sorry for arriving unannounced again considering yesterday's events, but there is a matter that we must discuss and what is said here cannot be mentioned outside of this room," General Smilas said with a serious tone.
"Is this regarding yesterday's theft?"
The general nodded his head.
"It is and a related matter."
"What do you mean?"
"Hugo Strandberg," Gene began, "we had our eye on him for some time. Unfortunately, he had bought out most of the courts and investigators we had tried to use despite our certainty that he was behind many weapons and military equipment along with classified information passing onto the black market. Former Commander Anou had a rather friendly relationship with the industrialist as well."
"He was killed last month, wasn't he?" Claus asked.
"He was, although it took a day or two before they discovered his body in his private vault, which had a passageway connected to a warehouse stockpiled with enough weapons and supplies to arm a small army. All of which we have since confirmed was originally equipment from our military," Gene Smilas said making no effort to hide his disgust.
Leila began to suspect something prompting her to ask, "are you saying the ones behind Mr. Strandberg's death are the same ones who stole twenty of our Alexander units?"
"Indeed, because Pierre Anou had been selling wZERO's secrets to him along with any intact corpses of the Japanese pilots who die to sell off their organs," General Smilas answered leading to an uneasy silence in the room.
"But…he couldn't have sold enough of our secrets for this Zero to plan such a heist?"
"You're right he didn't," General Smilas said before admitting, "because I told Zero everything he needed to know about the castle and other details useful to him."
There was just stunned silence for a moment until Leila spoke, her voice a mixture of shock and anger.
"WHY!"
"Because former Commander Anou and Mr. Strandberg were an infection weakening our country, so regrettably extreme measures had to be taken. As it is, we are fighting a losing war against Britannia with the politicians more concerned about their own approval ratings than the war itself, and simply withdrawing when the risk of casualties is too high is merely slowly backing us into a corner." General Smilas explained before elaborating further, "Word had reached me that Zero intends to topple Britannia itself by first liberating Japan from its grasp and although the young man is capable I wasn't so sure until he was tested."
"Ah," Claus said, realizing what the general was implying, "the theft of the Alexanders units was a test to determine if he could truly pull off what he intends?"
"Yes, and with it, he has the unofficial support of the military, and we have a perfect cover story to explain Zero's possession of the Alexander units enabling us to deny our support of him to Britannia or anyone else."
"Let me make sure I understand this General," Leila said calming down, but she was understandably upset. "You gave this man, Zero, information about our headquarters and asked him to steal our Alexanders?"
"Yes, and I suggested in the notes I provided him that yesterday was an ideal time to conduct the heist because of your plan to conduct a trial run with the drone controlled Alexanders," Gene Smilas answered. "However, the purpose of the heist was to test Zero could potentially make good on his promise he could liberate Japan. And after his performance yesterday, I believe he could in time."
Leila was still in shock and a bit upset, but Claus was calm about the whole affair leading him to question.
"If I may ask General, why tell us this?"
"Because part of our agreement is that Zero will send us the Alexander units' combat data so that the wZERO can use the data to improve the next line of Alexanders. I am hoping their performance in Japan will push the higher-ups to consider mass producing them to replace our current machines."
"That's a risky gamble," Claus replied, "I suppose the war is going that poorly to make such a risk."
Smilas sighed, "worse than you can imagine. We are holding the line on some fronts, but others are slowly crumbling due to a combination of exhaustion and almost no morale to fight."
"I see," Leila as her anger subsided, "but what of the wZERO?"
"Leila you know as well as I do the committee will not provide the resources you want unless the action would boost their approval ratings. Hence why I thought drastic steps were necessary," Smilas answered, followed by a hand gesture.
"Then the leak to the news media was handy work then?"
General Smilas said nothing, but his silence was enough of an answer.
"Why tell us," Leila asked.
"Because I am looking for volunteers to send to Japan to join Zero," General Smilas answered. "And considering part of our arrangement is to ensure the Alexander's combat data is passed to us I wanted to ask if Captain Clément could train some of these volunteers how to extra and how she would prefer any performance observation reports."
"Have you found anyone?" Leila asked while Anna was surprised by the request.
"Not yet, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since this will see whoever goes heading for Area 11."
"But," Anna began, "we can't just train anyone to do what would be required of them when it comes to the Alexander. I'll have to consult Professor Randle about this since the Alexander units have the experimental Brain Raid installed alongside other support systems to boost a pilot."
"I know it's a tall order, but please do what you can, Captain Clément." General Smilas said before rising from his seat. "I'll have to return to Paris, but I'll let you know if I find any willing volunteers."
Once the General was gone Leila buried her face in her hands seemingly wanting to vent her frustration, but knew she couldn't.
"I really doubt he'll find any good volunteers, let alone any skilled to work with the Alexander, and it's experimental systems." Claus pointed out before taking a sip from his flask.
Dropping her hands to her sides, Leila began speaking, "I have to agree."
"Training someone to inspect, study and properly record the data among other tasks will not be possible to train in a short time," Anna said as she was using her hands to massage her temples.
"Yes, I know, but talk to Professor Randle and see what she thinks," Leila asked.
"I doubt it will go any better."
Around the same time, Lelouch was sitting in one of the cabins set aside for officers with a laptop before him.
The cargo ship, the Kobayashi Maru, was sailing full speed ahead to the city of Mumbai, India. Yukiya was expected to rendezvous with him there given that he would arrive in the city ahead of them while Lelouch and the others would reach it within the next five to four days. Lelouch wasn't alone inside the cabin, because sitting in a chair next to him was Mariko with an open notebook next to her.
Mariko was without her usual tan and brown jacket, instead opting to wear only tan shorts and her typical blue shirt with its wide collar.
"Those pieces of art and jewelry we took sold for much more than I expected," Lelouch said reviewing the sales of the items they stole from Hugo Strandberg's vault. "I was certainly not qualified to appraise those pieces, but I wasn't expecting they would sell this well."
"Neither did we, but we found some very generous buyers who really wanted them, so we just auctioned them off to the highest bidder," Mariko explained.
Lelouch smiled at the results, "well done Mariko."
"Thank you," Mariko replied with a smile before pointing to Lelouch's computer screen gesturing for him to scroll down. "And this is everything we got from Strandberg's bank accounts, both private and hidden in off-shore accounts in the Chinese Federation. We can thank Yukiya for his efforts for that one."
"I know," Lelouch replied as his eyes went over the total amount of money they had now combined with everything Lelouch had earned on those jobs he did and those did with Marirrosa and later Ryo's group.
"I have never seen that many zeroes."
Hugo Strandberg had billions hidden within the accounts Yukiya had stripped clean and now combined with Lelouch and group's total earnings on top of the money they made selling those pieces of art and jewelry. The amount of money they had was staggering, to say the least, but most importantly, it was more than enough to begin assembling what Lelouch needed for his rebellion against Britannia.
"Neither have I, but without any of you, I couldn't have amassed such a fortune."
"Most of us would've been dead without you," Mariko complimented blushing, but Lelouch didn't see it.
"Maybe, but don't sell yourselves short you are all a hardened bunch," Lelouch said before turning to Mariko. "And you are the best with numbers I have ever seen."
Lelouch had found that Mariko was surprisingly gifted with not only numbers but was a natural when it came to both math and finances. So much so that Lelouch entrusted her as the overseer of their finances and soon to include their budget as a resistance group.
"Its kinda embarrassing," Mariko was seemingly bashful at the compliment.
"It's a useful skill, so I wouldn't worry about it," Lelouch said before deciding to get the conversation back on topic. "Anyway, how is the moving of the weapons and supplies I ordered?"
"Wizard is overseeing their transport. They will be kept at warehouses located at the Port of Kanazawa, but he'll make sure they are transported to a safer location for us to pick up once we arrive in Japan to avoid suspicion."
"I see," Lelouch replied before thinking on the matter.
Wizard was the code name Oiaguro used when working as his Peace Mark alter-ego who even used an elaborate form of dress with a mask. As per his request, Lelouch didn't share Oiaguro's real name with Ryo and the others, something they were aware of and was accepting of that. Before undertaking the heist to steal the Alexanders, Lelouch and arranged with Oiaguro when they spoke via satellite phone about obtain RPI-13 Sutherland units for use as their primary Knightmare Frame.
The Alexanders were higher performance, but the limited number they had combined with the fact if they used them, it would put too much attention upon themselves too soon. Lelouch intended to use them as a trump card when it was more ideal to use them, but he planned on allowing Ayano, Ryo, and Marirrosa to use Alexander units while Lelouch himself would use the commander type after Neha and Kagari modify it to Lelouch's preferences and internalize the drone control system. Lelouch believes the drone control system's halo above the head of the machine was a potentially dangerous liability.
The rest would be saved should they need them, but a few of them would be dismantled for spare parts for repairs should they be required.
"When we arrive in Mumbai, we're going to purchase some firearms and obtain some additional equipment before we return, but the submarine will transport half of the Alexanders and the weapons. We'll head to Japan when the submarine returns," Lelouch explained.
The submarine was also a recent purchase shortly before the heist, and once they arrive in Mumbai, it should be ready for them to transport weapons and goods between India and Japan. Oiaguro had even secured a location the submarine could dock and unload its cargo at without detection.
"So that should be two weeks in Mumbai," Mariko said recalling how long the submarine would take to reach Japan, which was one week to Japan and one week for the return trip.
"Yes, but that should be plenty of time to see if General Smilas will fulfill his end of the bargain."
"Do you trust him?"
"No, which is why Lieutenant Colonel Warwick works for me now," Lelouch mentioned with a smile.
Even through Claus helped him gain remote access to the security systems of Castle Weisswolf the young man decided to purchase Claus's services as a spy who would keep Lelouch up to date on anything of interest happening within the United Republic of Europia. Including anything, he might hear from the Euro-Britannian Faction in exchange for being paid monthly for any useful information.
"If he happens to get wind about anything Smilas might plan against us we'll know about it first provided if he happens to hear about it," Lelouch pointed out with a smile.
Lelouch was doubtful Claus would learn anything of use from Euro-Britannia, a tributary-empire composed of descendants of European Nobility who had been driven out of their countries during the revolution era set off by the French Revolution fleeing to Britannia. However, Euro-Britannia was primarily occupied with its war with the E.U. since they successfully conquered Russia on Britannia's behalf, but should Japan be liberated from Britannia then there was a risk Euro-Britannia could join Britannia in attempting to retake it.
"Geez you are really extensive about this," Mariko complimented.
"I am, but now we need to compose a shopping list."
Suddenly a knock on the door interrupted them.
"It's me," Fukumi called from the other side of the door.
"Enter," Lelouch replied, prompting Fukumi to open the door.
Like Mariko; Fukumi was dressed in her preferred causal attire consisting of a pink-lace colored high-collar double-breasted coat with red buttons. Fukumi also wore black knee-length boots with white leggings.
"Sorry for interrupting Lelouch, but Neha and Kagari wanted to see you," Fukumi reported.
"I see," Lelouch said before brushing some of his hair away from his eyes. "I'll be right back, Mariko."
"Sure thing," Mariko said, but unaware to Lelouch Mariko appeared annoyed Lelouch had been called away.
"The more we can get done upon arriving in Mumbai the better off we should be," Lelouch said as he exited the cabin to follow Fukumi to the cargo hold where the engineers were waiting for him.
Later that evening, Anna was speaking with Sophie Randle about what General Smilas was expecting should he find volunteers for the mission to Japan to side with the very thief who stole twenty of their Alexander units.
As Anna expected, Sophie didn't take it well.
To emphasize this, Sophie slammed her hand on the top of her desk to vent her frustration over what was being asked because, like Anna, she knew that simply wasn't possible.
"What is the General thinking?!"
"I am sorry."
Placing one hand on her forehead, Sophie let out an exasperated sigh.
"It's not your fault," Sophie began, "first we lose twenty Alexanders on the eve of a test of the drone control system, and now we expected to train people who are going to be sent halfway across the world to work under the same person who stole them!"
"I understand, but in a way, the Alexanders will see more combat in Area 11 compared to here," Anna pointed out, although it left Sophie exasperated she couldn't argue against her.
Despite being a special forces division possessing highly advanced Knightmare Frames, they were rarely utilized out of anything else except for suicide missions to help cover the retreat of E.U. soldiers, break open a path of retreat for them or act as decoys by landing behind enemy lines to engage them. Beyond that, the wZERO was looked down upon by the majority of the army despite the extreme risks and loses they have endured. Even worse the only pilots they could receive were Japanese, and the problem with that was the fact that very few of them signed up and those few typically end up dead after a mission or two.
The only exception was Akito Hyuga, the only pilot they had who had managed to come back from every mission despite the odds.
"If only the higher-ups would allow us to have actual pilots our combat effectiveness as a unit would increase, and the boost in numbers would be useful," Sophie remarked.
Now it was Anna's turn to sigh, "but we know they won't."
"I know, and we both know a week or so of training isn't enough between the Alexander and the Brain Raid System."
The Brain Raid System was an experimental piece of technology designed to synchronize the brainwaves of the pilots between Alexander units to increase coordination between them. It was initially based upon an invention created by Joe Wise, Sophie, and her husband who volunteered to be the test subject, but tragically his mind couldn't handle the experiment leaving him in a coma connected to life support while in suspended animation until they could repair the damage.
"It's just not possible to train anyone in such a short amount of time," Sophie pointed out, "I would have to send Kate and Ferilli to Japan, but I could be sending them to a death sentence if Britannia captures them."
"The same is true for me since Hilda and Chloe would have to go to not only collect the data from the Alexanders, but there is the fact Zero might try to make use of the drone control system?"
"Are you sure about that?"
"Not really, but somehow, I can't imagine he would ignore the possibilities such a system could provide him."
"I suppose, but we still have a problem."
Unaware to the two; their conversation was being eavesdropped upon by someone outside Sophie's office.
Three days later the Kobayashi Maru arrived at the city of Mumbai, and once the ship had docked at the warehouse district, Lelouch was already stepping off the boat wearing casual clothing consisting of black pants a white dress shirt and large black sunglasses. Accompanying him was Mariko, Ryo, and Fukumi, but waiting for them at the bottom of the boarding ramp was a smiling Yukiya.
"Well, look who showed up to meet us!" Ryo said glad to be reunited with his friend as the two shook hands.
"I hope you guys enjoyed your time on that cargo ship I enjoyed every moment of the five-star hotel I got to stay at and the first-class accommodations on the plane ride here!"
Ryo merely laughed it off, "oh come you deserved because without you Lelouch, Ayano, and Marirrosa wouldn't have made it."
It was Yukiya's turn to laugh, "no kidding, I was sweating bullets throughout the whole time they were in that castle."
"Good job, Yukiya, but you brought all of the technical data on the Alexander?"
"Of course I did," Yukiya said, holding up the suitcase containing the hard drive the data was stored in. "I'll give it to those engineers you got working for us."
"I'll leave you to it," Lelouch said before turning to Ryo, "you and Fukumi can meet up with us later. Here is the information for the rental I arranged for us to use."
Ryo accepted the printed receipt, "sure we'll meet you guys at the tailor."
"Sorry, I can't stay, but no rest for the wicked as they say."
Yukiya merely brushed it off.
"No, worries, we got a lot to do."
Leaving Ryo and Fukumi behind; Lelouch and Mariko were walking through the busy city streets of Mumbai. The crowded city was a top-rated tourist destination, and it was also the most prominent trading port within the Militarized Zone of India. However; it was also home to one of the most notorious and dangerous criminals possessing a vast seedy underbelly.
If you wanted to hide, then Mumbai was among the best places in the world where that was possible.
Furthermore, Mumbai's underworld and most of the city itself was under the influence of Peace Mark having one of their headquarters within the city where they would dispatch mercenaries and transport funding and supplies to various anti-Britannian groups around the world. Their influence and presence within Mumbai were strong enough that those affiliated with the organization would be granted access to unique services and market opportunities because Mumbai was home to many black market traders who conduct most of their business here.
Members of the Peace Mark organization, or at least those like Lelouch who acted as mercenaries carrying out missions. They could obtain what they need and whatever services those affiliated with the organization where privacy and strict confidentiality was guaranteed, because if any of those who provided services and equipment to Peace Mark members revealed any details about their clients, then they would be swiftly assassinated.
We shall protect your secrets if you protect ours.
That was their promise to those who worked with the organization either as a resistance group connected them or carried out mercenary work.
"Is this the place," Mariko asked with a notebook tucked under her right arm.
"It is," Lelouch answered as he and Mariko arrived at a tailor shop in downtown Mumbai of its old district consisting of various buildings constructed decades ago and were built up among one another left to some state of disrepair while the newer area consisted of newly created buildings and skyscrapers towering over the old district of Mumbai.
Lelouch opened the door before letting Mariko walk in first as an act of courtesy before they were quickly greeted by a local man wearing white and red robes trimmed with gold while around him his small shop had everything one would need to create clothing out of the rolls of different color fabric and string dotting his workshop. On the other hand, the shop's interior seemed to be rather cramped through, but there was a reason Lelouch and Mariko came to this man.
"Ah Mr. Lamperouge welcome back," Arjun, the tailor and shop owner greeted eagerly shaking the young man's hand. "It's been ages since I saw you."
"Indeed it has," Lelouch replied, returning the greeting, "I was quite busy in the E.U. for a lot longer than I expected."
"So it would seem since I heard your time there was very productive," Arjun commented before Lelouch presented him with a card bearing a harp with what appeared to be dragon's head on top of it, the emblem of the Peace Mark Organization.
"Are my orders finished?"
"Yes, they are," Arjun confirmed before slipping behind his counter to push a button hidden below his cash register causing the curtains to be drawn over the windows and a blind to fall over the door while locking it.
Once any means for anyone on the outside to look inside the store was locked a hidden panel in the floor slid back revealing a staircase leading underground.
Following Arjun, Lelouch with Mariko in awe over what she was seeing. Lelouch had told her that as a terrorist dispatch and support organization who aided any anti-Britannian resistance groups across the world the organization would naturally have connections to various suppliers in weapons, supplies and more scattered around the world. However, Mumbai was among the few places, helped by the fact the city was home to one of the biggest hubs for the international black market, where Peace Mark had its presence the strongest and thus making it perhaps the safest places on the planet for any anti-Britannian organization to buy what they needed.
Lelouch had initially passed through Mumbai on his way to Spain to purchase some of his original equipment and tools, but shortly after accepting the offer from General Smilas the young man had made some plans for their arrival in Mumbai beforehand. One of these was placing an order with Arjun who on the surface was a simple tailor, but in actuality, he was a tailor who specialized in creating tactical uniforms for resistance groups capable of affording his services.
"As per your original request you made months ago I have reproduced four copies of your school uniform with my special tactical lining," Arjun explained as the trio descended the stairs entering the tailor's real workshop.
"Excellent, and what of my new order I sent in last month?"
"It's complete, and just like your school uniform it has our special tactical lining so your comrades should be very pleased with the results," Arjun explained as he led them down a corridor.
They passed by transparent windows where Mariko saw workers behind sewing tables and workbenches using equipment at first glance was clearly state-of-the-art that almost comically contrasted with Arjun's workshop above them.
Leading the pair to a room where a mannequin was set up wearing a black uniform trimmed with gray, with matching pants and black boots.
"Now, let me give you a demonstration."
Clapping his hands, Arjun summoned an assistant who stepped forward with a machine gun in his hands before pointing and firing the weapon at the mannequin. The exposed limbs and head of the dummy were destroyed, but the uniform appeared damaged but mostly intact.
Arjun approached the mannequin while encouraging Lelouch and Mariko to follow him.
"Now take a look here," Arjun said gesturing for the pair to inspect the uniform.
Lelouch examined the bullet holes as did Mariko, but both found that despite some light damage, there was no penetration.
Mariko was impressed, prompting her to ask, "Is this bulletproof?"
"Impressive did you use kevlar with this?" Lelouch inquired.
"No," Arjun said as the same assistant who had shot the mannequin had left to bring back a piece of a coat where the inner lining was sewed in allowing Arjun to remove what appeared to be a thin leather-like sheet from inside the jacket. "This is a hybrid of carbide discs, ceramic matrices with an accompanied laminate on top of it forming a body armor unlike anything else in the world. All we do is sew it in-between the fabric and lining making it completely bulletproof, but be aware you will still feel the impact of those bullets, so it is quite painful."
"Are all of our uniforms going to be like this?"
"Just the uniforms you, Ryo and the others will have. The rest will have standard uniforms, which I have created some different variations like a skirt, shorts, and pants for whatever is your preference," Lelouch explained.
"What about you?"
"Mr. Lamperouge asked for something special to be his uniform," Arjun answered.
"Special?"
"I'll show you guys later, but I assume everything is as I specified."
"Indeed," Arjun nodded, "we included a slide system in the mask to allow for easy use with retinal scanners, so you don't have to take it off. The suit has the same body armor as the uniforms, but the mask we made out of durable yet lightweight materials making it bulletproof against most low caliber firearms except for those of a higher caliber such as anti-material rifles."
"Well done, and you got my payment?"
"Yes, we have thanks to Mr. Wizard," Arjun replied.
"Good, but is there a chance you can do a rush order for one," Lelouch said, reaching into his pocket to hand Arjun a piece of paper where measurements of another were written down.
"I sure can, any specifics about the wearer?"
"She is a highly skilled martial artist, talented in kung fu," Lelouch answered thinking of Xu Lifeng before providing a photo of her.
"Ah I see," Arjun exclaimed before muttering as he devised a style, "yes we'll replicate the bell-shaped sleeves and bottoms to ensure unrestricted movement of the limbs to not hinder her agility."
"I might be back within the next week to order a few more depending, but it won't be an inconvenience for you?"
"Not at all Mr. Lamperouge, we are here to provide services for those with Peace Mark and the resistance movements supported by them. As long as you have the money, we will fulfill any order as promised." Arjun answered with an amusingly dismissive gesture.
Lelouch smiled, "in that case, I'll be seeing you again very soon."
"I look forward to it, but where would you like your completed orders sent to?"
Lelouch drew another slip of paper from his pocket, "I would like everything delivered at this address."
Accepting the piece of paper Arjun examined the address written upon it.
"It shall be there by this afternoon."
Once their business was done Lelouch and Mariko left the shop to meet up with Ryo and Fukumi who should have the rental vehicle Lelouch had ordered to travel to their next stop which was out in the countryside outside Mumbai. Knowing the streets where the tailor's shop was located was typically overcrowded the pair had to make their way to a more open street where the crowds were easier to get through especially if you have a vehicle.
"What kind of vehicle did you rent?"
"I," Lelouch began before the sound of someone honking a horn interrupted him.
Mariko's jaw dropped upon seeing Ryo and Fukumi, the latter was driving, pulled up driving a yellow and silver trimmed auto rickshaw.
Ryo looked at Lelouch with an unamused expression upon his face.
"With have a ton of money, and you chose to rent THIS!"
"It's called keeping a low profile," Lelouch countered. "Let's go, we have a long drive ahead of us."
Around the same time, Yukiya had finished giving Neha and her assistant Kagari to begin examining the data before working on compiling a list of equipment and materials he would need Lelouch to get for him. Once Neha and Kagari were done going over the data they would give him a list of what they would need to customize and tune up the Alexander units to be piloted by Ayano, Lelouch, Marirrosa, Ryo and himself to be forwarded to Lelouch.
The rest, save for Yukiya and two others, was ensuring everything on board the Kobayashi Maru was offloaded and moved to the private dock where their new submarine, a Yasha-class sheath transport. It had six torpedo launchers, six cruise missile launchers and two slash-harken style anchors as weapons, but it was designed for long-range reconnaissance missions. Their particular submarine named the Nautilus by Lelouch was customized for moving cargo and Knightmare Frames, and its hydro propulsion ensured a cruising speed of an average of forty knots. Its stealth capabilities allowed it to emit a falsified sonar signal to disguise itself as a fleet of whales, and it was modified to be mostly automated requiring at least five to six people to operate it.
It was risky, but Lelouch and the others didn't have enough people they could trust. Operating the cargo ship, they used with such a small crew was very risky as well. Thankfully they didn't have any problems when they rented the vessel for their own usage.
Chiyo, Hiroto and some of the others would take the submarine and head to Area 11 for the first drop off before coming back, Yukiya thought.
Leaving Lelouch, Ryo, Marirrosa, Ayano, Mariko, Xu Lifeng and himself to handle the rest.
"This is going to be a busy week," Yukiya mused.
A few hours later the rented auto-rickshaw, now being driven by Lelouch to give Fukumi a break, had driven far into the countryside outside of Mumbai where the group was arriving at a large vineyard. It wasn't any spectacular, but it was merely a very old vineyard. Yet despite the apparent age of the buildings, being at least decades old, the vineyard was surprisingly well maintained with large fields of grapes and a warehouse with a loading dock for whatever product they produced.
"We're here," Lelouch declared as he parked their vehicle.
"Aren't we all a bit young for wine?" Ryo mused half-jokingly.
"We're here for something else," Lelouch replied with his trademark smirk.
Much like the tailor's shop, the vineyard was merely a front for another of the services Peace Mark offered. Following Lelouch, Ryo, Fukumi, and Mariko followed him into the main building resembling a two-story mansion. Once inside the group, the interior is more modernized compared to the exterior by someone with clear expensive tastes, approached a man standing behind a reception desk.
"Can I help you," the man asked finding it odd there would be teenagers at a vineyard.
"Is Lady Shah here," Lelouch asked before discreetly slipping his card with the emblem of Peace Mark across the desk, "we're here for a tasting."
Nodding, the receptionist accepted the card.
"We do not serve minors, but we have been exploring alternatives that should be more acceptable for your age group," the receptionist answered before gesturing for the group to follow him.
The group was led down a flight of stairs before traveling down a hallway where two armed guards stood in front of a pair of double ornate wooden doors.
Beyond on them was a lavished office where on the sides of the room was expensive artwork and wine racks presumably having the most exceptional wine stored upon them. Seated behind a desk was an Indian woman dressed in colorful robes trimmed with gold with a shawl draped over her shoulders with a hood and a red bindi mark on her forehead.
"Welcome back, Mr. Lamperouge," Lady Vanya Shah greeted.
"Lady Shah, the pleasure is all mines," Lelouch greeted politely with a bow, and he was followed by Ryo and the others.
Vanya Shah, publicly a wealthy wine seller whose creations have been sold as far as Britannia, the E.U. and the Chinese Federation. In the underworld, Vanya was actually the most notorious arms dealer with connections across the world allowing her to obtain virtually any firearm, including Knightmare Frames and weapons for them, as long as the buyer can meet her price.
"So what brings you here, Mr. Lamperouge?"
"I am here to finalize and review my order while planning to make some purchases," Lelouch explained. "I sent ahead some details."
"Yes," Vanya said with a smile before using her laptop to pull up Lelouch's list. "You are asking for a lot...almost enough to arm a small army."
"Well, I am planning on aggressively expanding my group into a full-fledged anti-Britannian resistance group, but even if I find people, I'll need supplies and weapons."
"Too true," Vanya said nodding agreement, "and I see you made some good choices."
"I know Chinese Federation models like the Hong Long are usually a popular and less costly choice since they produce them for civilian militias, but their ease of use is great, yet their precision is low."
"Yet you want something for your followers that don't require no specialized training to use, and where finding compatible ammunition won't be too hard," Vanya asked earning a confirmation nod from Lelouch.
"Smart thinking I have seen too many rookie resistance groups buy my finest weapons and end up hurting themselves."
Lelouch had read about resistance groups in Japan, and other than the Japan Liberation Front consisting of former Japanese military, the resistance groups of Japan was mostly made up of civilians who for the most part lacked any experience with advanced weapons. Lelouch had heard about an incident where a resistance group had attacked a military warehouse with sophisticated weapons including assault rifles, anti-material rifles, and rocket launchers.
Despite their new firearms, the resistance group was wiped out partly due to improper use of their weapons such as some members had broken their own shoulders on the anti-material rifle, for instance, unprepared for the recoil.
Hence Lelouch's decision to ensure the weapons he would buy for his resistance group wouldn't be a potential hazard to his own followers with user-friendliness in mind, and the ammunition they would use could be easy enough to acquire on their own so they wouldn't be dependent on having ammunition shipped to them.
"With that said, I wish for these weapons to be interchangeable with ammunition that is commonly found in Area 11, so replenishment will not be limited to shipments."
"Ah, you have been giving this a lot of thought, very well follow me."
Vanya gestured for the group to follow her as she rose from her desk before pushing a button to open a hidden door behind her. Following Lady Shah, the group entered a large room filled with shelves and tables with various weapons ranging from rifles, pistols, shotguns, knives, rocket launchers and more on display. The room felt like a giant museum to different weapons than a storeroom, but Lelouch understood this was merely where Vanya showed her clients her wares before a purchase.
Lelouch followed her until they came to displays and racks filled with several assault rifles of different kinds and makes, and she picked one off the shelf.
"This is what you wanted for the bulk of your orders," Vanya said before handing Lelouch what appeared to be an assault rifle. "TDC-7 AR, a European-made assault rifle commonly used by law enforcement, specifically SWAT teams, and civilian militia and military commandos within the E.U. thanks to its user friendly design requiring little training to use, ease of maintenance and can unitize similar bullets from different countries making them for ideal commando units operating behind enemy lines. It's fully automatic with a modern bullpup with options to attach a powerful suppressor."
Lelouch examined, handling the weapon while testing how quickly he could reload the empty magazine after removing it, the assault rifle before passing it to Ryo and the others, allowing them to examine the weapon.
Ryo seemed satisfied with the weapon before allowing Mariko and Fukumi to examine the assault rifle before passing it back to Lelouch who in turn gave it back to Vanya.
"Impressive, and I am certain it will make for an excellent weapon that is at least better quality than those Chinese Federation weapons most resistance groups use."
"It will not disappoint, and the best part is these weapons are made in bulk, so we have plenty to sell."
"I see," Lelouch said before a thought came to mind, "so people chose the Chinese Federation brand weapons because of their close proximity to Area 11?"
"Correct, which is a good move for saving money but in exchange, the quality of the weapons is questionable since the Chinese Federation is just looking to make a quick buck."
"Now then do you have any suggestions for something big, and with plenty of stopping power that could fit our needs?"
"I have just the one," Vanya answered before leading the group to where shelves and racks held a wide variety of shotguns.
Vanya selected one out of the dozens of shotguns before presenting it.
"A classic among shotgun enthusiasts, a Britannian-made M2 assault pump-action shotgun. Custom bolt carrier release and charging handle. It has textured grips for a secured grip in the rain or should your hands get sweaty. One-shot can make swiss cheese out of Britannian body armor."
Lelouch accepted the weapon, and like the previous assault rifle, he had examined he checked the shotgun while testing how well the pump work while noticing the textured grips did provide a secure hold for its user. Once he was finished Ryo accepted the weapon before he passed it to Mariko and Fukumi respectively after they reached inspected the shotgun.
"We'll take it," Lelouch said, handing it back to Vanya. "What type of sniper rifles do you have?"
"For you," Vanya said before leading Lelouch to where she kept sniper rifles on display, "I would suggest the Banshee 400, European-made commonly used with special forces units within the E.U. military, it has a suppressor and a muzzle flash."
"This should do," Lelouch said as he studied the right once it was passed into his hands.
"Hey, is there anything we can use against Knightmare Frames?" Ryo inquired.
"I actually have a stock of anti-material rifles for that purpose…shall we?"
"Yes, show me what else you got," Lelouch said with a grin.
Following a busy, but successful day of shopping Lelouch and the others returned to the private indoor dock where their submarine was located. However, once the initial shipments of supplies and some of the Alexanders were loaded upon the vessel, the Nautilus departed heading for Japan, a journey that would take almost week to reach and then one week back.
All that was left was to collect the last of what they needed and transport it back to Area 11, and by then Lelouch hoped Neha and her assistant would be finished with modifying and customizing the four Alexanders.
It was past eleven when Marirrosa entered the office within the indoor-dock where Lelouch was busy finalizing their budget for the next six months once they returned to Area 11. Whatever funds they had left Lelouch planned on storing some within private accounts hidden in the Militarized Zone of India while the rest through Oiaguro's help and connections would be placed within hidden accounts in Area 11 for use when they need it.
Worried for Lelouch potentially pulling an all-nighter Marirrosa decided to intervene.
"Hey, Lelouch, maybe you should call it quits for tonight."
"I am almost finished," Lelouch replied as Marirrosa approached him from behind.
"Come on," Marirrosa began putting one hand on his shoulder, "We got two weeks before we head to Area 11. Just call it a night and pick up where you left off tomorrow."
Lelouch wanted to refuse, but he felt his body's desire for sleep already setting in leaving him with little options to refute Marirrosa.
With a defeated sigh, Lelouch closed his laptop.
"Fine you win," Lelouch said before getting up from his chair, but his exhaustion was even more evident causing Marirrosa to help him to the sofa where Lelouch had set up a make-shift bed.
"You know maybe you need a day off tomorrow," Marirrosa suggested as Lelouch sat on the sofa before removing his shoes.
"I'll take one when we arrive back in Area 11."
Marirrosa sighed, "come on, stop being so stubborn and take it easy for just ONE day."
The young woman joined Lelouch on the sofa before saying with an amused smile.
"We could go on a date."
Lelouch was slightly taken aback by that remark causing Marirrosa to laugh.
"Well that got your attention," Marirrosa teased before kissing Lelouch on the cheek much to the latter's surprise.
Before Lelouch could say something, Marirrosa promptly got up and left the room leaving Lelouch to ponder over what happened, but he didn't have long as his body demanded rest and he was forced to comply.
It was something Lelouch would have to address tomorrow, and yet there was still much that needed to be done.
A/N: this felt like a good point to wrap it up for now. Lelouch is making good use of both his earnings and what he and the others got from Mr. Strandberg, including the funds they got when Yukiya stripped mine his accounts.
Lelouch will have no shortage of weapons and supplies, but for every advantage, Lelouch will get, that means I will up the difficulty. It won't be evident at first because of some set up I must do, but I have something in mind.
Lelouch will not use all of the Alexanders units in battle except for his own personal unit and Marirrosa's units with maybe Ryo and Yukiya. But Lelouch intends to keep it low key for a bit once he returns to Area 11 to properly establish himself without panicking the Area 11 military into focusing on him too much. It would be problematic if they were to find out if they were a resistance group with something like the Alexander units, which would be worse if Britannia knew they had a lot of them.
That is why Lelouch has brought some Sutherlands that ended up on the black market, and they are better than the Glasgows at least, and replacement parts and the like are easier to find in Area 11 compared to the Alexanders.
I have found some chapters of Oz of the Reflection I was able to read, with no virus and no endlessly assault of pop up ads, so that will help me a lot with characters and it gave me some ideas.
Anyway next chapter we will find out who will be sent to support Lelouch from the E.U, before finally returning to Area 11.
Thank you and see you guys next chapter, and I hope you guys enjoyed the various references, easter eggs and shout outs to specific movies and video games in this chapter.
Enjoy…
Chapter 4
Christmas Shopping
(December 16th, 2016 A.T.B.)
Christmas Shopping
(December 16th, 2016 A.T.B.)
The day following the infamous Zero's heist of twenty Alexander units, most of which had their latest in artificial intelligence pilot modules was also profoundly concerning combined with the fact could be removed for an average pilot to use the Knightmare Frame. The AI drone project was meant to be top secret, and with over a dozen in questionable hands, many within the wZERO were understandably worried.
Meeting in a conference room within the main keep the newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Leila Malcal was seated at a round table with Anna, Claus, and Oscar discussing yesterday's events and going over overhauling their security protocols to prevent a repeat of such an incident.
Silently, everyone agreed on the only good thing to come out of yesterday's fiasco was that Pierre Anou had been removed as their commanding who was the root cause for many of the lapses in security among other problems. No one missed the corrupt, self-entitled incompetent fool, or did anyone shed a tear when he was executed.
"What a huge mess this turned into," Claus commented before dropping the morning newspaper onto the table.
"The biggest theft of Knightmare Frames in the history of the E.U. military now followed by the biggest scandal," Leila noted with some mild annoyance.
Earlier that same morning newspapers and media outlets had received information exposing a vast web of corruption that involved not only former Commander Pierre Anou but the recently dead industrialist Hugo Strandberg and others who included members of the representatives of more prominent members of the council of forty, otherwise called the Central Hemicycle. The reveal of such corruption involved in the selling of weapons onto the Black Market, including military secrets that have fallen into the hands of the Britannia and Euro-Britannia…the list goes on.
As a result, the public backlash was…ugly, to put it mildly.
The military was forced to clean house with a dozen representatives who either resigned or were arrested with General Smilas alongside the Prime Minister vowing to ensure such corruption will not be allowed to take root once again.
"I wasn't surprised by the corruption among the council and representatives, but I never would've dreamed it was this bad," Oscar commented while using one hand to massage his right temple.
As much as some wanted to deny corruption in their government, it was merely impossible for kind of "clean" government to exist without having some corruption in one form or another. It was an unfortunate truth, but that was simply something that was to expected, but how much corruption and how it affected the government varied from country and choice of government either as a democracy or a monarchy.
But the level of corruption exposed was nothing short of distributing.
"It set off quite a shockwave," Claus said before taking a drink from his flask much to Oscar's annoyance. "But on the bright side, General Smilas got us a blank check so we can beef up security and replace those Alexander units we lost."
Leila sighed, "Lieutenant Colonel Warwick, could please not be so casual about yesterday's events?"
"Forgive me," Claus replied, "no offense was intended, but we should be glad no one was killed."
"I agree, but our concern should be ensuring this never happens again," Leila said sternly because was among those caught up in it.
She had observed Lieutenant Hyuga yesterday following a pair of female officers. Leila had happened upon the scene purely by chance after seeking to distance herself from her loathsome superior after enduring a near hour of him belittling the Japanese pilots, including the newcomers.
Leila had inquired of Lieutenant Hyuga upon seeing him following those women.
"They have been acting suspiciously around the base."
According to what Akito told her it seemed the pair claimed they were inspectors conducting a surprise investigation of the base. Such things were not unusual, but after silently observing them from afar Leila did find the movements suspicious joining Akito in tailing them.
It led up to being ambushed by the pair before being hit by a tranquilizer dart fired by a third member of their group.
"They knew Lieutenant Hyuga, and I were coming, and they didn't seem aware of us as kept our distance," Leila mused.
"Probably because they had someone providing off-site assistance if that satellite transmitter, or what's left of one, we found in that blown up car. Judging from the looks of it that thing wasn't cheap," Claus pointed out.
"When they planted that EMP bomb they must've created a backdoor into our systems whoever was aiding them," Oscar noted before adding. "Then the EMP's detonation covered their tracks and crippled our ability to find out where they when should we have regained control."
"This was a daring and well-orchestrated plan," Leila noted unable to deny how extensive planned out this heist was. "Yet they clearly had remote access to our security before they arrived, so someone helped them."
Leila rules out her former commander because as much of a bastard and incompetent fool he was she highly doubted he would've helped this Zero with such a heist.
"This Zero had someone provide critical details about our headquarters and presumably allowed them remote access which they used to seize our security systems," Leila noted before glancing to Claus for a moment.
Claus felt no reason to be concerned because the EMP charge wiped out any traces of the access point he made for Zero's hacker allowing them outside access to gain control of their security ensuring Zero and his accomplices could access the deepest areas of the castle.
"Who could've done that?" Oscar asked before the door opened, revealing General Smilas.
"Apologies if I am interrupting your meeting," Gene Smilas said apologizing to the group.
"Oh," Leila said before she and the others were about to salute the General until he stopped them with a hand gesture.
"At ease, officially, I am not here." Gene Smilas said before explaining. "If it's not an inconvenience, I would like to talk to Lieutenant Colonels Malcal, Warwick and Captain Clément in private?"
Leila quickly read everyone's to see if anyone objected, but no one did leading to Oscar politely excused himself from the room. Once he was gone, and doors behind him closed, Gene took the former's seat at the table.
"I am sorry for arriving unannounced again considering yesterday's events, but there is a matter that we must discuss and what is said here cannot be mentioned outside of this room," General Smilas said with a serious tone.
"Is this regarding yesterday's theft?"
The general nodded his head.
"It is and a related matter."
"What do you mean?"
"Hugo Strandberg," Gene began, "we had our eye on him for some time. Unfortunately, he had bought out most of the courts and investigators we had tried to use despite our certainty that he was behind many weapons and military equipment along with classified information passing onto the black market. Former Commander Anou had a rather friendly relationship with the industrialist as well."
"He was killed last month, wasn't he?" Claus asked.
"He was, although it took a day or two before they discovered his body in his private vault, which had a passageway connected to a warehouse stockpiled with enough weapons and supplies to arm a small army. All of which we have since confirmed was originally equipment from our military," Gene Smilas said making no effort to hide his disgust.
Leila began to suspect something prompting her to ask, "are you saying the ones behind Mr. Strandberg's death are the same ones who stole twenty of our Alexander units?"
"Indeed, because Pierre Anou had been selling wZERO's secrets to him along with any intact corpses of the Japanese pilots who die to sell off their organs," General Smilas answered leading to an uneasy silence in the room.
"But…he couldn't have sold enough of our secrets for this Zero to plan such a heist?"
"You're right he didn't," General Smilas said before admitting, "because I told Zero everything he needed to know about the castle and other details useful to him."
There was just stunned silence for a moment until Leila spoke, her voice a mixture of shock and anger.
"WHY!"
"Because former Commander Anou and Mr. Strandberg were an infection weakening our country, so regrettably extreme measures had to be taken. As it is, we are fighting a losing war against Britannia with the politicians more concerned about their own approval ratings than the war itself, and simply withdrawing when the risk of casualties is too high is merely slowly backing us into a corner." General Smilas explained before elaborating further, "Word had reached me that Zero intends to topple Britannia itself by first liberating Japan from its grasp and although the young man is capable I wasn't so sure until he was tested."
"Ah," Claus said, realizing what the general was implying, "the theft of the Alexanders units was a test to determine if he could truly pull off what he intends?"
"Yes, and with it, he has the unofficial support of the military, and we have a perfect cover story to explain Zero's possession of the Alexander units enabling us to deny our support of him to Britannia or anyone else."
"Let me make sure I understand this General," Leila said calming down, but she was understandably upset. "You gave this man, Zero, information about our headquarters and asked him to steal our Alexanders?"
"Yes, and I suggested in the notes I provided him that yesterday was an ideal time to conduct the heist because of your plan to conduct a trial run with the drone controlled Alexanders," Gene Smilas answered. "However, the purpose of the heist was to test Zero could potentially make good on his promise he could liberate Japan. And after his performance yesterday, I believe he could in time."
Leila was still in shock and a bit upset, but Claus was calm about the whole affair leading him to question.
"If I may ask General, why tell us this?"
"Because part of our agreement is that Zero will send us the Alexander units' combat data so that the wZERO can use the data to improve the next line of Alexanders. I am hoping their performance in Japan will push the higher-ups to consider mass producing them to replace our current machines."
"That's a risky gamble," Claus replied, "I suppose the war is going that poorly to make such a risk."
Smilas sighed, "worse than you can imagine. We are holding the line on some fronts, but others are slowly crumbling due to a combination of exhaustion and almost no morale to fight."
"I see," Leila as her anger subsided, "but what of the wZERO?"
"Leila you know as well as I do the committee will not provide the resources you want unless the action would boost their approval ratings. Hence why I thought drastic steps were necessary," Smilas answered, followed by a hand gesture.
"Then the leak to the news media was handy work then?"
General Smilas said nothing, but his silence was enough of an answer.
"Why tell us," Leila asked.
"Because I am looking for volunteers to send to Japan to join Zero," General Smilas answered. "And considering part of our arrangement is to ensure the Alexander's combat data is passed to us I wanted to ask if Captain Clément could train some of these volunteers how to extra and how she would prefer any performance observation reports."
"Have you found anyone?" Leila asked while Anna was surprised by the request.
"Not yet, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since this will see whoever goes heading for Area 11."
"But," Anna began, "we can't just train anyone to do what would be required of them when it comes to the Alexander. I'll have to consult Professor Randle about this since the Alexander units have the experimental Brain Raid installed alongside other support systems to boost a pilot."
"I know it's a tall order, but please do what you can, Captain Clément." General Smilas said before rising from his seat. "I'll have to return to Paris, but I'll let you know if I find any willing volunteers."
Once the General was gone Leila buried her face in her hands seemingly wanting to vent her frustration, but knew she couldn't.
"I really doubt he'll find any good volunteers, let alone any skilled to work with the Alexander, and it's experimental systems." Claus pointed out before taking a sip from his flask.
Dropping her hands to her sides, Leila began speaking, "I have to agree."
"Training someone to inspect, study and properly record the data among other tasks will not be possible to train in a short time," Anna said as she was using her hands to massage her temples.
"Yes, I know, but talk to Professor Randle and see what she thinks," Leila asked.
"I doubt it will go any better."
Around the same time, Lelouch was sitting in one of the cabins set aside for officers with a laptop before him.
The cargo ship, the Kobayashi Maru, was sailing full speed ahead to the city of Mumbai, India. Yukiya was expected to rendezvous with him there given that he would arrive in the city ahead of them while Lelouch and the others would reach it within the next five to four days. Lelouch wasn't alone inside the cabin, because sitting in a chair next to him was Mariko with an open notebook next to her.
Mariko was without her usual tan and brown jacket, instead opting to wear only tan shorts and her typical blue shirt with its wide collar.
"Those pieces of art and jewelry we took sold for much more than I expected," Lelouch said reviewing the sales of the items they stole from Hugo Strandberg's vault. "I was certainly not qualified to appraise those pieces, but I wasn't expecting they would sell this well."
"Neither did we, but we found some very generous buyers who really wanted them, so we just auctioned them off to the highest bidder," Mariko explained.
Lelouch smiled at the results, "well done Mariko."
"Thank you," Mariko replied with a smile before pointing to Lelouch's computer screen gesturing for him to scroll down. "And this is everything we got from Strandberg's bank accounts, both private and hidden in off-shore accounts in the Chinese Federation. We can thank Yukiya for his efforts for that one."
"I know," Lelouch replied as his eyes went over the total amount of money they had now combined with everything Lelouch had earned on those jobs he did and those did with Marirrosa and later Ryo's group.
"I have never seen that many zeroes."
Hugo Strandberg had billions hidden within the accounts Yukiya had stripped clean and now combined with Lelouch and group's total earnings on top of the money they made selling those pieces of art and jewelry. The amount of money they had was staggering, to say the least, but most importantly, it was more than enough to begin assembling what Lelouch needed for his rebellion against Britannia.
"Neither have I, but without any of you, I couldn't have amassed such a fortune."
"Most of us would've been dead without you," Mariko complimented blushing, but Lelouch didn't see it.
"Maybe, but don't sell yourselves short you are all a hardened bunch," Lelouch said before turning to Mariko. "And you are the best with numbers I have ever seen."
Lelouch had found that Mariko was surprisingly gifted with not only numbers but was a natural when it came to both math and finances. So much so that Lelouch entrusted her as the overseer of their finances and soon to include their budget as a resistance group.
"Its kinda embarrassing," Mariko was seemingly bashful at the compliment.
"It's a useful skill, so I wouldn't worry about it," Lelouch said before deciding to get the conversation back on topic. "Anyway, how is the moving of the weapons and supplies I ordered?"
"Wizard is overseeing their transport. They will be kept at warehouses located at the Port of Kanazawa, but he'll make sure they are transported to a safer location for us to pick up once we arrive in Japan to avoid suspicion."
"I see," Lelouch replied before thinking on the matter.
Wizard was the code name Oiaguro used when working as his Peace Mark alter-ego who even used an elaborate form of dress with a mask. As per his request, Lelouch didn't share Oiaguro's real name with Ryo and the others, something they were aware of and was accepting of that. Before undertaking the heist to steal the Alexanders, Lelouch and arranged with Oiaguro when they spoke via satellite phone about obtain RPI-13 Sutherland units for use as their primary Knightmare Frame.
The Alexanders were higher performance, but the limited number they had combined with the fact if they used them, it would put too much attention upon themselves too soon. Lelouch intended to use them as a trump card when it was more ideal to use them, but he planned on allowing Ayano, Ryo, and Marirrosa to use Alexander units while Lelouch himself would use the commander type after Neha and Kagari modify it to Lelouch's preferences and internalize the drone control system. Lelouch believes the drone control system's halo above the head of the machine was a potentially dangerous liability.
The rest would be saved should they need them, but a few of them would be dismantled for spare parts for repairs should they be required.
"When we arrive in Mumbai, we're going to purchase some firearms and obtain some additional equipment before we return, but the submarine will transport half of the Alexanders and the weapons. We'll head to Japan when the submarine returns," Lelouch explained.
The submarine was also a recent purchase shortly before the heist, and once they arrive in Mumbai, it should be ready for them to transport weapons and goods between India and Japan. Oiaguro had even secured a location the submarine could dock and unload its cargo at without detection.
"So that should be two weeks in Mumbai," Mariko said recalling how long the submarine would take to reach Japan, which was one week to Japan and one week for the return trip.
"Yes, but that should be plenty of time to see if General Smilas will fulfill his end of the bargain."
"Do you trust him?"
"No, which is why Lieutenant Colonel Warwick works for me now," Lelouch mentioned with a smile.
Even through Claus helped him gain remote access to the security systems of Castle Weisswolf the young man decided to purchase Claus's services as a spy who would keep Lelouch up to date on anything of interest happening within the United Republic of Europia. Including anything, he might hear from the Euro-Britannian Faction in exchange for being paid monthly for any useful information.
"If he happens to get wind about anything Smilas might plan against us we'll know about it first provided if he happens to hear about it," Lelouch pointed out with a smile.
Lelouch was doubtful Claus would learn anything of use from Euro-Britannia, a tributary-empire composed of descendants of European Nobility who had been driven out of their countries during the revolution era set off by the French Revolution fleeing to Britannia. However, Euro-Britannia was primarily occupied with its war with the E.U. since they successfully conquered Russia on Britannia's behalf, but should Japan be liberated from Britannia then there was a risk Euro-Britannia could join Britannia in attempting to retake it.
"Geez you are really extensive about this," Mariko complimented.
"I am, but now we need to compose a shopping list."
Suddenly a knock on the door interrupted them.
"It's me," Fukumi called from the other side of the door.
"Enter," Lelouch replied, prompting Fukumi to open the door.
Like Mariko; Fukumi was dressed in her preferred causal attire consisting of a pink-lace colored high-collar double-breasted coat with red buttons. Fukumi also wore black knee-length boots with white leggings.
"Sorry for interrupting Lelouch, but Neha and Kagari wanted to see you," Fukumi reported.
"I see," Lelouch said before brushing some of his hair away from his eyes. "I'll be right back, Mariko."
"Sure thing," Mariko said, but unaware to Lelouch Mariko appeared annoyed Lelouch had been called away.
"The more we can get done upon arriving in Mumbai the better off we should be," Lelouch said as he exited the cabin to follow Fukumi to the cargo hold where the engineers were waiting for him.
Later that evening, Anna was speaking with Sophie Randle about what General Smilas was expecting should he find volunteers for the mission to Japan to side with the very thief who stole twenty of their Alexander units.
As Anna expected, Sophie didn't take it well.
To emphasize this, Sophie slammed her hand on the top of her desk to vent her frustration over what was being asked because, like Anna, she knew that simply wasn't possible.
"What is the General thinking?!"
"I am sorry."
Placing one hand on her forehead, Sophie let out an exasperated sigh.
"It's not your fault," Sophie began, "first we lose twenty Alexanders on the eve of a test of the drone control system, and now we expected to train people who are going to be sent halfway across the world to work under the same person who stole them!"
"I understand, but in a way, the Alexanders will see more combat in Area 11 compared to here," Anna pointed out, although it left Sophie exasperated she couldn't argue against her.
Despite being a special forces division possessing highly advanced Knightmare Frames, they were rarely utilized out of anything else except for suicide missions to help cover the retreat of E.U. soldiers, break open a path of retreat for them or act as decoys by landing behind enemy lines to engage them. Beyond that, the wZERO was looked down upon by the majority of the army despite the extreme risks and loses they have endured. Even worse the only pilots they could receive were Japanese, and the problem with that was the fact that very few of them signed up and those few typically end up dead after a mission or two.
The only exception was Akito Hyuga, the only pilot they had who had managed to come back from every mission despite the odds.
"If only the higher-ups would allow us to have actual pilots our combat effectiveness as a unit would increase, and the boost in numbers would be useful," Sophie remarked.
Now it was Anna's turn to sigh, "but we know they won't."
"I know, and we both know a week or so of training isn't enough between the Alexander and the Brain Raid System."
The Brain Raid System was an experimental piece of technology designed to synchronize the brainwaves of the pilots between Alexander units to increase coordination between them. It was initially based upon an invention created by Joe Wise, Sophie, and her husband who volunteered to be the test subject, but tragically his mind couldn't handle the experiment leaving him in a coma connected to life support while in suspended animation until they could repair the damage.
"It's just not possible to train anyone in such a short amount of time," Sophie pointed out, "I would have to send Kate and Ferilli to Japan, but I could be sending them to a death sentence if Britannia captures them."
"The same is true for me since Hilda and Chloe would have to go to not only collect the data from the Alexanders, but there is the fact Zero might try to make use of the drone control system?"
"Are you sure about that?"
"Not really, but somehow, I can't imagine he would ignore the possibilities such a system could provide him."
"I suppose, but we still have a problem."
Unaware to the two; their conversation was being eavesdropped upon by someone outside Sophie's office.
Three days later the Kobayashi Maru arrived at the city of Mumbai, and once the ship had docked at the warehouse district, Lelouch was already stepping off the boat wearing casual clothing consisting of black pants a white dress shirt and large black sunglasses. Accompanying him was Mariko, Ryo, and Fukumi, but waiting for them at the bottom of the boarding ramp was a smiling Yukiya.
"Well, look who showed up to meet us!" Ryo said glad to be reunited with his friend as the two shook hands.
"I hope you guys enjoyed your time on that cargo ship I enjoyed every moment of the five-star hotel I got to stay at and the first-class accommodations on the plane ride here!"
Ryo merely laughed it off, "oh come you deserved because without you Lelouch, Ayano, and Marirrosa wouldn't have made it."
It was Yukiya's turn to laugh, "no kidding, I was sweating bullets throughout the whole time they were in that castle."
"Good job, Yukiya, but you brought all of the technical data on the Alexander?"
"Of course I did," Yukiya said, holding up the suitcase containing the hard drive the data was stored in. "I'll give it to those engineers you got working for us."
"I'll leave you to it," Lelouch said before turning to Ryo, "you and Fukumi can meet up with us later. Here is the information for the rental I arranged for us to use."
Ryo accepted the printed receipt, "sure we'll meet you guys at the tailor."
"Sorry, I can't stay, but no rest for the wicked as they say."
Yukiya merely brushed it off.
"No, worries, we got a lot to do."
Leaving Ryo and Fukumi behind; Lelouch and Mariko were walking through the busy city streets of Mumbai. The crowded city was a top-rated tourist destination, and it was also the most prominent trading port within the Militarized Zone of India. However; it was also home to one of the most notorious and dangerous criminals possessing a vast seedy underbelly.
If you wanted to hide, then Mumbai was among the best places in the world where that was possible.
Furthermore, Mumbai's underworld and most of the city itself was under the influence of Peace Mark having one of their headquarters within the city where they would dispatch mercenaries and transport funding and supplies to various anti-Britannian groups around the world. Their influence and presence within Mumbai were strong enough that those affiliated with the organization would be granted access to unique services and market opportunities because Mumbai was home to many black market traders who conduct most of their business here.
Members of the Peace Mark organization, or at least those like Lelouch who acted as mercenaries carrying out missions. They could obtain what they need and whatever services those affiliated with the organization where privacy and strict confidentiality was guaranteed, because if any of those who provided services and equipment to Peace Mark members revealed any details about their clients, then they would be swiftly assassinated.
We shall protect your secrets if you protect ours.
That was their promise to those who worked with the organization either as a resistance group connected them or carried out mercenary work.
"Is this the place," Mariko asked with a notebook tucked under her right arm.
"It is," Lelouch answered as he and Mariko arrived at a tailor shop in downtown Mumbai of its old district consisting of various buildings constructed decades ago and were built up among one another left to some state of disrepair while the newer area consisted of newly created buildings and skyscrapers towering over the old district of Mumbai.
Lelouch opened the door before letting Mariko walk in first as an act of courtesy before they were quickly greeted by a local man wearing white and red robes trimmed with gold while around him his small shop had everything one would need to create clothing out of the rolls of different color fabric and string dotting his workshop. On the other hand, the shop's interior seemed to be rather cramped through, but there was a reason Lelouch and Mariko came to this man.
"Ah Mr. Lamperouge welcome back," Arjun, the tailor and shop owner greeted eagerly shaking the young man's hand. "It's been ages since I saw you."
"Indeed it has," Lelouch replied, returning the greeting, "I was quite busy in the E.U. for a lot longer than I expected."
"So it would seem since I heard your time there was very productive," Arjun commented before Lelouch presented him with a card bearing a harp with what appeared to be dragon's head on top of it, the emblem of the Peace Mark Organization.
"Are my orders finished?"
"Yes, they are," Arjun confirmed before slipping behind his counter to push a button hidden below his cash register causing the curtains to be drawn over the windows and a blind to fall over the door while locking it.
Once any means for anyone on the outside to look inside the store was locked a hidden panel in the floor slid back revealing a staircase leading underground.
Following Arjun, Lelouch with Mariko in awe over what she was seeing. Lelouch had told her that as a terrorist dispatch and support organization who aided any anti-Britannian resistance groups across the world the organization would naturally have connections to various suppliers in weapons, supplies and more scattered around the world. However, Mumbai was among the few places, helped by the fact the city was home to one of the biggest hubs for the international black market, where Peace Mark had its presence the strongest and thus making it perhaps the safest places on the planet for any anti-Britannian organization to buy what they needed.
Lelouch had initially passed through Mumbai on his way to Spain to purchase some of his original equipment and tools, but shortly after accepting the offer from General Smilas the young man had made some plans for their arrival in Mumbai beforehand. One of these was placing an order with Arjun who on the surface was a simple tailor, but in actuality, he was a tailor who specialized in creating tactical uniforms for resistance groups capable of affording his services.
"As per your original request you made months ago I have reproduced four copies of your school uniform with my special tactical lining," Arjun explained as the trio descended the stairs entering the tailor's real workshop.
"Excellent, and what of my new order I sent in last month?"
"It's complete, and just like your school uniform it has our special tactical lining so your comrades should be very pleased with the results," Arjun explained as he led them down a corridor.
They passed by transparent windows where Mariko saw workers behind sewing tables and workbenches using equipment at first glance was clearly state-of-the-art that almost comically contrasted with Arjun's workshop above them.
Leading the pair to a room where a mannequin was set up wearing a black uniform trimmed with gray, with matching pants and black boots.
"Now, let me give you a demonstration."
Clapping his hands, Arjun summoned an assistant who stepped forward with a machine gun in his hands before pointing and firing the weapon at the mannequin. The exposed limbs and head of the dummy were destroyed, but the uniform appeared damaged but mostly intact.
Arjun approached the mannequin while encouraging Lelouch and Mariko to follow him.
"Now take a look here," Arjun said gesturing for the pair to inspect the uniform.
Lelouch examined the bullet holes as did Mariko, but both found that despite some light damage, there was no penetration.
Mariko was impressed, prompting her to ask, "Is this bulletproof?"
"Impressive did you use kevlar with this?" Lelouch inquired.
"No," Arjun said as the same assistant who had shot the mannequin had left to bring back a piece of a coat where the inner lining was sewed in allowing Arjun to remove what appeared to be a thin leather-like sheet from inside the jacket. "This is a hybrid of carbide discs, ceramic matrices with an accompanied laminate on top of it forming a body armor unlike anything else in the world. All we do is sew it in-between the fabric and lining making it completely bulletproof, but be aware you will still feel the impact of those bullets, so it is quite painful."
"Are all of our uniforms going to be like this?"
"Just the uniforms you, Ryo and the others will have. The rest will have standard uniforms, which I have created some different variations like a skirt, shorts, and pants for whatever is your preference," Lelouch explained.
"What about you?"
"Mr. Lamperouge asked for something special to be his uniform," Arjun answered.
"Special?"
"I'll show you guys later, but I assume everything is as I specified."
"Indeed," Arjun nodded, "we included a slide system in the mask to allow for easy use with retinal scanners, so you don't have to take it off. The suit has the same body armor as the uniforms, but the mask we made out of durable yet lightweight materials making it bulletproof against most low caliber firearms except for those of a higher caliber such as anti-material rifles."
"Well done, and you got my payment?"
"Yes, we have thanks to Mr. Wizard," Arjun replied.
"Good, but is there a chance you can do a rush order for one," Lelouch said, reaching into his pocket to hand Arjun a piece of paper where measurements of another were written down.
"I sure can, any specifics about the wearer?"
"She is a highly skilled martial artist, talented in kung fu," Lelouch answered thinking of Xu Lifeng before providing a photo of her.
"Ah I see," Arjun exclaimed before muttering as he devised a style, "yes we'll replicate the bell-shaped sleeves and bottoms to ensure unrestricted movement of the limbs to not hinder her agility."
"I might be back within the next week to order a few more depending, but it won't be an inconvenience for you?"
"Not at all Mr. Lamperouge, we are here to provide services for those with Peace Mark and the resistance movements supported by them. As long as you have the money, we will fulfill any order as promised." Arjun answered with an amusingly dismissive gesture.
Lelouch smiled, "in that case, I'll be seeing you again very soon."
"I look forward to it, but where would you like your completed orders sent to?"
Lelouch drew another slip of paper from his pocket, "I would like everything delivered at this address."
Accepting the piece of paper Arjun examined the address written upon it.
"It shall be there by this afternoon."
Once their business was done Lelouch and Mariko left the shop to meet up with Ryo and Fukumi who should have the rental vehicle Lelouch had ordered to travel to their next stop which was out in the countryside outside Mumbai. Knowing the streets where the tailor's shop was located was typically overcrowded the pair had to make their way to a more open street where the crowds were easier to get through especially if you have a vehicle.
"What kind of vehicle did you rent?"
"I," Lelouch began before the sound of someone honking a horn interrupted him.
Mariko's jaw dropped upon seeing Ryo and Fukumi, the latter was driving, pulled up driving a yellow and silver trimmed auto rickshaw.
Ryo looked at Lelouch with an unamused expression upon his face.
"With have a ton of money, and you chose to rent THIS!"
"It's called keeping a low profile," Lelouch countered. "Let's go, we have a long drive ahead of us."
Around the same time, Yukiya had finished giving Neha and her assistant Kagari to begin examining the data before working on compiling a list of equipment and materials he would need Lelouch to get for him. Once Neha and Kagari were done going over the data they would give him a list of what they would need to customize and tune up the Alexander units to be piloted by Ayano, Lelouch, Marirrosa, Ryo and himself to be forwarded to Lelouch.
The rest, save for Yukiya and two others, was ensuring everything on board the Kobayashi Maru was offloaded and moved to the private dock where their new submarine, a Yasha-class sheath transport. It had six torpedo launchers, six cruise missile launchers and two slash-harken style anchors as weapons, but it was designed for long-range reconnaissance missions. Their particular submarine named the Nautilus by Lelouch was customized for moving cargo and Knightmare Frames, and its hydro propulsion ensured a cruising speed of an average of forty knots. Its stealth capabilities allowed it to emit a falsified sonar signal to disguise itself as a fleet of whales, and it was modified to be mostly automated requiring at least five to six people to operate it.
It was risky, but Lelouch and the others didn't have enough people they could trust. Operating the cargo ship, they used with such a small crew was very risky as well. Thankfully they didn't have any problems when they rented the vessel for their own usage.
Chiyo, Hiroto and some of the others would take the submarine and head to Area 11 for the first drop off before coming back, Yukiya thought.
Leaving Lelouch, Ryo, Marirrosa, Ayano, Mariko, Xu Lifeng and himself to handle the rest.
"This is going to be a busy week," Yukiya mused.
A few hours later the rented auto-rickshaw, now being driven by Lelouch to give Fukumi a break, had driven far into the countryside outside of Mumbai where the group was arriving at a large vineyard. It wasn't any spectacular, but it was merely a very old vineyard. Yet despite the apparent age of the buildings, being at least decades old, the vineyard was surprisingly well maintained with large fields of grapes and a warehouse with a loading dock for whatever product they produced.
"We're here," Lelouch declared as he parked their vehicle.
"Aren't we all a bit young for wine?" Ryo mused half-jokingly.
"We're here for something else," Lelouch replied with his trademark smirk.
Much like the tailor's shop, the vineyard was merely a front for another of the services Peace Mark offered. Following Lelouch, Ryo, Fukumi, and Mariko followed him into the main building resembling a two-story mansion. Once inside the group, the interior is more modernized compared to the exterior by someone with clear expensive tastes, approached a man standing behind a reception desk.
"Can I help you," the man asked finding it odd there would be teenagers at a vineyard.
"Is Lady Shah here," Lelouch asked before discreetly slipping his card with the emblem of Peace Mark across the desk, "we're here for a tasting."
Nodding, the receptionist accepted the card.
"We do not serve minors, but we have been exploring alternatives that should be more acceptable for your age group," the receptionist answered before gesturing for the group to follow him.
The group was led down a flight of stairs before traveling down a hallway where two armed guards stood in front of a pair of double ornate wooden doors.
Beyond on them was a lavished office where on the sides of the room was expensive artwork and wine racks presumably having the most exceptional wine stored upon them. Seated behind a desk was an Indian woman dressed in colorful robes trimmed with gold with a shawl draped over her shoulders with a hood and a red bindi mark on her forehead.
"Welcome back, Mr. Lamperouge," Lady Vanya Shah greeted.
"Lady Shah, the pleasure is all mines," Lelouch greeted politely with a bow, and he was followed by Ryo and the others.
Vanya Shah, publicly a wealthy wine seller whose creations have been sold as far as Britannia, the E.U. and the Chinese Federation. In the underworld, Vanya was actually the most notorious arms dealer with connections across the world allowing her to obtain virtually any firearm, including Knightmare Frames and weapons for them, as long as the buyer can meet her price.
"So what brings you here, Mr. Lamperouge?"
"I am here to finalize and review my order while planning to make some purchases," Lelouch explained. "I sent ahead some details."
"Yes," Vanya said with a smile before using her laptop to pull up Lelouch's list. "You are asking for a lot...almost enough to arm a small army."
"Well, I am planning on aggressively expanding my group into a full-fledged anti-Britannian resistance group, but even if I find people, I'll need supplies and weapons."
"Too true," Vanya said nodding agreement, "and I see you made some good choices."
"I know Chinese Federation models like the Hong Long are usually a popular and less costly choice since they produce them for civilian militias, but their ease of use is great, yet their precision is low."
"Yet you want something for your followers that don't require no specialized training to use, and where finding compatible ammunition won't be too hard," Vanya asked earning a confirmation nod from Lelouch.
"Smart thinking I have seen too many rookie resistance groups buy my finest weapons and end up hurting themselves."
Lelouch had read about resistance groups in Japan, and other than the Japan Liberation Front consisting of former Japanese military, the resistance groups of Japan was mostly made up of civilians who for the most part lacked any experience with advanced weapons. Lelouch had heard about an incident where a resistance group had attacked a military warehouse with sophisticated weapons including assault rifles, anti-material rifles, and rocket launchers.
Despite their new firearms, the resistance group was wiped out partly due to improper use of their weapons such as some members had broken their own shoulders on the anti-material rifle, for instance, unprepared for the recoil.
Hence Lelouch's decision to ensure the weapons he would buy for his resistance group wouldn't be a potential hazard to his own followers with user-friendliness in mind, and the ammunition they would use could be easy enough to acquire on their own so they wouldn't be dependent on having ammunition shipped to them.
"With that said, I wish for these weapons to be interchangeable with ammunition that is commonly found in Area 11, so replenishment will not be limited to shipments."
"Ah, you have been giving this a lot of thought, very well follow me."
Vanya gestured for the group to follow her as she rose from her desk before pushing a button to open a hidden door behind her. Following Lady Shah, the group entered a large room filled with shelves and tables with various weapons ranging from rifles, pistols, shotguns, knives, rocket launchers and more on display. The room felt like a giant museum to different weapons than a storeroom, but Lelouch understood this was merely where Vanya showed her clients her wares before a purchase.
Lelouch followed her until they came to displays and racks filled with several assault rifles of different kinds and makes, and she picked one off the shelf.
"This is what you wanted for the bulk of your orders," Vanya said before handing Lelouch what appeared to be an assault rifle. "TDC-7 AR, a European-made assault rifle commonly used by law enforcement, specifically SWAT teams, and civilian militia and military commandos within the E.U. thanks to its user friendly design requiring little training to use, ease of maintenance and can unitize similar bullets from different countries making them for ideal commando units operating behind enemy lines. It's fully automatic with a modern bullpup with options to attach a powerful suppressor."
Lelouch examined, handling the weapon while testing how quickly he could reload the empty magazine after removing it, the assault rifle before passing it to Ryo and the others, allowing them to examine the weapon.
Ryo seemed satisfied with the weapon before allowing Mariko and Fukumi to examine the assault rifle before passing it back to Lelouch who in turn gave it back to Vanya.
"Impressive, and I am certain it will make for an excellent weapon that is at least better quality than those Chinese Federation weapons most resistance groups use."
"It will not disappoint, and the best part is these weapons are made in bulk, so we have plenty to sell."
"I see," Lelouch said before a thought came to mind, "so people chose the Chinese Federation brand weapons because of their close proximity to Area 11?"
"Correct, which is a good move for saving money but in exchange, the quality of the weapons is questionable since the Chinese Federation is just looking to make a quick buck."
"Now then do you have any suggestions for something big, and with plenty of stopping power that could fit our needs?"
"I have just the one," Vanya answered before leading the group to where shelves and racks held a wide variety of shotguns.
Vanya selected one out of the dozens of shotguns before presenting it.
"A classic among shotgun enthusiasts, a Britannian-made M2 assault pump-action shotgun. Custom bolt carrier release and charging handle. It has textured grips for a secured grip in the rain or should your hands get sweaty. One-shot can make swiss cheese out of Britannian body armor."
Lelouch accepted the weapon, and like the previous assault rifle, he had examined he checked the shotgun while testing how well the pump work while noticing the textured grips did provide a secure hold for its user. Once he was finished Ryo accepted the weapon before he passed it to Mariko and Fukumi respectively after they reached inspected the shotgun.
"We'll take it," Lelouch said, handing it back to Vanya. "What type of sniper rifles do you have?"
"For you," Vanya said before leading Lelouch to where she kept sniper rifles on display, "I would suggest the Banshee 400, European-made commonly used with special forces units within the E.U. military, it has a suppressor and a muzzle flash."
"This should do," Lelouch said as he studied the right once it was passed into his hands.
"Hey, is there anything we can use against Knightmare Frames?" Ryo inquired.
"I actually have a stock of anti-material rifles for that purpose…shall we?"
"Yes, show me what else you got," Lelouch said with a grin.
Following a busy, but successful day of shopping Lelouch and the others returned to the private indoor dock where their submarine was located. However, once the initial shipments of supplies and some of the Alexanders were loaded upon the vessel, the Nautilus departed heading for Japan, a journey that would take almost week to reach and then one week back.
All that was left was to collect the last of what they needed and transport it back to Area 11, and by then Lelouch hoped Neha and her assistant would be finished with modifying and customizing the four Alexanders.
It was past eleven when Marirrosa entered the office within the indoor-dock where Lelouch was busy finalizing their budget for the next six months once they returned to Area 11. Whatever funds they had left Lelouch planned on storing some within private accounts hidden in the Militarized Zone of India while the rest through Oiaguro's help and connections would be placed within hidden accounts in Area 11 for use when they need it.
Worried for Lelouch potentially pulling an all-nighter Marirrosa decided to intervene.
"Hey, Lelouch, maybe you should call it quits for tonight."
"I am almost finished," Lelouch replied as Marirrosa approached him from behind.
"Come on," Marirrosa began putting one hand on his shoulder, "We got two weeks before we head to Area 11. Just call it a night and pick up where you left off tomorrow."
Lelouch wanted to refuse, but he felt his body's desire for sleep already setting in leaving him with little options to refute Marirrosa.
With a defeated sigh, Lelouch closed his laptop.
"Fine you win," Lelouch said before getting up from his chair, but his exhaustion was even more evident causing Marirrosa to help him to the sofa where Lelouch had set up a make-shift bed.
"You know maybe you need a day off tomorrow," Marirrosa suggested as Lelouch sat on the sofa before removing his shoes.
"I'll take one when we arrive back in Area 11."
Marirrosa sighed, "come on, stop being so stubborn and take it easy for just ONE day."
The young woman joined Lelouch on the sofa before saying with an amused smile.
"We could go on a date."
Lelouch was slightly taken aback by that remark causing Marirrosa to laugh.
"Well that got your attention," Marirrosa teased before kissing Lelouch on the cheek much to the latter's surprise.
Before Lelouch could say something, Marirrosa promptly got up and left the room leaving Lelouch to ponder over what happened, but he didn't have long as his body demanded rest and he was forced to comply.
It was something Lelouch would have to address tomorrow, and yet there was still much that needed to be done.
A/N: this felt like a good point to wrap it up for now. Lelouch is making good use of both his earnings and what he and the others got from Mr. Strandberg, including the funds they got when Yukiya stripped mine his accounts.
Lelouch will have no shortage of weapons and supplies, but for every advantage, Lelouch will get, that means I will up the difficulty. It won't be evident at first because of some set up I must do, but I have something in mind.
Lelouch will not use all of the Alexanders units in battle except for his own personal unit and Marirrosa's units with maybe Ryo and Yukiya. But Lelouch intends to keep it low key for a bit once he returns to Area 11 to properly establish himself without panicking the Area 11 military into focusing on him too much. It would be problematic if they were to find out if they were a resistance group with something like the Alexander units, which would be worse if Britannia knew they had a lot of them.
That is why Lelouch has brought some Sutherlands that ended up on the black market, and they are better than the Glasgows at least, and replacement parts and the like are easier to find in Area 11 compared to the Alexanders.
I have found some chapters of Oz of the Reflection I was able to read, with no virus and no endlessly assault of pop up ads, so that will help me a lot with characters and it gave me some ideas.
Anyway next chapter we will find out who will be sent to support Lelouch from the E.U, before finally returning to Area 11.
Thank you and see you guys next chapter, and I hope you guys enjoyed the various references, easter eggs and shout outs to specific movies and video games in this chapter.
The Demon and his Knights Ch5
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StrifeHavoc
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A/N: Ok, just to note several new characters are introduced here, and we get a look at the new Alexanders that have been customized for use by Lelouch and others.
I hope my efforts and attempts to try something new work out, so, for now, I'll leave you to enjoy the chapter.
Before that, I do want to give special thanks to Seerking for his suggestions regarding Shinjuku, and for letting me borrow an idea for a particular law some of you familiar with his story will notice in the chapter.
As Lelouch stirred in his cot, having obtained a more proper bed to use since living within the private indoor dock that had become their temporary home he marveled at how much has happened in one week alone. It was December 30th, the day before New Year and Lelouch once again felt an anguished pain in his chest over the fact he would be missing New Years with Nunnally as well, but Christmas too. Lelouch tried to reassure himself everything he was done was for her sake.
Still, it didn't mean that it didn't hurt Lelouch a lot no matter how well he justified leaving his sister in Area 11 for over a half-a-year.
He only didn't worry about her as much as he would have thanks to the presence of their maid Sayoko and Oiaguro keeping an eye on her from a distance, but Lelouch still wished to return to Area 11 as soon as possible.
There are a few things left before the Nautilus returns to pick us up, Lelouch thought as his mind was now awake yet it was then he noticed something.
Lelouch noticed a weight on one side of his body before realizing he wasn't alone. Lelouch was stunned to discover Marirrosa had slipped into his room and into his bed. Fortunately, she was wearing a pair of red shorts and a white tank-top while having pulled the blanket over both of them. He was hesitant to disturb her slumber, but the weight and feel of her body combined with its tantalizing warmth were affecting Lelouch in a way his thinking was compromised. His thoughts were being focused on the woman sleeping atop of one half of his body with one arm draped around his neck and her face buried into his neck.
How did she…I must've been really exhausted last night to have not noticed her, Lelouch thought while cursing his own body for reacting to Marirrosa's.
Call it a stubborn sense of pride, but Lelouch believed he was above being affected by teenage hormones as he had always ignored the advances of all of the women at Ashford Academy, which was made easy by the fact they were all swallow and vain something Lelouch wasn't looking for at all in a woman. On top of it between caring for Nunnally and planning his eventual rebellion against Britannia, he believed he didn't have time to waste on a relationship.
Yet ever since their date almost two weeks ago, things have been progressively different between them.
December 17th
After breakfast and finishing his work from the previous night, Lelouch had agreed to go out on a date with Marirrosa as part of his day off. It wasn't going to be anything too fancy, but at least Lelouch had a white dress shirt with black pants to wear for the day together, he didn't have much else to use. Ryo and Yukiya were encouraging that Lelouch should take some time off to refresh himself given everything that has happened over the past couple of weeks, and they assured their friend and leader they could take care of the rest while he was gone.
"Come on, Lelouch will be fine, its just one day, and you need a break more than anyone," Ryo said, throwing one arm on Lelouch's shoulder while Lelouch merely took it in stride.
"Besides its about time, you and Marirrosa got closer?" Yukiya commented.
"What are you two implying?" Lelouch asked raising an eyebrow, but that only caused Yukiya and Ryo to enjoy a laugh at Lelouch's expense.
"You're kidding me right, you never noticed?"
Lelouch didn't want to answer that question knowing it would just make things worse, but his silence was telling enough.
"Wow for a guy who can put together some crazy plans and is smarter than most of us couldn't tell when he had women showing a," Ryo said after regaining his composure after his laughing fit, "an obvious interest in him."
"Make that two," Yukiya pointed out.
"Two," Lelouch asked, but neither Ryo and Yukiya wanted to answer that question deciding to let Lelouch figure that one out.
"Don't worry about it, besides you should make the most of every day Lelouch. Before you came along, we weren't sure if we were going to live to see tomorrow or not, and that does hold true even now, so make the most of today and enjoy yourself." Ryo offered sagely. "When you have a chance to indulge yourself and have some fun, don't waste, it is my advice."
Lelouch found little reason to argue against it, especially knowing what things were like for Ryo and the others if his own experiences were anything to compare to.
I guess they have a point, although I hate wasting time I suppose one day can't hurt. I have no intention of losing against Britannia, but only a fool would think otherwise.
His experiences with Star of Madrid group had driven this point home, primarily before the E.U. wrestled Spain from Britannia control. No matter how well he could plan Lelouch understood unforeseen complications and things beyond his control could happen, although this led to him to plan more extensively with some contingencies in mind Lelouch learned to be prepared for the worse.
With that in mind, Lelouch decided to merely accept his day off since he didn't know what to expect once he returned to Area 11.
"Ok, you guys win."
"Don't be so glum about it, besides I am sure you'll enjoy yourself," Ryo said encouragingly.
"Besides I am sure you were just so busy you failed to see how much Marirrosa had a huge crush on you. If you think about it for a moment it should all make sense if you consider your shared experiences and you two have been working together for months," Yukiya pointed out.
Contemplating that for a moment Lelouch began to realize Marirrosa had become romantically interested in him during the final weeks he spent as a member of her brother's resistance group. They weren't close at first, especially since he never gave them his real name and history. But the more he spent time with them he found a kindred spirit with Marirrosa's brother. Both had lost their parents to Britannia, although Fernando's parents were lost during a brutal attack on their home town though they had no way to defend themselves resulting in a massacre and both wanted to create a better world for their younger sibling.
It was these factors, and other Lelouch found himself becoming more open to the older man, mainly after Fernando had eventually deduced Lelouch's true identity from his story about his sister and even noted how he bore a certain resemblance to the famed Marianne the Flash. Lelouch was surprised, but this was another lesson he would need to adopt a masked persona to ensure his identity would remain safe in the future.
Lelouch was understandably surprised, because instead of being angry with him for being former royalty, he sympathized with the young man even more so. Marirrosa was initially shocked, but also didn't judge Lelouch for his past and had also become closer to him as a result given his desire to remake the world for his sister and find his mother's killer.
Yet something Fernando told him had stuck with Lelouch…
"I think you might be the right person to change this world into something better?"
"How so, my motives aren't actually selfless, you know."
"Maybe, but great causes have always arisen from selfish desires."
"And some of the worst wars too?"
"True, but a paladin would eagerly throw away his life for a cause with little thought. A zealot wouldn't be much better either. Those driven purely by selflessness tend to always die before their dreams and goals are fulfilled. There is nothing wrong with being selfless, but those seeking to the change the world can let that blind them to what they must truly do."
"I can see your point."
"So I guess I am Diogenes and his lamp looking for an honest man willing to die for all the wrong reasons."
"What?"
"A selfish man will last longer and accomplish more than a selfless one, and sometimes those willing to die for all of the wrong reasons tend to be more successful because they have the drive to achieve their goals and survive them to see they are fulfilled."
"Sorry for keeping you Lelouch," Marirrosa called out, and in response, Lelouch turned around and was surprised to see Marirrosa wearing a black skirt with a white shirt and a red jacket over it.
"Wow someone really dressed up for today," Ryo said jokingly elbowing Lelouch.
"Sorry I just thought I should dress appropriately," Marirrosa admitted bashfully.
Composing himself, Lelouch extended his hand to Marirrosa.
"Shall we go, then?"
"Yes," Marirrosa said eagerly taking Lelouch's hand leading to the two to depart.
Once they were gone, Yukiya turned to Ryo.
"Hey, should we say something about Ayano to Lelouch?"
"Nah, let him figure it out."
Yukiya wasn't sure if that was a good idea, especially in the corner of the room Ayano had silently watched the scene moments ago.
Lelouch had considered a few things they could do for their date, although it was his first time the young man thought about something simple like a movie. Unfortunately, the only movie playing was Mumbai Hero, which was basically a self-insert movie based on the exploits of a ruthless pirate who was active several years ago with the Bollywood Producer, Dawood Rangan, as the star. A womanizing and cruel man who was actually a mobster who used his movies for his money laundering activities while paying off city officials, to cover his underground gambling dens and protection racketing, and cheating his extras out of pay.
I am glad to hear someone put that bastard six feet under.
Lelouch thought while recalling a news report the other day that Rangan was killed during the production of another movie during an accident involving a giant fan that went out of control blowing Rangan off the building sending him falling ten stories to his death.
Accident my foot I am confident that accident was just to cover an assassination and he had more than enough enemies the list of people who would've hired an assassin to kill him was likely staggering to be sure.
In the end, Lelouch chose a restaurant in the upper part of town for them to have lunch before spending the rest of the day sightseeing. The pair even visited a few shops to look for something for Lelouch to give Nunnally and add to the souvenirs and gifts he had created on the side for her. Lelouch was mindful not to pick anything that could identify where he really was, which made choosing slightly awkward unless he could create a shrewd cover story.
As the day came to a close, the pair returned to the private dock for the submarine, but as they approached the door with Lelouch walking ahead of Marirrosa intending to open the door for her as a gentlemanly gesture.
"So, Lelouch, how are you feeling?"
"I am actually feeling very relaxed," Lelouch admitted, "I guess I did need that time off."
"I am glad I could help."
"You've done a lot for me Marirrosa, and I don't think there is anything I could say that could convey it," Lelouch admitted with a slightly serious expression.
"I could suggest something," Marirrosa offered boldly.
"What," Lelouch asked, but was cut off as he found one firm hand on his shoulder before Marirrosa spun him around and planted both lips upon his.
Lelouch was caught completely off-guard in a moment that lasted a few seconds yet time seemingly slowed down for him. Lelouch did nothing to stop her. Nor did he do anything when he felt her tongue trying to slip its way past his lips seeking entrance. Without thinking consciously about it, Lelouch's lips parted allowing Marirrosa to slide her tongue into his mouth where it met Lelouch's before Marirrosa began pulling her tongue in and out while becoming intertwined with Lelouch's own as the latter sought to deepen the kiss.
A second later Lelouch realized Marirrosa had pinned him between both the door and her.
Lost in the kiss and enjoying it Lelouch wrapped his arms around Marirrosa and drew her closer, but after what felt like an eternity Lelouch managed to break free, allowing him to take a deep breath. Marirrosa's cheeks were flushed red, and she was left breathing heavily from such a deep and passionate first kiss.
Fearful she might've been too bold Marirrosa tried to justify it.
"I am sorry, but I thought you normally share a kiss after a first date."
"I am not sure about that, but is that what you want?"
"Yes, because," Marirrosa heisted, but only because these were words no one should use lightly. "I…I love you, and I want to follow you to the very end."
Ever since that day, Lelouch has been mindful about conducting his newly formed relationship with Marirrosa carefully. Although he feared it could be a distraction for his rebellion, considering everything he and Marirrosa have been through perhaps a relationship developing between them should've been expected.
Lelouch trusted Marirrosa with his secrets, and he spoke to her things he had never shared with Nunnally or another else becoming his closest friend and confidant.
Aside from kissing and holding hands, Lelouch hadn't allowed the relationship to progress any further beyond that. But it was clear Marirrosa might've had different ideas in mind, which concerned Lelouch yet he suspected what might be the reason.
Is she just anxious because of the fight that lies ahead?
Recalling how Marirrosa lost all of her friends and her brother, being the only family she had left Lelouch suspected her enthusiasm for a more personal relationship between them was driven by the possibility Lelouch could be killed, and the reverse held true for her as well.
"Make everyday count?"
Lelouch thought as Ryo's advice replayed in his mind, causing him to wonder if Ryo had somehow encouraged Marirrosa to pursue a relationship with him so audaciously.
Sighing Lelouch had to figure out how to get out of bed without waking Marirrosa.
Downstairs Ryo and Fukumi were waiting for Ayano and Mariko to return with the support General Smilas had promised Lelouch was going to arrive after having sent word through a Peace Mark proxy the previous night who had delivered the message giving them a headcount of who was coming. The pair had obtained a large passenger van to pick up the promised support from the airport and bring them straight to their location.
The submarine had returned late last night after successfully dropping off its cargo in Japan and then making its return trip, and during that time Lelouch and Ryo had collected everything they needed it. The submarine was about loaded with the last of the supplies, weapons and the Alexander Knightmare Frames including the units that had been customized for Lelouch, Ayano, Marirrosa and Yukiya's use.
They had plenty of assault rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, bombs, explosives, and plenty more in terms of supplies, including food and medicine, to last them for months if everything goes according to plan.
"Where's Lelouch," Ryo asked as the shutter doors began opening and a red van was pulling in.
"I am not sure," Yukiya began before looking over his shoulder at the tall stairwell leading to the office overlooking the interior dock which Lelouch had made into his temporary quarters while in Mumbai.
Descending from the steps was Lelouch, after having dislodged himself from a slumbering Marirrosa, but instead of casual attire, Lelouch was now dressed in the new uniform he had the tailor create for him.
Inspired by the attire worn by Marirrosa's group, but ultimately had something designed to match his preferences. It was a sleek two-piece light purple bodysuit fashioned after Victorian-style attire with yellow stripes on the sleeves and legs while outlining the edges of the upper second half of the suit including the coattails and collar. The heeled boots were part of the outfit, and there was a white cravat as well and a black sleeveless elastic shirt that could be pulled up to cover Lelouch's neck everything below his eyes. Draped upon his shoulders was a black cape with a red interior trimmed with gold and a high collar that encircled his head.
Then the most noteworthy aspect of the outfit was the spiky black and indigo mask with a golden stretched emblem of a phoenix taking flight shown along the bottom, but the outfit especially the cape had a similar logo decorated upon the suit in a stylish way. The mask also had three plates that would descend and lock itself in place over the wearer's head, and thanks to the sleeveless elastic shirt it made trying to peek under his mask difficult. Finally, a hidden device could allow the wearer to reveal his left eye without taking off the mask, so Lelouch could use the biometric lock on his cabin aboard the submarine without taking it off.
The emblem was inspired by something Oiaguro told him being related to some kind of secret cult his father the Emperor had connections too, although he knew nothing else about them at the time Lelouch told him to save it until they were in a better position to deal with them. Not to mention Lelouch was worried poking too deeply into this cult would draw unwanted attention, but it was something worth looking into once Lelouch was in a better position to handle whatever his prodding could cause.
"What do you think?" Lelouch asked, and the mask's internal microphone altered Lelouch's voice electronically, giving it a deep echo.
"Like something out of a comic book," Ryo noted.
"I suppose I could say I took Fernando's lesson on theatrics too literally, but this should be more than sufficient," Lelouch remarked as he finished descending from the stairs.
"Well you are just in time the support that General promised us is here," Ryo said as the van came to a stop near them.
Watching Ayano followed by Mariko disembarking the van Lelouch observed seven passengers exit the van one at a time, but even being aware of those who were coming Lelouch was still surprised nevertheless since he recognized six out of seven of them.
"Six of you I had met before back at the castle," Lelouch said approaching the group.
Among the seven General Smilas had sent Lelouch recognized Kate Novak, Ferilli Baltrow, Hilda Fagan, Chloe Winkel, and Sarah Danes.
Except for Kate, who wore identical attire with her white lab coat traded out for an ordinary white jacket, the rest wore casual attire. Ferilli's attire was also similar to what she wore when Lelouch last saw her except the white lab coat was traded out for a black jacket, and Sarah wore a blue skirt, a white shirt, and blue coat. Chloe wore a pink dress with a white jacket over it and white sandals while Hilda, similar to Sarah, wore more business orientated clothing.
"That being said I am surprised to see six of you again," Lelouch as Zero greeted. "I am Zero, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Novak, Miss Baltrow, Miss Fagan, Miss Winkel, Miss Reuel and you, Miss Danes."
"I believe that is a sentiment shared by the six of us," Sarah began, "none of us expected to volunteer for the man who stole our country's hardware and caused quite a stir back home."
"I can only imagine, but I hope at least your new commander is a far better choice."
"I think you'll find no one is going to argue with you on that one," Kate pointed out.
Lelouch turned to the new arrival who was the oldest of the seven being in her late twenties with long black hair tied into a ponytail wearing a white shirt with black pants and a jacket on with a duffle bag over her shoulder.
"And you are," Lelouch asked, offering his hand in greeting.
"I am Kyoko Ikari, a physician," Kyoko replied before returning the greeting by shaking his hand.
"A physician, excellent we are looking to establish a medical division within my group and hopefully expand upon it," Lelouch noted. "Were you part of the wZERO?"
"Not exactly, but I was part of the French Foreign Legion receiving training to become a medic," Kyoko answered.
"I see, well we have stockpiled on plenty of medical supplies and in time I don't intend for you to be the only physician we'll have. Perhaps you could help us train others if you don't mind?"
"No, I wouldn't have an issue with that," Kyoko admitted while she was how surprised by how prepared she was.
"Hey Zero," Xu Lifeng called as she was walking on the submarine's boarding ramp. "Everything is secured and loaded, but where is Marirrosa?"
"I believe she is still in the office on the second floor. Would you mind fetching her and telling her we will be leaving soon?" Lelouch said feeling a tad uncomfortable that it would wake Marirrosa from her slumber, but it was her fault for sleeping in especially when she knew they would leave once the submarine was loaded and the promised support had arrived.
It wasn't much, but their skills, especially Kyoko, would be useful…provided none of them would stab him in the back.
The ones from the wZERO I don't think are spies, but Kyoko is questionable so I'll need to keep an eye on her, Lelouch thought, but that didn't mind he wouldn't keep an observant eye on the others as well.
Lelouch wondered if General Smilas, knowing he would be expecting spies among whoever he sent didn't send any aiming to cultivate trust between him and Zero.
Out of earshot Yukiya and Ryo had their own ideas behind some of the choices of volunteers General Smilas had sent, although both admittedly wondered if they were just going to Japanese people from the ghetto with no training at worse or intelligent agents and assassins.
"Geez Marirrosa better be on her guard," Ryo commented with an amused grin, "not even five minutes and Lelouch is charming those girls already."
"I think the whole dashing rouge look he has going isn't helping him," Yukiya added with a chuckle.
"The scary part is I don't think he is aware of just how much of a chick magnet he really is. I wonder what would happen if he actually tried to charm women instead?"
"I would be willing to bet it wouldn't take him long to form his own harem rivaling the Emperor's number of consorts," Yukiya said, feeling almost sure of that.
Following a tour of the Nautilus and leading the new arrivals to their cabins for their voyage to Japan, the masked man made his way to the hanger where the Knightmare Frames they would be transporting were stored.
Waiting for him were Neha and Kagari who were standing before the Commander type Alexander Lelouch had piloted during his escape from wZERO's headquarters, but it had been heavily modified almost to the point it had been seemingly rebuilt from the ground up. Neha didn't choose to wear the Black Knights uniform as most of the others were. Kagari, on the other hand, wore her own customized version of the uniform consisting of a sleeveless version of the uniform's top that also revealed some of her cleavage and the white tank-top she wore underneath it and the black shorts with long boots.
"How are the new people settling in?" Neha asked, noticing Lelouch approaching them.
"They are adjusting fine, and there are two of them who I think both of you should meet," Lelouch answered.
"Oh," Neha asked while Kagari was busy checking through documents on a clipboard.
As if on cue; Chloe and Hilda entered the hanger who immediately noticed the customized Alexanders stored within.
"What exactly did you do to the Alexanders?" Chloe asked, although her question was more out of curiosity than any type of anger.
"I had the commander type customized to my piloting preferences while these two tuned it up," Lelouch answered before introducing Kagari and Neha to the two. "Miss Winkle and Miss Fagan; this is Neha Shankar and her friend Kagari Savitri."
"A pleasure to meet you," Neha offered while extending her hand.
"Likewise," Kagari said offering greetings.
"I am Chloe, and this is Hilda," Chloe said as she and Hilda shook hands with the two girls.
"So what have you two done with the Alexander?"
"This one," Neha began, "we have dubbed it Alexander Châtiment (Retribution) and modified it and tuned it specifically for Zero. We have internalized the drone control system and upgraded most of the internal components to boost performance and to provide it with a range of sensors and features to maximize its efficiency as a Knightmare Frame fit for a commander."
The Alexander Châtiment retained some of the standard features of the Alexander units, but its armor was primarily black with gold trim while its faceplate was modified giving it a fearsome look to it appears to be more of a helmet worn by a devilish black knight. The fact its head had a fin on top of its head and two horns involved the black knight image, but the horns and fin both doubled as antennas capable of control range communication and broadcasting a control signal to any drones Lelouch was directing.
"We even replaced the armor with an experimental armor being developed by Euro-Britannia a spy of ours has passed to us. It's incomplete, but we expanded a little on their idea, and we created something as light as tungsten yet more durable, so we have dubbed it Srivatsa Steel." Kagari explained proudly while Chloe and Hilda were both impressed by the level of upgrades the machine had been given.
"We only had a limited supply of the material, so we only applied Srivatsa Steel to both Zero's unit and Marirrosa's Alexander."
"And how has her machine been customized?"
Neha exchanged a quick glance with Lelouch, who nodded his head in silent approval to answer her question.
"Marirrosa's Alexander, which we have named the Alexander Linterna (Lantern), was designed for heavy combat with a focus on her preferred fighting style of close quarters," Neha answered before gesturing for everyone to gaze upon the machine in question while it was standing next to Lelouch's Knightmare Frame. "We even created a pair of brake swords for it, which can be combined together into a dual-bladed Revolving Blade Sword."
"Revolving Blade Sword?" Hilda inquired.
"A blade designed with a chain-saw like attachment running along the length of the blade then superheated to increase its cutting capability allowing it to slash through most Knightmare Frame armor," Kagari answered.
The Alexander Linterna shared some standard features with Lelouch's machine, such as possessing the knight-like design; however, it's color scheme was different. The colors of Marirrosa's machine were modeled after the color scheme of her Star of Madrid uniform consisting mostly of red with orange and white as secondary colors. The swords in question were stored on the backpack, and the two Judgment Linear Assault Rifle were stored next to one another, and each of them had a blade attached to the barrel of the weapon allowing the two rifles to be used as make-shift close-quarter weapons.
"They look impressive," Chloe remarked.
"Yes, but we did have some questions about this Brain Raid System we discovered," Neha asked.
"Oh that, well that would be a better question reversed for Kate and Ferilli. They both worked with Dr. Randall, who developed the system," Hilda answered.
"The system has something to do with brain-waves I understand?" Lelouch inquired.
"Yes," Chloe answered with a nod, "it's supposed to be a way to link the brainwaves of other pilots allowing for creator coordination and communication than using traditional means."
"I see," Lelouch said intrigued by the idea, but wondered if that would be possible.
If it could work the possibilities would be interesting and maybe a new way to direct armies, but I suppose something like that would be decades away from becoming a reality, Lelouch thought.
"Then perhaps I should excuse myself so you can talk," Lelouch offered politely before leaving.
"Don't worry, I am sure we'll be fine here," Neha said as Lelouch nodded before leaving, but on his way out he glanced at the camera that overseen the hanger.
Just to be safe, they'll be under close watch until I am sure we can completely trust them, especially that new woman.
Lelouch made his way to his cabin where he opened the slide in his mask, allowing him to use the biometric scanner, which unlocked the door to his cabin enabling him to enter. His office that doubled as his cabin was large enough for an office space with a desk and chair with a pair of sofas and a table in-between them. Another door leading to a small bedroom with a bathroom, although it wasn't anything fancy, it was more than enough for Lelouch's uses.
Once Lelouch was inside, and the door was closed behind him, the young man was surprised to find Marirrosa waiting for him. Marirrosa wore her uniform, a recreation of her Star of Madrid attire, but modified the same way Lelouch's Zero suit was with the tactical lining. She looked at him with a contemplative expression upon her face, but Marirrosa didn't look away as Lelouch regarded her as he approached the sofa she sat on.
"I am sorry for leaving you this morning, but I was surprised to find that you had slipped into my bed," Lelouch acknowledged wondering if he might've unintentionally offended Marirrosa.
"No, I am not upset at all, but I should be the one to apologize through," Marirrosa admitted, seemingly embarrassed by her actions earlier today. "I think I was just feeling very anxious."
"Anxious?"
Marirrosa nodded before explaining, "Yes…well, I love you Lelouch, but I don't want to rush things between us. However, given what will likely be happening once you begin your plans to bring Britannia down I am worried something might happen to you or me."
"I see," Lelouch replied, recognizing the issue, "you are worried something might happen if we commit to a relationship?"
"That or I might regret not committing sooner because you are the person I feel closer to than anyone else and my brother admired you," Marirrosa said as the memory of her brother and the loss of her friends caused a tear to roll down her cheek.
Lelouch sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I have no intention of disappointing his expectations of me," Lelouch said with confidence, but Marirrosa seemed worried still.
"I am doubtful you will, but I am a little more worried about us."
"How so?"
"Maybe it's because I love you. I am worried something might happen to you or me," Marirrosa pointed out, moving closer to Lelouch.
Lelouch closed his eyes and contemplated that for a moment before answering.
"I have no intention of letting anything happen to you or me, but," Lelouch paused before thinking.
It would be foolish to think nothing couldn't happen.
The destruction of the Star of Madrid group was a case in point.
"Even if the possibility exists I refuse to allow either one of us to die," Lelouch declared.
Marirrosa seemed more at ease, but still it was evident on her face; some corners remained.
"Maybe, but no one else will come between us, right? Especially with all of those girls joining us," Marirrosa said with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Oh," Lelouch said, recognizing what else was clearly bothering Marirrosa. "I see, so you are worried someone else might snatch me from you?"
The shocked expression on Marirrosa's face was the only answer Lelouch needed, especially when she couldn't voice a proper response to that.
"Relax Marirrosa," Lelouch offered with a smile. "You're the only girl I am interested in. Even with my annoying fan base of gold-digging and swallow females at Ashford Academy, you have them all beat hands down."
"Maybe so," Marirrosa replied with her cheeks slightly red and feeling annoyed. "BUT what about the girls aboard this sub?"
"What about them?"
Marirrosa merely sighed in vexation, "You seriously can't be this dense can you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for one thing, I wouldn't be shocked if all of them were interested in you. Heck, I have seen how some of those girls have eyed you at times." Marirrosa answered before extending a hand, and she extended one of her fingers upon counting down on things that convinced her of their likely attraction to Lelouch. "One you saved their lives through an impressive display of cunning combined with improvising. Two, you are undeniably a very handsome young man who acts cool and distant while at the same time brilliant and driven, which would certainly attract any girl. The mask you now wear is likely to add to this effect adding an aura of mystery to you, so now you are probably going to end up attracting those girls from the E.U, so gaining the dashing rouge look isn't going to be helping you."
"I am doubtful about that last part," Lelouch pointed out wondering if Marirrosa was exaggerating.
"You might not notice it, but I think out of the girls of Ryo's group Ayano might have a huge crush on you."
"Ayano?"
Marirrosa nodded, "Consider how Ayano has always signed up with you whenever she had to play the role of your bodyguard. I mean she had the most dangerous task of following you when you both infiltrated that castle, and I have always caught her watching you."
Lelouch quietly contemplated this for a moment, and he did remember that out of the female members of Ryo's group Ayano has been the one to always socialize with him. Mariko and Fukumi were a close a second; especially when one of the two seemed to always seek any chance to accompany Lelouch.
"And three," Marirrosa said now holding up three fingers with her right hand, "You not only pulled off some daring heists and plans but the fact you are willing to be the "king" as you put it. To lead your subordinates so they would follow you. That didn't just inspire loyalty from Ryo and the others you know."
For once Lelouch didn't have a counter-argument, but after careful contemplation, Lelouch realized Marirrosa might be onto something. Lelouch reviewed his memories and thoughts of his interactions with Ayano in the others. He never paid the expressions they had on their faces any mind at the time, but he honestly wondered if he might've unknowingly caused the women of his group to become smitten with him.
However, Lelouch did realize something.
"Is that another reason why you were anxious then about us? You were worried one of them might make a move to establish a relationship with me before you could?"
Marirrosa's face took on a brighter shade of red, which was the only answer Lelouch needed.
"Well that is certainly a problem," Lelouch admitted wondering how he was going to address this issue worried rejection of Ayano and the others might cause some morale issues.
"It's your damn fault for not paying attention," Marirrosa pouted.
"I DO pay attention," Lelouch countered, "it's just I didn't really consider the attention I could draw some members of the opposite sex."
Lelouch knew that wasn't entirely true because Lelouch was well aware of how many girls at Ashford Academy were interested in him. He was annoyed by it to be sure, especially since the majority seemed more interested in his looks than who he really was. Lelouch even acted cold and politely dismissive of them, but instead of pushing them away it only attracted more of them to him. An obvious complication was the fact he was really a presumed dead prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, and Lelouch was deeply concerned about what would happen if the wrong person got wind of such knowledge.
I am almost positive half of them would likely sell me out to the Empire for their own advancement up the social ladder.
"I guess dealing with women is your weakness then," Marirrosa said with a smirk.
"Either way, this puts me into something of a predicament," Lelouch said, wondering how he was going to deal with the female admirers of his group.
Unaware of the fact that Lelouch's problems were beginning to multiply, because an hour later.
"So what's Zero like?" Kate asked.
Kate, Chloe, Hilda, Ferilli, Kyoko, and Sarah were seated at one of the large tables in the mess hall while talking to other members of Lelouch's newly established Order of the Black Knights. Taking up the rest of the table was Mariko, Fukumi, Ryo, and Akio. The four senior members of the Black Knights with Ryo being Lelouch's appointed deputy commander had been becoming more aquatinted with the new girls from the E.U, but for Kate her curiosity about Zero prompted her to ask about him.
Kate remembered how Zero had saved her from that fall, although it was a simple act of kindness the manner of how he caught and held her left an impression upon her. Then combined with how he pulled off the heist of the Alexanders and at the same time exposed their former commander as a very corrupt and even more incompetent fool than they knew he already was. The removal of their former commander was something Kate was deeply grateful to Zero about, and yet while she could feel angry at how the Alexanders were stolen, she found herself more interested to learn more about him.
"Zero is one hell of a guy," Ryo began with a grin. "One of the smartest guys I know and quite daring, especially when he plans big, and he goes big."
"Some of us had our doubts about him at first, but he always defied expectations especially given how he put together a plan to save our lives during that botched heist we had planned," Mariko noted.
"He is certainly impressive," Chloe remarked, "and the proposed upgrades and ideas he had for the Alexanders are very interesting."
"And wanting to make the drone control system more universally compatible with other Knightmare Frames and making them more portable too," Hilda added.
Around the same time, Yukiya was handling some damage control as he was tending to Ayano who was significantly depressed over losing Lelouch to Marirrosa. The pair was inside one of the cabins with Yukiya sitting on one of the bunks while Ayano laid on one of the beds opposite of his hugging a pillow.
"Come on Ayano we all knew Marirrosa was with Lelouch longer than any of us."
Ayano remained silent.
"Wow, you have really fallen hard for him," Yukiya commented as he was busy looking up something on his computer, but he did notice Ayano nodding her head. "Well I don't know if this could work, but there might be a chance both you and Marirrosa could simply share Lelouch."
"WHAT," Ayano said immediately sitting up with her cheeks taking on a shade of pink. "What do you mean by share Lelouch?"
"Did you know Britannia has a fascinating marriage law called the Worthy Reward Law?"
Ayano shook her head.
"No surprise since it's not well known to anyone outside of the nobility and wealthy-middle class, but surprisingly enough Japan even had a very similar law which was much more low-key. But let's talk about Britannia's version, which actually started centuries ago before Britannia itself was born. It was believed those most worthy among the nobility and royalty should spread their bloodlines as much as possible. On the other hand, it did ensure an heir for the throne given how there were some cases of Queens sometimes unable to bear a child or said child survived long enough to be crowned king." Yukiya explained to Ayano with the latter surprised by her own interest in the subject.
"Ok, so it's a really old law."
"It is, but when Britannia was properly founded the law became a tradition with the Emperor being the biggest user of the law. However, the law was soon applicable to those of a certain standing within the nobility, the wealthy and those from both with noteworthy battlefield accomplishments."
"But Lelouch isn't a member of the imperial family isn't more," Ayano argued.
"True, but with all of the money he has alone he more than qualifies. So for Lelouch being a very wealthy-middle class citizen, he could have four wives and four mistresses. Since you and Marirrosa love him there shouldn't be an issue with you two marrying Lelouch," Yukiya explained which only caused Ayano's face turn to a brighter shade of pink.
Yukiya didn't mention it, but the number of wives and mistresses a Britannian using the Worthy Reward Law was dependant on your station within the nobility. If Lelouch were to ever become a Prince of Britannia again, Yukiya recognized this was highly unlikely, then Lelouch would qualify to take at least two wives minimum, and there were no restrictions on mistresses. Another fact Yukiya didn't mention was that aside from foreign loyalty a foreigner like Ayano couldn't really become a wife under this law due to her Japanese ancestry, but she would still count as a mistress.
The number of wives and mistresses one could have varied the further down the aristocratic rankings you go, but Yukiya decided to pay those specifics no mind since they were not necessary at this point because Lelouch wasn't a member of the nobility anyway.
Not that he would ever want to be all things considered.
I am doubtful Lelouch would care about the difference between wife and mistress and would still regard Ayano as a wife regardless of the law, Yukiya noted internally.
"But Lelouch wouldn't agree to that let alone Marirrosa."
"True," Yukiya admitted shrugging his shoulders, "but if you really want him that badly, you got nothing to lose right?"
"Well I," Ayano said, trying to argue against that, but the words failed to come out.
"I can't speak for either one of them, but consider it food for thought."
Even though Lelouch came from a family with that sort of thing would be acceptable, I can't imagine he would go along with it easily.
Yukiya knew Lelouch's past experiences, especially with his mother's death and the fierce competition between the children of the Emperor likely soured his idea of it. In Lelouch's defense, it was hard to blame him in that regard, and there was the fact under normal circumstances Lelouch wouldn't be able to pursue his own harem even if he wanted to because of the dangerous repercussions revealing his secret to the wrong person could mean.
What would stop them from taking advantage of Lelouch and potentially slipping a knife between the sheets if he wasn't careful with his secret or worse?
But…Marirrosa and Ayano both know the real Lelouch and have grown very close to him, so maybe…
"Why are you suggesting this Yukiya?" Ayano inquired.
Yukiya adopted a more solemn expression, "because you, Ryo and the others mean a lot to me. I just want you to be happy, and frankly, I can't stand seeing you so depressed."
He held no romantic inclinations towards the others, but Yukiya viewed everyone in Ryo's group as a family. Yukiya wouldn't even think twice to lay down his life for them, so acting in a manner to how a brother would act for his sister Yukiya sought to help Ayano win Lelouch's heart anyway possible.
Getting Lelouch and Marirrosa willing to accept Ayano is easier said than done I suppose, Yukiya contemplated.
Days later the submarine quietly entered Area 11's coastal waters and approached the rocky cliffs that ran near the coast of Hayama, a town located in the Kanagawa Prefecture, located within central Honshū on the opposite of Toyko Bay. In the past before the invasion, Hayama was home to the Japanese Imperial Family called the Hayama Imperial Villa located along the shore. The original villa had been burned down decades ago but was rebuilt with part of the land donated to create a park for the growing town.
The rebuilt villa became a famous garden and tourist spot even after Japan became Area 11.
However when the villa was rebuilt a secret underwater dock was constructed, although it was initially meant to hold a ship for the Emperor and his family to flee the cavern was sealed off and entry was only possible by the use of a submarine when they couldn't properly hide the entrance. The cavern was used as a type of shelter instead, but over time it was forgotten until Oiaguro using his contacts had the cavern transformed into a proper functioning submarine dock. Lelouch didn't know how Oiaguro had discovered the cavern's existence, but it was heavily renovated to suit their needs.
Not only that, but it also was designed to become a primary headquarters for Lelouch's usage possessing everything he needed from technical and mechanical workshops, command and tactical rooms, functional medical faculties, supply and weapon storage, and living accommodations.
Building it was easy by paying off enough of the right people, but even Oiaguro acknowledged to Lelouch that…
"Covering it up was the hard part…"
Speaking of whom Oiaguro was waiting for Lelouch as the submarine finished its docking procedures.
However; knowing Lelouch was coming with new members for their case Oiaguro adopted to wear his own disguise and mask of the enigmatic Wizard of Peace Mark.
His attire consisted of a two-piece suit with one side black and one side white with a reserve pattern upon it complete with an integrated cape with a light blue interior on one side and purple on the other. He wore an ornate red mask with blue lenses over his eyes while his mouth was exposed. Part of the mask was a wig of white hair with a small black fedora hat on the left side of his head. His hands were covered in gloves matching the sides of his attire, and he had a unique device around his throat to disguise his voice.
"Welcome back to Japan, Zero," Oiaguro greeted as Lelouch disembarked the submarine dressed as Zero with a large suitcase in one hand.
"I am glad to finally return home Wizard," Lelouch said, returning the greeting while he shook Wizard's hand.
"So they are the new recruits?" Wizard asked glancing over Lelouch's shoulder as he observed the new members of the Black Knights.
"Yes they are, and despite how young they are, I am confident they will be helpful for what is to come."
"Very well, but you must be tired from all of this," Wizard asked although Lelouch didn't answer he thought Lelouch deserved some rest.
"I rested well on the submarine."
"You did, but there is one who has been eager for your return." Wizard pointed out subtly hinting that Nunnally was no doubt eager to see her brother again after being separated for so long.
"Go ahead Zero we can cover things here," Ryo said approaching Lelouch from behind, putting one hand on his shoulder.
Marirrosa nodded her head as well and seeing that Lelouch had no desire to argue against them silently accepted.
Wizard and Ryo were left to oversee the rest while Lelouch dressed as Zero still used the secret elevator to enter the mansion above ground.
As far as the authorities were concerned the property for which the estate sat on belonged to a Julius Kingsley, a wealthy recluse with a passion for Marine Biology with a three-story mansion overlooking the cliffs. Aside from the villa was a large warehouse that kept a personal marine laboratory with a specimens storehouse while keeping various equipment on hand that can be moved by truck. The property was private, so no one was allowed onto the grounds without the police becoming instantly involved. The warehouse had a larger elevator for vehicles and heavy equipment to be moved while there was a smaller elevator inside the mansion itself.
"Welcome back Master Lelouch," a young woman in her early twenties greeted as Lelouch exited the hidden elevator in the master bedroom on the third floor of the mansion.
"I am glad to finally be back, Miss Sayoko," Lelouch greeted, removing his mask.
Sayoko Shinozaki was dressed in the traditional attire of a maid complete with a white apron and hat on top, but beyond that, she had short brown hair and light brown eyes with a fair skin complexion. She was among those entrusted with Lelouch's secret, although hesitant about it Oiaguro convinced Lelouch otherwise.
"You'll need someone close to your sister should danger ever befall her so they could escape to this place."
Thankfully Sayoko proved very trustful and loyal.
As Lelouch entered the bathroom to change out of his Zero attire into more causal civilian wear, Sayoko proceeded to fill Lelouch in recent events before rehearsing the cover story he would give the students and his sister at Ashford Academy.
"Right, so you have the photos that have been prepared," Lelouch asked emerging from the bathroom with his Zero attire in a separate suitcase while dressed in a black skirt, grey jeans, and a red jacket.
"Along with the recommended gifts prepared by Lord Zevon," Sayoko answered.
Taking a deep breath, Lelouch readied himself as Sayoko helped Lelouch carry his other suitcase down to a car waiting for them out front.
"I trust Milly doesn't have anything readied for me?"
"Not as far as I know," Sayoko admitted.
"So that means you were left out of the loop then, which means she might," Lelouch said as the pair exited through the front door.
The drive from Hayama lasted over an hour, and it helped that traffic was light. By the time Lelouch returned to Ashford Academy it was past eight o'clock at night, but the grounds of the academy looked surprisingly peaceful. Disembarking from the vehicle Lelouch carried his bags while Sayoko helped him, but Lelouch knew appearances could be deceiving and Lelouch had a feeling of what awaited him.
I left you alone for so long Nunnally, so whatever Milly has in store I'll accept as my punishment, Lelouch said accepting whatever may come his way.
Milly Ashford was the Student Council President of the academy and the granddaughter of the former head of the Ashford Family and acting headmaster of the academy. Unlike her parents, who embodied everything Lelouch resented about the Britannian Nobility who sought to regain their status by marrying off their only daughter to a suitable candidate while they took him and Nunnally in as liability insurance.
Milly was a shocking polar opposite. Milly Ashford was very mischievous, curious, and playful to the point whenever she planned a school event it would be very over the top, but that was Milly Ashford. Milly was among those aware of Lelouch's former identity as a Prince of Britannia but knew nothing about his activities for the past year.
When Lelouch and Nunnally relocated to Japan after spending time in Hawaii; Oiaguro had made arrangements with the Ashford Foundation to shelter Lelouch within the newly built Ashford Academy where he would meet Milly who was one year his senior. Like Sayoko; Milly was unaware of Lelouch's true identity at the time until her grandfather, who was an old friend and ally of Lelouch's mother told her.
"Here we go," Lelouch said as he approached the Student Council building at the heart of the academy.
Instead of the dorms Lelouch and Nunnally stayed in a part of the Student Council Building, which had been formerly a ballroom for events yet it remained mostly unused except for the students held a special occasion. However, it had more than enough rooms and faculties to accommodate Lelouch and Nunnally, and the building was chosen specifically because it could accommodate Nunnally far better than the dorms due to her disabilities.
The lights seem to be on, Lelouch thought as he slowly opened the door.
Moments after stepping a few feet inside Lelouch was met by ten Ashford Academy Students.
"SURPRISE," ten different people shouted from above.
They were all lying in wait for Lelouch on the balcony overlooking the first floor. Lelouch was covered in confetti showered onto him from above, but despite the surprise, Lelouch had a feeling something like this was going to happen.
Of course, Milly would do this, Lelouch thought with a faint smile.
Speaking of the devil; Milly Ashford descended the stairs with her typical smile which was cheerful on the outside yet those who knew her knew it was a sign of mischief to come. Milly wore the average Ashford Academy student for girls, which consisted of a light tan jacket trimmed with a gold, a white dress shirt, a black skirt with matching loafers and green socks complete with a matching tie. Milly also possessed shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes and was very attractive with quite the figure that would make her undoubtedly the most popular girl in school.
"Well about time you came back Lelouch Lamperouge," Milly said playfully scolding Lelouch as she descended the stairs to approach him.
"Glad to be back," Lelouch offered in return.
"About time, you came back. It's been kinda dull around here."
The words came from the only other male member of the Student Council besides Lelouch. He was the same age as Lelouch with a tanned complexion with grey eyes and spiky blue hair wearing the traditional Ashford Academy uniform for male students.
"It's good to be back Rivalz," Lelouch said to his friend; Rivalz Cardemonde.
"Brother…"
Nunnally Lamperouge; the fourteen-year-old sister of Lelouch was approaching her brother after disembarking an elevator and exiting out into the reception hall to meet her brother after months of separation. The young girl looked nothing like her brother had sandy brown hair, a fair skin complexion wearing the middle school uniform for female Ashford Academy students consisting of a pink dress with straps and a white dress shirt. Pushing her wheelchair was another member of the student council wearing the same uniform as Milly, but she possessed long orange hair and green eyes.
"Nunnally I am so sorry I was gone for so long," Lelouch apologized seemingly on the verge of tears, but he fought to keep his composure.
"Its ok brother, but I really missed you," Nunnally said while failing to hold back her own tears, who was hugged by her brother after her wheelchair came to a stop before him.
"Welcome home Lulu," Shirley Fenette greeted, another member of the Student Council.
"Lulu is a cute name."
"Who," Lelouch asked seeking out the voice he didn't recognize as he stood up after finishing hugging Nunnally.
Aside from the last member of the student council present being the bookish Nina Einstein; a young girl with braided dark green hair wearing glasses over her indigo eyes, there were five new faces Lelouch didn't recognize.
The one who commented on the nickname Shirley gave him was around his age with short green hair, light blue eyes, and a fair skin complexion wearing the same Ashford Academy uniform.
"My name is Sokkia Sherpa," Sokkia replied cheerfully. "Nice to meet Nunnally's big brother finally!"
"I made some new friends brother," Nunnally announced happily, but Lelouch recognized the name Sokkia before he remembered where he had heard it from.
"Sokkia," Lelouch began as realization dawned on him, "as in Crasher Sokkia from Team Fireball of the Jousting and Formation Competitive KMF League?"
The Jousting and Formation Competitive KMF League as the full name implies is a combination of jousting with Knightmare Frames using customized weapons during matches between two teams possessing five machines. Aside from jousting, there was direct combat and formation being observed during fighting between the two groups. The Knightmare Frames they used are modified Glasgows called the RPI-13/G Prytwen, which possess excellent mobility but lack the combative effectiveness with weapons designed solely for disabling Knightmare Frames.
"That's me, and I have survived crashing my Knightmare Frame over one hundred times," Sokkia replied joyfully with a thumbs up.
I don't think that's something you should be proud of, Lelouch commented internally, but he couldn't deny that despite all of those crashes Sokkia survived every single one unscratched.
Lelouch also knew about Sokkia from all of the magazine advertisements from the Durandal Sports Equipment Company with her being their exclusive model, which Rivalz showed him at times. She was primarily known for her publications for new bikes the company put out under the belief that "even if Crasher Sokkia rides it the bike will never break."
After recognizing Sokkia, it only took Lelouch a second to recognize the other new faces in the reception hall.
One of note was a seventeen year old with long waist-length red hair and green eyes wearing the same uniform as Sokkia and Milly while displaying bold confidence.
"It's great to finally meet you, Mr. Vice-President; I am Alessandra Dolos the leader of the Fireballs and now the new President of the KMF League Club. But you can call me Sandra if you want," Alessandra Dolos greeted shaking Lelouch's hand.
The Fireballs were currently the champions of the KMF League with Alessandra Dolos being mainly well known for being a fierce competitor and leader of the Fireballs. However, Alessandra was also the granddaughter of the infamous Tony Dolos a ruthless crime lord known by his nickname Scarface. The Dolos Family was publically a powerful noble family with many illegal businesses involving black market smuggling and drug dealing.
As a result, they were the most powerful crime family until around 2011 A.T.B. when the new Sutherland was rolled out following the success of the Glasgow during the invasion of Japan. Once the police began receiving the LE-E106 Knightpolice, a repurposed Glasgow, the criminal empire of the Dolos Family crumbled with many of their business partners fleeing to the Areas where the law wasn't as enforced compared to the homeland.
Because of her lineage and fighting skills in the KMF League led to Alessandra being nicknamed the Blade Gangster.
"You're the Blade Gangster?" Lelouch said surprised to see someone of Alessandra's reputation in Area 11.
Nunnally giggled before explaining, "Sorry brother, I wanted to surprise you. It seems Viceroy Clovis wants to expand the KMF League to other Areas, so he brought the Fireballs to Area 11 to help begin and promote the new KMF League Stadium he has been building."
"So we ended up attending this school on Prince Clovis's tab, which leads us to thinking we could form a club to help give people a good introduction into how to join the KMF League," Sandra explained.
Knowing who Sandra and Sokkia were led to Lelouch recognizing the rest of Sandra's team consisting of Matoaka Granger, Jamie Hogan, Stephanie Iverson, and their extra member Lily Erdmann.
"Now our Vice-President is finally back let's celebrate," Milly announced happily before Sandra took Lelouch by the arm.
"You'll have a great time, and we have been eager to meet you," Sandra said before dragging off Lelouch.
"For sure since you are supposed to be the most popular boy in school right," Sokkia pointed with a big smile.
"Well I am flattered really," Lelouch said, but deep down he knew he was in for a long night.
As far as punishments go, this wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but thankfully I am finally home.
And with his return, Lelouch could begin adequately building up the foundations he had brought back from across the sea.
A/N: and now it begins…Lelouch is back in Japan with weapons, Knightmare Frames, and followers along with his own hidden base to operate from. Oiaguro has set him up well, but will it all go so smoothly?
Anyway, we got Sokkia and her team the Fireballs as new students in Ashford Academy. Besides Sokkia and Alessandra, there wasn't anything on physical descriptions of her other teammates, which is why I skimmed over them for the time being.
So we'll see how it plays out, but if I can include her I will rest assured.
Anyway, thank you for reading the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it. Here are the specs of Lelouch's customized Alexander.
Model number: WOX-Type-01 A/0
Code name: Alexander Châtiment (Retribution)
Pilot: Lelouch Lamperouge (aka Zero)
Unit type: prototype seventh generation Knightmare Frame
Manufacturer: Clément Factory (original unit), Militarized Zone of India (customized and upgraded)
Operator(s): Order of the Black Knights/United States of Japan, Holy Britannia Empire
First deployment: 2017 A.T.B.
Accommodation: pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso
Dimensions: overall height 4.61 meters (Knightmare frame mode)
Weight: combat weight 8.02 metric tons
Armor materials: Srivatsa Steel
Powerplant: Yggdrasil Drive, Energy Filler
Equipment and design features: landspinner high-mobility propulsion system, mounted in legs; Insect Mode transformation mechanism; Sub-arms; Brain Raid System; Pinocchio Drone Control System
Fixed armaments:
2 x fixed Uruna Edge Knives (stored within arm shaft)
4 x Slash Harken (one mounted on each forearm, and one mounted on each side of the waist)
2 x Brake Blade Swords (mounted on the sides of the cockpit when not in use next to the assault rifle and railgun rifle)
Optional hand armaments: none
1 x WAW-04 30mm Linear Assault Rifle "Judgement" (can be mounted on sides of the cockpit)
1 x D09-A 55mm experimental railgun anti-material rifle, "Sparrow," can be mounted on the sides of the cockpit, high-velocity mode can only be used in insect mode
I hope my efforts and attempts to try something new work out, so, for now, I'll leave you to enjoy the chapter.
Before that, I do want to give special thanks to Seerking for his suggestions regarding Shinjuku, and for letting me borrow an idea for a particular law some of you familiar with his story will notice in the chapter.
Chapter 5
Coming Home
Coming Home
As Lelouch stirred in his cot, having obtained a more proper bed to use since living within the private indoor dock that had become their temporary home he marveled at how much has happened in one week alone. It was December 30th, the day before New Year and Lelouch once again felt an anguished pain in his chest over the fact he would be missing New Years with Nunnally as well, but Christmas too. Lelouch tried to reassure himself everything he was done was for her sake.
Still, it didn't mean that it didn't hurt Lelouch a lot no matter how well he justified leaving his sister in Area 11 for over a half-a-year.
He only didn't worry about her as much as he would have thanks to the presence of their maid Sayoko and Oiaguro keeping an eye on her from a distance, but Lelouch still wished to return to Area 11 as soon as possible.
There are a few things left before the Nautilus returns to pick us up, Lelouch thought as his mind was now awake yet it was then he noticed something.
Lelouch noticed a weight on one side of his body before realizing he wasn't alone. Lelouch was stunned to discover Marirrosa had slipped into his room and into his bed. Fortunately, she was wearing a pair of red shorts and a white tank-top while having pulled the blanket over both of them. He was hesitant to disturb her slumber, but the weight and feel of her body combined with its tantalizing warmth were affecting Lelouch in a way his thinking was compromised. His thoughts were being focused on the woman sleeping atop of one half of his body with one arm draped around his neck and her face buried into his neck.
How did she…I must've been really exhausted last night to have not noticed her, Lelouch thought while cursing his own body for reacting to Marirrosa's.
Call it a stubborn sense of pride, but Lelouch believed he was above being affected by teenage hormones as he had always ignored the advances of all of the women at Ashford Academy, which was made easy by the fact they were all swallow and vain something Lelouch wasn't looking for at all in a woman. On top of it between caring for Nunnally and planning his eventual rebellion against Britannia, he believed he didn't have time to waste on a relationship.
Yet ever since their date almost two weeks ago, things have been progressively different between them.
December 17th
After breakfast and finishing his work from the previous night, Lelouch had agreed to go out on a date with Marirrosa as part of his day off. It wasn't going to be anything too fancy, but at least Lelouch had a white dress shirt with black pants to wear for the day together, he didn't have much else to use. Ryo and Yukiya were encouraging that Lelouch should take some time off to refresh himself given everything that has happened over the past couple of weeks, and they assured their friend and leader they could take care of the rest while he was gone.
"Come on, Lelouch will be fine, its just one day, and you need a break more than anyone," Ryo said, throwing one arm on Lelouch's shoulder while Lelouch merely took it in stride.
"Besides its about time, you and Marirrosa got closer?" Yukiya commented.
"What are you two implying?" Lelouch asked raising an eyebrow, but that only caused Yukiya and Ryo to enjoy a laugh at Lelouch's expense.
"You're kidding me right, you never noticed?"
Lelouch didn't want to answer that question knowing it would just make things worse, but his silence was telling enough.
"Wow for a guy who can put together some crazy plans and is smarter than most of us couldn't tell when he had women showing a," Ryo said after regaining his composure after his laughing fit, "an obvious interest in him."
"Make that two," Yukiya pointed out.
"Two," Lelouch asked, but neither Ryo and Yukiya wanted to answer that question deciding to let Lelouch figure that one out.
"Don't worry about it, besides you should make the most of every day Lelouch. Before you came along, we weren't sure if we were going to live to see tomorrow or not, and that does hold true even now, so make the most of today and enjoy yourself." Ryo offered sagely. "When you have a chance to indulge yourself and have some fun, don't waste, it is my advice."
Lelouch found little reason to argue against it, especially knowing what things were like for Ryo and the others if his own experiences were anything to compare to.
I guess they have a point, although I hate wasting time I suppose one day can't hurt. I have no intention of losing against Britannia, but only a fool would think otherwise.
His experiences with Star of Madrid group had driven this point home, primarily before the E.U. wrestled Spain from Britannia control. No matter how well he could plan Lelouch understood unforeseen complications and things beyond his control could happen, although this led to him to plan more extensively with some contingencies in mind Lelouch learned to be prepared for the worse.
With that in mind, Lelouch decided to merely accept his day off since he didn't know what to expect once he returned to Area 11.
"Ok, you guys win."
"Don't be so glum about it, besides I am sure you'll enjoy yourself," Ryo said encouragingly.
"Besides I am sure you were just so busy you failed to see how much Marirrosa had a huge crush on you. If you think about it for a moment it should all make sense if you consider your shared experiences and you two have been working together for months," Yukiya pointed out.
Contemplating that for a moment Lelouch began to realize Marirrosa had become romantically interested in him during the final weeks he spent as a member of her brother's resistance group. They weren't close at first, especially since he never gave them his real name and history. But the more he spent time with them he found a kindred spirit with Marirrosa's brother. Both had lost their parents to Britannia, although Fernando's parents were lost during a brutal attack on their home town though they had no way to defend themselves resulting in a massacre and both wanted to create a better world for their younger sibling.
It was these factors, and other Lelouch found himself becoming more open to the older man, mainly after Fernando had eventually deduced Lelouch's true identity from his story about his sister and even noted how he bore a certain resemblance to the famed Marianne the Flash. Lelouch was surprised, but this was another lesson he would need to adopt a masked persona to ensure his identity would remain safe in the future.
Lelouch was understandably surprised, because instead of being angry with him for being former royalty, he sympathized with the young man even more so. Marirrosa was initially shocked, but also didn't judge Lelouch for his past and had also become closer to him as a result given his desire to remake the world for his sister and find his mother's killer.
Yet something Fernando told him had stuck with Lelouch…
"I think you might be the right person to change this world into something better?"
"How so, my motives aren't actually selfless, you know."
"Maybe, but great causes have always arisen from selfish desires."
"And some of the worst wars too?"
"True, but a paladin would eagerly throw away his life for a cause with little thought. A zealot wouldn't be much better either. Those driven purely by selflessness tend to always die before their dreams and goals are fulfilled. There is nothing wrong with being selfless, but those seeking to the change the world can let that blind them to what they must truly do."
"I can see your point."
"So I guess I am Diogenes and his lamp looking for an honest man willing to die for all the wrong reasons."
"What?"
"A selfish man will last longer and accomplish more than a selfless one, and sometimes those willing to die for all of the wrong reasons tend to be more successful because they have the drive to achieve their goals and survive them to see they are fulfilled."
"Sorry for keeping you Lelouch," Marirrosa called out, and in response, Lelouch turned around and was surprised to see Marirrosa wearing a black skirt with a white shirt and a red jacket over it.
"Wow someone really dressed up for today," Ryo said jokingly elbowing Lelouch.
"Sorry I just thought I should dress appropriately," Marirrosa admitted bashfully.
Composing himself, Lelouch extended his hand to Marirrosa.
"Shall we go, then?"
"Yes," Marirrosa said eagerly taking Lelouch's hand leading to the two to depart.
Once they were gone, Yukiya turned to Ryo.
"Hey, should we say something about Ayano to Lelouch?"
"Nah, let him figure it out."
Yukiya wasn't sure if that was a good idea, especially in the corner of the room Ayano had silently watched the scene moments ago.
Lelouch had considered a few things they could do for their date, although it was his first time the young man thought about something simple like a movie. Unfortunately, the only movie playing was Mumbai Hero, which was basically a self-insert movie based on the exploits of a ruthless pirate who was active several years ago with the Bollywood Producer, Dawood Rangan, as the star. A womanizing and cruel man who was actually a mobster who used his movies for his money laundering activities while paying off city officials, to cover his underground gambling dens and protection racketing, and cheating his extras out of pay.
I am glad to hear someone put that bastard six feet under.
Lelouch thought while recalling a news report the other day that Rangan was killed during the production of another movie during an accident involving a giant fan that went out of control blowing Rangan off the building sending him falling ten stories to his death.
Accident my foot I am confident that accident was just to cover an assassination and he had more than enough enemies the list of people who would've hired an assassin to kill him was likely staggering to be sure.
In the end, Lelouch chose a restaurant in the upper part of town for them to have lunch before spending the rest of the day sightseeing. The pair even visited a few shops to look for something for Lelouch to give Nunnally and add to the souvenirs and gifts he had created on the side for her. Lelouch was mindful not to pick anything that could identify where he really was, which made choosing slightly awkward unless he could create a shrewd cover story.
As the day came to a close, the pair returned to the private dock for the submarine, but as they approached the door with Lelouch walking ahead of Marirrosa intending to open the door for her as a gentlemanly gesture.
"So, Lelouch, how are you feeling?"
"I am actually feeling very relaxed," Lelouch admitted, "I guess I did need that time off."
"I am glad I could help."
"You've done a lot for me Marirrosa, and I don't think there is anything I could say that could convey it," Lelouch admitted with a slightly serious expression.
"I could suggest something," Marirrosa offered boldly.
"What," Lelouch asked, but was cut off as he found one firm hand on his shoulder before Marirrosa spun him around and planted both lips upon his.
Lelouch was caught completely off-guard in a moment that lasted a few seconds yet time seemingly slowed down for him. Lelouch did nothing to stop her. Nor did he do anything when he felt her tongue trying to slip its way past his lips seeking entrance. Without thinking consciously about it, Lelouch's lips parted allowing Marirrosa to slide her tongue into his mouth where it met Lelouch's before Marirrosa began pulling her tongue in and out while becoming intertwined with Lelouch's own as the latter sought to deepen the kiss.
A second later Lelouch realized Marirrosa had pinned him between both the door and her.
Lost in the kiss and enjoying it Lelouch wrapped his arms around Marirrosa and drew her closer, but after what felt like an eternity Lelouch managed to break free, allowing him to take a deep breath. Marirrosa's cheeks were flushed red, and she was left breathing heavily from such a deep and passionate first kiss.
Fearful she might've been too bold Marirrosa tried to justify it.
"I am sorry, but I thought you normally share a kiss after a first date."
"I am not sure about that, but is that what you want?"
"Yes, because," Marirrosa heisted, but only because these were words no one should use lightly. "I…I love you, and I want to follow you to the very end."
Ever since that day, Lelouch has been mindful about conducting his newly formed relationship with Marirrosa carefully. Although he feared it could be a distraction for his rebellion, considering everything he and Marirrosa have been through perhaps a relationship developing between them should've been expected.
Lelouch trusted Marirrosa with his secrets, and he spoke to her things he had never shared with Nunnally or another else becoming his closest friend and confidant.
Aside from kissing and holding hands, Lelouch hadn't allowed the relationship to progress any further beyond that. But it was clear Marirrosa might've had different ideas in mind, which concerned Lelouch yet he suspected what might be the reason.
Is she just anxious because of the fight that lies ahead?
Recalling how Marirrosa lost all of her friends and her brother, being the only family she had left Lelouch suspected her enthusiasm for a more personal relationship between them was driven by the possibility Lelouch could be killed, and the reverse held true for her as well.
"Make everyday count?"
Lelouch thought as Ryo's advice replayed in his mind, causing him to wonder if Ryo had somehow encouraged Marirrosa to pursue a relationship with him so audaciously.
Sighing Lelouch had to figure out how to get out of bed without waking Marirrosa.
Downstairs Ryo and Fukumi were waiting for Ayano and Mariko to return with the support General Smilas had promised Lelouch was going to arrive after having sent word through a Peace Mark proxy the previous night who had delivered the message giving them a headcount of who was coming. The pair had obtained a large passenger van to pick up the promised support from the airport and bring them straight to their location.
The submarine had returned late last night after successfully dropping off its cargo in Japan and then making its return trip, and during that time Lelouch and Ryo had collected everything they needed it. The submarine was about loaded with the last of the supplies, weapons and the Alexander Knightmare Frames including the units that had been customized for Lelouch, Ayano, Marirrosa and Yukiya's use.
They had plenty of assault rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, bombs, explosives, and plenty more in terms of supplies, including food and medicine, to last them for months if everything goes according to plan.
"Where's Lelouch," Ryo asked as the shutter doors began opening and a red van was pulling in.
"I am not sure," Yukiya began before looking over his shoulder at the tall stairwell leading to the office overlooking the interior dock which Lelouch had made into his temporary quarters while in Mumbai.
Descending from the steps was Lelouch, after having dislodged himself from a slumbering Marirrosa, but instead of casual attire, Lelouch was now dressed in the new uniform he had the tailor create for him.
Inspired by the attire worn by Marirrosa's group, but ultimately had something designed to match his preferences. It was a sleek two-piece light purple bodysuit fashioned after Victorian-style attire with yellow stripes on the sleeves and legs while outlining the edges of the upper second half of the suit including the coattails and collar. The heeled boots were part of the outfit, and there was a white cravat as well and a black sleeveless elastic shirt that could be pulled up to cover Lelouch's neck everything below his eyes. Draped upon his shoulders was a black cape with a red interior trimmed with gold and a high collar that encircled his head.
Then the most noteworthy aspect of the outfit was the spiky black and indigo mask with a golden stretched emblem of a phoenix taking flight shown along the bottom, but the outfit especially the cape had a similar logo decorated upon the suit in a stylish way. The mask also had three plates that would descend and lock itself in place over the wearer's head, and thanks to the sleeveless elastic shirt it made trying to peek under his mask difficult. Finally, a hidden device could allow the wearer to reveal his left eye without taking off the mask, so Lelouch could use the biometric lock on his cabin aboard the submarine without taking it off.
The emblem was inspired by something Oiaguro told him being related to some kind of secret cult his father the Emperor had connections too, although he knew nothing else about them at the time Lelouch told him to save it until they were in a better position to deal with them. Not to mention Lelouch was worried poking too deeply into this cult would draw unwanted attention, but it was something worth looking into once Lelouch was in a better position to handle whatever his prodding could cause.
"What do you think?" Lelouch asked, and the mask's internal microphone altered Lelouch's voice electronically, giving it a deep echo.
"Like something out of a comic book," Ryo noted.
"I suppose I could say I took Fernando's lesson on theatrics too literally, but this should be more than sufficient," Lelouch remarked as he finished descending from the stairs.
"Well you are just in time the support that General promised us is here," Ryo said as the van came to a stop near them.
Watching Ayano followed by Mariko disembarking the van Lelouch observed seven passengers exit the van one at a time, but even being aware of those who were coming Lelouch was still surprised nevertheless since he recognized six out of seven of them.
"Six of you I had met before back at the castle," Lelouch said approaching the group.
Among the seven General Smilas had sent Lelouch recognized Kate Novak, Ferilli Baltrow, Hilda Fagan, Chloe Winkel, and Sarah Danes.
Except for Kate, who wore identical attire with her white lab coat traded out for an ordinary white jacket, the rest wore casual attire. Ferilli's attire was also similar to what she wore when Lelouch last saw her except the white lab coat was traded out for a black jacket, and Sarah wore a blue skirt, a white shirt, and blue coat. Chloe wore a pink dress with a white jacket over it and white sandals while Hilda, similar to Sarah, wore more business orientated clothing.
"That being said I am surprised to see six of you again," Lelouch as Zero greeted. "I am Zero, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Novak, Miss Baltrow, Miss Fagan, Miss Winkel, Miss Reuel and you, Miss Danes."
"I believe that is a sentiment shared by the six of us," Sarah began, "none of us expected to volunteer for the man who stole our country's hardware and caused quite a stir back home."
"I can only imagine, but I hope at least your new commander is a far better choice."
"I think you'll find no one is going to argue with you on that one," Kate pointed out.
Lelouch turned to the new arrival who was the oldest of the seven being in her late twenties with long black hair tied into a ponytail wearing a white shirt with black pants and a jacket on with a duffle bag over her shoulder.
"And you are," Lelouch asked, offering his hand in greeting.
"I am Kyoko Ikari, a physician," Kyoko replied before returning the greeting by shaking his hand.
"A physician, excellent we are looking to establish a medical division within my group and hopefully expand upon it," Lelouch noted. "Were you part of the wZERO?"
"Not exactly, but I was part of the French Foreign Legion receiving training to become a medic," Kyoko answered.
"I see, well we have stockpiled on plenty of medical supplies and in time I don't intend for you to be the only physician we'll have. Perhaps you could help us train others if you don't mind?"
"No, I wouldn't have an issue with that," Kyoko admitted while she was how surprised by how prepared she was.
"Hey Zero," Xu Lifeng called as she was walking on the submarine's boarding ramp. "Everything is secured and loaded, but where is Marirrosa?"
"I believe she is still in the office on the second floor. Would you mind fetching her and telling her we will be leaving soon?" Lelouch said feeling a tad uncomfortable that it would wake Marirrosa from her slumber, but it was her fault for sleeping in especially when she knew they would leave once the submarine was loaded and the promised support had arrived.
It wasn't much, but their skills, especially Kyoko, would be useful…provided none of them would stab him in the back.
The ones from the wZERO I don't think are spies, but Kyoko is questionable so I'll need to keep an eye on her, Lelouch thought, but that didn't mind he wouldn't keep an observant eye on the others as well.
Lelouch wondered if General Smilas, knowing he would be expecting spies among whoever he sent didn't send any aiming to cultivate trust between him and Zero.
Out of earshot Yukiya and Ryo had their own ideas behind some of the choices of volunteers General Smilas had sent, although both admittedly wondered if they were just going to Japanese people from the ghetto with no training at worse or intelligent agents and assassins.
"Geez Marirrosa better be on her guard," Ryo commented with an amused grin, "not even five minutes and Lelouch is charming those girls already."
"I think the whole dashing rouge look he has going isn't helping him," Yukiya added with a chuckle.
"The scary part is I don't think he is aware of just how much of a chick magnet he really is. I wonder what would happen if he actually tried to charm women instead?"
"I would be willing to bet it wouldn't take him long to form his own harem rivaling the Emperor's number of consorts," Yukiya said, feeling almost sure of that.
Following a tour of the Nautilus and leading the new arrivals to their cabins for their voyage to Japan, the masked man made his way to the hanger where the Knightmare Frames they would be transporting were stored.
Waiting for him were Neha and Kagari who were standing before the Commander type Alexander Lelouch had piloted during his escape from wZERO's headquarters, but it had been heavily modified almost to the point it had been seemingly rebuilt from the ground up. Neha didn't choose to wear the Black Knights uniform as most of the others were. Kagari, on the other hand, wore her own customized version of the uniform consisting of a sleeveless version of the uniform's top that also revealed some of her cleavage and the white tank-top she wore underneath it and the black shorts with long boots.
"How are the new people settling in?" Neha asked, noticing Lelouch approaching them.
"They are adjusting fine, and there are two of them who I think both of you should meet," Lelouch answered.
"Oh," Neha asked while Kagari was busy checking through documents on a clipboard.
As if on cue; Chloe and Hilda entered the hanger who immediately noticed the customized Alexanders stored within.
"What exactly did you do to the Alexanders?" Chloe asked, although her question was more out of curiosity than any type of anger.
"I had the commander type customized to my piloting preferences while these two tuned it up," Lelouch answered before introducing Kagari and Neha to the two. "Miss Winkle and Miss Fagan; this is Neha Shankar and her friend Kagari Savitri."
"A pleasure to meet you," Neha offered while extending her hand.
"Likewise," Kagari said offering greetings.
"I am Chloe, and this is Hilda," Chloe said as she and Hilda shook hands with the two girls.
"So what have you two done with the Alexander?"
"This one," Neha began, "we have dubbed it Alexander Châtiment (Retribution) and modified it and tuned it specifically for Zero. We have internalized the drone control system and upgraded most of the internal components to boost performance and to provide it with a range of sensors and features to maximize its efficiency as a Knightmare Frame fit for a commander."
The Alexander Châtiment retained some of the standard features of the Alexander units, but its armor was primarily black with gold trim while its faceplate was modified giving it a fearsome look to it appears to be more of a helmet worn by a devilish black knight. The fact its head had a fin on top of its head and two horns involved the black knight image, but the horns and fin both doubled as antennas capable of control range communication and broadcasting a control signal to any drones Lelouch was directing.
"We even replaced the armor with an experimental armor being developed by Euro-Britannia a spy of ours has passed to us. It's incomplete, but we expanded a little on their idea, and we created something as light as tungsten yet more durable, so we have dubbed it Srivatsa Steel." Kagari explained proudly while Chloe and Hilda were both impressed by the level of upgrades the machine had been given.
"We only had a limited supply of the material, so we only applied Srivatsa Steel to both Zero's unit and Marirrosa's Alexander."
"And how has her machine been customized?"
Neha exchanged a quick glance with Lelouch, who nodded his head in silent approval to answer her question.
"Marirrosa's Alexander, which we have named the Alexander Linterna (Lantern), was designed for heavy combat with a focus on her preferred fighting style of close quarters," Neha answered before gesturing for everyone to gaze upon the machine in question while it was standing next to Lelouch's Knightmare Frame. "We even created a pair of brake swords for it, which can be combined together into a dual-bladed Revolving Blade Sword."
"Revolving Blade Sword?" Hilda inquired.
"A blade designed with a chain-saw like attachment running along the length of the blade then superheated to increase its cutting capability allowing it to slash through most Knightmare Frame armor," Kagari answered.
The Alexander Linterna shared some standard features with Lelouch's machine, such as possessing the knight-like design; however, it's color scheme was different. The colors of Marirrosa's machine were modeled after the color scheme of her Star of Madrid uniform consisting mostly of red with orange and white as secondary colors. The swords in question were stored on the backpack, and the two Judgment Linear Assault Rifle were stored next to one another, and each of them had a blade attached to the barrel of the weapon allowing the two rifles to be used as make-shift close-quarter weapons.
"They look impressive," Chloe remarked.
"Yes, but we did have some questions about this Brain Raid System we discovered," Neha asked.
"Oh that, well that would be a better question reversed for Kate and Ferilli. They both worked with Dr. Randall, who developed the system," Hilda answered.
"The system has something to do with brain-waves I understand?" Lelouch inquired.
"Yes," Chloe answered with a nod, "it's supposed to be a way to link the brainwaves of other pilots allowing for creator coordination and communication than using traditional means."
"I see," Lelouch said intrigued by the idea, but wondered if that would be possible.
If it could work the possibilities would be interesting and maybe a new way to direct armies, but I suppose something like that would be decades away from becoming a reality, Lelouch thought.
"Then perhaps I should excuse myself so you can talk," Lelouch offered politely before leaving.
"Don't worry, I am sure we'll be fine here," Neha said as Lelouch nodded before leaving, but on his way out he glanced at the camera that overseen the hanger.
Just to be safe, they'll be under close watch until I am sure we can completely trust them, especially that new woman.
Lelouch made his way to his cabin where he opened the slide in his mask, allowing him to use the biometric scanner, which unlocked the door to his cabin enabling him to enter. His office that doubled as his cabin was large enough for an office space with a desk and chair with a pair of sofas and a table in-between them. Another door leading to a small bedroom with a bathroom, although it wasn't anything fancy, it was more than enough for Lelouch's uses.
Once Lelouch was inside, and the door was closed behind him, the young man was surprised to find Marirrosa waiting for him. Marirrosa wore her uniform, a recreation of her Star of Madrid attire, but modified the same way Lelouch's Zero suit was with the tactical lining. She looked at him with a contemplative expression upon her face, but Marirrosa didn't look away as Lelouch regarded her as he approached the sofa she sat on.
"I am sorry for leaving you this morning, but I was surprised to find that you had slipped into my bed," Lelouch acknowledged wondering if he might've unintentionally offended Marirrosa.
"No, I am not upset at all, but I should be the one to apologize through," Marirrosa admitted, seemingly embarrassed by her actions earlier today. "I think I was just feeling very anxious."
"Anxious?"
Marirrosa nodded before explaining, "Yes…well, I love you Lelouch, but I don't want to rush things between us. However, given what will likely be happening once you begin your plans to bring Britannia down I am worried something might happen to you or me."
"I see," Lelouch replied, recognizing the issue, "you are worried something might happen if we commit to a relationship?"
"That or I might regret not committing sooner because you are the person I feel closer to than anyone else and my brother admired you," Marirrosa said as the memory of her brother and the loss of her friends caused a tear to roll down her cheek.
Lelouch sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I have no intention of disappointing his expectations of me," Lelouch said with confidence, but Marirrosa seemed worried still.
"I am doubtful you will, but I am a little more worried about us."
"How so?"
"Maybe it's because I love you. I am worried something might happen to you or me," Marirrosa pointed out, moving closer to Lelouch.
Lelouch closed his eyes and contemplated that for a moment before answering.
"I have no intention of letting anything happen to you or me, but," Lelouch paused before thinking.
It would be foolish to think nothing couldn't happen.
The destruction of the Star of Madrid group was a case in point.
"Even if the possibility exists I refuse to allow either one of us to die," Lelouch declared.
Marirrosa seemed more at ease, but still it was evident on her face; some corners remained.
"Maybe, but no one else will come between us, right? Especially with all of those girls joining us," Marirrosa said with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Oh," Lelouch said, recognizing what else was clearly bothering Marirrosa. "I see, so you are worried someone else might snatch me from you?"
The shocked expression on Marirrosa's face was the only answer Lelouch needed, especially when she couldn't voice a proper response to that.
"Relax Marirrosa," Lelouch offered with a smile. "You're the only girl I am interested in. Even with my annoying fan base of gold-digging and swallow females at Ashford Academy, you have them all beat hands down."
"Maybe so," Marirrosa replied with her cheeks slightly red and feeling annoyed. "BUT what about the girls aboard this sub?"
"What about them?"
Marirrosa merely sighed in vexation, "You seriously can't be this dense can you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for one thing, I wouldn't be shocked if all of them were interested in you. Heck, I have seen how some of those girls have eyed you at times." Marirrosa answered before extending a hand, and she extended one of her fingers upon counting down on things that convinced her of their likely attraction to Lelouch. "One you saved their lives through an impressive display of cunning combined with improvising. Two, you are undeniably a very handsome young man who acts cool and distant while at the same time brilliant and driven, which would certainly attract any girl. The mask you now wear is likely to add to this effect adding an aura of mystery to you, so now you are probably going to end up attracting those girls from the E.U, so gaining the dashing rouge look isn't going to be helping you."
"I am doubtful about that last part," Lelouch pointed out wondering if Marirrosa was exaggerating.
"You might not notice it, but I think out of the girls of Ryo's group Ayano might have a huge crush on you."
"Ayano?"
Marirrosa nodded, "Consider how Ayano has always signed up with you whenever she had to play the role of your bodyguard. I mean she had the most dangerous task of following you when you both infiltrated that castle, and I have always caught her watching you."
Lelouch quietly contemplated this for a moment, and he did remember that out of the female members of Ryo's group Ayano has been the one to always socialize with him. Mariko and Fukumi were a close a second; especially when one of the two seemed to always seek any chance to accompany Lelouch.
"And three," Marirrosa said now holding up three fingers with her right hand, "You not only pulled off some daring heists and plans but the fact you are willing to be the "king" as you put it. To lead your subordinates so they would follow you. That didn't just inspire loyalty from Ryo and the others you know."
For once Lelouch didn't have a counter-argument, but after careful contemplation, Lelouch realized Marirrosa might be onto something. Lelouch reviewed his memories and thoughts of his interactions with Ayano in the others. He never paid the expressions they had on their faces any mind at the time, but he honestly wondered if he might've unknowingly caused the women of his group to become smitten with him.
However, Lelouch did realize something.
"Is that another reason why you were anxious then about us? You were worried one of them might make a move to establish a relationship with me before you could?"
Marirrosa's face took on a brighter shade of red, which was the only answer Lelouch needed.
"Well that is certainly a problem," Lelouch admitted wondering how he was going to address this issue worried rejection of Ayano and the others might cause some morale issues.
"It's your damn fault for not paying attention," Marirrosa pouted.
"I DO pay attention," Lelouch countered, "it's just I didn't really consider the attention I could draw some members of the opposite sex."
Lelouch knew that wasn't entirely true because Lelouch was well aware of how many girls at Ashford Academy were interested in him. He was annoyed by it to be sure, especially since the majority seemed more interested in his looks than who he really was. Lelouch even acted cold and politely dismissive of them, but instead of pushing them away it only attracted more of them to him. An obvious complication was the fact he was really a presumed dead prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, and Lelouch was deeply concerned about what would happen if the wrong person got wind of such knowledge.
I am almost positive half of them would likely sell me out to the Empire for their own advancement up the social ladder.
"I guess dealing with women is your weakness then," Marirrosa said with a smirk.
"Either way, this puts me into something of a predicament," Lelouch said, wondering how he was going to deal with the female admirers of his group.
Unaware of the fact that Lelouch's problems were beginning to multiply, because an hour later.
"So what's Zero like?" Kate asked.
Kate, Chloe, Hilda, Ferilli, Kyoko, and Sarah were seated at one of the large tables in the mess hall while talking to other members of Lelouch's newly established Order of the Black Knights. Taking up the rest of the table was Mariko, Fukumi, Ryo, and Akio. The four senior members of the Black Knights with Ryo being Lelouch's appointed deputy commander had been becoming more aquatinted with the new girls from the E.U, but for Kate her curiosity about Zero prompted her to ask about him.
Kate remembered how Zero had saved her from that fall, although it was a simple act of kindness the manner of how he caught and held her left an impression upon her. Then combined with how he pulled off the heist of the Alexanders and at the same time exposed their former commander as a very corrupt and even more incompetent fool than they knew he already was. The removal of their former commander was something Kate was deeply grateful to Zero about, and yet while she could feel angry at how the Alexanders were stolen, she found herself more interested to learn more about him.
"Zero is one hell of a guy," Ryo began with a grin. "One of the smartest guys I know and quite daring, especially when he plans big, and he goes big."
"Some of us had our doubts about him at first, but he always defied expectations especially given how he put together a plan to save our lives during that botched heist we had planned," Mariko noted.
"He is certainly impressive," Chloe remarked, "and the proposed upgrades and ideas he had for the Alexanders are very interesting."
"And wanting to make the drone control system more universally compatible with other Knightmare Frames and making them more portable too," Hilda added.
Around the same time, Yukiya was handling some damage control as he was tending to Ayano who was significantly depressed over losing Lelouch to Marirrosa. The pair was inside one of the cabins with Yukiya sitting on one of the bunks while Ayano laid on one of the beds opposite of his hugging a pillow.
"Come on Ayano we all knew Marirrosa was with Lelouch longer than any of us."
Ayano remained silent.
"Wow, you have really fallen hard for him," Yukiya commented as he was busy looking up something on his computer, but he did notice Ayano nodding her head. "Well I don't know if this could work, but there might be a chance both you and Marirrosa could simply share Lelouch."
"WHAT," Ayano said immediately sitting up with her cheeks taking on a shade of pink. "What do you mean by share Lelouch?"
"Did you know Britannia has a fascinating marriage law called the Worthy Reward Law?"
Ayano shook her head.
"No surprise since it's not well known to anyone outside of the nobility and wealthy-middle class, but surprisingly enough Japan even had a very similar law which was much more low-key. But let's talk about Britannia's version, which actually started centuries ago before Britannia itself was born. It was believed those most worthy among the nobility and royalty should spread their bloodlines as much as possible. On the other hand, it did ensure an heir for the throne given how there were some cases of Queens sometimes unable to bear a child or said child survived long enough to be crowned king." Yukiya explained to Ayano with the latter surprised by her own interest in the subject.
"Ok, so it's a really old law."
"It is, but when Britannia was properly founded the law became a tradition with the Emperor being the biggest user of the law. However, the law was soon applicable to those of a certain standing within the nobility, the wealthy and those from both with noteworthy battlefield accomplishments."
"But Lelouch isn't a member of the imperial family isn't more," Ayano argued.
"True, but with all of the money he has alone he more than qualifies. So for Lelouch being a very wealthy-middle class citizen, he could have four wives and four mistresses. Since you and Marirrosa love him there shouldn't be an issue with you two marrying Lelouch," Yukiya explained which only caused Ayano's face turn to a brighter shade of pink.
Yukiya didn't mention it, but the number of wives and mistresses a Britannian using the Worthy Reward Law was dependant on your station within the nobility. If Lelouch were to ever become a Prince of Britannia again, Yukiya recognized this was highly unlikely, then Lelouch would qualify to take at least two wives minimum, and there were no restrictions on mistresses. Another fact Yukiya didn't mention was that aside from foreign loyalty a foreigner like Ayano couldn't really become a wife under this law due to her Japanese ancestry, but she would still count as a mistress.
The number of wives and mistresses one could have varied the further down the aristocratic rankings you go, but Yukiya decided to pay those specifics no mind since they were not necessary at this point because Lelouch wasn't a member of the nobility anyway.
Not that he would ever want to be all things considered.
I am doubtful Lelouch would care about the difference between wife and mistress and would still regard Ayano as a wife regardless of the law, Yukiya noted internally.
"But Lelouch wouldn't agree to that let alone Marirrosa."
"True," Yukiya admitted shrugging his shoulders, "but if you really want him that badly, you got nothing to lose right?"
"Well I," Ayano said, trying to argue against that, but the words failed to come out.
"I can't speak for either one of them, but consider it food for thought."
Even though Lelouch came from a family with that sort of thing would be acceptable, I can't imagine he would go along with it easily.
Yukiya knew Lelouch's past experiences, especially with his mother's death and the fierce competition between the children of the Emperor likely soured his idea of it. In Lelouch's defense, it was hard to blame him in that regard, and there was the fact under normal circumstances Lelouch wouldn't be able to pursue his own harem even if he wanted to because of the dangerous repercussions revealing his secret to the wrong person could mean.
What would stop them from taking advantage of Lelouch and potentially slipping a knife between the sheets if he wasn't careful with his secret or worse?
But…Marirrosa and Ayano both know the real Lelouch and have grown very close to him, so maybe…
"Why are you suggesting this Yukiya?" Ayano inquired.
Yukiya adopted a more solemn expression, "because you, Ryo and the others mean a lot to me. I just want you to be happy, and frankly, I can't stand seeing you so depressed."
He held no romantic inclinations towards the others, but Yukiya viewed everyone in Ryo's group as a family. Yukiya wouldn't even think twice to lay down his life for them, so acting in a manner to how a brother would act for his sister Yukiya sought to help Ayano win Lelouch's heart anyway possible.
Getting Lelouch and Marirrosa willing to accept Ayano is easier said than done I suppose, Yukiya contemplated.
Days later the submarine quietly entered Area 11's coastal waters and approached the rocky cliffs that ran near the coast of Hayama, a town located in the Kanagawa Prefecture, located within central Honshū on the opposite of Toyko Bay. In the past before the invasion, Hayama was home to the Japanese Imperial Family called the Hayama Imperial Villa located along the shore. The original villa had been burned down decades ago but was rebuilt with part of the land donated to create a park for the growing town.
The rebuilt villa became a famous garden and tourist spot even after Japan became Area 11.
However when the villa was rebuilt a secret underwater dock was constructed, although it was initially meant to hold a ship for the Emperor and his family to flee the cavern was sealed off and entry was only possible by the use of a submarine when they couldn't properly hide the entrance. The cavern was used as a type of shelter instead, but over time it was forgotten until Oiaguro using his contacts had the cavern transformed into a proper functioning submarine dock. Lelouch didn't know how Oiaguro had discovered the cavern's existence, but it was heavily renovated to suit their needs.
Not only that, but it also was designed to become a primary headquarters for Lelouch's usage possessing everything he needed from technical and mechanical workshops, command and tactical rooms, functional medical faculties, supply and weapon storage, and living accommodations.
Building it was easy by paying off enough of the right people, but even Oiaguro acknowledged to Lelouch that…
"Covering it up was the hard part…"
Speaking of whom Oiaguro was waiting for Lelouch as the submarine finished its docking procedures.
However; knowing Lelouch was coming with new members for their case Oiaguro adopted to wear his own disguise and mask of the enigmatic Wizard of Peace Mark.
His attire consisted of a two-piece suit with one side black and one side white with a reserve pattern upon it complete with an integrated cape with a light blue interior on one side and purple on the other. He wore an ornate red mask with blue lenses over his eyes while his mouth was exposed. Part of the mask was a wig of white hair with a small black fedora hat on the left side of his head. His hands were covered in gloves matching the sides of his attire, and he had a unique device around his throat to disguise his voice.
"Welcome back to Japan, Zero," Oiaguro greeted as Lelouch disembarked the submarine dressed as Zero with a large suitcase in one hand.
"I am glad to finally return home Wizard," Lelouch said, returning the greeting while he shook Wizard's hand.
"So they are the new recruits?" Wizard asked glancing over Lelouch's shoulder as he observed the new members of the Black Knights.
"Yes they are, and despite how young they are, I am confident they will be helpful for what is to come."
"Very well, but you must be tired from all of this," Wizard asked although Lelouch didn't answer he thought Lelouch deserved some rest.
"I rested well on the submarine."
"You did, but there is one who has been eager for your return." Wizard pointed out subtly hinting that Nunnally was no doubt eager to see her brother again after being separated for so long.
"Go ahead Zero we can cover things here," Ryo said approaching Lelouch from behind, putting one hand on his shoulder.
Marirrosa nodded her head as well and seeing that Lelouch had no desire to argue against them silently accepted.
Wizard and Ryo were left to oversee the rest while Lelouch dressed as Zero still used the secret elevator to enter the mansion above ground.
As far as the authorities were concerned the property for which the estate sat on belonged to a Julius Kingsley, a wealthy recluse with a passion for Marine Biology with a three-story mansion overlooking the cliffs. Aside from the villa was a large warehouse that kept a personal marine laboratory with a specimens storehouse while keeping various equipment on hand that can be moved by truck. The property was private, so no one was allowed onto the grounds without the police becoming instantly involved. The warehouse had a larger elevator for vehicles and heavy equipment to be moved while there was a smaller elevator inside the mansion itself.
"Welcome back Master Lelouch," a young woman in her early twenties greeted as Lelouch exited the hidden elevator in the master bedroom on the third floor of the mansion.
"I am glad to finally be back, Miss Sayoko," Lelouch greeted, removing his mask.
Sayoko Shinozaki was dressed in the traditional attire of a maid complete with a white apron and hat on top, but beyond that, she had short brown hair and light brown eyes with a fair skin complexion. She was among those entrusted with Lelouch's secret, although hesitant about it Oiaguro convinced Lelouch otherwise.
"You'll need someone close to your sister should danger ever befall her so they could escape to this place."
Thankfully Sayoko proved very trustful and loyal.
As Lelouch entered the bathroom to change out of his Zero attire into more causal civilian wear, Sayoko proceeded to fill Lelouch in recent events before rehearsing the cover story he would give the students and his sister at Ashford Academy.
"Right, so you have the photos that have been prepared," Lelouch asked emerging from the bathroom with his Zero attire in a separate suitcase while dressed in a black skirt, grey jeans, and a red jacket.
"Along with the recommended gifts prepared by Lord Zevon," Sayoko answered.
Taking a deep breath, Lelouch readied himself as Sayoko helped Lelouch carry his other suitcase down to a car waiting for them out front.
"I trust Milly doesn't have anything readied for me?"
"Not as far as I know," Sayoko admitted.
"So that means you were left out of the loop then, which means she might," Lelouch said as the pair exited through the front door.
The drive from Hayama lasted over an hour, and it helped that traffic was light. By the time Lelouch returned to Ashford Academy it was past eight o'clock at night, but the grounds of the academy looked surprisingly peaceful. Disembarking from the vehicle Lelouch carried his bags while Sayoko helped him, but Lelouch knew appearances could be deceiving and Lelouch had a feeling of what awaited him.
I left you alone for so long Nunnally, so whatever Milly has in store I'll accept as my punishment, Lelouch said accepting whatever may come his way.
Milly Ashford was the Student Council President of the academy and the granddaughter of the former head of the Ashford Family and acting headmaster of the academy. Unlike her parents, who embodied everything Lelouch resented about the Britannian Nobility who sought to regain their status by marrying off their only daughter to a suitable candidate while they took him and Nunnally in as liability insurance.
Milly was a shocking polar opposite. Milly Ashford was very mischievous, curious, and playful to the point whenever she planned a school event it would be very over the top, but that was Milly Ashford. Milly was among those aware of Lelouch's former identity as a Prince of Britannia but knew nothing about his activities for the past year.
When Lelouch and Nunnally relocated to Japan after spending time in Hawaii; Oiaguro had made arrangements with the Ashford Foundation to shelter Lelouch within the newly built Ashford Academy where he would meet Milly who was one year his senior. Like Sayoko; Milly was unaware of Lelouch's true identity at the time until her grandfather, who was an old friend and ally of Lelouch's mother told her.
"Here we go," Lelouch said as he approached the Student Council building at the heart of the academy.
Instead of the dorms Lelouch and Nunnally stayed in a part of the Student Council Building, which had been formerly a ballroom for events yet it remained mostly unused except for the students held a special occasion. However, it had more than enough rooms and faculties to accommodate Lelouch and Nunnally, and the building was chosen specifically because it could accommodate Nunnally far better than the dorms due to her disabilities.
The lights seem to be on, Lelouch thought as he slowly opened the door.
Moments after stepping a few feet inside Lelouch was met by ten Ashford Academy Students.
"SURPRISE," ten different people shouted from above.
They were all lying in wait for Lelouch on the balcony overlooking the first floor. Lelouch was covered in confetti showered onto him from above, but despite the surprise, Lelouch had a feeling something like this was going to happen.
Of course, Milly would do this, Lelouch thought with a faint smile.
Speaking of the devil; Milly Ashford descended the stairs with her typical smile which was cheerful on the outside yet those who knew her knew it was a sign of mischief to come. Milly wore the average Ashford Academy student for girls, which consisted of a light tan jacket trimmed with a gold, a white dress shirt, a black skirt with matching loafers and green socks complete with a matching tie. Milly also possessed shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes and was very attractive with quite the figure that would make her undoubtedly the most popular girl in school.
"Well about time you came back Lelouch Lamperouge," Milly said playfully scolding Lelouch as she descended the stairs to approach him.
"Glad to be back," Lelouch offered in return.
"About time, you came back. It's been kinda dull around here."
The words came from the only other male member of the Student Council besides Lelouch. He was the same age as Lelouch with a tanned complexion with grey eyes and spiky blue hair wearing the traditional Ashford Academy uniform for male students.
"It's good to be back Rivalz," Lelouch said to his friend; Rivalz Cardemonde.
"Brother…"
Nunnally Lamperouge; the fourteen-year-old sister of Lelouch was approaching her brother after disembarking an elevator and exiting out into the reception hall to meet her brother after months of separation. The young girl looked nothing like her brother had sandy brown hair, a fair skin complexion wearing the middle school uniform for female Ashford Academy students consisting of a pink dress with straps and a white dress shirt. Pushing her wheelchair was another member of the student council wearing the same uniform as Milly, but she possessed long orange hair and green eyes.
"Nunnally I am so sorry I was gone for so long," Lelouch apologized seemingly on the verge of tears, but he fought to keep his composure.
"Its ok brother, but I really missed you," Nunnally said while failing to hold back her own tears, who was hugged by her brother after her wheelchair came to a stop before him.
"Welcome home Lulu," Shirley Fenette greeted, another member of the Student Council.
"Lulu is a cute name."
"Who," Lelouch asked seeking out the voice he didn't recognize as he stood up after finishing hugging Nunnally.
Aside from the last member of the student council present being the bookish Nina Einstein; a young girl with braided dark green hair wearing glasses over her indigo eyes, there were five new faces Lelouch didn't recognize.
The one who commented on the nickname Shirley gave him was around his age with short green hair, light blue eyes, and a fair skin complexion wearing the same Ashford Academy uniform.
"My name is Sokkia Sherpa," Sokkia replied cheerfully. "Nice to meet Nunnally's big brother finally!"
"I made some new friends brother," Nunnally announced happily, but Lelouch recognized the name Sokkia before he remembered where he had heard it from.
"Sokkia," Lelouch began as realization dawned on him, "as in Crasher Sokkia from Team Fireball of the Jousting and Formation Competitive KMF League?"
The Jousting and Formation Competitive KMF League as the full name implies is a combination of jousting with Knightmare Frames using customized weapons during matches between two teams possessing five machines. Aside from jousting, there was direct combat and formation being observed during fighting between the two groups. The Knightmare Frames they used are modified Glasgows called the RPI-13/G Prytwen, which possess excellent mobility but lack the combative effectiveness with weapons designed solely for disabling Knightmare Frames.
"That's me, and I have survived crashing my Knightmare Frame over one hundred times," Sokkia replied joyfully with a thumbs up.
I don't think that's something you should be proud of, Lelouch commented internally, but he couldn't deny that despite all of those crashes Sokkia survived every single one unscratched.
Lelouch also knew about Sokkia from all of the magazine advertisements from the Durandal Sports Equipment Company with her being their exclusive model, which Rivalz showed him at times. She was primarily known for her publications for new bikes the company put out under the belief that "even if Crasher Sokkia rides it the bike will never break."
After recognizing Sokkia, it only took Lelouch a second to recognize the other new faces in the reception hall.
One of note was a seventeen year old with long waist-length red hair and green eyes wearing the same uniform as Sokkia and Milly while displaying bold confidence.
"It's great to finally meet you, Mr. Vice-President; I am Alessandra Dolos the leader of the Fireballs and now the new President of the KMF League Club. But you can call me Sandra if you want," Alessandra Dolos greeted shaking Lelouch's hand.
The Fireballs were currently the champions of the KMF League with Alessandra Dolos being mainly well known for being a fierce competitor and leader of the Fireballs. However, Alessandra was also the granddaughter of the infamous Tony Dolos a ruthless crime lord known by his nickname Scarface. The Dolos Family was publically a powerful noble family with many illegal businesses involving black market smuggling and drug dealing.
As a result, they were the most powerful crime family until around 2011 A.T.B. when the new Sutherland was rolled out following the success of the Glasgow during the invasion of Japan. Once the police began receiving the LE-E106 Knightpolice, a repurposed Glasgow, the criminal empire of the Dolos Family crumbled with many of their business partners fleeing to the Areas where the law wasn't as enforced compared to the homeland.
Because of her lineage and fighting skills in the KMF League led to Alessandra being nicknamed the Blade Gangster.
"You're the Blade Gangster?" Lelouch said surprised to see someone of Alessandra's reputation in Area 11.
Nunnally giggled before explaining, "Sorry brother, I wanted to surprise you. It seems Viceroy Clovis wants to expand the KMF League to other Areas, so he brought the Fireballs to Area 11 to help begin and promote the new KMF League Stadium he has been building."
"So we ended up attending this school on Prince Clovis's tab, which leads us to thinking we could form a club to help give people a good introduction into how to join the KMF League," Sandra explained.
Knowing who Sandra and Sokkia were led to Lelouch recognizing the rest of Sandra's team consisting of Matoaka Granger, Jamie Hogan, Stephanie Iverson, and their extra member Lily Erdmann.
"Now our Vice-President is finally back let's celebrate," Milly announced happily before Sandra took Lelouch by the arm.
"You'll have a great time, and we have been eager to meet you," Sandra said before dragging off Lelouch.
"For sure since you are supposed to be the most popular boy in school right," Sokkia pointed with a big smile.
"Well I am flattered really," Lelouch said, but deep down he knew he was in for a long night.
As far as punishments go, this wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but thankfully I am finally home.
And with his return, Lelouch could begin adequately building up the foundations he had brought back from across the sea.
A/N: and now it begins…Lelouch is back in Japan with weapons, Knightmare Frames, and followers along with his own hidden base to operate from. Oiaguro has set him up well, but will it all go so smoothly?
Anyway, we got Sokkia and her team the Fireballs as new students in Ashford Academy. Besides Sokkia and Alessandra, there wasn't anything on physical descriptions of her other teammates, which is why I skimmed over them for the time being.
So we'll see how it plays out, but if I can include her I will rest assured.
Anyway, thank you for reading the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it. Here are the specs of Lelouch's customized Alexander.
Model number: WOX-Type-01 A/0
Code name: Alexander Châtiment (Retribution)
Pilot: Lelouch Lamperouge (aka Zero)
Unit type: prototype seventh generation Knightmare Frame
Manufacturer: Clément Factory (original unit), Militarized Zone of India (customized and upgraded)
Operator(s): Order of the Black Knights/United States of Japan, Holy Britannia Empire
First deployment: 2017 A.T.B.
Accommodation: pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso
Dimensions: overall height 4.61 meters (Knightmare frame mode)
Weight: combat weight 8.02 metric tons
Armor materials: Srivatsa Steel
Powerplant: Yggdrasil Drive, Energy Filler
Equipment and design features: landspinner high-mobility propulsion system, mounted in legs; Insect Mode transformation mechanism; Sub-arms; Brain Raid System; Pinocchio Drone Control System
Fixed armaments:
2 x fixed Uruna Edge Knives (stored within arm shaft)
4 x Slash Harken (one mounted on each forearm, and one mounted on each side of the waist)
2 x Brake Blade Swords (mounted on the sides of the cockpit when not in use next to the assault rifle and railgun rifle)
Optional hand armaments: none
1 x WAW-04 30mm Linear Assault Rifle "Judgement" (can be mounted on sides of the cockpit)
1 x D09-A 55mm experimental railgun anti-material rifle, "Sparrow," can be mounted on the sides of the cockpit, high-velocity mode can only be used in insect mode
The Demon and his Knights Ch6
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A/N: Although this chapter might feel short, its all preparation for specific events that are to come to pass, and a certain green-haired woman will come into play.
First, there are some things to cover in this chapter, so let us begin.
Ten days into the New Year had passed, but five days since Lelouch returned from being away for months overseas. At the urging of Ryo and the others, Lelouch made it a point to spend a lot of time with Nunnally to make up for the time he had been gone.
Yet in-between those moments and school Lelouch has not been idle.
"How is your tour of Area 11?" Lelouch asked with a cell phone resting against his ear.
"No shortage of places to sightsee; that's for sure, but," Yukiya answered before a smile appeared on his face. "I think the firewalls the Britannians have are even worse than the ones the E.U. got, so I'll give the latter props for having better network security."
To be fair, the new equipment and software you have at your fingertips deserve some credit too, Lelouch mused internally.
Yukiya was sitting inside a room within the base at Hayama, which was built into a room solely for him as the Black Knight's head of intelligence, or more specifically, its cyber warfare division.
The young hacker was surrounded by the most powerful computers, and servers' money could buy, and most of it had been customized to his exact specifications. Yukiya also had software tools used by the OSI and other similar groups, some acquired in Mumbai's black market, on hand including the means to create his own. Yukiya had one large monitor before him, while smaller monitors showing him different information and stats from network firewalls.
For any aspiring hacker, such a room filled with such equipment would be a dream come true for them.
"Still, I haven't found anything on the ghettos, or at least nothing specific," Yukiya noted as he typed on the keyboard in front of him before using one hand to adjust the headset he was wearing he was using to talk to Lelouch.
"I see," Lelouch said, using his own computer on his desk at home to examine maps of the Toyko area. "So far, Shinjuku Ghetto might be our best option. Saitama Ghetto is second best, but the presence of the Yamato Alliance and how it's known to be a resistance hotspot makes it too risky of a location. Even more so if the local authorities are pushed to begin pursuing them more aggressively at some point."
"So, out of all of the ghettos we have been looking at Shinjuku is our best bet then?"
"For now, at least, but we'll need to get a closer look," Lelouch said as he began thinking of a plan.
Even though Lelouch had his base in Hayama right now, it was risky for Lelouch to bring new members to it, especially when there is a possibility a spy for Britannia could be inserted among the new recruits. Or even another more radical resistance group could sell them out or attempt to possibly attack them to seize their weapons. Still, these thoughts merely reinforced Lelouch's decision to establish an alternate base in one of the ghettos.
They would strike out against Britannia, beginning with small operations against them while trying to draw in recruits to expand their ranks.
And in the event should someone attempt to betray them to the Britannians or to someone else, their base in Hayama wouldn't be at risk, and Lelouch could simply abandon the base and try again in another location.
But we'll need more than one base eventually, especially if we do grow into a much larger organization; Lelouch reasoned knowing they would need to establish new bases.
In preparation for this, Lelouch was also taking down notes on extra locations around Tokyo and other areas around Japan to consider. Still, for the time being, he was more concerned about finding a suitable location within the areas surrounding Toyko.
"Perhaps we'll use the area to conduct a field test of the improved drone control system as both to test if it works and to scout the ghetto itself at the same time?" Lelouch suggested after contemplating a potential idea.
"Wouldn't that be a little risky?"
"Maybe, but I think we'll use a Glasgow or obtain a Knightpolice Unit for the test. We'll use it observe to see if anyone might react to it, and it will tell us if we have another resistance group in Shinjuku we'll need to be aware of."
Yukiya contemplated this before agreeing, "That might be a good idea, but maybe we should prepare some explosives to include inside the machine."
"Good idea, but I'll bring the Sparrow along with the Châtiment."
"That monster of a weapon?" Yukiya asked, clearly surprised by the suggestion.
"Yes, that one, and it one shot in its high-velocity mode, can tear through almost anything."
"Isn't that a bit much to even use as a means of wiping out the drone-control unit within the cockpit should the explosives fail to go off," Yukiya noted recognizing Lelouch's reason for bringing the D09-A 55mm experimental anti-material railgun named the Sparrow.
They had obtained in Mumbai with Lelouch's intent of using it as a weapon for his customized Alexander, but despite it being a very powerful long-range weapon, it was not without its drawbacks. These drawbacks prevented it from being mass-produced by Britannia, leaving its prototypes to find their way onto the black market. The Sparrows were initially designed to be railgun rifles for use by Knightmare Frames to wipe out heavily armored targets from a distance. Including destroying fortified enemy emplacements and tearing through walls and thick armor plating with ease. In their normal firing mode, they had more firepower than your standard assault rifle, but its high-velocity mode was where the problem laid. It was because of the insane amount of recoil from a shot fired while in its secondary mode tore the arms of the Knightmare Frame handling it off or critically damaged it.
Despite the weapon's highly destructive shots in its high-velocity mode, the rifle was deemed a failure since no Knightmare Frame would handle the railgun.
Until Neha Shankar and Kagari Savitri came along and thanks to the Alexander's unique Insect Mode, a workaround was provided.
As long as Lelouch used the Sparrow's high-velocity mode in the Châtiment's Insect Mode, and thanks to the reinforcement provided by its new Srivatsa Steel frame. The Châtiment could fire the weapon without damaging itself. Lelouch would just have to be mindful to properly anchor his machine before each shot to avoid being pushed back by the recoil.
"Maybe, but it's the only weapon we have that can vaporize anything in that cockpit covering up the evidence," Lelouch said in agreement.
"It is still overkill, but alright then."
Around the same time, a combat sparring match between two Sutherlands was taking place upon the grounds of the Area 11 Military Academy a short distance away from the Toyko Concession Area. The sparring match was happening on an open runaway observed by other students safely watching from an enclosed observation platform while their instructor was issuing orders through a megaphone. The two Sutherlands were armed with weapons identical to the jousting lances used but modified for training purposes with electromagnetic attachments to stun a Knightmare Frame.
To tell the difference between the two machines for those observing the sparring match, the shoulders of the Sutherlands had been painted with different colors to tell them apart. One had red painted on its shoulders while the other had yellow.
The red Sutherland was fighting aggressively against the yellow Sutherland, but instead of counterattacking, the pilot of the other machine was fighting defensively. However, the yellow Sutherland was allowing her foe to attack so aggressively. Knowing that in her foe's efforts to break through her defenses, a mistake was bound to happen.
And when it did…the red Sutherland would be punished for it.
The moment came, and the yellow Sutherland used one mighty swing of its lance to knock the red Sutherland back before following it up with a fierce counterattack. The red Sutherland's drive to overpower her foe had left its pilot worn down, and its energy reverses low. Thus creating an opening for the yellow Sutherland to strike the left shoulder of the red Sutherland, causing its arm to become disabled.
The Yellow Sutherland pressed its attack before going for the legs leaving the red Sutherland unable to escape her fury.
The fight was over within moments, and that was when the instructor called out.
"ENOUGH," the instructor barked on the megaphone causing the yellow Sutherland to stop. "Well done, Cadet Krushevsky."
Emerging from the cockpit of the Yellow Sutherland was a young woman of seventeen with waist-length blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a blue and black pilot suit. Monica Krushevsky was, without doubt, the best of her class showing signs of being a born prodigy when it came to warfare.
But that was not to saying diminishing of her foe.
Emerging from the cockpit of the Red Sutherland was another blonde haired cadet who was the same age as Monica. But her hair was shorter going to mid-back, and she had green eyes possessing a mole under her left eye.
"You really shouldn't attack so aggressively like that," Monica lightly scolded while offering her hand to Oldrin Zevon, the second-best cadet. "You'll just wear yourself down, and you'll be more prone to making mistakes."
Oldrin Zevon never took loosing well, especially when she aspired to be the best in her class to pursue her dream. However, Oldrin knew she had lost fair and square in an honorable duel, and so she accepted the results along with Monica's hand.
Unknown to the pair, another group was watching them.
"These new cadets look very promising."
The man who made that comment possessed blue hair with a tanned complexion and gold eyes. He also wore a blue and yellow trimmed uniform with a white cape covering his right shoulder. His companion seemed younger with light brown hair and light blue eyes wearing a grayish-blue and yellow trimmed military uniform with a red tie.
"I agree, but I am most proud of Marika."
"Yes, your younger sister is ranked third among her classmates," Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald commented.
Kewell Soresi merely smiled, "Well, I would like to see her at the top of her class."
Jeremiah shared in his subordinate's humor with a short laugh himself before commenting.
"She has fierce competition that much is certain, but it would make Marika's rise to the top all the more satisfying, wouldn't it?"
"I have to agree," Kewell replied.
Marika Soresi was the same age as the other cadets. Although she could've attended the military academy in the homeland, Marika had been insistent of attending the military academy at Area 11 instead to be close to her brother. In fact, Jeremiah and Kewell would see Marika from where they had been watching the sparring match between Oldrin and Monica from one of the air traffic towers. The tower was presently unoccupied, giving them privacy.
She had light-brown hair, and sky-blue eyes made Marika stand out in a crowd, but it also helped she was next to her best friend and fellow cadet.
Liliana Vergamon was the fourth-best cadet in their class possessing green eyes and long blonde hair. Next to her was another cadet with dark skin, red eyes, and shoulder-length white wear wearing oval-shaped glasses named Toto Thompson.
Unlike Monica, Oldrin, Marika, and Liliana, unfortunately, Toto's own piloting skills weren't near the level of the top five students, but her skills were adequate at least.
"Overall, this batch of new cadets is likely the best I have seen," Jeremiah commented.
Jeremiah was frequently at the academy from time to time to give a speech or serve as a special guest instructor. Even more so when the cadets are carrying out a live combat scenario to prepare them for their lives ahead as soldiers and Knightmare Frame pilots. He had seen many cadets pass through the academy; although some showed promise the cadets, he was watching easily topped the others he had seen in the past.
"Have you heard what's next for them?"
"No, but I heard they are planning something new for the cadets this year, given the promise they are showing," Jeremiah answered. "Word is they are planning to conduct operations in the Shinjuku Ghetto soon."
"Urban Environment Combat Exercises?" Kewell asked, which Jeremiah confirmed with a nod.
"It's fairly standard, but they always conduct them in a different ghetto every year with different objectives," Jeremiah explained.
"Which Ghetto did they chose for this year?"
"Shinjuku Ghetto," Jeremiah answered.
A short time later, after changing and cleaning up in the showers, Oldrin and the other students were excused for lunch. But despite assurances, she gave it her all Oldrin was left depressed after her defeat at Monica's hands.
"That was unacceptable," Oldrin muttered while letting the water of the shower rain upon her.
How can I become a knight worthy of Marrybell?
"Hey, Oldrin," Marika said, calling from the shower stall next to her, "maybe you are taking this way too hard? It was only training."
"I know, but I can't help it! I promised Marrybell I would graduate as the best, so I can be a true knight, but yet…" Oldrin said, feeling very anxious.
"Maybe because you are stressing yourself out over it that could be affecting your combat performance?" Marika suggested hoping that would help Oldrin calm herself a bit.
"Huh?!"
"They say when you become too worked up over something, you become sloppy and become more prone to mistakes. So why not take a step back and clear your head a bit."
Oldrin sighed; although it did little to limit the disappointment she felt in herself, she accepted it.
Later that same day, Lelouch went by the Knightmare Frame League Club. Although he had visited the club a few days before following his return, he had been invited by the club's leader. Lelouch didn't know what precisely this invite entailed, but it seemed its members had become close to Nunnally. In the process, making her an honorary member of shorts while he had been away.
Even more telling was the fact the invitation came from Nunnally.
From what Sayoko has been telling me she has been having a good time with them since their club was established, Lelouch thought.
That put Lelouch at ease since he was worried about his sister's well being since he had been away and was glad to see that she had made more friends who spend time with her.
Regardless I shouldn't refuse since thanks to them, my time gone wasn't as hard on Nunnally. Lelouch reminded himself internally as he opened the door to the clubroom.
"Welcome, Lelouch," Sokkia said, instantly greeting Lelouch upon entering by appearing beside himself and putting her arm on his shoulder.
"Thank you," Lelouch replied while sighing internally at Sokkia throwing her arm over his shoulder in an overt friendly gesture, "so what is the special occasion to invite me?"
"Well," Sokkia replied with a sly smile before explaining. "We faced every member of the Student Council in a one on one simulated battle against Sandra or me, so we thought we face the last member of the student council."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "so you could have a complete victory then? I am surprised they lost against members of the best team of the KMF League."
Sokkia laughed it off, "which is why we do one on one battles between them and me to give them as much of a fair chance as possible. But just because I am known for Crashing my Knightmare Frame doesn't mean I am a pushover."
Lelouch grinned, "I have no doubt of that given what you and your team have accomplished to become champions."
On the other hand, Lelouch had been trained how to pilot and fight in a Knightmare Frame since the time he had spent in Area 7 (Hawaii). It was all done under the tutelage of Oiaguro's old acquaintance living there. There were the times Lelouch had piloted his mother's old machine the YF6-X7K/E Ganymede during school exhibitions, and occasionally a Sutherland with Marirrosa's group. A Sutherland was a better choice over the E.U.'s Mk3-E2E8 Panzer-Hummel due to being a more versatile machine despite the Panzer being faster than the Sutherland.
I know I could fare better than Milly, and the others did thanks to my training, but. Lelouch thought while he contemplated if he should accept the challenge and fight with everything he had or accept and throw the fight.
The more prideful aspect of Lelouch argued against this, but the more logical part of him cautioned that going all out and especially should he win would draw unwanted attention.
And Lelouch had enough unwanted attention from the other girls of the academy and didn't want anymore.
Yet another part of him wanted to know how he measured up as a pilot, although the Fireballs weren't combat pilots, they were undeniably skilled.
With that thought in mind, Lelouch had found a middle ground for the two conflicting aspects of Lelouch's mind. Lelouch would just have to be mindful to avoid winning against anyone else besides Sokkia.
The prideful part of Lelouch didn't like that. However, the more logical part of him won that argument, knowing it the increased attention on him would potentially endanger all of his efforts and goals for the future.
"So how about it? Want to try and avenge your fellow council members?" Sokkia replied with a wide smile as she noticeably started eyeing Lelouch.
"Fine, I'll take you on," Lelouch replied while feeling reasonably confident he could at least perform much better than his friends on the council.
Furthermore, given Sokkia's fighting style, I think I can use that to my advantage. Lelouch contemplated while recalling having watched his fair share of KMF League matches with Nunnally. Since she had asked Lelouch to describe what was happening to her.
"ALRIGHT!" Sokkia exclaimed before gesturing for Lelouch to a pair of simulators facing one another.
Clovis must be really trying hard to promote the KMF Leauge here if he has provided these simulators.
Lelouch examined the simulator before entering it.
The Simulators they were using were identical to the cockpits used by Glasgows, cosmetically designed to look more akin to the inside of an RPI-13/G Prytwen. The Prytwen were basically Glasgows modified for competitive sports. Naturally, their combat performance was reduced by forty percent, and they were more fragile, too, but they possessed considerable mobility.
They are identical to the training simulators used by the military. I am willing to wager they are actually modified simulators used by the local law enforcement academies for training pilots for the LE-E106 Knightpolice units. Lelouch contemplated as he examined the cockpit and getting a feel for the controls.
"So I shouldn't have to give you any instructions right," Sokkia asked over intercom system linking the two simulators.
"Its nothing I haven't seen before, I assure you," Lelouch replied.
"Of course," Sokkia answered confidently; she would get another easy win.
That overconfidence is what Lelouch was hoping for. Since it would give him an element of surprise if he was cunning enough to take full advantage of it at the right time.
I'll need to be careful, Lelouch thought, because he realized it would be best if his victory against Sokkia looked like a lucky fluke. Or the result of Sokkia being overconfident, she made a mistake allowing Lelouch to win.
"Alright, so here is how we'll do it! We'll begin with a simple jousting set up with a round shield and polearm between us," Sokkia said as the simulated began to start up.
The cockpit screens displayed a class jousting arena, one you would expect from medieval times or rather those you would see in movies. It came complete with a cheering crowd in the stands dressed in era-appropriate clothing, and the arena was large enough for two Knightmare Frames to duel.
"A strangely appropriate choice for an arena," Lelouch commented.
"It wasn't my idea," Sokkia replied, shrugging her shoulders, "it's just something that came with the simulators the Viceroy gave us."
"Ok," Lelouch said, deciding to brush the matter aside, "so traditional jousting rules, I assume?"
"Kinda," Sokkia answered before explaining, "just in a joust, we would charge at one another at high speeds using our lances. However, if neither of us can send the other ejecting from their cockpit, we can fight with our sword and shield until someone is ejected or yields."
"I see, so let's begin then."
With a wide smile, Sokkia's hands tightened around the control sticks, "let's go!"
Unaware of the crowd gathering to watch the jousting between Sokkia and Lelouch, the two readied themselves.
Lelouch leveled his lance as he was ready to accelerate as soon as the jousting was given the go-ahead. Sokkia was also prepared, and for a tense, full minute, there was nothing but silence and growing tensions until.
"GO!" A male voice announced prompting both Lelouch and Sokkia to speed towards one another.
Despite the speeds they were traveling at, it seemed like an eternality before they were within range of one another, but instead of Lelouch being forced to eject.
Sokkia's machine was struck in the waist knocking it to the ground much to the utter shock of those watching and Sokkia herself. However, the damage wasn't enough to force an eject, so their duel would be settled with swords.
Lelouch had already cast aside his lance, allowing him to draw his sword. Now that he was permitted to do so after the jousting phase due to the enforced rules of the simulator. Sokkia was still reeling from being unexpectedly hit, but she was quickly recovering as she saw Lelouch closing in for the kill.
Unfortunately, her machine wasn't responding fast enough, allowing Lelouch to swoop in and behead her machine winning the match.
Despite his victory, Lelouch was visibly annoyed at himself.
She either went too easy on me, or I allowed my competitive side to get the better of me.
With a sigh and mentally preparing himself for whatever came next, but when Lelouch emerged from the cockpit, he was surprised by what he saw, which only caused him to groan internally.
Outside of his simulator, the club room was filled with students, and most of them were girls. Apparently, a crowd rushed in once word had gotten out that Lelouch was facing Sokkia. Now Lelouch was cursing himself internally because he realized now he should've just thrown the match. Even though such an action would've left a strong distaste that would've left in his mouth.
On the other hand, it probably would've been worth it considering how much more attention Lelouch had just drawn to himself. Even worse, Lelouch had a mental image of Ryo laughing at him before repeating what he said on the day when Lelouch took Marriosa out on their date.
"Wow, for a guy who can put together some crazy plans and is smarter than most of us. He couldn't tell when he had women showing an obvious interest in him."
This has to be an elaborate joke by Milly, Lelouch thought while finding it difficult to believe he was so popular.
Once he was out of the simulator, Lelouch felt Sokkia latch onto him from behind embracing him, but instead of being upset, she was quite the opposite.
"WOW, I heard you were the only one who had any experience handling a Knightmare Frame! Heck, you surprised me," Sokkia exclaimed while Lelouch was trying to get free of her.
"Come on," Lelouch began while he continued to struggle. "That was just beginner's luck, or were you going easy on me?"
"No way I gave it my best in that one," Sokkia admitted. "But I seriously didn't expect you to be way better than Milly had told me, so you did catch me off guard."
Lelouch had managed to pry Sokkia's arm away from his waist after managing to slip his shoulder free from her grip when Alessandra approached. She managed to get through the crowd of female students who were chatting up a storm about Lelouch's stunning victory against Sokkia.
"So who defeated one of my babies?" Alessandra demanded before the crowd pointed to Lelouch.
Alessandra was surprised to see that Lelouch was the one who had bested Sokkia, but once she regained her composer, she narrowed her eyes at Lelouch.
"Well, now I guess the student council does have someone with some skills!" Alessandra remarked while folding both arms under her bosom.
"It had to be a fluke on my part, I am sure," Lelouch said, trying to feign modesty.
Alessandra eyed Lelouch before pointing to the simulator.
"Let's find out," Alessandra said while gesturing for him to get into the simulator.
Damn it, Lelouch thought while masking his annoyance.
"You seem to be taking this rather personally."
"Not at all," Alessandra replied before smiling. "If someone can beat Sokkia, then I can at least expect a good fight from them."
Lelouch felt as if he was backed into a corner, although he wanted to refuse the shouting from the other girls in the room were calling for him to accept. Internally making his decision, Lelouch climbed back into the simulator leading to some girls cheering and applauding for him while Alessandra wasted no time jumping in herself. Lelouch had a plan in mind to defuse the situation he was in, but it was all about giving a believable performance.
"Alright same rules as before," Alessandra announced from the interior of her simulated cockpit.
"Right," Lelouch said, gripping the control sticks as the simulated began to start up again.
I just need to do what I should've done, but maybe I won't have to.
As soon as the signal was given, Lelouch and Alessandra charged one another wielding jousting lances. Unlike last time Lelouch and Alessandra's jousting lances collided. However, both tips slipped down and stuck the hand of their foe, forcing their own machines to release them from their hands. The two quickly drew their swords before rushing to engage one another.
"Not bad, I think with some training you might be a natural," Alessandra complimented feeling fired up.
"Thank you," Lelouch replied, wondering if Alessandra was taking it easy on him.
No, that can't be right given her performance in the KMF Leauge, so she must be trying to gauge my skills, Lelouch thought while suspicious if Alessandra was holding back.
Alessandra was the champion of the KMF Leauge for a good reason, and even in one on one matches making her arguably the strongest of the Fireballs. Known to be very aggressive in battle, but yet that aggressiveness was tempered by quick thinking and being able to read her foes. Alessandra was the type to always hit hard and fast, and if they had any kind of tactics or acted strangely, then she would hold back until she had a better feel for them so she could create and exploit openings.
Lelouch parried Alessandra's first blow before rushing forward to bash him in the face with her shield, but Lelouch quickly backed away. The former prince didn't have much time to recover, but he raised his shield up just in time before attempting to counter with a quick stab aimed for her machine's lower torso. Alessandra responded by backing away and swinging her sword in a wide arc, but using his shield, Lelouch deflected it pausing her moments briefly, hoping it would create an opening. However, Alessandra used her own shield to swiftly block Lelouch's attack.
Alessandra counterattacked with her sword with Lelouch managing to block it with his shield, but Alessandra managed to hit Lelouch in the face stunning him for a moment before raising her sword to strike. Lelouch seemingly recovered but raised his sword to block the incoming attack.
Yet Lelouch just narrowly missed Alessandra's sword as it slipped through his defenses and struck him in a critical point, forcing an ejection.
Despite his loss, the gathered crowd was convinced Lelouch had given an excellent performance against a champion.
Even Sokkia was applauding him after emerging from the Simulator.
"Not bad, Lelouch," Sokkia complimented. "You did pretty well against Sandra despite being a rookie, but I think you are a born natural who just needs some training."
"Thanks, but I believe they only allow women to be pilots in the KMF Leauge?" Lelouch pointed out, which he suspected wasn't solely because of skill.
This was also based on and seemingly cemented by the type of outfits most KMF teams are expected to wear if the Fireball's revealing pilot suits during a match were an example.
Sokkia shrugged her shoulders before replying. "Yeah, that's sad, but hey watch can you do?"
"Right," Lelouch offered in agreement.
Alessandra emerged from her simulator, but unlike the other girls in the room, the hot-blooded and fired up seventeen-year-old girl was replaced with a calm and instead collected girl. With a faint smile, Alessandra placed her hand on Lelouch's shoulder.
"Not bad, Lelouch. Its good to see that someone in the Student Council can hold their own against us, but maybe we might call on you to do some exhibition battles for events."
"Ok, I suppose I could do that," Lelouch said, accepting before asking. "But, you seem disappointed."
"Nah," Alessandra said before her personality returned to normal as she waved a hand dismissively. "I was just hoping for a challenge. I know I heard about how you skip school to challenge members of the nobility in high-stakes chess matches, so I think you should understand."
"Of course," Lelouch admitted with a smile. "I haven't found anyone to give me a good challenge, so I understand how you feel."
Internally Lelouch was a bit annoyed. Alessandra had learned about his gambling habits before his departure from Area 11. He wondered if Milly or someone else told him since the members of the Student Council were aware of his hobby, especially given how Rivalz would give him a ride to these matches.
"Anyway, I should get going," Lelouch said, noticing the crowd inside the now clouded club room was gossiping up a storm about his performance against Sokkia.
Alessandra and Sokkia watched Lelouch squeeze through the crowd of girls who tried to stop him to talk with Lelouch while others took a chance to touch the fabled Ice Prince of Ashford Academy.
"That Lelouch is really something," Sokkia complimented before a sly smile appeared on his face, "he has promise too."
Alessandra turned to her friend with a raised eyebrow.
"He actually held back against me."
"Huh," Sokkia exclaimed, but no one could hear their conversation since most of the room was being drowned out by the ongoing chatter from the other girls in the club room.
"During my last attack, he could've blocked it, but he stopped it at the last second to allow my sword through to hit him," Alessandra explained with a sour expression on her face.
"So, he might be better than we thought then?" Sokkia asked.
"Maybe, but he is defiantly more experienced at piloting a Knightmare Frame than Milly told us. I did hold back a little when we started to get a feel for how he was as a pilot before I started going all out." Alessandra explained who was clearly disappointed at the fact Lelouch had held back against her. "I am just disappointed he didn't go all out against me because I was actually enjoying that."
"If its any consolation," Sokkia began before a mischevious smile appeared. "He isn't entirely a disappointment, ma'am."
Alessandra looked at Sokkia with a questioning expression before taking Sokkia's smile into account she realized what Sokkia was implying.
"Don't tell me you felt him?"
Sokkia nodded, "he isn't lacking I promise you at least as far as that goes. I might be interested in him unless you got an eye for him."
Sokkia's face was one of mischevious, but Alessandra, having known her long enough, didn't take the bait.
"Come on, I don't want to get caught up in that mess. I mean, have you seen how many girls just came into our clubroom to watch him," Alessandra pointed out.
"Maybe, but he isn't dating anyone, so why not?"
Somewhere in Area 11, Marirrosa sneezed.
Around the same time, Yukiya was returning to the server room after having a late lunch after realizing it was around five in the afternoon. He didn't even realize so much time had passed, but Yukiya has had a productive day so far.
Just as he turned a corner, Yukiya noticed Ayano was quietly trying to slip out from the server room.
Curious Yukiya approached Ayano, who was trying to be stealthy, but she failed to notice Yukiya's presence as she walked up to her.
"Something I could help you with, Ayano?" Yukiya asked, which caused Ayano to nearly jump out of her skin.
"Nothing," Ayano replied after regaining her composure, "I found what I was looking for."
Before Yukiya could ask her a question, she quickly ran away, leaving him slightly confused, so upon entering the Server Room, Yukiya decided to check his computer within his own personal workspace. Upon inspecting his computer station, he noticed it had been used, so after making a mental note to lock his computer next time, he began searching to see what Ayano had used it for.
She seemed a little jumpy, so what were you looking for Ayano?
Yukiya smiled faintly upon finding out the most recent used application was the internet browser, although Ayano had erased her browsing history; there were still ways he could find what she looked up.
I am feeling a little insulted you thought erasing your browsing history would keep me from figuring out what you were searching for, Yukiya thought.
He usually might've overlooked the matter and ignored it, especially since it was his fault for not locking his computer like Yukiya often did. Yet the way Ayano was acting had piqued his curiosity, and he had a sinking suspicion what she might've been doing.
Upon uncovering the search inquiries made by Ayano, Yukiya's suspicions were confirmed, yet at the same time, they weren't what he was expecting.
Britannian Marriage Laws?
It was pass eight at night when Lelouch had gotten out of the shower a few minutes ago and was wearing a white shirt and black pants. He was presently inside his room sitting at his desk while Lelouch was on the phone with Marirrosa as he used his computer to finish off some school work.
"I take it today was rough," Marirrosa asked.
"Schoolwork wasn't an issue, but I somehow keep attracting even more of the female student population towards me." Lelouch acknowledged with a tint of mild annoyance he was trying to keep under wraps.
"Why don't you tell them you are already taken?"
Lelouch sighed in response, "if only it was that easy."
"What do you mean?"
"For one, Milly would be relentless in learning the identity of my girlfriend. It's already an issue whenever she becomes determined to get her hands on anything that I try to keep hidden from her." Lelouch answered before explaining his other reasons for not telling people he already has a girlfriend. "Second, that is not even considering the others who might poke their noses into my business more to learn the identity of said girlfriend, so overall it would be more trouble than not telling them would bring. Especially considering the organization I am trying to build, so the less attention on me the better."
"Good grief, I would almost suggest just dropping out of Ashford Academy, but your sister is the reason you cannot," Marirrosa replied with an amused smile, yet she understood Lelouch's feelings on the matter.
"Believe me, there have been days when I have considered that with being today being no exception."
"So, is the plan still the same when we meet in two days?" Marirrosa asked, deciding a change of subject was needed.
"Yes, and as per the plan, I'll meet you at our rendezvous before we go to Shinjuku. I have already made arrangements with the school so it shouldn't be an issue for me to miss classes tomorrow. Ryo texted me earlier and has told me he has found a Glasgow frame we can buy for our test run he'll pick up tomorrow," Lelouch answered.
"It will be great to see you again," Marirrosa noted with a hint of longing in her voice. "I miss you already."
"So do I, and it will be good to do something more productive," Lelouch replied back with a smile.
Little did Lelouch realize much more was about to happen in Shinjuku Ghetto in two days.
A/N: There you have it, next chapter will be the start of events of Shinjuku with some more players involved and Lelouch and his Alexander will also take part.
See you guys next chapter, and thanks in advance for the feedback and likes.
First, there are some things to cover in this chapter, so let us begin.
Chapter 6
Twilight of Shinjuku
(January 10th, 2017 A.T.B.)
Twilight of Shinjuku
(January 10th, 2017 A.T.B.)
Ten days into the New Year had passed, but five days since Lelouch returned from being away for months overseas. At the urging of Ryo and the others, Lelouch made it a point to spend a lot of time with Nunnally to make up for the time he had been gone.
Yet in-between those moments and school Lelouch has not been idle.
"How is your tour of Area 11?" Lelouch asked with a cell phone resting against his ear.
"No shortage of places to sightsee; that's for sure, but," Yukiya answered before a smile appeared on his face. "I think the firewalls the Britannians have are even worse than the ones the E.U. got, so I'll give the latter props for having better network security."
To be fair, the new equipment and software you have at your fingertips deserve some credit too, Lelouch mused internally.
Yukiya was sitting inside a room within the base at Hayama, which was built into a room solely for him as the Black Knight's head of intelligence, or more specifically, its cyber warfare division.
The young hacker was surrounded by the most powerful computers, and servers' money could buy, and most of it had been customized to his exact specifications. Yukiya also had software tools used by the OSI and other similar groups, some acquired in Mumbai's black market, on hand including the means to create his own. Yukiya had one large monitor before him, while smaller monitors showing him different information and stats from network firewalls.
For any aspiring hacker, such a room filled with such equipment would be a dream come true for them.
"Still, I haven't found anything on the ghettos, or at least nothing specific," Yukiya noted as he typed on the keyboard in front of him before using one hand to adjust the headset he was wearing he was using to talk to Lelouch.
"I see," Lelouch said, using his own computer on his desk at home to examine maps of the Toyko area. "So far, Shinjuku Ghetto might be our best option. Saitama Ghetto is second best, but the presence of the Yamato Alliance and how it's known to be a resistance hotspot makes it too risky of a location. Even more so if the local authorities are pushed to begin pursuing them more aggressively at some point."
"So, out of all of the ghettos we have been looking at Shinjuku is our best bet then?"
"For now, at least, but we'll need to get a closer look," Lelouch said as he began thinking of a plan.
Even though Lelouch had his base in Hayama right now, it was risky for Lelouch to bring new members to it, especially when there is a possibility a spy for Britannia could be inserted among the new recruits. Or even another more radical resistance group could sell them out or attempt to possibly attack them to seize their weapons. Still, these thoughts merely reinforced Lelouch's decision to establish an alternate base in one of the ghettos.
They would strike out against Britannia, beginning with small operations against them while trying to draw in recruits to expand their ranks.
And in the event should someone attempt to betray them to the Britannians or to someone else, their base in Hayama wouldn't be at risk, and Lelouch could simply abandon the base and try again in another location.
But we'll need more than one base eventually, especially if we do grow into a much larger organization; Lelouch reasoned knowing they would need to establish new bases.
In preparation for this, Lelouch was also taking down notes on extra locations around Tokyo and other areas around Japan to consider. Still, for the time being, he was more concerned about finding a suitable location within the areas surrounding Toyko.
"Perhaps we'll use the area to conduct a field test of the improved drone control system as both to test if it works and to scout the ghetto itself at the same time?" Lelouch suggested after contemplating a potential idea.
"Wouldn't that be a little risky?"
"Maybe, but I think we'll use a Glasgow or obtain a Knightpolice Unit for the test. We'll use it observe to see if anyone might react to it, and it will tell us if we have another resistance group in Shinjuku we'll need to be aware of."
Yukiya contemplated this before agreeing, "That might be a good idea, but maybe we should prepare some explosives to include inside the machine."
"Good idea, but I'll bring the Sparrow along with the Châtiment."
"That monster of a weapon?" Yukiya asked, clearly surprised by the suggestion.
"Yes, that one, and it one shot in its high-velocity mode, can tear through almost anything."
"Isn't that a bit much to even use as a means of wiping out the drone-control unit within the cockpit should the explosives fail to go off," Yukiya noted recognizing Lelouch's reason for bringing the D09-A 55mm experimental anti-material railgun named the Sparrow.
They had obtained in Mumbai with Lelouch's intent of using it as a weapon for his customized Alexander, but despite it being a very powerful long-range weapon, it was not without its drawbacks. These drawbacks prevented it from being mass-produced by Britannia, leaving its prototypes to find their way onto the black market. The Sparrows were initially designed to be railgun rifles for use by Knightmare Frames to wipe out heavily armored targets from a distance. Including destroying fortified enemy emplacements and tearing through walls and thick armor plating with ease. In their normal firing mode, they had more firepower than your standard assault rifle, but its high-velocity mode was where the problem laid. It was because of the insane amount of recoil from a shot fired while in its secondary mode tore the arms of the Knightmare Frame handling it off or critically damaged it.
Despite the weapon's highly destructive shots in its high-velocity mode, the rifle was deemed a failure since no Knightmare Frame would handle the railgun.
Until Neha Shankar and Kagari Savitri came along and thanks to the Alexander's unique Insect Mode, a workaround was provided.
As long as Lelouch used the Sparrow's high-velocity mode in the Châtiment's Insect Mode, and thanks to the reinforcement provided by its new Srivatsa Steel frame. The Châtiment could fire the weapon without damaging itself. Lelouch would just have to be mindful to properly anchor his machine before each shot to avoid being pushed back by the recoil.
"Maybe, but it's the only weapon we have that can vaporize anything in that cockpit covering up the evidence," Lelouch said in agreement.
"It is still overkill, but alright then."
Around the same time, a combat sparring match between two Sutherlands was taking place upon the grounds of the Area 11 Military Academy a short distance away from the Toyko Concession Area. The sparring match was happening on an open runaway observed by other students safely watching from an enclosed observation platform while their instructor was issuing orders through a megaphone. The two Sutherlands were armed with weapons identical to the jousting lances used but modified for training purposes with electromagnetic attachments to stun a Knightmare Frame.
To tell the difference between the two machines for those observing the sparring match, the shoulders of the Sutherlands had been painted with different colors to tell them apart. One had red painted on its shoulders while the other had yellow.
The red Sutherland was fighting aggressively against the yellow Sutherland, but instead of counterattacking, the pilot of the other machine was fighting defensively. However, the yellow Sutherland was allowing her foe to attack so aggressively. Knowing that in her foe's efforts to break through her defenses, a mistake was bound to happen.
And when it did…the red Sutherland would be punished for it.
The moment came, and the yellow Sutherland used one mighty swing of its lance to knock the red Sutherland back before following it up with a fierce counterattack. The red Sutherland's drive to overpower her foe had left its pilot worn down, and its energy reverses low. Thus creating an opening for the yellow Sutherland to strike the left shoulder of the red Sutherland, causing its arm to become disabled.
The Yellow Sutherland pressed its attack before going for the legs leaving the red Sutherland unable to escape her fury.
The fight was over within moments, and that was when the instructor called out.
"ENOUGH," the instructor barked on the megaphone causing the yellow Sutherland to stop. "Well done, Cadet Krushevsky."
Emerging from the cockpit of the Yellow Sutherland was a young woman of seventeen with waist-length blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a blue and black pilot suit. Monica Krushevsky was, without doubt, the best of her class showing signs of being a born prodigy when it came to warfare.
But that was not to saying diminishing of her foe.
Emerging from the cockpit of the Red Sutherland was another blonde haired cadet who was the same age as Monica. But her hair was shorter going to mid-back, and she had green eyes possessing a mole under her left eye.
"You really shouldn't attack so aggressively like that," Monica lightly scolded while offering her hand to Oldrin Zevon, the second-best cadet. "You'll just wear yourself down, and you'll be more prone to making mistakes."
Oldrin Zevon never took loosing well, especially when she aspired to be the best in her class to pursue her dream. However, Oldrin knew she had lost fair and square in an honorable duel, and so she accepted the results along with Monica's hand.
Unknown to the pair, another group was watching them.
"These new cadets look very promising."
The man who made that comment possessed blue hair with a tanned complexion and gold eyes. He also wore a blue and yellow trimmed uniform with a white cape covering his right shoulder. His companion seemed younger with light brown hair and light blue eyes wearing a grayish-blue and yellow trimmed military uniform with a red tie.
"I agree, but I am most proud of Marika."
"Yes, your younger sister is ranked third among her classmates," Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald commented.
Kewell Soresi merely smiled, "Well, I would like to see her at the top of her class."
Jeremiah shared in his subordinate's humor with a short laugh himself before commenting.
"She has fierce competition that much is certain, but it would make Marika's rise to the top all the more satisfying, wouldn't it?"
"I have to agree," Kewell replied.
Marika Soresi was the same age as the other cadets. Although she could've attended the military academy in the homeland, Marika had been insistent of attending the military academy at Area 11 instead to be close to her brother. In fact, Jeremiah and Kewell would see Marika from where they had been watching the sparring match between Oldrin and Monica from one of the air traffic towers. The tower was presently unoccupied, giving them privacy.
She had light-brown hair, and sky-blue eyes made Marika stand out in a crowd, but it also helped she was next to her best friend and fellow cadet.
Liliana Vergamon was the fourth-best cadet in their class possessing green eyes and long blonde hair. Next to her was another cadet with dark skin, red eyes, and shoulder-length white wear wearing oval-shaped glasses named Toto Thompson.
Unlike Monica, Oldrin, Marika, and Liliana, unfortunately, Toto's own piloting skills weren't near the level of the top five students, but her skills were adequate at least.
"Overall, this batch of new cadets is likely the best I have seen," Jeremiah commented.
Jeremiah was frequently at the academy from time to time to give a speech or serve as a special guest instructor. Even more so when the cadets are carrying out a live combat scenario to prepare them for their lives ahead as soldiers and Knightmare Frame pilots. He had seen many cadets pass through the academy; although some showed promise the cadets, he was watching easily topped the others he had seen in the past.
"Have you heard what's next for them?"
"No, but I heard they are planning something new for the cadets this year, given the promise they are showing," Jeremiah answered. "Word is they are planning to conduct operations in the Shinjuku Ghetto soon."
"Urban Environment Combat Exercises?" Kewell asked, which Jeremiah confirmed with a nod.
"It's fairly standard, but they always conduct them in a different ghetto every year with different objectives," Jeremiah explained.
"Which Ghetto did they chose for this year?"
"Shinjuku Ghetto," Jeremiah answered.
A short time later, after changing and cleaning up in the showers, Oldrin and the other students were excused for lunch. But despite assurances, she gave it her all Oldrin was left depressed after her defeat at Monica's hands.
"That was unacceptable," Oldrin muttered while letting the water of the shower rain upon her.
How can I become a knight worthy of Marrybell?
"Hey, Oldrin," Marika said, calling from the shower stall next to her, "maybe you are taking this way too hard? It was only training."
"I know, but I can't help it! I promised Marrybell I would graduate as the best, so I can be a true knight, but yet…" Oldrin said, feeling very anxious.
"Maybe because you are stressing yourself out over it that could be affecting your combat performance?" Marika suggested hoping that would help Oldrin calm herself a bit.
"Huh?!"
"They say when you become too worked up over something, you become sloppy and become more prone to mistakes. So why not take a step back and clear your head a bit."
Oldrin sighed; although it did little to limit the disappointment she felt in herself, she accepted it.
Later that same day, Lelouch went by the Knightmare Frame League Club. Although he had visited the club a few days before following his return, he had been invited by the club's leader. Lelouch didn't know what precisely this invite entailed, but it seemed its members had become close to Nunnally. In the process, making her an honorary member of shorts while he had been away.
Even more telling was the fact the invitation came from Nunnally.
From what Sayoko has been telling me she has been having a good time with them since their club was established, Lelouch thought.
That put Lelouch at ease since he was worried about his sister's well being since he had been away and was glad to see that she had made more friends who spend time with her.
Regardless I shouldn't refuse since thanks to them, my time gone wasn't as hard on Nunnally. Lelouch reminded himself internally as he opened the door to the clubroom.
"Welcome, Lelouch," Sokkia said, instantly greeting Lelouch upon entering by appearing beside himself and putting her arm on his shoulder.
"Thank you," Lelouch replied while sighing internally at Sokkia throwing her arm over his shoulder in an overt friendly gesture, "so what is the special occasion to invite me?"
"Well," Sokkia replied with a sly smile before explaining. "We faced every member of the Student Council in a one on one simulated battle against Sandra or me, so we thought we face the last member of the student council."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "so you could have a complete victory then? I am surprised they lost against members of the best team of the KMF League."
Sokkia laughed it off, "which is why we do one on one battles between them and me to give them as much of a fair chance as possible. But just because I am known for Crashing my Knightmare Frame doesn't mean I am a pushover."
Lelouch grinned, "I have no doubt of that given what you and your team have accomplished to become champions."
On the other hand, Lelouch had been trained how to pilot and fight in a Knightmare Frame since the time he had spent in Area 7 (Hawaii). It was all done under the tutelage of Oiaguro's old acquaintance living there. There were the times Lelouch had piloted his mother's old machine the YF6-X7K/E Ganymede during school exhibitions, and occasionally a Sutherland with Marirrosa's group. A Sutherland was a better choice over the E.U.'s Mk3-E2E8 Panzer-Hummel due to being a more versatile machine despite the Panzer being faster than the Sutherland.
I know I could fare better than Milly, and the others did thanks to my training, but. Lelouch thought while he contemplated if he should accept the challenge and fight with everything he had or accept and throw the fight.
The more prideful aspect of Lelouch argued against this, but the more logical part of him cautioned that going all out and especially should he win would draw unwanted attention.
And Lelouch had enough unwanted attention from the other girls of the academy and didn't want anymore.
Yet another part of him wanted to know how he measured up as a pilot, although the Fireballs weren't combat pilots, they were undeniably skilled.
With that thought in mind, Lelouch had found a middle ground for the two conflicting aspects of Lelouch's mind. Lelouch would just have to be mindful to avoid winning against anyone else besides Sokkia.
The prideful part of Lelouch didn't like that. However, the more logical part of him won that argument, knowing it the increased attention on him would potentially endanger all of his efforts and goals for the future.
"So how about it? Want to try and avenge your fellow council members?" Sokkia replied with a wide smile as she noticeably started eyeing Lelouch.
"Fine, I'll take you on," Lelouch replied while feeling reasonably confident he could at least perform much better than his friends on the council.
Furthermore, given Sokkia's fighting style, I think I can use that to my advantage. Lelouch contemplated while recalling having watched his fair share of KMF League matches with Nunnally. Since she had asked Lelouch to describe what was happening to her.
"ALRIGHT!" Sokkia exclaimed before gesturing for Lelouch to a pair of simulators facing one another.
Clovis must be really trying hard to promote the KMF Leauge here if he has provided these simulators.
Lelouch examined the simulator before entering it.
The Simulators they were using were identical to the cockpits used by Glasgows, cosmetically designed to look more akin to the inside of an RPI-13/G Prytwen. The Prytwen were basically Glasgows modified for competitive sports. Naturally, their combat performance was reduced by forty percent, and they were more fragile, too, but they possessed considerable mobility.
They are identical to the training simulators used by the military. I am willing to wager they are actually modified simulators used by the local law enforcement academies for training pilots for the LE-E106 Knightpolice units. Lelouch contemplated as he examined the cockpit and getting a feel for the controls.
"So I shouldn't have to give you any instructions right," Sokkia asked over intercom system linking the two simulators.
"Its nothing I haven't seen before, I assure you," Lelouch replied.
"Of course," Sokkia answered confidently; she would get another easy win.
That overconfidence is what Lelouch was hoping for. Since it would give him an element of surprise if he was cunning enough to take full advantage of it at the right time.
I'll need to be careful, Lelouch thought, because he realized it would be best if his victory against Sokkia looked like a lucky fluke. Or the result of Sokkia being overconfident, she made a mistake allowing Lelouch to win.
"Alright, so here is how we'll do it! We'll begin with a simple jousting set up with a round shield and polearm between us," Sokkia said as the simulated began to start up.
The cockpit screens displayed a class jousting arena, one you would expect from medieval times or rather those you would see in movies. It came complete with a cheering crowd in the stands dressed in era-appropriate clothing, and the arena was large enough for two Knightmare Frames to duel.
"A strangely appropriate choice for an arena," Lelouch commented.
"It wasn't my idea," Sokkia replied, shrugging her shoulders, "it's just something that came with the simulators the Viceroy gave us."
"Ok," Lelouch said, deciding to brush the matter aside, "so traditional jousting rules, I assume?"
"Kinda," Sokkia answered before explaining, "just in a joust, we would charge at one another at high speeds using our lances. However, if neither of us can send the other ejecting from their cockpit, we can fight with our sword and shield until someone is ejected or yields."
"I see, so let's begin then."
With a wide smile, Sokkia's hands tightened around the control sticks, "let's go!"
Unaware of the crowd gathering to watch the jousting between Sokkia and Lelouch, the two readied themselves.
Lelouch leveled his lance as he was ready to accelerate as soon as the jousting was given the go-ahead. Sokkia was also prepared, and for a tense, full minute, there was nothing but silence and growing tensions until.
"GO!" A male voice announced prompting both Lelouch and Sokkia to speed towards one another.
Despite the speeds they were traveling at, it seemed like an eternality before they were within range of one another, but instead of Lelouch being forced to eject.
Sokkia's machine was struck in the waist knocking it to the ground much to the utter shock of those watching and Sokkia herself. However, the damage wasn't enough to force an eject, so their duel would be settled with swords.
Lelouch had already cast aside his lance, allowing him to draw his sword. Now that he was permitted to do so after the jousting phase due to the enforced rules of the simulator. Sokkia was still reeling from being unexpectedly hit, but she was quickly recovering as she saw Lelouch closing in for the kill.
Unfortunately, her machine wasn't responding fast enough, allowing Lelouch to swoop in and behead her machine winning the match.
Despite his victory, Lelouch was visibly annoyed at himself.
She either went too easy on me, or I allowed my competitive side to get the better of me.
With a sigh and mentally preparing himself for whatever came next, but when Lelouch emerged from the cockpit, he was surprised by what he saw, which only caused him to groan internally.
Outside of his simulator, the club room was filled with students, and most of them were girls. Apparently, a crowd rushed in once word had gotten out that Lelouch was facing Sokkia. Now Lelouch was cursing himself internally because he realized now he should've just thrown the match. Even though such an action would've left a strong distaste that would've left in his mouth.
On the other hand, it probably would've been worth it considering how much more attention Lelouch had just drawn to himself. Even worse, Lelouch had a mental image of Ryo laughing at him before repeating what he said on the day when Lelouch took Marriosa out on their date.
"Wow, for a guy who can put together some crazy plans and is smarter than most of us. He couldn't tell when he had women showing an obvious interest in him."
This has to be an elaborate joke by Milly, Lelouch thought while finding it difficult to believe he was so popular.
Once he was out of the simulator, Lelouch felt Sokkia latch onto him from behind embracing him, but instead of being upset, she was quite the opposite.
"WOW, I heard you were the only one who had any experience handling a Knightmare Frame! Heck, you surprised me," Sokkia exclaimed while Lelouch was trying to get free of her.
"Come on," Lelouch began while he continued to struggle. "That was just beginner's luck, or were you going easy on me?"
"No way I gave it my best in that one," Sokkia admitted. "But I seriously didn't expect you to be way better than Milly had told me, so you did catch me off guard."
Lelouch had managed to pry Sokkia's arm away from his waist after managing to slip his shoulder free from her grip when Alessandra approached. She managed to get through the crowd of female students who were chatting up a storm about Lelouch's stunning victory against Sokkia.
"So who defeated one of my babies?" Alessandra demanded before the crowd pointed to Lelouch.
Alessandra was surprised to see that Lelouch was the one who had bested Sokkia, but once she regained her composer, she narrowed her eyes at Lelouch.
"Well, now I guess the student council does have someone with some skills!" Alessandra remarked while folding both arms under her bosom.
"It had to be a fluke on my part, I am sure," Lelouch said, trying to feign modesty.
Alessandra eyed Lelouch before pointing to the simulator.
"Let's find out," Alessandra said while gesturing for him to get into the simulator.
Damn it, Lelouch thought while masking his annoyance.
"You seem to be taking this rather personally."
"Not at all," Alessandra replied before smiling. "If someone can beat Sokkia, then I can at least expect a good fight from them."
Lelouch felt as if he was backed into a corner, although he wanted to refuse the shouting from the other girls in the room were calling for him to accept. Internally making his decision, Lelouch climbed back into the simulator leading to some girls cheering and applauding for him while Alessandra wasted no time jumping in herself. Lelouch had a plan in mind to defuse the situation he was in, but it was all about giving a believable performance.
"Alright same rules as before," Alessandra announced from the interior of her simulated cockpit.
"Right," Lelouch said, gripping the control sticks as the simulated began to start up again.
I just need to do what I should've done, but maybe I won't have to.
As soon as the signal was given, Lelouch and Alessandra charged one another wielding jousting lances. Unlike last time Lelouch and Alessandra's jousting lances collided. However, both tips slipped down and stuck the hand of their foe, forcing their own machines to release them from their hands. The two quickly drew their swords before rushing to engage one another.
"Not bad, I think with some training you might be a natural," Alessandra complimented feeling fired up.
"Thank you," Lelouch replied, wondering if Alessandra was taking it easy on him.
No, that can't be right given her performance in the KMF Leauge, so she must be trying to gauge my skills, Lelouch thought while suspicious if Alessandra was holding back.
Alessandra was the champion of the KMF Leauge for a good reason, and even in one on one matches making her arguably the strongest of the Fireballs. Known to be very aggressive in battle, but yet that aggressiveness was tempered by quick thinking and being able to read her foes. Alessandra was the type to always hit hard and fast, and if they had any kind of tactics or acted strangely, then she would hold back until she had a better feel for them so she could create and exploit openings.
Lelouch parried Alessandra's first blow before rushing forward to bash him in the face with her shield, but Lelouch quickly backed away. The former prince didn't have much time to recover, but he raised his shield up just in time before attempting to counter with a quick stab aimed for her machine's lower torso. Alessandra responded by backing away and swinging her sword in a wide arc, but using his shield, Lelouch deflected it pausing her moments briefly, hoping it would create an opening. However, Alessandra used her own shield to swiftly block Lelouch's attack.
Alessandra counterattacked with her sword with Lelouch managing to block it with his shield, but Alessandra managed to hit Lelouch in the face stunning him for a moment before raising her sword to strike. Lelouch seemingly recovered but raised his sword to block the incoming attack.
Yet Lelouch just narrowly missed Alessandra's sword as it slipped through his defenses and struck him in a critical point, forcing an ejection.
Despite his loss, the gathered crowd was convinced Lelouch had given an excellent performance against a champion.
Even Sokkia was applauding him after emerging from the Simulator.
"Not bad, Lelouch," Sokkia complimented. "You did pretty well against Sandra despite being a rookie, but I think you are a born natural who just needs some training."
"Thanks, but I believe they only allow women to be pilots in the KMF Leauge?" Lelouch pointed out, which he suspected wasn't solely because of skill.
This was also based on and seemingly cemented by the type of outfits most KMF teams are expected to wear if the Fireball's revealing pilot suits during a match were an example.
Sokkia shrugged her shoulders before replying. "Yeah, that's sad, but hey watch can you do?"
"Right," Lelouch offered in agreement.
Alessandra emerged from her simulator, but unlike the other girls in the room, the hot-blooded and fired up seventeen-year-old girl was replaced with a calm and instead collected girl. With a faint smile, Alessandra placed her hand on Lelouch's shoulder.
"Not bad, Lelouch. Its good to see that someone in the Student Council can hold their own against us, but maybe we might call on you to do some exhibition battles for events."
"Ok, I suppose I could do that," Lelouch said, accepting before asking. "But, you seem disappointed."
"Nah," Alessandra said before her personality returned to normal as she waved a hand dismissively. "I was just hoping for a challenge. I know I heard about how you skip school to challenge members of the nobility in high-stakes chess matches, so I think you should understand."
"Of course," Lelouch admitted with a smile. "I haven't found anyone to give me a good challenge, so I understand how you feel."
Internally Lelouch was a bit annoyed. Alessandra had learned about his gambling habits before his departure from Area 11. He wondered if Milly or someone else told him since the members of the Student Council were aware of his hobby, especially given how Rivalz would give him a ride to these matches.
"Anyway, I should get going," Lelouch said, noticing the crowd inside the now clouded club room was gossiping up a storm about his performance against Sokkia.
Alessandra and Sokkia watched Lelouch squeeze through the crowd of girls who tried to stop him to talk with Lelouch while others took a chance to touch the fabled Ice Prince of Ashford Academy.
"That Lelouch is really something," Sokkia complimented before a sly smile appeared on his face, "he has promise too."
Alessandra turned to her friend with a raised eyebrow.
"He actually held back against me."
"Huh," Sokkia exclaimed, but no one could hear their conversation since most of the room was being drowned out by the ongoing chatter from the other girls in the club room.
"During my last attack, he could've blocked it, but he stopped it at the last second to allow my sword through to hit him," Alessandra explained with a sour expression on her face.
"So, he might be better than we thought then?" Sokkia asked.
"Maybe, but he is defiantly more experienced at piloting a Knightmare Frame than Milly told us. I did hold back a little when we started to get a feel for how he was as a pilot before I started going all out." Alessandra explained who was clearly disappointed at the fact Lelouch had held back against her. "I am just disappointed he didn't go all out against me because I was actually enjoying that."
"If its any consolation," Sokkia began before a mischevious smile appeared. "He isn't entirely a disappointment, ma'am."
Alessandra looked at Sokkia with a questioning expression before taking Sokkia's smile into account she realized what Sokkia was implying.
"Don't tell me you felt him?"
Sokkia nodded, "he isn't lacking I promise you at least as far as that goes. I might be interested in him unless you got an eye for him."
Sokkia's face was one of mischevious, but Alessandra, having known her long enough, didn't take the bait.
"Come on, I don't want to get caught up in that mess. I mean, have you seen how many girls just came into our clubroom to watch him," Alessandra pointed out.
"Maybe, but he isn't dating anyone, so why not?"
Somewhere in Area 11, Marirrosa sneezed.
Around the same time, Yukiya was returning to the server room after having a late lunch after realizing it was around five in the afternoon. He didn't even realize so much time had passed, but Yukiya has had a productive day so far.
Just as he turned a corner, Yukiya noticed Ayano was quietly trying to slip out from the server room.
Curious Yukiya approached Ayano, who was trying to be stealthy, but she failed to notice Yukiya's presence as she walked up to her.
"Something I could help you with, Ayano?" Yukiya asked, which caused Ayano to nearly jump out of her skin.
"Nothing," Ayano replied after regaining her composure, "I found what I was looking for."
Before Yukiya could ask her a question, she quickly ran away, leaving him slightly confused, so upon entering the Server Room, Yukiya decided to check his computer within his own personal workspace. Upon inspecting his computer station, he noticed it had been used, so after making a mental note to lock his computer next time, he began searching to see what Ayano had used it for.
She seemed a little jumpy, so what were you looking for Ayano?
Yukiya smiled faintly upon finding out the most recent used application was the internet browser, although Ayano had erased her browsing history; there were still ways he could find what she looked up.
I am feeling a little insulted you thought erasing your browsing history would keep me from figuring out what you were searching for, Yukiya thought.
He usually might've overlooked the matter and ignored it, especially since it was his fault for not locking his computer like Yukiya often did. Yet the way Ayano was acting had piqued his curiosity, and he had a sinking suspicion what she might've been doing.
Upon uncovering the search inquiries made by Ayano, Yukiya's suspicions were confirmed, yet at the same time, they weren't what he was expecting.
Britannian Marriage Laws?
It was pass eight at night when Lelouch had gotten out of the shower a few minutes ago and was wearing a white shirt and black pants. He was presently inside his room sitting at his desk while Lelouch was on the phone with Marirrosa as he used his computer to finish off some school work.
"I take it today was rough," Marirrosa asked.
"Schoolwork wasn't an issue, but I somehow keep attracting even more of the female student population towards me." Lelouch acknowledged with a tint of mild annoyance he was trying to keep under wraps.
"Why don't you tell them you are already taken?"
Lelouch sighed in response, "if only it was that easy."
"What do you mean?"
"For one, Milly would be relentless in learning the identity of my girlfriend. It's already an issue whenever she becomes determined to get her hands on anything that I try to keep hidden from her." Lelouch answered before explaining his other reasons for not telling people he already has a girlfriend. "Second, that is not even considering the others who might poke their noses into my business more to learn the identity of said girlfriend, so overall it would be more trouble than not telling them would bring. Especially considering the organization I am trying to build, so the less attention on me the better."
"Good grief, I would almost suggest just dropping out of Ashford Academy, but your sister is the reason you cannot," Marirrosa replied with an amused smile, yet she understood Lelouch's feelings on the matter.
"Believe me, there have been days when I have considered that with being today being no exception."
"So, is the plan still the same when we meet in two days?" Marirrosa asked, deciding a change of subject was needed.
"Yes, and as per the plan, I'll meet you at our rendezvous before we go to Shinjuku. I have already made arrangements with the school so it shouldn't be an issue for me to miss classes tomorrow. Ryo texted me earlier and has told me he has found a Glasgow frame we can buy for our test run he'll pick up tomorrow," Lelouch answered.
"It will be great to see you again," Marirrosa noted with a hint of longing in her voice. "I miss you already."
"So do I, and it will be good to do something more productive," Lelouch replied back with a smile.
Little did Lelouch realize much more was about to happen in Shinjuku Ghetto in two days.
A/N: There you have it, next chapter will be the start of events of Shinjuku with some more players involved and Lelouch and his Alexander will also take part.
See you guys next chapter, and thanks in advance for the feedback and likes.
The Demon and his Knights Ch7
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StrifeHavoc
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A/N: this took me a bit to make originally, but here we go.
Two days had come and gone with Lelouch wearing his school uniform had discreetly left Ashford Academy to meet with Marirrosa. The rendezvous point was an outdoor cafe in Tokyo Concession where plenty of people frequent the area, so Lelouch being there wouldn't be suspicious. As far as any casual observer would be concerned, it would a high school student meeting his girlfriend for a date, which was technically correct to some extent.
Arriving at Cafe Rose, Lelouch found Marirrosa sitting alone at one of the tables after a waiter led him to her.
Smiling at Lelouch, Marirrosa left her seat to quickly wrap her arms around Lelouch before kissing him. Lelouch was briefly surprised, but he returned it in kind before wrapping his own arms around her. It was a moment that lasted longer than a minute, but once it's over, the pair took their seats opposite of one another, waiting for a waiter to receive their order.
"You seemed surprised," Marirrosa asked while glancing at the menu before her.
"Sorry, I guess I am not used to doing something like that out in public. I don't mind, but," Lelouch explained before Marirrosa interrupted him.
"Is it because of Milly?"
"Yes," Lelouch admitted. "She takes any chance to pry into my personal affairs, so I'll need to cautious when I leave the academy."
"You sound as if you are expecting Milly to follow you?"
"Actually she would because there was one time she wiped the school into a frenzy when I misplaced a notebook from one of my classes. I think she was expecting it would hold something embarrassing," Lelouch said, recalling some of the moments of chaos sparked by Milly Ashford.
"I remember the stories about the other events Milly had spearheaded as the President of the Student Council you told me about," Marirrosa commented. "You'll understand if I still have a hard time believing it, especially stuff like the Swimsuit Day, Cross-Dressing festival, and the Silence Party."
Lelouch smiled, "No, I don't blame you, but if anything, it shows she inherited more from her grandfather, the Party King of Pendragon than her actual parents."
"Wow, so those parties must've been really something if he got a title like that," Marirrosa remarked with an expression of being impressed.
"What I can say," Lelouch replied with a grin. "Anyway, are you sure you want to have lunch here?"
"Why not? Besides, it would just help us blend in more than just waiting here for you, then leaving without ordering anything."
"Fair enough," Lelouch replied with a smile.
Around the same time in another corner of Area 11, or more specifically near the Viceroy's Palace in the Toyko Settlement, was a truck hauling a long trailer behind it. The vehicle was gradually speeding away, although it wasn't going too far above the speed limit the truck was clearly trying to go as fast as allowed without drawing the attention of the highway patrols'. Sitting inside the driver's cab, the driver, a Japanese man in his late twenties with long blue hair tied into a ponytail, was behind the wheel. His passenger was a younger woman with shoulder-length red hair that was spiky while wearing black sunglasses to conceal her eyes while also dressed in the same blue turtleneck coat and hat as the driver.
Everything was going smoothly, especially since they had just stolen a truck that, according to rumors and what they have heard from information brokers, has poison gas.
Maybe it was all going too smoothly, which caused the driver to notice something in one of the mirrors located outside the truck to his left.
"Damn," Nagata snapped, "Tamaki screwed up!"
"What's wrong," the passenger to his right asked.
"Tamaki failed to do his part of the plan because we got a Britannian Police VTOL following us," Nagata replied.
"What should we do?"
"We'll keep going on this highway until we reach the entrance into the Subway tunnels because they seem to think we haven't noticed them yet. If we start running now, we'll have the military on our heads in no time," Nagata answered.
"They'll send them after us soon enough," the girl pointed out.
"I know, but it would be better if it happens sooner than later."
Roughly almost an hour later, Lelouch and Marirrosa arrived at the old Nishi-Shinjuku Subway Station, which was a seven-minute walk away from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Ryo was waiting for them, and he had brought along Yukiya, Ayano, Xu Lifeng, Kagari, Mariko, Hiroto, Eisen, Bunta along with Hilda and Chloe. As far as machines were concerned, aside from the Glasgow Ryo had acquired for their test and Lelouch's own Knightmare Frame the Alexander Châtiment, they had brought along weapons, bombs, and traps to protect their location and six of the black Sutherlands they had.
The Châtiment was also carrying the Sparrow Railgun, which presently Kagari was conducting an inspection of both the weapon and the machine carrying it.
Also present was Yukiya's own customized Alexander, the WOX-Type-01 A/2 Alexander Chasseur (Huntsman). It had been painted dark blue with tints of light green to match Yukiya's personal color preference, but while it lacked the Srivatsa Steel armor, Lelouch and Marirrosa's units have it made up for it by having specialized armor that concealed its heat signature making it harder for sensors to detect it.
Its armaments were identical to Lelouch's own machine, but in place of the railgun, it used a powerful anti-Knightmare Frame sniper rifle, which was much safer to use compared to the Sparrow. What it lacked in raw destructive power did enable it to be used more frequently regardless of what mode the Chasseur was in.
The real reason it was among the Knightmare Frames Lelouch had asked to come along was because the Chasseur was designed to serve as an ECM role in a battle. It had integrated transmitters and various tools for Yukiya to hack and tap into enemy communications. If he was close enough to an enemy G-1, Yukiya could hack into it as well using the Chasseur's powerful transmitters and hacking tools aboard the Knightmare Frame.
Yukiya would use his Knightmare Frame to monitor Britannian Military and Police Channels as well as maintain a watchful eye on the surrounding area during their test. He would be working with Lelouch to ensure they don't draw any attention from Britannia.
"You're finally here," Ryo said before grabbing Lelouch's hand, "it's been a while."
"I've been gone for little more than a week," Lelouch replied, returning the friendly gesture.
"Let's get down to business," Lelouch began. "Anything I need to know?"
"A slight wrinkle in our plans is the presence of a class of cadets from the local Military Academy," Ryo explained as he led Lelouch and Marirrosa down one of the damaged tunnels leading into the station proper.
Ever since the invasion years ago, the Nishi-Shinjuku Subway Station had been both damaged by fighting in Shinjuku during the war and left in a state of disrepair ever since. Time had worn down the station, even more, leading to parts of the station to collapse.
However, this was indirectly beneficial because it enlarged the tunnels and passageways making it easier for Knightmare Frames to move around. It even allowed for the station platforms to serve as a makeshift boarding platform for their Knightmare Frames.
"I see, so they are likely practicing Urban Warfare Maneuvers," Lelouch remarked with one hand on his chin in contemplation.
"Is it an issue?" Marirrosa asked.
"No, as long as we stay here and don't do anything to draw their attention, we should be fine," Lelouch answered. "We were going to wait until nightfall anyway, so they could be gone by then."
"What should we do until then?" Ryo asked, walking alongside a Lelouch and Marirrosa.
"We'll stick to our plan and conduct testing of the portable drone system here in the tunnels before we send it out into the ghetto later tonight."
"Speaking of which, how is the set up for drone controller coming?" Marirrosa inquired.
"According to Hilda and Chloe, its installation has been effortless as Neha and Kagari designed it, so installing them on other Knightmare Frames should be quite easy," Ryo answered.
"So, it's just a matter of checking if it works?" Lelouch asked, leading to Ryo to reply with a nod of confirmation.
"Right, but should you get changed first? I brought your mask and outfit," Ryo pointed out.
"True and," Lelouch began, but the sound of a loud crash drew their attention.
"What the hell was that!?" Marirrosa asked.
"That sounds like it came from one of the tunnels further down from us," Lelouch noted.
"Go get Ayano, Xu Lifeng, and Hiroto," Lelouch said before he and Marirrosa began running down the tunnel to investigate. "We'll see what it is."
"Oh come on you two," Ryo called out as the two hurried off.
Making their way down the same tunnel, they came from the two almost lost track of the source of the loud crash until they heard the sound of an engine and tires screeching. Following the sound, the pair entered a service tunnel leading them into another tunnel, which was much larger, which could've been an area where subway cars were stored for repairs and maintenance.
Marirrosa and Lelouch found a blue truck with a long grey trailer attached to it. As they exited the tunnel from the rear of the trailer's right side, the pair discovered the truck had been traveling through the tunnel until it had hit a collapsed section in the tunnel's floor, causing the front tires to become stuck.
"What the hell is this doing here?" Ryo said, coming up from behind with Xu Lifeng, Hiroto, and Ayano in tow with Mariko having tagged along.
Ryo had come armed, but unlike the weapons, Lelouch had purchased for the Black Knights, the founding members, including Ryo, were allowed to buy a personal weapon of their choosing as a Christmas Gift to them from Lelouch.
For Ryo, he had chosen a Britannian-made SABR-55 (Squad Advanced Battle Rifle) possessing an ion-bonded bolt carrier equipped with a Trijicon AccuPoint with one to six magnification. It was a weapon commonly used by Britannian Marines and related Special Forces units. Hiroto had also chosen the same weapon for himself. On the other hand, Xu Lifeng chose a set of freshly cut throwing knives made from a light-weight and durability material she could easily conceal in the sleeves of her combat uniform. But she did choose a pair of Platinum Roller Mk II pistols designed for quick and easy reloads and precision shooting with integrated silencers.
Ayano had chosen a SABR-55 as well, but Mariko was among the few who decided on something bolder. Mariko's weapon of choice was a combat semi-automatic shotgun called B80 Super 99 with a bolt carrier release, charging handle, and textured grips for ease of handling under any conditions.
"Someone might've hijacked it, but I don't see any sign of anyone getting out," Lelouch remarked.
"Maybe they took a wrong turn," Hiroto suggested.
Lelouch continued to observe the truck until it finally stopped its vain struggle to escape the ditch its front tires were caught in.
"Don't fire unless I say how deplorable," Lelouch ordered as Marirrosa and Ryo followed Lelouch while Ayano and the others quietly moved into position around the tunnel while using fallen stone pillars and broken concrete to hide and stay out of sight.
The trio found the side of the trailer near the driver's cab was open on the left side. Cautiously approaching the opening, Ryo went in first, followed by Lelouch and Marirrosa after Ryo entered the Driver's Cab, where he found the driver Nagata lying on the driver seat bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds.
"What the hell happened to you!?" Ryo asked, leveling his gun at Nagata.
Nagata was surprised by Ryo's appearance, but he relaxed upon seeing Ryo was Japanese.
"Are you with the resistance?" Nagata asked weakly before coughing up some blood.
"I am, but I run with a different group, so what happened to you?"
"We," Nagata began to explain before coughing up some blood, "stole a capsule of poison gas from the Britannians."
"You mean that machine in the back," Ryo asked with his eyes going wide in concern.
Meanwhile, a noise outside the driver's cabin drew Ryo's attention as he opened it by a crack to find Lelouch on the ground with a Britannian soldier holding him down with one hand on his collarbone. As Marirrosa and Lelouch were investigating the unknown device, a lone Britannian Soldier had gotten the jump on them. Through a combination of luck and moving both quickly and quietly enough, no one noticed the soldier until he surprised the pair. First, he spun-kicked Marirrosa in the side of the head before tackling Lelouch to the ground leading to the current situation.
"That's enough mindless murder!" The soldier snapped after his gas mask detected from his helmet and was left hanging.
"Hold on a second, I am not with them," Lelouch struggled to say before he was interrupted.
"Planning to use poison gas! Don't play dumb with me!"
"GET OFF OF HIM!?"
Marirrosa shouted enraged as she attacked the soldier, forcing him back. The angry half-Britannian Spaniard began a fierce exchange of kicks, which the soldier skillfully deflected.
"I don't know what is going on, but if that is poison gas, it was made in Britannia, wasn't it?!" Lelouch said after he picked himself up while talked down on the soldier. "If you want to talk mindless murder, then why don't you eliminate Britannia!?"
Ryo and the others were ready to make their presence known, but when the soldier had a clear look causing him to go on the defensive so he could speak.
"WAIT," the soldier cried out as he raised his arms to block Marirrosa's onslaught. "It's me, Suzaku!?"
"What!?" Lelouch exclaimed before using a hand gesture Ryo, Ayano, and the others saw prompting them to stand down, but they wisely kept out of sight to avoid any unwanted questions. "Marirrosa, stop right now!"
Marirrosa stopped giving the soldier a chance to remove his helmet to reveal the face of seventeen-year-old Japanese teen with brown hair and green eyes.
"Suzaku, is that you?" Lelouch asked, clearly surprised to see the first friend he made in Japan. "Did you become a Britannian soldier?"
"Yeah, and what about," Suzaku began, but the capsule next to them began opening.
Lelouch found himself tackled into the ground again, but this time Suzaku covered the former's mouth with the gas mask attachment from his helmet.
Instead of a poisonous cloud of gas, the opened capsule revealed a young girl wearing a white Britannian Prison Uniform. There several straps restraining her arms and legs while her mouth was sealed shut using bindings and a high collar that covered her entire lower jaw. She possessed long, waist-length green hair and a pale skin tone with yellow eyes that Lelouch saw as they opened and looked at him.
"That's not poison gas," Suzaku muttered.
"No duh," Marirrosa offered sarcastically, who was clearly fuming over the hit in the head Suzaku gave her.
"Tell me the truth Suzaku," Lelouch asked, shoving the gas mask off of his face, "poison gas? This girl?"
"I swear it's what they told us in the briefing," Suzaku said as he picked up the girl before laying her down on the surface of the trailer.
"Lelouch, we should get out of here," Marirrosa said grimly.
"I know if they told Suzaku this girl was poison gas then," Lelouch began, but the switching on of large spotlights across the wide underground chamber drew their attention.
"Stinking monkey!" A man wearing a wine red uniform, belonging to those of Clovis's Royal Guard. "Being an honorary Britannian will not excuse you!"
There were at least five members of Clovis's Royal Guard plus one commander who stood out wearing a flat-cap and had a shoulder cape on his uniform. He had blue hair, a beard, and a scar under his eye.
"But sir," Suzaku began as he leaped out of the open trailer to speak with his superior. "I was told this was poison gas!"
"How dare you question orders?!"
"This is bad," Lelouch muttered before glancing to his left to Ryo, who was peeking out from the slightly opened door leading into the driver's cab.
Lelouch saw Mariko and Hiroto were positions, mindful to stay out of sight from the Royal Guardsmen, and presumably so were the others, so they were no doubt waiting for the signal from Lelouch or an opportunity to gun the Britannian Royal Guardsmen down.
"However, in light of your outstanding military achievements, I'm going to be lenient," the Royal Guard Commander noted to Suzaku before handing him a pistol. "Private Kururugi, take this and execute the terrorists."
Suzaku was horrified knowing what his superior wanted of him.
"But he's not a terrorist! He's a civilian who got caught up in all this!"
"You insubordinate little," The Royal Guard Commander said, clearly losing his patience. "That's an order. Didn't you swear your loyalty and your life to Britannia?!"
"Yes, but," Suzaku said before admitting, "But I can't."
"What?!"
"I won't do it, sir. I won't shoot a civilian," Suzaku said before turning to Lelouch. "I can't follow your orders, sir."
"Very well," The commander replied before he discreetly shot Suzaku in the back using the pistol he had intended to give him, causing Suzaku to drop to the ground who was horrified by witnessing the death of his friend.
"SUZAKU!"
"Well, Britannian schoolboy, not a good day to cut class," The Commander declared smugly. "Collect the girl. After you've secured her, kill the student!"
"I don't think so since this is a deplorable situation for you," Lelouch said, giving the signal to Mariko, Hiroto, and the others.
The commander thought nothing much of it before a bullet from Hiroto's battle rifle pierced his head, and the last sounds he heard were the sounds of Lelouch's comrades and friends retaliating at his command. After their commander was shot, Mariko made her presence known by using her shotgun to put a hole in the chest of another Royal Guardsman. Another went down when Ryo emerged from the driver's cab and unloading upon the remaining guardsmen.
Xu Lifeng finished off the last of them by throwing a pair of knives; each of them embedded themselves into the throats of the remaining guardsmen.
Clovis Royal Guard lay dead before they even had a chance to retaliate.
Lelouch jumped off the trailer before walking over where the corpses of the Royal Guardsmen lay scattered upon the ground, and among them laid Suzaku.
"I hate to say it, but I don't think your friend survived that," Ryo said before putting a hand on Lelouch's shoulder.
"I know," Lelouch replied quietly, but behind his calm composure, his anger was beginning to boil over. "Grab the girl, and let's go. More will come; I am sure, which means we need to leave the ghetto now."
"I'll clean up here," Ryo offered. "Hiroto and I will be right behind you."
Fifteen minutes later aboard a Britannian Military G-1 Mobile Base, Clovis la Britannia sat upon his throne in the command center bridge while gathered around a tactical display at the center of the room were three staff officers and General Bartley. The Staff Officers wore identical uniforms consisting of a long black, grey, and red military tunic-style attire with flat caps. Still, Bartley, whose rather heavy-set frame made him easily stand out, wore a more traditional grey uniform with medals a monocle and cape. Bartley was also easily identified by being a bald man with a tanned complexion with blue eyes with a mustache.
His superior Prince Clovis, in contrast, wore bright regal clothes of Victorian Fashion consisting of purple and gold trim with white boots and a cravat. He possessed shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and a fair skin complexion.
"Forgive me your highness, but we lost contact with the Royal Guards we dispatched to retrieve the capsule," Bartley reported with an expression of a man who just ate a very sour lemon.
"Sir, we just got word back from the troops we dispatched to their last known position," A Staff Officer reported.
"What did they find?" Clovis demanded impatiently.
"The truck transporting the capsule has been destroyed, and they found the Royal Guardsmen. All of them are dead. They were killed in what appears to have been an ambush except for one soldier found at the scene."
"One soldier survived?" Bartley asked.
"Yes, but it seems he was left for dead because the commander on the scene reports that he was shot in the back. However, his protective vest and a pocket watch deflected the bullet, so only the impact of it knocked him out."
"What a lucky fellow then," Clovis acknowledged, "have him brought back to the field medical station, so once he recovers, we can question him."
"Yes, your highness," the Staff Officer replied.
"Your highness, what of the girl? Do you think she was inside that capsule when the truck exploded?"
"Hard to say, but order the men there to search the truck for any traces of her. In the meantime, its time, we move the plan to the next phase." Clovis said as he rose from his throne. "If knowledge of her gets out, I'll be disinherited. Tell them back home we're carrying out a planned urban renewal here."
Clovis extended an arm as he dramatically declared.
"As Clovis, third prince of the empire, I command you! Destroy Shinjuku Ghetto! Leave no one alive!"
Around the same time as Clovis was deploying his forces, Lelouch, after quickly changing into his Zero attire, met up with the others before they promptly packed up and began heading down the subway tunnels towards the ruins of Shinjuku Station. The once largest and busiest subway station in Shinjuku was nothing more than a gigantic ruin with collapsing tunnels, structures, and wrecked subway cars sitting like a gaping wound in Shinjuku Ghetto.
Still, despite the extent of the damage the station suffered during the war and the test of time wearing down the structure over the years, it was standing, which allowed it to withstand the impacts of artillery shells impacting the general area.
"This is really bad," Yukiya remarked from the cockpit of his own customized Alexander. "Shinjuku Ghetto has been completely surrounded, and they have just given the order for the army to begin systematically wiping everyone and everything out."
"You are way too calm about this," Ryo pointed out from his Sutherland's cockpit.
"Someone has to be since Zero is still calm," Yukiya pointed out.
Lelouch, despite his mounting concerns, kept calm as he began reviewing the data Yukiya was forwarding him.
Based on what Suzaku was told, if the cover story they are putting forth is poison gas, then the military will be unable to call in reinforcements, Lelouch reasoned internally.
Presently the group was relocating to the Minami-Shinjuku Subway Station after passing through Shinjuku Station to put as much distance between them and the truck as possible as a precaution. It was one of the alternative locations they had scouted beforehand before picking the Nishi-Shinjuku Subway Station. Now that their previous location was no longer safe, the group was going to retreat after regrouping at Minami-Shinjuku Subway Station, but now the situation had become far more perilous.
They'll have to use what troops they have, but we are severely outnumbered. My Alexander and Yukiya's could give us an edge, but revealing them now at this stage to the Britannians will drive them to hunt us more aggressively, depriving us of the time and chances we need to grow, Lelouch thought.
Lelouch realized if he wanted to win this fight without exposing the Alexander units they have, then he would need more men to make it work.
Even if I can get more men we don't have enough Sutherlands for them to make it work, Lelouch reasoned internally.
A short time later, the group arrived at the Minami-Shinjuku Subway Station.
"Yukiya work on getting close to the commanding G-1 and learn everything you can using the subway tunnels to stay out of sight. See if you can get the frequency they are using for their IFF signals," Lelouch ordered from the cockpit of his machine.
"I am on it," Yukiya replied before speeding off down another tunnel while using the equipment in his Knightmare Frame to track the communications going around the battlefield to pin-point the location of the G-1 overseeing the battle.
"Hey, Zero," Ryo called out, "I think the green-haired girl wants to talk to you."
Parking the Knightmare Frame near one of the empty platforms, Lelouch disembarked the machine. Once he donned the mask again before exiting, Lelouch approached the green-haired girl. Ryo stood behind her, but Ayano and Mariko were standing nearby with their weapons at the ready.
"Could you tell me what is it about you that Clovis would slaughter everyone in this ghetto to get you back?" Lelouch asked.
The girl didn't respond for a moment studying the faceless surface of Lelouch's mask.
"It's because of what I can do, and what I am," the girl replied.
"What does that mean?"
"Better if I show you," the girl replied before taking hold of Lelouch's hand.
Without warning, let alone being able to protest, Lelouch found himself pulled into a white void. Lelouch was helpless against what was happening around him, but as the unknown world shifted band changed, he could hear the voice of the girl.
"If you lack a path to victory, then I shall offer you the means to achieve it."
"What is this!?"
The girl ignored Lelouch's question to elaborate further.
"If I grant you power, could you win? I propose a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Lelouch demanded.
"In exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract, and you accept its conditions while living in the world of humans; you will live unlike any other. A different providence, a different time, a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?"
Lelouch contemplated this, although it sounds to be too good to be true. He almost considered refusing at first until the supernatural space he had been pulled into gave him a vision of his father, the Emperor.
"A convergence with the Ragnarök connection? So the myth is beginning once again?"
At that moment, upon seeing his father and hearing him speak pushed Lelouch to accept.
"Yes! I hereby accept the terms of your contract!"
A moment later, Lelouch was back where he was, and judging from reactions, he heard whatever happened only lasted a moment.
Ayano had her rifle pointed to the girl's head ready to shoot along with Mariko and her shotgun while next to Lelouch; the former prince noticed from the corner of his eye that Marirrosa was prepared to inflict serious harm upon the girl. The green-haired girl who was unfazed by the guns pointed at her. It was just the fact that Lelouch seemed unharmed that stopped them and what he said next could prompt action from the three.
Yet Lelouch felt something was different as he felt something in his left eye.
"What did you do to him?" Marirrosa demanded.
"I gave him something that is likely going to help you all out of this predicament."
"Lower your weapons," Lelouch ordered.
Ayano and Mariko did as they were told as Marirrosa turned to Lelouch, worried for his well-being.
"Are you ok?"
"I am fine," Lelouch answered before turning to the green-haired girl, "but what did you do?"
"I gave you power; it's as simple as that."
Lelouch didn't quite understand what happened, but yet on a subconscious level, he was aware of what the girl had given him and what it could do like it was second-nature for him. It wasn't easy to put into words, but it was best to say Lelouch knew what he had and how he could use it.
And with that, a plan came to mind.
"I know how to tip the scales in our favor to get out of this mess," Lelouch began, "but we'll need help from the local resistance group."
"Could we contact them?" Mariko asked.
"Maybe with this," Marirrosa said, pulling out the communicator she had found in the truck was the girl's capsule was. "I found it in a coat on that truck near the rear end."
"Perfect," Lelouch replied, smiling under the mask, "now we need some extra Knightmare Frames."
"What do you have in mind," Ayano asked before Lelouch explained his plan.
Almost an hour later, a red and brown painted Glasgow surprised a Britannian tank. The tank was pursuing a group of fleeing resistances of the Shinjuku Ghetto, which the Glasgow responded by erupting from the ground and then striking it down with its slash harken. A furious Kallen Kozuki was behind the controls at the one-sided slaughter happening around her.
"Those damn Britannians!"
"Kallen, can the Glasgow still move?" A man asked on an open communication channel between them.
"Don't worry, Ohgi, it's all right. I'll decoy them!" Kallen replied back with tears in her eyes and a fierce determination in her voice. "Get the people out of here. The only ones that'll be captured are those of us in the resistance."
"I know, but we're trapped, they've got us completely surrounded." Kaname Ohgi replied while he was on the rooftop of a ruined building with other members of the resistance trying to help save as many people as they could.
Around the same time, Oldrin and Monica were among the units helping to maintain the encirclement alongside her friends Marika and Liliana. Some of their fellow students had joined the military's efforts being paired with experienced soldiers for their safety and benefit, but Oldrin and her group were told to stand down and guard the encirclement.
All of them, except for Marika, knew it had been Kewell for arranged for them to be part of the encirclement forces.
Oldrin didn't protest the decision thankfully, and neither did Monica because while they were fighting the resistance forces, Monica and Oldrin were horrified by the orders to massacre the rest of the ghetto's inhabitants.
"I guess it sounds like this will be over soon," Liliana remarked.
"I suppose, but from what I have heard, they didn't stand much of a chance anyway," Marika added.
"Have they tried to use the poison gas?" Oldrin asked.
"As far as I have heard, they haven't, but I can't say way," Monica answered.
Elsewhere a disguised Lelouch wore a Britannian soldier uniform he had obtained with help from Ryo and Ayano using the helmet to help conceal his identity. Lelouch waved down a Britannian Sutherland, which quickly approached him.
"Hold it right there what's your name and unit number?" The pilot demanded speaking through the Sutherland's integrated loudspeaker.
"My name is John Wick with 3rd Reconnaissance Company," Lelouch answered, lying smoothly. "I recovered this disk from one of the terrorists could I ask for your assistance to transmit this to HQ?"
A tense minute passed before the pilot emerged from the Sutherland.
"A disk, huh, but I'll still need to check your ID."
"Of course," Lelouch replied while smiling as his Geass activated, "However, could I ask that you hand your Knightmare Frame over to my associates and me?"
The pilot was instantly ensnared by Lelouch's Geass, who calmly obeyed the command.
"Yes sir, the activation code is L1157," the pilot replied, tossing the machine's activation key to Lelouch, who caught it.
"Got it," Lelouch replied before using a hand gesture to order Ryo to shot the guy in the head using a silenced pistol causing him to fall out of his machine.
Ryo emerged from his hiding place, followed by Ayano, who were both surprised by the effectiveness of Lelouch's Geass, which from Lelouch deduced, gave him the ability to compel anyone to obey his orders. Strangely Lelouch didn't know for sure until he actually used it, but he instinctively knew what it was capable of the moment he received it from C.C.
Both Ayano and Ryo were impressed by its power even after having witnessed it for the seventh time.
"Having a power that compels anyone to obey you just added a whole new level of scary for you," Ryo commented.
"Well, I can't deny its proving to be very useful, but we need to gather more Sutherlands," Lelouch answered, not wanting to waste time.
Twenty minutes later, Kallen had destroyed another tank before two Sutherlands arrived on the scene, causing the young woman to flee knowing her damaged Glasgow couldn't take them.
"Well, now our Glasgow friend is trying to run away again," Jeremiah replied with a sly grin as he and his companion gave chase.
Fearing she couldn't shake them this time, Kallen also realized she had less than ten minutes left before her Gasglow's battery would run out.
Suddenly a voice spoke through the internal speaker of her Knightmare Frame.
"The West Entrance," Lelouch commanded.
"Huh!?"
"Use the tracks to move to the west entrance."
"Who's this! How do you know this code?!"
"That doesn't matter. If you wanna win, you're just gonna have to trust me," Lelouch replied from the cockpit of the Alexander Châtiment.
"To win," Kallen commented.
Kallen didn't want to trust the voice of a stranger, but the problem facing her was the fact she had no other options before her. She could hope to shake the two Sutherlands chasing her down, but even that seemed unlikely.
Almost reluctantly, Kallen did as instructed and got up onto the train tracks running across an overhead bridge.
"Okay, what am I supposed to do now?"
Behind her, much to Kallen's growing worry, the two Sutherland's were gaining on her.
However, ahead Kallen noticed a train was coming, which was followed by Lelouch's voice responding.
"Since you trusted me, you're gonna win. Jump onto the train!" Lelouch ordered.
"Got it," Kallen replied as she did as she was told.
Jeremiah was forced to stop the train with his Sutherland as he watched Kallen's machine get further away, hopping from one train car to another. However, upon sending his companion to chase down the enemy Knightmare Frame, he was immediately shot by another Sutherland hiding in the ruins of an abandoned building overlooking the tracks.
Watching in shock as the disabled Sutherland was sent tumbling over the side after the cockpit block was ejected, Jeremiah angrily demanded an explanation from the Sutherland.
"What's your name and your unit?! We're after the one-armed Glasgow," Jeremiah demanded only to be interrupted by the Sutherland opening fire upon his machine damaging one of its legs. "Oh my god! A terrorist?!"
Unable to move from his position because of the damage, Jeremiah raised his Sutherland's rifle towards the enemy machine.
"You son of a," Jeremiah began but had to stop mid-sentence when he heard a battle cry from the One-Armed Glasgow as it was running down the top of the train cars ready to attack.
Knowing he had no chance of winning, Jeremiah quickly ejected from his machine, landing a safe distance away.
"You saved me. But how did you get ahold of a Sutherland?" Kallen asked, but when she turned, she saw the Sutherland was gone. "Where did he go?"
Unknown to Kallen, the Sutherland was remote-controlled by Lelouch having chosen to wire the mobile drone controller into one of the Sutherlands they had seized instead of the Glasgow.
"Kallen," Ohgi called out as he and other members of their resistance group approached Kallen's Glasgow. "What the hell was that radio message earlier?"
"Huh, he contacted you too?"
"He sure did, and Yoshida's group ought to be here soon," Ohgi replied before the radio he was carrying crackled as Lelouch's voice was heard a second later.
"Are you in charge?" Lelouch asked.
"Uh yeah," Ohgi replied.
"I present to you the cargo in that train over there. These Knightmare Frames will be tools for your victory. If you want to use them to win, then follow my orders," Lelouch said as Ohgi and some members of his group opened the doors to the train's cargo compartments revealing Sutherlands, at least two per car providing a total of twelve Sutherlands. "My associate will meet with you in a few moments."
Arriving moments later, as various members of Ohgi's group were left in awe at the impressive number of Sutherlands, the mysterious voice had left them a Black Sutherland arrived.
Parking near the train, Kallen was concerned it was a hostile enemy, but Ryo spoke from the cockpit of the Sutherland.
"Easy everyone I am that associate Zero said would be meeting with you guys," Ryo said, raising the hands of his machine up while he opened the cockpit.
"He's just a kid?" Tamaki commented upon seeing Ryo after he descended from his machine.
Ryo took a slight offense to that comment, "well, this kid and his group just got you these Sutherlands."
"Whoa, easy, everyone," Ohgi said, acting to defuse the situation, "I am Kaname Ohgi, and you are?"
"Ryo Sayama," Ryo replied. "Zero asked me to pass along what he had planned so we could coordinate our efforts."
"What do you mean?" Ohgi asked before Ryo began explaining.
Around the same time, Lelouch was sitting in the cockpit of his machine as he contacted Yukita to check in with him.
"I see you were successful in gaining access," Lelouch commented as he saw the tactical screens in his cockpit display the location of every Britannian Knightmare Frame, armored vehicle, and aircraft involved with the battle.
"It was almost too easy. I am hiding directly below the G-1 base, so I can even tap into the mobile command center's security cameras for the command bridge," Yukiya replied smugly.
"Good work, so once Ryo finishes explaining my plan, we can get to work," Lelouch said before cracking his knuckles.
Unaware, they were now being watched by a grinning Yukiya, who was secretly looking forward to how Clovis and his staff officers would react, Clovis, Bartley, and his Staff Officers were going over updates from the "battle" so far.
"The Elevens are mounting only a minor resistance, but they are no match for our superior numbers and firepower," Bartley pointed out.
"We know that," Clovis replied dismissively, "moving on."
"Of course, and the gas capsules."
"Will be what the public thinks," Clovis said, interrupting Bartley.
"Don't worry, we'll find her, your highness," Bartley said assuringly.
"Regardless, I want her dead or alive."
Yukiya only continued to grin as he began recording everything happening in that room since he saw an opportunity for blackmail material.
Twenty minutes later, Lelouch received word from Ryo; they were ready, and Lelouch took a deep breath. Although he was confident, Lelouch knew there were risks to this plan, but it was the only path forward.
"Ryo, are you Marirrosa, Ayano, and Hiroto ready?"
"We are ready," Ryo replied.
"P1, can you move? It operates basically the same as what you're used to," Lelouch asked, contacting Ohgi and his group.
"Yeah, we're good, but the Britannian IFFs of the Sutherlands have been removed," Ohgi asked.
"We did so, thus keeping the enemy from tracking you, but don't worry, I can see you all just fine using communications between us to monitor your movements," Lelouch explained. "Anyway, if Q2 is on schedule, enemy Sutherlands, probably two of them, will reach you in twenty seconds. Shoot them through the wall."
Despite hearing some chatter among those from Ohgi's group questioning such a move, the Sutherlands did as they were told taking out two enemy Sutherlands, which was possible to Lelouch tracking the movements of Clovis's forces using their IFF signals.
"Ryo, you have three gunships entering your range of fire," Lelouch commanded, detecting a trio of VTOL gunships, likely on route to investigate what had taken out the two enemy Sutherlands.
"We got them," Ryo replied, grinning ear to ear before he and the others shot them down using their rifles.
Lelouch could only smile, but he was just getting started.
"P1, P4, P7, move a hundred meter to the right and fire your slash harkens toward three o'clock," Lelouch commanded.
Ohgi and the others complied, attacking a trio of enemy Sutherland Knightmare Frames. Unaware of the fact terrorists were piloting the machines, the Britannian pilots paid them no mind until it was too late as their machines lost their limbs thanks to well-placed attacks.
"Now Ryo, I need you and Ayano to take those two Sutherlands two hundred meters to your left," Lelouch commanded. "Marirrosa, you have a tank and a couple of Britannian soldiers to your rear fifty meters away."
"Roger," Marirrosa replied as she hurled a chaos mine at the mentioned tank and infantry wiping them out.
Ryo and Ayano were also successful, but soon a warning from Hiroto came through.
"Zero, we have five enemy Sutherlands advancing towards Marirrosa's position."
"I see them," Lelouch replied before switching channels to talk to Ohgi and his group, "P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5 advance to nine o'clock and give support to Q1. Attack approaching enemy Sutherlands from the rear."
"Roger that," Ohgi replied.
"Q2, get onto that rooftop across from you and take out enemy Sutherland."
"Copy that," Kallen replied, using a slash harken to scale to the top of a roof to punch a Sutherland in the face disabling it.
"This seems to be going a little too easy," Lelouch mused.
In direct contrast to Lelouch's attitude regarding the battle as the tide had drastically changed, Bartley and his Staff Officers were panicking unable to explain the sudden shift. The battle was to finish in their favor, but suddenly the terrorists had launched a serious of successful counter-attacks. It began with ambushes, but now they were gradually losing ground.
Yukiya was on the verge of laughing as he enjoyed watching Bartley and the others panic.
"Change our codes; they are obviously intercepting our transmissions!" Bartley snapped.
"We have already have sir, four-times!" Staff Officer Dave replied.
"DO IT AGAIN!"
"P1 use UN ordinance and take out enemy tank twenty yards to your left, and P2 cover him then help P5 take out two Britannian Sutherlands," Lelouch ordered.
"Right," Ohgi replied.
"Ryo, get ready to take out another squad of Britannian Sutherlands. They should be traveling by that crumbling apartment building. Use the building to trap them and have Marirrosa, Ayano and Hiroto ambush them from the rear, leaving them wide open."
"Got it," Marrirosa replied as she joined Ayano and Hiroto.
Once Ryo drew their attention, the trio attacked the Britannian squad from the rear, making use of their overconfidence in possessing superior machines.
"This is a little too easy," Ryo remarked as he helped Marirrosa and the others wipe out four more Sutherlands.
"Maybe I overestimated the competence of Clovis and his forces," Lelouch acknowledged, but he wasn't going to take any chance nor make the mistake of becoming overconfident. "Ryo, finish off the last of Britannian air support two o'clock in your direction."
"We got them."
"Right and now its time to draw the enemy in," Lelouch said before switching channels, "alright get ready because the enemy has five moves. Time to see how they'll react."
"Then what?" Kallen asked.
"Depending on how they respond, we can draw them into a trap, but let's wait and see," Lelouch said before switching to another separate chapter to speak to Yukiya. "Yukiya, can you patch me into the camera feed aboard the G-1, I want to see what their planned counterattack is going to be."
"Sure thing," Yukiya replied before Lelouch's primary monitor displayed Clovis approaching the tactical map within the command center of the G-1 with Bartley to his left and Staff Officers surrounding the table.
"I want you to bring in bring up Quincey's squad," Clovis demanded.
"But my lord that will break the encirclement," Bartley cautioned, but Clovis didn't care.
"Then, just reinforce the breach using some of the units guarding me. All we know is that the enemy is in this sector, so we'll just surround them and converge on them all at once." Clovis explained, seemingly proud of his plan.
Lelouch was of a very different opinion.
"That is the worst move you could've made. I guess this means your skill in chess has likely gotten worse compared to when we had last played."
"So, you're going to punish him then?"
"Very much so," Lelouch answered before switching channels.
Although Lelouch was still aware of the chatter being shared on the three different channels, he just shut off the microphone to avoid giving orders to the wrong groups.
"Attention everyone, is everything prepared?" Lelouch asked.
"We're ready, so Ohgi and his group just need to escape through the tunnels once the enemy approaches," Ryo replied.
"Right, just fire some shots to draw their attention then begin retreating through the tunnels. Q2, be ready," Lelouch commanded.
"Understood," Kallen replied while she and her machine were already in position.
Above ground, the Britannians began closing in after surrounding the area with an astonishing number of Knightmare Frames and tanks before sending them in to close the supposed noose Clovis had created.
Unaware of the trap laid for them.
Lelouch observed everything using the tactical map within the cockpit of his machine and smiled when he saw the amassed Britannian forces arrive at the center of the section they believed where the enemy was.
"With this, I call check," Lelouch replied as, at that same moment, Kallen used her slash harken to strike the ceiling of the tunnel setting off a chain reaction.
Thanks to having studied maps of the Shinjuku Ghetto in advance for today to locate a potentially suitable place for a base, Lelouch was mindful to avoid areas passing over subway tunnels and buildings no longer structurally strong enough.
The area Lelouch had chosen was where the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line passed through and connected with tunnels at the Shinjuku-Nishiguchi Station. One of the first stations Lelouch had considered using, but further investigating through information Yukiya had collected from survey files the government had conducted for their plans of expanding the Toyko Concession into Shinjuku revealed there were a series of additional tunnels that also connected at that location.
The war seven years ago and lack of repair had caused the tunnels to become structurally weak on top of the survey mentioning concerns about old gas lines that could be potentially dangerous if not handled carefully.
Time to see if those fears are genuine and with over a dozen more additional tunnels running through there, I wager one hit in the right place will cause quite the disaster, Lelouch mused internally.
Lelouch suspected some of those tunnels were either alternate routes or secret tunnels meant for evacuation by members of the Japanese government.
Suddenly a large cloud of dust followed by a fireball erupted from the area in question before on the tactical screen of the Alexander Châtiment; Lelouch saw the screen as around nearly sixty Britannian Knightmare Frame IFF's began displaying lost alongside dozens of armored vehicles.
Yukiya observed Clovis's reaction as he stepped back from the tactical map on the verge of a severe panic attack.
"Lloyd!" Clovis called as his voice sounded desperate.
"Yes, your highness," another voice called.
Lloyd Asupland wasn't physically present on the G-1, but Yukiya knew he was likely communicating from one of the trailers near the G-1. The hacker had done some research during his field trip investigating the government-connected networks of Area 11 and discovered Clovis was hosting the Britannian Special Research Division known as the Camelot Engineering Corps, or alternatively called in Area 11 the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps (ASEEC).
Switching to another camera to see Lloyd on the monitor allowing Yukiya to a man in his late twenties with glasses, blue eyes, and lavender wearing a high-collar white lab coat.
"Can it win, can your toy beat them?" Clovis demanded.
"My Lord, please be so kind as to call it Lancelot."
"That doesn't sound good," Yukiya remarked as he recalled earlier when Lloyd had called he had wanted to unleash the ASEEC's special weapon. "Hey, Zero, we might have a problem."
"What is it?" Lelouch asked.
"Clovis has just given the order for that special research division I told he was hosting the other day while I was poking around certain mainframes."
"You mean the one Prince Schenizel founded?"
"Yeah, I am guessing they probably came here hoping to field test a new weapon?"
"What kind of weapon?" Lelouch asked.
Yukiya switched to one of the G-1's external cameras looking for the trailer this new weapon was kept in. Spotting an unusual trailer that seemed different from the rest, Yukiya watched as a pilot in a white and black suit emerged from one of the medical trailers approaching the ASEEC's trailer. A black tarp was covering it, but Yukiya was almost sure what it was.
He just didn't know more about it because the firewalls of the ASEEC's mainframe was remarkably far better protected than any other network Yukiya had seen.
"A Knightmare Frame," Yukiya answered as he tried to listen in on some audio being transmitted from the trailer and the pilot he was picking up with his custom Alexander's sensors. "And according to this audio, I am listening in on its some kind of seventh-generation Knightmare Frame."
"That can't be good," Lelouch said, quickly devising a counter plan. "Keep an eye on it for me, Yukiya. Tell me if it's fast, anything you can give me."
"Roger that," Yukiya replied.
"Attention everyone the Britannians are about to unleash some kind of prototype Knightmare Frame," Lelouch cautioned, addressing both Ohgi and Ryo's groups.
"The Britannians have what?" Kallen commented.
"What are you proposing we do, Zero?" Ryo asked.
"Listen carefully," Lelouch said as he began to lay out a plan he hoped would work.
"Hey Zero, that Knightmare Frame is faster or just as fast as our special machines. It took off at full throttle, and its easily surpassing the Sutherland in raw speed," Yukiya warned.
Not a lot of time to work with, Lelouch acknowledged internally as he quickly laid out a risky and hasty plan.
As the Z-01 Lancelot accelerated towards Shinjuku Ghetto, Suzaku felt a sharp pain in his side as he marveled at the speed the Lancelot was traveling at. He had only used simulators for Knightmare Frames mostly to conduct testing, but the Lancelot was drastically different.
Still hard to believe, I am piloting this, but I can use this to end the fighting and save Lelouch and those two girls.
Suzaku had woken to find himself inside one of the mobile medical care trailers near the G-1, although he couldn't remember what exactly happened Suzaku deduced he had been shot in the back. Yet remarkably, he survived, which was thanks to a combination of his protective vest and an old pocket watch he carried on his person that deflected the bullet.
The impact at close range merely knocked him out.
But what happened after I lost consciousness?
Upon waking up, Suzaku had learned the Royal Guardsmen, and their commander was dead, and the truck the terrorists had stolen had been destroyed. Yet to his relief and mounting concern, the bodies of Lelouch and those girls weren't among the dead, which meant whatever happened Lelouch and those two might've gotten away.
It was one of the reasons Suzaku jumped at the chance to become the pilot of the Lancelot.
"No matter what happens, I have to save Lelouch and those girls."
Lelouch was scrambling to prepare for the approaching new threat, and given the minimal amount of time he had, Lelouch hoped this plan would work.
I wish I knew more about this new weapon, but I'll treat it the same as an Alexander, Lelouch reasoned internally.
"This is B-Group, that new enemy machine has been sighted," Ishida reported.
"Avoid engaging it, but if you must retreat while laying down suppressing fire and lure it to the location we discussed," Lelouch ordered.
"Roger that, but," Ishida replied before a scream was heard.
"Ishida," another voice cried out before he screamed as well.
Lelouch never heard another reply, but the static at the end confirmed those two pilots had been taken out by the Lancelot.
"How the hell can one machine move so damn fast," another voice cried as another member of Oghi's group, Kent Sugiyama, was facing the Lancelot.
"Don't panic," Lelouch cautioned, "fall back and lure it to the location. I'll handle the rest."
Ohgi and his group did so while Ryo and his group hung back, laying down suppressing fire so they could escape, but at the same time draw the Lancelot closer to them.
"That machine is almost here," Marirrosa warned.
"I am on it," Lelouch replied, "get away both of you and do what you must to escape."
Suzaku in the Lancelot found himself once more in awe of the machine, especially as he had already swiftly defeated some of the enemy Sutherlands. However, the enemy realizing the threat the Lancelot poised had begun to fall back, but Suzaku was determined to eliminate them all so he could end the battle.
"How many of them are left," Suzaku asked as the image of Lloyd's assistant appeared on the screen below his primary monitor.
The assistant was a young woman in her early twenties with short blue hair and light blue eyes wearing an orange uniform with a black tie and skirt.
"We estimate around twenty enemy machines, so you should have fourteen left," Cecile Croomy replied.
"Roger, I am in pursuit," Suzaku replied back.
"You got to be kidding me," Ryo snapped when he fired upon the Lancelot, "that thing can deflect bullets!"
Using the Blaze Luminous shields mounted on its forearms, the Lancelot was projecting a transparent shield of green that deflected every bullet the enemy Sutherlands had fired upon it.
"Ryo, I don't think we're going to get away from that thing," Ayano warned.
"I know, but we just need to lure it into that building," Ryo replied as he and the others entered a partially collapsed building standing a distance away from the crumbling ruins of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
Retreating into the structure after Ryo and Hiroto hurled chaos grenades to slow the Lancelot down while Ayano and Marrirosa ran away trying to escape the pursuing Lancelot. Meanwhile, the Lancelot was briefly pinned down, but once the chaos grenades were spent, the Lancelot pursued the enemies into the partially collapsed building when a Sutherland suddenly erupted from the wall trying to grapple with the Lancelot.
"An ambush," Suzaku asked while wondering if the others were going to attack him.
However, Suzaku was overpowering the Sutherland as its hands began to crumble like aluminum, but Lelouch remote controlling the Sutherland from the Alexander Châtiment smiled as he had the Sutherland fire its slash harkens striking the wall behind the Lancelot. Using a burst of speed combined with retracting of the Sutherland's slash harkens, the Sutherland caught the Lancelot as it tried to shove it towards the wall, but it barely moved.
"I guess I'll just have to make do," Lelouch said as he quickly switched back to controlling the Alexander Châtiment. "Target locked."
Lelouch had to only quickly change where the D09-A 120mm experimental anti-material railgun the Sparrow was ready to fire.
"I call checkmate," Lelouch replied as he pulled the trigger.
Upon firing the 120 mm, slug from the railgun broke the sound barrier-breaking whatever windows remained on the crumbling Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The sound it made upon firing was akin to an extremely loud cannon.
Suzaku heard the shot and realized he was likely the target, so acting upon instinct, he beheaded the enemy Sutherland before turning around and raising the Blaze Luminous Shields. The bullet fired from the railgun demolished the wall of the building before it made contact with the Lancelot's shields.
The Lancelot was straining to deflect the bullet because of the intensity of the speeds it was traveling at. Causing sparks as the lights and monitors within the Lancelot's cockpit to flicker. Alarms began sounding inside the cockpit warning Suzaku; the arms were under a large amount of severe strain.
"Suzaku, the Lancelot can't take much more!" Cecile warned while next to her, Lloyd was visibly nervous and turning pale.
Even another problem was happening, the building Suzaku was in was starting to collapse, and lastly, the remote-controlled Sutherland he had beheaded.
"Just to be sure," Lelouch remarked, pushing a remote that set off the bomb within the cockpit block.
The resulting explosion not only destroyed the Sutherland, but it also led to the building itself finally collapsing after everything that happened to it.
The surrounding area was blanked in a cloud of dust, and Lelouch observed what he assumed to be railgun slug strike a building behind where the Lancelot was causing some considerable damage, and it kept going.
Even striking and leaving a bloody smear of an unfortunate Chinese man wearing headphones, sunglasses, a white coat, and possessing white hair.
Lelouch didn't see any movement from within the dust cloud below, but the sensors within the Alexander Châtiment alerted Lelouch to a group of Sutherlands heading for his position.
"I suppose its no big shock they would notice," Lelouch said, brushing the comment aside, "Ryo the Lancelot has been neutralized, but I have a group of Sutherlands heading my way. Engage them so I can relocate to a new position without being seen."
"Don't worry, Zero, we'll take care of it," Ryo replied with a smile as he, Ayano, Marriorsa, and Hiroto were on an intercept course.
Approaching the building where Lelouch was hiding in the Sutherlands were the ones piloted by Monica, Oldrin, Liliana, and Marika. Since losing so many Sutherlands during Clovis's foolish charge of the enemy's position, Monica and her squad were called in to support what remaining forces they had. But the encirclement around Shinjuku had become dangerously thin as a result.
"What the hell kind of weapon was that?" Oldrin demanded as she was following behind Monica.
"I don't know, but if its capable of that kind of damage, we need to take it out," Monica replied before issuing orders. "Marika and Liliana, I need you two to cover Oldrin and me while we take out that enemy weapon placement."
"I am not detecting anything up there with the sensors," Liliana noted.
"Yeah, there is nothing on the Infrared either," Marika added.
"All the more reason we need to take this weapon out. We saw the shout, and judging from that shower of glass, we can safely deduce which building it came from, and the angle of the shot narrows down what floor it's likely on," Monica pointed out.
Proximity alarms alerted the group to the approach of Ryo and his group.
"What, Black Sutherlands?" Marika said, noticing the four approaching enemy machines.
"They are enemies, but be mindful of a possible enemy attack from the building ahead." Monica cautioned.
"Roger," Oldrin, Marika, and Liliana said together.
"Here they come," Ryo said as he let out a battle cry as the two groups collided to engage in what would be the deciding battle of the Shinjuku Ghetto.
A/N: Now this seems like an excellent place to stop, I tried to apply everything I had learned while redoing the space battle for my Sunrider crossover with help from a friend, its chapter nine if you are curious what we did.
Some things stayed the same, but the changes I slipped in. I hope you guys enjoyed it.
Now I know some were hoping I would've used Lelouch's Geass from Nightmare of Nunnally, but I had already decided on some events which required Lelouch's original Geass, and it would potentially open the door for further discussion and interaction with romantic candidates like Kate.
Anyway, I think that will be it on the author's note for now, but the question if Suzaku survived or not will be answered next chapter, but I am sure you guys can guess what happened.
Thank you for reading, and I thank you in advance for your feedback and likes.
Chapter 7
First Blood in Shinjuku
First Blood in Shinjuku
Two days had come and gone with Lelouch wearing his school uniform had discreetly left Ashford Academy to meet with Marirrosa. The rendezvous point was an outdoor cafe in Tokyo Concession where plenty of people frequent the area, so Lelouch being there wouldn't be suspicious. As far as any casual observer would be concerned, it would a high school student meeting his girlfriend for a date, which was technically correct to some extent.
Arriving at Cafe Rose, Lelouch found Marirrosa sitting alone at one of the tables after a waiter led him to her.
Smiling at Lelouch, Marirrosa left her seat to quickly wrap her arms around Lelouch before kissing him. Lelouch was briefly surprised, but he returned it in kind before wrapping his own arms around her. It was a moment that lasted longer than a minute, but once it's over, the pair took their seats opposite of one another, waiting for a waiter to receive their order.
"You seemed surprised," Marirrosa asked while glancing at the menu before her.
"Sorry, I guess I am not used to doing something like that out in public. I don't mind, but," Lelouch explained before Marirrosa interrupted him.
"Is it because of Milly?"
"Yes," Lelouch admitted. "She takes any chance to pry into my personal affairs, so I'll need to cautious when I leave the academy."
"You sound as if you are expecting Milly to follow you?"
"Actually she would because there was one time she wiped the school into a frenzy when I misplaced a notebook from one of my classes. I think she was expecting it would hold something embarrassing," Lelouch said, recalling some of the moments of chaos sparked by Milly Ashford.
"I remember the stories about the other events Milly had spearheaded as the President of the Student Council you told me about," Marirrosa commented. "You'll understand if I still have a hard time believing it, especially stuff like the Swimsuit Day, Cross-Dressing festival, and the Silence Party."
Lelouch smiled, "No, I don't blame you, but if anything, it shows she inherited more from her grandfather, the Party King of Pendragon than her actual parents."
"Wow, so those parties must've been really something if he got a title like that," Marirrosa remarked with an expression of being impressed.
"What I can say," Lelouch replied with a grin. "Anyway, are you sure you want to have lunch here?"
"Why not? Besides, it would just help us blend in more than just waiting here for you, then leaving without ordering anything."
"Fair enough," Lelouch replied with a smile.
Around the same time in another corner of Area 11, or more specifically near the Viceroy's Palace in the Toyko Settlement, was a truck hauling a long trailer behind it. The vehicle was gradually speeding away, although it wasn't going too far above the speed limit the truck was clearly trying to go as fast as allowed without drawing the attention of the highway patrols'. Sitting inside the driver's cab, the driver, a Japanese man in his late twenties with long blue hair tied into a ponytail, was behind the wheel. His passenger was a younger woman with shoulder-length red hair that was spiky while wearing black sunglasses to conceal her eyes while also dressed in the same blue turtleneck coat and hat as the driver.
Everything was going smoothly, especially since they had just stolen a truck that, according to rumors and what they have heard from information brokers, has poison gas.
Maybe it was all going too smoothly, which caused the driver to notice something in one of the mirrors located outside the truck to his left.
"Damn," Nagata snapped, "Tamaki screwed up!"
"What's wrong," the passenger to his right asked.
"Tamaki failed to do his part of the plan because we got a Britannian Police VTOL following us," Nagata replied.
"What should we do?"
"We'll keep going on this highway until we reach the entrance into the Subway tunnels because they seem to think we haven't noticed them yet. If we start running now, we'll have the military on our heads in no time," Nagata answered.
"They'll send them after us soon enough," the girl pointed out.
"I know, but it would be better if it happens sooner than later."
Roughly almost an hour later, Lelouch and Marirrosa arrived at the old Nishi-Shinjuku Subway Station, which was a seven-minute walk away from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Ryo was waiting for them, and he had brought along Yukiya, Ayano, Xu Lifeng, Kagari, Mariko, Hiroto, Eisen, Bunta along with Hilda and Chloe. As far as machines were concerned, aside from the Glasgow Ryo had acquired for their test and Lelouch's own Knightmare Frame the Alexander Châtiment, they had brought along weapons, bombs, and traps to protect their location and six of the black Sutherlands they had.
The Châtiment was also carrying the Sparrow Railgun, which presently Kagari was conducting an inspection of both the weapon and the machine carrying it.
Also present was Yukiya's own customized Alexander, the WOX-Type-01 A/2 Alexander Chasseur (Huntsman). It had been painted dark blue with tints of light green to match Yukiya's personal color preference, but while it lacked the Srivatsa Steel armor, Lelouch and Marirrosa's units have it made up for it by having specialized armor that concealed its heat signature making it harder for sensors to detect it.
Its armaments were identical to Lelouch's own machine, but in place of the railgun, it used a powerful anti-Knightmare Frame sniper rifle, which was much safer to use compared to the Sparrow. What it lacked in raw destructive power did enable it to be used more frequently regardless of what mode the Chasseur was in.
The real reason it was among the Knightmare Frames Lelouch had asked to come along was because the Chasseur was designed to serve as an ECM role in a battle. It had integrated transmitters and various tools for Yukiya to hack and tap into enemy communications. If he was close enough to an enemy G-1, Yukiya could hack into it as well using the Chasseur's powerful transmitters and hacking tools aboard the Knightmare Frame.
Yukiya would use his Knightmare Frame to monitor Britannian Military and Police Channels as well as maintain a watchful eye on the surrounding area during their test. He would be working with Lelouch to ensure they don't draw any attention from Britannia.
"You're finally here," Ryo said before grabbing Lelouch's hand, "it's been a while."
"I've been gone for little more than a week," Lelouch replied, returning the friendly gesture.
"Let's get down to business," Lelouch began. "Anything I need to know?"
"A slight wrinkle in our plans is the presence of a class of cadets from the local Military Academy," Ryo explained as he led Lelouch and Marirrosa down one of the damaged tunnels leading into the station proper.
Ever since the invasion years ago, the Nishi-Shinjuku Subway Station had been both damaged by fighting in Shinjuku during the war and left in a state of disrepair ever since. Time had worn down the station, even more, leading to parts of the station to collapse.
However, this was indirectly beneficial because it enlarged the tunnels and passageways making it easier for Knightmare Frames to move around. It even allowed for the station platforms to serve as a makeshift boarding platform for their Knightmare Frames.
"I see, so they are likely practicing Urban Warfare Maneuvers," Lelouch remarked with one hand on his chin in contemplation.
"Is it an issue?" Marirrosa asked.
"No, as long as we stay here and don't do anything to draw their attention, we should be fine," Lelouch answered. "We were going to wait until nightfall anyway, so they could be gone by then."
"What should we do until then?" Ryo asked, walking alongside a Lelouch and Marirrosa.
"We'll stick to our plan and conduct testing of the portable drone system here in the tunnels before we send it out into the ghetto later tonight."
"Speaking of which, how is the set up for drone controller coming?" Marirrosa inquired.
"According to Hilda and Chloe, its installation has been effortless as Neha and Kagari designed it, so installing them on other Knightmare Frames should be quite easy," Ryo answered.
"So, it's just a matter of checking if it works?" Lelouch asked, leading to Ryo to reply with a nod of confirmation.
"Right, but should you get changed first? I brought your mask and outfit," Ryo pointed out.
"True and," Lelouch began, but the sound of a loud crash drew their attention.
"What the hell was that!?" Marirrosa asked.
"That sounds like it came from one of the tunnels further down from us," Lelouch noted.
"Go get Ayano, Xu Lifeng, and Hiroto," Lelouch said before he and Marirrosa began running down the tunnel to investigate. "We'll see what it is."
"Oh come on you two," Ryo called out as the two hurried off.
Making their way down the same tunnel, they came from the two almost lost track of the source of the loud crash until they heard the sound of an engine and tires screeching. Following the sound, the pair entered a service tunnel leading them into another tunnel, which was much larger, which could've been an area where subway cars were stored for repairs and maintenance.
Marirrosa and Lelouch found a blue truck with a long grey trailer attached to it. As they exited the tunnel from the rear of the trailer's right side, the pair discovered the truck had been traveling through the tunnel until it had hit a collapsed section in the tunnel's floor, causing the front tires to become stuck.
"What the hell is this doing here?" Ryo said, coming up from behind with Xu Lifeng, Hiroto, and Ayano in tow with Mariko having tagged along.
Ryo had come armed, but unlike the weapons, Lelouch had purchased for the Black Knights, the founding members, including Ryo, were allowed to buy a personal weapon of their choosing as a Christmas Gift to them from Lelouch.
For Ryo, he had chosen a Britannian-made SABR-55 (Squad Advanced Battle Rifle) possessing an ion-bonded bolt carrier equipped with a Trijicon AccuPoint with one to six magnification. It was a weapon commonly used by Britannian Marines and related Special Forces units. Hiroto had also chosen the same weapon for himself. On the other hand, Xu Lifeng chose a set of freshly cut throwing knives made from a light-weight and durability material she could easily conceal in the sleeves of her combat uniform. But she did choose a pair of Platinum Roller Mk II pistols designed for quick and easy reloads and precision shooting with integrated silencers.
Ayano had chosen a SABR-55 as well, but Mariko was among the few who decided on something bolder. Mariko's weapon of choice was a combat semi-automatic shotgun called B80 Super 99 with a bolt carrier release, charging handle, and textured grips for ease of handling under any conditions.
"Someone might've hijacked it, but I don't see any sign of anyone getting out," Lelouch remarked.
"Maybe they took a wrong turn," Hiroto suggested.
Lelouch continued to observe the truck until it finally stopped its vain struggle to escape the ditch its front tires were caught in.
"Don't fire unless I say how deplorable," Lelouch ordered as Marirrosa and Ryo followed Lelouch while Ayano and the others quietly moved into position around the tunnel while using fallen stone pillars and broken concrete to hide and stay out of sight.
The trio found the side of the trailer near the driver's cab was open on the left side. Cautiously approaching the opening, Ryo went in first, followed by Lelouch and Marirrosa after Ryo entered the Driver's Cab, where he found the driver Nagata lying on the driver seat bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds.
"What the hell happened to you!?" Ryo asked, leveling his gun at Nagata.
Nagata was surprised by Ryo's appearance, but he relaxed upon seeing Ryo was Japanese.
"Are you with the resistance?" Nagata asked weakly before coughing up some blood.
"I am, but I run with a different group, so what happened to you?"
"We," Nagata began to explain before coughing up some blood, "stole a capsule of poison gas from the Britannians."
"You mean that machine in the back," Ryo asked with his eyes going wide in concern.
Meanwhile, a noise outside the driver's cabin drew Ryo's attention as he opened it by a crack to find Lelouch on the ground with a Britannian soldier holding him down with one hand on his collarbone. As Marirrosa and Lelouch were investigating the unknown device, a lone Britannian Soldier had gotten the jump on them. Through a combination of luck and moving both quickly and quietly enough, no one noticed the soldier until he surprised the pair. First, he spun-kicked Marirrosa in the side of the head before tackling Lelouch to the ground leading to the current situation.
"That's enough mindless murder!" The soldier snapped after his gas mask detected from his helmet and was left hanging.
"Hold on a second, I am not with them," Lelouch struggled to say before he was interrupted.
"Planning to use poison gas! Don't play dumb with me!"
"GET OFF OF HIM!?"
Marirrosa shouted enraged as she attacked the soldier, forcing him back. The angry half-Britannian Spaniard began a fierce exchange of kicks, which the soldier skillfully deflected.
"I don't know what is going on, but if that is poison gas, it was made in Britannia, wasn't it?!" Lelouch said after he picked himself up while talked down on the soldier. "If you want to talk mindless murder, then why don't you eliminate Britannia!?"
Ryo and the others were ready to make their presence known, but when the soldier had a clear look causing him to go on the defensive so he could speak.
"WAIT," the soldier cried out as he raised his arms to block Marirrosa's onslaught. "It's me, Suzaku!?"
"What!?" Lelouch exclaimed before using a hand gesture Ryo, Ayano, and the others saw prompting them to stand down, but they wisely kept out of sight to avoid any unwanted questions. "Marirrosa, stop right now!"
Marirrosa stopped giving the soldier a chance to remove his helmet to reveal the face of seventeen-year-old Japanese teen with brown hair and green eyes.
"Suzaku, is that you?" Lelouch asked, clearly surprised to see the first friend he made in Japan. "Did you become a Britannian soldier?"
"Yeah, and what about," Suzaku began, but the capsule next to them began opening.
Lelouch found himself tackled into the ground again, but this time Suzaku covered the former's mouth with the gas mask attachment from his helmet.
Instead of a poisonous cloud of gas, the opened capsule revealed a young girl wearing a white Britannian Prison Uniform. There several straps restraining her arms and legs while her mouth was sealed shut using bindings and a high collar that covered her entire lower jaw. She possessed long, waist-length green hair and a pale skin tone with yellow eyes that Lelouch saw as they opened and looked at him.
"That's not poison gas," Suzaku muttered.
"No duh," Marirrosa offered sarcastically, who was clearly fuming over the hit in the head Suzaku gave her.
"Tell me the truth Suzaku," Lelouch asked, shoving the gas mask off of his face, "poison gas? This girl?"
"I swear it's what they told us in the briefing," Suzaku said as he picked up the girl before laying her down on the surface of the trailer.
"Lelouch, we should get out of here," Marirrosa said grimly.
"I know if they told Suzaku this girl was poison gas then," Lelouch began, but the switching on of large spotlights across the wide underground chamber drew their attention.
"Stinking monkey!" A man wearing a wine red uniform, belonging to those of Clovis's Royal Guard. "Being an honorary Britannian will not excuse you!"
There were at least five members of Clovis's Royal Guard plus one commander who stood out wearing a flat-cap and had a shoulder cape on his uniform. He had blue hair, a beard, and a scar under his eye.
"But sir," Suzaku began as he leaped out of the open trailer to speak with his superior. "I was told this was poison gas!"
"How dare you question orders?!"
"This is bad," Lelouch muttered before glancing to his left to Ryo, who was peeking out from the slightly opened door leading into the driver's cab.
Lelouch saw Mariko and Hiroto were positions, mindful to stay out of sight from the Royal Guardsmen, and presumably so were the others, so they were no doubt waiting for the signal from Lelouch or an opportunity to gun the Britannian Royal Guardsmen down.
"However, in light of your outstanding military achievements, I'm going to be lenient," the Royal Guard Commander noted to Suzaku before handing him a pistol. "Private Kururugi, take this and execute the terrorists."
Suzaku was horrified knowing what his superior wanted of him.
"But he's not a terrorist! He's a civilian who got caught up in all this!"
"You insubordinate little," The Royal Guard Commander said, clearly losing his patience. "That's an order. Didn't you swear your loyalty and your life to Britannia?!"
"Yes, but," Suzaku said before admitting, "But I can't."
"What?!"
"I won't do it, sir. I won't shoot a civilian," Suzaku said before turning to Lelouch. "I can't follow your orders, sir."
"Very well," The commander replied before he discreetly shot Suzaku in the back using the pistol he had intended to give him, causing Suzaku to drop to the ground who was horrified by witnessing the death of his friend.
"SUZAKU!"
"Well, Britannian schoolboy, not a good day to cut class," The Commander declared smugly. "Collect the girl. After you've secured her, kill the student!"
"I don't think so since this is a deplorable situation for you," Lelouch said, giving the signal to Mariko, Hiroto, and the others.
The commander thought nothing much of it before a bullet from Hiroto's battle rifle pierced his head, and the last sounds he heard were the sounds of Lelouch's comrades and friends retaliating at his command. After their commander was shot, Mariko made her presence known by using her shotgun to put a hole in the chest of another Royal Guardsman. Another went down when Ryo emerged from the driver's cab and unloading upon the remaining guardsmen.
Xu Lifeng finished off the last of them by throwing a pair of knives; each of them embedded themselves into the throats of the remaining guardsmen.
Clovis Royal Guard lay dead before they even had a chance to retaliate.
Lelouch jumped off the trailer before walking over where the corpses of the Royal Guardsmen lay scattered upon the ground, and among them laid Suzaku.
"I hate to say it, but I don't think your friend survived that," Ryo said before putting a hand on Lelouch's shoulder.
"I know," Lelouch replied quietly, but behind his calm composure, his anger was beginning to boil over. "Grab the girl, and let's go. More will come; I am sure, which means we need to leave the ghetto now."
"I'll clean up here," Ryo offered. "Hiroto and I will be right behind you."
Fifteen minutes later aboard a Britannian Military G-1 Mobile Base, Clovis la Britannia sat upon his throne in the command center bridge while gathered around a tactical display at the center of the room were three staff officers and General Bartley. The Staff Officers wore identical uniforms consisting of a long black, grey, and red military tunic-style attire with flat caps. Still, Bartley, whose rather heavy-set frame made him easily stand out, wore a more traditional grey uniform with medals a monocle and cape. Bartley was also easily identified by being a bald man with a tanned complexion with blue eyes with a mustache.
His superior Prince Clovis, in contrast, wore bright regal clothes of Victorian Fashion consisting of purple and gold trim with white boots and a cravat. He possessed shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and a fair skin complexion.
"Forgive me your highness, but we lost contact with the Royal Guards we dispatched to retrieve the capsule," Bartley reported with an expression of a man who just ate a very sour lemon.
"Sir, we just got word back from the troops we dispatched to their last known position," A Staff Officer reported.
"What did they find?" Clovis demanded impatiently.
"The truck transporting the capsule has been destroyed, and they found the Royal Guardsmen. All of them are dead. They were killed in what appears to have been an ambush except for one soldier found at the scene."
"One soldier survived?" Bartley asked.
"Yes, but it seems he was left for dead because the commander on the scene reports that he was shot in the back. However, his protective vest and a pocket watch deflected the bullet, so only the impact of it knocked him out."
"What a lucky fellow then," Clovis acknowledged, "have him brought back to the field medical station, so once he recovers, we can question him."
"Yes, your highness," the Staff Officer replied.
"Your highness, what of the girl? Do you think she was inside that capsule when the truck exploded?"
"Hard to say, but order the men there to search the truck for any traces of her. In the meantime, its time, we move the plan to the next phase." Clovis said as he rose from his throne. "If knowledge of her gets out, I'll be disinherited. Tell them back home we're carrying out a planned urban renewal here."
Clovis extended an arm as he dramatically declared.
"As Clovis, third prince of the empire, I command you! Destroy Shinjuku Ghetto! Leave no one alive!"
Around the same time as Clovis was deploying his forces, Lelouch, after quickly changing into his Zero attire, met up with the others before they promptly packed up and began heading down the subway tunnels towards the ruins of Shinjuku Station. The once largest and busiest subway station in Shinjuku was nothing more than a gigantic ruin with collapsing tunnels, structures, and wrecked subway cars sitting like a gaping wound in Shinjuku Ghetto.
Still, despite the extent of the damage the station suffered during the war and the test of time wearing down the structure over the years, it was standing, which allowed it to withstand the impacts of artillery shells impacting the general area.
"This is really bad," Yukiya remarked from the cockpit of his own customized Alexander. "Shinjuku Ghetto has been completely surrounded, and they have just given the order for the army to begin systematically wiping everyone and everything out."
"You are way too calm about this," Ryo pointed out from his Sutherland's cockpit.
"Someone has to be since Zero is still calm," Yukiya pointed out.
Lelouch, despite his mounting concerns, kept calm as he began reviewing the data Yukiya was forwarding him.
Based on what Suzaku was told, if the cover story they are putting forth is poison gas, then the military will be unable to call in reinforcements, Lelouch reasoned internally.
Presently the group was relocating to the Minami-Shinjuku Subway Station after passing through Shinjuku Station to put as much distance between them and the truck as possible as a precaution. It was one of the alternative locations they had scouted beforehand before picking the Nishi-Shinjuku Subway Station. Now that their previous location was no longer safe, the group was going to retreat after regrouping at Minami-Shinjuku Subway Station, but now the situation had become far more perilous.
They'll have to use what troops they have, but we are severely outnumbered. My Alexander and Yukiya's could give us an edge, but revealing them now at this stage to the Britannians will drive them to hunt us more aggressively, depriving us of the time and chances we need to grow, Lelouch thought.
Lelouch realized if he wanted to win this fight without exposing the Alexander units they have, then he would need more men to make it work.
Even if I can get more men we don't have enough Sutherlands for them to make it work, Lelouch reasoned internally.
A short time later, the group arrived at the Minami-Shinjuku Subway Station.
"Yukiya work on getting close to the commanding G-1 and learn everything you can using the subway tunnels to stay out of sight. See if you can get the frequency they are using for their IFF signals," Lelouch ordered from the cockpit of his machine.
"I am on it," Yukiya replied before speeding off down another tunnel while using the equipment in his Knightmare Frame to track the communications going around the battlefield to pin-point the location of the G-1 overseeing the battle.
"Hey, Zero," Ryo called out, "I think the green-haired girl wants to talk to you."
Parking the Knightmare Frame near one of the empty platforms, Lelouch disembarked the machine. Once he donned the mask again before exiting, Lelouch approached the green-haired girl. Ryo stood behind her, but Ayano and Mariko were standing nearby with their weapons at the ready.
"Could you tell me what is it about you that Clovis would slaughter everyone in this ghetto to get you back?" Lelouch asked.
The girl didn't respond for a moment studying the faceless surface of Lelouch's mask.
"It's because of what I can do, and what I am," the girl replied.
"What does that mean?"
"Better if I show you," the girl replied before taking hold of Lelouch's hand.
Without warning, let alone being able to protest, Lelouch found himself pulled into a white void. Lelouch was helpless against what was happening around him, but as the unknown world shifted band changed, he could hear the voice of the girl.
"If you lack a path to victory, then I shall offer you the means to achieve it."
"What is this!?"
The girl ignored Lelouch's question to elaborate further.
"If I grant you power, could you win? I propose a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Lelouch demanded.
"In exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract, and you accept its conditions while living in the world of humans; you will live unlike any other. A different providence, a different time, a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?"
Lelouch contemplated this, although it sounds to be too good to be true. He almost considered refusing at first until the supernatural space he had been pulled into gave him a vision of his father, the Emperor.
"A convergence with the Ragnarök connection? So the myth is beginning once again?"
At that moment, upon seeing his father and hearing him speak pushed Lelouch to accept.
"Yes! I hereby accept the terms of your contract!"
A moment later, Lelouch was back where he was, and judging from reactions, he heard whatever happened only lasted a moment.
Ayano had her rifle pointed to the girl's head ready to shoot along with Mariko and her shotgun while next to Lelouch; the former prince noticed from the corner of his eye that Marirrosa was prepared to inflict serious harm upon the girl. The green-haired girl who was unfazed by the guns pointed at her. It was just the fact that Lelouch seemed unharmed that stopped them and what he said next could prompt action from the three.
Yet Lelouch felt something was different as he felt something in his left eye.
"What did you do to him?" Marirrosa demanded.
"I gave him something that is likely going to help you all out of this predicament."
"Lower your weapons," Lelouch ordered.
Ayano and Mariko did as they were told as Marirrosa turned to Lelouch, worried for his well-being.
"Are you ok?"
"I am fine," Lelouch answered before turning to the green-haired girl, "but what did you do?"
"I gave you power; it's as simple as that."
Lelouch didn't quite understand what happened, but yet on a subconscious level, he was aware of what the girl had given him and what it could do like it was second-nature for him. It wasn't easy to put into words, but it was best to say Lelouch knew what he had and how he could use it.
And with that, a plan came to mind.
"I know how to tip the scales in our favor to get out of this mess," Lelouch began, "but we'll need help from the local resistance group."
"Could we contact them?" Mariko asked.
"Maybe with this," Marirrosa said, pulling out the communicator she had found in the truck was the girl's capsule was. "I found it in a coat on that truck near the rear end."
"Perfect," Lelouch replied, smiling under the mask, "now we need some extra Knightmare Frames."
"What do you have in mind," Ayano asked before Lelouch explained his plan.
Almost an hour later, a red and brown painted Glasgow surprised a Britannian tank. The tank was pursuing a group of fleeing resistances of the Shinjuku Ghetto, which the Glasgow responded by erupting from the ground and then striking it down with its slash harken. A furious Kallen Kozuki was behind the controls at the one-sided slaughter happening around her.
"Those damn Britannians!"
"Kallen, can the Glasgow still move?" A man asked on an open communication channel between them.
"Don't worry, Ohgi, it's all right. I'll decoy them!" Kallen replied back with tears in her eyes and a fierce determination in her voice. "Get the people out of here. The only ones that'll be captured are those of us in the resistance."
"I know, but we're trapped, they've got us completely surrounded." Kaname Ohgi replied while he was on the rooftop of a ruined building with other members of the resistance trying to help save as many people as they could.
Around the same time, Oldrin and Monica were among the units helping to maintain the encirclement alongside her friends Marika and Liliana. Some of their fellow students had joined the military's efforts being paired with experienced soldiers for their safety and benefit, but Oldrin and her group were told to stand down and guard the encirclement.
All of them, except for Marika, knew it had been Kewell for arranged for them to be part of the encirclement forces.
Oldrin didn't protest the decision thankfully, and neither did Monica because while they were fighting the resistance forces, Monica and Oldrin were horrified by the orders to massacre the rest of the ghetto's inhabitants.
"I guess it sounds like this will be over soon," Liliana remarked.
"I suppose, but from what I have heard, they didn't stand much of a chance anyway," Marika added.
"Have they tried to use the poison gas?" Oldrin asked.
"As far as I have heard, they haven't, but I can't say way," Monica answered.
Elsewhere a disguised Lelouch wore a Britannian soldier uniform he had obtained with help from Ryo and Ayano using the helmet to help conceal his identity. Lelouch waved down a Britannian Sutherland, which quickly approached him.
"Hold it right there what's your name and unit number?" The pilot demanded speaking through the Sutherland's integrated loudspeaker.
"My name is John Wick with 3rd Reconnaissance Company," Lelouch answered, lying smoothly. "I recovered this disk from one of the terrorists could I ask for your assistance to transmit this to HQ?"
A tense minute passed before the pilot emerged from the Sutherland.
"A disk, huh, but I'll still need to check your ID."
"Of course," Lelouch replied while smiling as his Geass activated, "However, could I ask that you hand your Knightmare Frame over to my associates and me?"
The pilot was instantly ensnared by Lelouch's Geass, who calmly obeyed the command.
"Yes sir, the activation code is L1157," the pilot replied, tossing the machine's activation key to Lelouch, who caught it.
"Got it," Lelouch replied before using a hand gesture to order Ryo to shot the guy in the head using a silenced pistol causing him to fall out of his machine.
Ryo emerged from his hiding place, followed by Ayano, who were both surprised by the effectiveness of Lelouch's Geass, which from Lelouch deduced, gave him the ability to compel anyone to obey his orders. Strangely Lelouch didn't know for sure until he actually used it, but he instinctively knew what it was capable of the moment he received it from C.C.
Both Ayano and Ryo were impressed by its power even after having witnessed it for the seventh time.
"Having a power that compels anyone to obey you just added a whole new level of scary for you," Ryo commented.
"Well, I can't deny its proving to be very useful, but we need to gather more Sutherlands," Lelouch answered, not wanting to waste time.
Twenty minutes later, Kallen had destroyed another tank before two Sutherlands arrived on the scene, causing the young woman to flee knowing her damaged Glasgow couldn't take them.
"Well, now our Glasgow friend is trying to run away again," Jeremiah replied with a sly grin as he and his companion gave chase.
Fearing she couldn't shake them this time, Kallen also realized she had less than ten minutes left before her Gasglow's battery would run out.
Suddenly a voice spoke through the internal speaker of her Knightmare Frame.
"The West Entrance," Lelouch commanded.
"Huh!?"
"Use the tracks to move to the west entrance."
"Who's this! How do you know this code?!"
"That doesn't matter. If you wanna win, you're just gonna have to trust me," Lelouch replied from the cockpit of the Alexander Châtiment.
"To win," Kallen commented.
Kallen didn't want to trust the voice of a stranger, but the problem facing her was the fact she had no other options before her. She could hope to shake the two Sutherlands chasing her down, but even that seemed unlikely.
Almost reluctantly, Kallen did as instructed and got up onto the train tracks running across an overhead bridge.
"Okay, what am I supposed to do now?"
Behind her, much to Kallen's growing worry, the two Sutherland's were gaining on her.
However, ahead Kallen noticed a train was coming, which was followed by Lelouch's voice responding.
"Since you trusted me, you're gonna win. Jump onto the train!" Lelouch ordered.
"Got it," Kallen replied as she did as she was told.
Jeremiah was forced to stop the train with his Sutherland as he watched Kallen's machine get further away, hopping from one train car to another. However, upon sending his companion to chase down the enemy Knightmare Frame, he was immediately shot by another Sutherland hiding in the ruins of an abandoned building overlooking the tracks.
Watching in shock as the disabled Sutherland was sent tumbling over the side after the cockpit block was ejected, Jeremiah angrily demanded an explanation from the Sutherland.
"What's your name and your unit?! We're after the one-armed Glasgow," Jeremiah demanded only to be interrupted by the Sutherland opening fire upon his machine damaging one of its legs. "Oh my god! A terrorist?!"
Unable to move from his position because of the damage, Jeremiah raised his Sutherland's rifle towards the enemy machine.
"You son of a," Jeremiah began but had to stop mid-sentence when he heard a battle cry from the One-Armed Glasgow as it was running down the top of the train cars ready to attack.
Knowing he had no chance of winning, Jeremiah quickly ejected from his machine, landing a safe distance away.
"You saved me. But how did you get ahold of a Sutherland?" Kallen asked, but when she turned, she saw the Sutherland was gone. "Where did he go?"
Unknown to Kallen, the Sutherland was remote-controlled by Lelouch having chosen to wire the mobile drone controller into one of the Sutherlands they had seized instead of the Glasgow.
"Kallen," Ohgi called out as he and other members of their resistance group approached Kallen's Glasgow. "What the hell was that radio message earlier?"
"Huh, he contacted you too?"
"He sure did, and Yoshida's group ought to be here soon," Ohgi replied before the radio he was carrying crackled as Lelouch's voice was heard a second later.
"Are you in charge?" Lelouch asked.
"Uh yeah," Ohgi replied.
"I present to you the cargo in that train over there. These Knightmare Frames will be tools for your victory. If you want to use them to win, then follow my orders," Lelouch said as Ohgi and some members of his group opened the doors to the train's cargo compartments revealing Sutherlands, at least two per car providing a total of twelve Sutherlands. "My associate will meet with you in a few moments."
Arriving moments later, as various members of Ohgi's group were left in awe at the impressive number of Sutherlands, the mysterious voice had left them a Black Sutherland arrived.
Parking near the train, Kallen was concerned it was a hostile enemy, but Ryo spoke from the cockpit of the Sutherland.
"Easy everyone I am that associate Zero said would be meeting with you guys," Ryo said, raising the hands of his machine up while he opened the cockpit.
"He's just a kid?" Tamaki commented upon seeing Ryo after he descended from his machine.
Ryo took a slight offense to that comment, "well, this kid and his group just got you these Sutherlands."
"Whoa, easy, everyone," Ohgi said, acting to defuse the situation, "I am Kaname Ohgi, and you are?"
"Ryo Sayama," Ryo replied. "Zero asked me to pass along what he had planned so we could coordinate our efforts."
"What do you mean?" Ohgi asked before Ryo began explaining.
Around the same time, Lelouch was sitting in the cockpit of his machine as he contacted Yukita to check in with him.
"I see you were successful in gaining access," Lelouch commented as he saw the tactical screens in his cockpit display the location of every Britannian Knightmare Frame, armored vehicle, and aircraft involved with the battle.
"It was almost too easy. I am hiding directly below the G-1 base, so I can even tap into the mobile command center's security cameras for the command bridge," Yukiya replied smugly.
"Good work, so once Ryo finishes explaining my plan, we can get to work," Lelouch said before cracking his knuckles.
Unaware, they were now being watched by a grinning Yukiya, who was secretly looking forward to how Clovis and his staff officers would react, Clovis, Bartley, and his Staff Officers were going over updates from the "battle" so far.
"The Elevens are mounting only a minor resistance, but they are no match for our superior numbers and firepower," Bartley pointed out.
"We know that," Clovis replied dismissively, "moving on."
"Of course, and the gas capsules."
"Will be what the public thinks," Clovis said, interrupting Bartley.
"Don't worry, we'll find her, your highness," Bartley said assuringly.
"Regardless, I want her dead or alive."
Yukiya only continued to grin as he began recording everything happening in that room since he saw an opportunity for blackmail material.
Twenty minutes later, Lelouch received word from Ryo; they were ready, and Lelouch took a deep breath. Although he was confident, Lelouch knew there were risks to this plan, but it was the only path forward.
"Ryo, are you Marirrosa, Ayano, and Hiroto ready?"
"We are ready," Ryo replied.
"P1, can you move? It operates basically the same as what you're used to," Lelouch asked, contacting Ohgi and his group.
"Yeah, we're good, but the Britannian IFFs of the Sutherlands have been removed," Ohgi asked.
"We did so, thus keeping the enemy from tracking you, but don't worry, I can see you all just fine using communications between us to monitor your movements," Lelouch explained. "Anyway, if Q2 is on schedule, enemy Sutherlands, probably two of them, will reach you in twenty seconds. Shoot them through the wall."
Despite hearing some chatter among those from Ohgi's group questioning such a move, the Sutherlands did as they were told taking out two enemy Sutherlands, which was possible to Lelouch tracking the movements of Clovis's forces using their IFF signals.
"Ryo, you have three gunships entering your range of fire," Lelouch commanded, detecting a trio of VTOL gunships, likely on route to investigate what had taken out the two enemy Sutherlands.
"We got them," Ryo replied, grinning ear to ear before he and the others shot them down using their rifles.
Lelouch could only smile, but he was just getting started.
"P1, P4, P7, move a hundred meter to the right and fire your slash harkens toward three o'clock," Lelouch commanded.
Ohgi and the others complied, attacking a trio of enemy Sutherland Knightmare Frames. Unaware of the fact terrorists were piloting the machines, the Britannian pilots paid them no mind until it was too late as their machines lost their limbs thanks to well-placed attacks.
"Now Ryo, I need you and Ayano to take those two Sutherlands two hundred meters to your left," Lelouch commanded. "Marirrosa, you have a tank and a couple of Britannian soldiers to your rear fifty meters away."
"Roger," Marirrosa replied as she hurled a chaos mine at the mentioned tank and infantry wiping them out.
Ryo and Ayano were also successful, but soon a warning from Hiroto came through.
"Zero, we have five enemy Sutherlands advancing towards Marirrosa's position."
"I see them," Lelouch replied before switching channels to talk to Ohgi and his group, "P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5 advance to nine o'clock and give support to Q1. Attack approaching enemy Sutherlands from the rear."
"Roger that," Ohgi replied.
"Q2, get onto that rooftop across from you and take out enemy Sutherland."
"Copy that," Kallen replied, using a slash harken to scale to the top of a roof to punch a Sutherland in the face disabling it.
"This seems to be going a little too easy," Lelouch mused.
In direct contrast to Lelouch's attitude regarding the battle as the tide had drastically changed, Bartley and his Staff Officers were panicking unable to explain the sudden shift. The battle was to finish in their favor, but suddenly the terrorists had launched a serious of successful counter-attacks. It began with ambushes, but now they were gradually losing ground.
Yukiya was on the verge of laughing as he enjoyed watching Bartley and the others panic.
"Change our codes; they are obviously intercepting our transmissions!" Bartley snapped.
"We have already have sir, four-times!" Staff Officer Dave replied.
"DO IT AGAIN!"
"P1 use UN ordinance and take out enemy tank twenty yards to your left, and P2 cover him then help P5 take out two Britannian Sutherlands," Lelouch ordered.
"Right," Ohgi replied.
"Ryo, get ready to take out another squad of Britannian Sutherlands. They should be traveling by that crumbling apartment building. Use the building to trap them and have Marirrosa, Ayano and Hiroto ambush them from the rear, leaving them wide open."
"Got it," Marrirosa replied as she joined Ayano and Hiroto.
Once Ryo drew their attention, the trio attacked the Britannian squad from the rear, making use of their overconfidence in possessing superior machines.
"This is a little too easy," Ryo remarked as he helped Marirrosa and the others wipe out four more Sutherlands.
"Maybe I overestimated the competence of Clovis and his forces," Lelouch acknowledged, but he wasn't going to take any chance nor make the mistake of becoming overconfident. "Ryo, finish off the last of Britannian air support two o'clock in your direction."
"We got them."
"Right and now its time to draw the enemy in," Lelouch said before switching channels, "alright get ready because the enemy has five moves. Time to see how they'll react."
"Then what?" Kallen asked.
"Depending on how they respond, we can draw them into a trap, but let's wait and see," Lelouch said before switching to another separate chapter to speak to Yukiya. "Yukiya, can you patch me into the camera feed aboard the G-1, I want to see what their planned counterattack is going to be."
"Sure thing," Yukiya replied before Lelouch's primary monitor displayed Clovis approaching the tactical map within the command center of the G-1 with Bartley to his left and Staff Officers surrounding the table.
"I want you to bring in bring up Quincey's squad," Clovis demanded.
"But my lord that will break the encirclement," Bartley cautioned, but Clovis didn't care.
"Then, just reinforce the breach using some of the units guarding me. All we know is that the enemy is in this sector, so we'll just surround them and converge on them all at once." Clovis explained, seemingly proud of his plan.
Lelouch was of a very different opinion.
"That is the worst move you could've made. I guess this means your skill in chess has likely gotten worse compared to when we had last played."
"So, you're going to punish him then?"
"Very much so," Lelouch answered before switching channels.
Although Lelouch was still aware of the chatter being shared on the three different channels, he just shut off the microphone to avoid giving orders to the wrong groups.
"Attention everyone, is everything prepared?" Lelouch asked.
"We're ready, so Ohgi and his group just need to escape through the tunnels once the enemy approaches," Ryo replied.
"Right, just fire some shots to draw their attention then begin retreating through the tunnels. Q2, be ready," Lelouch commanded.
"Understood," Kallen replied while she and her machine were already in position.
Above ground, the Britannians began closing in after surrounding the area with an astonishing number of Knightmare Frames and tanks before sending them in to close the supposed noose Clovis had created.
Unaware of the trap laid for them.
Lelouch observed everything using the tactical map within the cockpit of his machine and smiled when he saw the amassed Britannian forces arrive at the center of the section they believed where the enemy was.
"With this, I call check," Lelouch replied as, at that same moment, Kallen used her slash harken to strike the ceiling of the tunnel setting off a chain reaction.
Thanks to having studied maps of the Shinjuku Ghetto in advance for today to locate a potentially suitable place for a base, Lelouch was mindful to avoid areas passing over subway tunnels and buildings no longer structurally strong enough.
The area Lelouch had chosen was where the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line passed through and connected with tunnels at the Shinjuku-Nishiguchi Station. One of the first stations Lelouch had considered using, but further investigating through information Yukiya had collected from survey files the government had conducted for their plans of expanding the Toyko Concession into Shinjuku revealed there were a series of additional tunnels that also connected at that location.
The war seven years ago and lack of repair had caused the tunnels to become structurally weak on top of the survey mentioning concerns about old gas lines that could be potentially dangerous if not handled carefully.
Time to see if those fears are genuine and with over a dozen more additional tunnels running through there, I wager one hit in the right place will cause quite the disaster, Lelouch mused internally.
Lelouch suspected some of those tunnels were either alternate routes or secret tunnels meant for evacuation by members of the Japanese government.
Suddenly a large cloud of dust followed by a fireball erupted from the area in question before on the tactical screen of the Alexander Châtiment; Lelouch saw the screen as around nearly sixty Britannian Knightmare Frame IFF's began displaying lost alongside dozens of armored vehicles.
Yukiya observed Clovis's reaction as he stepped back from the tactical map on the verge of a severe panic attack.
"Lloyd!" Clovis called as his voice sounded desperate.
"Yes, your highness," another voice called.
Lloyd Asupland wasn't physically present on the G-1, but Yukiya knew he was likely communicating from one of the trailers near the G-1. The hacker had done some research during his field trip investigating the government-connected networks of Area 11 and discovered Clovis was hosting the Britannian Special Research Division known as the Camelot Engineering Corps, or alternatively called in Area 11 the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps (ASEEC).
Switching to another camera to see Lloyd on the monitor allowing Yukiya to a man in his late twenties with glasses, blue eyes, and lavender wearing a high-collar white lab coat.
"Can it win, can your toy beat them?" Clovis demanded.
"My Lord, please be so kind as to call it Lancelot."
"That doesn't sound good," Yukiya remarked as he recalled earlier when Lloyd had called he had wanted to unleash the ASEEC's special weapon. "Hey, Zero, we might have a problem."
"What is it?" Lelouch asked.
"Clovis has just given the order for that special research division I told he was hosting the other day while I was poking around certain mainframes."
"You mean the one Prince Schenizel founded?"
"Yeah, I am guessing they probably came here hoping to field test a new weapon?"
"What kind of weapon?" Lelouch asked.
Yukiya switched to one of the G-1's external cameras looking for the trailer this new weapon was kept in. Spotting an unusual trailer that seemed different from the rest, Yukiya watched as a pilot in a white and black suit emerged from one of the medical trailers approaching the ASEEC's trailer. A black tarp was covering it, but Yukiya was almost sure what it was.
He just didn't know more about it because the firewalls of the ASEEC's mainframe was remarkably far better protected than any other network Yukiya had seen.
"A Knightmare Frame," Yukiya answered as he tried to listen in on some audio being transmitted from the trailer and the pilot he was picking up with his custom Alexander's sensors. "And according to this audio, I am listening in on its some kind of seventh-generation Knightmare Frame."
"That can't be good," Lelouch said, quickly devising a counter plan. "Keep an eye on it for me, Yukiya. Tell me if it's fast, anything you can give me."
"Roger that," Yukiya replied.
"Attention everyone the Britannians are about to unleash some kind of prototype Knightmare Frame," Lelouch cautioned, addressing both Ohgi and Ryo's groups.
"The Britannians have what?" Kallen commented.
"What are you proposing we do, Zero?" Ryo asked.
"Listen carefully," Lelouch said as he began to lay out a plan he hoped would work.
"Hey Zero, that Knightmare Frame is faster or just as fast as our special machines. It took off at full throttle, and its easily surpassing the Sutherland in raw speed," Yukiya warned.
Not a lot of time to work with, Lelouch acknowledged internally as he quickly laid out a risky and hasty plan.
As the Z-01 Lancelot accelerated towards Shinjuku Ghetto, Suzaku felt a sharp pain in his side as he marveled at the speed the Lancelot was traveling at. He had only used simulators for Knightmare Frames mostly to conduct testing, but the Lancelot was drastically different.
Still hard to believe, I am piloting this, but I can use this to end the fighting and save Lelouch and those two girls.
Suzaku had woken to find himself inside one of the mobile medical care trailers near the G-1, although he couldn't remember what exactly happened Suzaku deduced he had been shot in the back. Yet remarkably, he survived, which was thanks to a combination of his protective vest and an old pocket watch he carried on his person that deflected the bullet.
The impact at close range merely knocked him out.
But what happened after I lost consciousness?
Upon waking up, Suzaku had learned the Royal Guardsmen, and their commander was dead, and the truck the terrorists had stolen had been destroyed. Yet to his relief and mounting concern, the bodies of Lelouch and those girls weren't among the dead, which meant whatever happened Lelouch and those two might've gotten away.
It was one of the reasons Suzaku jumped at the chance to become the pilot of the Lancelot.
"No matter what happens, I have to save Lelouch and those girls."
Lelouch was scrambling to prepare for the approaching new threat, and given the minimal amount of time he had, Lelouch hoped this plan would work.
I wish I knew more about this new weapon, but I'll treat it the same as an Alexander, Lelouch reasoned internally.
"This is B-Group, that new enemy machine has been sighted," Ishida reported.
"Avoid engaging it, but if you must retreat while laying down suppressing fire and lure it to the location we discussed," Lelouch ordered.
"Roger that, but," Ishida replied before a scream was heard.
"Ishida," another voice cried out before he screamed as well.
Lelouch never heard another reply, but the static at the end confirmed those two pilots had been taken out by the Lancelot.
"How the hell can one machine move so damn fast," another voice cried as another member of Oghi's group, Kent Sugiyama, was facing the Lancelot.
"Don't panic," Lelouch cautioned, "fall back and lure it to the location. I'll handle the rest."
Ohgi and his group did so while Ryo and his group hung back, laying down suppressing fire so they could escape, but at the same time draw the Lancelot closer to them.
"That machine is almost here," Marirrosa warned.
"I am on it," Lelouch replied, "get away both of you and do what you must to escape."
Suzaku in the Lancelot found himself once more in awe of the machine, especially as he had already swiftly defeated some of the enemy Sutherlands. However, the enemy realizing the threat the Lancelot poised had begun to fall back, but Suzaku was determined to eliminate them all so he could end the battle.
"How many of them are left," Suzaku asked as the image of Lloyd's assistant appeared on the screen below his primary monitor.
The assistant was a young woman in her early twenties with short blue hair and light blue eyes wearing an orange uniform with a black tie and skirt.
"We estimate around twenty enemy machines, so you should have fourteen left," Cecile Croomy replied.
"Roger, I am in pursuit," Suzaku replied back.
"You got to be kidding me," Ryo snapped when he fired upon the Lancelot, "that thing can deflect bullets!"
Using the Blaze Luminous shields mounted on its forearms, the Lancelot was projecting a transparent shield of green that deflected every bullet the enemy Sutherlands had fired upon it.
"Ryo, I don't think we're going to get away from that thing," Ayano warned.
"I know, but we just need to lure it into that building," Ryo replied as he and the others entered a partially collapsed building standing a distance away from the crumbling ruins of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
Retreating into the structure after Ryo and Hiroto hurled chaos grenades to slow the Lancelot down while Ayano and Marrirosa ran away trying to escape the pursuing Lancelot. Meanwhile, the Lancelot was briefly pinned down, but once the chaos grenades were spent, the Lancelot pursued the enemies into the partially collapsed building when a Sutherland suddenly erupted from the wall trying to grapple with the Lancelot.
"An ambush," Suzaku asked while wondering if the others were going to attack him.
However, Suzaku was overpowering the Sutherland as its hands began to crumble like aluminum, but Lelouch remote controlling the Sutherland from the Alexander Châtiment smiled as he had the Sutherland fire its slash harkens striking the wall behind the Lancelot. Using a burst of speed combined with retracting of the Sutherland's slash harkens, the Sutherland caught the Lancelot as it tried to shove it towards the wall, but it barely moved.
"I guess I'll just have to make do," Lelouch said as he quickly switched back to controlling the Alexander Châtiment. "Target locked."
Lelouch had to only quickly change where the D09-A 120mm experimental anti-material railgun the Sparrow was ready to fire.
"I call checkmate," Lelouch replied as he pulled the trigger.
Upon firing the 120 mm, slug from the railgun broke the sound barrier-breaking whatever windows remained on the crumbling Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The sound it made upon firing was akin to an extremely loud cannon.
Suzaku heard the shot and realized he was likely the target, so acting upon instinct, he beheaded the enemy Sutherland before turning around and raising the Blaze Luminous Shields. The bullet fired from the railgun demolished the wall of the building before it made contact with the Lancelot's shields.
The Lancelot was straining to deflect the bullet because of the intensity of the speeds it was traveling at. Causing sparks as the lights and monitors within the Lancelot's cockpit to flicker. Alarms began sounding inside the cockpit warning Suzaku; the arms were under a large amount of severe strain.
"Suzaku, the Lancelot can't take much more!" Cecile warned while next to her, Lloyd was visibly nervous and turning pale.
Even another problem was happening, the building Suzaku was in was starting to collapse, and lastly, the remote-controlled Sutherland he had beheaded.
"Just to be sure," Lelouch remarked, pushing a remote that set off the bomb within the cockpit block.
The resulting explosion not only destroyed the Sutherland, but it also led to the building itself finally collapsing after everything that happened to it.
The surrounding area was blanked in a cloud of dust, and Lelouch observed what he assumed to be railgun slug strike a building behind where the Lancelot was causing some considerable damage, and it kept going.
Even striking and leaving a bloody smear of an unfortunate Chinese man wearing headphones, sunglasses, a white coat, and possessing white hair.
Lelouch didn't see any movement from within the dust cloud below, but the sensors within the Alexander Châtiment alerted Lelouch to a group of Sutherlands heading for his position.
"I suppose its no big shock they would notice," Lelouch said, brushing the comment aside, "Ryo the Lancelot has been neutralized, but I have a group of Sutherlands heading my way. Engage them so I can relocate to a new position without being seen."
"Don't worry, Zero, we'll take care of it," Ryo replied with a smile as he, Ayano, Marriorsa, and Hiroto were on an intercept course.
Approaching the building where Lelouch was hiding in the Sutherlands were the ones piloted by Monica, Oldrin, Liliana, and Marika. Since losing so many Sutherlands during Clovis's foolish charge of the enemy's position, Monica and her squad were called in to support what remaining forces they had. But the encirclement around Shinjuku had become dangerously thin as a result.
"What the hell kind of weapon was that?" Oldrin demanded as she was following behind Monica.
"I don't know, but if its capable of that kind of damage, we need to take it out," Monica replied before issuing orders. "Marika and Liliana, I need you two to cover Oldrin and me while we take out that enemy weapon placement."
"I am not detecting anything up there with the sensors," Liliana noted.
"Yeah, there is nothing on the Infrared either," Marika added.
"All the more reason we need to take this weapon out. We saw the shout, and judging from that shower of glass, we can safely deduce which building it came from, and the angle of the shot narrows down what floor it's likely on," Monica pointed out.
Proximity alarms alerted the group to the approach of Ryo and his group.
"What, Black Sutherlands?" Marika said, noticing the four approaching enemy machines.
"They are enemies, but be mindful of a possible enemy attack from the building ahead." Monica cautioned.
"Roger," Oldrin, Marika, and Liliana said together.
"Here they come," Ryo said as he let out a battle cry as the two groups collided to engage in what would be the deciding battle of the Shinjuku Ghetto.
A/N: Now this seems like an excellent place to stop, I tried to apply everything I had learned while redoing the space battle for my Sunrider crossover with help from a friend, its chapter nine if you are curious what we did.
Some things stayed the same, but the changes I slipped in. I hope you guys enjoyed it.
Now I know some were hoping I would've used Lelouch's Geass from Nightmare of Nunnally, but I had already decided on some events which required Lelouch's original Geass, and it would potentially open the door for further discussion and interaction with romantic candidates like Kate.
Anyway, I think that will be it on the author's note for now, but the question if Suzaku survived or not will be answered next chapter, but I am sure you guys can guess what happened.
Thank you for reading, and I thank you in advance for your feedback and likes.
The Demon and his Knights Ch8
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StrifeHavoc
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Chapter 8
The Savor of Shinjuku Ghetto
The Savor of Shinjuku Ghetto
As the battle of Shinjuku Ghetto continued there was a young girl of sixteen was covering her mouth with both hands to silence her sobbing, but she couldn't stop the tears streaming down her cheeks. She wore a dirtied pink collared shirt and a black skirt with white socks and white sneakers. Her long brown hair was styled into a pair of pigtails with pink ribbons with green eyes and a fair skin complexion.
Benio Akagi was hiding behind an abandoned car in the parking garage of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. She was underground where in a panic she fled, because before that sonic boom that shook the building and shattering whatever windows were left had given Benio a chance to escape from a squad of Britannian Soldiers.
She, her parents, and a few others had fled into the old government building, hoping to hide in the underground section of the structure, recalling a rumor the building had a shelter for government officials. Unfortunately, they ran afoul of a squad of armed Britannian soldiers who proceeded to gun them down until Benio was left.
RUN Benio, the voice of her parents, told her as her father and mother fought the soldiers.
It was a futile effort, but their efforts and the sonic boom that shook the building, followed by the second startled the soldiers enough for Benio to escape, but she was trapped.
She found a large hole leading up into the subway, and up into the building itself impeded her escape efforts, and attempting to enter the subway from where she was would only result in her demise.
"Come on out, Eleven, and we'll make your death nice and quick," a Britannian soldier shouted as he and the rest of his squad followed behind him.
Benio began internally panicking as she heard the soldiers approach, but she had nowhere to run.
The soldiers were close to finding Benio drawing closer to the last car near the edge, a sound drew their attention. Benio looked to the source of the noise she was hearing just in time to see the Alexander Châtiment climb down with the Britannian soldiers stunned by the Knightmare Frame's sudden appearance.
Lelouch noticed them before the sensors of his machine noticed the teenage girl hiding behind a car and the squad of Britannian soldiers. Seeing the frightened and traumatized look upon her face, and the soldiers led Lelouch to very easily deduce what had likely happened.
He had remembered seeing a similar expression on Nunnally's face the day their mother had been killed.
"Those who kill are prepared to be killed," Lelouch said before drawing his machine's Judgement Assault Rifle.
The soldiers didn't stand a chance and were moved down by Lelouch before they had an opportunity to call for help. Once they were dead after their bodies were shredded in a hailstorm of bullets from a Knightmare Frame size rifle, Benio cautiously stepped out to observe Lelouch's handily work having unknowingly avenged her family.
The fear and loss remained in her eyes, but as Benio looked upon Lelouch, she was uncertain if the strange Knightmare Frame was a savor or something else.
I suppose I can't leave her here, Lelouch remarked internally.
After all, given her expression, Lelouch knew that girl had likely lost someone dear to her.
I suppose I have my power handy, and at worst, I can just erase her memories of these events, Lelouch thought.
If anything, it was preferable than killing her. Perhaps it was a pity for the young woman in light of what happened to him and Nunnally as children that pushed Lelouch to help her.
Not to mention, she could make a useful addition to the Black Knights.
Once, he made sure his mask was on Lelouch repositioned his Knightmare Frame, allowing him to open the cockpit.
Benio found herself unable to run while she watched Zero emerge from the cockpit of the Knightmare Frame that had saved her. Even if she did, Benio knew there was nowhere she could go, and so she stood her ground as her savor approached her.
"Are you uninjured?" Lelouch asked.
Benio was speechless, but she managed to shake her head.
"Are you alone? Are there any other survivors?" Lelouch asked although he knew the answer.
Benio shook her head, confirming what Lelouch suspected.
"What is your name?"
"B..B…Benio…Akagi," Benio managed as felt a wave of emotions wanting to pour out of her, and ultimately that dam burst before she broke down into tears.
Lelouch was caught off guard as Benio hurried to Lelouch, hugging him as she buried her face into his chest, crying. In between her sobs, Benio mentioned her father and mother, but the rest of Benio's words was being drowned by her sobbing as she released her sorrow she kept contained for the sake of survival.
I knew it, it's just like the expression Nunnally had when our mother was murdered while she died holding Nunnally, Lelouch thought as he remembered seeing his dead mother holding a terrified and crippled Nunnally.
"You are safe now," Lelouch offered. "I apologize, but we shouldn't linger here."
"But my mother and father," Benio managed after she finished releasing the sorrow she had kept bottled up.
"They would want you to live," Lelouch pointed out. "A real parent in my eye would do whatever was best for their children, and even if they are gone, they would want you to survive. Am I wrong?"
Benio looked up at Lelouch, although her eyes were red from the tears she had shed Benio was aware that Lelouch spoke the truth.
Especially in light of the fact her mother and father sacrificed themselves so she could getaway.
Nodding Lelouch led Benio to the cockpit of his machine, intending to take her with him.
Meanwhile, Ryo led the charge against Monica and her group as the two groups engaged one another.
Ryo fired upon the Sutherlands, who scattered, leaving to Oldrin and Marirrosa to face off while Marika and Ayano would fight one another. Hiroto was left to face Liliana while Ryo would face Monica as the latter was dodging the bullets Ryo was shooting at her as Monica intended to fight Ryo head-on. The pair continued to exchange bullets with one another, forcing Ryo to weave to the left and right, evading Monica's bullets.
Once Monica had gotten too close to him, Ryo discarded his rifle to fight back with his Sutherland's stun tonfa while Monica did the same.
"I guess you must be a cut above these Britannian flunkies," Ryo remarked as he and Monica exchanged blow after blow.
The pair seemed evenly match as fair as piloting skill was concerned, but Monica landed a blow knocking Ryo back. Ryo recovered and used the anit-personnel gun on his Sutherland to force Monica back, giving Ryo time to recover.
As the two leaders clashed, Ayano and Marika faced off with the pair exchanging rifle fire with one another, but thanks to the other being skilled pilots and capable of evading enemy fire, neither one had managed to land a hit on the other.
Marirrosa and Oldrin, on the other hand, their fight was more intense.
Determined not to be bested by an enemy, Oldrin was aggressive attacking her foe hard and fast, but Marirrosa, on the other hand recognizing her enemy would be aggressive was more than happy to respond in kind.
Oldrin fired her Sutherland's rifle at Marirrosa, but while the latter responded in kind, she fired her slash harkens towards Oldrin. One knocked the rifle from the hands of her machine, but Oldrin narrowly dodged the second one in time before it could take the head of her Sutherland off.
"I am not loosing to people like you!" Oldrin snapped before shouting, "ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"
Despite not hearing what Oldrin said, Marirrosa had her own words for her foe.
"Lelouch and I will change the world, and no one will stop us, so come at me all you want, I'll kick your ass!"
Oldrin counter-attacked by rushing at Marirrosa while weaving to the left and right to dodge a hail of bullets, but Oldrin fired her slash harkens. Although Marirrosa dodged to the side to evade Oldrin's attack, the blonde aspiring knight to be used a stun tonfa to knock the rifle out of her enemy's hands, Marirrosa quickly used her own Sutherland's stun tonfa to deflect Oldrin's follow up attack.
Hiroto and Liliana were exchanging bullets with one another but weaved to the left and right while using wrecked cars and crumbling buildings and ruins to shield themselves from gunfire.
Liliana wasn't comfortable with getting close to her enemy Hiroto, which was something Hiroto was also doing.
I don't know if I can get close to her, Hiroto remarked internally wondering if he should've allowed one of the others to pilot in his place.
Liliana, on the other hand, was the least skilled among her friends, but she made up for it by being capable of coordinating well with her comrades.
For now, the pair were trying to shoot the other while using everything around them as shields.
As the four battle, Lelouch repositioned himself by moving the Alexander Châtiment to another ruined skyscraper, which was near a passageway that led underground, allowing Lelouch to keep his Knightmare Frame out of sight. Moving about was a little easier thanks to Ryo and the other's efforts of eliminating all of Clovis's air support in the area, further reducing the chance of someone seeing the Alexander Châtiment.
Once he was in position, Lelouch decided to check on Ohgi.
"R1, what is your status?" Lelouch asked.
"With the Lancelot out of the way, we have been mopping up what's left of the Britannians, but they haven't sent any more men making up the encirclement. However, it's looking pretty thin already," Ohgi replied.
"I suspected as much, but I have a plan in mind to send them in full retreat. Once you are done, could you and Q2 assist my associate Ryo and his friends?"
"Of course, Zero," Ohgi replied.
Benio watched her masked savor used the controls of the Knightmare Frame they were in as the Alexander Châtiment transformed into its insect mode before Lelouch began aiming the railgun towards the G-1 from his position.
"What are you going to do?" Benio asked, managing to sit on part of the armrest allowing Lelouch to work.
"I am going to send Clovis running," Lelouch replied while grinning under his mask.
Although Lelouch could easily kill him, the former prince decided against killing Clovis for now knowing that Lelouch could take advantage of his incompetence. As long as the leader of Area 11 and its military were led by incompetent leaders, then that would give Lelouch plenty of opportunities for growth. Lelouch knew sooner or later, he would face Clovis and kill him later, or he could be replaced with someone more competent.
Until then, Lelouch planned to make the most of Clovis's incompetence.
As Lelouch prepared to bring the Battle of Shinjuku Ghetto to a close, Oldrin dodged another attack from Mairrosa by backing away at the last minute to evade a slash harken. The second slash harken struck the roof of an abandoned car behind Oldrin, but upon retracting it, the slash harken tore off part of the roof, hitting Oldrin's unit in the back stalling it for a second.
That second was enough for Marirrosa to move in for another attack planning to land a blow on her foe, but Oldrin recovered in time to deflect a swing from Marirrosa when she aimed to knock off the head of her Sutherland.
"This one is no average grunt," Marirrosa remarked as she reversed to avoid a counter-attack and used a tonfa to block Oldrin's slash harkens from striking her.
Even so, Marrirosa slipped in a swift backhand to Oldrin's machine, but Oldrin quickly retaliated by kicking her machine away, depraving Oldrin of a chance to capitalize on her successful strike.
Hiroto, on the other hand, had bested Liliana forcing her machine to reject her when the Sutherland she had been piloting had been critically damaged. With Hiroto's foe now eliminated from the fight, the young man was about to assist Ryo in his battle against Monica, but a slash harken beheaded his Sutherland from behind missing his cockpit block forcing an eject.
Emerging from the remains of the building that was brought down upon it earlier was the Lancelot.
Despite the odds, the Lancelot had survived Lelouch's efforts to destroy it and merely hid in the ruins of the building while Suzaku was given instructions by Cecile to reroute power in the arms to keep them functional after the Blaze Luminous shield emitters were gravely damaged during Suzaku's efforts to deflect the railgun slug fired at him.
The shorting out of the emitters affected the arms rendering them useless, but with Cecile's help, Suzaku was able to restore the functionality of the arms of the Lancelot.
"Be careful Suzaku, although you have restored the arms of the Lancelot, the battery has been severely drained by deflecting that last shot. You have maybe less than five minutes of operating time left," Cecile cautioned.
"Understood," Suzaku replied, having already diverted whatever power he could to keep the Lancelot going for as long as possible.
"You've got to be kidding me," Marirrosa said, noticing the Lancelot in the corner of her eye. "Zero, we got a problem, that damn Lancelot is still standing!"
"Not to worry, I am already in position," Lelouch replied before another shot from the Alexander Châtiment's railgun tore through a Sutherland standing guard by Clovis's G-1 and a supply truck right behind it before hitting a pair of armored tanks.
A second shot destroyed the other Sutherland standing guard and wiping out whatever military vehicles had been unfortunate enough to be behind it in the Alexander Châtiment's line of fire at the time, causing considerable damage and panic.
Even more so aboard the G-1.
"What in god's name is that!? How do these terrorists possess such firepower!?" Bartley said as he and the Staff Officers were on the verge of fleeing the command center.
However, a beeping from the tactical display drew their attention as a voice echoed through the room.
"Now that I have your attention," Lelouch's voice boomed through the overhead speakers of the G-1's interior, "I insist you order your forces to halt and withdraw at once, or my third shot will destroy your G-1!"
"How dare you threaten a member of the Royal Family!" Bartley snapped, but a fourth shot destroyed another Sutherland attempting to scramble to come to Clovis's defense.
"I am sorry I stand corrected. My fourth shot will destroy you and Prince Clovis if you do not comply," Lelouch remarked. "And if that isn't enough, then I'll have my friend spill details of Code R to the public? I am curious about how the public will react to you conducting human experiments. It was odd to find that capsule empty, but it contained a human test subject from what I have learned."
The last part was a bluff of course compiled based on what he had learned from C.C. and saw of the capsule, and how desperate Clovis clearly was to cover it up. He owed C.C. for telling him the name of the project, studying her to make his claim even more convincing.
"You can't," Clovis said as his face turned pale.
"You have until five before I eliminate you and then spill everything we know about Code-R to the public," Lelouch warned before he began counting.
Lelouch didn't even count to two before Clovis hurried to the tactical map and made an announcement.
"Attention all forces, cease fire at once. I repeat, cease fire!" Clovis commanded as Suzaku, Oldrin, Monica, and Marika stopped pursuing Ryo, Marrirosa, and Ayano. "All forces are hereby ordered to retreat and fall back."
Bartley joined in as he issued an accompanying order, "Formation doesn't matter, but all forces are to retreat immediately."
"Do not attempt to attack this ghetto again, or I will ensure the public learns the details of what you have been doing because I have a feeling you don't want Britannia to know about it either."
"Who are you!" Clovis demanded.
"I am Zero," Lelouch replied before cutting communication.
Lelouch kept the railgun trailed on the G-1, so at the first sign, Clovis attempts to go back on his word Lelouch intends to make him quickly regret it.
"Is it over?" Benio asked.
"It should be unless Clovis is truly stupid," Lelouch replied.
Lelouch cautious reminded mindful if anyone attempted to approach his position, and so far, the IFFs of the remaining Britannian Forces indicated Clovis was upholding his end of the bargain. Lelouch would remain ready to shoot the G-1 if Lelouch saw the first signs of otherwise.
"Clovis is really flipping out over what happened, but I am hearing nothing about changing his mind," Yukiya reported.
"Keep an eye on him." Lelouch said before adding, "this isn't over until the Britannians have pulled out completely."
Meanwhile, Monica, Oldrin, Marika, and Suzaku followed orders and withdrew from the battle, but Marika made sure to pick up Liliana on the way. Presently Liliana was riding with Marika while Oldrin was punching the side of her cockpit in frustrating, although she wasn't defeated the fact that Oldrin couldn't beat her foe stung her pride.
Monica, on the other hand, observed as they were heading back discovered some alleyways littered with corpses, but most of them were civilians ranging from different ages with some children among the dead.
"Oldrin, are you seeing this," Monica asked.
Oldrin stopped before looking to where Monica was indicating before finding the corpses of the residence of the Shinjuku Ghetto, and the lack of weapons near them was more than enough to suggest they had been gunned down indiscriminately.
"Why kill the people living here?" Oldrin asked, forgetting her anger for a moment.
Marika was silent as was Liliana, but Suzaku, who also saw the carnage, deduced what probably prompted it.
I shouldn't be shocked if they were willing to have someone like Lelouch killed, Suzaku thought, but unlike Oldrin and with knowledge of what the Britannian army was doing to the civilians, he was grateful for the battle to be over.
Yet Suzaku wondered what would happen next?
"Zero, the Britannians are in full retreat. You saved Shinjuku Ghetto," Ohgi asked with relief in his voice.
"I know, but we should be careful. Even if the battle is over, I doubt Clovis will forget this incident easily," Lelouch cautioned.
"What are you suggesting?"
"We'll meet in person in a week from now. Let things cool down, but for now, I strongly suggest you and your group should lay low for the time being." Lelouch advised although he doubts Clovis would muster the military again against Shinjuku, Lelouch wouldn't put it past Clovis to track down those responsible using more subtle means.
Not to mention Clovis would actively be seeking C.C, so there was that to consider.
"What about the Sutherlands we still have?"
"You can keep them," Lelouch replied. "Rest assured, we'll meet again and talk someplace, but right now, the people of Shinjuku Ghetto and we should leave for the time being."
Lelouch remained in his position for ten more minutes until enough of the Britannians had withdrawn for Lelouch to retreat, but as he did so, Lelouch got a call from Ryo.
"Hey Zero, we just finished meeting up with the others, but they had a situation?"
"What kind of situation?"
Around the same time, Jeremiah, who had been recovered after ejecting from his Sutherland, was furious the Elevens were being let go without recovering the poison gas. Even worse was the fact this surrender was forced while Prince Clovis's life was threatened.
To say that didn't improve Jeremiah's mood was akin to saying the sky wasn't blue.
"And this is what happens when we let former civil servants control military affairs," Jeremiah replied, slamming his hand down on a table.
He was aboard a mobile truck used for transporting personnel, which was one of many recovering what remained of their troops while picking up pilots who had lost their machines. Having joined him for a makeshift emergency meeting was his closest aides and friends, including Kewell and a woman with brown skin and silver hair and yellow eyes wearing a more revealing pilot sit.
"Your anger is understandable, but you should calm yourself, my lord," Villetta Nu said, trying to ease Jeremiah's righteous fury. "It will only cloud your judgment on what should be done next."
Jeremiah's anger receded after a few moments; although he was still visibly angry, Jeremiah was calmer at least.
"I suppose you are right, but this humiliation cannot stand!"
"What do you propose?" Kewell inquired.
"We should do something about Bartley and those Staff Officers because for them to allow a situation like this to happen should prove they are unfit for their positions?"
"I agree," Kewell said before adding. "However, Prince Clovis does favor Bartley, so removing him won't be easy, but unless that has changed?"
Jeremiah seemed to consider this, "I'll ask to meet with his highness as soon as possible, and I'll make my assessment if that will be possible or not."
Hours later, after night had fallen, Lelouch, Ryo, and the others had fallen back to an alternate location somewhere in the Kumagaya Ghetto, which was located in the Saitama Prefecture. It was further away from the Toyko Settlement than Lelouch preferred, but upon further investigation, they found the ghetto had a relatively low population and no active resistance groups in the area.
Presently Lelouch was inside the cockpit of the Alexander Châtiment with his mask off drinking from a bottle of water with a cellphone held in his other hand.
"Sounds like your day has been very hectic," Oiaguro remarked from the other side.
"You have no idea," Lelouch answered before taking another drink from the water bottle.
"Still, it sounds like you have benefited from the ordeal."
"I suppose, but the real test remains to be seen. It's a question of how Clovis will react," Lelouch pointed out while weighing potential reaction plans depending on what Clovis planned to do next. "Furthermore, I am sure word of what happened will spread."
"Of course," Oiaguro replied.
"I have potential allies who could be absorbed into the Black Knights once things settle down," Lelouch said, speaking of Ohgi's group. "Speaking of which did you hear about Code-R, a project Clovis was running in Area 11?"
"As a matter fact, I have," Oiaguro replied. "Clovis has been trying to keep it under wraps, but the Emperor has been aware of his project and has allowed him to proceed. I don't know what his motives are, but he has asked us to monitor Code-R on his behalf."
"Any chance you could give me anything of it I could use should Clovis try anything?" Lelouch asked.
"Give me a full day or two, and I'll have something readied for you to use."
"I appreciate it," Lelouch replied before he finished off the contents of the water bottle.
Suddenly Lelouch heard a knock from the side of the cockpit.
"I should go, I got more work to do."
"We'll talk again soon, and I'll make the arrangements you inquired about."
"Thank you," Lelouch replied before hanging up his phone.
Upon pocketing his cell phone, Lelouch donned his mask and exited the cockpit of the Alexander Châtiment before putting on his cape after Ryo handed it to him.
"How are they?" Lelouch asked.
"Some are still slightly shaken, but better now," Ryo replied.
Emerging from a tunnel, Lelouch entered an old subway station where standing where subway cars would be parked was a group of twenty Japanese civilians. Their dirty and unkempt appearances suggested they were resistances of Shinjuku Ghetto. Most of them were young adults with some in either their late teens or early twenties at the youngest.
Shortly after the battle, Lelouch learned from Ryo that Mariko and the others had taken in a group of civilians. Apparently, they had fled into the subway tunnels to escape the Britannians. Some Britannian soldiers had followed them into the tunnels, but due to them expecting to find unarmed civilians, Xu Lifeng led the others to ambush the enemy soldiers wiping them out.
However, they wished to stay with Mariko and Xu Lifeng, feeling safer in their company, which extended to their flight out of Shinjuku.
Leaving Lelouch with an issue he had to address, but he saw a potential opportunity to bring growing their ranks beyond Ryo's group.
Using the subway platform as a makeshift stage Lelouch stepped into the light Hiroto was piloting using the black Sutherland Ryo had piloted earlier.
"No words can express my condolences, because I know some of you lost friends and family today. All of you have lost your homes once again." Lelouch said before glancing at Benio, who was off to the side behind the crowd. "Regardless, I understand you wished to stay in our company."
"Yes, we do," one man said.
"Please, we don't have anywhere else to go," another spoke up.
"You drove away the Britannians!" Another girl said.
Lelouch glanced down at the girl who at spoken, she had shoulder-length purple hair, gold eyes, and a fair skin complexion wearing a one-piece pink dress with a white collar and short sleeves.
"Yes, I did," Lelouch acknowledged. "However, you should all be aware my goal is to ultimately drive Britannia from Japan, thus liberating it before I intend to unite the world to crush Britannia completely."
The group began talking among themselves, although there was some skepticism among them there were those who believed Zero could do it given his accomplishment.
"I can understand some of you doubt my ability to make Japan's liberation a reality, but while my goal of liberating Japan is far off considering what I accomplished today," Lelouch said before extending an army showing Ryo, Ayano, Marirrosa, Mariko, and the others in Lelouch's party. "I drove away the Britannians with this group combined with managing to get the other resistance group in Shinjuku to cooperate with me. While I was facing overwhelming numbers."
Upon that point, no one could dispute Lelouch's results; he did something almost no resistance group had done and driven away the Britannian Military.
The Japan Liberation Front had never faced the Britannians in a head-on military conflict having just attacked them using mostly raids on supply bases and transports while striking at their bases. Yet other than the Miracle of Itsukushima by Kyoshiro Tohdoh, no one else had bested the Britannian Military. Granted, Lelouch didn't defeat them down to the last man, but the fact alone he forced a retreat out of them spoke highly of what he was capable of to the crowd.
"Now imagine what I could do if I could raise an army?" Lelouch pointed out, causing a new course of chatter among them.
First, I better revolutionize their minds, Lelouch remarked internally.
"The other resistance groups in Japan have only seen resistance against the system as their only path, but I seek Japan's liberation, and so I am looking to the future. The JLF, despite all of its military trained personnel and resources, never attempted to expand their ranks and work harder towards the liberation of Japan, but I plan to make Japan's liberation a reality. I only need more people who will join me."
"But not all of us can fight," one person asked.
"Do not worry. I don't seek merely those who can fight. My group seeks those who can be mechanics to help us maintain and upkeep our weapons, medics to tend our wounded, and more. If you wish to fight, we can teach you if you wish to heal or repair our weapons, then we can both welcome you and teach you. There are many roles within our group we need to be filled," Lelouch explained.
"What is your group called?" The girl with purple hair asked again.
"We are the Order of the Black Knights, Miss…"
"Ayame, my name is Ayame," Ayame replied with her cheeks turning pink.
In the background, Marirrosa sighed before facepalming in exasperation, but her opinion was shared by Ayano and Mariko.
Lelouch, you severely underestimate yourself, Ayano remarked internally.
Back at the Area 11 Military Academy, Oldrin was lying in her bed wide wake starting up at the ceiling of her dorm room she shared with Monica.
Aside from less than pleased about today's events, Oldrin was disheartened to learn they were forbidden to speak of what happened in Shinjuku Ghetto to the public. Watching the news an hour ago, Oldrin was further dishearten to see what happened covered up by claiming the poison gas was responsible for the massive amount of civilian casualties.
Oldrin knew it was a blatant lie, which bothered her.
She turned over as Oldring felt restless, but it didn't go unnoticed.
"Having trouble sleeping?" Monica asked from her bed on the opposite side of the room.
Monica sat up, gazing at her roommate, so Oldrin decided to sit up as well.
Minutes later, the two were drinking tea with the hopes it could help the pair get a good night's sleep. Monica and Oldrin wore black shorts and a white T-shirt for bed wear, were sitting at a small table near their beds.
"Thinking about what happened?" Monica inquired.
"Why lie about what happened?"
"Your guess is as good as mines, but I imagine there was something else going on the higher-ups didn't want the public to know about," Monica answered before taking a sip of tea.
"I wanted to become an ideal knight, but I also want to protect the smiling face of those who cannot defend themselves," Oldrin admitted staring into her teacup.
"And what happened today left you feeling you have gone against that?"
"Yeah, especially all of those children we saw among the dead? Why kill them all?" Oldrin asked.
"I can't speak for the military, but we know as Britannians we have been raised to look down upon those not Britannian. I can't explain why, but I suppose whatever order they were given it just made it easier to massacre them all." Monica answered before adding. "Personally, I believe justice should be given equally regardless of birth or status."
"You never mentioned that before?"
Monica sighed, "I suppose its because my father was murdered by resistance fighters during a weapon's demonstration in Area 14, (Papua New Guinea), which was later revealed, was the result of business rivals providing them with weapons and the information to launch an attack."
"You lost your father," Oldrin said, surprised, partly because this was the first she had heard of this.
"Yes," Monica answered before sipping her tea, "my mother died while I was young. So after my father died, I chose to enlist in the military choosing Area 11 because it was closer, and I can be an active member of the military here."
Oldrin seemed saddened as she recalled another memory, "I remember the day my friend Mary lost her mother and sister in a bombing of their home."
"Your friend?"
"Oh, Princess Marrybell Mel Britannia," Oldrin corrected.
"I heard about that," Monica replied before both girls felt depressed, causing Oldrin to realize.
"And we are right back at square one trying to help each other sleep."
"Indeed we are," Monica said in agreement before offering, "maybe tomorrow since we have some time off, we could hit the simulators with Marika and Liliana."
"Maybe that might help," Oldrin said clearly open to the idea, but neither of them knew how they could find the peace of mind to get some sleep.
Back at the subway station in Kumagaya Ghetto, Lelouch had finished getting everyone settled for the time being thanks to Eisen having returned with a truck loaded with supplies to both support their growing up and to establish what would be their base of operations and training area for new recruits.
Now Lelouch had to attend to another issue.
"Now Miss C.C. I have some questions for you," Lelouch asked, using an old supply room with Ryo and Marirrosa standing with an unmasked Lelouch while Ayano stood guard outside.
"I suppose its only natural that you do," C.C. replied with a sigh as she leaned back in one of the wooden chairs she had found in the room.
"Of course," Lelouch answered.
"I trust you are satisfied with the power I gave you?"
"Very, because it will at least help make up for how much today's events had accelerated things."
"Oh?"
"I hadn't planned on challenging Britannia yet, but now it seems I'll need to forge ahead with the hand I have been dealt. But this Geass you gave me should smooth out any potential issues that could get in the way," Lelouch acknowledged.
A part of him disliked the idea of receiving a power instead of earning it himself, but Lelouch knew it would be wasteful not to make use of cutlery placed before you.
"I see you must've been planning this for a long time?" C.C. said, confirming what she suspected upon seeing the followers and weapons had gathered.
"Very much so, but now if you don't mind, I have some questions I would like to ask you."
Around the same time, Chole and Hilda were talking about what happened at Shinjuku today while the pair were reviewing footage of the Lancelot collected from the Sutherlands. The pair were using one of the old and abandoned subway cars as a makeshift office using some of the equipment they had brought to collect data on Lelouch's usage of the new drone, but now they were adding researching the footage of the Lancelot to their to-do list.
"I didn't think Britannia would deploy a new model Knightmare Frame," Hilda commented as they were studying the footage of the Lancelot to gauge its capabilities.
"Neither did I, but it seems as agile as the Alexander," Chloe remarked.
"Yes, its agility is quite remarkable, but it seems lightly armed through."
"I agree, but maybe its weapons might've been incomplete."
"That is a possibility," Hilda said before taking a drink from a bottle of water. "Besides that, it's impressive its shields could withstand a shot from a railgun, or rather I should say barely."
"I know, but beyond that, I didn't think Zero could send the Britannians retreating like that," Chloe said, slightly changing the subject.
"I had my doubts he could pull it off, but Zero is living up to expectations."
"I think he seems to exceed them now with that new power of his."
"Speaking of that, I actually wanted to ask you two something," Lelouch said suddenly as he stood behind the two women who nearly jumped at the sound of his voice. "I apologize for that; I didn't mean to sneak up on you two."
"Oh, what did you want to ask, Zero?" Chloe asked after dusting her skirt off while looking at the polished surface of Lelouch's mask.
"Do you two believe Miss Novak and Miss Baltrow could help me research and test my Geass to get a better grasp of its effects and how it works?" Lelouch asked before explaining. "I know it might be a long shot, but given the work their superior has done with brainwaves, I was hoping they could use some of that knowledge to help understand how my Geass works given it seems to affect the brain."
"That does make sense," Hilda said, although she seemed uncertain if they could help.
Chloe tapped an index finger on her chin before exchanging glances with Hilda. "Well, Kate and Ferilli are good at what they do, but supernatural powers might be a bit out of their league."
"Maybe, but I was hoping we could at least get a general idea of how it works, and perhaps they could monitor if it has any other effects on the body and mind?" Lelouch replied aware that Kate and Ferilli might not be able to help him, as Lelouch was hoping.
But Lelouch knew he had to start somewhere, especially since C.C. wasn't being forthcoming despite questioning her.
"Did you ask the girl who gave it to you?"
"I am C.C. is being rather difficult; I don't know why if its because she doesn't trust me or something else," Lelouch replied before sighing internally.
Lelouch was left frustrated when C.C. didn't answer any of Lelouch's questions or merely dodged them, which caused both Marirrosa and Ryo to become heated with her leading to an argument Lelouch was forced to defuse.
Until a better time, maybe when Lelouch decided he got C.C. willing to trust him a little more, he would try again.
For now, Lelouch needed to understand how his Geass work and that information wouldn't be just useful for him, but knowing the Emperor had others possessing a similar power, he could begin laying the groundwork to research countermeasures against it.
"I see, so when do you plan on seeing them?"
"I am planning on visiting the day after tomorrow because I have a lot to take care of."
"Maybe you should get some rest?" Chloe suggested. "You seem tried?"
Lelouch knew they had a point, and other than the lingering issue of C.C, Lelouch had another life he had to resume tomorrow, which annoyed him.
"I suppose I must, but I'll return as soon as I can."
It was almost three in the morning by the time Lelouch returned to Ashford Academy, and the former prince quietly made his way to his room, where he changed into sleepwear. Lelouch knew he could risk sleeping a little, and if need be, he could sleep during class if his body demanded it. But Lelouch knew this would be the start of long nights now that his rebellion had begun, and it was already beginning to grow.
Lelouch peaked inside Nunnally's room to check on her before turning in.
No rest for the wicked as they say.
Despite some difficulty, Lelouch managed to slip into slumber intending to enjoy as much sleep as time could allow, but he knew in the back of his mind what happened today would spread, causing to wonder how the rest of Area 11 might react.
A/N: it has begun with Lelouch adding twenty followers to what he already has, and Ohgi and his group will be due to join in good time. First, it's the question of how Clovis will respond to what happened now that he is alive, and Cornelia isn't likely to take over Area 11 anytime soon unless Lelouch kills him at some later point, or someone else does it.
But right now, Lelouch knows Clovis isn't going to let what happened lie and is preparing for his inevitable response, which pays homage to original Code Geass canon but adds a new twist to it.
This is the calm before the storm to come with Lelouch making his big debut as Zero, but first word of what happened in Shinjuku Ghetto is likely to spread.
I'll see you guys next chapter.
The Demon and his Knights Ch9
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StrifeHavoc
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Chapter 9
Cause and Effect
Cause and Effect
"So, how should we test your Geass?"
Kate Novak showed Lelouch in his guise of Zero the equipment she had on hand, but in preparation for this test, Lelouch had arranged to obtain machines capable of examining brainwaves. Lelouch had also gathered additional equipment, Kate, and her friend Ferilli suggested when he spoke to the pair the following morning after events of Shinjuku.
Two days had passed, and Lelouch had returned to the main base to visit the pair as he had planned to have them conduct an examination of his Geass.
"The only way to test is for me to use on someone," Lelouch offered. "I can't think of any other way, which means."
"You're going to need volunteers to test it on," Ferilli said, which Lelouch confirmed with a nod.
"I won't force anyone to do it, but," Lelouch said assumingly, but he allowed the sentence to trail off.
"No, you are right," Kate conceded. "We don't really have any other way to test it, so is that why those two are here?"
Kate was referring to Chloe, who suspected Lelouch would need a test subject before volunteering herself as did Hilda, who stood beside one another behind Lelouch.
"I'll ask again," Lelouch began looking over his shoulder, "are you two fine with this? I'll understand if none of you feel comfortable with this."
"Well, since we know about it, but why not?" Hilda offered while Chloe only nodded.
However, the pair hoped that maybe this act would help build better trust with Zero because ever since his impressive victory two days ago, the pair had become more curious about Zero. Most of all, they hoped to one day learn who the man under the mask was.
"Very well, but since you have extended this level of trust, in turn, allow me to return it in kind," Lelouch replied before opening up a duffle bag he had been carrying.
Inside was a camera and a tripod.
"Since I do not understand what the after-effects of my Geass will be like, I have prepared a camera, so you can observe everything that happened while under its effects to avoid any misunderstandings," Lelouch explained. "I just don't want anyone to believe I took advantage of anyone or you with this power."
No one in the room expected Zero would do such a thing, but the extra insurance he was providing that he wouldn't do such a thing was assuring for Chloe and the others.
"Right, so let's get Chloe set up then," Kate suggested while Ferilli offered to set up the camera.
"I am ready here, Zero," Ryo replied as she finished setting up a table with a set of colored pencils, paper, and three different colored envelopes.
"Alright," Lelouch said as he walked back to the far side of the large storage room they had chosen to conduct their test.
It was chosen due to its size because Lelouch intended to test distance, and since the storage room was designed to hold vehicles, it was the largest room second to the underground harbor they had available.
As Lelouch stood at the opposite end of the room, Ryo and Lelouch took care to relocate crates and trucks out of the way. Thereby providing a clear unblocked view of the opposite side of the room. Chloe sat down in the chair in front of the table. After she was seated, Kate began hooking up different wires onto her head with a device attached to her arm and a wire connected over her heart to monitor her vitals for any changes.
"I am already Zero," Kate called with a wave of her hand as a signal.
Opening the side panel in his mask, Lelouch activated his Geass before issuing a command.
"I would like for you to draw a rabbit for me to the best of your ability," Lelouch called out as his Geass reached out and ensnared Chloe.
"Of course," Chloe replied.
"Interesting," Kate remarked, seeing changes in Chloe's brainwaves. "The change was sudden, but now…"
As Kate studied the effects of Lelouch's Geass was having on Chloe's mind, Lelouch approached as Chloe did as instructed and began drawing a rabbit without a single word of protest.
Lelouch waited until Chloe was done before examining her work.
"Not bad, so you are done," Lelouch said before releasing Chloe from his Geass.
"Huh," Chloe said, appearing disoriented, "what happened?"
"You don't remember anything?" Hilda asked, which Chloe shook her head.
"Fascinating," Ferilli remarked as she joined Kate in examining the data they collected. "It's almost like your Geass hijacked control of Chloe's brain figuratively hitting off switch. I am not sure how it works, but I believe while someone is under the influence of your Geass, certain functions of the brain are switched off to ensure complete obedience with memory loss as a side effect while under it."
"Its unbelievable something like this could happen," Kate said, clearly surprised, but the evidence was before her.
"So anyone under the effects of my Geass has no memory of what happened while carrying out the order," Lelouch asked who was just as equally intrigued as well. "Furthermore, my Geass possesses impressive range."
"This room is almost two hundred meters from left to right, which is enough to hold a good number of trucks and Knightmare Frames," Ryo noted.
"His Geass may probably work on someone as long as Zero can maintain eye contact, and they can hear his order," Kate suggested.
"Maybe I should go next so we can see if glasses and hamper its effects," Hilda offered as Kate began working on disconnecting Chloe from the machines. "How was Chloe's vitals?"
"Other than the effects Zero's Geass had on the brain, her vitals didn't change at the slightest," Ferilli answered.
Lelouch waited until Hilda was set up, and Kate confirmed they were monitoring Hilda's brain and vital signs.
"Now Miss Fagan," Lelouch began before Hilda interrupted him.
"You can just call me Hilda."
"Very well, Hilda," Lelouch said, correcting himself, "take the red envelope in front of you and look inside."
Lelouch quickly turned around so he wouldn't see what was inside the envelope. Once Hilda had finished and put the envelope down, Lelouch turned around before revealing his Geass eye once again.
"Now tell me what was inside the envelope," Lelouch commanded before his Geass ensnared Hilda like it had done Chloe a short time ago.
"It was a postcard of Mt Fuji," Hilda answered before Lelouch picked up the envelope to examine the contents himself.
Lelouch found that indeed the red envelope had an old Mt. Fuji postcard, and it was Ryo who had filled each of the colored envelopes with a different picture or article unknown to Lelouch for the purpose of this test.
"I guess glasses can't block my Geass," Lelouch remarked before releasing Hilda from its hold.
Like Chloe, Hilda was left confused and momentarily dazed upon being released from it.
"Now let me try something," Lelouch asked, and when Hilda offered no protest, "I command you to draw your favorite animal."
This time Hilda was unaffected.
"I guess this means your Geass can only work once on a single person," Hilda offered when she remained in control of herself.
"That is an important discovery," Lelouch replied since he could only imagine the trouble he could be in if he attempted using his Geass on the same person twice.
"And the effects on Hilda's brain are similar to Chloe, and like before, no change in her vitals," Kate reported.
"I see, so maybe I should try something new," Lelouch said before gesturing for Ryo to hand him a pocket mirror.
"I can go," Kate offered before Lelouch could ask, although he initially considered acting Ryo.
"Very well," Lelouch replied, "I was going to ask someone else."
"Its fine," Kate replied before she took Hilda's place in the chair with Ferilli connecting her to the machines to monitor her.
Once Kate was ready, Lelouch stood with his back turned to her before Lelouch used the mirror to reflect his Geass onto Kate.
"I command you to list your favorite dessert," Lelouch commanded as his Geass activated.
Kate was caught in Lelouch's Geass before she quickly wrote it down on a piece of paper.
"So I can reflect it," Lelouch said as Kate was freed from the influence of his Geass.
Hilda and Chloe peeked at what Kate wrote.
"Crépes?" Hilda said, reading what was written.
"So," Kate replied with her cheeks slightly pink.
"I suppose that's all we can do for today, but at least I have a general idea of what my Geass can do. However, if we can obtain more resources, I would like to devise potential countermeasures against Geass similar to my own," Lelouch said.
"Countermeasures?" Ferilli asked.
"There something I should share with all of you now that I have proof of Geass and its power," Lelouch began before deciding to tell them what he knew about the Geass Order. Studying his own Geass wasn't his only goal, but Lelouch hoped to see what he had learned from studying his Geass to lay the groundwork for developing potential counters against Geass similar to his own.
Meanwhile, at their newly established base in Kumagaya Ghetto, Marirrosa and Xu Lifeng were overseeing the training of the new recruits. However, not all of them were expected to fulfill combat roles; every member did receive some training with pistols so they could defend themselves in a pinch. Among those who desired to become Knightmare Frame pilots, however, Benio was among those eager to train.
Some simulators had been delivered to their new base, so the two women were watching Benio and one of the new members, a Japanese man with black hair.
"That Benio is really determined to prove herself," Xu Lifeng commented.
"Yes, she is, but she does have good instincts, so maybe she could prove to be a real natural with some training," Marirrosa added.
"Something bothering you through, isn't it?"
"Four them, Benio included, now have eyes for Zero," Marirrosa answered.
"He doesn't do it on purpose, right?"
"No, and that's the worst part. Zero seriously underestimates how well he is at winning over the hearts of women. I mean, Benio alone was rescued by Zero, and thanks to that mask and cape probably made her appear as a dashing hero in her eyes." Marirrosa pouted.
"Do you think she is probably smitten with Zero now?"
"I would be surprised if she wasn't and those other new recruits."
"Right, you mean Ayame," Lifeng said, deducing whom Marirrosa was talking about referring to the purple-haired young woman. "Ayame Futaba was her full name, I believe."
"Yeah, and her two other friends who were looking at Zero the same way she was were Mutsuki Minase and Ichijiku Hinata."
Mutsuki was sitting at one of the tables learning how to load a pistol, she was around the same age as Ayame. She possessed long brown hair with almost a dozen colored beads laced into it and grayish-green eyes wearing a light blue shirt, a dark blue jacket, and a black skirt.
Her friend Ichijiku had her long brown hair styled into a top-knot ponytail, and she wore red-rimmed glasses over her grey eyes while wearing a sandy-colored wide collar shirt with long sleeves and black pants and red sandals.
Based on their observation of Mutsuki, Ayame, and Ichijiku, it seemed the trio were friends with one another.
"Are you worried Zero might cheat on you or something?"
"No, its nothing like that," Marirrosa admitted, "I guess I am just feeling anxious."
"Anxious," Lifeng asked.
"I know he'll never cheat on me, but yet I worry he might be stolen away from me?"
"If it's unlikely, then why are you worried?" The Chinese martial artist asked, tilting her head to one side as a sign of confusion.
"Well, Yukiya met with me yesterday and told me he caught Ayano researching Britannian marriage laws," Marirrosa answered.
"Britannian Marriage Laws?"
"Apparently Britannia has a law called the Worthy Reward Law, which is known and applicable to those of nobility or the wealthy middle class," Marirrosa replied before explaining. "It has seen some revisions over time, but it was believed if those were both worthy of ruling and exceptional should spread their bloodlines as much as possible. For example, Zero, as his civilian identity, could qualify for it and have up to four wives and four mistresses at one time."
"That seems a bit radical, so is she obsessed with him or something?" Lifeng said, surprised by Ayano's research into such a thing.
"Its nothing like that thankfully, but she is completely smitten with Zero. I think she knows the likelihood of her and Zero getting together with me around is nill. I am just shocked she would even consider something like that."
Xu Lifeng placed one hand under in chin while she contemplated a likely reason before an answer came to mind.
"Have you considered that maybe Ayano is open to the idea because of the fact either she or you could die, and then what would be for Zero?"
"What?!"
"Given what Zero aims to do, something could happen to you, and I am not suggesting she is waiting for you to get killed."
Marirrosa realized what Xu Lifeng was implying, "so by both of us being in a relationship, it would ensure one of us would be around to take care of Lelouch if something happened to me, or Ayano?"
"I am sure its not the only reason, but maybe its something she has considered," Xu Lifeng pointed out with a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know what happened exactly that instilled such a huge crush, but I can tell Zero must've left quite the impression on her."
Marirrosa sighed before smiling, "that seems to be a natural gift of his. Zero has a way of defying the odds as long as he has the right tools, people, and information to build a solid plan around."
"But I suppose as a trade-off," Xu Lifeng began crossing her arms before grinning, "he tends to really be a literal chick magnet, for a lack of a better word."
"No kidding," Marirrosa acknowledged, "somehow I wouldn't be shocked if Ayano wasn't the only one among us with a crush on Zero."
"Hard to blame them all things considered." Xu Lifeng said in agreement, "as far as guys go, Zero is one heck of a great catch. Intelligent, resourceful, and audacious. Not to mention that mask and the mysterious air he creates with it probably only furthered it."
"I agree with Ryo, if Zero really wanted to, he could gather a large number of lovers easily."
"You mean build his own harem?"
Marirrosa nodded before leaning against a nearby wall, "I don't think he will considering what happened early in his life. Hard to blame him if you knew, and there is the fact he does have some trust issues. It took a while before Zero warmed up to my brother and me, so I have a hard time imagining how a harem would even be possible for him."
"Since you know Zero better than I do, I'll take your word for it. Yet, would you be fine with it if he does?"
"You mean for Zero to have his own harem?"
Xu Lifeng nodded, although Marirrosa was surprised she would ask that. Still, the young woman considered the question for a full minute before answering.
"To be clear, I am AGAINST the idea of Zero being with another woman, let alone more women," Marirrosa said firmly, but her expression softened. "However, I do acknowledge it could be beneficial for Zero in a way provided none of the women don't try to slip a knife between the sheets."
"How so?"
"Depending on the women involved if they are say connected to any capable organization or nation that a marriage to a woman who's either the daughter of a high ranking member or something could benefit Zero and his goals. Zero's end goal is to bring down a superpower, so naturally, to make something like that possible, he'll need considerable resources and somehow get the other two superpowers onboard with his goal." Marirrosa explained before adding. "For instance, I hear one of the Six Houses of Kyoto heads is a young woman around or close to Zero's age, and they could press for an arranged marriage between him and her. Considering that Zero is aiming to liberate Japan."
"From that perspective, it does make sense, but would Kyoto House really push for something like that?"
"I don't know, but given Zero's likely unwillingness to reveal his identity might push it as a way of assurance. Yet, at the same time, it would give Zero leeway with Kyoto House through marriage to one of its members, giving him better access to their resources regardless if they push for it or not." Marirorsa pointed out. "Beyond Japan, I can't imagine anyone else who would be offered to Zero in what would be a political marriage."
"That's true, but what of those women from the E.U?"
"I agree with Ryo they were probably sent not only because of their skills, but there are around Zero's age in the hopes Zero will fall for one of them and become more sympathetic to the E.U."
"Are you worried they might try to seduce him?"
"No," Marirrosa replied, shaking her head, "I am sure even the General who sent them would recognize any attempts of seduction on Zero could only backfire and sour the relationship. Not to mention I could see the General recognizing Zero would be on guard against something that that, so he's probably hoping for such a relationship to happen on its own than pushing for one."
"That's fair, so that might be good news for you then."
"Maybe, but I suppose it's a question of the women within our group like Ayano," Marirrosa said before contemplating if there was anyone else who had their eye on Lelouch.
Internally Marirrosa acknowledged if Lelouch did start a harem, which included Ayano and anyone else within their group, then the benefit of that is it would be likely to cement their loyalty to the masked man. At the same time, it would also ensure should something happen to her or Ayano, then Lelouch would at least be taken care of.
Not that Marirrosa had any intention of allowing that to happen.
At the very least, I shouldn't have to worry about anyone from the Britannian side.
Elsewhere in Area 11, Oldrin was following Marika and Lilliana with Monica taking point as the group arrived at a military base near the Viceroy's Palace. There was little explanation for the summons, but apparently, the orders came from the top. Leaving after lunch at the academy, the group arrived here they were greeted by a young woman with short blue hair near a door leading into a large and rather spacious hanger for Knightmare Frames.
"Thank you for coming," Cecile said, greeting the pilots as they disembarked the van that brought them to the hanger. "I am Captain Cecile Croomy of the Camelot Engineering Corps, but here in Area 11, we are referred to as the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps (ASEEC)."
"Ma'am," Monica replied before she along with Oldrin and the others saluted.
"At ease," Cecile said, feeling slightly embarrassed, "although your superiors requested I introduce myself with my rank I should note here at the ASEEC we don't worry about ranks due to my superior."
"I see that does seem a bit unusual," Monica remarked.
"We are an irregular unit that exists outside of the normal military chain of command, and so we aren't bound by some of the same regulations. We are supported by the Homeland directly, and we are generally a research and development division. That being said, before you meet my superior, I should warn you my superior is rather eccentric and doesn't care much for ranks or titles, so I apologize in advance if Professor Asupland seems odd to any of you."
"Very well, but I don't think none of us will be offended in any way," Monica replied after taking a quick glance at her friends who seemed indifferent.
"Then follow me," Cecile replied before gesturing for Monica, Oldrin, Marika, and Liliana to follow her.
The group entered the hanger, and while walking down the hallway passing by some empty rooms and offices, Marika decided to ask a question.
"Pardon me for asking, but what exactly does the ASEEC want with us?"
"Well, all of you were involved in what happened in Shinjuku yesterday, were you not?" Cecile answered as they continued down the hall.
"Yes, we were, and I can't believe what happened, and yet despite the numbers, our army had we were beaten back," Oldrin answered.
She was still privately distraught by the senseless massacre of the civilian populace living in the ghetto, but yet she recalled how the battle was drastically turned around in favor of the resistance fighters. Oldrin, Monica and the others gave it their all, although they held back the black Sutherlands and their skilled pilots they were unable to stop the battle from ending in defeat with a forced retreat.
"But that white machine was incredible," Liliana began. "I never saw a Knightmare Frame move like that, and it was cutting down most of the resistance fighters and their Knightmare Frames."
"Yes, and its shields were something too, like right out of a sci-fi movie. I almost thought it had been destroyed when whatever weapon was fired at it," Marika added.
"So did I, but the Blaze Luminous held even through the emitters were shorted out afterward," Cecile admitted recalling how nervous she felt when she saw that projectile hit Suzaku through the feed from the Lancelot's cameras.
That was something nothing of Lloyd's reaction to his prized creation in such danger.
"Blaze Luminous," Oldrin said before asking, "are those some kind of new technology?"
"Yes, its one of the many things we have been developing alongside the Z-01 Lancelot," Cecile answered as the group exited the office's section and entered the hanger.
"Lancelot?" Marika asked, intrigued by the name of the white machine.
"The world's first Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame and Lloyd's, I mean Professor Asupland's, pride and joy," Cecile answered.
The hanger was mostly empty of Knightmare Frames save for the Lancelot's trailer, the Lancelot itself, but there were a pair of swords and what appeared to be a new kind of rifle and a red backpack unit on display. The weapons and backpack were closer to where the group stood as they made their way to the far end of the hanger. Along the way, they did find engineers and scientists judging by their uniforms, which were identical to Cecile, while some wore lab coats were examining the backpack using computers and engineers inspected the weapons and the backpack-like unit.
Oldrin, Monica, Liliana, and Marika eyed the weapons and the unusual backpack unit, which seemed akin to some kind of flight unit. They were curious, but they said nothing, not wanting to interrupt the engineers and scientists working on them and mindful of the fact they had someone who was waiting to meet them.
Eventually, they reached the Lancelot itself, and its arms appear to have been removed awaiting replacement limbs. Lloyd himself was sitting at a table reviewing footage from the Lancelot and apparently footage using data and computer models to recreate the incident where the Lancelot was shot with the weapon that pushed its Blaze Lunimious past their limits.
"Lloyd, they have arrived," Cecile replied after the group came to a stop near him and the Lancelot.
"Oh good," Lloyd replied before lazily turning around, "good afternoon ladies, so these are the four who performed far better than most of the pilots involved in Shinjuku next to our pilot for the Lancelot."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Asupland," Monica greeted, followed by Oldrin.
"Yes, likewise," Oldrin offered.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir," Marika said politely.
"Nice to meet you," Liliana offered, trying to be different.
"Yes, now that is out of the way. I wanted to ask you if any of you got a look at the weapon that was fired at my Lancelot," Lloyd asked, moving his chair to allow Oldrin and others to see the view of the Lancelot as it was struggling to hold back the projectile with its Blaze Lunimious.
"I am afraid none of us saw it, but whatever it was, it likely a handheld weapon used by a Knightmare Frame. Considering how quickly it relocated itself after attacking the Lancelot," Monica replied.
Lloyd nodded in agreement, "I agree, but there is one slight problem. I suspect the weapon used by the terrorists was a D09-A 120mm experimental anti-material railgun, code-named the Sparrow."
Using the keyboard near him, Lloyd brought up a technical schematics of Knightmare Frame weapon that looked similar to a sniper rifle, but yet designed to be capable of firing some truly destructive shots.
"It's the only weapon I know of that is capable of such destructive results," Lloyd remarked before adjusting his glasses. "However, this failed prototype, while powerful, was too much for the test Knightmare Frames to hold onto. This was because the recoil was too much for them. Some machines lost arms, but others the damage was much worse."
"How did the terrorists get their hands on a weapon like that, let alone make it work?" Oldrin asked.
"I suspect the Knightmare Frame using it must've been modified and reinforced so its frame could withstand the recoil. I doubt that is all they did, but without further evidence, I can only guess. However, it's clear they got the weapon to work for them somehow."
Cecile intervened to answer the other question Lloyd skimmed over, "As for how they got it I imagine some of the prototypes were sold onto the Black Market to cover the cost and losses its failure to be picked up by our military incurred."
"Unbelievable, they put a weapon like that onto the Black Market?!" Marika said with equal parts shock and horror.
"They probably believed no terrorist group could make it work, but someone has," Lloyd said before smiling and pointing to the rifle-like weapon being examined by engineers in the hanger. "But don't worry, not only did I figure out the recoil problem, but the Variable Ammunition Repulsion Impact Spitfire or VARIS for short is better than in the Sparrow in every way as well being more compact. It just needs a few more adjustments, and then it shall be combat-ready."
"By the way, where is the pilot of the Lancelot?" Liliana inquired.
Lloyd was quiet, but Cecile seemed hesitant to answer.
"Well, you see," Cecile began before explaining what happened.
Later the following evening, Lelouch had returned to Ashford Academy after spending most of the day with the Black Knights. He was thankful when news slowly began to emerge about a large scale military operation that happened nearby, which Lelouch knew was Shinjuku Ghetto, led to the school closing today out of concerns for what was in Shinjuku Ghetto.
Lelouch had also heard there would be an announcement tomorrow about what had happened.
"So basically the closed the school after its been over and done with for more than a day?"
"Yes, but I am grateful for it since it gave me a chance to take care of more important matters," Lelouch said, speaking to Yukiya over the phone while seated at his desk.
"Of course, but speaking of which I looked into that girl you mentioned being among the local resistance group in Shinjuku Ghetto," Yukiya mentioned before pushing a few buttons on his keyboard.
"Right, so I was spot on then?"
"That's right," Yukiya said as Lelouch used his computer to examine the information packet Yukiya had sent him. "In Ashford Academy, she goes by Kallen Stadfeld, the only daughter of the wealthy Stadfeld Family. However, I suppose you could call her true self Kallen Kozuki."
"A half-blood," Lelouch asked, although half-blood Britannian children weren't uncommon. This is sometimes due to various reasons that can lead to a Britannian Nobleman or occasionally a Lady having a one-night stand with those of non-Britannian origins either because they were mistresses, secret lovers, or otherwise.
Nevertheless, they faced the same prejudice from the more bigoted members of Britannian Nobility, assuming if their half-blood status becomes known, some can hide it well.
"Her old Middle School transcripts were quite telling, and then it was easy to connect the dots from there," Yukiya remarked proudly. "I guess this means you weren't the only person in Ashford Academy living a double life aside from maybe Sayoko."
"Indeed, and I saw her in school today, so I assume she is likely laying low after what happened," Lelouch mentioned as he recalled spotting Kallen. Still, compared to what he saw at Shinjuku Ghetto, it was almost looking at a completely different person.
At Ashford Academy, Kallen Stadfeld was a quiet, intelligent, if a very sickly girl unable to take part in most activities and has caused her to skip out on classes for most of last semester. But Lelouch saw none of that in Kallen Kozuki, and during his observations of Kallen on campus, he observed a moment where he saw the mask slip confirming his suspicions they were one and the same.
Who would've thought a bee would be so helpful, Lelouch mused internally.
Lelouch had been watching from one of the windows overlooking the courtyard where he saw Kallen having lunch with a group of female students. Everything was normal until a bee caused the majority of the group to freak out and flee, but Kallen calmly took cover behind a brush. However, when the bee flew by her, she swiftly dealt with it with a quick hand swipe.
A moment later, he saw Kallen drop her mask and reveal her true self briefly as she ate the rest of a sandwich slice in frustration, which Lelouch wagered a guess she likely hated the front she had to put up to mask her real self.
Considering my own situation, I can't blame her.
"So, what are you planning?"
"Tomorrow, thanks to another stroke of unexpected fortune, I intend to set up recruiting Kallen to the Black Knights," Lelouch admitted.
"Because she is a good pilot?"
"A good pilot," Lelouch said while he resisted the urge to laugh. "Yukiya, her performance in Shinjuku piloting a Glasgow with one arm was impressive, to put it mildly. It would be madness if I didn't try to include her within the Black Knights, her ability to pilot a Knightmare Frame is like second nature. I can only imagine what she would be capable of if she was in a much more combat capable Knightmare Frame."
"I suppose, but how do you plan on inviting her?"
"I have a plan in mind, and depending on how tomorrow goes, I may have to adjust," Lelouch remarked.
The next day around noon, Kallen, on the rooftop of the academy attempting to call someone using her cellphone using a unique device attached to it that would help mask her location as a precaution. However, she was receiving no answer much to her growing worry.
Why aren't you picking up Ohgi? Something must be wrong?
"There you are Miss Stadfeld," Lelouch said from behind, causing Kallen to quickly pocketed her phone.
"Uh, can I help you?" Kallen asked, once again adopting her sickly persona.
Lelouch activated his Geass, "I want you to obey my commands for the next five minutes."
"Yes sir," Kallen replied completely ensnared by his Geass.
"Tell me, were you the one piloting the one-armed Glasgow in Shinjuku?"
"Yes, I was," Kallen replied.
"You're a half-blood correct?"
"Yes, my father is Lord Stadfled, and my mother is Japanese," Kallen answered, which confirmed what Yukiya had discovered.
"But why join a resistance group?"
"It's because of my brother," Kallen answered. "We both had the same parents, although we were a few years apart he formed the resistance group in Shinjuku who wanted to liberate Japan. I had hoped he would succeed, but recently I am afraid he had been killed."
"I see," Lelouch replied before checking his watch and the timer he had going on it, "You sound just like Marirrosa."
Lelouch's face was solemn as he remembered trying to comfort Marirrosa over the loss of her brother, who died for his cause.
However, Lelouch knowing his time was growing short, forged ahead, "What do you think of Zero?"
"I wish I knew more about him, but Zero's leadership and the followers he commanded were quite impressive."
"Would you join Zero and his group if they asked you?"
"Yes, but only if Ohgi and the others joined as well."
"I see," Lelouch said before handing Kallen a cell phone, "I would like you to hold onto this and place it somewhere you will not lose it. Remember to keep it on you and be ready to expect a call from it."
"Understood," Kallen replied as she accepted the cell phone and put it away.
"And finally," Lelouch began glancing at his watch, "you will forget seeing me up here."
"I understand," Kallen answered.
"Good," Lelouch said before he left Kallen behind as he left the roof.
When the command Lelouch had given Kallen expired, the young woman regained her senses before feeling very confused.
What just happened?
A few moments later, the cellphone Lelouch had given her began to ring.
"What did this come from?" Kallen said as she drew the cellphone, she had put away while under Lelouch's Geass.
Kallen answered the phone upon reading the Caller ID was from Zero.
"Hello," Kallen replied cautiously.
"I am glad you are still alive Q-2," Lelouch said on the other line, referring to Kallen by the callsign he had given her.
"How did I get this cellphone?" Kallen asked since her lack of memories of how she received this cellphone bothered her.
"I have my ways, but more importantly, I wanted to ask if you and your friends would like to meet?"
"Meet? When," Kallen asked without thinking.
"Let us meet tomorrow evening at the old Mejiro University, Saitama Iwatsuki Campus in Satiama Ghetto," Lelouch replied. "Inside the auditorium at six o'clock pm, I'll call you again after eight tonight if there are any changes."
Without warning, Lelouch hung up.
"Hey, wait a minute," Kallen snapped, "how did you force the Britannians to retreat, and what was that weapon you used?!"
Kallen didn't get an answer, but she was annoyed Zero hung up on her. But before she could contemplate calling him back, the door opened with Lelouch calling out.
"Excuse me, did I hear someone up here," Lelouch asked as he stepped onto the roof.
Kallen put away the cellphone after mentally cursing herself before adopting her sickly persona once more.
"Oh, there you are, Miss Stadfeld. I was sent to look for you," Lelouch said, playing innocent. "I guess you must go up here for fresh air too sometimes."
"Uh, yeah, I do. My doctor says it is good for me," Kallen replied.
"I understand, it does get stuffy in those classrooms down there," Lelouch offered in agreement before introducing himself. "I am Lelouch, the Vice President of the Student Council."
"Nice to meet you," Kallen answered back.
"I was asked to find you on behalf of the Student Council President who would like to see you at the Student Council Clubhouse after class today," Lelouch explained.
"Me, but why?"
"As I am sure you have heard that everyone in Ashford Academy must be apart of a club?"
"Yes, but I am sick and out of class most of the time, so it's been difficult for me," Kallen replied.
Lelouch nodded his head in understanding, although Kallen didn't know Lelouch knew that was a lie.
"I understand, which is why the Student Council will be perfect for you."
"Huh," Kallen asked, clearly confused.
"There isn't much required just planning for events and some paperwork. Some of which could do from home if needed, but that shouldn't be an issue. Most importantly, you would be part of a club, and it's one where not a lot of work would be required," Lelouch explained.
"I guess that sounds easy," Kallen admitted, although she had a feeling, there was an unspoken trade-off somehow to that arrangement.
"At worst, you could handle any paperwork from home and email it to me or the Student Council President," Lelouch offered to make the job more appealing.
"That makes things easier, so I guess I'll accept it."
"Thank you, I'll be sure to inform the President about this. But a word of warning," Lelouch offered clearly glad to have a potentially competent member of the Student Council, but yet. "Our president is very eccentric, so if she offers you an invitation to join the other female members for a night in the bath, I advise you to decline it."
"Huh?!" Kallen asked in confusion at the unexpected warning as she brought one hand to her chin. "What do you mean by that?"
Lelouch sighed before putting his hands into his pockets, "like I said, Milly is rather eccentric, so I would be mindful of her if she tries invading you to any private setting where its just you and the female members of the council."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kallen said, clearly uncertain how to respond.
"Anyway, I won't keep you, but we are planning on having a small welcome party for you after school, so I hope you'll attend."
"Sure, I'll be there," Kallen replied before Lelouch bid her farewell before leaving.
However, as he was making his way down the stairs, he received a phone call from Marirrosa, which was unusual because she knew not to contact Lelouch during school hours unless it was an emergency.
Stepping into the nearest broom closest, Lelouch answered the phone.
"Marirrosa, what happened?"
"Lelouch, I got good news and bad news," Marirrosa said, holding her cellphone to her ear while watching a news report on the television in front of her. "I just found out your friend Suzaku is still alive?"
Lelouch was stunned by the news, but he realized there was more to this call than just telling him Suzaku was alive. Furthermore, Lelouch knew if that was the good news, he slowly realized what the bad news was.
"He's being used as a scapegoat for what happened in Shinjuku Ghetto, isn't he?"
"Yeah, but that's not all," Marirrosa replied grimly before putting the phone against the television's speaker allowing Lelouch to hear the repeating news report.
"Repeating our top story," a female newscaster spoke, "Prince Clovis has formally charged the captive leaders of a terrorist cell in Shinjuku Ghetto for plotting to unleash poison gas upon the Toyko Settlement. Tragically the poison gas was accidentally released by the resistance fighters following an attempt by the military to retrieve it resulted in thousands dead."
"Tragically my foot," Lelouch muttered as his grip around his cell phone tightened.
"Furthermore, as we have mentioned, we have the identities of the ring leaders behind this plot in custody. The captive leaders have been identified as Kaname Ohgi, Shinichirō Tamaki, Kent Sugiyama, and Suzaku Kururugi."
Marirrosa brought the phone up to her ear once more and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"Let's assemble for a meeting, but first, we need to reach out to a few people first," Lelouch answered as Kallen came to mind.
A/N: Instead of Suzaku being in trouble, we got Ohgi, Tamaki, and Sugiyama needing to be rescued, so jailbreak next chapter.
I had most of this chapter done, but the most challenging part was trying to decide on how to end it without doing a repeat of the early episodes, which was changed thanks to Lelouch having some willing test subjects to try his Geass on.
Lelouch will not only make one hell of an effort to save Suzaku and the others, but he'll make Clovis regret making scapegoats out of them.
Next chapter Lelouch and company began planning to rescue those captured from prison.
The Demon and his Knights Ch10
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Chapter 10
Liberation and Retribution
Liberation and Retribution
The following evening at the Mejiro University, Saitama Iwatsuki Campus in Satiama Ghetto, Kallen arrived at the meeting with the remaining members of Ohgi's resistance cell in tow. Some were clearly reluctant to come, but with Ohgi and a few others being captured by Britannia, it was clear Shinjuku Ghetto was no longer safe for them.
"Are you sure this isn't a trap?"
The man who asked was wearing glasses with short blue hair wearing civilian attire that included a light blue jacket, his name was Yoshitaka Minami.
"We don't exactly have any options," the second female of their group commented.
She was a few years older than Kallen or older, perhaps in her early twenties, but she possessed mid-length indigo hair and brown eyes. Similar to Kallen, she also wore black shorts, a green shirt and a blue jacket over it.
"Ohgi and the others have been captured, and I am sure Tamaki is likely to crack under interrogation. The Britannians probably know who we are, so where can we really go?" Naomi Inoue pointed out grimly.
"She has a point, which has me wonder if you are even safe, Kallen?"
The question came from the only other member not captured, he had short brown hair wearing a sleeveless blue shirt with dark pants and a red headband.
"I haven't had anyone come knocking at my door, and I made sure no one followed me either," Kallen replied to Toru Yoshida.
For this trip, Kallen swapped clothes for her typical attire when with Ohgi's group, which she generally preferred to her high school uniform. It was no secret to those close to her; she despised the school she went too, which was because of the students and teachers. Granted, she met a few Kallen got along with just fine, but Kallen hated the lie of the sickly girl she had to live as.
The group made their way to the auditorium as instructed, but as they entered, the group cautiously checked around corners.
Seeing no sign of any more or any kind of traps, the group moved on until they reached the auditorium, it was dark until a single spotlight came on. The light shined down on Lelouch wearing his Zero attire while Ryo stood next to him on the stage. Marirrosa and Ayano were up in the control booth handling the lights, but they were both armed with weapons ready to defend Lelouch and Ryo if things didn't go as planned.
Hiroto and Mariko were also nearby ready with their weapons as an additional precaution hiding, awaiting the signal or if the pair heard signs of trouble.
"Relax, I only wish to talk," Zero said, raising a hand to gesture for Kallen and others to be at ease.
I can't exactly blame them for being on guard.
"I heard about what happened to some of your members, and I have a proposition for you," Lelouch offered as Kallen, and the others approached the stage. "I can rescue your leader and your friends from the Britannians."
"In exchange for what?" Minami asked.
"I wanted to ask about joining forces," Lelouch admitted. "Despite our resources, we are still few in number, so the more recruits and allies we can make, the better."
"So, you want us to join with you basically?" Inoue inquired, clearly wary of the masked man.
"Rest assured, I won't force you to join us, but I think we could help each other with a mutually beneficial alliance."
Lelouch knew trying to press them to join his group now would only end badly, with the worst being they react with hostility. The last scenario was unlikely, but Lelouch didn't want to leave anything to chance. On the other hand, Lelouch knew if he could impress them enough, he hoped the entire group would join the Black Knights willingly.
I'll just have to make sure I do my best to impress them, Lelouch thought with a grin.
"Ok, so let's say we're interested how do you plan to break Ohgi and the others out of prison?" Minami demanded while folding both arms over his chest.
"We have already located the prison they are in," Lelouch answered before explaining. "They are being held in a Britannian Maximum Security Prison located in the city of Takayama in the Gifu Prefecture."
"According to our intel they are planning to relocate them to a more secure facility for interrogation. So far, they have not made any attempts to interrogate them that we are aware of, which means," Ryo said pausing, allowing Lelouch to continue the conversation.
"We think they are setting a trap, hoping the rest of you or us will attempt a rescue."
"So how do you plan to free them then?" Inoue asked.
"By triggering their trap, but we do need some extra hands to help. Me and my friends can handle the Britannians, but we'll need someone to help protect your friends once we free them and cover our escape," Lelouch said, he had a planned work out, but it would work not only according to plan with the added help, but it would increase the chances of them making a clean escape before the Britannians can send reinforcements.
Inoue, Kallen, Yoshida and Minami exchanged looks with one another before Kallen stepped forward, taking a deep breath.
"Ok, say we decide to help, what would we need to do?"
Lelouch smiled under his mask before explaining his plan.
Meanwhile, watching the whole thing from above, Marirrosa let out a sigh of relief seeing that everything was going well.
"What were you worried about?" Ayano inquired.
"Someone on their side doing something stupid," Marirrosa answered bluntly.
"They are probably on edge with their friends getting caught."
"I guess that is true, I can't say I blame them."
"So far, nothing has been said from the others watching the perimeter, Fukumi and Bunta have reported nothing usual," Akio said, approaching the group.
"Just the same we should wrap this up quickly, because with or without them we got a lot of prepare for and little time for it," Marirrosa suggested.
Meanwhile the following morning in the Viceroy Palace within the heart of what was once Tokyo, Clovis was in his office taking care of some necessary paperwork. Once he was finished, Clovis pushed a button on his desk to allow for his appointment, who wished to meet with him. He was not looking forward to it, but considering he commanded one of the more influential political groups within the military, he couldn't ignore him either.
With an expression that said, may as well get this over with, Clovis commanded his secretary to send in his next appointment.
A guard outside opened the door, allowing Jeremiah Gottwald to walk in, dressed in uniform. He stopped before Clovis's desk, offering a bow.
"Thank you for seeing me your highness," Jeremiah greeted.
"Not at all Margrave Jeremiah, but I assume your request to meet me regarding recent events surrounding Shinjuku," Clovis said, for all his incompetence on the battlefield he was at least able to recognize what someone is seeing him for.
For Jeremiah there were very few reasons for his request to meet with him, and the timing made it very clear.
"It is, I feel many of our losses could've been avoided if General Bartley and those Staff Officers were actual military men instead of former pencil pushers, if you would forgive my use of description for them," Jeremiah said, his contempt barely restrained for the four men.
Clovis sighed, he had been correct.
"I acknowledge our charge into Shinjuku Ghetto was disorganized and lead to us being blindsided by another and much more dangerous terrorist group," Clovis said bitterly, he recognized their lack of formation and organization had left them dangerously open to attack from a more organized and capable enemy.
However, at the time they had assumed they were only dealing with a terrorist group who could only afford one Glasgow.
"Yes, I suppose due to we were all under the assumption the terrorists with one barely functioning Sutherland were a hardly a threat."
"Indeed, which left us vulnerable from a new terrorist group who were far better equipped and armed operating in the same ghetto."
"Even so your highness I must ask, why put up with their incompetence?"
"The Staff Officers under Bartley have been reassigned and demoted for their failures, however General Bartley himself, while facing punishment for his recent blunders will retain his position for now," Clovis revealed.
Jeremiah's expression was pleased at the removal of the staff officers, but Bartely retaining his position troubled him.
"Loyal men like him are hard to find, that is the only reason he is staying on," Clovis said, recognizing what Jeremiah was thinking, his skill in navigating various social gatherings as a member of royalty was perhaps the only thing helped him appear as a competent ruler to govern Area 11.
"I can understand and respect loyalty and finding such men who have those traits," Jeremiah acknowledged with a nod as he continued to stand at attention. "However, after what happened yesterday, I fear his incompetence may be a dangerous liability to you."
"Perhaps, but it is the terrorists who appeared yesterday that have my concern. Have you seen the reports on the weapon they used against us?"
"I haven't your highness," Jeremiah replied, Clovis used a button on his desk to activate a wall screen, showing the specs of the Sparrow Railgun.
"The D09-A 120mm experimental anti-material railgun, code-named the Sparrow, was produced by our nation as part of an effort to create a new generation of Knightmare Frames. Despite its destructive potential and range, none of the test Knightmare Frames could survive the recoil during testing, so it was deemed a failure," Clovis explained.
"You mean these terrorists got their hand on such a weapon?"
"And got it to work, which you can guess caused no shortage of alarm and outrage that a weapon found its way into terrorist hands. The homeland began an investigation once I had informed them of discovering a terrorist group had it, and were able to use it. Those responsible for selling the weapon on the Black Market have already been arrested, but who sold it to these terrorists are not known despite their best efforts," Clovis said, his expression grim.
"This terrorist unit must be in possession of considerable resources, but are they a part of the JLF?"
Clovis shook his head, "No as far as we can tell. We know they weren't apart of the terrorists who stole the Poison Gas, confirming they were a separate group who happened to be in Shinjuku Ghetto. The terrorists we captured and interrogated revealed as much."
"So, these terrorists have a dangerous weapon, have considerable resources and we have nothing on them?"
"That is the regrettable truth yes, but I do have intelligence on the job to look for any leads."
"I see, but what of the terrorists captured?"
"They are being held at a secure location, which we have kept secret to prevent a rescue. Once we have something else, we intend on interrogating them further, but there are plans to execute them once their usefulness runs out," Clovis replied. "Hence I am keeping General Bartley on hand for the time being since I don't have time to seek a new right-hand man given the danger of this group."
"I understand your highness," Jeremiah said, but his tone suggested he didn't completely agree yet he wouldn't argue it further.
"Once intelligence finds something we can hopefully eliminate them before they become a serious danger to us in Area 11. It goes without saying whatever Knightmare Frame has that weapon will be priority target. I would like to ask for you and the support of the Pureblood Faction during this time," Clovis said with a serious expression.
"Of course, you'll always have it your highness," Jeremiah replied with a bow.
"Thank you, Margrave Jeremiah, if that is all then I believe we are finished," Clovis said, before Jeremiah bowed again before leaving.
Once Jeremiah was gone Clovis breathed a sigh of relief before reclining in his chair.
We need to find those terrorists soon, because I need some impressive wins to make up for the disaster at Shinjuku, Clovis thought.
Following what happened, and their horrific losses, Clovis was forced to report it, which got the attention of the authorities of the Homeland. He managed to deflect most questions into anything that could reveal the contents of the poison gas by revealing the terrorists had a powerful weapon, which he would discover was the Sparrow Prototype.
Still had raised questions about his ability to govern Area 11 as Viceroy, and Clovis needed to silence them.
Unknown to Clovis, Jeremiah was making his own plans fearing something was going to happen that would endanger both Clovis and his life.
Later that night at Ashford Academy, Lelouch was helping Nunnally into bed, preparing to go to sleep. However, it seemed Nunnally was troubled by the revelation about Suzaku being a terrorist.
"Lelouch, it couldn't be true, about what they say about Suzaku?"
"No, I am sure it's a mistake, he just got caught up in it by accident."
"I hope that is true and he'll be released soon."
"I am sure he will be, now just get some rest. Things will get better, I promise you."
"Ok, good night brother," Nunnally said, as Lelouch pulled the covers over Nunnally then tucking her in.
"Good night Nunnally, sweet dreams."
With that Lelouch left, and once he was in his room with the door locked, he pulled out a cell phone.
"Ryo, it's me, is everything ready for tomorrow night?"
"Yeah, your infiltration of the prison helped. That new eye power is proving very useful," Ryo commented.
Using a disguise, one he hadn't hoped to use again anytime soon, Lelouch infiltrated as government official with forged documents provided by Yukiya. His Geass power made it easy for him to get close to the warden and key people within the Prison, not only did he set Yukiya with easy access to its systems, but he gained the locations of where the military had stationed units as a precaution.
The local Garrison had twenty more Knightmare Frames than normal on standby to support the prison in the event of a prison break.
With that information Lelouch worked out a plan after ensuring all traces of his presence was erased by those who cooperated with him.
"Right, I'll meet you at the rendezvous point by seven pm, we begin at ten pm once our false alarm draws the garrison away."
"Got it, I'll see then."
We'll have to act fast to succeed, before Britannia can send reinforcements, Lelouch thought.
The next evening shortly before ten o'clock at night, Lelouch was inside the cockpit of the Alexander Châtiment, on a small mountain overlooking the prison and much of the town. The trees of the mountain helped conceal the Alexander in its insect mode, but Ayano was nearby in a black Sutherland to provide cover him.
Using the data he acquired and collaborated with Yukiya's help, Lelouch took aim at the garrison, targeting the building hiding the extra Knightmare Frames and their pilots.
"All units check in, are all preparations completed?"
"Rescue Squad is standing by," Ryo replied, as he was in a bus that had been modified with armor plating put on it. Inside the bus dressed in full body armor like Ryo were Inoue, Chiyo and Eisen while Gakuto was behind the wheel acting as the driver.
"Assault Squad on standby," Marirrosa said, in the cockpit of her own custom orange and gold Knightmare Frame, the Alexander Linterna (Lantern), hidden in a transport trailer for Knightmare Frames.
Xu Lifeng, Fukumi, and Kallen were in black Sutherlands ready to engage the enemy.
"Breaching Team, is everything in position?"
"We've parked the truck as instructed, we are getting clear," Ayame replied as she and her friend Ichijiku were fleeing the area using a car that had been left for them.
The trunk in question was a large semi-truck used for transporting food, but instead was transporting was large bomb using high explosives with some liquid Sakuradite, which obtaining the amount needed was difficult given the short notice but the group managed it.
The timer was set to go off at ten pm exactly, and with everyone ready Lelouch contacted Yukiya.
"Has the Britannians responded to our false alarm?"
"They have, it should take them twenty minutes to realize it was a false alarm, so we only need to deal with the Knightmare Frames within the Prison once you take out the Garrison," Yukiya replied with a smile as he sat comfortably within their main base. "I've taken care of the prison's means to contact help, and of course the exterior security systems are playing a loop."
"Excellent," Lelouch replied, thinking.
All preparations are complete.
"Get ready, I am sure the guards on the wall will be noticing the truck."
The prison allowed only small cars and vehicles to park near the walls, anything larger like a semi-truck was illegal. The looping of the security footage would keep the prison's personal from noticing it, but the guards on the wall would notice it soon.
Counting down as Lelouch looked at a clock on the display in his cockpit, Lelouch was ready to fire as soon as…
The semi-truck exploded, destroyed a large portion of the prison wall, which at that moment Lelouch fired his railgun demolishing the local garrison before they could react. As Lelouch was busy destroying it, Marirrosa and her squad, left the trucks transporting them before rushing to the hole in the prison wall.
"All communications are jammed, but we'll have ten minutes to get the targets out before the military begins investigating what is wrong," Yukiya warned.
"You all heard that, take out the guards then clear a path," Lelouch commanded. "I'll cover you."
"Understood, ladies follow me!" Marirrosa declared as she led the charge.
Rushing into the hole in the wall, Marirrosa attacked firing her assault rifle in conjunction with Fukumi while Kallen and Xu Lifeng rushed forward with tonfa deployed to engage the enemy Sutherlands in melee. Marirrosa and Fukumi dropped four with their ranged attack, but Kallen and Lifeng took down those who evaded the assault rifle fire, one enemy Sutherland had its head knocked off its body, sending the cockpit flying as it was downed with another whose arms were destroyed was taken down.
"We've reached the second wall, Miss Kozuki, could you take care of the wall?" Marirrosa asked as she put away her assault rifle in favor of her machine's twin Srivatsa Steel-fashioned blake-blade rapiers, to engage the enemy in close range while the other two protected Kallen as she readied an explosive her unit was transporting, attaching it to the wall.
Marirrosa dodged the enemy gunfire with Xu Lifeng supporting her, she easily cut one Sutherland in two before beheading another, while Lifeng drew her Sutherland's assault rifle to gun down another attempting to attack Marirrosa from behind.
"Bomb is in place," Kallen announced as she and Fukumi hurried away from the bomb.
The wall exploded a moment later leaving the path clear for the group to move ahead, as Marirrosa finished off the last of the prison's Sutherland protectors.
That machine moves as fast as that white Knightmare Frame did, just where the hell did, they get that? Kallen thought, impressed by Marirrosa's Knightmare Frame.
"The last of the enemy Knightmare Frames have been dealt with, Rescue Squad can move in," Marirrosa reported.
"Good work K-1," Lelouch replied, pleased with himself.
"We're moving in, just take care of any of the guards," Ryo said as the bus hurried through the hole in the prison wall.
"Roger that," Marirrosa replied, as she located the prison block where Suzaku, Ohgi and the others were. Using her Knightmare Frame's fist, the Alexander knelt down before breaking open the wall into the building to create a path for the rescue squad. "We'll keep the area secured."
"What about the guards?" Kallen asked.
"I've got that covered," Lelouch replied grinning.
Meanwhile within the prison, every cell suddenly opened while every door was unlocked, the prisoners quickly seized the opportunity to escape, overpowering the guards as battles erupted within the prison between the guards and prisoners seeking to escape.
The bus arrived, with Ryo, Inoue and Eisen hurried off into the hole, engaging the few guards coming to execute the prisoners to prevent their escape. The rifles they had tore through their body armor, while Inoue saw Ohgi, Tamaki, Sugiyama, and Suzaku.
"Ohgi, it's us we got some help to rescue you guys," Inoue shouted as she stepped in, joining Ryo in keeping the guards at bay.
"Holy shit we're being broken out," Tamaki remarked.
"They came for us," Sugiyama said, smiling in relief.
The doors to their cells suddenly opened, with Suzaku confused while Ohgi smiled, all of them seemed to have endured a lot under their interrogators and the prison guards. Following Eisen who led them to the bus, Ohgi, Tamaki and Sugiyama hurried onto the bus, but Suzaku was hesitant.
"What are you waiting for kid," Ryo shouted, as he gunned down another guard.
"I can't go with you," Suzaku said, stunning Ryo and Inoue.
Even in the cockpit, Lelouch was listening to everything, his mind even stopped working for a moment, trying to understand why Suzaku would say that.
"W-what?" Lelouch muttered.
"Hey we're risking our necks to bust all of you out," Ryo demanded.
"Yes, and I appreciate the gesture, but I intend to stay because it would be wrong to do otherwise."
"You're joking right," Inoue commented.
"No and I understand that sounds crazy," Suzaku admitted.
Suddenly, something hit Suzaku in the neck causing him to fall back and pass out, Eisen was revealed to be responsible, having used a tranquilizer gun.
"Look this isn't something we have time for," Eisen said, running to grab Suzaku before taking him onto the bus.
"Maybe we should tie him up before he comes to," Inoue suggested.
"I agree," Ryo said as he and Inoue hurried onto the bus.
The bus began speeding off with Kallen, Fukumi, Marirrosa and Lifeng providing escort.
"K-0, we're leaving the prison now."
"Understood," Lelouch said, recovering from the shock of Suzaku wanting to stay. "Proceed to the rendezvous point, the Britannians having noticed, but assume they are and hurry accordingly."
"Yes sir," Marirrosa replied.
"Should we retreat Zero?" Ayano asked.
"Once they leave the prison, we'll vacate the area as planned, then rendezvous with everyone in Matsumoto Ghetto. I am going to need to have a word with Suzaku."
It was almost midnight when Clovis was roused from his slumber by a servant when news of the mass prison break reached him. Dressing quickly, he met with General Bartley in the main conference room, who looked horrified at what had just happened.
"Bartley, what happened?"
"There was a prison break at the prisoner where we were holding the terrorists' leaders we captured, the terrorist group that attacked us during Shinjuku Ghetto was responsible."
"And," Clovis demanded. "What about the extra Knightmare Frames we had stationed at the local garrison?"
Bartley began sweating profusely before answering, "They were destroyed, the Knightmare Frame armed with the Sparrow Railgun wiped them out before they could mount their machines. They knew we had a trap laid for them."
"How did they find out?!"
"I don't know, it's been investigated!"
Clovis slammed his fists on the table, frustrated and terrified, he knew he couldn't hide this from the homeland, and he was fearing their reaction.
Around the same time in abandoned theater, Lelouch dressed as Zero was with Suzaku who was just waking up from the effects of the Tranquilizer he was hit with. However, he wasn't alone as Ryo and Fukumi were with him, armed with weapons while from the film projection box Eisen was also there with a rifle.
"It seems despite our intelligence you and the others endured interrogation, but I do want to apologize for tranquilizing you."
Suzaku got up, his vision was blurred, but he heard what Zero had said to him.
"Who are you?"
"I am Zero."
"Were you the one who led the Japanese against Britannia in Shinjuku?"
"Yes, I was, but I was surprised to find out the son of Japan's last Prime Minister had joined the Britannian Army to only end up as a scapegoat for the fallout from such a disastrous loss," Lelouch remarked.
Suzaku closed his eyes, because he did admit being arrested to be used as a scapegoat because of his father was not something he liked.
"Having seen what Britannia is like why don't you join me, Suzaku Kururugi?" Lelouch said extending his hand, hoping his childhood friend would take it. "Together we can liberate Japan then Britannia as a nation ending the threat they poise to everyone!"
Suzaku was silent, looking at the masked man.
"I am sorry, but I must decline your offer."
"What?!" Lelouch said, as his brain stalling for a second in shock. "But, why?"
"I know Britannian has done its fair share of things that I know people can't forgive them for, but there are better ways. Like changing the system from within."
"He's joking right?" Ryo whispered to Lelouch.
"You know that will be impossible for an Eleven, don't you? If you tried chances, are you will be consumed by that same system for as long as those at the top who benefit from it, change will be possible unless something is done about them," Lelouch warned.
"True, as an Eleven I know I may not succeed. But, means achieved through questionable means is no victory at all," Suzaku said as he began walking towards a hole in the wall intending to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to the military?"
"Are you crazy, they'll arrest you or worse?!" Ryo snapped.
"Maybe so, but if I don't, they might use me as an excuse to crack down on other Honorary Britannians," Suzaku said, defiant.
"Should we stop him?" Fukumi asked.
Lelouch struggled the decision, but ultimately decided to respect Suzaku's wishes, even if he thought it was idiotic.
"No let him go, it's his choice," Lelouch said.
"I would take you in, but you would just kill me. Still, I thank you for helping me," Suzaku said before departing even a stunned Lelouch.
"We should probably relocate before he finds someone," Ryo advised.
"Agreed, gather everyone then let's return to our new base," Lelouch said, but he was trying to understand why Suzaku's reasons for his decision.
What happened to you Suzaku?
The following morning, news of what happened at the prison had spread across Area 11, as many of the prisoners had escaped the prison in Takayama. Police was being stretched thin trying to find everyone who had escaped, but as resistance groups began making moves across Area 11 in response to the government's recent failings, hoping to seize upon it, which created more headaches for Clovis and benefited Lelouch.
However, Suzaku refusing to join him bothered him.
"Hey buddy, you seem kinda down today," Rivalz said, sitting next to Lelouch in class.
"I am just exhausted is all, nothing to worry about," Lelouch replied.
"That seems to be normal for you lately, up to anything interesting," Rivalz inquired, interested.
"Nothing worth talking about," Lelouch lied.
Maybe I should've skipped class today, Lelouch wondered, noticing that Kallen wasn't here.
"Well just as a reminder, Milly wants you at this afternoon's meeting?"
"Let me guess there is an issue with the budget?"
"Not really, but you know that girl, Kallen Stadtfeld?"
"Yes, I asked her to join the Student Council?"
"Right, so we are planning a welcome party for her."
"A welcome party?"
"We were planning to do one, but Milly had a few family things and Shirley had a swim meet," Rivalz explained while Lelouch regarded him with a sour look.
"Leaving me out of the planning for what reason?"
"Milly thought you wouldn't be interested and would call the whole thing a waste of the budget."
Lelouch regarded his friend with suspicious expression, "Considering the trouble we have with the budget due to her diversions she usually does, it would've been."
He couldn't help but recall things like the Silent Party, which wasn't so bad even if it was awkward at times, but Swimsuit Day led to all matter of headaches he had to clean up due to complaints from female students over male students eyeing them and taking photos of them without their knowledge or consent.
It was the tip of the iceberg, and to avoid similar incidents Lelouch has been involved in both the budget and whenever Milly was planning a new event.
This earned him the annoying, but accurate title of the President's minder.
"But, if Milly wants to have this party, then fine, we just need to not doing anything crazy. We should keep Kallen's delicate health in mind," Lelouch said, glad he could use that as an excuse to keep things low key.
"Sure, thing buddy, I don't think that could be a problem," Rivalz offered reassuringly with a smile.
Until Milly gets you on her side, since I know you will side with her on almost anything unless I am not there, Lelouch thought, aware of Rivalz's crush on Milly, but she hasn't noticed it and that wasn't surprising since Milly had other problems to deal with.
Now that he thought about it, if his rebellion did succeed then Lelouch would be doing Milly a favor.
No longer having to endure a horde of potential suitors her family wants to sacrifice her to regain their family status would benefit Milly, Lelouch thought, but the thought of sticking it to Milly's parents would also be very satisfying on its own as they represented everything, he hated about Britannian nobility.
Lelouch made a note, that unless planning for the party happened tomorrow, he was going to skip school as he had pressing matters as Zero to address.
Around the same time Kallen was inside the base at Kumagaya Ghetto, the red-haired resistance fighter was watching the recruits on simulators, looking for Marirrosa whom she had questions for. Ohgi was following her, awed by everything Zero had put together in a base that was an old underground shelter they had expanded upon.
The Black Knights have gown bigger than our own group has, Kallen thought.
Not to mention beyond the simulators other potential recruits were learning other necessary tasks for roles they were interested such as becoming a medic, mechanic, handling logistics and more.
"Hey Marirrosa, could we talk?" Kallen asked, upon spotting the young woman in her custom Black Knight uniform.
"Sure, what did you need?"
"Ohgi and I were curious, just where did all of this come from?"
"Zero brought most of this from the black market in Mumbai, then it was all transported here by submarine," Marirrosa answered, deciding honestly was probably best to help build trust between the two groups.
Although they did join the Black Knights after the rescue of Ohgi and the others, there were a few who were skeptical, most notable was Tamaki.
"You guys have a submarine?!" Ohgi exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, we purchased it along with much of our equipment, weapons and supplies," Marirrosa answered with a matter-of-fact tone.
"Ok, but if you don't mind me asking where did the money come from?" Ohgi asked, very curious to learn the details.
"Zero was a mercenary, so much of his fortune came from the money he amassed during that time, but what really helped was how we took out a corrupt and monstrous man known as Hugo Strandberg," Marirrosa said, before recounting the story behind the man, the things he had done and the vast fortune they got from him.
At that moment, someone else had finished telling the same story to another curious member of Ohgi's group.
Inoue was in the cafeteria with Mariko sitting across from her with the former stunned at all she was learning.
"I can't imagine someone like this Strandberg got away with so much and this commander from the wZERO was horrible. I would've thought the Japanese who fled to the EU would've been treated better," Inoue said, her voice and expression a mix of horror and outrage at the actions of Hugo and Pierre Anou, and the treatment the Japanese endured.
"That was the life me and the others who follow Lelouch endured, living in cramped ghettoes which only had a handful of small buildings forced to house three times the amount of people they were built for. Then you either be led into a gang, made into a slave, end up in the squads like wZERO group to become suicide pilots, or something worse."
"I can see why you would follow Zero then, he has led you to one success after another," Inoue said, her expression softening to one of compassion and understanding.
"He has, but he also saved our lives too," Mariko said, her cheeks appearing to turn red for a moment, something that Inoue noticed.
"You have a crush on him," Inoue remarked with an amused smile.
"Huh!?" Mariko said, having not expected a comment like that.
"I guess no surprise there," Inoue said amused. "Since you all know him outside of the mask, makes it easier I guess."
"Yes, that is true we know him outside of the mask," Mariko said, regaining her composure. "But you'll understand we have no wish to divulge his identity right now, especially among new people."
"To keep word about who is from reaching the Britannians?"
"Yes," Mariko answered, but that wasn't the only reason as Lelouch wasn't sure how the Japanese would react to a former prince leading a rebellion against his own nation. "Besides he rather not let who is be what defines him, but what he can do."
"That's fair," Inoue replied, seeing no reason to disagree, but she was curious about the man.
At that moment, Marirrosa had finished telling the tale of events of how they dealt with Hugo and the Commander of the wZero, and the theft of the Alexander Knightmare Frames. Unlike Mariko, she didn't tell Kallen or Ohgi how she met Lelouch or events that led to the loss of her brother.
"Shit, talk about ballsy," Kallen remarked, impressed by Zero.
"I impressed he got away with that," Ohgi commented.
"There were some close calls to be sure, but we were successful. Zero expected that sooner or later we would face Britannia's best, and would need the best machines we could get our hands on to even the odds as much as we can. That White Knightmare Frame in Shinjuku only proved his points, just not in the way he would've expected," Marirrosa said, recalling how capable the white Knightmare Frame was.
"No kidding, I didn't think Britannia had something like that in the works," Kallen said, remembering how easily it was dispatching everyone it faced.
"Britannia has been trying to create a newer generation of Knightmare Frames, especially since other countries have been pursuing their own Knightmare Frame development since the invasion of Japan. Britannia has made some improved models with anti-Knightmare Frame combat in mind, but more than aware other countries would work to develop something that could match their best machines continued development, stalling until I guess that white Knightmare Frame was built," Marirrosa explained.
"Makes sense, and we were just unlucky enough to face that thing," Ohgi said, with both arms over his chest in contemplation.
"Don't worry, we have in our employ some capable engineers and ties to the one they work for who has been developing a new generation of Knightmare Frames, hopefully we can create a mass production unit that can be used by everyone to keep up with Britannia, or get ahead of them before they can mass produce that white machine," Marirrosa offered reassuringly.
"That's good to hear, but those engineers you mentioned are training others?"
"That is right," Marirrosa said nodding to Ohgi's question. "If you want, we can go meet them."
"Sure, I wouldn't mind," Kallen replied before Marirrosa led the way.
The following day, Lelouch arrived at the base in Kumagaya Ghetto, dressed as Zero to attend to matter at the base. One such concern was meeting with Mariko in a small room set aside to become his personal office, which also allowed for a place to take off his helmet. He and Mariko sat next to each other with a folding table before them and a laptop on top of its which Mariko was using to go over the current budget while showing what supplies they had and with the newer members in their group, how long they could last.
Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics, Lelouch recalled the famous saying of a certain general.
Maintaining supplies and proper logistics would be critical, a fact Lelouch kept in mind. They had well prepared for the long haul, but recent events and a sudden surge of followers may have impacted their stockpiles of supplies.
The explosives for example they had stockpiled were nearly depleted having expanded most of them in packing a semi-truck with one big bomb and the smaller bomb Kallen used on the second inner wall.
"It's good to see we're still fine on food and medical supplies, although we'll run out three months sooner than we had stockpiled for," Lelouch said after reviewing the numbers with Mariko. The stockpile of food and medicine was meant to last their group for about a year.
"We had a lot of mouths to feed and their families, but our only saving grace is that you had planned for increased membership to our group."
"Yes, but I didn't think we could grow this quickly," Lelouch said with one hand on his chin.
"Certain events have no doubt done favors for your reputation," Mariko said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"True, and still growing. I am just glad Yukiya with Oiaguro's help had set up a system for us to check the backgrounds of our new members, reducing the chances of a spy or someone with malicious intent of getting into our organization," Lelouch remarked, before using one hand to massage one of his temples on his forehead.
"It won't prevent such a thing completely?"
"I know, which is another reason we cannot have this as our only base. If we put everything into one basket it could be a disaster if a single spy did join our ranks and found this place," Lelouch said, aware of the danger. "Spreading ourselves into different cells with some bases serving as dumbing locations with strict information control among members will further limit the damage a spy could do."
"You'll need leaders for those cells, so anyone in mind?"
"Not yet," Lelouch replied. "It is an issue we'll need to address at one point; we'll need leaders as we grow."
"What about our supply issue through, we both know we can be going to Mumbai too much," Mariko inquired.
"I know, the Nautilus's stealth capabilities do allow us to move in and out of Area 11 easily, but if we travel too often between those places for supplies, we could be noticed especially if Britannia begins increasing maritime security," Lelouch said, recognizing the same issues as Mariko was. "Our best option would be to gain the support of the Six Houses of Kyoto."
"They back the JLF and certain resistance groups, how would we approach them?" Mariko inquired, curious what Lelouch had in mind.
"There are ways, but if we want their support, we'll need to prove capable. In otherwise we need to do something the JLF couldn't do," Lelouch said, thinking for a moment before an idea came to mind. "Ah, I know just what to do?"
"What are you thinking?"
"I heard a few years ago the JLF attempted to seize the weapons and supplies of a Britannian Garrison and Supply Depot located in the old city of Katori, which was seize by Britannia and reduced to a ghetto. The Katori Garrison Base is one of the largest in the region and protects the largest supply depot holding stockpiles of weapons, Knightmare Frames, and supplies. It was a precaution against any attempt by the Chinese Federation to seize Japan as it is one of six supply depots of such size and storage meant for such a purpose," Lelouch said, recalling a news article on the incident.
"It's because despite having a treaty between the two superpowers, I doubt the Federation were thrilled about having an aggressive rival superpower as a neighbor? One is easily a short boat ride away, and Euro-Britannia taking almost everything north of them no doubt hasn't helped," Lelouch said, knowing that should they succeed in liberating Japan, the threat of the Chinese Federation would be something they would need to contend with.
We'll need to do something about the High Eunuchs before we liberate Japan from Britannia, Lelouch said, making a mental note for later.
Of course, that was one of the reasons he allowed Xu Lifeng to join, as he would need someone who has clashed against them before and knew the land to devise a plan to take the High Eunuchs down, but that was an issue for another time to address.
"However, it would have more than enough supplies we could raid to not only replenish our own, but toppling such a base that the JLF couldn't would vastly enhance our reputation and be used to make our case to Kyoto to back us."
"Solving two problems at once, but that is a military arsenal, how do you plan to bring it down?"
"For one thing our current numbers won't do, we'll need to train up our current members first," Lelouch recognized. "I have asked Yukiya to draw up a list of targets for us, using information hacked from Police databases, and other systems. The Order of the Black Knights are knights for justice, so we need to punish those the law will not punish, which will provide both opportunities for live training, chances to enhance our reputation and the chances of acquiring weapons and supplies we could use would be an added benefit."
"Alright and I assume in the meantime intelligence would need to be gathered on that place," Mariko said, suspecting what Lelouch had in mind.
"Exactly, this will not be easy, especially if we want to make a big show about it."
"A big show, just what are you planning?" Mariko asked, which Lelouch smiled.
A/N: I felt like this was a good place to stop, but in the next chapter I do plan on focusing more on inter-character moments, Ashford Academy while Lelouch and company will begin acting as Knights of Justice to the people of Japan to build up a rep and provide live training moments for their new recruits to prepare for a large operation.
Now as you will have noticed in the chapter I ran into problems with the prison break out, because with the capabilities of Lelouch and company it seemed like they could do it fairly easily. Which became something I was growing worried about if I had stacked TOO much in favor of Lelouch and his friends, which was one of the reasons this story ended up on hiatus for awhile.
Until I decided to just move forward and try to address it as I go, but keep in mind Monica, Oldrin, Marika, and Lilianna likely joining Lloyd and Cecile should even things out, and more so once Cornelia shows up.
What happened to Suzaku will be revealed in the next chapter, but instead of rescuing him before a live audience for the debut of Zero, it would instead be toppling a military garrison and supply depot that even the JLF couldn't bring down.
The hotel hijacking might still happen, but it would be no doubt motivated by the Black Knights showing up the JLF.
And how long will Clovis keep his position, since for all of his incompetence I did want to show his ability to pick up things during conversations was his only good bit useful to him as Viceroy, outside of his panting skills.
So chapter 11 is underway, and the other stories I am working on will be posted once my betas finished with them.
Needless to say this story still has no beta, but on the flip side it allows me to post faster.
Thank you all for reading and thanks in advance for any reviews or feedback, I hope this chapter was worth the wait or at least set the stage for something big down the line.
Here are the specs for Marirrosa's custom Alexander.
Model number: WOX-Type-01 A/1
Code name: Alexander Linterna (Lantern)
Pilot: Marirrosa Noriega
Unit type: prototype seventh generation Knightmare Frame
Manufacturer: Clément Factory (original unit), Militarized Zone of India (customized and upgraded)
Operator(s): Order of the Black Knights/United States of Japan, Holy Britannia Empire
First deployment: 2017 A.T.B.
Accommodation: pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso
Dimensions: overall height 4.56 meters (Knightmare frame mode)
Weight: combat weight 8.02 metric tons
Armor materials: Srivatsa Steel
Powerplant: Yggdrasil Drive, Energy Filler
Equipment and design features: landspinner high-mobility propulsion system, mounted in legs; Insect Mode transformation mechanism; Sub-arms; Brain Raid System
Fixed armaments:
2x WAW-04 30mm Linear Assault Rifles "Judgement" (can be mounted on sides of the cockpit)
2x fixed Uruna Edge knives (stored within arm shaft)
2x stake-shaped Tonfas (stored on arms, handheld in use)
2 x Llamarada-type Slash Harken Launchers, mounted on the torso, one each between the shoulder and the body, usable in insect mode and Knightmare frame mode; when they strike a target, they release a burst of radiation to cause the target to explode.
Optional hand armaments: none
2 x Srivatsa Steel-fashioned blake-blade rapiers, stored alongside the cockpit by the Judgement Assault Rifles
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StrifeHavoc
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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So out of remorse for adding more to the harem poll on my Fanfiction.net profile page, I decided to do a poll here, but consisting of those who were added after the poll went up and those loosing not as bad as those dead last on the poll.
Maya I wasn't going to add because she is already going to be the main love interest in Lelouch of the Lost Tale, but yet I got a lot of requests by PM so I added her late.
Monica, if she wins I'll likely see if she could be included but I'll ignore the whole backstory about her being Lelouch's half sibling since most I've talked to about it feel it doesn't make sense.
Others I've included for consideration, but remember the polls alone won't decide the harem.
Maya I wasn't going to add because she is already going to be the main love interest in Lelouch of the Lost Tale, but yet I got a lot of requests by PM so I added her late.
Monica, if she wins I'll likely see if she could be included but I'll ignore the whole backstory about her being Lelouch's half sibling since most I've talked to about it feel it doesn't make sense.
Others I've included for consideration, but remember the polls alone won't decide the harem.
Akuma-Heika
The Devil Exists Within
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Could I ask what they are? Is it the difficulty posting stories?
StrifeHavoc
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Notification issues, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.
While this is a problem with the FF.net forums, it has happened to some of my story chapters where it takes an hour or two for a story to update, which is the same issue with forum posts too, among a growing problem of scammers wanting to promote your work.
And lately I can't tell how many hits the recent chapter has gotten.
Also I made a mistake with the poll and had meant to give everyone unlimited choices, @Dehaka @Hobo Jail @Saltine and @Victus321
I made a second similar poll for those who may not have QQ accounts by some chance on FF.net here.
Akuma-Heika
The Devil Exists Within
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I personally didn't notice, but that isn't entirely surprising. I keep track through my favorites being updated, and I haven't kept track of you as much as I used to (a number of stories I liked a lot were apparently dropped [they haven't been updated in years]), so I haven't kept track as much as I used to.
StrifeHavoc
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Which ones were you following?