Despite the gunshot’s volume, the results were almost disappointingly mild: Clovis’ head bounced back from the recoil, hitting the back of the throne before leaning against the barrel of Lelouch’s gun. A tiny trail of blood began to leak from the hole, the prince’s facial muscles relaxing in death and turning his blank expression into something a little more natural.
Lelouch didn’t move a muscle, still staring down at Clovis with a small frown that concealed his inner feelings. Even CC let go of her previous hostility towards the blonde princeling and was now focusing solely on Lelouch: less with concern, though there were traces of that, and more with curiosity.
“Lelouch.” Amiya called his name, and unlike with CC, one could feel the sheer amount of concern in her voice and posture. “Are you—?”
Suddenly Lelouch stepped back and let the gun fall from his fingers, the weapon clattering to the ground. Without a word he turned around and walked past Amiya, then left the room altogether.
The Cautus glanced between the door and her friends, obviously torn on who to choose. A comforting hand on her shoulder from the Doctor put her inner turmoil at ease. “We’ll take care of things here.”
“Thank you Doctor.” Nodding in gratitude, Amiya left the control room and followed after Lelouch. She didn’t need her powers to see that something was terribly wrong with the black-haired young man: even setting aside what he just did, Lelouch’s emotions were fluctuating too wildly during the whole interrogation. He may have had a tight control over his external reactions, but to her senses it was like a tsunami battering against a dam.
Amiya’s stride slowed down when her sensitive ears noticed muffled sounds coming from a side door in the long corridor. Slowly placing a hand on the doorknob she tested it, and found the door unlocked: on the other side was a washroom, a little small but still lavishly decorated. The sounds turned louder and clearer, and one look at the sole open stall allowed Amiya to understand what was happening.
With a solemn expression she took one towel, put it under a faucet and turned on the latter. Once done she squeezed the unnecessary water out of it and approached the open stall, where Lelouch was still heaving despite his stomach being empty now. He didn’t visibly react when Amiya knelt beside him, one hand on his back and the other offering the wet towel. “Use this.”
hatred-grief-remorse-hatred-grief-guilt-hatred-grief-disgust-
Lelouch took the towel and used it to clean his mouth. “I’m more sensitive than I thought.” He said with a self-loathing that was only partially faked.
Amiya shook his head. “No Lelouch, you’re just human.”
Honestly, the Cautus was relieved by the fact that Lelouch, for all his hate-hate-HATE, was still able to feel bad for taking a life. It gave her hope he wasn’t too far gone to be saved, like... like...
The fingers of her free hand rubbed harshly the area once occupied by a ring.
“Humans don’t normally commit fratricide.” Lelouch commented tersely.
“No, but no one in Rhodes Island will judge you for that.” Amiya’s tone turned gentle. “So please, don’t judge yourself too harshly Lelouch.”
The boy didn’t answer immediately, but she could feel his emotions cooling down to a barely manageable level. Finally Lelouch let out a chuckle. “I don’t suppose you’re also able to grant superpowers? Because I would like to switch contractors.”
“Sorry, I can’t do that.” Amiya looked down sadly at her free hand, opening and closing it. “Using my powers to help people is, I’ve come to find, rather difficult.”
Lelouch simply grunted, deciding to not inquire further since he could see it was a loaded argument. He was hardly in a good emotional state himself. “Still. In the future I need to control myself better, I can’t appear weak in front of everyone.”
Lelouch would deny Britannia’s Social Darwinism until his dying breath: after all, how could he accept an ideology that pretended he cast aside Nunnally just because she was a potential hindrance to him getting a ‘better’ life? Those people knew nothing, understood nothing!
But if there was one thing Lelouch’s bastard father managed to teach him, one single thing that he gave a damn about... was that a leader must always look strong in front of his subordinates: to show doubt is to weaken morale, and nobody want to follow someone who cannot guarantee victory. The Emperor of Britannia ruled over a country of cutthroats because he managed to convince them all he was invincible.
Amiya slowly shook her head, a gentle smile on her lips. “You have that backwards, Lelouch. Above all else, we must not be ashamed to show our weakness. Once I tried to do as you said, and it almost destroyed me.”
When Theresa died... When she found herself in the position to inherit the Sarkaz Queen’s hopes and dreams, Amiya tried her hardest to be the same leader Theresa was.
She failed. Because she was not Theresa, she was Amiya.
“But the Doctor, Kal'tsit, Miss Closure and everyone else accepted me for who I was, not who I was trying to be. I will not think less of you just because of this, Lelouch, and neither will the others. So don’t be scared to show what you really feel.”
The black-haired boy didn’t answer immediately, looking down while considering the Cautus’ words. To be sure, the people of Rhodes Island had great faith in Amiya and the Doctor despite both of them being nothing like the Emperor or Lelouch’s more charismatic siblings... and yet, what if they were just a minority? Would the people of Earth follow someone in rebellion against the monster that was Britannia unless they can offer the certainty of victory?
“I’ll keep your advice in mind.” He replied instead of voicing his doubts. Both views had some good points, he needed to observe further and witness the truth for himself before making a decision with potentially disastrous consequences. “For the moment, it would be better to leave the command center and Shinjuku now that our business has been dealt with.”
“You’re right.” Amiya nodded solemnly. “We have a lot to discuss with the others. It was an emergency, but it doesn’t change the fact I dragged everyone into something big. They deserve an explanation.”
-0-
“Fuck yeah! Run with your tail between your legs, you damn Brits!” Tamaki hollered at the top of his lungs. The fact all Britannian troops already left Shinjuku and were nowhere in sight didn’t matter to him one bit. They, a small resistance group, just scored the first victory against Britannia after the Miracle of Itsukushima! It was beyond amazing!
“Sorry about Tamaki, he’s a moron.” Kento Sugiyama drawled with a flat tone as he helped one of Rhodes Island’s Medics carrying a stretcher with a patient. “Sadly he’s one of the senior members, so we’re stuck with him.”
“It’s not a problem! We have many Operators who also react very enthusiastically after victory.” Hibiscus cheerfully informed him. Like everyone else the girl’s face was hidden by a mask, but her sunny disposition shone through nevertheless. “Quite frankly, he’s acting quite composed as it is!”
Kento didn’t even try to hide the disbelief he felt at that statement. The patient on the stretcher, a man who broke his ankle, showed similar feelings despite the pain. “Not to sound rude or anything, but just what sort of people do you all work with?”
“The sort who thinks food with two million scoville constitute a ‘mild’ snack and consider those ‘Knightmare’ things to be annoyances at best.” Lava groused as she slouched past them, irritably scratching at the chin of her own mask. “And that’s just for starters.”
Sugiyama wasn’t ignorant, even seven years of being treated like trash by Japan’s conquerors weren’t enough to make him forget his education. He knew what the scoville scale was.
He also knew that two million scoville wasn’t usually food, but the stuff they put inside pepper sprays. “Who?!”
“Remember the woman in white and red that controlled metal and cut down Knightmares with a giant sword? That’s the one.” Lava replied, fiddling with her knife and book.
Hard to forget the woman who single-handedly broke a major Britannian offensive and pushed it back. As far as Kento was aware what that woman did was goddamn magic, but even if it offended his modern sensibilities he could not, and would not, argue with the results.
“Well, I don’t care if she eats without paying and dances naked under the full moon! That crazy dragon lady is alright in my book!” Tamaki snorted, having evidently heard the conversation. The redhead was standing on the roof of a broken car as if it was a podium, arms akimbo as he looked down with the kind of dumb smugness that was just so... so Tamaki. “Hell, with her on our side we can take back Japan with no sweat! We’ll march right up to Pendragon and shove our boots right up all those smug bastards’—!”
“Yeah, gonna have to put a pin in that.” Lava interrupted. Despite sounding disinterested there was something in her body language that told Kento she was amused. He went out with a girl like that once, nice gal but the relationship just didn’t work. “She already fucked off.”
“EH!? Whaddaya mean?!” For once Sugiyama agreed with Tamaki. “Isn’t she with you guys?!”
"She mooches off us.” Lava calmly explained, while to the side Hibiscus giggled very quietly. “We’re a convenient place for her to kick up her legs. We hoped that she’d stick around longer, but... well, whatever. Bringing her out was always a risk. At least she helped us before going for another walk.”
“Wow.” Kento blinked, then looked at his fellow freedom fighter with faked awe. “Tamaki, she’s even worse than you.”
“Fuck you Kento!”
Meanwhile, not too far off from there, a different group of Rhodes Operators and Japanese Freedom Fighters were mingling together while running search and rescue for the remaining civilians. Sadly, one of their number was slightly distracted. “Ooh, my poor shield is all banged up...” Beagle lamented, the Perro looking with sadness at the ravaged surface of her aegis.
“Don’t worry too much about it.” Noir Corne patted her shoulder. “If your shield broke but you’re still alive then it did its job. Broken shields can be repaired, lost lives cannot.”
“Honestly, I’m more amazed by the fact your shields can stand up to a barrage from an automatic rifle.” Ohgi commented while peering inside a hole in the wall. With caution and a finger on the trigger, of course: even if the Britannians had left, it didn’t mean all the civilians were defenseless people in need of assistance. The ex-teacher met his fair share of scumbags and looters that stole from those weaker than themselves, so he had little patience for people like those.
“In our line of work, taking that much abuse is the bare minimum.” The one-horned, masked blonde man replied to Ohgi after he pulled back, confirming that there was no danger. One thing the ex-teacher quickly noticed is that, unlike most of his comrades, Noir had a distinctive Japanese accent: not of the Tokyo region, but similar to the speech of people born in Shikoku. “Part of the credits, of course, go to Rhodes’ manufactured shields: see, it’s not like we are a massive company or something so we go for quality over quantity. And Vulkan, the Operator in charge of smithing and maintaining weapons, is very good at her job.”
Ohgi nodded in understanding: even if it was a big change compared to what he learned of modern fighting, he witnessed the effectiveness of Rhodes Island’s methods firsthand. “We are more used to relying on cover while rushing to take down the enemy before they can do the same with us.”
“Considering how many firearms everyone here has, that’s a good strategy.” The blonde Oni put down his shield and rubbed one of his ear’s lobes. There was what looked like an old scar on it. “Man, something like that would have made my past VIP protection gigs that much harder.”
“We are back.” Yato spoke as she approached, followed by Fang and Kroos. The masked woman gave the other Operators a quiet nod of acknowledgement before facing the ex-teacher. “Ohgi-san. There is something I need to talk with you about in your role as the leader of your people.”
“I see.” Ohgi may have taken over Naoto’s role due to a mix of peer pressure and plain seniority, but he still strove to be the best leader he could as a way to honor the memory of his old friend. “What do you need to talk about with me, Yato-san?”
“Doctor Kal’tsit bade me to tell you that Rhodes will not turn away anyone who needs aid, be they fighters or civilians.” Yato began. “However, due to circumstances I am not at liberty to disclose, but which will become evident in case you accept the following deal, everyone who will be brought to our base needs to swear an oath of secrecy regarding its location.”
That was it? Ohgi didn’t know about those ‘circumstances’ Yato mentioned, not yet anyway, but it wasn’t an unreasonable request. “After what Rhodes Island did for us, Yato-san, we owe you more than you can possibly imagine. Consider it done. In regards to the civilians, if their conditions aren’t critical it may be for the best if I talk with them first: some may prefer to associate with us and you as little as possible in order to protect their families.”
Or just themselves. But Ohgi would not begrudge anyone trying to have a quiet life, even if it meant bowing their head to Britannia. And, no matter how much he loathed himself for considering it, there was a real chance some people would gleefully take advantage of Rhodes’ kindness in order to sell them to the Britannians: Ohgi considered himself a good judge of character, by nature and necessity, so the least he could was to screen the injured for signs of possible untrustworthiness.
“Understandable.” Yato nodded. “The patients that can walk will require a guide, and we will need to make the evacuation as inconspicuous as possible. That will require—”
“Uh oh.” Kroos suddenly interrupted the horned woman, her rabbit ears twitching towards a specific direction. “Fang, Yato: we have a problem.”
“Kroos? What happened?” Fang asked, she and the others immediately getting ready for action.
“Warfarin is on a warpath and is currently strangling Nian’s new super-fan.”
The last part of the Cautus’ words was a source of confusion for both humans and citizens of Terra, even if the latter knew there were very few people capable of standing Nian’s personality, but everyone more or less understood that one of Rhodes’ people was causing troubles.
“Do you wish to handle this personally?” Ohgi asked while looking at Yato and Fang. If the commotion was caused by one of their own then they had the right to handle it without an outsider’s interference.
“Who is Warfarin threatening?” The Oni stared at Kroos through her mask. “Another Rhodes Operator or one of Ohgi-san’ people?”
“GET THIS CRAZY CHICK AWAY FROM ME!” Someone screamed in the distance.
“Tamaki.” The sole Japanese man currently present groaned, sounding just like a mother who returned from work and found the kitchen completely trashed by her five-years old son. “I’m sorry Yato-san, that’s one of mine. I’ll come with you.”
The horned woman just nodded. A quick look at the other Operators and they were off towards the direction the scream came from.
“I wonder what made Warfarin so mad.” Fang mused. “Kroos, what else did you hear?”
The blonde girl shrugged. “The doc was shouting about someone called ‘Red’, the other guy gave her lip, violence started.”
“But Warfarin is usually very calm and reasonable. What could have happened...?” Beagle muttered, only for both Yato and Noir Corne to suddenly stop and turn around. Despite the masks it was clear they were staring at the orange-haired Defender with a blank, completely unamused expression. “D-Did I say something wrong?”
“...Just be glad all of you came to Rhodes Island after Warfarin cleaned up her act.” Noir eventually replied with an even tone. He and Yato resumed walking, both Operators absentmindedly scratching a spot on their backs.
Ohgi was getting very, very mixed signals from all of this. To the point he was glad Tamaki got himself in trouble again, because it gave the ex-teacher familiar ground to cross.
What they found upon their arrival was Inoue and Yoshida, two other members of Ohgi’s group, trying to drag Warfarin off from throttling Tamaki: the sight was almost comical, what with every one of said freedom fighters being much taller than the white-haired girl, but Tamaki’s blue face and the group’s frantic struggles proved the Vampire had one hell of a grip.
“Doctor Warfarin! Cease this foolishness immediately!” Yato didn’t raise her voice to the point of shouting, but the intense authority of her words more than made up for it. To Ohgi it was clear the Oni also had a lot of experience being a leader, though with different methods. “What do you think you’re doing!?”
“Getting an answer out of this dipshit!” The red-eyed girl growled. “He's withholding information about a potential Code Blue! Going on Code Black!”
Those words made all Operators’ mood do a complete 180°: Beagle was visibly frightened, Kroos was grimacing hard and the others were so on edge Ohgi felt a brief need to step away to avoid cutting himself. Noir Corne snapped his hand to his ear and started whispering in harsh tones while Yato marched to Warfarin and harshly pulled one of her arms, forcing the Vampire to ease the pressure. “What. Happened.”
“Blood exchange, one of the freedom fighters. She ran off before I could get her name.” Warfarin gnashed her fangs beneath her mask as she glared at Ohgi. “You need to get him to talk, right now.”
“Why, what’s going on?” Ohgi interjected. They were talking in code but he could at least understand it was an extremely serious matter. “What are you talking about?”
“Ohgi-san. One of your people just became, excuse me for the bluntness, a walking biohazard.” Yato’s words had the same subtlety of a bull running through a china shop. “We need to find them and treat them ASAP before this city, if not this country, gets hit with an outright plague that everyone will be wholly unprepared to deal with. So for the sake of every living person around, be they Britannian or Japanese, answer the doctor’s questions.”
Ohgi’s mind immediately went to the poison gas they stole and which has yet to be recovered. It was not the same as what Yato was describing, and he had a lot of questions about the presence of a bioweapon in his fucking city, but at the very least the ex-teacher realized getting answers needed to wait until the danger was contained. “Tamaki. For the love of God, talk.”
The redhead coughed a few times to clear his bruised throat. “I-I can’t—grk!” he winced as the Operators holding his arms all but crushed his shoulders. “K-Kallen! I can’t say shit because they’re asking about Kallen!”
The blood drained from Ohgi’s face. “You’re sure?”
“This one attacked me screaming about ‘Red’, it’s her or we have one hell of a coincidence going on!”
True, Tamaki and Kallen were the only members of their cell that had red hair, even if with different shades. And hair of that color was rare in any case... though Ohgi was praying for all his strength that it was a coincidence. But given what the chainsaw-wielder had been calling her during the fighting... ah hell.
“She already left.” The ex-teacher revealed in place of Tamaki, drawing attention to himself.
“Call her back! Right now!” Warfarin demanded.
“I can’t. I mean!” Ohgi whipped his hands up placatingly as Warfarin snarled at him. “That I literally can’t! She has a civilian alias and needed to return home before her family, which will very much not approve of her life choice, could get suspicious.”
“We’re a little bit beyond her parents disapproving, Mister Ohgi,” Yato noted sharply.
He mentally apologized to Kallen for what he was about to do. “Yes, we really are, because she’s half-Britannian and from a noble family.”
“...what.”
“You heard me.” Tamaki, Inoue and Yoshida were giving Ohgi incredulous looks, which he summarily ignored. “By now she’s already back home, too far into Britannian territory for any of us to quietly reach her.”
“Then contact her.” Warfarin seethed.
“...She goes radio silent for a few days after a mission, to let heat die off and avoid arousing suspicion.” The ex-teacher admitted with a wince.
The Vampire fell deathly quiet, her glare boring into Ohgi even through her mask’s visor. “So. You’re telling me. That we have an unregulated Code Blue out in the middle of a major metropolitan area. And there’s nothing we can do about it!?”
Ohgi gave a shaky nod... and Warfarin let loose an incensed shriek as she wheeled around and punched a nearby wall, cracking it.
“M-Maybe it won’t take?” Beagle pointed out with a shaky tone, ever the optimist.
“...Do you really think we’re that lucky?” Kroos morosely asked.
The lack of answer was answer enough.
-0-
“Everyone, thank you for being here today.” The Doctor’s words were directed to every single one of the other participants as he sat down at the meeting table. Space was precious within Rhodes’ landship so the amount of very large rooms was limited, but for the meeting they chose one capable of comfortably accommodating everyone, along with a nice table to keep things professional. “I know not even a day passed since we all woke up from cryosleep, and that the first thing we asked of you was to fight against an unknown enemy with very few explanations, which couldn’t have been easy. So I am grateful for-”
“Yeah, yeah. We all get it.” The Emperor waved a flipper in a dismissive manner, not even bothering to look at the Doctor. He had both feet on the table and was leaning back with one flipper behind his head, as if he was on the beach getting a tan. “Drop the formal act Doc, nobody here cares.”
“I do.” Saria immediately rebuked said claim, and a slight nod from Ch’en showed she wasn’t the only one.
“Oh thank goodness, I wasn’t looking forward to keeping it up until the end.” The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, which earned him a few disapproving glares and an amused one. “But really, thank you a lot. I don’t regret what I did, but I ended up dragging you all with me despite knowing it was not what you signed for.”
“The fault is also mine, Doctor. Please don’t burden yourself unnecessarily.” Amiya smiled reassuringly.
“I distinctly remember telling you, in much detail, that Rhodes Island couldn’t afford to make an enemy out of a whole nation.” Kal’tsit glared half-heartedly at the masked man, then assumed a more somber expression. “But I was there and didn’t stop you. Enough with the blame game or we will be here for months.”
She looked at the other participants of the meeting, especially those who had yet to speak like SilverAsh and Hellagur. “We should start from the beginning. Approximately nine hours ago Amiya, the Doctor, Closure and myself were woken up from cryosleep by two people who introduced themselves as Lelouch Lamperouge and CC. Their presence inside the landship reactivated PRTS, which then guided them through the process necessary to safely end the cryosleep.”
The Doctor tapped two fingers on the table, subtly signaling for Kal’tsit to let him continue. “What followed was already mentioned in the memo we sent you before deployment, but I’ll say it again: we found out that the whole landship not only ended up thirty meters underground, with a whole city above our heads, but that it somehow pulled out something from a sci-fi novel and brought us to a completely different world.”
“This world is called Earth: unlike Terra it has been fully mapped, and 71% of it is covered in water.” Closure revealed, taking out a freshly printed map from a folder and spreading it on the table for everyone to see.
Almost all of the Doctor’s memories began that fateful day in Chernobog, and since then he didn’t have many opportunities to personally explore Terra. As such most of his knowledge regarding the world’s various countries came from stories told by the company’s Operators and books: while that made him more of a traveler than most people of Terra, who often never leave their birthplace, he can’t in good conscience call himself an expert in geography and derivative fields.
Even still, Closure’s map was extraordinarily detailed: it was simplified of course, with the different nations named and assigned a specific color, but the defined borders of each continent and major island gave the impression the drawer saw all of the whole world from above. Almost as if...
“In case anyone’s wondering, the answer is yes: the people of Earth managed to reach space and even landed on their moon. Their sole moon.” Closure revealed. Amiya had a look of wonder on her face, while Saria, SilverAsh and the Emperor were clearly predicting the possible implications. “They even put radio devices in orbit, enabling the creation of a worldwide communication network called the ‘Internet’. The amount of data available is astounding: we could spend hours talking about it. I spent hours. I think I have a new addiction.”
“Naturally, going over every single difference would take more time than we have. Thus we will only address the relevant parts.” Kal’tsit interrupted the Vampire. “The reasons behind our arrival on Earth are, at the moment, a complete unknown: all we have at the moment are wild conjectures. Moving on, after a short introduction and reveal of our current circumstances we were informed that a government-sanctioned massacre of the local civilian populace by the military was being perpetrated in the city above the landship.”
“Reason?” Hellagur asked with a cold tone.
“The governor of this country, which has been turned into a colony after being conquered ten years ago by a foreign empire, funded a secret project focused on illegal human experimentation. When the main test subject was stolen by resistance fighters, under the mistaken belief it was experimental poison gas, he had the army surround the area where the subject was last seen and conduct a systematic massacre of everyone inside in order to suppress all possible witnesses.” The Feline doctor revealed with a detached, clinical tone that sent shivers running down Amiya’s back. A certain masked tactician clenched his hands so hard one could almost hear his bones creaking. “Closure’s been trawling this world’s internet in order to compose a dossier on the enemy we currently face, the so-called ‘Holy Britannian Empire’ and its leader, Emperor Charles zi Britannia. Closure?”
“On it. Now then, esteemed ranking members of Rhodes Island, you all know me and you know what I’m like.” The black-haired Sarkaz began with a conversational tone. “I consider myself a reasonable woman. Quick with a joke, slow to anger...“
Closure slammed a fist over the table so hard it rattled, the look of fury on her face even more intense than the time Phantom managed to infiltrate the landship with none the wiser. “So you know I’m serious when I say that Charles Zi Brittania and all he has begot must die screaming AND IN FIRE!” she loosed a tense growl as she waved her hand side-to-side. “Barring a few notable exceptions, but those are few and far between.”
The first to break the resulting stunned silence was Emperor, the penguin slightly tilting his sunglasses to give her a searching look. “Strong opinion.”
“They are like Ursus!” she snapped back fervently, her fangs bared in full fury. “Only without the redeeming qualities!”
“Ursus had redeeming qualities?” The Doctor wondered aloud before flinching and scratching at the back of his neck. “Er, no offense, Hellagur.”
“No no, that is a sad yet valid opinion in recent years.” The aged veteran shook his head. News of the death of Patriot, one of his oldest friends, had hit him hard. “Especially given what we have all experienced.”
“Well trust me, Ursus looks downright cuddly compared to these bastards! Read for yourselves!” Closure took out more folders and flipped them around, one landing in front of each participant with great accuracy. “To sum it up with the salient points, the Holy Britannian Empire was founded when a certain royal family and their supporters were kicked out of their birth country by an invasion and took refuge in their colonies overseas. They’ve held an immense grudge since then, to the point they look down on basically everyone else in the world. When they conquer a nation they strip away everything: the government, the culture, even the country’s name! Each territory is turned into an ‘Area’ designated with a number, and its people are referred to by that number.”
With a finger she tapped a point in the map, a large island in the East. “We’re here, in the island country once called Japan. It was very similar to Higashi, by the way. Well, after conquering the land the Britannia Empire renamed it Area Eleven and its people Elevens. The original people of an Area aren’t even considered second-class citizens, more like third-class. The second-class citizens are the Honorary Britannians, Numbers who swore loyalty to the Empire: needless to say, they’re discriminated against by both true-blooded Britannians and Numbers. I’m not going to cover all the cultural destruction and historical revisionism because damn! That makes me so mad!”
“...Ursus’ crimes are many, especially towards the Infected but also against small groups like the Sami. However, even the monarchs of the past would have balked at this level of exploitation.” Hellagur’s voice was emotionless and his face a mask of granite, but even someone who knew him little like Ch’en could tell there was a simmering rage within his heart now. “Because that’s what it is: complete and utter exploitation. Stripping away everything that makes up the ‘identity’ of those conquered proves the Britannian Empire doesn’t even consider them human beings, just another resource for them to consume.”
“What is more cruel? To deprive a person of their life? Or to deprive them of their soul while forcing them to continue living like that?” SilverAsh spoke up, his tone making it clear he considered the answer obvious. “We all fought against the Britannians, we all saw what they are capable of. This is a war that began not when Rhodes Island first raised a weapon against Britannia, but from the very moment we woke up in this world. An option rather than violence never existed in the first place.”
“I have to agree with Operator SilverAsh.” The Lung of Yen released a tired sigh. “Maybe if we had ended up in any other nation of Earth, but as things stand: unless we find a way to move the whole landship with Britannia none the wiser, to fight is our only option.”
“You do realize the final logical outcome, right? The Holy Britannian Empire must cease existing.” Saria pointed out. “Not only that, we need to ensure that what is born in its place doesn't seek revenge against us. How are we going to do that?”
“There might be a way.” Amiya suddenly spoke, surprising everyone beside the Doctor and Kal’tsit. “It began when Lelouch Lamperouge, one of the two people who woke us, assisted the Doctor’s tactical decisions with his own skills and knowledge regarding the Britannian military.”
“You’re talking about the boy who issued orders together with the Doctor, yes?” Hellagur looked at the masked medic with an intrigued expression. “I must admit I was impressed by this Lelouch’s skills: while still green, back in Ursus he would have earned a recommendation for the Royal Officer Academy on talent alone. Who is he?”
“At first, Mister Lamperouge told us he was a civilian student.” Kal’tsit revealed. “As you can guess, said background quickly became suspicious. However, we didn’t pry further until the end of the battle when Miss CC, who previously made herself scarce, returned after securing a path leading directly to the Britannian HQ and the governor himself, Prince Clovis la Britannia.”
“Third Prince of the Empire, in the sense that among the males he’s the third eldest.” Closure added. “Emperor Charles has dozens of children, very few from the same mother. Staggering amounts of nepotism.”
“We infiltrated the command post, a process that involved knocking out a few guards and hacking into the surveillance system, and after learning he was currently alone we took Clovis hostage.” The Doctor said. Then he dropped the bomb. “After forcing him to issue a ceasefire, we learned that Lelouch is Clovis’s half-brother, and that his real name is Lelouch vi Britannia.”
“Oh? The skinny brat is royalty?” Emperor picked up a photo with Lelouch and waved it around. “What a coincidence.”
“Less than it may sound like. Later I checked what Lelouch revealed back then, and it all fits.” Closure nodded. “Lelouch’s mother was Marianne vi Britannia, one of Emperor Charles’ most trusted knights before marrying him. She was killed during what the media declared a terrorist attack, yet there’s enough circumstantial evidence to believe it was an assassination staged by Marianne’s political enemies. The same incident also robbed Lelouch’s younger sister Nunnally of the use of her legs and sight: apparently, Lelouch himself was among the first to arrive on the scene.”
Everyone grimaced at the mental scene, the air around SilverAsh becoming particularly heavy. It was in a low voice that he broke the silence. “What happened next?”
“After the case was closed with the culprits still unknown, a ten year old Lelouch sought an audience with his father to ask for justice.” Closure bared her teeth in a snarl. “Emperor Charles disowned both Lelouch and Nunnally and sent them to Japan as political hostages. One year later Britannia attacked the house they were staying in, levelling it to the ground. And then they invaded, in the name of avenging their wrongfully murdered scions, and both children were declared dead.”
“...That’s not a man, that’s a motherfucking monster!” Emperor spat out with such vitriol it was a miracle the table didn’t start melting right away. “Fuck, can’t believe he’s using my name as a title. How am I supposed to earn respect now!? I’ll have to pull double-duty on my sweet rhymes, really show the world music they’ve never seen before!”
“Well, that’ll be especially easy. If you turn to page 27 of the dossier, you’ll see Charles squashed the birth of Rap in this world.” Closure ‘cheerfully’ informed him.
Emperor cocked his gun and slammed it on the table. “Imma pop a cap in his bitch ass! That’ll solve everything!”
“Word, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” The Doctor snickered before his tone turned somber again. “Fast-forwarding to today, Lelouch showed us his hand and agenda when we confronted his brother: he tried to interrogate Clovis about his mother’s murder, believing that he was aware of the truth. However, it quickly became clear that, while Clovis knew something, he would not reveal it even under threat of death.”
“Bravery? Loyalty? Or just mere arrogance?” SilverAsh questioned.
Amiya shook her head. “Fear. Clovis was so terrified of someone that wasn’t us that he would have rather chosen death rather than speaking. Lelouch believed said someone was Emperor Charles.”
“Even the man’s own children fear him?” Hellagur muttered in disappointment. “The worst kind of tyrant then, one whose rule will spread misery even after his death.”
“What happened after that?” Ch’en asked. “I assume things didn’t just end there.”
“You are correct, Operator Ch’en. What I am about to reveal may sound unbelievable, but we stand as witnesses of their veracity.” Kal’tsit declared. “CC, who also had a history with Clovis but didn’t elaborate on the details, claimed to possess some kind of ability that let her body regenerate from any kind of damage, thus granting her biological immortality.”
“That is a bold claim.” Saria tapped her fingers on the table. “Proof?”
“None for now, the topic is obviously sensitive to CC so any kind of inquiry must be made with great care. But it’s what she revealed next that is relevant: a second ability capable of granting other people a skill called ‘Geass’. According to CC how it manifests varies from person to person, but it’s always a power capable of influencing the mind in some fashion. She offered it to Lelouch, stating that there were good odds of him acquiring a version able to make Clovis confess, in exchange for granting a certain unspecified wish of hers in the future. He accepted.”
Hellagur stroked his beard with a thoughtful hum. “That is indeed a bold tale, but I assume you were able to witness the effects of this Geass?”
“Yeah. CC touched Lelouch for a few seconds, the two of them falling into some kind of fugue.” The Doctor explained with a serious tone. “When he snapped out of it Lelouch ordered Clovis to answer all questions with the truth, which the Third Prince did. He spilled all the beans with just the barest of prompting. CC called it a ‘Geass of Absolute Obedience’: putting it simply, extremely powerful mind control activated through voice.”
The atmosphere within the room became even more solemn. The sole exception was Emperor, who just chuckled. “Not to play the Sarkaz’s advocate, but that’s a very villainous ability. You sure he didn’t abuse it? Ya know, on you?”
“He didn’t. I can guarantee that.” Amiya immediately answered, her words filled with so much confidence it stunned those present beside the two doctors. “Lelouch is not the type to do something like that.” That confidence then faltered momentarily, and she glanced aside as she bit her lip. “Not... without provocation, anyways...”
“Nevertheless, it would have been obvious if he’d attempted such a thing. While under the Geass’ effects Clovis seemingly lost all emotional responses, answering all questions in a mechanical fashion.” Kal’tsit elaborated. “And Closure kept up radio contact until we split apart with Lelouch and returned to the landship. I can guarantee Lelouch only used this Geass against the Third Prince. While under its effects Clovis revealed that he knew nothing about the murder of Lelouch’s mother, but that two of his older siblings may hold the truth: Schneizel el Britannia, the Second Prince, and Cornelia li Britannia, the Second Princess.”
“Schneizel is the Prime Minister of the Empire and Cornelia is Chief General of the Britannian Army.” Closure produced two new pictures, showing a man with blonde hair and a woman with purple hair. “As far as political and military powers go, they’re second only to Emperor Charles.”
“They too are Lelouch’s half-siblings, yes?” SilverAsh asked while staring at the pictures. On his shoulder Tenzin leaned forward to see better, the ruffling feathers proving the bird didn’t like what he was seeing. “What did he have to say about them?”
“Given the circumstances, we were in a hurry to leave, but in his own words, they are ‘the most deadly opponents one can face, with Schneizel being far more dangerous than Cornelia’.” Amiya answered. Lelouch hid it well, but the boy felt real apprehension at the idea of facing his other half-brother in battle: that was enough for the Cautus to take Lelouch’s words very seriously.
“Not to say that Cornelia is to be underestimated, mind you...” Closure lamented, flicking her fingers to bring up a virtual version of Earth's world map. “At present, the ‘Holy’ Britannian Empire controls well over half of this world’s territory, seventeen ‘Areas’ in total. And of these?”
Several sections of Britannia’s territory lit up ominously. “Out of the six Areas created after Japan, Cornelia li Britannia has led the conquest of four of them. And make no mistake, this is no empty accolade: Cornelia li Britannia leads her father’s armies from the front lines, and in so doing has earned herself the title ‘Goddess of Victory’ among her people... and ‘Witch of Britannia’ to the rest of the world.”
“At present, the intelligence we have gathered places her as conducting a campaign in these territories here, known as the Middle Eastern Federation,” Kal’tsit declared, indicating a territory in the dead center of the map. “However, given the state of things and her involvement, I imagine that it will soon become known as ‘Area 18’ before the month is out. And once that occurs... Well.”
The doctor let out a sharp ‘tsk’ as her ears flattened back against her skull. “We’ve struck a heavy blow against Britannia, both politically and militarily. I imagine we’ll be making her personal acquaintance all too soon.”
“And if we survive her attentions in the military theater, it’s all but guaranteed that Schneizel will be bringing up the rear to handle the politics.” The Doctor continued, tenting his fingers before his helmet and a grim countenance on full display. “Make no mistake: Schneizel isn’t quite the military leader that Cornelia is. But as Lelouch surmised, he’s no less dangerous for it. As Prime Minister, he essentially runs the Britannian Empire for Emperor Charles and has an iron grip on their politics; to this man, manipulation and subterfuge are his greatest weapons. When we face Cornelia, we’ll be facing the might of Britannia’s military... but facing Schneizel, we’ll be facing the full force of the Empire, flat-out.”
“Wrong. Just what they can afford to spare, however mighty it may still be.” SilverAsh’s voice was so full of confidence, it was like he was stating a fact rather than an opinion. “The size of their territories and the brutal way they treat the natives mean the Empire must maintain a considerable military force in the countries they conquered, else they suffer endless rebellions.”
“That is correct. Britannia must continuously enforce order in its conquered territories, that is the price of their policies. And an army is an entity that consumes an astounding amount of resources.” Hellagur nodded, speaking through his experience as a previous Ursus General. “However, this may change depending on the strategic value of a certain territory. Miss Closure, how important is Japan to Britannia?”
“Unfortunately, very.” She grimaced. “You all saw the Knightmares used by the Britannians. Their energy source is a mineral called Sakuradite, and Japan alone produces nearly 70% of the stuff.”
“I see. Denying Japan to them would be a major blow, but by the same token Britannia will fight twice as hard to keep hold of it.” Hellagur mused, fingers folded under his chin and eyes narrowed.
“This Sakuradite, what kind of properties does it have?” Saria asked Closure, her curiosity as a researcher piqued.
The Vampire’s eyes lit up. “It seems Sakuradite is Earth’s version of Originium, except contact with it doesn’t cause a disease like Oripathy! It is radioactive, so shielding and some precautions are still required, but beside that it’s perfectly safe! Well, safe-ish: as an ore Sakuradite will explode from any strong impact, so mining it safely requires it to be shaved off bit by bit. It’s also a superconductor, and the energy output is-”
Kal’tsit raised a hand, an irritated expression on her face. “Please discuss it later, you two. It is interesting, I admit, but now it’s not the time.”
“You said Schneizel is the Second Prince, yet he’s essentially controlling Britannia in place of the Emperor.” Ch’en pointed out next. “Does the Empire not follow the right of succession by primogeniture?”
“Right, right. While Prince Odysseus eu Britannia might be the First Prince, and therefore next for the throne by birth, it is widely held that Schneizel is the one who will one day succeed Emperor Charles.” Closure clarified. “Odysseus is very mediocre in many fields, especially compared to the likes of Schneizel and Cornelia, though ironically he is much more sympathetic and kind. Sadly he also lacks personal ambition and always defers to Schneizel in all decisions.”
“What about the First Princess?”
“Guinevere de Britannia? If you search in a book the definition of ‘Spoiled Princess’ you will not find her picture because she had the author shot and the book-”
“Enough.” SilverAsh rapped his knuckles on the table, interrupting the discussion. Uncaring of the irritated looks sent his way the Kjerag warlord continued. “The Viceroy, Clovis. He is dead, isn’t he?”
“Most people do not recover from a bullet lodging itself in the middle of their gray matter, yes.” The Doctor answered with a hint of sarcasm everyone in the room could tell was fake. “While still under the effects of Geass Clovis revealed he felt no regret for all the deaths and destruction caused by his decisions, seeing everyone below him as unworthy of concern. He only regretted that it almost hurt Lelouch: had Clovis known beforehand, he would have moved his brother to a safe location before continuing.”
“Lelouch shot him before the effects of Geass could end.” Kal’tsit revealed, then exhaled softly as if vexed. At what specifically, none could say.
The reactions at the table were mixed: Amiya’s ears dropped at the reminder of said tragedy, and the Doctor’s shoulders dropped slightly. Everyone else had a grim expression on their faces, with Ch’en biting her lips, except for SilverAsh who almost looked approving.
“And so it began. More than defending the Japanese, more than fighting their armies, it is by killing part of the physical incarnation of their country that we committed the ultimate defiance against Britannia. It matters not who was holding the gun.” The Kjerag warlord softly struck the floor with his cane, yet it may as well be as loud as a gunshot. His eyes turned towards Amiya, who met his gaze without flinching. “Miss Amiya, you said there might be a path towards a beneficial future for Rhodes Island. I would like to hear it.”
“Yes.” The young girl nodded resolutely, then took a deep breath. “Rhodes’ mission has ever and always been the well-being of the Infected. Alleviating their pain, fighting their oppression and promoting cooperation, finding a cure. But neither can we forget our motto: ‘May I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times.’ More than the Infected, we fight for people. Wherever they are, whoever they are. To alleviate their suffering... and in that sense, Britannia is our antithesis; they feed off of suffering, off of oppression and segregation.”
Her eyes hardened. “The Britannian Empire... disgusts me. On a personal and moral level its very existence is unconscionable. And I... I could not live with myself if I were to let it stand! To oppose the Empire is to oppose the world... but that is nothing new. The very existence of Rhodes Island is a defiance of the will of the world. So... it is my intention to fight. To fight, for as long as necessary, until this infection is cured. Until this world is made well again. And I would sincerely appreciate it if you were to lend me your support. Not because you must, but because you want to.”
The Doctor’s visor displayed a dopey smile. “Do you even need to ask? Well, I suppose vocal confirmation is reassuring. In this case, I can say with absolute certainty that Rhodes Island will stand by your side, Amiya.” Next to the man Closure grinned widely with a thumb-up, while Kal’tsit allowed herself just the smallest of smiles.
The Emperor spun his gun a few times before pointing it at the map, the barrel aimed straight at the Britannian Homeland. “If it helps me come close enough to pop a cap into the bastard, Penguin Logistics’ in! This will be our greatest delivery so far!”
“Like Emperor... said, we all have our personal reasons. And once more they align with Rhodes Island’s.” Saria continued, receiving nods of approval from SilverAsh, Hellagur and Ch’en. “But like it was already pointed out this is not a war we can win just by beating all opponents. What do you have in mind, Amiya?”
“Well, this is just a thought. And I have yet to ask if he would agree...” Amiya admitted, a little bashfully. “But what if Lelouch becomes the new Britannian Emperor?”
-0-
“Excuse me!” An incensed-looking Folinic approached two members of the Logistic Department that were going through a list of goods that remained in acceptable conditions. Ice can slow down biological processes a lot, but it cannot stop them indefinitely. “Have you seen a green-haired woman passing by?”
The two didn’t answer immediately, opting instead to share a brief look at each other. The Feline woman was widely considered by most of Rhodes as Kal’tsit’s unofficial main apprentice, though certainly not the only one, and trusted enough by the older doctor to often speak for her. It was a responsibility Folinic took very seriously, which was praiseworthy, but it was a rare sight indeed to see her so obviously angry.
Someone must have really ticked her off. The two Logistic guys really didn’t envy whoever Folinic was looking for.
“A green-haired woman... just to be sure, it’s not Gavial or Miss Hoshiguma, right?” One of them asked.
“No. She’s a local, not an Operator.” Folinic quickly responded. “Last time she was seen she was wearing a pilfered Britannian uniform, and before that a white one-piece bodysuit that also doubles as a straightjacket.”
That was a very strange combination, but considering how Haze still wore her shackles, that wasn’t saying much. Nevertheless... “No, we haven’t.” The second one shook their head in denial. “In the past hour we saw only people we know by name or wearing the RI uniform. None of them had green hair.”
“Damn.” The Feline Medic grumbled, teeth clenched as she began to mumble in irritation. “Where could she possibly be? Everyone staying within the base needs a check-up and to fill a questionnaire, why must she be so difficult...?”
A few corridors to the side, said difficult person was walking in a careful manner while wearing a full RI uniform with helmet and glass visor, her hands holding a pile of boxes that almost reached her eyes. Giving the impression of someone in the middle of a delivery who has no time for idle chatter.
CC continued to be impressed, which was a rare thing for her those days and definitely welcome. The insides of Rhodes Island were much more lively now that it had people working and moving around, and they held so many new things to behold. It was a pity the immortal couldn’t stop and ask questions without giving her real identity away, but for now passive observation was enough.
Her thoughts briefly went back to her new, and hopefully last contractor: Marianne’s brat was a very curious boy, even with all the issues that came from dealing with Charles’ bullshit. Young, impulsive and thirsty for revenge... and yet, the people of Rhodes Island had a positive influence on him: especially Amiya, it was clear that the young girl worried about Lelouch and had some insight into the boy’s psyche, something CC could guess about thanks to her large experience and knowledge about his parents. Was Amiya projecting or something? It was painfully obvious that no one in her little circle had their hands clean.
Oh well, it was none of CC’ business. The current circumstances were actually in the green-haired woman’s favor, Lelouch having competent help that he couldn’t just boss around meant he was more likely to survive long enough for his Geass to fully mature. One less bother for CC to deal with, especially if the brat is as stubborn as even a single one of his parents.
Less chances to get too attached.
Seeing no other people around, and wanting to take a small break, CC came to a stop in front of a small pile of steel plates and put down the boxes on top of it. The moment she pulled her hands back she heard a low growling sound, something the green-haired woman immediately recognized as the kind of noise made by a stomach demanding food.
She looked down at herself with a frown. At least those scientists fed her between experiments, except for that time when they researched the effects of starving, but only with a tasteless gruel. “I could really use a pizza right now.”
“Pizza!” Someone suddenly shouted, making CC take a step back by surprise: a young woman previously hidden behind the pile of steel bars sat up and frantically looked around, canine ears flicking wildly and tail wagging from her rear.
The stranger, obviously another Terran, had long honey blonde hair, eyes of the same color... and perhaps most impressively, what CC could only call a very impressive collection of weapons strapped to her back: axes, knives, spears... literally a walking armory. The weight must have been considerable, yet it looked like the young woman wasn’t impeded in the slightest.
The blonde sniffed the air a few times in an exaggerated manner, almost like an overeager dog, before locking eyes with CC. “Where? Where? Where’s the pizza?!”
A strange turn of events, but the novel kind of strange. Which CC liked. And beside, the blonde’s eyes were sparkling with a kind of innocence that the immortal rarely saw around anymore. “I want to know too.” The Code Holder shrugged her shoulders.
“Aww...” The blonde seemed to deflate, ears flattening on her scalp and tail folding between her legs, just like a little kid being denied ice-cream. CC could relate, she would do the same thing when denied pizza... if no one else was around, otherwise she would just frown disapprovingly. “Then, do you have honey biscuits?”
“‘Afraid not.” CC answered again. Honey biscuits, uh? Not a bad choice for a desert, if Rhodes had a cafeteria she was definitely going to request some in the future. How was Terran food compared to Earth’s? Did they have types of pizza that didn’t exist on this planet? CC needed to know!
Still, a pizza requires an oven and a long preparation, especially for the dough. Since the whole Rhodes was taken out of ice only recently CC supposed she could cut them some slack. But biscuits would be more readily available. “Would you know anyone who does have honey biscuits?”
The canine girl deflated even more. “Vulcan would, but they said they’re still waking her up. They said they needed to wake up the really strong guys and those who can heal first. Vulcan is plenty strong! But, she prefers to stay in the forge rather than fighting I guess.”
At the mention of this ‘Vulcan’ person life seemed to return to the young woman. “Vulcan is really good, you know?! If a weapon is messed up she will fix it no problem, like mine! Her cooking is yummy too!”
So a blacksmith and a cook? The two jobs have some overlaps, CC admitted.
The honey blonde had a dreamy expression on her face, probably thinking of some delicacy, before snapping out of it and looking at CC curiously. “So, uhm... who are you? Are you new?”
“In a way.” The green-haired immortal admitted. “I’m CC.”
“Ohh. I'm Kay! Nice to meet you, Cicci!”
If one was melodramatic enough they could almost hear the sound of a record scratching to a stop. CC had abandoned such tomfoolery a long time ago, yet it didn’t stop one of her eyebrows from twitching: getting called an Italian food does that to people. “It’s CC. C-C.”
“That’s what I said! Cicci!” Kay beamed innocently.
“That’s not-argh!” CC felt an oncoming migraine. Was she really losing her cool from talking to someone who probably wouldn’t recognize a deception unless she was hit over the head with it? At least there was no one else seeing her like-
“There you are!”
...As if the world didn’t already do enough to prove it hated her continued existence on a daily basis. Kal’tsit’s lapdog, or more accurately lap-mongoose, was marching towards her with the thunderous expression of one who’d had to waste a lot of time in a pointless chase and was now fed up with everything.
“Hello Miss Folinic!” Kay stood up and enthusiastically waved an arm towards the new arrival.
“Hello Ceobe.” Folinic greeted her back, expression relaxing for a split second. Ceobe, not Kay? CC thought about it and realized that Kay, in some European languages, can be used as a diminutive of Ceobe.
“Miss Folinic, did you need something? I was just taking a small break before going to—” The Feline woman raised a device that resembled a cellphone, the screen showing a snapshot of CC in the middle of putting on the RI uniform. “...ah. And here I thought I checked everywhere for cameras. You put hidden ones in your dressing rooms?”
“Only a few, and only out of necessity.” The Medic scowled, putting the device away and crossing her arms. “Miss CC, I understand you just came away from a very bad experience. But if you intend to stay at Rhodes Island then you are getting a check-up. For your safety, and that of the Operators around you!”
CC scoffed. “Girl, I haven’t needed a medic for longer than you have been alive.” Was she hinting about her real age? Maybe, but no woman likes a younger one trying to boss her around.
“That may be so, but like I said this concerns more than just you.” Folinic’s frown deepened. “I will force you if necessary.”
“You and what army?” The immortal asked with a grin.
THUD
The floor shook, something massive hitting it. The green-haired girl turned her head to look behind her shoulders... and up. “...That’s a good army.”
“Thank you.” The giant in some kind of white hazmat suit, though it was more accurate to call it something approaching power armor, replied with a female voice only slightly distorted by the horned headgear. Oh, and did CC mention the very big hammer strapped to her back? Because she had a hammer, and it was big. “Now please, listen to the doctor. She only wants to help.”
Well now, CC was in quite the pickle. She doubted she could escape if caught by the giant behind her, unless she used her Code... no, at this point that was taking things too far, and it would reveal one of her trump cards for when things go south. Too soon, too soon.
An alternative, she needed an alternative... Well. Normally she didn’t share, but this time she can consider it an investment with high returns. “Before answering, may I know your name?” She asked the big girl.
“Mudrock, Sarkaz mercenary. No, I suppose ex-mercenary is more accurate.” Despite the mask’s distortion she managed to sound embarrassed. “I’m simply a Rhodes Island Operator now.”
CC nodded, then turned around to face a still waiting Folinic. Meanwhile Ceobe was spacing out, probably distracted by hunger again. “Kay, I’ll share several pizzas with you if you manage to jump on Mudrock’s shoulders.”
The Feline’s eyes widened. “Wha-”
“PIZZAS!” The Perro howled with delight. Before anyone could stop her Ceobe jumped on the pile of metal plates and then leaped towards Mudrock, the weight of her numerous weapons proving of little hindrance. However, due to her haste and the angle of her jump Ceobe ended up covering Mudrock’s face with her body as the Perro sat on the Sarkaz’s shoulders.
“U-Uh?” Mudrock mumbled as she swayed a little, having been taken by surprise. It was not enough to make her fall, of course, but the sudden loss of sight was a serious handicap even for experienced warriors.
“Ceobe! What are you doing?!” Folinic called out, stepping closer to pull at the Perro’s body but utterly failing to move her since Ceobe’s limbs were wrapped tightly around the taller Sarkaz.
CC had bolted away the moment the Feline’s attention switched to Mudrock and Ceobe, disappearing into the labyrinth of corridors and rooms that made up Rhodes Island’s landship. She slowed down only after making sure to put a good distance between her and the Medic, gradually coming to a stop within an empty area.
The Immortal took off her headgear, freeing her hair from the bun she made while taking deep breaths. “Sorry girl, I am really not in the mood right now.” Maybe in the future, she didn’t want to needlessly antagonize Rhodes, but after so long in captivity liberty tasted too sweet.
Her thoughts then went back to the dog-eared, honey-blonde girl that had assisted her without a second thought. “I should find that Kay again, she could be useful...”
"Oh, yeah, I can totally be useful!"
CC didn’t nearly jump out of her skin. Absolutely not. She reacted like a calm and collected person and slowly turned around to address the girl who’d just piped up right behind her. “How did you—?!”
“I followed your scent! Because you said you’d get me pizza! It wasn’t that hard!” Kay explained as if it was flawless logic, tail wagging to show how proud she was of that reasoning. “Now, can we get pizza? Please?”
CC mulled over this new development for a moment before a sly smile slowly spread across her face.
“...Very useful indeed.”
-0-
“Sorry about this, Mudrock. Once I catch Ceobe I’ll be sure to scold her.” Folinic apologized as she helped the tall Sarkaz get up. Easier said than done since the Defender’s suit was very heavy, but pulling hard enough it was somehow manageable.
“There is no need to do that. I’m sure she didn’t do it with malicious intent.” Mudrock unlocked her hammer and used it as a cane to push herself up. Her special suit was very useful and comfortable, but the price to pay for that was a lack of maneuverability. “She was merely doing what that green-haired woman prompted her to do.”
Folinic’s apologetic expression dropped into a much more aggravated scowl. “Good point. I’ll settle for testing just how far CC’s so-called ‘immortality’ extends instead!”
“Please don’t do that either.”
“No promises...” The Feline grumbled, digging out her communicator holding it to her ear. “PRTS, connect me to—eh?”
Folinic blinked in surprise. “A conference call with her and Warfarin? Well, that’s convenient. Alright, patch me through.” A moment later, and Folinic’s expression became pointedly recalcitrant. “Ah, hello Dr. Kal’tsit. My apologies, but on the matter of our new ‘guests’, there’s been a slight issue with the routine physicals, and—eh?”
Mudrock felt her heart sink as she watched the color slowly drain from Folinic’s face.
“A Code WHAT!?”
-0-
“Time: eight in the evening. Britannian Settlement’s observation: vast.” Shirayuki, former personal Ninja of Princess Fumizuki of Lungmen and now Sniper Operator of Rhodes Island, monotonously commented under her breath as she stealthy followed Lelouch inside the campus of Ashford Academy.
Her current mission was simple: to keep an eye on Lelouch from the shadows and ensure his safety while acting as a point of contact between him and Rhodes if necessary. Shirayuki hasn’t been told the exact reason why the boy needed a bodyguard, but said knowledge wasn’t necessary to complete her mission so she just accepted it. And since neither Amiya nor the Doctor specified when Shirayuki should reveal herself, that left her free to perform some observations first.
As the shinobi already said the Britannian Settlement was very large, and the current circumstances meant she couldn’t allow herself to be seen by anyone. Thankfully the urban environment was similar to Lungmen so Shirayuki was able to rely on the experience developed while shadowing Princess Fumizuki. It also helped that Lelouch himself avoided the main roads and large concentrations of people, though his skills were rough and needed some polishing.
Ashford Academy was obviously a school for the rich and the privileged: the main building was surrounded by parks and several specialized facilities, like sport fields and what was either a small stadium or a swimming pool.
Lelouch had the keys, but used a secondary access to sneak in. After that he reached a small, two-story building: hidden in the branches of a tree, of which there were many, Shirayuki observed Lelouch meeting with a young girl in a wheelchair. “Family? Behavior suggests so.” The shinobi muttered to herself: the wheelchair was motorized, of the type generally bought when there is a long-time need for it, and the girl kept her eyes constantly closed. Multiple disabilities? Possible.
The soft rustling of leaves, virtually indistinguishable from all other types of sounds Shirayuki heard since entering Ashford. What alerted the ninja were simply her most primal instincts, pushing the Anaty to take out a kunai and swing it behind her.
Shirayuki's arm suddenly stopped when a blade came dangerously close to kissing her throat.
“Don’t you know it’s rude to enter private property without first introducing yourself, kitty-san?”
The shinobi from Higashi’s gaze followed the tanto to her neck to the one wielding it, a twenty-something woman dressed like a Victorian maid and spotting a dangerous smile. Her facial features however could make her pass as one of Shirayuki’s countrymen: combined with the martial stance and her managing to approach from behind while undetected under the very last second, persuaded the Anaty that she was dealing with a colleague.
She entered a fellow ninja’s personal territory. How careless.
“A kitty, I am not.” The Operator replied with a monotone. The current situation was indeed dangerous, but at the very least she needed to correct the obvious mistake.
The maid didn’t react immediately, not even blinking as she kept Shirayuki within her field of vision. Her eyes however twitched slightly up and down, taking in the ninja’s appearance. “I see. I apologize for the wrong assumption. However, the matter of your trespassing is still valid.”
“My apologies, I offer. Though mitigated, I believe the circumstances are.” When speaking to a fellow shinobi, being honest and to the point was essential to avoid an escalation. “Harm against your charge, I do not intend. Instead, the opposite I desire.”
The maid didn’t show any outward reaction to Shirayuki’s ‘unique’ way of speaking (it was not weird, absolutely not, those were just slanders), but one of her eyebrows rose minutely at the last part. A good poker face, a facemask would be a great improvement. “You... wish to help master Lelouch?”
“Kind for kind. As he has done for us, we would do for him.” A bare-bone explanation, certainly, but quick and lacking in potentially compromising details.
“...He was in Shinjuku, wasn’t he?” The tanto-wielding woman released a soft sigh. “As were you.”
“For your charge, a common occurrence?”
“No, but anyone who knows how to look could see the burning desire to act. Which, I suppose, would make it inevitable.” She seemed to ponder something before coming to a decision. “Can you prove to master Lelouch who you are?”
“Yes. Password, established.” The Anaty was planning to make use of it only later, but needs must.
The maid nodded before using her free hand to take out a cellphone from one of her dress’ pockets and start a call. “Master Lelouch, there is someone from Shinjuku here who would like to speak with you... Yes, she is. Now, what did I say about going somewhere without warning us first? Lady Nunnally was very worried about you, and I was unable to properly do my job... Yes, yes, of course. I completely understand, Master Lelouch. Of course it was the most logical choice, of course.”
What an odd relationship, it must be because of the age difference. A dutiful bodyguard forced by circumstances to act as a parent to her younger charges, and in time maybe become something more... Oh no, how unprofessional. Begone silly thoughts, begone.
“The password? ...I understand.” She looked back at Shirayuki. “‘Queen to E1’, ‘May I enjoy my life and practice my art’ and ‘The Doctor laughs’.”
“‘King to D8’, ‘Respected by all men and in all times’ and ‘Kal’tsit scowls’.” Shirayuki replied without missing a beat. Not the stranger passwords she ever used, though Princess Fumizuki had a fondness for wordplay based on Higashi language. Often amusing.
The older woman repeated word by word, then nodded and pulled back the tanto. “My name is Sayoko Shinozaki. Nice to meet you.” She smiled and offered the cellphone to the white-haired ninja.
“Shirayuki. A pleasure.” The Operator replied after moving the device close to her mouth so that the person on the line could hear too. The kunai went back to its previous hiding place.
“I must point out that, due to personal reasons, I am very much against the idea of people approaching or even just knowing about my home without permission first.” Lelouch’s tone, while still polite, brokered no refusals and no objections. “I will let this pass just this once, but please inform Amiya and the Doctor that I take my privacy very seriously.”
“...Type of approach, my personal decision only. Will deliver request, without fail.” Shirayuki was still loyal to Princess Fumizuki, but it went against her code of honor to poison the relationship between her clients and their allies.
“I’m counting on it. Now, miss Shirayuki, am I to understand you are to act as the go-between for Rhodes Island?”
“Correct. For the time being.” The decision had been rushed due to necessity. It was likely that, once a method was found for the people of Rhodes Island to move around the city without arousing suspicions, a more in-depth screening would be held to choose the most suitable candidate (or candidates) among the RI operatives.
“I see. Could you put on the speaker?” Shirayuki did so. Lelouch’s next words were delivered with a much lighter tone. ”Until then, as you are new to the house, Sayoko will act as your superior. Enjoy.”
Then he ended the call, leaving the two girls to stare at each other. Theoretically, Shirayuki had nothing against this arrangement. It was logical.
Except. Except for the very normal and yet strangely chilling smile that formed on Sayoko’s lips when she heard Lelouch’s final words, like an omen of terrible things to come. For Shirayuki.
-0-
“Master lelouch, Miss Nunnally. Allow me to introduce my new apprentice, Yuki-chan!” Sayoko said with a cheerful voice while bowing to the two siblings.
Next to her Shirayuki was seething as she tried to push down her too-short skirt. “My vengeance, legendary it will be...” She muttered with venom and a generous dose of embarrassment. Her shinobi clothes had been replaced by a full maid gear, almost identical to the one worn by Sayoko, apart from her ever-present facemask.
“Nice to meet you Miss Yuki!” Nunnally was literally beaming, delighted to have another person living within the house. “I’m Nunnally, please take care of me. Brother, is that why you returned so late today?”
“Among other things.” He answered vaguely. Lelouch would never lie to his sister, but there were things she was better not knowing for the time being. Or at all.
That reminded him, he needed to meet with Rivalz first thing in the morning and feed him a cover story: the less anyone associated either of them with Shinjuku, the better.
However, his plans for the next day were shelved away when Shirayuki approached him after dinner. While still miffed, now there was a sense of urgency in her movements as she passed a Rhodes radio device to him.
The young man took it with a wordless nod and went to lock himself in his room. “Lelouch here. Is there an issue?”
“Lelouch!” Amiya almost immediately replied, sounding very frantic. “I know how this sounds, but we need your help to locate someone living in the city. We must hurry, or the bloodshed we’ve seen so far will be nothing compared to the calamity to come!”
The exiled prince’s first reaction was to internally scowl, wondering why this day just refused to just end on a more relaxed tone. But the raw emotions in Amiya’s voice, those were the real deal: something happened, and it needed an immediate response.
And with that in mind, his eyes hardened as he walked to a nearby window. “To quote one of the few sentiments I appreciate from my homeland, Miss Amiya: ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’. Panicking will achieve nothing, and only calm action will prevail. Now...”
Lelouch pulled the curtain aside and stared out at the city he planned to one day take back from his former countrymen.
“Tell me everything.”
-0-
With a soft hiss of pain Kallen finished field-wrapping her side, using a pair of nail scissors to cut the gauze before applying a small adhesive to keep it in place. Thankfully the wound had stopped bleeding while on her way home; explaining blood stains on the carpet would have been hard.
Or maybe not. But no matter how much she hated this luxurious house and its inhabitants, she would not go out of her way to purposely cause problems: it was... not easier, but more bearable.
Her task done, she put the tools used back into place and stuffed everything potentially incriminating inside a plastic bag, which she then hid inside her school-bag to be disposed of tomorrow.
Kallen put on a clean shirt to hide the bandages and crawled under the sheets of her too-gaudy (but still wonderfully soft) bed, careful to not apply pressure to the wound. Feeling a slight itch she idly scratched her side, grateful for the sign that a scab was already forming. At least it seemed like she was getting better already.
Though, she also felt a bit hot. Hopefully it wasn’t the start of a fever; a true reason to skip school meant being confined at home rather than sneaking out to meet with Ohgi and the others.
But then again, even if it was she’d probably manage to power through it. It’d take more than a measly infection to keep Kallen Kouzuki down.