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Chapter 22: The Black Knights
🕑 Added 2025-04-19 21:36:29 +0000 UTC“So they made their move?" Tamaki asked as they continued to watch the broadcast on the hotel take-over.
“They’re easily the biggest anti-Britannian force in Japan, and now their pride’s hurt," Ohgi commented as even regular civilians knew the name of the Japan Liberation Front, a resistance group made nearly exclusively of members of the now defunct Japanese armed forces. That made them the most capable group in the Area. With the support of the illusive yet powerful Kyoto group, they were the gold standard.
At least, they were on paper, but it wasn't them who defeated Britannia in battle, it wasn't Tohdoh of Miracles who slew Clovis, and it wasn't through their efforts that Kururugi was saved from a sham trial. Clovis' sins were laid bare for the world to see. Thinking about it, they had been so worried about Britannia's response that they hadn't considered what other groups would do.
“Because of us?” Minami asked.
“I don’t know if I should feel happy or sad about that." Zero remained silent even as Sugiyama voiced what had to be the collective thought. It took all he had to remain still, to not scream at him for daring to have such a thought that could leave those he loved in the hands of two groups he couldn't trust to prioritize lives.
Instead, he clenched and unclenched his fists, wishing to bite his tongue if only to have the coppery taste distract him. He felt his phone vibrate, with his mask's HUD lighting up to show it was coming from Rivalz, as he would expect, but he couldn't respond. Refusing the call, he sent a quick text saying he was in a bad spot and would call back in 2 minutes. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could do.
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Cornelia was getting an update on the situation; having arrived on the scene, she sat on her throne, facing a storm of fury, which her men wisely didn't comment on as one went through things. "All bridges connecting to the hotel, baring the main one, have been raised, cutting off road access. Our attempts to enter from the water and the air have both, unfortunately, proven unsuccessful. It seems these terrorists planned well, but we still have of entry."
Along with that, she and the rest saw how 2 of the 3 bridges that connected the hotel to dry land had been raised, with the third having clear defense emplacements in the form of machine gun nests and 3 Glasgow knock-offs, inferior to their Sutherlands in every way, but it the single path would slow them down and worst comes to worse, by the terrorist time to execute their hostages before taking their own lives like these damned Elevens are want to do.
Footage captured from the shore showed how one of their attack craft flew in with an infiltration team, only to be shot out of the sky-killing all on board. The same fate befell a scuba team that tried to get in from the water.
With those failures, Cornelia was eager to hear about this unused entry point, so her officer changed the screen to a 3D map of the hotel. "The main utility tunnel runs directly under the convention center hotel. We'll go through this route, destroy the foundation block, and submerge the hotel." "Since the tunnel was built to handle supply delivers, it should be able to take the weight of knightmares. Even if they've taken precautions, it should be no problem."
As he spoke, behind the G-1, out of sight of the hotel, they had already opened up the maintenance tunnel and were lowering in a squad of 3 Sutherlands; when the last one touched down, it disconnected from the hooks and the three took off through the dark, cramped at least for knightmares, space.
The officer was confident in their success as they sped towards the hotel. "They've been using sub-standard weaponry, so we'll have no trouble evading them."
“Enemy detected. As expected, they’re moving through the underground tunnel.” Such confidence would be put to the test as at the end of the tunnel, near the entrance leading up into the hotel proper, the JLF had placed a new weapon, a massive cannon comparable in size to the one that Mehmed II had used to bring down the walls of Constantinople centuries prior, a weapon so vast it required the bodies of four Glasgows to act as its legs.
Its co-pilot and commanding officer confirmed what his driver had spotted on their IFF screen. “Roger that. Raiko secondary start-up, both Quadro linkage legs locked. Super Electromagnetic shrapnel cannon voltage confirmed.”
The Britannians, too, picked up an object at the end but couldn't get a detailed image of it. “I think these guys have knightmare rifles. Spread out and break their ranks.” Still, their commander aired on the side of caution.
“Electromagnetic shrapnel cannon, fire!” The Raiko let loose, firing a supersonic projectile that seemed to be the size of a shot used by a grand battleship, but instead of being solid or high explosive, it was solid or high explosive. Moments after it left the barrel, its body fell away, revealing that the cannon fired a canister shot, one that had just released two dozen high-velocity steel ball bearings.
“What?” The Britannian pilots tried to react, tried to evade. Still, they stood no chance as the ball bearings through their units, cockpits, and bodies, the ruined machines exploding moments later.
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Up in the hotel, the screen had been sent in real-time to Kusakabe and two of his aides. It's safe to say that all of them were pleased with the news. “One shot!” one yelled in joy.
“It works!” Another added, clenching his fist in victory.
Kusakabe was seated, his hands resting on the pommel of his sword, but he was pleased with the new weapon, especially as it reported no issues and could fire again in 20 seconds. “How do you like that, Britannia pigs? Your precious knightmares aren’t so effective against us now, are they?”
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“Wiped-out?” Dalton asked upon hearing the surprise report.
The officer from before, once so sure, was now scrambling to explain things. "It seems that the terrorists have modified a Glasgow into a linear cannon; there's no way we can break through."
“What do we do now? If we release the political prisoners as they demand-”
“We can’t show weakness to terrorists! Did you forget that?” Cornelia shut that down, leaving the man who suggested it to bow his head and quickly apologize, the rest keeping their tongues with just Guilford able to speak, leaning in to whisper into his princess' ear.
“But your highness, this isn’t like a typical operation…” He reminded her.
"I know, dammit," Cornelia muttered back, not angry at him or much of her men, but the situation itself. She and Euphemia's argument about Saitama and Zero had not been forgotten. It seemed like since she had been adamant that she was right and wouldn't apologize, which only added to Cornelia's stress and made her mood worse to hear her sister talk like she was of those damned reformists.
Thus, behind her back, Euphemia had gone to the hotel with minimal security, only confirming why she wasn't in the viceroy's palace when she was nearly there in some attempt to get back at her for not telling her about Saitama. She couldn't turn the train around without rousing suspicion, nor could she send additional security, as moments before she gave the order, this mess happened.
Dalton turned to her, the man almost as worried for the sub-viceroy as Cornelia was. "Thus far, it's safe to assume that they haven't discovered the truth; otherwise, they would have Princess Euphemia as a bargaining chip by now. She went to just observe, and her name isn't on the guest registry. They'll never know as long as she keeps a low profile."
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'Claude' kept a close eye on things as she tried to figure out a way out of this mess. She had nothing to fear from the gun and would only need a touch to handle any of their guards. But she wasn't doing this alone; she had to worry about the rest. The people they were housed with were witnesses, and it wasn't like she could silence them without leaving a mess.
All that excluded the student council, as while she didn't care for them, she hardly knew them. She knew they were important to her contractor, and the last thing she wanted to do was give him grief if he were to lose any of them.
‘Wait, since when do I care about that?’ C.C. asked herself, as for the longest time, she had only cared about her contractors as far as they could fulfill their contract ends. Lelouch was a man whose heart was filled with hate and rage. Should he lose his friends in any manner that could be blamed on Britannia, that conviction would only strengthen. He would lose most of his reasons to keep up his civilian persona. He would, thus, turn himself into a better candidate to finally give her what she wished for.
So why did the idea of hurting him like that get to her? It wouldn't even be like she was killing them. She and the Irregulars could protect his sister and escape none the wiser; that was enough, wasn't it?
"C.C., I'm so sorry for what you had to go through. What Clovis and the rest of them did was wrong, and nothing could justify it. If you need a place to stay, I can offer a clean bed and warm meals."
"Clovis…no, so many people have wronged you; that wasn't right; you didn't deserve it, and if I could, I would have never stood by and let it happen."
"I would sooner sing the emperor's praises and bow my head to the literal devil than ever do so, not with how that data was…”
"Ideals keep humanity sane, giving people hope, as if not for a better future, so why do anything?"
"Some people have scars on their hearts and minds, but sometimes…they have scars on their bodies."
“…I was dead, never doing anything real, and merely pretending to be alive when I was doing was going through the motions of life. Such is the very opposite of life, a perverse mockery of it befitting the walking dead. A mere existence with little substance."
"But that changed the day I met you…I found a means out of it, to crawl out of the grave that I was cast into, and much earlier than I hoped."
“So, thank you, C.C. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
C.C. shook her head at those memories. 'Dammit, that boy…' She didn't have time to think about him thanking her, apologizing for her getting hurt, or just treating her…like an equal; she couldn't get lost in such! However, such thoughts hadn't been without an effect as she had ceased thinking of ways to abandon the rest and now tried to think of a means to get them all to safety. She was so focused that she had missed how Euphemia hadn't stopped looking their way since she first spotted Nunnally on her lap.
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Away from the G-1, Suzaku stood along the lake's edge, wearing the A.S.E.E.C.'s dress uniform, the same as Cecile's. At the same time, Lloyd lounged about so casually despite the fact they could see the hotel, one filled with dangerous terrorists and terrified hostages they needed to save but couldn't.
“Couldn’t the special core offer to help?” Suzaku asked.
"I've already made the request, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. We're an irregular unit, and they don't acknowledge our chain of command, also…" Lloyd picked it up and threw it over the water, watching it bounce a few times before it sank.
Suzaku frowned; as far from what people said, he wasn't stupid and could read between the lines. “And it’s too risky to trust the operation to an Honorary Britannian.” He didn't need to ask, not when Cornelia had been furious that he had been the one to safeguard Princess Euphemia over a proper, i.e., Britannian guard. Never mind that he didn't know who she was and that she requested that he do so.
Yes, she granted him a promotion, but he wouldn't be surprised if she did it because Euphemia pushed her on it as a means of apologizing for threatening to have him court martialled…again, without her actually needing to say it to his face.
Lloyd looked over to him, a little bummed himself that the Lancelot might not get any time to fight. "The Viceroy is far stricter on these things than Prince Clovis was. She's very discriminating on these things."
“So, the Japanese haven’t been accepted into your structure?” Suzaku’s face grew harder when Lloyd confirmed as such.
"If that were true, what's the point of having an honorary system?" Cecile asked a question that the two would leave unanswered.
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Kallen and the rest of the group had been told by Zero to unpack some boxes that he had on the bus while he went to work on something. No one knew what that was, but they didn't push him on it and left him be.
Kallen, however, had a clue about what was troubling the masked man. She left the packing to rest and walked up the stairs to the room Zero had claimed as an office. The doors and walls weren't soundproof, so she could hear that he was still watching the news on his personal TV, with the on-site reporter having had the luck to find Shirley's panicked father, the man understandably outraged that his child had been caught in this, and pleading for her and the rest of the people to be released or at the very least, for the terrorists to give more information on them.
Kallen knocked and waited. “Enter," Zero replied, and Kallen entered and quickly closed the door behind her. Looking over his shoulder and seeing she was alone, Zero remained silent, prompting her to break the ice.
“Has Rivalz…” She asked, speaking both in Britannian and softer so that the rest didn't hear as they moved around boxes.
“He called earlier, but I only just got done speaking with him. Zero, in turn, matched that. “I don’t know what he expected from me, but I told him that I have no contacts in the police or military and no means to affect this situation or save anyone's life.
"Maybe he just wanted to hear a friend; things are…pretty tense right now," Kallen uttered, as the news kept on playing and detailing how little they had at present, including whether anyone had been killed or wounded since the takeover. But is there nothing we can do? We can't just sit here, can we?"
“No, we need to organize and prepare, and that takes time—time those hostages don't have.” Zero turned the TV off.
"And you? How are you holding up?" Kallen asked him, speaking not to the mask but to the man beneath it.
She feared that he wouldn't respond, that when he was in Zero mode, he wouldn't let it drop even when he badly needed something to discuss. Still, he reluctantly removed the mask, revealing how anxious he seemed. Anxious and furious, “Barely,” he slowly replied, as if it was taking effort not to fly off the handle; who was she kidding? It definitely was.
Lelouch nearly slammed his fist into the desk, but at the last second, he thought of how that would attract attention and clenched at the material, his face looking much like her brothers would have if he was here and she was in that hotel. "I should have forced Milly not to go. Put my foot down with Nunnally, found some means to get people inside to watch them-"
She stopped him before he could go further. Both because he needed to keep his head, and also because she didn't want this turning into some sort of resentment against Milly, who was a pervert who abused her power to entertain herself but wasn't as bad as she thought she would be. “‘What ifs’ and ‘I should haves’ aren't do you any good. No one could have seen this coming, and all Milly wanted was to try and have fun with the girls; what's wrong with that?"
"Fun that will lead to their being killed," Lelouch muttered, snarling as he seemed close to murdering…something, but she hoped it wasn’t any of them as the people he was angry with weren’t there.
“We still have for a breakthrough, Lelouch. The JLF wouldn’t be so stupid as to hurt their position by killing the hostages.” Granted, she would have thought they wouldn’t make such a bold move, but they had to have some sort of plan beyond just taking the hotel, right?
“If only the issue was the JLF.” Lelouch’s dark, joyless chuckle didn’t bode well for that sentiment. "It's standard policy that the empire doesn't negotiate with terrorists. Would the same woman who nearly perfectly re-created Shinjuku in Saitama would deviate from that? She'll sooner bomb the hotel to show the world that the empire will never show weakness; they're living on borrowed time."
“That’s…that’s,” Kallen's heart was racing, her eyes wide at that statement, which she so desperately wanted to believe wasn't accurate, that he was just being pessimistic. Still, she couldn't deny the truth in his eyes, the wrath, and pain…and the resignation that tonight might be the last one their friends, his sister, had. All because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"But why? Why hasn't she? Why let this become a news event? She could not cover that up with all those cameras and witnesses." Kallen weakly asked, only for Lelouch's brow to crease as he thought about that and noticed something off.
"Yes, that's a good question…why hasn't Cornelia made a move? That doesn't match up with her MO, even with things having been changed, and she faced no pushback from Saitama...” Lelouch started to think about it, disregarding his sister, C.C., and his friend's situation to judge the situation objectively.
Cornelia would never show weakness through negotiating; she might not even pretend to and, at best, try and storm the hotel to recapture it and save whatever hostages survived the firefight and the terrorists killing them in retaliation. But she hadn't…why? Did someone from the homeland order her not to because it was an international convention? Maybe, but it was 10 PM in Pendragon when the news broke, and most officials, including the Emperor and Prime Minister, would have been so quick to react to the news happening across the Pacific.
No, even them, that wouldn't match up. Schneizel might have made the order, but the Emperor couldn't care less and would easily frame any deaths of foreign dignitaries as the result of terrorists; it wasn't like the Chinese would care all that much, and tensions were already bad enough with the E.U. that war could break out, so what would be lost if it started from this instead of some border skirmish?
It had to be something local that could stay even the Witch's hand…something like her sister. Now that he thought about it, Euphemia hadn't made any appearances, had she? She made a couple in the aftermath of Saitama and even extended government, although most refused it, seeing it as salt in the injury. But that wouldn't have been enough to deter her, especially when this wasn't because of Cornelia, so why hadn't she made a statement in the last 2 hours?
Or maybe it was because she couldn’t…because she was inside along with the hostages.
Kallen had remained silent as Lelouch considered things, but she could take hope in seeing resignation and hate fade into the background. He must have thought of something that they could use, something that gave their friends and the rest of the hostages a fighting chance.
“Zero,” Ohgi knocked, grabbing their attention with Lelouch quickly putting his helmet back on and giving Ohgi the go-ahead to enter. The man pushed the door open as his hands were filled with one of the boxes. “I found these and wanted to know if I'm handing them to everyone. As far as gear does, it's great and all, but we're just a resistance group and-”
“Ohgi, remember what I told you the last time we spoke and what we'll be? " Zero said, getting up as he did so. It’s time we finally look the part.”
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It had been hours since the mess began, but nothing had changed. Listening to radio chatter, Suzaku heard that their sniper teams remained in position. The terrorists were smart and never got close to the many windows, probably using the hallways deeper into the building to move around. They could confirm that their possible entry points remained guarded, and an approach would be impossible even under the cover of darkness.
Well, it would be, but he had faith that Lancelot could do it, that he could do it. However, despite Lloyd putting in 6 more requests, they had been rejected each time, leaving them to just perform basic maintenance on the 7th-gen unit, praying that they'd get a chance to use it.
"Those teenage hostages are your friends from school, aren't they?" Cecile asked, to which Suzaku nodded, not saying a word as she tried to keep his hopes up. "They're still negotiating, so let's not give up hope."
“I believe in the system. I prefer it and its logic over individualistic emotions.” Cecile found his answer…odd to put into words. Still, before she could inquire about it, Suzaku saw something on Lancelot's camera. “Ms. Cecile, look!” He zoomed in on the top of the hotel, where 2 JLF men were dragging a restrained person who seemed to be struggling against them.
“What are they going to do to him?” Cecile asked before the two realized just what as they dragged him closer to the edge.
“Oh no, don’t. please don’t, no!” Suzaku's pleas would go unanswered as, without warning, they pushed the man over, who plummeted to his death in front of the entire world.
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Moments after this, Cornelia got another message from the terrorists that showed Kusakabe seated, presenting a strong front to the camera. “Our demands have gone unanswered. Therefore, we will throw hostages from the roof every 30 minutes till they have been. For the sake of the hostages, negotiations better be in good faith.”
“This is their warning? Barbadians." Dalton degraded as Cornelia marched out, followed by him and Guilford.
“Still, the situation has changed. For now, it would be best to try and get the women and children.” Guilford suggested that it would be a discreet way to get Princess Euphemia out without notice from the JLF or media.
"We can't! If we give in to their conditions even once, we'll legitimize their methods and stance. Then we'll risk others imitating them." Cornelia yelled back, as no matter how much she wished to save her sister, she had to think long-term.
“Then do we use force? It’s not a decision we have time for as it’s only a matter of time and chance before they pick the sub-viceroy.” Dalton reminded them.
"Her rescue is our priority, but we need a means of entry that won't put her in indue harm," Guilford replied. However, Cornelia remained silent, furious at how powerless she was.
‘Euphie…' Her father had been silent about this despite the fact she knew he and Schneizel must have heard about it. She wouldn't be surprised if the Emperor kept his word on this, judging her on how she would proceed. If she bent even a little to the terrorists, even to recover an imperial princess, he would call it weakness. She and Euphemia could be punished for it. Still, she should do her duty as expected of her rank…that means putting Euphie in danger, sighing her death certificate the same way the Emperor had Lelouch and Nunnally when he invaded Japan without recovering them first.
As they walked by a turn, one of the men came running. “Viceroy, it’s Zero!” She, along with Dalton and Guilford, stopped and looked towards him, as that didn't seem normal. “We’ve just received a message from Zero!”
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“What?” Diethard had been bored and decided to try and get some fishing done while they waited for updates. A journalist he might have been, he was supervising things so the details could be handled by others. At last, they should, if he was hearing this right. “What do you mean van 3 was stolen by Zero?! What was Gibbson doing all the while?”
His aide looked as baffled as he was. "He said it was too late by the time he realized it.”
“Then where’s van 3 now?” Diethard could wonder why the masked man wanted the van later. Right now, he needed to figure out its whereabouts to keep his bosses off his back for it going missing under his 'watch'.
His aide and second in-charge's confusion only grew. "Driving straight towards the military.”
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Riding atop the stolen van, Zero stood for all the world to see, unafraid of what harm could come, whether from a sword or bullet. He didn't move when floodlights shined on him, a benefit of his mask being able to keep out the worst. “We confirm it's Zero!”
“Should we open fire?” Another soldier asked as the van continued driving forward.
“No, remain on standby; we'll capture him alive," Dalton replied while inside the van. The rest didn't share Zero's perfect confidence and apparent penchant for daring Britannia to shoot him.
“Does this guy have a death wish?" Minami asked, the shadows hiding them well enough from anyone watching from the outside.
“Well, he got us out of a tight spot twice now, so I’m not too afraid." Kallen joked; though one of those times had been engineered by Zero, he had been right in his belief that they could get away from Jeremiah without a single person dying.
“I want to know why we went through with the theft of the van. Don't we have a better one?” Yoshida asked.
“Yeah, and show the entire world what our base looks like.” Sugiyama reminded him.
“Good point.” Yoshida relented.
As the rest continued to talk, mainly about how risky this seemed to be, Ohgi and Kallen sat in front of the former driver. Looking over at her, Ohgi asked. "Kallen, you think he's for real about this? About becoming more than a resistance group?”
He couldn't see it very well, but Kallen looked up as if she could see through the roof their masked leader who wanted to be dramatic and rode atop the van-not inside it. "I know someone this bold wouldn't settle for anything less."
As they reached the bridge, they were finally intercepted, though it wasn't mere rank-and-file soldiers or Sutherlands, but Gloucesters, painted in royal purple, signaling them as Cornelia's royal guard. The two at the back were equipped with black capes, aside from their golden lances, while the one leading them had a white one, which marked it as only one pilot' s-Cornelia.
‘Cornelia, as much as I would wish to make you suffer for what you did in Saitama, as no matter how much you want my dead for Clovis, we both have bigger worries for the night.’ Zero thought as Cornelia's cockpit opened, and for the first time since he was a boy, he saw his sister in the flesh, and yet he felt no joy or relief, just disappointment at what she had become. 'If I'm right, I won't need to use my geass.'
"Well, we finally met, Zero. Are you here to offer us aid or to side with your terrorist brethren? Either way, our concerns trump yours," Cornelia declared as she drew her gun sword and aimed it at his chest. “Surrender now, or you can die where you stand.”
“Do you honestly think you can order me to do anything?” Zero challenged but moved on before she could bite back to shoot him. “But that's for another time. Right now, I have a question for you: Which would you choose, the chance to avenge the selfish butcher of a brother, Clovis,” He took a little joy in how much she glared at him for his continued mockery of her brother. “Or the chance to save your innocent little sister, Euphemia?”
Cornelia flinched at that, as she would surely realize that he wouldn't bring the name without reason, though the fact that she flinched at all was telling as he smirked. 'I was right. No matter how much you've changed, dear sister, you and I are the same in how we do on our little sisters. It must have been tearing up at you to not be able to save her sooner, but that also means…that you'll agree.'
“I've studied Britannian policy. You and I both know you wouldn't…no, you shouldn't have stayed your hand for this long unless you had a reason, and I could think of only 2, and you just confirmed which was right.” Zero explained, much to her annoyance and, if his eyes weren't failing him, nervousness. “However, while you can’t save her…I can.”
Whatever concerns she had about him killing Euphemia like he had, Clovis vanished at that declaration. Still, she wouldn't fold to him, especially to him. "Don't speak as if you understand anything, you terrorist; what you say is nonsense!" She tried to play dumb, but she was up against someone who gambled for fun, who arguably had been gambling with his life since the invasion. Thus, you'll need one hell of a poker face to fool him.
“Is that a bet you can take, Viceroy?” That poker face was something that Cornelia didn’t have. “Well, then, prove it? Shoot me now; you'll be burying your sister if you do.” He raised his hands, opening his cape up and revealing his body-daring her-daring anyone to take the shoot. Cornelia so badly wanted to; he could nearly taste the anger and blood lust coming off her as she glared at him so hard he entertained the darkly amusing thought she was trying to give him cancer.
But he remained healthy, and her finger didn’t squeeze the trigger. In fact, after a few more tense moments, she lowered her weapon.
"Say for a moment you're not talking nonsense; why should I trust you when you're admitted to murder." She asked, her glare not losing a hint of strength, but he hardly cared for her hate so long as she complied.
“Murder implies Clovis was innocent, which is something we both know is the same for you, and I can assure you, if the situation was reversed, I wouldn't raise a hand. However, they are not, and the sub-viceroy is an innocent party in all this-same as the rest of those people; thus, my mission compels me to rescue them.” Zero countered.
“And in return?” Cornelia wouldn’t buy that his ‘mission’ would have him act for free.
Zero chuckled at her suspicion. “A smart witch. In return, I propose a 24-hour truce. That will give me the time to save her the hostages and deliver victory for you. That is quite the deal, wouldn't you say?”
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“What, it’s Zero?” Kusakabe asked, standing out of surprise over the report
“Yes sir, word came from the Britannian army.”
The others might have been excited about this, but Kusakabe was not, as it didn’t make sense! ‘What is his game? How did he even get through? They want his head on a pike after he killed Clovis!’
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“That's right; let them through.” As Dalton ordered Zero to be allowed through, Cornelia was silent, glaring at nothing as Zero moved past.
“You made a wise decision, Viceroy.” Zero noted as he passed, though with how slow the van was moving, they had time for a quick chat.
“You just focus on keeping your end of the deal, else you’ll pray you die tonight.” Cornelia shot back, wondering if it was too late to strangle him now he was within reach.
Again, he mocked her, laughing as if he didn't see her as a threat. “It seems the lioness is quite protective of her cub.” Her anger vanished as she turned her head so fast she risked breaking her neck, only to see Zero’s back.
"Oh my, Cornelia, you don't need to be so harsh; you're training to enter the army, not be a lioness guarding her cub."
That had been something Clovis had called her years ago, so why would…did he ask Clovis, but why as him that? And why would Clovis tell Zero that?
'The JLF could treat me as a valued ally or a dangerous rival. Either way, they won't be able to resist the temptation of meeting the man who faced Britannia twice and won.' Zero focused on what came next, and his predictions again proved true when the gates to the hotel were opened; the JFL would allow them un-harassed entry.
“Viceroy, was this the right call?” Dalton asked, watching as Zero approached the hotel, unchallenged by them or, it seemed, the JLF.
"By letting Zero be, he's going to distract the Japan Liberation Front, which will keep them from executing more hostages and buy us time to mount another attempt," Cornelia replied, not trusting Zero as far as she could throw him, but she could use him.
Guilford was unsure about that. "But we still need to consider the enemy liner cannon. Not even our Gloucesters can stand up to that sort of power, nor do we have anything to handle it from a distance."
“No, but there is a unit that can.” Cornelia frowned, as she hadn't wished to do this, but if she needed to, she'd use whatever means she had.
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"Such wonderful orders, oh, thank you very much!" Lloyd hung up the phone, looking as happy as he could as he turned to Suzaku and Cecile. "Good news, everybody! We finally got the go-ahead! You're to charge that liner cannon in the tunnels!"
Cecile was much less enthused about that than her boss seemed to be. “You mean they’re using him as a decoy?”
“Yup, and in the confusion, they’ll send in the royal guard.” Lloyd chirped.
“But that surely a suicide miss-”
"Ms. Cecile, please allow me to do this," Suzaku spoke up before Cecile could talk sense into Lloyd. “If Lancelot and I can even help a little to save them, then we must try. If that means being thrown to the wolves, I'll cover myself in seasoning and jump straight into the wolves' den."
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Despite her concerns, these were their orders, and with both her boss and pilot on board for it, there was little she could do. The best she could do was hope that Lancelot would be sufficient to complete the mission and ensure Suzaku made it back alive.
“Warrant officer Kururugi, here are the guidelines for your mission. According to prime search, the hostages are all located on the hotel's middle floor and appear to be locked inside 2 food storage rooms. The special weapons unit Z-01 Lancelot will use the utility tunnel to move under the hotel; once in sight, you will destroy the foundation block and submerge the building. The area with the hostages should hold out for 8 minutes. The rest of the mission, including recovery of the hostages, will be handled by other units.”
As she kept up the info, the Lancelot was rigged to the crane and slowly moved into position.
“For this mission, you'll be equipped with the V.A.R.I.S. to destroy the foundation and set the impact rail to anti-material level 3.” Suzaku nodded, having read up on the new rifle and having an idea of how powerful it was meant to be, though this would be its first combat test.
Lloyd was the next to speak up, and he and Cecile were at the consoles. “The only issue will be the pesky linear cannon waiting for you in the tunnel. Space is tight in there, so the Lancelot will only have a 47.8% evasion rate. Make sure you both pull out of there before it's too late. Lancelot might be wrecked; that'll be unacceptable.”
“Before it’s too late?” Suzaku asked.
“Oh?”
That…left much to be said, but he decided to focus on the mission. “I understand.” As he was lowered, he couldn't help but think back to when Shirley had invited him and how he had turned her down because he had work. He had been so happy that she would offer to invite him to begin with, as it showed that she valued him as a person and friend.
Now, she and the rest were trapped. Their lives are at risk from any one of those misguided Japanese who could kill them.
“12 minutes to operation start, commencing countdown.” As he touched down in the tunnel and Cecile started the countdown, he kept his eye on the goal. He refused to let them die, to let anyone die, no matter how much he had to fight to ensure that.
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Inside the storage room, the JLF soldiers had been keeping a close eye on the hostages; nerves had been high ever since they picked someone at random, who had been following all their orders and dragged him off. That had been almost 20 minutes ago, and he hadn't returned, leading many to worry what had become of him. Was it a prisoner swap? Was he someone with the info they wanted…or was he already dead like they would be soon?
Nina couldn’t handle it, and when one of the soldiers got close, she mumbled loud enough to be heard. “An E-eleven?”
The soldier glared at her for using the insulting label put on his people by hers. "What did you say?" He yelled at her, to which Nina whimpered and buried her face in Milly’s chest. “It’s not elevens, we’re Japanese, dammit!” The soldier yelled at her, his gun aimed at them.
“Yes, we’re aware of that! Just law off of her, all right!” Milly yelled back, to which the man aimed his gun at her head.
“The correct her! We’re not called Elevens!” He ordered them, which only seemed to escalate as Shirley got involved.
“Fine, we’re correct her!”
“Giving me lip? You 3, come with me, you’ll learn a real lesson!” The man yelled as he grabbed at Nina, who fought back as much as she could, but she could never match a trained, full-grown soldier when she couldn't even keep average grades in P.E.
"No, no!" Still, that fact only seemed to terrify more, with others refusing to speak up, or else they'd be killed in her place. Euphemia was about to raise, but her guard grabbed her hand and shook her head. But Nunnally couldn't sit and let it happen, and against Claude's wishes-
“Please stop!” Nunnally called out, turning her head in the direction of the commotion. The soldier, sick and tired of all the interruptions, tossed Nina aside to look for who spoke.
“Who said that?” He yelled, to which Nunnally raised her hand.
"I did." She couldn't see it, but she could feel the gazes of others on her, some in shock, some in awe, some in confusion, others thinking she was insane. She didn't care for any of it; she just focused on what she wanted to do now that she had their undivided attention. "Please forgive them. They didn't mean to be rude; they were just worried about our friend. She doesn't do well in tense situations."
“You’re…” Some of the former soldier's anger faded as he looked at her and saw that her eyes were closed.
Nunnally hated how obvious it was that she wasn't like the rest, that there were things she couldn't do or experience anymore. Still, if she could use that to her advantage to resolve things without conflict, then she'd swallow that bitterness and use it to its fullest. "Yes, I'm blind and can't walk, so I know what it's like to be afraid. But I still ask that you give them mercy; we promise that it won't happen again."
The man looked like he sucked a lemon, as not even he, as angry as he was with things, could take it out on a blind cripple; that was the sort of heartless thing left to Britannians. And his other guard seemed to agree, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head. “Let it go, you really gonna make anything more of this?”
"Fine, but the next time she misbehaves, there'll be no 3rd chances.” The soldier grunted as he stepped back, leaving them alone.
“Nunnally…” Milly uttered, as that was the last thing she wanted, for all this attention to fall onto Nunnally, but she should have known better. Lelouch might be the more open of the two, but he and his baby sister felt the same way about such behavior.
“Are you all right, Nina?” Nunnally would worry about that later as Claude moved her closer to Milly and the rest.
“You…you saved me?” Nina asked, stunned by such a brave act from the younger girl, who tried to offer a small smile.
"Of course I did; why wouldn't I speak up for a friend?" Nunnally noted.
"Things are getting tense. That guy seemed a little too agitated," Lucretia whispered, speaking among her sisters.
"Well, if we're still here, it means that Cornelia's not giving them whatever they want, so our lives are still collateral," Sancia replied, as her geass hadn’t given her much more details on how things had changed, at least in the immediate area.
"Someone's coming," Lucretia warned. Moments later, the door opened, and a somewhat familiar former soldier entered. He was the one who picked out the last guy they dragged off.
“What’s the situation?” one of their permanent guards asked, speaking in Japanese, probably believing that none of them could understand.
“Kusakabe's meeting with Zero, but he wants another person ready to be thrown.” Nunnally and C.C. stiffened at that, even if it was for different reasons.
“You pick this time.” One of the dismissed, to which the one who Nina had angered half-heartedly waved his hand before he looked over the group, pausing when he saw an elderly woman.
“You! You’re coming with us!” He called out to her, the woman seeing how his finger lined up with her.
“W-why? I haven’t done anything!” She asked, terrified for her life.
“Shut up and get up before I kill you where you sit.” The man barked back, which Euphemia couldn't abide; she had been forced to nearly let three girls be killed, and she couldn't allow another life to be lost by her inaction.
“Enough! I demand to speak with your leader!” She stood up, breaking her guard's hold on her.
“And who the hell are you to demand anything?” The 3 guards demanded, their weapons trained on her as she removed her glasses and wig, revealing her pink locks, which fell around her.
“You’re speaking to the sub-viceroy of Area 11. 3rd Princess Euphemia li Britannia.” She revealed, shocking the entire room, though it felt like a stone had been dropped into Milly’s stomach, as C.C. just ground her teeth as this was sure to bite them in the ass later.
“A princess?” One of them uttered.
“Can you guarantee that man’s life till I’ve spoken with the Lieutenant Colonel?” Euphemia asked, to which the three looked at each other, wondering what to do.
“Call it in.” One of them noted to the others.
‘This is bad.’ Milly thought to herself, as there was no way that Euphemia hadn’t seen Nunnally, not after that outburst.
'Was she here the entire time?' C.C. asked, wondering how out of it she had been to not notice sooner. If she had, she could have kept Nunnally from speaking, even if that meant covering her mouth, but she hadn't, and now they needed to worry about this!
Euphemia focused on calming the rest, even approaching Nina to apologize for not speaking earlier, but she made it a point to ignore Nunnally. She had to, as while she wished to hold her and never let go, ask her how she was still alive, and explain why she had never told them sooner, she held back. She couldn't afford to put her as well if these terrorists knew they had 2 princesses…
She’ll have to look into it later.
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As all this went down, Zero sat opposite Kusakabe, the masked man as calm as ever despite being alone with 3 armed soldiers. In fact, he seemed mildly disappointed with their answer to his question. “You have no intention of working with me?”
“Remove that mask; it's disrespectful not to.” Kusakabe retorted, eager to see the face of the man who had bested Britannia, even if he didn’t seem like he would be much of an ally from how he spoke.
“That I know; however, before I do, would you indulge in a question of mine?” Zero requested, though his hands didn’t move, hidden in his cape.
“Spit it out.” Kusakabe allowed it.
“What do you hope you accomplish through this? Why take this hotel and its guests hostage?”
What a foolish question. “To show the world that the Japanese aren’t dead yet, that we still keep fighting even after all these years.”
“For that, you'll do all this? How…stale.” Zero replied, the earlier disappointment only growing, and the two picked it up.
“What was that?” One of his men yelled, not realizing that he was already dead. Lelouch might have considered otherwise if there was something more if they hadn't gone and risked the lives of those he cared for, but alas, they didn't. So they were as good as dog food now.
“What do you mean by that, Zero?” Kusakabe stopped his man's outburst, though he wasn't pleased.
Unknown to both parties, as they conversed, the Lancelot started its mission, racing down the tunnel, to which the Raiko responded with a shot. As Suzaku moved the unit to avoid the worst of it, his blaze was active to catch any he couldn't avoid. One thing that Zero did know about was occurring as his men planted explosives across the hotel, having located the key points he laid out for them in advance.
Outside their meeting room, Euphemia arrived. “I brought the hostage that I radioed about earlier. She claims to be Princess Euphemia.”
“So she came?” Zero noted, having been present when Kusakabe got the message.
“Zero!” His attention shifted to the colonel, who drew his sword and lunged over the table at him. “There’s no point anymore!”
“I agree,” Zero didn’t hesitate, as any good dog went for the throat, and he was a good hound.
He aimed his hand towards the charging man, a glint of steel being the only thing he saw before Zero fired his wrist-mounted guns; the bullet, a smaller caliber than the standard, tore through Kusakabe's neck, destroying a major artery as they fell short, choking on his own blood as Zero quickly handled the other two before they could react, one shot through the left eye and dropping, the other getting tagged twice in the chest.
The shots hadn’t gone unnoticed as the soldiers outside barged in, worried for their leader. “Colonel!” The lead soldier paid for that concern when Zero shot him in the shoulder; before he or the other 2 could respond, Zero fired again, the shot hitting not even an inch to the left of where his head was.
“Calm yourselves, else my next shot will be fatal.” Zero ordered them right as his people rounded the corner, guns drawn on the JLF, who found themselves outgunned and outnumbered.
“You…you…traitors!” They hissed as they were led away, Ohgi remaining to get Zero’s orders.
“Leave us; you already know what you need to do.” Zero stated.
“Understood.” Ohgi frowned but obeyed as he had been told there was a chance Zero and Kusakabe would come to blows, but he had hoped for something more than this. Thus, Euphemia was left with the masked man,
“Princess Euphemia, you were willing to expose yourself to protect others, which was quite a strange act from a royal. Perhaps it's just a mark of how little you've changed.” Zero noted, leaving a little confused as he spoke as if they had met before.
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“Forgive the late congratulations on your appointment to the position, sub-Viceroy Euphemia.” Zero bowed his head towards her, leaving Euphemia wondering if he was mocking her or sincere.
“It’s not something I’m particularly happy with.” Euphemia wouldn't shiver in his presence, no matter how…wrong it seemed as if whoever Zero was didn't know what they were.
“I can't imagine you would be, especially when the position only opened after I killed your murderous coward of a brother.” Zero replied, his words as cold as they were mocking. “He begged, you know, with the same tongue that ordered the death of Shinjuku; he pleaded for his life like a cockroach.”
"I understand my brother did wrong and that he needed to face justice, but I refuse to believe that was his life, and I won't stand here and allow you to insult his memory." Euphemia challenged him.
Her bravery made Zero chuckle as if he saw her as little more than a child making a fuss. “Insult? Insult implies disrespect and abuse towards one's name. He deserved no such thing for his actions. If he rotates in hell, then I would not give him a moment of mercy.”
"I'm aware of what you feel about him, what all Japanese feel about my brother and his actions. It's why you killed him, and they rejoiced." Euphemia replied as people didn't do it in her presence, but she could see it in the eyes of their Honorary staff, how little they cared that she had lost her brother. And why should they? Clovis might have been the brother she loved, but he had been cruel to them, callous and dismissive of their lives.
“Yes, he was quite the devil, but that wasn’t the only reason I killed him.” Zero strolled towards the window, gazing out at the lake. Just before she was about to ask what his other reasons were, he gave up the answer: "A personal reason…was because he was a child of the 98th emperor, Charles zi Britannia.”
There, right there, she couldn't help but quiver as she could feel the hatred in his words, the utter revulsion of her father. An animosity so great that it seemed she was already marked for death. Why? Did he believe her father would care? She doubted it, but much like Clovis before her, it would be a close net of people.
“That reminds me, aren’t you another of his spawn?” Zero turned his head nearly like an owl, Euphemia wondering if she was about to die, but the man turned around and reigned in his malice. “But tonight, your life is safe; that was the deal I struck with your sister, and I'm a man of my word.” Right as he finished, there was a giant explosion at the bridge-no under it. Turning, Zero and Euphemia both felt the building shaking.
“What the?” Looking out, Zero saw the cause of this shaking. "It's the Lancelot; it doesn't matter this time, knight of the lake; I've already won." He pulled out a trigger and pressed it, and with that, the explosives his people planted went off, causing the building to collapse as it fell into the waters.
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As others scrambled about like headless chickens over the sight of the hotel crumbling like a tower of cards, Diethard focused on trying to get something. “What about the cameras in van 3?”
“I told you, Zero stole it.” This aide reminded him.
"Well! Let's hope that we pick up a signal from them." He yelled the first part, not apologizing, as he just felt it in his gut: Zero wouldn't have stolen a news van if he hadn't wanted to broadcast something. But so far, there's been nothing, so there has to be something about to happen. Was he wrong?
'Come on, Zero. This can't be it for you, is it? Don't you want to show us something?' His assumption would prove accurate when, through the dust and smoke, they could make out the bow of a yacht, probably one that belonged to the now-destroyed hotel.
"We're picking up signal!" His aide confirmed as their screen changed to Zero's mask, which was broadcast to the whole of Area 11.
“My dear Britannians, have no fear. All of the hostages from the hotel have been saved. I, Zero, return them you their friends and loved ones, unharmed." As he declared, the cameras from van 3 panned out over the water, showcasing several lifeboats filled to the brim with people, the guests, and the hotel staff, all looking worn and scared but alive.
Unlike others, Cornelia wasn't relieved but furious with Zero. She knew it was his doing that the hotel had crumbled that fast, and now he was brazenly taking credit for their rescue while also using them as human shields against her should she break their agreement.
Moving forward, the camera shifted back to Zero, and the light turned around on the ship, revealing that he didn't stand alone. At his back were uniformed men and women, visors covering their faces. Cornelia immediately suspected more was in the boat, out of sight.
“People, fear or rally behind us as you see fit! We are the Black Knights!” Zero declared to the entire world.
“Black Knights?” Cecile asked.
“Quite the peculiar name for an Eleven group, wouldn’t you say?” Lloyd noted, especially as they were terrorists, the traditional bad guy that a knight would vanquish.
“We of the Black Knights stand with those with no arms to weird, regardless of race, nationality, religion or culture.” Zero declared as Milly and the rest of the students watched, wondering just what this man's game was, Nunnally hidden from view by her, Claude, and Sancia's bodies.
“It's for that reason that we stood against Clovis's massacre and, in turn, sent him and his men down to hell. It is for that reason that we appeared again when the Japa Liberation Front cowardly took innocents hostage and murdered them in some farce of a show of strength! Just like with Clovis, they have been punished.” Tohdoh, watching him, had his interest raised at that last part.
"You heard me right, I said let it run!... Liable? I'll be responsible for this, but I swear, I will have your hide if you cut even a moment of this!" Diethard fought with the studio to keep this going, as it was amazing, almost as grand as his debut, and yet an important part of the story that Zero was telling.
“I will not say that battle itself is a sin, but I will never abide by a one-sided extermination of the weak of the strong. Know that whoever oppressors lurk, wherever tyrants and tormentors think themselves safe from judgment, know this one truth: The only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed! Know that come hell or high water, day or night, sun or shrine-justice will come, we will come!” Across the settlement, people listened to this, from the boats where Nunnally remained silent to Suzaku, who glared at the masked man, to Rivalz, who watched from his work.
“To the world, I proclaim this: We wear this color because as long as evil exists, so long as innocents are victimized, then we shall mourn then-but also protect and avenge them, carrying their spirits with us till the day comes when true justice and peace reigns!” Zero announced what many saw as an impossible goal.
“Those of you with power dread us!” Zero waved his left hand. Those of you without it, assemble with us; the Black Knights will stand in judgment of this world!” He waved his right hand, presenting his entire body, all that he was, to the world and daring it to challenge him.
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“As promised, Cornelia, the young princess returned to you safe and sound.” With the cameras off, Zero parted from his newly announced Black Knights to walk Euphemia right to Cornelia, uncaring how he was surrounded by Britannians. “As for your end of the deal.”
Cornelia, with her sister back at her side, glared at the man as to how easy it would be to kill him now…but. "Get out of my sight; you got less than 23 hours before I resume my hunt for your head.” She gave her word, and if she had to report on this later, she'd frame it as taking time to learn more about the JLF from what Euphemia could know and replan their approach on how to hunt down Zero.
“It will be a long and fruitless endeavor, Princess. Akin to trying to find the elixir for eternal life.” Zero seemed amused by her words, but he also sounded like he looked forward to embarrassing her, which only made her want to capture him and rip his ego out of him.
“Wait,” She called out as he turned to leave, the man looking back over his shoulder. “No games, no lies, I want the truth out of you. What is Project Eden?” Euphemia looked at her, surprised that she would ask such a thing but also eager to hear about it, as Zero seemed to know far more than they did.
“A red herring, there is no such Project Eden, to my knowledge. Your brother's dirty little secret went by another name…Code-R.” Zero could have been dishonest, but it didn't gain him much now, did it? Besides, it could help him and his objectives if he was honest.
“Why lie?” Euphemia asked him before her sister could demand such.
“Why does anyone lie? To achieve something, as for what that was, I’ll leave it for you to decide, but since we’re having last remarks-” Without so much as a flinch, Zero drew a pistol and aimed it right for Euphemia, who gasped like a deer in headlights, so caught by surprise by this as others reacted a moment too slow. Cornelia, Dalton, Guilford, and at least 20 others pulled pistols and rifles out, aiming them for Zero.
“Don’t you dare!” Dalton yelled at him.
“I knew I couldn’t trust you!” Cornelia looked ready to beat him to death. In the face of the hailstorm of bullets and wrath that surrounded him, Lelouch closed his eyes in fondness as this…this was just like what he saw in his head every time he closed his damn eyes.
“If I wanted her dead, she'd be little more than a corpse; just remember this, Cornelia. Remember this feeling, that dread, that fear, that panic…that you instilled into the people of Saitama. Try another stunt like that again, and you'll be burying your sister right next to Clovis, that I promise.” He put heavy emphasis on that last part as he lowered his gun and returned to whatever holster he had under that cape.
Turning to leave, he was still accosted by a wall of soldiers. “Lower your guns, or I’ll break you like unruly mutts.” They all felt a spike of ice-cold terror shoots through them at Zero's warnings, but they didn't yield, which amused Lelouch as it seemed like his sister didn't have spineless attack dogs, at least. Instead, they turned to the viceroy, who looked close to breaking her word after Zero dared to threaten her sister's life and thought he could get away with it.
"Do it," Euphemia said to her sister, who looked at her like she was mad, but she shook her head. They could argue this later, but right now, things had ended, so she just wanted to leave them to rest. The soldiers obeyed, and Zero walked through the crowd of soldiers, vanishing into the night.
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I have another chapter that needs to be done. As it's nearly finished, I wanted to give this some love first, as today is meant to be its upload day. If you read both, don't worry—one should be up in a couple hours.
Now, as for this chapter, it was mainly things that I wanted in the last chapter but couldn't fit with everything else those chapters entailed. It did have some stuff I've been itching to put into this story, which seems small, but I like to see them as the tiny differences between canon and how they're portrayed here. Also, it's a little longer than the norm, as I tried cutting it, but it always came out wrong.
