Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter Text
What was once a powerful and peaceful planet was now all but lifeless. The only forms of activity that remained on the planet were further battles as the war between the Autobots and Decepticons had come to an end, with no one as the victor. Cybertron would be a cold and barren planet for millions of years. Now anyone still on it was either trying to leave or finish what battles they needed.
A massive ship, one that was about the size of a whole city, had just left the planet's atmosphere and was making its way toward a massive portal deep in space. This was the Ark, a vessel containing what remained of the Autobot forces, hoping to find a new home now that their old one was lost.
Within the Ark, in a hallway toward the bridge of the ship were two particular Autobots. One was the large red and blue leader of the faction: Optimus Prime. The other was a smaller, yellow, Autobot who remained silent due to his voice box being damaged: Bumblebee.
"We have no choice Bumblebee; the war is lost," Optimus told his scout as the two walked, "Leaving our home has been the hardest decision I've ever had to make. It has been a long, painful war with the Decepticons."
The door in front of them opened to reveal the bridge of the Ark where several Autobots were at work with the Ship's systems. Through the massive window in front of them, one could see the portal they were heading toward.
"Whatever lies beyond that portal is our best and lost hope, my friend," Optimus said as they maintained course.
However, no one seemed to notice that behind the Ark there was another ship heading in that same direction as well.
As the two Autobots walked onto the bridge, they came toward a control panel that was being monitored by what appeared to be a much smaller Autobot, a small orange and blue-eyed Autobot with wheels for legs. He was on a hover pad as he worked with his small hands on the console. He was not only an Autobot but a smaller species of Cybertronian, a Mini-Con.
"Optimus, we are approaching the portal," the orange Mini-Con informed his leader, "Unfortunately, data indicates it growing more unstable."
"Will we make it, Fixit?" Optimus asked.
"I do not know sir," the Mini-Con, apparently named Fixit, responded, "At this rate, it may close before we even get there."
All their attention was averted when a large shadow began to loom over them. All the Autobots on the bridge looked up in surprise as they saw the large and deadly warship known as the Nemesis make its appearance.
"Oh no," Fixit trembled in fear.
"Megatron," Optimus glared.
The Nemesis began to deploy a series of grappler/drill-like objects from its haul which shot directly at the bridge, shattering through the window, and imbedding onto the floor.
Optimus grabbed Fixit protectively as the Autobot soldiers all drew their weapons, "Direct all fire on those tow cables!"
Bumblebee's wrists converted into his dual Energon blasters as he tried to shoot at the cable, but a second tow cable came down right in front of him, sending him flying back before he blacked out. The last thing he heard before it went dark was Optimus saying an order.
"All hands to combat!"
It may have been a few minutes, but Bumblebee was beginning to recover from the attack. He regained his vision and saw two Autobots were helping him. One was his leader, still holding Fixit, the other was the white and red bot-medic known as Ratchet.
"Bumblebee! You with us?"
The scout's eyes opened as he saw Ratchet with a light probe scanning him.
"Optimus, he's coming around."
"Thank the Maker," Optimus sighed in relief as Ratchet checked him out.
"He's been through worse," Ratchet began, "Voicebox is still crushed, nothing new there. Base Energon levels are almost normal. Overshields are charging up."
The ship rumbled a bit.
"I have a feeling that this isn't over," Fixit stated with worry.
Optimus placed a hand on Ratchet's shoulder. The medic nodded to him. He knew Optimus had to get out there. He would look after Bumblebee. The larger Autobot gently put Fixit down next to Ratchet before running out of the bridge to help his soldiers as Ratchet finished checking in on Bumblebee.
Fixit turned around and saw from the tow-cable, that three Vehicon troopers had entered the bridge, "Ratchet! Bumblebee! Decepticons have boarded the bridge!"
"Arms out! Weapons to the deck!" one Vehicon exclaimed.
Ratchet quickly raised his hands to show he was unarmed, while still holding the light probe, "Don't fire! I'm a medic!"
"Slap a muffler on it!" the Vehicon ordered.
However, Ratchet was far from helpless. He threw his probe in the air before it exploded like a flash grenade.
"Take them out Bumblebee!" Ratchet exclaimed as he took Fixit and found cover.
"My optics!" one Vehicon shielded his eyes from the others, giving Bumblebee the opening he needed to activate his blasters and quickly gun down all three Decepticons.
"More Decepticons boarding!" Fixit informed as several more Vehicons intruded via the tow cables.
The door from behind opened and several Autobot troopers opened fire on the Decepticons, initiating the fire-fight.
"Defend the bridge!"
Bumblebee joined in. He took cover and nailed one Vehicon with a headshot before rolling out from undercover and rushing the closest Decepticon before slamming his shoulder into him to knock him into a second Con. The scout then used his fists to punch the lights out from one Vehicon before using him as a shield to block enemy fire from two more Decepticons before firing with both his blasters, hitting them in the faces and taking them off-line just as the remaining Autobot soldiers finished off the last of the Cons.
"That's showing them!" one soldier shouted.
"Don't celebrate yet, Megatron won't give up that easily," the medic advised as he set Fixit down on a console along the wall, "Fixit, can you get Teletraan-1 back online?"
"I will try."
Fixit's hands seemed to plug into the smaller extension openings in the console as he began to reactivate Teletraan-1, "I think I… almost… got it!"
The voice that served as the main supercomputer program for the whole Ark gave an alert for the whole crew to hear.
"Alert. Firewall breach. Unauthorized Access."
Right after that, a giant and holographic head of the Decepticon leader, Megatron, appeared on the bridge as he began to speak.
"Your precious Ark will never reach that portal, Autobots!"
"Shield failure on starboard thruster," Teletraan-1 reported.
"I will tear your ship apart, piece by piece!" Megatron vowed before his hologram cut off.
The tow cables retracted from the bridge, having sustained too much damage during the fire-fight.
Fixit continued to observe the ship's systems and saw something that made him look in alarm.
"Oh no," he accessed the comms, "Optimus, Decepticons are swarming the engine deck!"
"I'm on my way!" Optimus replied on the other end of the comms, "Fixit, you and Ratchet maintain the bridge as best as you can."
"Yes, Optimus," Fixit responded.
However, no sooner than he finished, the Ark began to shake up as the lights dimmed and lit back up a few times before Teletraan-1 reported again.
"Teletraan system failure."
Ratchet did not like the sound of that, "Fixit, can you reboot the system?"
"No, I'm completely locked out of the system!" Fixit replied, "And worse, the entire defense network is down!"
"Scrap!" Ratchet frustratedly exclaimed, "Without the pulse cannons, Optimus won't stand a chance."
He turned toward the silent scout, "Bumblebee, I need you to reboot the system manually! Fixit and I can maintain the bridge!"
"Here, take this fuse from Teletraan," the Mini-Con used the system to remotely open a compartment along the wall to expose an Energon-fuse-like device, "This should reactivate the service lift to get you where you need to go."
"Good luck, Bumblebee," Ratchet told him as Bumblebee took the fuse, ran out of the bridge via a door along the port side, and met with two Autobot soldiers.
"This way Bumblebee, we'll take point."
The soldiers led Bumblebee down a long and curving hallway where they came to a barely functional door. However, a large Autobot was able to pry it open.
"Hurry! I'll hold it open for you!"
Bumblebee dashed through the opening and into a hallway along the side of the ship with windows showing the chaotic scene in space right now.
"Bumblebee, I've patched into your optics. The service lift is just ahead," Ratchet communicated to him via the comms.
"We've gotta get out of here!" an Autobot soldier exclaimed right as a tow-cable pierced through the windows. It retracted just as the vacuum pulled all the Autobots out into space.
Fortunately, Bumblebee was able to grab ahold of the floor right as the blast doors came down and sealed the hole, and the ship's artificial gravity was restored.
"Gravity reestablished," Teletraan-1 reported.
"Megatron will pay for that," Ratchet stated as Bumblebee picked himself back up, "They're ripping the Ark apart, you need to hurry!"
Bumblebee continued along his way as he jumped over a hole made by the tow cable and continued along the hallway, all while Teletraan-1 continued with damage reports.
"Shield failure. Energon capacity depleting. Turbine starvation at 64%."
Bumblebee made his way into a dark and dysfunctional chamber where he spotted the fuse box in the middle.
"Bumblebee, replace that fuse and the lift should reactivate," Ratchet instructed.
The yellow scout did as he was told as he replaced the damaged fuse with the new one. Once it was installed, Energon began to flow again through several tubes above him as the lights went up, revealing a door that opened to show the service lift.
"Service lift online."
"Nice Work Bumblebee."
Bumblebee went inside, and the lift reactivated, taking him straight upward. As he went up, Bumblebee saw through a few windows as his fellow Autobots were doing their best to hold back the invading Decepticon forces.
"Bumblebee, you're almost to the defense tower. Hurry! Optimus is losing ground!" Ratchet reported.
The service lift came to a halt on the roof of the massive Ark where the only thing separating him from the defense tower was a bridge. He was about to head in that direction, but multiple explosions rang across the bridge, exposing several pipes and creating fires all around. But he had no time to worry about this as he ran through the flames, while they did burn and hurt, he pushed through and made it in one piece.
The silent scout opened a door to see a large and green Autobot duking it out with several Vehicons.
"Hey Bee, I could use a hand right here!" Bulkhead stated as he formed a mace in his right hand and smashed a Vehicon in front of him before opening fire with his left hand converted into a blaster.
Bumblebee ran in to join him as he opened fire with his blasters, gunning down two Vehicons in front of him before rushing the third one and sweeping him off his feet before jumping into the air and smashing his head in with a powerful punch.
Bulkhead meanwhile grabbed a Vehicon with his hands and threw him into another before forming maces in both hands and rushing to smash the Decepticons into pulp.
"Okay, I can hold the line from here," Bulkhead told the smaller Autobot, "The defense mainframe is just through that door."
He pointed to a door on the other side of the room, which Bumblebee ran toward. As he went ahead, Bulkhead turned to face the door where Bumblebee came in from and made a stand, ready to face any Decepticons that may come his way.
He opened the door and stuck to the wall as he saw a Vehicon at the controls, thankfully he did not notice him.
"Easy now…" Ratchet warned Bumblebee, "One misfire and you could fry that whole panel."
Bumblebee knew what he had to do. He quickly and quietly made his way to the Vehicon before he grabbed him by the head and snapped his neck, snapping the head clean off before he got to the controls. Bumblebee just needed to press a few command keys before the job was done.
From the window, he could see the outside of the Ark where he could see the pulse cannons above the engine deck come back online.
"You did it! Pulse gunners! Engine deck! Covering fire!"
The cannons opened fire, blasting multiple large energy blasts toward the Nemesis, causing significant damage to the Decepticon warship.
"Tactical read-out is online," Ratchet informed, "Now if I can just locate Optimus… There! He's taking Megatron head-on!"
However, right after that was said, Bumblebee spotted a tow cable that loomed above him and the defense mainframe like a snake ready to go in for the kill. Bumblebee rolled out of the way just as the tow-cable pierced its way into the room. He then jumped down a service duct which led him to fall to a lower chamber.
"Bumblebee, are you there?" Ratchet asked. Bumblebee was able to give out a single bleep to inform Ratchet he was still online, "Optimus needs your help! Change form and roll out!"
Bumblebee then transformed into his vehicular mode, resembling some sort of futuristic yellow car. The door opened as Bumblebee shot his way outside onto the outer deck of the Ark. He drove as fast as he could as he happened to pass underneath the massive Decepticon combiner known as Bruticus before opening fire with his guns to take out some rubble in his way as he zoomed into the tunnel. He made a turn and back outside as he continued to ride as fast as possible to get to his leader in time.
"LOOK OUT, BUMBLEBEE!"
Ratchet's warning came just in time as Bumblebee moved out of the way of an incoming tow cable that would have turned him into scrap. He made another turn where he drove and swerved past a couple more tow-cable shots before coming close toward a drop. With no time to stop he decided to gun it. He flew through the air before the ship's artificial gravity pulled him down toward the lower ground. It was a bit of a rough landing, but he made it.
"Over here!"
Bumblebee saw an Autobot soldier waving toward him. The scout transformed back into robot mode as he came toward a battalion of Autobots guarding the door he needed to get through.
"Ratchet said you were coming."
The scout made it past the battalion as he came toward the door guarded by two Autobots.
"Open up, we got Bumblebee!"
The door opened up as Bumblebee and the two Autobots ran inside.
"Thank Primus the defense gird is back up," one Autobot breathed in relief, "You pulled that off?"
Bumblebee nodded.
"Nice, I didn't stand a chance without it."
"Yeah? What do you think the odds are now?" the second Autobot asked grimly.
They made it through the hallway and into a room where several injured Autobots were resting and regrouping. He took the moment to look around at his injured comrades. Nearly every bot here had lost friends and their homes. Of course, they weren't the only ones. He held his throat where he could feel where his voice box used to be. What was the point of this war? Why would Megatron go so far as to destroy his home planet? Bumblebee swore upon the Allspark that he would do everything he could to help Optimus and make Megatron pay for all the suffering that he caused.
He came toward the door where at least six other Autobots were waiting for him.
"You ready to blast some Cons straight back to Cybertron?" one Autobot soldier asked enthusiastically, to which Bumblebee nodded.
"Through here Bumblebee," another soldier directed him toward the door, "You wanna be tip of the spear? We're right behind you."
Bumblebee gave a nod in acknowledgment as the door opened and Bumblebee took the lead.
"Let's go! Let's go!" the other Autobots followed in from behind him.
"Move out! Move out!"
They ran up an incline before coming back outside to a warzone where several Autobots were forced back by an onslaught of blasts from multiple Vehicon troopers. Bumblebee readied his blasters as he opened fire and charged into the fray with the cavalry right behind him.
"Centrifugal separator critical! Engine failure at 89%!"
Bumblebee shot and cleared out a couple of Decepticons upfront, punching a hole to let the other Autobot soldiers come in and open fire to take out several more Vehicons, making the battle much more even. He transformed back into vehicle form as he drove through the Decepticon forces, gunning them down with his side blasters or just straight-up ramming them. It wasn't long before the remaining Decepticon forces were destroyed and the Autobots made an arch on the other side of the clearing. Several of the injured soldiers sat back to recover while he wanted to push forward.
Once the Autobot scout walked outside closer toward the back engines of the Ark, he saw a large Autobot approaching him.
"Bumblebee, I'll clear you a wedge," the large Autobot was able to bash and knock down several invading Vehicons before Bumblebee and the Autobot soldiers accompanying him joined in.
However, a large explosion erupted from the side.
"Holy scrap! Did you see that?! The whole engine deck is coming apart!"
"Keep pushing, Optimus needs us!"
The Autobots pushed forward to clear out the last of the Decepticons as they made it closer to their destination.
"Air 1-8 to ground. That last blast took a toll on Optimus. You wanna help? The time is now!"
"We're almost through!"
However, despite that claim, the Autobots had to take cover as several more Vehicons came flying toward them in the form of advanced alien jets before they transformed into robot form and opened fire.
"How many of these guys are there?!" one Autobot exclaimed.
"Autobots, listen up! Bumblebee's gonna punch through! Give him some covering fire! NOW!"
The Autobot soldiers opened fire on the Decepticons, forcing them to take cover. This gave Bumblebee the opening he needed to rush past them and make it toward the other side.
Bumblebee's path was obstructed by some debris too large for any large bot to get past. Fortunately, Bumblebee was small enough to squeeze through the debris. Though dust obscured his entire field of vision, the scout could tell that he was now standing on top of the back-thruster engines. From this point, he had to be careful. One slip and he could fall back to Cybertron.
"I can't see anything," Ratchet informed, still patched into Bumblebee's optics, "But my scanners say that Optimus should be right on top of you."
Right as he said that, Optimus was thrown at Bumblebee. This caused the yellow scout to stumble and fall back, almost falling off the side of one engine completely. Fortunately, he was able to grab onto the side and save himself. From his point, he could see Optimus and Megatron dulling their blades.
Bumblebee tried to climb up as fast as he could to help his leader who was struggling against the evil tyrant. Megatron was able to kick Optimus back. He then spotted a large heavy ordinance weapon, which had enough for one shot.
"This ought to do the job," Megatron aimed it at his former friend.
"Then I'll just have to destroy you all!"
Megatron shot the blast, but Bumblebee climbed back up and jumped in the way, taking the shot for Optimus as both were knocked back. Optimus could only look in shock.
"Bumblebee!"
The scout was still alive, but barely.
Though Optimus was clearly in shock, Megatron could only look in frustration, "What a waste of Energon!"
It was those words that sparked something in Optimus. A dear friend of his was near death and Megatron dismissed it as a waste of Energon. This spurred his anger.
He looked up towards the Decepticon leader, "After eons of conflict, I finally see the truth of your words Megatron."
Megatron had drawn his blade, "And what might that be, Optimus?"
He tried to bring it down, only for Optimus to catch his arm.
"This universe, no matter how vast, will never be big enough for you and me to co-exist!"
He delivered a punch straight to Megatron's jaw, sending him flying straight up toward an upper deck and landing with a thud. He rolled out of the way just as Optimus had jumped up with his blade and brought it down onto the ground. Optimus drew blades from both his hands as he began a furious clash of swords against Megatron.
"No one can stop me!"
They clashed metal for metal. Optimus swung vertically with his right blade, which Megatron blocked with his sword before Optimus swung it at the side of Megatron, cutting him and forcing him back before Megatron shot his pulse cannon at Optimus to blast him back.
"You call yourself a Prime?!" Megatron mocked as they clashed blades once more, "You were a records clerk when I found you! You'll be dust when I'm through with you!"
"Are you going to talk or fight, Megatron?" Optimus questioned as to the two locked blades and pressed against each other.
Optimus was able to win as he swiped his swords to knock Megatron back before he tackled him towards the wall. From there Optimus laid a series of punches all across Megatron's body. He punched him one more time across the face before picking him up smashing him against the wall and throwing him toward the ground.
Right as Megatron was about to get back up, more explosions rang around them, causing them both to stumble slightly before they resumed their battle.
"You're finished, Megatron," Optimus told him as he swung his blade toward his head, but Megatron caught it in his hands.
"Never!" Megatron punched Optimus in the abdomen, "I'm just warming up!"
He delivered a punch to Optimus' face to knock him back and kicked him to the ground.
Megatron laughed as he pinned Optimus down and punched him repeatedly in the face, "You're as soft as the weaklings you fight for!"
Optimus grabbed Megatron's fist and threw it away before headbutting Megatron and forcing him off him, "On the contrary, my friends are the source of my strength."
The Autobot leader went back on the offensive with his fists as he punched Megatron all across his face and body to knock him back. However, before Optimus could go much further, more explosions rang across their battlefield as several pieces were pulling towards the unstable portal, they were drawing closer towards. This allowed Megatron to come back with his punch to Optimus' face and kicked him in the chest to knock him back before rushing him and tackling him toward a pillar, but Optimus delivered a knee to Megatron before performing a roundhouse kick right to Megatron's face.
"Not bad for a librarian," the Decepticon commander shot his fusion cannon at him, "Perhaps you should have spent more time in the pit."
Optimus rolled to avoid the lasers as his hands converted into his blasters, "And you should have spent more time in the library."
He shot at Megatron as the two ran at each other, while simultaneously shooting at each other before they clashed and grappled their hands to struggle against each other's strength.
Optimus' blue optics glared into the evil of Megatron's red eyes as another explosion ran around them, knocking them off balance, but giving Optimus an opening. The leader of the Autobots delivered an uppercut to knock Megatron down. Optimus drew his blade as he approached his former friend before driving it right into Megatron's chest, causing the tyrant to yell in pain. However, another explosion knocked them both back.
At that moment, both of them felt a strong gravitational force not only pulling on them but the Ark as well as the Nemesis.
"No! The portal!" Megatron exclaimed.
"The vortex is tearing the ship apart!" Optimus exclaimed as well.
The two tried to hold onto the deck as best as they could. Megatron tried to punch Optimus who responded with a kick.
"NO! I WILL NOT BE DENIED!" Megatron yelled as both he and Optimus lost their grip and were pulled into the portal.
It was not just them however as both the Ark and Nemesis tumbled and were pulled in by the strong gravitational force of the massive portal that would be collapsing at any moment. Explosions rang across the heavily damaged Ark, as well as the Nemesis, as they were both sucked into the portal which closed completely, leaving only quiet space behind.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the known universe, countless lightyears away from Cybertron, floating in the depths of space was a planet that was roughly one-third the size of the metallic planet. A planet that was primarily covered with water with landmasses scattered over. It had a single small moon in its orbit. This was the planet the natives called Earth.
Some distance away from the Earth's moon, a portal had opened. A massive and unstable portal; evident by the streaks of lightning that surged out around it as the Ark and Nemesis both came tumbling out of the portal. Both ships were heavily damaged, the Ark especially, from the fight; but being sent through an unstable portal did a number on both ships' systems.
The Nemesis tumbled through space as its engines were offline completely. The Decepticon warship found itself being pulled in by the gravity from the moon before it fell and crashed; skidding along the barren surface of the smaller planetoid as parts of it fell off before it came to a screeching halt.
The Ark was not so lucky as it still kept going. The portal spat that ship out further away from the moon as it was heading directly towards the Earth. Optimus, who was still flying through space, tried to stabilize himself as he grabbed onto the outer haul of the ship as it spun out of control and countless Autobot soldiers were seen flying off and heading into space. He wanted to grieve for all those valiant soldiers who put up the best fight they could, but he had to get back inside to help save those who remained.
Optimus tried to crawl along the surface as the Ark spun closer toward the Earth, but he felt something grab onto his leg. It was Megatron. The Ark had now entered the planet's atmosphere and was beginning its burning descent toward the surface. He kicked Megatron in the face, but he didn't let go. He kicked again and still did not let go. It was not until the third kick that Megatron was sent flying and burning through the atmosphere as he fell a distance away.
Optimus tried to crawl back into the ship as he saw an airlock near him open from the inside, where a black and red brawny Autobot reached out for Optimus to grab his hand, which he did before his fellow Autobot pulled him back into the ship and the airlock closed.
"Thank you, Ironhide," Optimus thanked his old friend.
"Thank me later, we're about to crash!" Ironhide exclaimed as the two ran from their current position towards the bridge of the ship.
"Teletraan-1 is offline! Repeat Teletraan-1 is offline!" Fixit reported as Ratchet tried to manually stabilize the ship.
"Thrusters are destabilized, and Energon capacity is at an all-time low!" Ratchet tried his best to keep the ship from falling apart. It wasn't long before Optimus and Ironhide ran onto the bridge.
"Ratchet, what is the status?!" Optimus questioned as he got to the controls.
"We're going to crash, and we cannot avert it!" Ratchet exclaimed as the display showed the Ark passing through the cloud cover and closer to a large body of water, which was known to the humans as the Pacific Ocean.
Optimus knew this was inevitable, and there was only one possible way to save what surviving Autobots were onboard. He accessed his comms and shot his voice through the Ark's speakers.
"Optimus Prime to all surviving Autobots! We are about to crash land onto this planet! Prepare to enter an emergency stasis mode!"
Ratchet, Ironhide, and Fixit each looked toward Optimus with surprise.
"Stasis?! That's the best you can come up with?!" Ironhide questioned
"Unfortunately, my friend. You, as well as Ratchet and Fixit, should do the same."
He took the manual controls, "I'll steer the Ark as best I can, but you must enter stasis now!"
They could see the look in Optimus' optics and knew that they couldn't change his mind on this.
"Very well," Ratchet relented as he grabbed Fixit in his hand before he and Ironhide left the bridge.
The Ark had crashed into the water as it sunk deeper into the ocean with Optimus doing his best to manage a controlled crash as the ship continued to sink deeper into the water and closer to the ocean floor. He saw the ocean floor coming closer and he could only close his eyes.
"Till all are one."
Then everything went black.
It was nighttime in a forested area just on the outskirts of a large and decorated city. To those who lived on this planet, this city was known as Pendragon, the capital of the Holy Empire of Britannia, one of the three leading superpowers of the planet Earth. At least three or four miles away from the capital were two boys who were running through the forest outside the capital. They were both dressed in attire that would make one believe they were royalty they were. They appeared to be no less than seven maybe eight years old at the most. One had short sandy brown hair while the other had longer blonde hair. Both had light-colored skin and purple eyes.
As the two ran, the brown-haired boy stopped to catch his breath by the tree, "Big Brother… I have to… I... I can't run anymore."
"We have to keep moving Charles," the blonde boy spoke to his apparent older brother, "Mother is dead. Father doesn't appear to care. Everyone else is fighting. If we don't keep running, we'll die too."
Charles looked toward his older twin brother with tear-filled eyes, "I… I just wanna go home."
"We can't," he took his brother's hands, "It's just you and me. Do you remember our promise? Our promise to never lie to each other?"
Charles nodded as his brother continued, "We're brothers, and brothers look out for each other. Okay?"
Charles wiped the tears from his eyes as he smiled, "Okay."
The two smiled, but there was a light above them that caught their attention.
The twin brothers looked toward the sky in awe as they saw a flaming projectile fall from the night sky and land outside the forest, creating an explosion that could be seen outside the trees, and it almost knocked the two off their feet.
"What was that?!" Charles exclaimed in fear.
"I don't know… but… let's go check it out."
As the older brother ran, Charles ran after him, "Big brother, wait for me!"
The two ran out of the forest where they came to a clearing and all they could see was a large and smoking crater. The boys slowly and cautiously walked towards the hole and when they looked down, they saw something that made their eyes go wide.
It appeared to be a large, silver, metallic being. He was heavily damaged, most likely from a fight, with a large fusion cannon attached to his arm and carried large spikes coming from his shoulders. He had large gashes over his body as a purple liquid seemed to be 'bleeding' out of him. His appearance was enough to force the boys to back in fear.
"What… what is… that?" Charles questioned in a shaky and scared tone.
"I don't know…" the older brother slowly walked toward the hole and looked down to see this metallic being, "Maybe… some kind of…. Mech suit?"
"I don't think so," Charles replied, "No one has something like this."
Before the boys could ponder further, this being's eyes shot open as he gave a loud yell and shot his body. The two boys backed away in fear before they quickly ran back to the nearest trees and hid behind them. They looked to see the metal giant attempting to stand only for him to fall on his knees, he was in pain.
"What… what is this?" the being spoke as he looked around at his surroundings, "Where am I?"
He accessed his comms, "Megatron to Nemesis, report."
There was no reply, only static, "Megatron to Nemesis, report! Soundwave! Do you read me?!"
Still nothing.
He grunted before attempting to stand once more, looking toward the stars.
Megatron did not recognize any of these star formations. Wherever the portal took him, it was very far away from Cybertron.
He grunted as he felt the wound on his side, "Optimus."
He tried to walk as he stumbled but stood firm. He continued to limp to find a spot where he could recuperate and formulate his next step.
Meanwhile, Charles and his older brother looked out from the trees as they saw the giant walk away.
"Did that thing… talk?" Charles questioned.
"Megatron…I… I think that's his name," his brother said.
"What is he?"
"I don't know. But I want to find out."
It was daytime on Earth. Megatron had found a cave large enough for him to fall back and rest. Now that he could rest, he could think a bit more clearly. He remembered before the Exodus how Shockwave reported he found a primitive world rich with Energon and opened a portal via an ancient Space Bridge tower in the Sea of Rust. This was that world. There would be plenty of Energon here, and he knew the Nemesis was present along with his army as he saw his ship crash land on this planet's moon.
Of course, this also meant Optimus was more than likely here as he and the Ark made it through as well. However, the Ark was heavily damaged during the fight, so the odds of any Autobots surviving were very little. But still, a part of him had hoped the former data clerk survived just so that he could snuff out his spark himself.
Megatron felt the wound from when Optimus stabbed him during their battle and could already feel that his own Dark Energon was all but depleted. His greatest source of power was spent, the only thing that saved him from not only being crushed by Metroplex earlier but prevented him from dying from the fall to this planet's surface. The Decepticons' own Dark Energon reserves were all but depleted as well. If and when Soundwave found him, he would likely be given natural Energon to replace what he had lost. He sighed in exhaustion and frustration. However, his eyes caught movement outside the cavern's entrance.
Megatron pointed his fusion cannon toward the entrance, "Come out! Reveal yourself!"
The same two boys who found Megatron the previous night slowly came out from their hiding spot and into Megatron's viewpoint with their hands in the air. Charles was the most frightened while his older brother, though he too was scared, had a defiant look on his face.
"We… we're not going to harm you," the older brother said, "And I'm not certain we can."
Megatron observed the two boys with interest. They were organic lifeforms. Though he and Orion Pax learned of the possibility of organic lifeforms on other planets this was the first time he'd ever seen one, or two in this case.
"Tell me, what is the name of this planet?" Megatron queried as he lowered his fusion cannon, as these two posed no threat to him.
"This… is… Earth," Charles stuttered, "Are… are you… an alien?"
"As I do not hail from your world, then yes. I am what you refer to as an 'alien'. Though in my perspective, you are alien to myself."
"Where are you from?" Charles asked.
Megatron did not answer.
"My brother asked you a question," the older boy stated.
"And I choose not to answer," Megatron replied, "I do not have to answer to smaller creatures such as yourself."
Charles backed away slightly while his brother only looked angry as he was just insulted, "How dare you! I am Victor Zi Britannia, and this is my brother Charles Zi Britannia, heirs to the imperial throne of the Holy Empire of Britannia!"
"Britannia?" the former gladiator questioned, "You said your planet's name was Earth."
"It is." Charles, still scared, replied shyly, "It's just our nation's name is Britannia."
Nation? Megatron looked rather intrigued. So, this world's rule was divided? Much like how Cybertron was between his Decepticons and the Autobots. Was it similar? Or was it different?
However, before anything could be pondered further, a flash of light shone outside the cave as Megatron, Charles, and Victor both looked towards the light as it turned into a swirling green portal. A Space Bridge.
Out from the portal, were two Vehicon troopers and a third Decepticon. This one was different from any other Decepticon, or Cybertronian for that matter. He was sleek and thin, and quite tall. But his most prominent feature was his face or lack thereof. It appeared he had no face at all and all that was there was a black visor.
"Soundwave," Megatron acknowledged as the two Vehicons were by their leader's side; while the two young boys stuck to the wall of the cave.
"Lord Megatron. You're still alive!" they tried to help him to his feet, but he was able to stand on his own.
"Of course, I'm alive, you fool," Megatron told his subordinate.
"Sir," the second Vehicon began to report, "The Nemesis has crashed onto this planet's moon. Though its engines and motor controls are inoperable, the ship's navigational systems are still active. And thanks to Soundwave's surveillance abilities, we were able to locate your signal. Sir."
"Excellent work Soundwave," the Decepticon leader congratulated his surveillance chief who nodded in response.
However, the silent Decepticon turned his 'face' toward the two boys who were pressed against the wall in fear.
The two Vehicons saw this as well and readied their blasters, "Lord Megatron, we have an infestation!"
"Stand down," Megatron ordered, causing the two Vehicons to lower their weapons, "These are natives of this planet."
He looked toward the two young boys and he could see something in their eyes, despite the obvious fear they had, there was a spark inside. A drive, something that didn't seem too dissimilar to his own.
"Perhaps they may be of use to us," Megatron stated with an evil smile.
34 Earth Years Later (a.t.b. 1997)
"All hail Emperor Charles Zi Britannia! 98th Emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia!" a royal guard announced in the throne room, "Long may he reign!"
"All hail Charles! All hail Charles! All hail Charles! All hail Charles!"
These cheers echoed throughout the entire massive throne room from which the new emperor, Charles Zi Britannia, now the age of 42 sat. He was much taller and larger than before. His hair was longer, stretching down to his shoulders with a small goatee on his chin. He was dressed in primarily red and white clothing fit for an emperor with a purple cape hanging from his back.
However, despite all the dozens of nobles cheering his name as he had now become the emperor of Britannia, his face bore no emotion at all. It was as if this entire accomplishment was empty.
After the coronation was complete Charles walked the grounds of the Royal Palace alone. He walked along the path that was lined with runes and ancient sculptures for some time until he felt a vibration along his side. He pulled out a small hand-held device that bore the Decepticon insignia before pressing the symbol and a six-foot-tall hologram of Megatron appeared in front of him. Charles made a bowing gesture.
"Lord Megatron."
"Charles," Megatron gave an amusing chuckle, "Or should I say… Emperor Charles Zi Britannia. You are now the single and undisputed leader of your nation. I imagine this must be quite the accomplishment for you."
"I have you to thank for that, Lord Megatron," Charles replied, "You taught me everything I know."
Megatron noticed the tone in Charles' voice, "You do not seem very impressed by your feat. Is that not what you wanted?"
"This victory feels rather empty," the emperor replied, "Compared to the vast reaches of the universe, Britannia seems rather insignificant. And even then, it only represents one-third of this miserable planet; everyone, including the people of this nation, continues to fight with no end in sight. Seems rather small when compared to the grand scheme of things."
"Perhaps," Megatron stated, "But even then, I started as a gladiator before I began my campaign. We both have started with nothing but will soon gain everything! It may take some time, but with my help, you shall subjugate this world and bring the humans to their knees! We shall build an empire that will not only the Earth… but every inhabitant world across the universe! Your name will forever be engraved in Decepticon history!"
Charles smiled, "Everything I know, everything that I am now, is from your teachings. You made me the man that I am today. And while I may not say it to anyone else, I fight in the name of the Decepticons and I will bring this world to its knees, all in your name, Lord Megatron."
Charles bowed to his mentor one final time.
"In due time my protege," Megatron said, "For now, savor your victory for you have earned it. Your brother would be proud of you."
The hologram cut off as Charles put the device back in his pocket.
One of the girls was the age of sixteen, she had black hair tied back in a yellow bow tie beautiful violet eyes, and fair skin. The other girl had the same appearance with white skin and creamy yellow eyes, but what stood out was her long green hair.
"Charles."
The new emperor looked down the hill and saw his brother, who still bore the appearance of a ten-year-old boy. He wore blue royal clothing and his blonde hair stretched to his feet.
"Victor," Charles greeted his brother as he walked toward him.
"You know that is not my name anymore, Charles," the seemingly young boy said, "I gave that up long ago."
Charles bore a humorous smile, "Forgive me big brother, but the name V.V. sounds like what you would give a machine."
The boy now named V.V. laughed slightly, "So, tell me, Charles, have you learned anything by becoming Emperor?"
Charles' smile vanished, "Yes, big brother. From what I did to become Emperor and from what we learned from Megatron: all the people of this world are liars, and this vast nation we call Britannia never changes."
"That may be true, but it's just human nature, isn't it?" V.V. asked.
"Not just human nature. Cybertronians, though advanced, seem to fall under those base feelings," Charles replied.
"Hence the name Decepticons," V.V. said, "Are you certain Megatron doesn't know anything?"
"I am big brother," Charles confirmed, "He is not aware that you have become immortal even now, and nor does he know of our plan, which could take years to finish."
He laughed slightly, "Ironic, here I was chasing others for lying yet we both got to where we are now with lying and deception."
"We did learn from the best after all," V.V. stated, "But you won't forget will you Charles? Our contract?"
"I know. To kill God and smash this entire universe of lies," Charles said with a dark and empty look in his eyes.
"Charles!"
He and V.V. looked to see the dark-haired girl waving toward him, with the green-haired girl next to her, "Come on over here! You should see this amazing view of the palace!"
"I'm coming Marianne," Charles walked over to join them.
Though he seemed ignorant to the look V.V. gave when he looked in Marianne's direction. However, V.V. wouldn't let his jealousy get in the way of Charles' victory today.
"It is amazing," V.V. thought to himself as he chuckled, "Just how much you can do with Geass."
Chapter Text
The year was 2017 in the Britannian Imperial calendar, seven years after the end of the Pacific War in which Japan had been all but destroyed by the so-called Holy Britannian Empire. The empire had attacked Japan over its vast underground resources, and while the proud island nation was able to put up a good fight, the war lasted only a month as Britannia had introduced a new weapon of mass destruction: humanoid, autonomous armored knights known as the Knightmare Frames. With these advanced weapons, Japan was quickly brought to its knees. The oppressive Britannian Empire had stripped the once proud nation and its people of everything: their rights, their land, even their name: Area 11.
Britannia prides itself on its beliefs in Social Darwinism as well as its advancements in technology. However, what no one in the world knew was that Britannia itself was nothing more than a marionette to an even greater evil. The reason why Britannia was so much more advanced than any other nation on Earth was that all their advancements in science as well as their own Darwinist beliefs were all given to them by arguably the most destructive force in the known universe: the Decepticons.
This was something not even those in the Britannian Royal Family were aware of, only the current emperor Charles Zi Britannia, and a select few of his followers, excluding his own family, knew. In truth, Emperor Charles was the student of the Decepticon leader Megatron. He learned everything from him, and with that, the Empire had simply become another face to the Decepticon cause. Britannia would conquer various nations for their resources, most notably a raw mineral they referred to as Sakuradite, which was fuel for their Knightmares or known by the Decepticons as Energon. While Britannia kept some of these resources for themselves, Charles Zi Britannia arranged for the Decepticons to acquire the vast majority of it.
While Britannia continued its advancements on Earth, an entire army of Decepticons was based on the planet's moon, where the Nemesis crashed several decades ago after the exodus from the now-lifeless Cybertron. The Nemesis had almost been completely repaired, yet their leader chose to have them remain on the moon until he stated otherwise.
The said leader stood on the bridge of the Nemesis, his massive, spikey, and silver frame watched through the front screen of the room as his Vehicon troopers made final adjustments. He stood proudly alongside his ever-silent surveillance chief.
"The Nemesis will be ready to fly once more, Soundwave," Megatron told his arguably most loyal servant, "It is rather ironic, isn't it? We have yet to leave this planet's moon, yet we have also sent it hurtling into chaos. Humans are truly amusing."
The door from behind opened to reveal three near-identical-looking Decepticons entering the bridge. The one in the lead was primarily silver and red with a skinny frame, long razor claws, and wings on his back. The one on the right was the largest with a similar build, only much bulkier, and was primarily blue. The one on the left was the shortest with a black and purple color scheme.
"Lord Megatron," the one in the middle greeted with a bow, "We have received another shipment of Energon from the planet. Our cargo hold is nearly filled."
"Excellent, Starscream," Megatron replied.
"Yeah… good for us," the black and purple shorter Con rolled his red eyes.
Megatron turned around and fixed him a glare, "Pardon? Have you something to say, Skywarp?"
Before he could respond, the larger Decepticon spoke up, "What he means to say is, Lord Megatron, is that we've been on this rock for several cycles. I can understand that the ship has been heavily damaged and we've had to work with what limited resources we have available, but Soundwave here can open space bridge portals whenever. So, why do we still stay up here?"
"I will have to agree with Thundercracker as well Lord Megatron," Starscream added, "Why do we allow these humans to have access to Energon when we can just go down there and take it ourselves?"
"Even puppets have their uses. Why should we burden ourselves with retrieving this planet's resources when we can simply allow these humans to do it for us? It costs us less time and effort."
"But we should get all of it!" Skywarp exclaimed, "Those stupid humans don't even know what they're digging up! They can't even get the damn name right! What does Sakuradite even mean anyway?"
"While I can agree it's more convenient for us to have Britannia dig up the Energon for us, why do you permit them such freedom?" Thundercracker questioned as well.
"The struggles of humanity are beneath me. Let Britannia continue to tear this world apart. Eventually… they'll dig up our true adversaries."
Starscream looked rather surprised, "My liege… do you truly still believe Optimus to be alive? Master, it's been decades since you've last seen him. The Ark was heavily damaged when we emerged and it crashed onto the planet; I highly doubt any Autobots survived if they have yet to make an appearance."
"Optimus is not so easily destroyed. We have millennia worth of battles behind us to prove it."
"Master, even if he were alive, why has he yet to make an appearance? Why wait?" the blue Seeker asked.
"Perhaps he fears the safety of these humans. Optimus has always had a soft spot for the weak."
"So, you think if you turn Britannia into a Decepticon Empire 2.0 sort of thing, it'll push him back into action?" Skywarp guessed.
"Something like that."
"So… just to be clear… master," Starscream began, "We will continue to allow Britannia down its path and keep waiting… for the unlikely appearance of Optimus Prime?"
"Affirmative."
Megatron turned toward the three Seekers, "See to it the rest of our ranks know. We wait until the Autobots reappear, until then we stay up here. Am I understood?"
Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp all reluctantly bowed, "As you wish, Lord Megatron."
They all walked and left the bridge alone to Megatron and Soundwave.
"Soundwave, continue to monitor all Earth-based transmissions from Britannia," Megatron told his silent subordinate, "The moment that there is even a hint of Optimus, I want to be the first to know."
Soundwave nodded before walking out as well. Megatron looked on the screen as he pressed a few key commands to get a good view of the planet Earth.
"I know you are out there somewhere, Optimus. Where are you?"
Earth – Area 11 (formerly known as Japan)
The Tokyo Settlement was the capital of the Britannian-occupied nation. From an aerial view, the entire settlement almost seemed like a normal city, aside from the fact that it was stolen from Japan and rebuilt to serve the empire. However, despite the defeat almost a decade prior, there was still plenty of resistance, people fighting the oppressive forces.
One such form of resistance was a truck driving along a bridge road in the settlement with a Britannian law enforcement aircraft tracking them.
"This is Alpha-3. Target is traveling from Delta-12 to Delta-14 at a speed of 80 kilometers an hour."
"C.C.P to all mobile units, declaring a Code-3 from floor-5 to floor-2."
"All units, take 2-8-8, I want the target intact."
As this was occurring, an elderly man sat across from what appeared to be a Britannian nobleman at a game of chess with several bodyguards around him. A television along the side was displaying a newscast.
"Here's video footage of yesterday's terrorist bombings in Osaka. The secretary reported 59 casualties in this incident: 8 Britannians and 51 others"
The timer went off as a guard turned off the TV via remote.
"You're out of time," he said to the elderly man, "From here on you will make your moves every 20 seconds."
The nobleman sat with a smug look on his face, filling his nails with a rather fancy and expensive nail file, "Very well. I'm game."
The old man looked as though he was about to have a panic attack when the door opened behind him.
The nobleman maintained his smug look, "Did your substitute arrive?"
The old man gave a relieved laugh as he stood up, "Thank heaven I'm saved!"
Two teenage boys walked in,
"Are things going well at school?"
The nobleman looked at this as if it were a bad joke, "What have we here? Schoolboys?"
One of the teenage boys, a young man with a skinny frame, raven black hair, and violet-colored eyes carried a confident smirk, "Well look at this, a nobleman."
"I envy you kids today. You have so much time on your hands. Time for regrets. What's your name?"
"Lelouch, Lamperouge."
Lelouch's friend, a teenage boy with blue hair looked at where the chess pieces were on the board, "Whoa, now wait a minute! You can't win this one, it's impossible right?!"
"Rivalz, when do you think we would have to leave, to make our next class?" Lelouch asked.
"Uh, twenty minutes if we bust our hump."
"Then be sure you drive safely on the way back," Lelouch said, much to Rivalz's surprise as he sat down, "I'll need nine minutes. And by the way, about yesterday?"
"Understood sir," the old man said, "We'll discuss it later."
"Nine minutes?" the nobleman questioned, "You only have twenty seconds per move!"
Lelouch picked up the black king, "Enough time."
"Hmm? You start with the king?" the nobleman then gave an enormous laugh while Lelouch simply smirked.
As this was going on, the news report of the so-called terrorist bombing had not only reached other areas in Area 11 but also the computer screens onboard the Ark. The massive ship that served as the Autbots' exodus off Cybertron laid at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean at least twenty miles off the coast of Japan ever since it first crashed there several Earth decades ago. Though damages were extreme and the ship was incapable of flying; systems still worked along the Autobots to access its database, and even possibly receive signals from televised broadcasts from the nearby nation. They even had a functional laboratory, medical bay, and a ground bridge station as well. After awakening from stasis, they used the Ark's systems to access the Internet on Earth to learn about the planet, including humanity's history.
Casualties among the Autobots were high. There were only eight living Autobots currently based in the submerged vessel of the Ark. One was the small orange Mini-Con known as Fixit who helped to maintain the Ark's systems alongside the white and red Autobot medic Ratchet. There was also Bumblebee of course, alongside Bulkhead, among the few survivors of the original exodus, and even the veteran-bot, the black and red muscular Ironhide. They also received two additions to their team recently: the smaller blue female Autobot named Arcee and her partner, the red and talkative Cliffjumper. Of course, there was their leader, the tall and strong, red and blue, Optimus Prime.
They saw the same news broadcast from before as well as Fixit, who managed to hack into the Britannian police systems to get an idea of what was going on.
"Oh geez, another one?" Bulkhead groaned.
"Yep, another so-called terrorist attack," Ironhide replied.
"[And by that, they mean people trying to fight back against Britannia,]" Bumblebee communicated via bleeps as opposed to his natural voice.
"Seven years and they're still fighting," Arcee said.
"You do have to give them credit for their insistency… consistency…. Persistency!" Fixit said in between glitches.
Ratchet scoffed, "You ask me it's a waste of time. Why bother fighting after they've already lost?"
"Because they're still struggling to hold onto something!" Arcee exclaimed, "The Cons took everything from them, and now they're trying to get it back!"
"Uh, Arcee… don't you mean Britannia?" Cliffjumper questioned.
"Same difference!" Arcee continued, "We don't need to see Megatron's face to know this has 'Decepticon' written all over it!"
"Humans do have a bad history of violence, don't they? It doesn't have to necessarily be Decepticons," Fixit said.
"But the similarities are all there," Ironhide agreed with Arcee, "Britannia may think they're ruling now, but how much do you wanna bet the Cons are pulling their strings?"
"I highly doubt they aren't," Ratchet put in, "Those so-called Knightmares of theirs… who else has access to technology like that?"
"[But why would Megatron even do this? Why make a human empire in his image when we can just come down here and do it himself? It would probably be a lot easier than with Cybertron.]"
Bulkhead shrugged, "Maybe he's too lazy?"
"Or it's probably easier for him," Cliffjumper added.
After a long period of silence, Optimus Prime finally spoke up, "While I agree that Britannia's current position is more than likely from Megatron's influence, I am doubtful the people of this empire are aware of this."
"So why are we still here?" the female Autobot questioned, "Optimus, when you sent that message out, Cliff and I came to Earth hoping to take a stand against the Cons, not hide and let them corrupt and tear this planet apart!"
"Arcee, you know that if we intervene, Megatron will more than likely take a direct approach as well," the Autobot leader explained, "Which in turn could lead to catastrophic results for all of humanity, not just Japan."
She rubbed her face in frustration, "At least we'd give these people a fighting chance."
Area 11 – Ashford Academy
This school was considered one of the best in not only Area 11 but throughout the entire Britannian Empire as well. Granted, there were many more advanced academies in the homeland, but this was still considered quite elite. It was currently a lunch break as all the students sat through various spots across campus; among them were three teenage girls eating and talking.
"Where's Lelouch?" the blonde girl, Milly Ashford, wondered.
"He went somewhere with Rivalz," the autumn-haired girl, named Shirley Fenette responded.
"What? Maybe it's poker this time?" Milly guessed.
"They seem to forget that they're on the student council!" Shirley exclaimed, "They're off gambling for money! Lulu may be smart, yet he wastes his brain on stupid things. If only he'd apply himself to school, he'd get high grades."
The only girl who didn't speak, a meek and dark-haired girl with glasses named Nina Einstein, seemed to nod in agreement. Though Milly developed a bit of a mischievous smirk.
"'Oh I wish my darling Lulu would be a serious young man!' How adorable is that?" Milly teased.
Shirley tried to hide her blush, "Please, Madam President."
Back on the highway, the stolen truck was being driven by a dark-haired man with a red-haired girl in the passenger seat. Both were wearing long white clothes and hats to serve as some form of disguise, though it was not working out for them right now.
"Perfect!" the man grumbled angrily as they saw the police aircraft above them, "After we finally steal this damn thing! It's all because Tamaki couldn't stick with the damn plan! Now we got a problem!"
The nobleman dropped his nail file as his jaw hung in disbelief. He had lost his game. Lelouch had already called Checkmate and had left with Rivalz. The two were already in the building's lobby.
"I love playing against the nobility!" Rivalz chuckled, "When they lose they always play out of pride! By the way, 8 minutes and 32 seconds is a new record!"
"He also didn't have much time to move either," Lelouch said in a bored tone. "And as opponents go, the nobles are tepid. They're just over-privileged parasites, that's all."
Rivalz walked backward out the main door, "Well then, why don't you challenge one of the Elevens? They're nothing like us Britannians!"
He looked in surprise to see Lelouch was looking above him outside. He turned to see the news broadcast being televised on a massive jumbotron on a building across from them.
"What are they trying to prove by killing innocent people?"
"Those Elevens terrify me."
As people continued to murmur amongst themselves, the screen switched the Britannian Empire's flag.
"We apologize for the delay. Now, his royal highness, Prince Clovis, third prince of Britannia, will address the nation."
The screen shifted to reveal a young man with olive green hair and dressed in royal clothing as he began to make his address. No one seemed to notice the subtle glare Lelouch was giving towards the image of Clovis.
"To all my imperial subjects, including of course the many cooperative Elevens who choose to serve the empire of Britannia…"
"We're not Elevens! Were Japanese!" the red-haired girl in the truck exclaimed.
The Autobots on board the Ark saw the public address as well. While Optimus, Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Fixit gave serious looks, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Ironhide, and especially Arcee, gave hard glares towards the image of the prince.
"Do you not see my pain?!" Clovis questioned as he held a clenched hand over his chest, "My heart was ripped from my chest only to have it torn apart! The remnants are filled with rage and sadness!"
"Geeze what a drama queen," Cliffjumper commented, "He's even more cheesy than Starscream."
"And that's saying something," Bulkhead added.
"He'd make a pretty good actor if he chooses to work in theater," Fixit also commented.
Optimus could see the look in Clovis' eyes and he could tell that this was just for show and that the prince never really meant any of the words he was saying. He could only observe seriously while Arcee just glared and clenched her fists in anger.
"However, as ruler of Area 11, I will not tolerate terrorism of any kind! Because the battle we fight is a righteous one! A virtuous battle to protect the well-being of one and all! Now then everyone, I would like you all to join me in observance of the eight who died for justice in the name of duty."
"A moment of silence please."
["Only eight?"] Bumblebee scoffed in his bleeps, ["I seem to recall over 50 other people dying."]
"But they're not Britannians," Ironhide said in resentment, "They mourn only their own while everyone else can just rot to them. What a disgrace."
"Optimus, this is exactly what I'm talking about!" Arcee spoke to her leader, "Innocent people die practically every day! We can do something about this! Why don't we?!"
"Arcee, your spark is in the right place. However, we must also think of the consequences of our intervention."
"We all feel the same way, Cee," Bulkhead also added, "I wanna help as much as you do, but I got a feeling we'll only make things worse."
All Arcee could do was shake her head, "You're always talking about the consequences if we step into this. But maybe you should think about those that'll happen if we don't."
She turned around and walked out of the bridge, leaving the rest of her team looking in concern.
As she walked out, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper both looked at each other with concerned and knowing looks.
Back in Area 11, Lelouch had finished paying the parking, fee on Rivalz's motorcycle.
"Well, aren't you gonna join in?" Rivalz asked as Lelouch wasn't partaking in the moment of silence.
"Aren't you?" Lelouch asked in response.
Rivalz chuckled slightly, "It's sort of embarrassing."
"And I agree with you. Besides, spilling tears over those people won't bring them back to life, now will it?"
"Dang, that's dark buddy," Rivalz commented.
"It's all about self-satisfaction," Lelouch said, as he looked at the screen that still showed Clovis' face, "It doesn't matter how hard you try, you can't do it. There's no way you can change the world."
The camera crew cut off in the Area 11 throne room as Clovis stepped down the stairs towards his well-dressed guests.
"You were magnificent, Your Highness," a woman praised, "One would have never guessed you were attending a party while doing that."
"After all the viceroy is the marquis actor of Area 11," Clovis said as his bodyguards took off his overcoat. Honestly, he couldn't care less about those people who died, "I need to change costumes quickly."
"My, you're so self-confident," another one of his guests said.
"It's all in the performance," the viceroy responded as he glanced towards the media staff also attending, "Since the media want a charismatic prince, I give them one."
"How true! Prince Clovis, our keep in this line of work is to assist you in any way we can!"
Though there was one media worker along the corner who didn't appear as excited, "His reign is a pathetic sham."
"Your Highness!" an overweight and middle-aged military general ran towards Prince Clovis.
"How boorish of you," the prince commented.
"I beg your pardon Your Highness… my lord…" he spoke in a subtle whisper.
"Not another appearance for him," the previous media worker muttered as he was about to walk out, "Hope it's not as dreary."
"You fool!" Clovis' exclamation caught his attention as he turned around.
The general however spoke the next part in a whisper so no one else could hear him, "The police were informed that it's medical equipment, that's all. If we scramble the army there'll be a…"
"Deploy the Royal Guard!" Clovis ordered, "The Knightmares as well!"
Several soldiers all scrambled to enter their Knightmares. Among them were a man with teal hair and orange eyes, a younger man with light brown hair and blue eyes, and a beautiful young woman with dark skin, silver hair, and yellow eyes.
"Alert-1! Alert-1! 4th, 7th, and 8th Rapid Reaction Companies, as well as the 31st Air-Assault Team, Immediate Scramble! Special Division 9, standby for deployment!"
The purple Knightmare frames powered up as the head units stood upright with a pair of green lights shining inside.
Rivalz drove his motorcycle down the freeway with Lelouch riding in the passenger seat.
"That first move you made, why'd you start with the king?" Rivalz asked as Lelouch started with the king in the chess game.
"If the king doesn't lead how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch responded.
"What's with that?"
"With what?"
"Do you fantasize about running a major corporation?"
"No way. Ambitions like that will ruin your health."
The two heard a loud honk behind them and looked in surprise to see a large truck, the same one that was stolen, speeding quickly behind them.
Rivalz screamed as he tried to steer out of the way, "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
"You idiot! Watch where you're going!" the disguised driver exclaimed as he steered right to avoid running them over.
"No! Not that way!" the red-haired girl exclaimed, but it was too late as the truck steered into a construction zone. It swerved and ended up crashing into a building under construction.
Rivalz stopped his motorcycle as the two looked over the railing to see the crash.
"Eh, was that our fault?" Rivalz wondered.
"I don't think so," Lelouch replied.
The police aircraft saw this as well and immediately reported it.
"Control, the target has crashed at the abandoned VO construction site."
"The military will take over. General Bartley's Command!"
"Him?!"
General Bartley, the same one who spoke with Clovis earlier, walked through the hall with stress and nervousness evident on his face.
"We have to retrieve it all costs! That thing! In the wrong hands…"
Lelouch got off the sidecar and saw, as the dust cleared away from the truck, what appeared to be some kind of energy emanating from it.
"What the…?"
"Oh man, this sucks!" Rivalz exclaimed, "Looks like the power line on the bike got cut!"
Lelouch wasn't paying attention as he saw the faint glow of energy take the shape of a humanoid before disappearing.
"Yeah… Rivalz, come check this out…"
"Hey, over here!"
Lelouch turned towards the side where multiple people had gathered to look and observe it. Some of them even took out their cell phones to take pictures or record videos.
"Whoa, nasty crash!"
"What happened? Some sort of accident?"
"Probably a drunk driver."
"It's always some moron."
"Hey, maybe somebody outta go help?"
Lelouch could only glare. Any one of them could go down there and help, or use their phones to call for an ambulance or something. But no. They're just taking pictures, not even caring if the people inside are seriously injured.
"Idiots," Lelouch grumbled before running down in that direction to do something himself.
Both the man and girl inside the stolen truck were alive, and not too badly injured thanks to the airbags. But it still hurt.
Lelouch had already run down toward the truck where all the civilians saw him. They either made jokes about it or suggested calling for help, despite that they had their cell phones out.
"Hey, are you alright?" he called to the driver as he tried to get in, but some ruble blocked the front door so he tried to climb up from a ladder along the side.
At the same time, Rivalz was pushing the bike down to try and get down with him.
"Yeah, yeah, I know it's the right thing to do, but I wish the guy would just quit flaunting his pride and give it a rest for a while," he complained, "Now we're gonna be late for school."
The airbags inside the truck had deflated, and the girl was the first to regain her senses.
"Nagita, Nagita!" she called to him to get back into the game.
Meanwhile, Lelouch had already climbed onto the top of the truck.
"Can you hear me?! Are you okay?!" he tried to call the driver.
Suddenly, a vision of a tunnel with multiple colors entered his mind as he heard a woman's voice.
"It's you! Finally, I have found my…"
"Wha… where…?" the confused Lelouch had no idea what to make of that.
Inside the truck, Nagita had already put the vehicle in reverse and gunned it. This caused Lelouch to accidentally fall into the hole in the truck's carrier. The only thing inside other than himself at the moment was a large sphere-like device.
"Stop! I'm in here!" he tried to call but they obviously couldn't hear him and drove on.
Rivalz saw the truck drive away and looked confused, "So… would you call that a hit and run?"
The Ark
Arcee appeared to be alone in another area of the Ark. The chamber she was in had a series of tunnel-like rooms along the side of the wall. These were originally designed as space bridge portals but have now been repurposed as ground bridges.
She came to the console of one of the bridges and began to enter the coordinates for the Tokyo Settlement, sighing at the thought of disobeying Optimus' orders. But she couldn't stand by and let more people die, especially at the hands of some wannabe Decepticons in human skin. She was going to help one way or another. After entering the coordinates, she pulled down on a lever at the console and one of the portals activated. It was a large and swirling green portal with a white light in the center. She was just about to walk in…
"Going out for a drive?"
She turned around in surprise to see Cliffjumper and Bumblebee standing by the entrance to the room, the former having a knowing smirk on his face.
"Cliff, Bee, I know what you guys are going to say," she began, "But I can't just sit by anymore. I'm going in and you guys aren't going to stop me."
"Who said we were gonna stop you?" Cliffjumper asked with a smirk still evident on his face, "We're coming with you."
To say Arcee was surprised would be an understatement, "What?"
"[Everyone feels the same way Arcee. Even Optimus. We get that he's worried we'd draw in Megatron, but since he's pretty much controlling Britannia right now, he's gonna show up anyway.]"
"So we figured, why the wait?"
Arcee couldn't help but smile, "Thanks, guys."
"Now let's go cause some trouble," Cliff said before the three of them transformed and assumed their Earth-based vehicle modes.
Cliffjumper transformed into a red 1970 Dodge Challenger with horns along with the hood. Bumblebee took the form of a yellow Urbana 500 muscle car with black stripes. Arcee's vehicle mode was a blue motorcycle, in which a hologram of a woman wearing a leather suit with a helmet took form on the seat before all three drove into the ground bridge portal before it closed automatically.
As the truck drove away and began to pick up speed, Lelouch began to look for a way out, "You'd think they'd stick a ladder on the inside too."
"Stop the vehicle!"
Outside, a trio of military helicopters was now following the speeding truck with their guns primed and ready.
"Surrender now and you'll get your chance to defend yourself in court!"
"Stop, and surrender at once!"
They immediately opened fire around the truck as a form of warning shots.
"Give up now! Or we'll shoot to kill!"
Nagita grunted in frustration while still driving, "Now what do we do?! That's the army!"
The girl took off her hat to reveal her face with messy red hair and blazing blue eyes, "Have you forgotten, that's what I'm here for!"
Along the side of a parallel road, a ground bridge portal opened up revealing the vehicle forms of Arcee, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper as they sped out onto the road right when the portal closed behind them. They drove along the side and got a good look at the helicopters chasing the truck.
"Guess we arrived in the nick of time, eh?" Cliff joked.
"Well, let's get in there!" Arcee was ready to speed in.
"[Hold on. We still don't know what's going on yet. We might end up fighting Britannia, but let's not start a fight]"
"He's got you there, Cee," Cliffjumper told her.
"Fine."
The three of them continued to drive parallel to the chase and would only intervene if something extreme happened.
Lelouch was unable to find a way out of the carrier and hid behind the sphere device, "If I jump out I have the choice of either breaking my neck or getting shot."
He reached for his cell phone in his pocket, "I can try to call…"
The door in the front opened, forcing Lelouch to hide and keep himself quiet as he saw the girl walking past his hiding spot and throwing away her disguise to reveal a red suit underneath.
"Can you enter the subway via the Azuma route?" she asked Nagita, who was still driving.
"Kallen, let's use it here! Why not?!" Nagita called to her.
"Cause that would mean a blood bath!" the girl named Kallen responded as she climbed up a ladder to something hidden.
The still-hidden Lelouch got a good look at her, "I've seen her before."
Back at the construction site, Rivalz was still looking for his friend.
"Lelouch, come on, where are you!? We've gotta get to school!"
Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Arcee continued to follow the chase via a parallel route as the choppers continued pressing against the truck.
"Target is moving from the settlement toward the ghetto!"
"Copy that, corner them!"
"Roger!"
The helicopter was about to open fire again when something shot out from the back of the truck's carrier and destroyed the middle helicopter before retracting back.
"Whoa! What was that?" Cliff questioned.
"A slash-harken?!" one helicopter pilot questioned at the same time.
"That could only come from one thing," Arcee commented.
They all saw the door on the back of the carrier open up to reveal a red Knightmare.
"A Knightmare!" the helicopter pilot exclaimed in shock.
"[No way! This just got serious!]"
The red Knightmare hopped out of the truck, its wheeled feet caught the road as it rode backward and kept aim at the helicopters.
Lelouch looked in shock as the gate closed, "Crap! These guys are real terrorists!"
"You fellas know full well what this badass mother can do!" Kallen exclaimed as she maneuvered the Knightmare around the gunfire and shot another slash-harken at the second helicopter, destroying that.
Cliffjumper whistled as the Autobot trio continued to follow unnoticed, "Not bad."
However, a shadow loomed past them and towards the chase. They saw what it was and couldn't help but wince.
"Uh oh," Arcee said.
It was an aircraft carrying a purple Knightmare as the pilot inside, the same teal-haired man, spoke.
"The rest of you back off, I'll take this guy," he then spoke to the pilot directly, "I can only assume that you dug that obsolete relic out of some scrap heap."
The Britannian Knightmare was dropped onto the road as it fired its slash harken to intercept the shot from Kallen's Knightmare.
"An over-the-hill Glasgow is no match for a Sutherland!"
His Knightmare was equipped with a gun as he entered the battle, "Not to mention a filthy Eleven who spurs the compassion of our glorious emperor!"
His Knightmare shot with its gun and it shot off the arm of Kallen's Glasgow.
That 'filthy Eleven' comment did not sit well with Arcee, "That's it! That yahoo's going down!"
She sped up along with Cliffjumper and Bumblebee down the road to the exit from their road that connected to the one where the action was taking place.
Kallen heard Nagita contacting her via communicator, "Kallen! We should both split up! Both of us can't risk being killed. Run for it!"
"But…"
Kallen was about to object when she saw something coming up fast behind the Sutherland she was against. It was a yellow and black muscle car that drove at high speeds and rammed the Sutherland's feet, causing the pilot inside to stumble.
"What…?!"
Bumblebee drove past the Sutherland and veered in front of it before slamming on the breaks and swerving on the side before the Sutherland tripped right over him and landed face-first on the road.
The Britannian pilot groaned as he tried to get his Knightmare back up, "What the hell was that?!"
Kallen could only look in surprise, not knowing what to say as she saw the yellow and black car drive alongside her before zooming past the Glasgow.
"Kallen! Are you there!?"
"Uh, Nagita… I just saw a car take down a Sutherland…"
"What?" Nagita questioned through the communicator. He looked up in surprise at the sight of another Sutherland appearing in front of him, "CRAP!"
It opened fire as he turned the truck down a turn that would lead toward a tunnel towards the ghetto.
The female pilot inside had a cocky smirk on her face, "Simple-minded Eleven."
However, her attention was caught by a revving sound. Her Sutherland gazed upwards to see Arcee in her motorcycle form skipping over a bridge and above the Knightmare, while at the same time, she failed to notice Cliffjumper zooming towards her at high speeds from behind before swerving its back toward the armor's legs. The blue Autobot clipped the head of the Sutherland just as Cliff's swerve tripped it off its feet. It fell backward onto the ground before Arcee and Cliffjumper drove and blocked off the path that the truck drove down.
Kallen turned her attention to the Britannian Knightmare that was getting back up on its feet. She was about to engage it, but the yellow and black car from before drove in front of her facing the Sutherland. It honked its horn and flashed its right turn signal, telling her to get out of there while it handled this.
Ordinarily, Kallen hated the idea of leaving someone alone to fight a Britannian Knightmare, especially with a car, considering he probably only just got lucky knocking the Sutherland down, but she had to help her friend.
"Thanks," she said before driving her Knightmare down a turn as the Bumblebee faced the Sutherland.
The Britannian pilot looked at the car in disbelief before it turned into a glare.
"You…" he spoke to it directly, "I'll give you points for bravery. You must be a very cocky Eleven… thinking you can take on a Sutherland with just a puny car. However, I'll make sure you'll regret your arrogance!"
He shot his Knightmare's gun towards Bumblebee as he zoomed directly at the Sutherland, who mirrored his action while still shooting at him. The two appeared to be playing chicken—car against Knightmare—but this was no ordinary car.
When they got close enough, a pair of Energon blasters emerged from the sides and shot at the Sutherland, knocking it back and disarming it. Bumblebee put on the parking brake, causing his vehicle form to flip directly towards the Sutherland. His roof smacked across the front of it, knocking it down.
Bumblebee continued to flip before landing on his wheels and driving off, leaving the Sutherland in the dust—literally—as a sign of disrespect.
The pilot could only look on with a mixture of disbelief and rage.
Meanwhile, the female Britannian pilot steadied her Knightmare back on its feet and was about to pursue the truck when both Arcee and Cliffjumper's respective vehicle forms stood in its way.
"Nuh, uh, uh," Cliff teased.
"Get out of the way! You're interfering with military business!" she warned as she aimed her gun at them.
"Why don't you make us?" Arcee challenged.
The woman glared at the holographic image of the motorcycle's driver, unaware of who it was that was speaking.
"Have it your way!" she opened fire with her Sutherland's rifle, forcing Cliffjumper and Arcee to split.
They drove and began to circle the Sutherland at a rapid pace. The female pilot would have shot a slash harken at them but didn't get the chance as both Arcee and Cliffjumper put the brakes on and swerved in circles around the Sutherland, creating a smokescreen to blind her.
"What the…!? I can't see!" she exclaimed in frustration before yelling in shock as she felt both vehicles ram the Sutherland from behind and knock it down before going down the same path they previously blocked.
The woman regained her breath as the dust began to clear and she saw the Sutherland being piloted by her comrade get back up and make its way toward her. She was soon able to pick her Knightmare back up as well.
"Lord Jeremiah…" the woman began, "What… what just happened?"
"A couple of cocky Elevens managed to catch us off-guard," Jeremiah responded, "They're certainly skilled drivers, I'll give them that."
He soon glared, "However, they will not trip me up again!"
Meanwhile, Lelouch was still stuck in the truck's carrier. He looked at his phone and scoffed in frustration.
"No cellphone reception. We're out of range. Judging by the darkness and road surface, we must be driving along the old subway lines. They're headed for an exit somewhere in the ghetto. Getting out will be dangerous but still…"
He tried to think of any possible way out of this situation. Only one thing came to mind when he saw he was holding a walkie-talkie of sorts.
"Okay, I got it. I'm not big on the military, but I'll take their protection. If I give them a terrorist communicator… Oh wait, I forgot!"
Rivalz found himself pushing his motorcycle along the side of the road, having been forced to walk back to Ashford Academy.
"Some friend! Leaving me behind like that!"
"Aha," a tall man with lavender hair, greyish-blue eyes, glasses, and an overly long lab coat was staring directly at General Bartley with an odd smile.
"What are you doing?" the older general questioned as an arrangement of military tanks rolled past them.
"Looking at a man who blundered, am I right?"
"Why you…" the general growled.
"You screwed this one up. Terrorists came along and stole whatever it was that you and Prince Clovis were secretly working on, retrieving it is simple but you want to sweep up all of their compatriots in addition. Let the terrorists go and you can find their hideout too."
He turned around to look at his assistant, a young woman with indigo hair and blue eyes, "Congratulations, your reasoning was spot on!"
She looked a bit shy while also standing straight, "It was nothing, I just thought it was strange."
"Okay, that's enough! What is it that the Special Corps wants out of this?!" Bartley demanded.
"I'm merely saying I'd like to assist with the clean-up," the man with the glasses responded.
"To assist?" Bartley questioned in confusion.
"Correct, because it's data I want."
The woman had a question, "Excuse me, but what in the world have they just stolen anyway?"
Bartley stuttered a bit before coming up with a lie, "Chemical weapons. In other words, poison gas."
The Shinjuku Ghetto is one of many ghettos throughout Area 11. It was once a proud city filled with life and beauty, but now it was nothing more than ruins with innocent men, women, and children feeding off scraps to survive. These people were once Japanese but had their rights stripped away by the oppressive Britannia upon their invasion. Some were lucky enough to become Honorary Britannians and regain at least some of their rights, but not all. However, to a majority of the empire, the frightened and helpless people barely living in the ghettos were the equivalent of rats.
At the moment, these people could only cower and hide in fear as several Britannian aircraft flew over the ghetto and began to drop off multiple stormtrooper-like soldiers bearing black and grey suits and helmets. They were at the moment receiving orders from the superior officer.
"The terrorists are hiding in the subway system. Your mission is to locate the weapon that they've stolen. Investigate the old subway system that runs through the Eleven residential district in the Shinjuku Ghetto. Report at the moment you spot them. Recovery of the target will be handled by us, the Royal Guard. You people bear the honorary title of Britannians now, but you were born Elevens, therefore the stench of these monkeys out to be a familiar one. If you want to earn the right to carry arms, then show some results! This is your opportunity to show your loyalty to Britannia!"
"Yes, my lord!" they all started at the same time as they began their invasion/search.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper had made it into the ghetto as well. They drove into an abandoned and ruined building before transforming back into their Cybertronian forms. They had to crouch a bit to fit, but they could be hidden here.
The three of them got a good look from an opening of the invasion that was going on.
"Ooohhh.. that can't be good," Cliffjumper winced.
"[Why do I get the feeling we're a bit in over our heads here?]" Bumblebee wondered.
Arcee however could only glare, "I don't regret coming here at all. I'm glad."
"Look partner, I know you are glad about finally standing up to these wannabe-Cons and so am I. But look at this, as awesome as we are, I don't think we're gonna last long against all that," Cliffjumper told her.
"[Cliff's right. Maybe… maybe we should contact Optimus.]"
The smaller blue Autobot looked out the opening towards the invading Britannian forces, before gazing downward at some children hiding underneath some rubble. Even she knew when to admit she was in over her head. Just the three of them alone couldn't stop this and protect all these people.
She sighed, "You're right."
Nagita was gravely injured, having been shot in the shoulder by one of the Sutherlands from before. Blood was pouring from his wound down his right arm as he tried to steer with his left hand, only to stumble right into a ditch, getting the truck stuck.
Lelouch stumbled a bit inside as well, "An accident…? Or else…"
A nearby masked Britannian soldier heard the crash as well.
The injured Nagita tried to get the truck out of the ditch, but it wouldn't budge.
"The tire's stuck…" he struggled to reach for a switch on the dashboard, "Please Ohgi… find me…"
He hit the switch, causing the door on the side of the truck's carrier to open and giving Lelouch an exit, though he quickly hid behind the wall to avoid being seen by any possible people outside.
The same Britannian soldier spotted the door open and saw the spherical device inside, presumably the weapon they were searching for. He pressed on a communicator to report what he found to the Royal Guard.
"4-0-4 has spotted the target."
"Rodger, prepare for recovery!"
The masked soldier however seemed to spot someone inside the truck's carrier.
Lelouch was about to get out only to find the soldier already leaping at him before delivering an airborne roundhouse, which he tried to block only to be knocked down onto the ground.
"Are you Britannian…?" Lelouch growled only to have the soldier force him down by the collar of his shirt.
The mask came off from the soldier as he spoke, mistaking him for a terrorist, "That's enough mindless murder!"
"Wait! I'm not one of…"
"Planning on using poison gas?! Don't play dumb with me!"
"Get off me!" the student shoved him off as he tried to get back up, "I'm not here by choice! And if that's poison gas, it was made in Britannia, wasn't it?!"
The soldier got a good look at his face and could only gasp in shock, "My God…"
"Mindless murder?! Then why don't you just obliterate Britannia!"
"Lelouch…" the soldier took off his helmet to reveal the face of a tan-skinned young man, the same age as Lelouch, with messy brown hair and green eyes, "It's me… Suzaku…"
He couldn't believe his eyes. It was him. Suzaku Kurugi, Lelouch's first and only friend upon arriving in Japan before the invasion.
"You… You became a Britannian soldier…?" he questioned, still not over his shock.
"Yeah and what about you? Are you…?" Suzaku began but was interrupted by Lelouch.
"What are you saying!?"
Before they could continue, there was a flash of light coming from the spherical device near them. It began to split open as the locks on it all unlocked. Several colors of light flashed, surprising Lelouch before Suzaku took him to the ground and covered his face with a gas mask, believing the supposed poison gas was about to emerge.
However, when it opened, there was no gas but instead a bright light and the silhouette of a woman inside. The light faded to reveal a woman with long green hair and yellow eyes, completely bound and gagged in a straightjacket and other restraints all over her body.
Both Lelouch and Suzaku did not expect to see that.
"That's not poison gas," Suzaku said in shock, "What is it?"
Meanwhile, Kallen and her Glasgow had safely made it underground where she was reporting to her superior.
"In all the confusion, I left it in the coat."
"It's okay. The Glasgow's circuits are usable. So, were we right?"
"Think so," Kallen replied, "I bet it's poison gas like intelligence said."
"And Nagita?"
"I don't know, I think he made it underground," she replied, "But, on the way here, I saw something rather… odd."
"Odd how?"
"Believe it or not, I saw someone in a yellow and black muscle car take down a Sutherland, twice!"
"Whoa… are you serious!?"
"Yeah, I still find it hard to believe."
"Huh, this guy must either be really brave or just plain crazy… taking on a Knightmare with just a car? I still find that hard to believe, even after hearing it from you."
Kallen smirked a bit, wishing she could see the look on the Britannian's face after getting beaten like that, "Well if we see him again, maybe we can get him to join us. We can sure use all the help we can get."
Back with the stolen truck, Lelouch and Suzaku had pulled the bound, green-haired, woman out of the vehicle and began to undo her restraints.
"Tell me the truth Suzaku! Poison gas? This girl?" Lelouch was trying to undo the restraints around her gag.
"Hey, it's what they told us in the briefing, I swear!" Suzaku said as he undid the restraints around her legs.
Soon a light shined on them as they saw a squad of Royal Guard soldiers pointing their guns at them.
"Stinking monkey!" the captain of the Royal Guard cursed, "Being an Honorary Britannian will not excuse you!"
Suzaku quickly ran up to him, "But sir, I was told this was poison gas!"
"How dare you question orders!"
Lelouch's violet eyes shook as he still held the bound girl, "This is bad… placed in this situation… which poses a threat to Suzaku's superiors if it was unleashed."
"However, in light of your outstanding military achievements, I'm going to be lenient," the captain handed Suzaku his gun, "Private Kururugi, take this and execute the terrorist."
Lelouch looked in shock before Suzaku spoke in his defense, "But he's not a terrorist! He's just a civilian who got caught up in all this!"
The captain did not like that response, "You insubordinate little… That's an order! Didn't you swear your loyalty and life to Britannia!?"
"Yes but… but… I can't."
Lelouch's eyes widened in borderline horror, knowing what would likely result from this.
"What…?" The captain growled.
"I won't do it. I won't shoot a civilian."
He turned around and faced his childhood friend for what he thought would be his final time and gave a comforting smile, "I can't follow your orders, sir."
"Very well," the captain then shot him in the back.
"SUZAKU!" Lelouch practically screamed at the sight of his friend falling to the ground, presumably dead.
The captain then gave a borderline-evil smirk towards Lelouch as his squad aimed their guns at him.
"Well, Britannian schoolboy, not a good day to cut class," he joked morbidly before ordering his squad, "Collect the girl. After you've secured her, kill the student."
"Yes, my lord!"
However, inside the truck, Nagita knew he was going to die as he already lost too much blood. He looked towards a photo of his family: his wife and baby son, as he reached toward a red switch.
"Death to… Britannia…" he smiled at the photo, "Long live… Japan…"
He flicked the switch.
*BOOM!*
The whole truck exploded. Thankfully the blast was directed upwards so Lelouch wasn't caught up in it. This gave him the chance to grab the girl and run for the nearest tunnel.
Prince Clovis' mobile G1 base had moved into the ghetto as General Bartley received the report from the royal guard.
"They got away!? And you call yourselves the Royal Guard?!" he exclaimed in anger.
"Uh… forgive me, my lord! The blast was mainly directed upwards but the…."
"Why the hell did you think I only told you people about this?!" Bartley exclaimed further to the captain.
"Well… we… we'll continue the investigation!" he reported before cutting off.
Clovis himself sat on the throne and was disappointed by these results, "The plan has moved forward to the next phase."
Bartley was stunned, "But… Your Highness!"
"If knowledge of her gets out, I'll be disinherited," Clovis said, "Tell them back home we're carrying out a planned urban renewal here." He then stood up and began to speak with a more authoritative tone.
"As Clovis, Third Prince of the Empire, I command you! Destroy Shinjuku Ghetto! Leave no one alive!"
The Ark
Optimus had walked through the ground bridge bay alongside Ratchet, with Fixit beside them at a catwalk built into the sidewall. They met Bulkhead and Ironhide on the other side as they entered.
"Anything?" Ratchet asked.
"Nada," Bulkhead responded, "Can't find Arcee anywhere."
"Bumblebee and Cliffjumper are gone too," Ironhide reported.
Fixit accessed a Mini-Con-exclusive console onto the wall, which was what would normally be needed to access Teletraan-1. But since that was currently offline, it also served as a means to locate any Autobot signals currently on the ship.
"I am not picking up the signals of Bumblebee, Arcee, or Cliffjumper," Fixit informed, "Perhaps they went out to get some hair… fair… air!"
"We don't need to breathe, remember Fixit?" Bulkhead reminded.
"Where could they have gone?" Ratchet wondered.
Ironhide could only sigh, "Oh, these young bots today."
"I don't believe we need to guess to know where they may have likely gone," Optimus said.
"Britannia," the other Autobots all said at the same time.
However, before anything else could be said, Arcee's voice came in via their comms.
"Arcee to base, do you read me!?"
"Arcee, where in Primus' name are you?!" Ironhide questioned.
"Are Cliffjumper and Bumblebee with you as well?" Optimus asked in a more patient tone.
"[Yeah, we're right here.]"
"You three know better than to leave the Ark without permission…" Ratchet began but was cut off by Cliffjumper.
"Lecture us later! We need backup NOW!"
They were taken by surprise by the urgency in Cliffjumper's voice.
"What's going on?" Bulkhead asked.
"A freaking slaughter! That's what's going on!"
"Optimus, we spotted Clovis' transport and it just launched an army of Britannian Knightmares right into the Shinjuku Ghetto! They're killing everyone left and right!" Arcee exclaimed.
"WHAT?!" Ironhide shouted.
Fixit, Ratchet, Bulkhead, and even Optimus' faces were plagued with horror.
"How… how the hell did this happen?!" Bulkhead questioned.
"[We don't know. But before you say anything, this was not our fault! We just knocked down two Knightmares, that's all! No one saw us, just our vehicle modes! But that's not important right now! These people need our help!]"
"Optimus, I know how you told us that we shouldn't get involved because we'd put humanity in the crossfire between us and the Cons… but innocent people are dying now! Families! Children!" the female Autobot stated, "It's bad enough Britannia stripped everything away from them, now this?! I can't stand by anymore! I just can't! I'm going in and I'm going to do everything in my power to help these people!"
"So am I!"
"[That makes three of us!]"
"But… we absolutely need your help right now. Please…" Arcee was practically on the verge of pleading.
Optimus looked down slightly. Deep in his spark, he hated not being involved. He knew the injustices Britannia had committed and truly did want to help take a stand against them, but at the same time, he feared that if the Autobots became involved, the Decepticons would as well, and there would be no telling what sort of horrors they could unleash on the Earth. Britannia was cruel, no question; but Megatron was on a whole another level. However, it was in that hesitancy that Britannia got as far as they did, and even now innocent humans continue to suffer at their hands.
But not anymore.
"Arcee, you are right," Optimus said with a fierce and iron-clad resolve, surprising Ratchet, Fixit, and Ironhide, though Bulkhead smiled at this, "For too long, we've remained in hiding out of fear. This may not be our planet, but freedom is the right of all sentient beings. Though we may be outnumbered, we will not allow Britannia to hurt any more innocents! Arcee, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, we will join you shortly. For now, I want you to do everything in your power to halt Britannia's advancements and protect the civilians of Shinjuku. However, you must maintain vehicular cover unless necessary."
"Understood," Arcee relayed.
"[Yes, sir.]"
"You got it, boss," Cliffjumper responded.
"Ratchet set the coordinates for Shinjuku. Ironhide, Bulkhead, you two are with me," the Autobot commander began to instruct the rest of his team, "Fixit, maintain communications. If we find resistance within the ghetto, it would be wise to best work with them and formulate a strategy to push the Britannian forces back."
"I'm on it!" Fixit gave a salute before speeding as fast as he could back to the bridge.
"About time we're doing this," Bulkhead stated, "Haven't had a good fight in cycles!"
"Optimus…" Ironhide looked to his old friend before smiling, "It's always good to see you step up."
The Autobot leader nodded, "I only wish I'd done it sooner."
Ratchet spoke up after putting in the data on a ground bridge console.
"I have the coordinates set," he pulled a lever to activate one of the portals.
"But Optimus…" the medic began, "There's no turning back after this. If Megatron is truly responsible for Britannia's current position, then there is a strong possibility of us waging war against him once more."
Optimus understood, "It would have happened eventually. I only regret that we had to wait till now."
He turned to the portal.
"Autobots, Transform and Roll Out!"
Bulkhead had transformed into a dark green SUV as Ironhide took the form of a black pick-up truck with red lining along the side. Optimus' vehicle mode was a large red and blue semi-auto truck. They drove into the portal before Ratchet closed it behind them.
"Good luck."
As the slaughter began around the ghetto, Lelouch ran with the still-bound green-haired girl through a tunnel underground. She tripped and fell.
"What the hell are you!?" Lelouch exclaimed as it looked like he was about to have a panic attack. He leaned against the wall and held his face, "This chaos is all your fault, isn't it?! Not only that but Britannia has… they even killed Suzaku…!"
The girl could only look at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes.
"Not there?" Lloyd Asplund, the same man from before who questioned Bartley, questioned out loud as he sat on the back of a large vehicle with some sort of Knightmare hidden underneath a tarp.
He and his assistant, Cecile Croomy, were close to Clovis' mobile base, which was heavily guarded.
"It looks like he's gone to the front lines," Cecile responded.
"Even though we brought the Lancelot here?" Lloyd questioned further.
"Now what do we do?" Cecile asked.
Lloyd looked at what appeared to be an ignition key in disappointment, "We steamrolled our way in here, but we don't have someone to use it."
Lelouch and the green-haired girl hid underneath the floor from a set of stairs that led from underground to the surface inside a ruined warehouse. He was at the front, trying to stay as low as possible.
"Stay quiet and wait here," he told her as he was about to check to see if the coast was clear.
But he ducked his head down when he heard gunfire. The soldiers of the Royal Guard had come in and gunned down several civilians seeking cover in the ruined building.
"Report," the captain instructed.
"We found only Elevens here, sir."
The captain looked around, "You're sure of it? That exit comes out here?"
"Yes sir. It matches with our map of the old city."
Lelouch had heard this and was about to slowly and quietly sink back down with the girl, that is until he heard a little girl crying before she too was gunned down, much to his horror. He didn't even have a chance to dwell on it as his phone rang in his pocket, getting the Royal Guard's attention. He quickly hung it up, but it was already too late.
Shirley had held the phone to her ear as a blank look came to her face before one of anger and disbelief took over.
"That jerk! He hung up on me! I can't believe it!"
Bumblebee, still in his vehicular form had found cover in a nearby alleyway. He honestly couldn't believe this. He had seen more than his fair share of horrors during the War for Cybertron at the hands of the Decepticons, heck he even had his voice box crushed by Megatron, and yet he still found this whole thing sickening.
These people had already lost everything and now Britannia is coming in here and taking their lives for what?! Just for the hell of it!? Anger seethed through Bumblebee's circuits as he wanted nothing more than to transform and beat the scrap out of any Birtannian Knightmare in his field of vision. But then he remembered Optimus' orders and knew better than to let his emotions get in the way. Still, though, this wasn't just cruel, it was evil!
His audio-receptors picked up a cell phone ring from a nearby building. His optics zoomed in through a hole in the wall where he saw a black-haired boy being beaten back with guns trained on him.
"Oh no, you don't!"
Lelouch was shoved back against the wall at the back of the warehouse as two soldiers held the green-haired girl, still in restraints, back.
"What an appropriate location for a terrorist to meet his end," the captain said as all his squad's guns were pointed at the young man.
"You scum," Lelouch growled in disgust and hate at them.
"Still, you did well for a student. But that is to be expected, you're a Britannian. Unfortunately, my clever young friend, you have no future!"
All their guns were trained on him as Lelouch closed his eyes. The girl quickly ran in front of him as the gag slipped off her mouth.
"HE MUSTN'T DIE!"
*CRASH!*
Right as they opened fire, a yellow and black car crashed through the wall and in front of the squad. Most of the bullets bounced right off its body, but one managed to hit the girl in the forehead; right on a red mark that appeared to take the form of a bird in mid-flight.
Lelouch had ducked below the car just as the girl fell to the ground with a hole in her head. The Royal Guard could only look in shock and anger at the car that got in their way.
"What the hell?! You! Get out of the car! Right now! Do it or we will open fire!" the captain angrily yelled at the supposed car.
Lelouch however could only look in shock, disbelief, fear, and horror at the supposedly dead girl that lay at his knees. So many emotions ran through him at once: anger, fear, sadness, despair, and many others. His hand and whole body shook.
"How can this be happening…? First Suzaku's killed… now this girl… Now I'm about to die… Before I had a chance to do a single thing with my life…"
The image of a young girl in a wheelchair with closed eyes and an angelic smile passed through his mind. "
It's gone in a heartbeat… Nunnally!"
The girl's hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, and all of a sudden; Lelouch's mind felt as though it was pulled out of his body.
"You don't want it to end here, do you?"
Lelouch could not believe what he was hearing, or what he was seeing. It was as if he was falling down a hole filled with many colors.
"You appear to have a reason for living. If I grant you power, could you go on?"
He saw her colorless body flashing throughout a white space.
"I propose a deal."
It looked as if he was now in between two different worlds. One was the world he knew, the other was completely covered in metal.
"In exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract, and you accept its conditions. While living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different province, a different time, a different life."
Many images entered his mind. He saw countless people, as per some sort of religious following, each with the same red marks on their forehead. He even saw what appeared to be two giant metal titans, one with flowing blue energy around him, the other covered with dark purple chaotic energy, clashing in the depths of space.
"The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?"
A new voice was suddenly heard, it wasn't the girl's but Lelouch recognized it all too well. It was his father's.
"A convergence with the Ragnarok Connection? So the myth is beginning once again?!"
Hearing the voice of the man he despised more than anything gave Lelouch all the motivation he needed. A reminder of his promise to his sister and himself.
"Yes!" Lelouch's voice echoed, "I hereby accept the terms of your contract!"
Bumblebee found himself in a tight spot. On one side were soldiers pointing guns at him, the other side was the boy that he saved and the girl that he couldn't. While he failed to save this girl and all these people in this place, he could still save this boy. But how? The bullets the soldiers had wouldn't affect Bumblebee in the slightest, but one shot could get this boy killed. He could transform and knock them back, no, Optimus' orders. He could just run these soldiers over… but that sounded a bit too morbid.
However, before he or any of the soldiers could do anything, he felt a hand placed on the roof of his vehicle form as the black-haired boy slowly stood up, using the car to stand up straight.
He held a hand over his left eye as he spoke in a more confident and intimidating tone.
"Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?"
"Huh?" Bumblebee thought in confusion as he heard this.
"Are you some kind of radical?" the captain of the Royal Guard questioned.
However, he looked a bit confused at this aura that surrounded the boy, this aura of confidence and strength.
"What's wrong? Why not shoot? Your opponent is just a schoolboy. Or have you finally realized, the only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed?!"
"Say what?" Bumblebee thought as he was more and more confused by the second.
In his left eye, a red sigil resembling a bird in mid-flight manifested itself as the Royal Guards could only look in confusion.
"Wha… what's happening…"
"I, Lelouch Vi Britannia, command you! Now all of you… DIE!"
The red mark flew from his left eye and into the eyes of all the soldiers present. The light entered into their minds, rearranging and changing patterns in their brains till their red rings formed in their eyes and Lelouch's own will completely overwrite theirs.
The captain maniacally laughed, "Happily your highness!"
He and his men all placed their guns to their necks, "Fire!"
They fired and killed themselves, spilling blood everywhere. Even a bit fell onto Bumblebee's paint job as his optics could not believe what he had just seen. Even Lelouch was more than a little surprised at what he just did. He ordered these soldiers to kill themselves and they did without question, with joy even!
A devilish smirk formed on Lelouch Vi Britannia's face, "Well then."
Bumblebee had no idea what to think of this.
"Lelouch… Vi… Britannia…? A prince… who hates his own country…. Just ordered a squad of soldiers to die and…. They did…."
The Autobot scout mentally sighed, "Oh Primus, what have I gotten myself into now?"
Notes:
Originally Posted at FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13151821/35/Code-Prime-R1-Rebellion
Edited using Grammarly.
Chapter Text
The scene was nothing short of chaos.
Innocent people were gunned down left and right throughout the Shinjuku ghetto. It was nothing short of a massacre as Britannian Knightmare frames, primarily Sutherlands laid waste to the already destroyed city. Men, women, and children, all dubbed Elevens by the oppressive, borderline evil, Empire of Britannia, all laid dead and bleeding on the ground; no one was spared.
A boy and a girl lay hidden in a ruined building as they clung to each other and heard the gunfire outside. They both screamed as the wall in front of them exploded to reveal a Sutherland with its rifle trained on them, ready to gun them down.
"This is what you Elevens deserve!" the Britannian pilot inside gloated almost sadistically as the children closed their eyes and waited for their inevitable end, "Long live Britannia!"
However, right before he opened fire, a dark green SUV drove out from the side and rammed the Sutherland, pushing right through a wall before it fell and the SUV ran it over, crushing its head. This was the disguised Autobot known as Bulkhead.
The dark green vehicle from before drove through another wall and happened to run into another group of Sutherlands that immediately trained their guns on him.
"Scrap!" Bulkhead cursed.
Fortunately, a pair of blue lasers shot down some of the Knightmare frames from the far left side as the vehicle forms of Optimus Prime and Ironhide, a red and blue semi-auto truck and black and red pick-up truck respectively, drove in each with a pair of Energon blasters on their vehicles' sides, blasting and ramming down the Sutherlands.
Ordinarily, a simple car would have crashed if it rammed itself into a Knightmare, but these were no ordinary cars. Cybertronian outer metal skin was far stronger and more durable than any earth-made metal.
"Thanks, guys," Bulkhead told his teammates.
"Next time, think before you charge in," Ironhide scolded slightly.
"Hey, I'm a Wrecker, it's what I do," Bulkhead replied.
"Enough. We need to focus on the situation," Optimus said as he drove off, with Bulkhead and Ironhide right behind him.
As they drove, the trio of robots in disguise passed by several bodies of countless innocent people.
Ironhide couldn't help but feel resentment in his spark, "Damn wannabe Decepticons. I'm starting to understand why Arcee and the others wanted to get involved."
"Yeah, this is all kinds of cruel," Bulkhead agreed, "What did these people do to deserve this?!"
"That is why we are here," Optimus told them.
He saw all these dead bodies and in his spark, he felt a great deal of despair. These were families, children, and Britannia stomped on them like insects. This was no different from Megatron when he plunged Cybertron into the Great War.
"We must find our teammates and any possible resistance so that we may push the Britannian forces back."
"Arcee, Bee, Cliff; do you guys read us?" Bulkhead asked on the comms as they continued to drive.
"We read you, loud and clear," Cliffjumper responded before a crash was heard on the other side of the line, "Whoo! Take that you piece of scrap!"
"We just arrived in Shinjuku. We're on the westward outer side of the ghetto and moving towards the center," Ironhide informed, "Where are you guys?"
"Cliff and I just passed an old train station near the south end," Arcee informed, "We just recently spotted a Glasgow which is being piloted by a rebel and we're working to find it and see if we can locate any other resistance."
"Where is Bumblebee?" Optimus asked.
"Don't know," Cliff responded, "We lost track of him when the whole mess started. We tried to contact him, but no response."
Optimus immediately contacted the Ark, "Ratchet, do you have a lock on Bumblebee's signal?"
Ark – The Bridge
As Fixit was on communications, Ratchet worked on a console that projected a screen and a two-dimensional map of the ghetto where he pinpointed the signals of each of his comrades.
"I have a lock," Ratchet told them, "He's deep within the ghetto, close towards the center. I've tried to contact him but like Cliffjumper said, received no response."
"Communications seem to be functionally normal," Fixit informed, "Perhaps he's under some form of radio appliance…. Compliance…. Silence!"
"Radio silence?" Ironhide questioned, "What he's afraid Britannia hacked us?"
"Highly unlikely," the medic dismissed.
"Autobots, proceed towards Bumblebee's location," Optimus directed, "We need to find him as soon as possible."
"Roger!" All the Autobots said at the same time before sending communications for the moment.
"Why would Bumblebee not respond to any of our hails?" Fixit wondered, "Could something be wrong with his communicator?"
"Either that or he's found himself in a tight spot," Ratchet replied, "I just hope he hasn't gotten himself into any trouble."
Bumblebee couldn't even think of any sort of response, not only to the frequent hails of his teammates or the current situation as he was just wrapping his head around it. Here he was in an abandoned warehouse, with a Britannian prince, presumed dead, who openly stated his hatred for his nation. He wasn't too surprised though by that, royalty or not. It wasn't hard to find a reason to hate Britannia. No, what had him silent was what the young prince just did. He simply looked at the soldiers and ordered them to kill themselves, which they did without any hesitation. The scout's optics even saw something glow in the boy's eye as he did it. Did he have some kind of power? Do other humans have this kind of power? More and more questions popped into his mind and he had no answers to any of them.
Lelouch himself was still trying to wrap his mind around it as well. "
I don't understand what is it you wanted me to do," he thought to himself as he looked at the body of the green-haired girl at his feet, "Why did you give me this bizarre power?"
Before either Lelouch or Bumblebee could do anything, an explosion erupted from the entrance of the warehouse where a Sutherland rolled in.
"Scrap!" Bumblebee thought.
Villetta Nu, the dark-skinned woman who piloted the Knightmare, activated its Factsphere sensor to see past all the dust where she saw all the bodies of not only the civilians but the royal guard soldiers as well.
"How could all these Royal Guards be dead?" she questioned herself.
Her screen caught the image of the yellow and black car.
"The same car that ambushed Lord Jeremiah?" she noticed the teenage boy standing behind it before her look hardened.
Villetta accessed her Knightmare's speaker to address Lelouch directly, "What happened here, boy!? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this?! Is that your car?!"
Lelouch didn't answer.
"Are you deaf?! Answer me!" she opened fire with warning shots around him.
"This isn't good," Bumblebee thought to himself, "I could transform and beat it back, but if I did…"
Lelouch activated his Geass.
"I order you to come out, at once!"
Villetta looked in disbelief, "Who the hell you think you are to order me?"
"It didn't work?" Bumblebee thought in confusion.
Lelouch seemed to understand however as he deactivated his newly acquired power, "I see, it only works with direct eye contact."
He raised his hands and quickly made up a lie, "My name is Alan Spacer. My father's a duke."
"Nobility?" the Pureblood questioned.
"What in the…" the confused Autobot wondered what he was doing.
"My ID card's in my breast pocket. After you confirm who I am, I'll request your protection."
She deactivated her Knightmare and pulled out the ignition key before opening it up from the back of the cockpit. Lelouch smirked as he saw her lower herself down via the stirrup, but kept her pistol trained on him.
"Keep your hands up in the air, I'll take out your ID," she said as she began to walk towards him, but it was too late.
"Now then, hand your Knightmare over to me."
The red sigil flew from his eye directly into hers. A pair of red rings formed in her eyes as she was under his control.
She lowered her gun, before tossing him her ignition key, "Understood. The code number is X-G-2-1-G-2-D-4."
"Got it," Lelouch caught it.
"Oh, he has to make eye contact for it to work, I get it, whatever it is," Bumblebee seemed to get it.
Lelouch was about to walk to the Knightmare when he turned around to face the car. Though he couldn't tell, Bumblebee was a bit nervous. Lelouch didn't know who the driver was, but he knew that they saw him use this new power, and how he openly said he was a prince of Britannia. He probably couldn't use it on the driver, as they wouldn't willingly lower down the window so they could willingly allow themselves to be controlled.
"Hey, listen," the former prince began, "I don't know who you are, and I hate to owe anything to anyone, but if you could do me a favor and not tell anyone what happened here. And you did save my life so, thanks. Whoever you are."
He walked towards the Sutherland and was about to use the stirrup to get in, "By the way, that's a very nice car."
He got into the Sutherland, started it up, and drove out of the warehouse. Bumblebee happened to follow close behind, not wanting to be around when the woman pilot snapped out of it.
Villetta's vision cleared as she saw that no one was in front of her. The student was gone, as was the car. She looked around to find her Sutherland had vanished as well.
"What the….?"
Bumblebee maintained a safe distance as he kept an eye on Lelouch in his Sutherland driving to find some cover as he contacted his team.
"[Uh… Bumblebee to Team Prime. Does anyone read me?]"
"This is Optimus, we read you Bumblebee."
"Where in Cybertron's name are you?!" Ratchet exclaimed, "We picked up your signal and sent multiple hails but you didn't respond to any of them?!"
"[Yeah… about that…. Just found something you guys should hear.]"
Bumblebee he replayed a recording over his radio and through the Autobot communications.
"I, Lelouch Vi Britannia Command you! Now all of you… DIE!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up!" Cliffjumper replied, "Lelouch Vi Britannia, as in a Prince of Britannia?"
"[Yep. Just saw him.]"
"Is he with Clovis?" Arcee questioned.
"[Definitely not.]"
"Hold on a moment," Fixit stated as, back at the Ark, he accessed the historical databanks and records the ship downloaded from Britannia news reports long beforehand, "It says that Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia, 17th heir to the Royal Britannian throne, was killed seven Earth years ago once Japan was invaded."
"Well, apparently those reports were slightly exaggerated," Cliffjumper stated.
"Okay, so you found a Britannian prince supposedly dead. What about it?" Ironhide questioned.
"[Well, for one thing, he's not with Britannia. He said he outright hates it.]"
He played another recording.
"Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?"
"Well it's kinda hard not to hate Britannia," Bulkhead said, "So what does all this have to do with us, Bee?"
"[That's not all. This might sound a little crazy, but he's got some kind of power.]"
"Power?" Arcee questioned.
"What do you mean power?" Ratchet questioned as well.
Optimus, who had remained silent throughout this exchange spoke, "Bumblebee, what did you see?"
"[Well, I saw something in his eye glow. He ordered a bunch of soldiers to kill themselves and they did.]"
"What?" Ironhide questioned.
"[Yeah, they even laughed as they did it.]"
"Well isn't that morbid?" Cliffjumper spoke.
"[He also stole a Sutherland the same way. He ordered a pilot to give him her Knightmare, his eye glowed, and she gave it to him.]"
"And he did it just by looking at them?" Ratchet questioned.
"[Yep.]"
"Bumblebee, where is he now?" Optimus asked.
"[I've got my eyes on him, but I'm maintaining at least a few clicks away.]"
"Alright, maintain watch. Perhaps we may have found a possible ally," the Autobot commander instructed.
"An ally with a Britannian prince?!" Arcee questioned.
"An ex-prince," Cliffjumper corrected.
"But a Britannian prince all the same," Ironhide stated.
"There is still much we don't know," Optimus continued, "For now Bumblebee, continue to follow him. Autobots, converge on Bumblebee's location. If you find any resistance, report it immediately. We may have to organize an attack if we are to succeed."
All the Autobots, some reluctantly, agreed on this course of action.
"So are we having a bad day?" Lloyd Asplund enthusiastically asked Suzaku as he regained consciousness.
His shirt was gone and the upper half of his body was covered in bandages. Lloyd's assistant, Cecile Croomy, was by his side as well.
"Looks like you missed a chance to go to Heaven, Private Kururugi."
"I did?" Suzaku questioned as he groaned while trying to sit up from the bed of the ambulance he was in, "Where…?"
"Hmm, ah, we're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto," Lloyd responded.
They were in one of the many ambulances close to Clovis' mobile base with two Sutherlands guarding it.
"With Prince Clovis nearby, this is probably the safest place anywhere," Cecile informed as she handed Suzaku a broken pocket watch, "This is what saved your life, Mr. Suzaku."
"You're lucky it was under your protective suit because that was what deflected the bullet," Lloyd added.
"Is it a keepsake?" Cecile asked.
"Yeah… very," Suzaku took the watch and gave it a reminiscing look.
"You Elevens believe gods exist inside of everything, even objects don't you?" Lloyd asked, "I guess this one…"
"Is Lelouch…" Suzaku stopped himself before he spoke again, "What's the latest on the situation?"
"It looks like the poison gas was released," the scientist answered, "Massive Eleven casualties have been reported."
"They haven't caught the perpetrators yet," Cecile added.
"They haven't, huh? Not yet?" Suzaku thought to himself.
He knew that was not poison gas that was stolen. Someone somewhere had lied, and all these casualties were possibly the result of the conflict between the terrorists and soldiers.
"Private Kururugi, how much experience do you have piloting a Knightmare frame?" Lloyd asked with a knowing and eager smile.
Needless to say, Suzaku did not expect a question like that, "Wha… but there's no way an Eleven would be made a knight!"
Lloyd hadn't lost his smile as he held up a gold ignition key, "Well supposing you could."
The Japanese soldier didn't know what to say. Was he seriously being offered a chance to pilot a Knightmare? Though he was no fan of the destruction it was capable of, this could be the chance he needed to get back into Shinjuku and find Lelouch, maybe even that girl he was with. Before he even realized it, the key was in his hand.
"Congratulations!" Lloyd enthusiastically exclaimed, "The only Knightmare of its kind awaits you! Once you take control of this big beauty, everything will change! You and your world!"
"Whether you want it to or not."
Bulkhead soared in his vehicle mode as he rammed down a Sutherland and sent it rolling down a hill onto a tank, destroying them both. He drove away to avoid gunfire from another group of Sutherlands. However, they were quickly blasted away by Ironhide. On the side of his vehicle mode, two large cannons came out from the doors and opened fire. Large balls of Energon shot and exploded, blasting the Sutherlands to bits as he drove through the smoke.
Optimus himself drove in his vehicle form directly toward a squad of at least four Sutherlands and two tanks. He turned and swerved his truck-form as it began to spin in doughnuts before ramming and swerving into the enemy; knocking down and tripping up all the Knightmares as well as bashing down all the tanks in the process.
Another Sutherland was about to open fire on Optimus when a car's revving sound came from the side. It turned around just in time to see Cliffjumper's vehicle form crash through the wall of a destroyed building and tear the Knightmare in half.
"Ah yeah! Mess with the Cliff, you get the horns!"
"Cliffjumper!" Optimus, Ironhide, and Bulkhead drove up to meet with their red comrade, "Where is Arcee?"
"She spotted that Glasgow and is driving up to meet with it and get to our rendezvous with Bee," Cliff replied, "It's also where a bunch of rebels are hiding out too."
"Well, ain't that a coincidence," Bulkhead noted.
"Autobots move out! We need to meet up with Bumblebee, Arcee, and these rebels as soon as possible!"
"What about his majesty?" Ironhide asked, referring to Lelouch.
"Depending on his motives, we may very well work with him as well," Optimus replied, "But for now, let us keep this finding a secret until we know more."
"Alright, let's go! Follow me!" Cliffjumper made a doughnut before driving in the direction where Arcee would be with Optimus, Ironhide, and Bulkhead close behind.
A Britannian tank's turret just gunned down a group of civilians before a Slash Harken from Kallen's one-armed Glasgow tore through it. Inside, Kallen had tears of anguish in her eyes at the sight of this atrocity.
"Those damn Britannians!" she cursed in anger and grief.
"Kallen, can the Glasgow still move?!" Ohgi questioned on the other side, as he and a small group of rebels were barely holding their own near the center of the ghetto.
"Don't worry Ohgi! It's all right I'll decoy them! Get the people out of here! The only ones that'll be captured are those of us in the resistance!"
"I know, but we are trapped! They got us surrounded!"
"Hang on! I'll try and…"
Before Kallen could finish, her Glasgow shook as she barely dodged any fire from a Sutherland heading from her left side.
However, before it could fire again, Arcee in her vehicle form drove off the roof of a small building and rammed into the head of the Sutherland, completely decapitating it before skidding to a halt in front of Kallen's Knightmare.
"Follow me!" Arcee exclaimed with the hologram of the motorcycle driver waving its arm for Kallen to follow her.
"Wha… who are you?!" Kallen asked, her voice projected out of the Glasgow.
Arcee was somewhat surprised. From the sound of it, the pilot was a young girl, but that could wait, "Doesn't matter! Come with me if you want to live!"
The blue living motorcycle drove eastward with Kallen following her in the Glasgow. She was quite impressed considering this person just took down a Sutherland with only a motorcycle. Maybe they might have a chance of surviving this after all.
Ashford Academy
Shirley was in a locker room getting changed into her bathing suit, as she was part of the school's swim club. A few of her friends were watching some TV on a laptop while she changed. However, she was surprised to hear her phone ring.
Shinjuku Ghetto
Lelouch was still in his stolen Sutherland, with the disguised Bumblebee not far from him, and tried his best to remain hidden when Shirley answered his call.
"Lulu? What in the world have you been doing?! Where are you now? If you keep cutting class, you'll get held back!"
"Are you near a TV?" Lelouch asked.
"A TV?"
"Sorry, but this is important."
"Hang on."
Shirley went over to her friends, "Hey, can I change the channel?"
"Huh? To what?"
"The news," Lelouch answered as he typed some data into the Knightmare's database, "Is there anything about Shinjuku?"
"News? Hang on…" she looked at the news report before answering, "There's nothing on. Traffic restrictions."
"Why is it restricted?"
"I don't know, they're not saying."
"I get it," Lelouch thought to himself, "Once they finish everything off, they'll release news that favors the military."
He took notice of some broken toys near the Sutherland's foot, particularly some chess pieces.
"Oh you're gambling again, aren't you?" Shirley accused, "I've warned you before more than once how dangerous that is!"
Lelouch bore a humorous smile, "Yep, you caught me. By the way, tell my little sister that I'm gonna be home late tonight. Thanks."
He hung up.
Back at Ashford, Shirley was quite miffed that Lulu had hung up on her yet again.
"Oooh! Why does he always hang up on me like that?!"
She tried to dial back.
"The number you have called is beyond service range."
"Oh darn it! Not this again!"
Lelouch had the map of the ghetto laid out on the screen in his Sutherland. And seeing as how a military officer piloted it, he had all the signals of all the Britannian Knightmares in the ghetto. He could find and locate any possible hostiles with this.
"They need to keep a lid on this information so it'll be hard for them to call in reinforcements," the Britannian ex-prince spoke to himself, analyzing the situation, "They'll have to make do with the pieces they have on the board, but I'm hemmed in here. It'll be tough to break through by myself, gaining refuge carries its own risk too."
He opened the cockpit to get down and gather those chess pieces. As he set down from the stirrup he saw an explosion above and a flaming helicopter being brought down.
"I want payback for being dragged into your fight, but I can't do it alone," he spoke to himself.
He picked up the chess pieces but as he got back up, he happened to turn his head to the right as he looked in surprise to see the same yellow and black car from before.
"Aw bolts, he saw me!" Bumblebee grimaced.
His look became serious as he remembered that the supposed driver not only knew his identity as the former prince of Britannia but also of his newfound power. Maybe, however, he could use that. Perhaps he found himself a possible ally.
"Hey, I'm surprised to see you're still here," he walked over and placed his hand on the hood, "Barely any scratches, despite having taken some bullets no doubt. I'm guessing that's no ordinary car you're driving, is it?"
Bumblebee didn't answer.
"I'm also assuming that you're probably no fan of Britannia," Lelouch smirked a bit, "Well, neither am I. That being said, perhaps we can help each other out."
Arcee just witnessed Kallen take out a helicopter with a slash harken and smirked inward.
"She's good," the blue Autobot hummed to herself.
However, a pair of Sutherlands, one of the pilots being Jeremiah, appeared behind them.
"It's our Glasgow friend. Oh, and even that cocky motorcycle from before," he mused as he opened fire.
"Scrap!" Arcee cursed as she and Kallen drove off to avoid the bullet shots.
She led Kallen down a narrow path with the Sutherlands close behind, "Arcee to Optimus! I've found the Glasgow rebel, but we've got a pair of Sutherlands hot on our heels!"
"Stand by, we're only a few clicks out!" Optimus informed.
At the same time, Kallen saw that the Glasgow was running out of power, "Just 30 minutes left!"
Suddenly a voice came in over her radio, "The west entrance!"
She couldn't recognize the voice.
" Use the tracks to move toward the west entrance!"
"Who's this?! How do you know this code?!" Kallen questioned.
What she didn't know was that it was Lelouch, using the communicator he got from the truck he accidentally fell into before, which was how he got dragged into this whole mess.
"That doesn't matter! If you want to win you're just going to have to trust me!"
"To win?"
At the same time, Bumblebee made contact with his teammates as well, "[Arcee! I made contact with Prince Lelouch! I need you to follow that Glasgow! He's giving her instructions!]"
"What?! Bee what are you…?!" Arcee questioned.
"[Trust me! Just do it!]"
Arcee sighed inward. Seeing no possible choice, she followed Kallen's Glasgow. The red Knightmare drove toward a set of train tracks before hopping on top. She followed suit as she drove up a makeshift ramp made from rubble and landed along the side of tracks, moving side-by-side with Kallen.
"Okay, what am I supposed to do now?!" Kallen asked as the Sutherlands were still chasing her and Arcee.
Jeremiah however maintained his smirk, "You pathetic Elevens. If you simply run away, this hunt doesn't have much to offer in the way of sport."
As the chase went on, a train was coming in from the other side of the tracks, right as Lelouch's voice came over on Kallen's radio.
"Since you trusted me, you're going to win. Jump onto the train!"
"Gotcha!" Kallen made her Glasgow jump onto the train as Arcee sped up and revved her motorcycle form so that it skipped up onto the train as well, right behind Kallen as Jeremiah's Sutherland began to halt the train by pushing it back.
"You think you can get away that way? Hmm? If that's your plan…?"
Jeremiah then contacted his comrade as he halted the train, right next to a ruined building on their left, "You! Go after the Glasgow!"
"Yes, my lord!"
However right as his Sutherland began to jump, it got torn apart by a pair of slash harkens coming from the building on the left, which pushed it back over the tracks.
"What the?!" Jeremiah saw the Sutherland from an opening, the one that just shot down his comrade.
"Shot by friendly fire?" he questioned before speaking directly to the pilot over the speaker, "What's your name and unit!? We're after the one-armed Glas…!"
The Sutherland opened fire with its rifle, causing Jeremiah's own Knightmare to back up as he looked in shock.
"Oh my god! A terrorist!?"
*CRASH!*
Jeremiah couldn't react in time as Bumblebee's vehicle form burst through the same building, driving at high speeds and shooting out like a missile. He rammed right into the Sutherland's side and completely tore through its legs as he landed hard on the tracks and halted, facing the Britannian.
"You!" Jeremiah recognized the car that had knocked him down before, and it made him quite angry, "You son of a…!"
He was about to shoot his rifle at Bumblebee when he was quickly rammed from behind, courtesy of Arcee in her vehicle form. It knocked the Sutherland back and Kallen was close behind ready to finish it.
Jeremiah knew he couldn't stop them so he activated his cockpit's ejector and bailed out at the last minute as Kallen's Glasgow got off the train.
"You saved me," she breathed in relief, speaking to the voice over the radio, "But how did you get a hold of a Sutherland?"
However, she was surprised to find that he was gone.
"Where did…?" she gasped as she had only now just noticed the yellow and black car.
Arcee rode up towards Bumblebee, "Thanks for the assist, Bee. So, was that his royal highness?"
"[Yep.]" Bumblebee confirmed, "[And he is no fan of Britannia]"
"Hey, you!" Kallen's voice came over the Glasgow as she rode it close to them. She spoke to the supposed driver of the car, "That's two I owe you, thanks."
"Kallen!" Coming up from behind were Ohgi and a small group of armed rebels, "What the hell was that radio message earlier?"
"What? He contacted you too?"
"Yep, and Yoshi and his group ought to be here soon," Ohgi answered. He looked past Kallen and looked in surprise to see several vehicles approaching them.
Cliffjumper, Ironhide, Bulkhead, and Optimus joined Bumblebee and Arcee as they maintained their vehicular cover, all of which were now present on the train tracks.
"Hey, guys! Glad to see you're alright," Bulkhead spoke to the duo.
"That makes two of us," Arcee replied.
"Well, looks like we found some rebels," Cliffjumper noted, "Did you guys do this?"
"[Nah, that was our little prince back from the dead,]" Bumblebee communicated in bleeps, while also admitting it was good to speak like that so none of the present rebels could understand him.
"Better find their radio frequency, 'cause we got company right now," Ironhide noted as Ohgi and his group came up to the vehicle forms of the Autobots.
"Hey, you guys," Ohgi said, "Was that radio message one of you?"
"Ohgi!" Kallen spoke through her Glasgow's speaker, "That yellow and black car! It was the one I mentioned before! And it just tore a Sutherland completely in half!"
"Shit! Really?!" one rebel, with short spikey red hair, questioned in disbelief.
"Who are you?" Ohgi questioned them.
Arcee rode up and spoke, "We don't exist! That's all you need to know! We'll help you bring down Britannia, but that's it! You won't see us again after that!"
"What do you mean?" Ohgi asked, talking to what he thought was the woman driving the blue motorcycle.
However, a voice spoke over his radio.
"Are you in charge?"
This was the voice of Lelouch.
"Uh… yeah."
"I present to you the cargo in that train over there. They're tools for your victory. If you want to win, then follow my orders."
Meanwhile, Optimus contacted Ark over the comms so no one could hear him speak, "Ratchet, Fixit, we have managed to locate the rebels. Prince Lelouch appears to be aiding us as well."
"What? Optimus are you certain of this?" Ratchet questioned.
"I am," the Autobot leader confirmed, "Fixit, I'll need you to connect our communication lines to the rebels as well as Lelouch who is no doubt using the same frequency."
"I'm on it!"
Fixit then accessed the communications systems as he began to sync the Autobot communication signals with that of the rebels.
"Optimus, we still know little-to-nothing of Lelouch's story," Ratchet began, "We may say he's against Britannia at the moment but that could change. And what's with this power of his that Bumblebee spoke of?"
"I agree there are many unanswered questions," Optimus replied, "However, if we are to have any hope of saving those living within the ghetto, then communication is paramount! Anything else can wait for the moment."
Ratchet knew what was important right now, protecting the people from Britannia. Maybe they can get some answers from Lelouch himself later, but that may involve revealing themselves to the prince, which he was not comfortable with. But they can cross that bridge when they get to it, first things first.
"It's done!" Fixit announced, "Communication lines are cemented…fermented… connected!"
Shinjuku
Ohgi and his rebels opened the cargo doors for all the train cars, and they could not contain their surprise. There were Sutherlands, more than a dozen total!
"There's more in here too!"
"Here too!"
"Amazing! Maybe we should give this guy a chance!"
Kallen was still in shock, "All of this… but how…?"
Ohgi was about as shocked as Kallen.
"Are you the leader of this resistance?" a new voice spoke over the radio, deeper and more commanding than anything he had heard before. It was the voice of Optimus Prime.
"Yeah, I am," he answered.
This was a new voice; not the person who stole the Sutherland and helped Kallen. A look of realization crossed his face.
"Wait, are you in one of those cars or trucks?!" he turned towards the group of vehicles that drove up towards the train.
"You could say that," the voice of Cliffjumper spoke up.
"Who are you? Are you possibly with the Japan Liberation Front?" Ohgi asked.
"No, we're not," Bulkhead's voice answered, "You could say we're from out-of-town."
"Listen up soldiers!" Ironhide's voice spoke through all of the rebel radios, including the one Lelouch was using, "We're syncing our communications with yours to better coordinate. We're gonna help you send these Britannian punks packing!"
Ohgi shared concerned expressions with his comrades in arms, though this was a surprise to them, they could use all the help they could get right now. Considering that now they have Sutherlands, maybe the odds of them winning had just increased.
"Woman in the Glasgow!" Lelouch's voice spoke up.
"Y…Yes!" Kallen answered.
"Stay where you are. Your unit is gonna run as a decoy. Got it?"
"Understood!"
"Energy filler status?"
"About fifteen minutes worth."
"Then recharge it. In ten minutes, I'll contact you with your next instructions."
Lelouch stayed in his Sutherland as he hid in a ruined building, near the top floor. He turned off the radio and sighed a bit.
"This is wearing me out," he spoke to himself, "Regardless, I'll need determination to succeed. After all, I'm betting my life on this game."
He held the black king chess piece in his hand when a voice spoke over the radio he had.
"Are you Lelouch Vi Britannia, the 17th heir to the Royal Britannian Imperial throne, presumed deceased?" the voice of Optimus Prime questioned.
Lelouch could not contain his surprise.
"How did…?!" he tried to regain his composure, "Are you the one driving that yellow car?"
"No, I am a comrade of his," Optimus answered, "I assure you, I have no intention of informing anyone else of your identity, for at the moment I am your ally. My comrades and I will help you to push Britannia back. But once this is over, perhaps we could have a discussion."
Lelouch thought for a moment. So whoever this person was, he knew his identity and more than likely also knew about his mysterious power. This could complicate things, but at the same time, maybe he may have found some more allies. However, right now he had to focus on simply making it out of this mess alive, so right now he'll accept his help.
"Very well, but if you could keep this a secret?" Lelouch asked.
"Understood. Contact us when you are ready to begin the operation. But before we begin, we need you to provide us with the codes of your Sutherland so we can track the Brtannian Knightmares within the ghetto."
"Alright. The code is X-G-2-1-G-2-D-4."
"I have it. We'll be ready to begin whenever you are."
Optimus cut off communications for the moment.
Prince Clovis' mobile base.
General Bartley and his staff were reporting the situation to their prince, "The terrorists are mixed among the Eleven populace and they're mounting a fairly minor resistance against us. But they pose little threat to our vastly superior army."
"We know that, moving on," Clovis urged.
"Understood, Your Highness," General Bartley replied, "The gas capsules will be…"
"What the public thinks," Clovis interrupted.
"Yes, we'll keep searching for her," the general told him.
Clovis was in a tight spot, but he still could get out of this unscathed if he played the right cards, "Either way, I want her captured dead or alive."
Meanwhile; other resistance fighters have managed to gather together with Ohgi and his band of rebels, along with the disguised Autobots. Several of them had already taken their newly acquired Sutherlands and were ready to mount an assault.
"Ratchet? Are we ready or what?" Ironhide asked.
Back on the Ark, Ratchet had just put the codes into the Ark's database. The screen in front of him lit up and he had the signals of all the Britannian Knightmares and could identify their locations.
"We have their locations and are ready to proceed," Ratchet responded, "Fixit, how are communications?"
"Still steady," Fixit replied.
"Hey, are you sure about this?" a rebel soldier named Tamaki asked Ohgi as he was in his Sutherland, "They've all had their IFFs removed. What if it's a trap?"
"The other side has a total advantage in this war," Ohgi spoke through his Sutherland's speakers, "They don't need to set any traps."
"Are you ready to begin?" Optimus spoke over the radio to Ohgi.
"Yeah, we're ready. But are you sure you don't want to use a Sutherland yourself? You guys may be good drivers, but I don't think a few cars and trucks are gonna last long in this."
"We will be fine. You will need those Knightmares more than we will."
Ohgi felt a bit unsure, but there was little time to argue, "Okay, but who are you? At least tell us your name."
"I am sorry but I cannot," Optimus replied, "If you wish to save the lives of those within the ghetto, then we need to work together. That is all you need to know."
He sighed, "Alright."
Optimus' semi-auto truck vehicle mode lay hidden under a ruined building as he contacted Lelouch over the radio, "We are ready to begin."
"Alright, if Q-1 and A-3 are on schedule, then enemy Sutherlands should reach them in twenty-three seconds. Shoot them through the wall."
Tamaki looked annoyed, "He's out of his mind!"
"Hey, we're the ones risking our lives as bait here!" Arcee spoke over the radio in a tone that caused Tamaki to wince, "But if you wanna be bait then by all means!"
"Everyone, double-check your weapons!" Ohgi ordered his rebels.
"What?! Are you serious?!" Tamaki questioned.
"Just shut up and move if you want to live!" Arcee shouted at him.
Tamaki winced like a child being scolded by their mother, "Okay! Okay! We're moving!"
Arcee's vehicle form and Kallen's Glasgow came to a stop just under an enemy helicopter.
"We're in position now," Arcee contacted.
"Enemy spotted at point F-31!" A staff officer informed Clovis as the screen in front illustrated the battle via a radar screen.
"A feint eh? How pedestrian," Clovis mused.
"Tell Lazlo's squad to go straight in!" Bartley ordered, "Have Ugin and Vallery strike from the rear!"
"Three, two, one, FIRE!" Ohgi ordered as his Knightmare squad opened fire on the wall, which tore through the two Knightmares coming in from the rear.
"What?!" a Britannian soldier panicked before his Knightmare exploded.
A squad of four Knightmares was about to go straight towards Kallen and Arcee when out of the rubble next to them, Optimus' vehicle form appeared as he rammed all four of them at once. He ran into them as if they were a straight line, piling on top of each other as he rode over them and ran them over, crushing the Knightmare's heads underneath his wheels.
All six signals were lost, "Sir Ugin, Sir Vallery, and Lazlo Squad, all lost!"
Clovis lost his smirk, "An ambush?"
Lelouch chuckled, "An ID signal can be a double-edged sword."
He held a black knight piece in his hand, "Besides if these people follow the orders I issue, my task at hand is sure to be completed."
"That ambush worked almost flawlessly," Fixit said in surprise.
"We have access to their Knightmare's signals. So, of course, we can pinpoint their locations," Ratchet said before accessing his communications, "Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, you have three Knightmares coming in two clicks from your current position."
"Got it, Doc Bot!" Cliffjumper responded.
Bulkhead drove off the roof and let gravity take his truck body down as it crashed hard onto two Sutherlands, crushing them both, while Cliffjumper drove out from a tunnel and rammed the Sutherland's feet to knock it down.
Lelouch saw this from his Sutherland's screen and looked amused, "Hmm, so these guys know what they're doing. Impressive."
He accessed the communications again, "P-1, P-4, P-7, follow the black truck as it lures the enemy into position! Then fire your slash harkens toward three o'clock!"
"You heard 'em! Do what the voice says!" Ohgi ordered his squad.
"Damn, what else does he want us to do?" Tamaki complained as he got into his Knightmare.
"Get ready! I got 'em right behind me!" Ironhide exclaimed through the radio.
The black and red truck drove at high speeds as a group of Sutherlands chased him and fired their rifles at him. He avoided all the shots and got into position.
"Fire! NOW!" Ironhide shouted as the friendly Sutherlands shot their Slash harkens and tore apart the Britannian Knightmares.
Bartley was beginning to look nervous, as three more signals were lost.
"The enemy is moving towards G-2-8!" an officer informed.
"Send Lazlo squad... I mean Globay squad!" Bartley ordered.
Clovis' attention was certainly caught now, "This means… terrorists have our military weaponry?"
Kallen used her slash harken to pull her Glasgow onto a rooftop where she punched down a Sutherland.
Arcee drove fast as she lured two Sutherlands right where she needed them to be. Bumblebee's side doors opened as his Energon blasters shot through the wall in front of him and quickly gunned down the two Knightmares.
"Sir Globay has been ejected! His entire unit has been shot down!"
"Change our codes! They're intercepting our transmissions!" Bartley ordered.
"We already have, sir! Four times!"
"Do it again!"
Clovis stood up, his face was raw with anger, but his eyes radiated fear, "This failure is unacceptable!"
Bartley nervously turned toward his prince, "Forgive me."
A screen popped up on the window in front of them where they saw the face of Lloyd Asplund, with an ever-present smile on his face.
"Good afternoon."
"Wha… what is it?! We're in the middle of an operation!" Bartley exclaimed.
"I'd say it's time to deploy a certain special weapon I've developed…" Lloyd proposed.
"We have no time for this right now!"
Bulkhead rammed a tank and sent it crashing into a building.
"R-2! Fire harken!" Lelouch moved the black rook piece up.
A slash harken shot down a helicopter.
"O-6, enemy unit twenty meters ahead!" the prince moved up the black bishop piece.
Optimus drove through the pillars of a small building quickly, which destabilized the structure and crushed the entire unit of Sutherlands nearby as Optimus drove out of the dust.
"N-Group, you'll continue your advance!" Lelouch held the black knight piece.
Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper led the charge as they sped right toward a group of enemy Knightmares while friendly Sutherlands shot toward the enemy from behind.
"YOU BLOODY ELEVENS!" one Britannian pilot shouted as he and his squad tried to shoot back, but the disguised Autobots had already rammed into the Knightmares, causing them to lose their balance as they were quickly gunned down.
More signals were lost.
"We just lost the entire Bradlo squad!"
Clovis walked to the group of his staff officers, "So do it! We'll have to bring up the Quincy squad!"
"My lord! That will break the encirclement!" Bartley warned.
Lelouch's smile has yet to vanish, "Now then the enemy has only five options…"
Optimus Prime had similar thoughts as well, "They can either call in a full retreat, try to gather what remaining forces they have, fall back and form a defensive line around Clovis, continue to press onward as they are now, or send out some of the units guarding Clovis to aid their offensive forces."
"Reinforce the breach with some of the units guarding me," Clovis ordered, "All we know for certain is that enemy forces are here."
The Knightmares and tanks rolled out further into the ghetto. Jeremiah, who was trying to make his way back to Clovis' mobile base, saw this and looked confused.
"Who ordered them to break formation?"
Ratchet saw the enemy's movement, "Optimus, more forces have broken off from Clovis' guard! They're trying to encircle you and the rebels!"
"Understood. All units move underground! Immediately!"
Lelouch saw his makeshift army moving as Clovis' forces tried to encircle them, not to mention he also heard Optimus' instructions.
"Underground hmm? Not a bad idea."
He contacted his allies again, "O-6, do you have an area map?"
"I have a map of the entire ghetto," Ratchet's voice answered for Optimus, "I'll relay the information to our allies."
"Good."
Clovis smirked triumphantly, thinking he was about to win, "Alright, send out Bertz and the others too! Concentrate our forces there! Surround them!"
He saw on the radar all his forces coming in on a single red dot.
"The enemy's main force is that center dot. Finish every one of them off!"
Pretty much every remaining Britannian Sutherland proceeded toward that location with the hope to completely overwhelm the enemy. However, once they got there, they were surprised to see there was nothing there.
"What?! Where's the enemy!?" Clovis demanded as the dot on the radar vanished.
All the resistance Knightmares, including the Glasgow, as well as the vehicle forms of the six Autobots, all moved within the large tunnels underground as they all gathered together to form a perfect circle and aimed toward a central point.
"Is everyone in position?" Optimus asked.
"Everyone's ready!" Kallen responded.
All the Knightmares readied their slash harkens as Energon blasters opened up along the sides or tops of the Autobots' vehicle forms.
"Get ready, they're closing in," Lelouch stated, "Wait… three… two… one… FIRE!"
Slash harkens and Energon blasts were all shot and concentrated on a single point. The force was so great that it caused the ground above to completely collapse and take out all the Knightmares with them. Fortunately, all the Autobots and rebel fighters were far enough away not to get caught up in it themselves.
"With this, I call to check," Lelouch said as he moved his king piece. It wasn't long before he burst into a triumphant laugh.
"Yes, it worked! I can do it! I can! I can defeat Britannia!"
Optimus looked at the rubble with both surprise and seriousness.
"He was able to counter all of Britannia's moves and provide a strategy that not only neutralized all enemy forces but prevented any of his soldiers from receiving casualties. His strategic thinking is most impressive. Perhaps… if we learn more about him… he may be a valuable ally."
Clovis couldn't believe his eyes as he instinctively backed up. Almost every single one of his Knightmares was lost. His eyes shook as fear was written all over his face.
"Who… who in the hell am I up against?! What if… what if he's even better than Tohdoh!?"
"Lloyd!"
"Yes, Your Highness?" he mused, his smiling face still on the screen in front of the prince
"Can it win? Will your toy beat them?"
Lloyd's smile was still present, but his eyes were radiant with seriousness and ecstasy, "My lord, please be so kind as to call it the Lancelot."
"Z-0-1 Lancelot now activating! Lancelot activating! Releasing hatch! Z-0-1 Lancelot, stand by for activation! Pilot interface initiated!
Suzaku had just now put on the white and black pilot suit for the Knightmare he'd be piloting soon as it condensed and fit itself around his body.
"Did you read the manual?" Cecile asked on his communicator.
"Pretty much," Suzaku answered as he zipped up his suit.
"Well done," Cecile congratulated, "You scored at the top of the class at the simulator."
"Hey look, about what you told me earlier," Suzaku asked as he began to walk outside towards the Knightmare covered in a black tarp.
"Huh? Oh, it could be, but the possibility is nearly zero."
"But that means there's still a chance, right?" the Honorary Britannian insisted as he stood in front of the covered Knightmare.
"Yes, I'm afraid that's true. Even so, you're not to do anything reckless. The new system is not outfitted with an ejection mechanism."
"Okay, I understand Miss Cecile," Suzaku said.
His eyes soon widened as the tarp fell off and he saw the Lancelot in its full glory.
"That's it…?" he breathed in an amazed tone of voice.
"Yes, that's the advanced weapon developed by us in the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps: Lancelot. The world's first Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame."
This Knightmare was large, slightly bigger than any Sutherland, it also had a much more humanoid appearance as it appeared like a knight covered in white and gold armor. It even had a head with its own set of green eyes. Needless to say, Suzaku was amazed.
"Well, if you're ready Suzaku, shall we proceed with the initial start-up?" Lloyd proposed, ready to see his beauty in a battle for the first time.
With that being said, Suzaku quickly got into the cockpit of the Lancelot as they began to start up its systems.
"Initial start-up, now proceeding from phase 20. Equipping energy filler. Confirm restart, energy filler is now at full output. Thirty seconds to reach critical voltage. Core luminous, shifting phase. Initiating device setup. Confirming entry of the device into Z-0-1. Mission control ID registration confirmed."
Suzaku put the ignition key in as the Lancelot began to fully activate.
"Confirm man-machine-interface engage."
He gripped the controls.
Lloyd smiled, as everything seemed to check out, "So far it's going per the data."
The ambulances cleared out of the way as Suzaku inputted the data as the Lancelot was now turned on. It took a stance as though it were a professional track runner ready to go at the sound of the gun.
"Lancelot, activate M-E-boost!" Suzaku stated as the Sakuradite (or Energon) activated the system completely.
With a zoom, the Lancelot shot out like a speeding bullet. The wheels on its feet allowed it to move faster than any other Knightmare frame of the previous generation. The after-effects were enough to knock down Lloyd, Cecile, and all their co-workers.
Lloyd couldn't help but laugh, "Running right out of the gate!"
Suzaku could not believe it. This Knightmare felt much more different than he had expected.
"Cooler than the manual, with this…"
He winced as he held the injury on his side.
Tamaki spotted something on his screen, "Huh? What is that…?"
He didn't have time to react as the Lancelot zoomed in and decapitated his Sutherland with the swipe of his hand.
Arcee rode up next to Optimus as they drove on the streets.
"We've taken down pretty much every Knightmare in the whole ghetto," Arcee stated, "And much of this came from his royal highness."
"Yes, Lelouch's strategy was quite impressive," Optimus replied.
"Wait… Optimus are you… considering bringing him on this?" Arcee questioned.
"Perhaps," the Autobot leader began, "If he truly stands against Britannia, his strategic thinking, as well as his knowledge of their inner workings, could indeed aid us."
"He may be against Britannia, but what about the Decepticons?" Arcee asked.
Optimus wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, that is until he heard communications.
"This is B-Group, reporting enemy presence."
"More Knightmares?" Arcee wondered.
Lelouch's voice responded over the communications, "Status?"
"Everyone ejected, but they took out four units in nothing flat!"
"Enemy numbers?" Lelouch asked.
"Just one. I think it's a new model! I've never seen anything like it…. AAAH!"
That caught the two Autobots by surprise.
"A new model?" Arcee questioned.
"Ratchet, a new Knightmare has entered the field," Optimus contacted the Ark, "Can you find its signal?"
"Negative," the Autobot medic replied as he looked at the screen, "Whatever it is, it's not using the same ID signal as all the Sutherlands. But I can pinpoint its possible location from the resistance's Knightmares that were destroyed."
"I have the location," Fixit pulled up his map, "Bulkhead and Cliffjumper, you two appear to be the closest Autobots. Can you find out what it is?"
"We're on our way," Bulkhead reported.
A resistance Sutherland had just been destroyed, its pilot ejected, as the Lancelot stood firm. Factsphere sensors opened up on its breastplate briefly.
Bulkhead and Cliffjumper saw the white Knightmare as they drove onto the street.
The red Autobot whistled, "That's one nice-looking suit."
"It's not a Sutherland," Bulkhead noted.
Two resistance Sutherlands immediately opened fire.
"Bastard!"
They fired with their rifles, but the Lancelot lifted its right arm and an energy shield deflected the bullets.
"Did that thing just reflect bullets?!" Cliff questioned in surprise.
The Lancelot shot at a speed equivalent to that of a race car and decapitated both Knightmares with just hand swipes.
"Holy scrap! That was fast!" the Wrecker exclaimed in shock, "Ratchet, I'm sending you a visual!"
A visual image, taken by Bulkhead's optics, appeared on the screen onboard the Ark's bridge where Ratchet and Fixit got a good look at the Lancelot.
"What is that?" Fixit asked, his tone indicated he was more than a little intimidated.
"I don't know…. But it could spell trouble," Ratchet stated, his eyes radiant with worry.
"I've got a visual!" Ironhide sounded, "It's moving faster than a rocket! It… Whoa! That thing just tore through a squad like it was nothing!"
Optimus and Arcee heard this as well.
"Ironhide, what is your status?" his leader asked.
"I'm fine. It shot right past me like I wasn't even there!"
"Because we're robots in disguise!" Arcee realized, "So long as we're in vehicle form, it'll only target Knightmares!"
"So yeah, we're safe, but what about all the rebels?" Cliff asked.
"[Hang on! I see it! I'll try and tail it!]" Bumblebee reported.
"Bumblebee wait!" Optimus stated, "Do not do anything reckless! Maintain visuals but only from behind! Do not engage this Knightmare unless necessary!"
"[I understand.]"
Lelouch's frustration had grown as half of his pieces had already been taken out. But was surprised to hear Optimus' voice through the radio.
"All units! A new Knightmare has entered the battle! You are not to engage in any circumstances! All units are to fall back immediately!"
"Fall back?!" Lelouch questioned.
"I have uploaded a rendezvous point where we can reorganize and plan a counter-attack," Optimus continued to inform as a dot appeared on Lelouch's screen, "Report there as soon as possible! If you spot a white Knightmare, do not engage it! Eject immediately!"
Lelouch was more than a little surprised, "What happened? Something I didn't foresee?"
Pretty much every resistance Sutherland was now falling back, save for two that tried to hold back the Lancelot.
The white Knightmare shot a slash harken from its wrist to decapitate a Sutherland as the other tried to shoot at it. It punched the ground and launched another slash harken from its wrist to propel itself into the air.
"Damn it!" the resistance pilot cursed as it tried to shoot at him.
But the Lancelot had already come down with an ax kick on the side. The pilot ejected as soon as he could.
"Yes, I can do this!" Suzaku stated, "With Lancelot, I can stop all this fighting at once!"
Bumblebee meanwhile looked in shock as he held back but still saw the Lancelot as it kept going.
"That thing… it moves…like a Decepticon!"
Clovis saw the status from his mobile base. Though he was glad that the resistance was being pushed back, he also cringed inward.
"For heaven's sake. Now I'll owe my older brother a debt I don't mean to incur. It's for the best though."
Despite several of the resistance's Sutherlands trying their best to retreat, they still somehow found themselves against the Lancelot as it quickly made work of them. It tore the Knightmares apart and yet Suzaku tried his best to avoid any fatal shots and kill someone. He was only disarming them.
He may have unknowingly passed by some Autobots, but as they maintained vehicular cover, he merely dismissed them as abandoned vehicles. While most of them, including Optimus, had already helped the remaining resistance fighters get to their rendezvous point, Bumblebee continued to tail the Lancelot, while maintaining a safe distance.
Lloyd and Cecile continued to watch Suzaku's progress through the Lancelot's outer camera as well as the date they were receiving from Suzaku himself.
"These readings are even higher than predicted!" Cecile exclaimed in surprise.
Lloyd pushed up the brim of his glasses, "It's because our pilot is taking his job very seriously."
Suzaku grimaced as he held his injury, but he pushed himself to keep going, "If I can stop all of the Knightmares, then this battle is over! No matter what, I've got to save Lelouch and that girl!"
His Factsphere systems spotted something. The Lancelot's screens zoomed in near the top of an abandoned building. The systems locked onto a Sutherland that was hiding at the top: the one piloted by Lelouch.
Arcee drove down an alleyway where she ran into Bumblebee, still maintaining a fair distance from the white Knightmare. But the moment she turned, she saw it.
"Whoa! That's what's causing all the trouble?!" she questioned in surprise.
"[Yep. That's it,]" Bumblebee beeped back in response.
However, they looked in surprise to see it gunning toward a certain building.
"[Wait… oh no! It's going for Lelouch!]"
"Scrap!" Arcee cursed as she and Bumblebee zoomed after it as fast as they could.
Lelouch could only look in shock as a slash harken gripped the ceiling of his hiding spot. It wasn't long before the Lancelot pulled itself up and gunned straight for him. He instinctively used his Sutherland to block its strike.
"You mean this thing's what's ruining my plan?!"
The Sutherland struggled against the Lancelot's superior strength.
"Are you the guy that's in command?!" Suzaku questioned, though his voice wasn't projected through any speakers.
Lelouch tried to push back as hard as he could, "Nothing more than a pilot… how dare he…"
However, the floor gave way underneath both Knightmares as they fell several stories through the ruined building. Lelouch grimaced and knew he had to leave.
"No choice, I gotta get out of here!"
He looked in further shock to see the Lancelot coming down toward him with a spinning kick. He tried to block it with the Sutherland's arm, but he was still quickly knocked down. The Lancelot was about to take him out of commission with a wrist-mounted slash harken when Kallen's Glasgow came in for a punch, which the Lancelot quickly caught.
"Hey! I'm returning the favor!" Kallen shouted toward Lelouch over the radio.
She launched a slash harken at the enemy, but the Lancelot caught it with its other hand and quickly crushed it while also crushing the Glasgow's arm.
"I can't hold it…" she struggled.
She wouldn't have to struggle much longer as Arcee's motorcycle mode came in from a ruined floor and slammed into the back of the Lancelot's head, taking Suzaku by surprise.
"GO! RUN!" Arcee shouted to Kallen.
The red-haired girl looked in surprise for a split second before pulling the Glasgow's ejection seat and bailing. Arcee then skidded to a halt and faced the Lancelot directly.
Suzaku's eyes widened in shock as he saw this.
"She's… going up against a Knightmare with just a motorcycle?!" he said to himself, thinking it was a woman driving it as he saw the hologram of the driver.
Arcee revved up before driving right toward the Lancelot. Suzaku tried to grab her but moved slowly as he was worried he could kill the driver, but it was what Arcee needed to swerve under it and begin spinning in doughnuts amongst the debris, creating a smokescreen to blind the Knightmare.
Lelouch drove his Sutherland out of the dust.
"I must remember that," he thought to himself, "The most vital element in battle is the human one."
He looked down to see the yellow and black car from before flashing his lights at Lelouch before turning around and driving off, motioning for the former prince to follow him, which he did.
"That's two I owe you," he muttered to himself as he followed Bumblebee.
Arcee continued to spin circles and create plenty of dust around Suzaku. He tried to stir the Lancelot, but all this movement blinded him greatly.
"What's going on?! I can't see!"
As she continued to swerve, she saw Bumblebee and Lelouch moving away and were at a reasonable distance, now it was her turn to leave. She drove off in the direction that Kallen ejected.
The Lancelot waved its arms a few times to clear out the dust.
Suzaku had found that everyone was gone, "Where did they go?"
He turned on his Factsphere sensors again to pick up the enemy's location where he spotted the Sutherland from before as well as a yellow and black car moving away.
"Oh no, you don't."
Kallen had kicked open the hatch of her escape pod as she tried to stand up and looked around at where she landed. Before her mind could wrap around what just happened, Arcee had sped in front of her.
"Get on!"
Not losing a chance to escape, she quickly mounted the motorcycle and grabbed the seat as Arcee drove off.
"What the hell was that thing?!" she questioned, referring to the Knightmare.
"I don't know, but right now we need to get somewhere safe!"
Bumblebee and Lelouch continued to drive down the road. However, it wasn't long before the Sutherland's radar picked up something coming toward them. It was the Lancelot.
"You're kidding me!? It's already caught up to us!?" Bumblebee thought in surprise.
Lelouch turned the Sutherland back and opened fire with its rifle, but the Sutherland was quick enough to avoid all the bullets. He tried to shoot some of the rubble from the buildings to block its path, but Suzaku maneuvered the Lancelot and it was able to avoid everything that fell without even slowing down.
"That damn monster's unstoppable!" Lelouch exclaimed.
Bumblebee realized the situation they were in: this thing was obviously with Britannia. If it took down the Sutherland and found out about Lelouch—granted, he was a prince but still willing to take a stand against his empire—it could put him in considerable danger. Bumblebee was a little surprised that he was thinking of Lelouch's safety, but then again, he was an Autobot, and the safety of the weak and helpless was his priority.
"That thing may stand up against Knightmares, but what about an Autobot?"
He stopped and turned around before gunning straight for the Lancelot.
Lelouch was beyond surprised, "What?! What are you doing?!"
He stopped the Sutherland and watched as the car went straight for the enemy Knightmare.
This movement shocked Suzaku as well, "Is he trying to ram me?! Maybe if I go around him…"
But Bumblebee had already kicked in maximum overdrive.
" Sorry Optimus, but I've got no choice here!"
He did the one thing no one expected: he transformed! Bumblebee took his natural Cybertronian form, and using the momentum from the speed he had gathered in his vehicle form, he reeled back a fist before delivering a punch straight to the Lancelot's face. The blow was powerful enough to send the white Knightmare flying back quite a distance, crashing through some of the rubble that had been brought down earlier.
"Wha... WHAT THE HELL!?" Lelouch practically screamed, his eyes ready to pop out of their sockets.
Cecile shot right up out of her chair and Lloyd completely lost his composure, doubling back, as they saw the same thing from the Lancelot's camera systems.
"Did… did that car just transform into a Knightmare?!" Cecile exclaimed in shock.
Lloyd Asplund, for the first time in his life, was completely speechless.
Suzaku's look couldn't be described with mere words as the dust cleared and he got a good look at the Autobot scout. His eyes were so wide they looked like dinner plates with his mouth in the form of a perfect O.
Bumblebee, seeing how he made his enemy speechless, pressed his advantage as he charged right at the Lancelot and laid another punch across its face before delivering a roundhouse to knock it further back.
The Lancelot's pilot managed to stabilize himself, but his look of surprise did not fade when Bumblebee's wrists converted into his Energon blasters which he opened fire immediately onto the Lancelot.
The energy blasts hit the white Knightmare, causing it to stumble back before Suzaku activated its shield to block the attack. He tried to regain his composure.
"Is that… what is…" he shook his head, "Whatever it is, it could spell trouble! I have to take it down!"
He shot the Lancelot directly at Bumblebee, but he rolled out of the way to avoid the punch before opening fire again on the Lancelot's side.
Lelouch used this opportunity to drive his Sutherland into an opening within a ruined building, but he stopped and found his eyes traced solely to the battle taking place in front of him.
"Is that some sort of… specialized Knightmare….? No, it's far too maneuverable," he thought as he saw Bumblebee move swiftly under the Lancelot's swing to deliver an uppercut and hook to the white Knightmare's body which retaliated with a kick to Bumblebee's chest to knock him back. Lelouch got a good look at the Autobot's face as he charged back at the enemy.
"That's not a Knightmare! It has a face…its own eyes move and shift with the battle! That thing… it's alive!"
The Lancelot fired a slash harken from its wrist, which Bumblebee caught and managed to crush in his hand before running directly at the Lancelot and jumping to deliver a kick right at its face, causing it to stumble back. But when Bumblebee tried to shoot at it again with his Energon blasters, it leaped into the air to deliver a spinning kick, which Bumblebee tried to block with both his arms but still knocked him down all the same.
Fortunately, the Autobot rolled out of the way as the Lancelot tried to swing its hand to possibly cut off his head and it impacted the ground. As he got up, Bumblebee tackled the Lancelot and rammed it into the wall of a ruined building before grabbing the Lancelot by the back of its head and smashing it repeatedly into the wall.
Suzaku grunted until he had enough and shoved both the Lancelot's arms into the wall and activated both his slash harken to knock him and Bumblebee back, but this caused a rift and tear in the building before a piece on an upper floor gave way.
Lelouch, Suzaku, and Bumblebee's attention were suddenly caught off-guard by a scream as they saw a woman holding a baby falling from a building that was recently damaged.
Bumblebee's optics widened before he ran and shoved the Lancelot out of the way, disregarding the battle immediately.
Suzaku's eyes also widened as he feared the worst.
"No! Don't you try and…!"
He looked in shock to see Bumblebee leap into the air, reach out his hand, and catch both the mother and her child in the palm of his before landing on the ground on his knees and his other hand, still keeping the mother and her child close and safe.
"It just…. Saved them…?" Suzaku stuttered in surprise.
Lelouch was also shocked, "In the middle of battle, he rescues someone?"
Bumblebee carefully and gently put the mother down as she still held her child while looking at the Autobot with shaky eyes before screaming and running away in fear. This caused the scout to look down slightly, though it was expected. He resumed his glare as he turned to face the Lancelot, which had yet to make a move, as Suzaku didn't even attack yet.
Seeing this as a chance to escape, as he possibly underestimated this Knightmare and didn't want to drag out the fight, he punched the side of the building, causing a bit more rubble to fall and create a dust cloud.
Suzaku tried to move the Lancelot into it, but when the dust cleared, the Autobot had already vanished.
"That thing…saved someone's life…" Suzaku was still in shock, "Then… why was it helping those terrorists? What in the world is going on?"
"Suzaku?"
He looked up to see Cecile's face on the communication screen, "Miss Cecile… you saw what I saw…. Right?"
Cecile nodded, "I did… but I don't know what it was…. If you want, you could come back. We can take a break."
Suzaku tried to straighten himself out, "No, it's fine. I'll keep going. I don't know what it was but I wanna find out."
He drove off further into the ghetto.
Lelouch stood up out of the Sutherland as he was still rather surprised by what had just happened. He heard a faint noise behind him and turned around, only to backpedal slightly as Bumblebee was looking straight at him. The two of them both hide in the ruined building.
The exiled prince straightened himself up as he stared at the Autobot, and Bumblebee stared at him. It was an uneasy silence until Lelouch finally spoke.
"You're not a Knightmare, are you?"
Bumblebee shook his head.
"Can you understand me?"
Bumblebee nodded.
Lelouch soon chuckled slightly before it erupted into a burst of full-blown laughter. First, he gained the power to control people just by looking at them, now he was speaking to some kind of sentient machine that could transform into a car at will.
"Oh God…" he held his face as he tried to suppress his laughs, "This has been one hell of a day…"
Bumblebee simply waited for Lelouch to stop laughing. Although he had not expected this sort of reaction, something like this was only natural as this was the first ever human-Autobot contact. He finally stopped laughing before Lelouch only had a smile and simply looked at him.
"Are those other cars and trucks like you?" Lelouch asked as Bumblebee nodded in confirmation, "I suppose I can talk to them later, but first things first. You know, we're not far from Clovis' transport, based on the Sutherland's data. What do you say we end this?"
Bumblebee nodded with a serious look in his eyes.
Lloyd stood outside as he spoke to himself, "Unbelievable. A Knightmare that could transform into a vehicle. I had come here hoping to find the perfect device for the Lancelot. Not only do I succeed in that field, but I think I found something truly spectacular!"
He laughed giddily like an excited schoolgirl, "I don't know what that thing was, but I want it!"
Bumblebee had transformed back into his vehicle form with Lelouch in the driver's seat as it drove toward the side of the blockade surrounding Clovis. Though a few soldiers guarded it, there were only two Knightmares upfront, but that didn't matter. They just had to get past this one guard and they could end it here.
A soldier raised his hand to stop the yellow and black car as it slowly came to a halt. The soldier walked up with a gun in his hands.
"Stop there! Step out of the car, this is Prince Clovis' transport!"
Lelouch smirked to himself, "Finally."
He lowered the window slowly to where the soldier could only see his eyes as he activated his Geass.
"I'd like you to let us pass."
Red rings formed in the soldier's eyes, "Yes sir, understood."
He lowered his gun and stepped aside as Bumblebee proceeded toward the transport.
Arcee drove Kallen and skidded to a halt in front of an abandoned warehouse.
"Kallen! In here!" Ohgi waved to them from inside the door.
Arcee drove in with Kallen as the door was closed behind them. She got off as she and Arcee got a good look at this: there were only four, maybe even five rebels left with a dozen civilians cowering and crying. All the disguised Autobots were present, including Optimus, Ironhide, Cliffjumper, and Bulkhead.
"It's your fault!" one civilian cried to the rebels, "This is what happens when you oppose the Britannians!"
"What?!" Tamaki questioned, "Why you gutless coward!"
A woman cried in despair, "How many people were killed because of this?!"
"Shut up!" Tamaki exclaimed, "Do you know how many of us were killed or captured?! Do ya!?"
The Autobots communicate with each other via their comms so the people can't hear them.
"Look at this," Cliff said with sympathy in his voice, "All these people lost maybe their friends, families, their own homes…"
"All because of Britannia," Ironhide growled, "Primus damn them all! They're every bit as bad as the Decepticons!"
"Wait… where's Bee?" Bulkhead questioned.
"He went to help Lelouch last I saw of him," Arcee answered.
Optimus tried to contact him, "Bumblebee, report in! Where are you?!"
"[We're going to end this right now!]"
"Wait… 'we'?" Arcee questioned.
"Ratchet, where's Bumblebee?" Ironhide questioned over the comms.
"I've locked onto his signal. He's…. he's at the very edge of the ghetto…. Right where Clovis' transport is!"
"What?!" Ironhide questioned before an explosion erupted from the gate up in front.
Everyone screamed as the Autobots rolled up to protect all the civilians and rebels as a Britannian tank and several foot soldiers swarmed in.
"See?! This is what we get for following a bunch of random guys we don't even know!" Tamaki yelled toward Ohgi.
The disguised Autobots formed a defensive line in front of the Britannian soldiers. No way would they allow more people to die like this.
"So this is where you Eleven vermin scurried off to," the soldier on top of the tank mused, "Prepare to fire!"
"Optimus…!" Bulkhead gazed towards them.
Inwardly, Optimus knew they were in a tight spot. The only way to save all these people was to drop their cover here and now.
Kallen couldn't believe this. Was she going to die? Here?! Now?! All she could do was close her eyes and cry out her deceased older brother's name, "Naoto!"
"Autobots! Transf…."
"Attention all forces! Cease your fire at once!"
Clovis' voice echoed throughout the entire ghetto; surprising everyone, be they Japanese, Britannian, and Autobot.
"Cease fire?!" Arcee and Ohgi questioned at the same time.
Even Suzaku was stunned, "Cease fire?"
Ratchet and Fixit also heard the announcement over the Autobot communications in the Ark.
"I, Clovis, Third Prince of Britannia, and Royal Viceroy of Area 11, hereby command you!"
Every Britannian soldier, including the stranded Jeremiah and Villetta, heard and looked in surprise, even Lloyd and Cecile.
"All forces are ordered to cease fire at once! You will also cease the destruction of any buildings or property! All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice! Any injured Elevens will also receive the proper medical treatment and all soldiers will provide proper relief aid to all the survivors within the Shinjuku Ghetto! In the name of Clovis La Britannia, you are hereby ordered: cease-fire at once! I shall allow no further bloodshed!"
Bumblebee was parked behind Clovis' transport and would have smirked if his face were visible.
"Bumblebee… was that you're doing…?" Ratchet asked him.
"[Well, it was more so Lelouch than myself.]"
"You and Lelouch made it to Clovis?" Arcee questioned, "How did you get past all the guards?"
"[Aside from the fact that most of them were sent into the ghetto beforehand, Lelouch used his eye-power to get in. I just drove in.]"
"So where is Lelouch?" Ironhide asked.
"[Having a little chat with Clovis right now.]"
"Does that mean… it's over…?" Cliffjumper asked.
Bumblebee would have laughed nervously if he could, "[Not exactly.]"
"What do you mean?" Optimus questioned.
"[Okay… Please don't be mad at me but… Lelouch… sort of… saw me… transform.]"
The lights were shut off as Clovis glared toward the individual who had a gun pointed at him. He couldn't see his face in the shadows.
"Are you satisfied?" he asked.
"Very. Well done."
Clovis scoffed, "And what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads? Or perhaps a nice game of chess?"
"That has a familiar ring to it."
Clovis looked in slight confusion.
"Don't you recall? The two of us used to play chess together as boys. Of course, I would always win."
"What?"
He clicked his gun, "Remember? At the Aries Villa?"
Clovis' glare hardened with confusion in the mix, "You… who are you?!"
Lelouch stepped into the light and revealed his face, "It's been a long time, big brother!"
Clovis shot out of his chair, his eyes ready to completely bulge out as his pupils shrank. No! It was impossible! It couldn't be!
"The eldest child of the late consort Marianne, 17th in line to the imperial throne, Lelouch Vi Britannia at your service," he performed a mock bow.
"Lelouch….?!" Clovis could not believe his eyes, "But… But… I thought…"
"That I was dead? You were wrong," Lelouch couldn't hide his devilish smirk.
"I have returned, Your Highness. And I've come back to change everything!"
Notes:
Originally Posted at FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13151821/35/Code-Prime-R1-Rebellion
Edited using Grammarly.
Chapter 4: Robots and Students in Disguise
Chapter Text
The sun had set upon the ruined battlefield that was the Shinjuku Ghetto.
Britannian soldiers and Knightmare frames were escorting all the 'Elevens', including those in the resistance, such as both Kallen, Tamaki, and Ohgi, out of the ghetto to where they would receive medical attention per the orders of Prince Clovis, though several soldiers were not happy about this.
"Why the hell are we letting the Elevens go?!" Jeremiah demanded over the radio, "What about the poison gas they've stolen?!"
"But it's by order of Prince Clovis," one soldier responded.
"What about Bartley? Get the general staff on the line!" Jeremiah ordered.
"They're not at their posts, sir!"
"Are you telling me Prince Clovis is alone on the con?!" Jeremiah questioned in shock.
As the people were being escorted out, Kallen spared a glance towards Clovis' mobile base. Why would a Britannian prince call for not only a ceasefire but order for Elevens to receive medical treatment? And what happened to all those cars and trucks, or that woman on the motorcycle? Or even that voice on the radio? Were they somehow behind this? Just what in the hell was going on?
Lelouch kept his pistol trained on his older half-brother as Clovis tried to put on a relieved smile, though his eyes were radiant with fear.
"I'm overjoyed, Lelouch," Clovis tried, "They said you died when Japan was brought into the fold. What a blessing to have you back. We should depart for the homeland immediately!"
"So you can use me as a tool of diplomacy?" Lelouch skeptically questioned, "It seems you've forgotten why we were used as tools in the first place."
Clovis gasped.
"That's right. It was because my mother was killed."
That image was still vivid in his mind. Despite it being only seven years ago, it was a night he will never forget. The sight of his dead mother, her body covered in blood and bullet holes, protectively holding his younger sister, Nunnally, who was shot in the legs, her eyes wide and radiant with fear and trauma with her hands twitching.
"Mother held the title of 'Knight of Honor' but was a commoner by birth. No doubt the other Imperial Consorts held her in contempt."
His voice began to rise, with anger evident.
"Even though you made it look like the work of terrorists, I'm no fool! You people killed my mother!"
"IT WASN'T ME!" Clovis screamed in fear, "I SWEAR TO YOU IT WASN'T!"
"Then tell me everything you know. The truth cannot be hidden from me any longer."
Lelouch activated his newly acquired power as the Geass sigil formed in his eyes.
"By whose hand was she slain?!"
The red sigil flew from his eye and into Clovis'. His brainwave patterns were rewritten before a pair of red rings formed in his eyes. He relaxed before answering.
"My brother and sister, Second Prince Schneizel and Second Princess Cornelia, they can tell you."
Lelouch gave a slight gasp in surprise, "They were at the heart of this?"
Clovis didn't answer.
"That's all that you know, isn't it?"
He deactivated his power.
Clovis shot up as the power wore off and he looked once more in fear, "I swear it wasn't me! I had nothing to do with it!"
"I believe you," Lelouch said, causing Clovis to calm down slightly, "However…"
He put on his devilish smirk once more as he pointed his pistol right at his brother's head, right in between his eyes.
"PLEASE! YOU CAN'T! WE MAY HAVE DIFFERENT MOTHERS, BUT YOU AND I ARE STILL BLOOD!"
"You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty."
*BANG!*
Lelouch crawled out from the emergency exit via the back of the mobile base. He still kept the pistol with him, best to avoid leaving anything behind, even if he was wearing gloves, and didn't leave any prince, it was best not to leave any form of physical evidence, despite that all surveillance was shut down.
As the exiled prince walked out from the back, he looked in mild surprise to find not only the same yellow and black car, revealed to be a transforming mechanical being, still there, but all the same vehicles from before. A blue motorcycle with a (holographic) female driver on top, a dark green SUV, a black and red pick-up truck, a red car with a bullhorn accessory on the hood, and finally a red and blue semi-auto truck.
"Let me guess, you are all some kind of… transforming machines?"
"Yep, pretty much, Your Highness," the red car responded.
This caught Lelouch by minor surprise, but since the yellow and black one already knew, he probably told the rest as well.
"Relax, we just want to talk to you," the blue motorcycle told him in a feminine voice.
Lelouch looked towards the 'driver', "Is that a person with you, or what?"
In direct response, the hologram deactivated showing the motorcycle operating on its own, "Kid, a lot is going on that you don't understand."
"That is the case," Lelouch stated, "So, what now?"
"We need you to come with us," the black truck stated.
"Don't worry. We're not gonna dump you in a ditch or anything like that. We just need to talk," the red car assured, "But preferably in a spot that's less Britannian."
Lelouch thought for a moment. Without a doubt, these vehicles were all some form of sentient machine, and from the looks of just one of them, far stronger than any Knightmare he'd seen, even able to hold their own against that white Knightmare from before. Maybe they could be useful in his goal to inevitably destroy Britannia.
"Very well. Take me to where you need me to go," Lelouch said as the yellow car drove up towards him and opened its driver's door.
Lelouch stepped inside as the door closed and all the disguised Autobots drove off.
The Autobots drove through several alleyways in the Shinjuku Ghetto, far outside prying eyes. Once they were certain they were far enough away from any Britannian forces, as well as from any one of Japanese ethnicity forced to live here, Optimus contacted the Ark.
"Ratchet, open a ground bridge. We are bringing the company back to the Ark."
Right after the order was given, a green swirling ground bridge portal opened up. Optimus was the first to enter, followed by Ironhide, Arcee, and Cliffjumper. Bumblee entered with Bulkhead right behind him, and Lelouch could only look in shock and surprise at this. A portal? He'd only ever heard of this in science fiction novels and television shows.
The Autobots exited the vortex and were within the ground bridge station of the Ark. Lelouch didn't get a chance to look at his surroundings as he suddenly felt sick in his stomach. Perhaps the portal gave him a case of vertigo. Fortunately for Bumblebee, Lelouch kept his lunch down as the cars drove through a few hallways before coming up towards the bridge.
The vehicles came to a halt as Bumblebee opened his door and Lelouch stepped outside. Once he did, he saw all the vehicles transform where he could see the Autobots in their full-glory, even a new one, a white and red Autobot that wasn't in Shinjuku. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw all of them. They came in many shapes and sizes. A few of them were even bigger and bulkier than Knightmare frames, but what amazed him the most was the largest of the group. A hulking red and blue robot-like being that carried a strong presence with him—one that was both commanding and compassionate at the same time. Needless to say, Lelouch was nothing short of amazed.
Cliffjumper chuckled slightly, "Look at 'em, he's speechless"
Lelouch regained his composure, "You aren't just regular robots… are you?"
Ratchet scoffed, "Puh-lease."
The largest of the Autobots kneeled and looked at Lelouch, "Are you Lelouch Vi Britannia, seventeenth heir to the royal throne of Britannia?"
"Yes?"
"My name is Optimus Prime. We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the planet Cybertron, also known as Autobots."
"Alien… sentient… machines?" Lelouch stuttered, still not quite over his surprise from all of this.
"Got that right, princey," Cliffjumper teased.
"If you are from another planet, how can you speak English?" the exiled prince questioned.
"We have learned your planet's languages through your internet," Optimus answered as he began to introduce his team, "I am the leader of the Autobots, and these are my warriors: Bulkhead, Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Ironhide."
The latter-mentioned black and red robot twirled and pointed his arm cannons at Lelouch which began to glow, startling the ex-prince.
"You feeling lucky, punk?"
"Whoa, take it easy, 'Hide," Bulkhead tried to calm him down.
Ironhide had an amused smirk, "Relax, just showing off my cannons a bit, plus I wanted to see the look on his face."
Though Lelouch glared at that comment, he was also impressed. Whatever those cannons had, it could probably turn a Knightmare into a pile of scrap metal in one shot.
"This is my medical officer, Ratchet," Optimus introduced the medic who nodded in acknowledgment.
A new voice spoke up, "And I am the caretaker and maintenance chief of this vessel and Ratchet's assistant."
A smaller, human-sized, robot rolled up to Lelouch, "Call me Fixit."
Lelouch was quite surprised by this, "You're… smaller than I thought…"
"I am what's known as a 'Mini-Con'," Fixit began to explain, "A type of Cybertronian that is, as you might have guessed, smaller than others. Pleased to eat you."
"What?"
"Eat you… greet you… Meet you!" Fixit glitched., "Apologizes, but my system's a bit glitchy."
The Mini-Con extended his hand, "Is this how you humans greet each other? Shaking servos?"
"Hands, but… yes," Lelouch still shook his hand nonetheless.
"And you have already met our team's scout, Bumblebee," Optimus introduced the final member of his team as Lelouch looked up to the yellow Autobot who played some rock music through his radio and motioned punches.
"Bumblebee, hmm? Well, nice to officially meet you then," Lelouch greeted.
"[Yep, same here,]" Bumblebee responded in bleeps, confusing the black-haired youth.
"How can I understand the rest of you, but not him?"
"Bumblebee's voice box was damaged in battle," Ratchet responded, "Though his current form of communication is understandable for Cybertronians, it isn't the case for humans."
Lelouch looked around at where he was. With the size of all the equipment, it was Cybertronian-made.
"So, where am I? What is this? I…" he only just now noticed through the massive window of the bridge that they were underwater, evident by the sea life that swam around, "What is this place? Are we underwater?"
"We are at least twenty miles off the coast of the nation you call Japan," Arcee answered, "As for where we are, you're standing on the sacred ground, kid. This is the Ark."
"Ark? Is this some form of transport?"
"Yep, a massive Autobot ship," Bulkhead responded, "But it's been grounded since the Exodus."
"Exodus?" Lelouch questioned before a serious look formed on his face and he addressed Optimus, "If you are aliens from another planet, why are you here? On Earth?"
"We are here because our planet is no longer inhabitable, ravaged by centuries of civil war," Optimus answered.
"War?" Lelouch questioned.
"Between two rival factions. The Autobots, and our sworn enemy: the Decepticons," Optimus continued.
"A bunch of trigger-happy psychos who keep spouting off about universal domination and all that stuff," Cliffjumper added.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "Are these Decepticons here as well?"
"More than likely," the female Autobot answered, "They came out of the same portal we did."
"Why were you even fighting a war in the first place?" Lelouch questioned.
"For many reasons," the leader of the Autobots began, "Foremost, over our world's supply of Energon, the fuel and lifeblood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike. The combat was fierce and endured for millennia. In the beginning, I fought alongside one whom I considered a brother, but in war, ideals can be corrupted, and it was thus, that Megatron lost his way."
"Megatron?"
"He's the leader of the Decepticons," Fixit answered, "He is a strategic genius and a powerful warrior as well."
"Why are you all here on Earth, though? Why this planet?" Lelouch asked once more.
"Because your planet is rich with Energon," Ratchet explained, "Late in the war, both sides had begun hiding their Energon spoils off-world. Your planet managed to acquire a vast majority that could supply a whole civilization of Cybertronians for years to come. It is also known to you as Sakuradite."
That took Lelouch by surprise. Sakuradite, the fuel for Knightmares was an alien energy supply?!
"It is for that reason, that Britannia has been rapidly expanding its territory as well," Optimus answered
"Wait… what do you mean by that?" Lelouch questioned.
"Lelouch, we believe that Britannia is nothing more than a shadow, a puppet empire being controlled and manipulated by the Decepticons from the shadows," Optimus revealed.
The former prince could not contain his surprise and rage, "What…?!"
"Why do you think Britannia has all the most radical tech?" Cliff asked, "All those fancy Knightmares, which just so happen to look like giant robots like us?"
"On top of that, Britannia's beliefs are pretty much the same as the Cons," Ironhide added, "'Might makes right', 'Survival of the fittest', all that scrap."
Lelouch clenched his fists, "How is it then I've never heard of any of this?"
"We also believe that the presence of the Decepticons is only known by the Emperor and a select few of his followers," Optimus answered, "As evident by your reaction, I am doubtful that the rest of the Britannian Imperial Family is aware of this."
Lelouch's face was evident with anger. His own country, the same one that abandoned him and Nunnally and killed millions of people in a futile quest for power for decades is nothing more than a puppet?! Was all his hate misdirected? Was his desire for vengeance for nothing?!
"Okay, your turn," Arcee told Lelouch, "What's a Britannian prince doing, fighting his nation?"
"And how are you still alive anyway?" Ironhide questioned as well.
"That is right," Fixit added, "According to official records, Lelouch Vi Britannia died when Japan was invaded, him as well as his younger sister Nunnally Vi Britannia."
"You just answered your question right there," Lelouch responded, anger still evident.
Most of the Autobots shared concerned looks and expressions.
"Uh… how about you start from the top?" the Mini-Con pondered.
Lelouch calmed down a bit before he spoke up. "What do your records say about my mother, Marianne Vi Britannia?"
"The records claim she was killed in a terrorist attack, seven Earth years ago."
"You're only half-right. It was seven years ago, but it was not a terrorist attack."
His response surprised most of the Autobots.
"The Aries Villa, my home at that time, was the most secure place in the entire empire, even more so than the royal palace. There was no way random terrorists could sneak inside."
"You think it was an inside job?" Cliffjumper asked.
"I know it was," Lelouch responded as the anger came back, his memory recalling the moment, "I went to confront my father… the emperor... about it."
Flashback – Seven Years Ago – Britannian Royal Palace.
"Announcing Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia! Seventh Heir to the Royal Britannian Imperial Throne!"
The young adolescent prince walked into the massive throne room and through a long line of nobles that bowed in his presence. He heard bits and pieces of whispers amongst them about what happened to his mother, the Ashford Family's nobility status being called into question, and how his sister can't even be married off for a political game due to her disabilities now. That last comment made him even angrier, but he was here for one purpose right now.
He stopped before a small set of stairs that led to his father's throne. Though he was a man easily in his 60s, he still had an imposing figure and carried a presence around him that demanded fear and respect.
"Hail your majesty! My mother the Empress is dead!" the young Lelouch announced.
"Old news, what of it?" Charles Zi Britannia questioned in a bored tone.
"What of it?!"
"You sought an audience with the Emperor of Britannia simply to inform me of that?"
Charles turned to one of his attendants, "Send the next one in. I have no time for these childish games."
"Father!" Lelouch ran up to him.
The guards would have tried to intercept him, but Charles raised his hand to have them stop.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" they stopped.
"Why didn't you keep Mother out of harm's way?!" the young Lelouch demanded, "You're the Emperor! The greatest man in this nation if not the world! You should have protected her and now you don't even visit Nunnally!"
"I have no use for that weakling!"
The young prince could not have believed what he just heard, "'That weakling'?"
"That is what it means to be royalty."
The adolescent Lelouch was now filled with fury and rage, "Then I don't want to be your heir… I give up my claim to the throne!"
Every single noble in the palace looked at him in shock and was visibly appalled by his statement.
"I'm sick of the fighting and scheming over who will succeed you, Father! I've had enough!"
"You are dead!"
Lelouch looked in shock as Charles raised his voice at him.
"You've always been dead to me, dead from the moment you've been born! Who gave you the fine clothes you wear, a comfortable home, the food you eat, and your very life?! All of those, I have given to you! In short, you are nothing to me because you have never existed! Yet you dare to speak such foolishness to me?!"
He shot up from his throne, causing the frightened prince to fall on his back as his father glared at him with hate-filled eyes.
"Lelouch, you are dead therefore you are not entitled to any rights. I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan! As prince and princess, you will serve well as bargaining tools!"
End Flashback
Each of the Autobots had a shocked face once Lelouch had finished.
Ratchet, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, and Fixit had looks of mild horror while Bulkhead, Ironhide, and Arcee were seething with anger. Optimus' look was one of seriousness as you looked at the young prince with pity. Lelouch held his hand down as his fists were so clenched his knuckles would have turned white.
"I… Lelouch I… damn. I don't know what to say," Cliffjumper said.
"I do," Ironhide spoke up, anger filling up, "I say we open a ground bridge portal right to the Britannian palace right now and blow that whole place to smithereens!"
Lelouch looked up in surprise at that statement.
"I'm all for that," Arcee agreed, "If we go in now, we can end Britannia's grip on this planet once and for all!"
Bulkhead growled as he formed a wrecking-ball-mace-like weapon on his right hand, "The guy's about as bad as Megatron! I'd love to personally put that meat bag in his place with my bare hands!"
He smashed his club onto a console, completely wrecking it.
"Bulkhead! I needed that!" Ratchet shouted at him.
This was a day full of surprises for Lelouch. He hadn't expected these alien robots to be so sympathetic to him, on top of that, some of them were even willing to storm Britannia just for his sake. Yet there was also something that caught his attention.
"Ground bridge?" Lelouch questioned.
"Yeah, that portal we came in here with," Cliffjumper answered, "A toned-down version of a space bridge."
"I don't know what that is either."
"A space bridge was a portal system used on Cybertron that allowed for supplies and personnel to be transported from one location to another," Fixit explained, "A space bridge, by its title, allows for transportation on a galactic scale. While a ground bridge is only limited to the specific hornet… rennet… planet!"
"So this ground bridge can send someone anywhere on Earth?" Lelouch surmised.
"That is indeed correct," Fixit confirmed with a nod.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow with a half-smile, "That could come in handy."
Optimus spoke to the rest of his team, "While I agree that what happened to Lelouch is indeed tragic and that perhaps the Emperor needs to be defeated, if we were to attack the capital of Britannia right now the consequences could be catastrophic."
"That's right," the student agreed, surprising most of the Bots.
"You're not seriously giving the emperor a pass, are you?!" Arcee questioned.
"Absolutely not! No one is more enraged than me, believe me. But, look at where Britannia is now. Look at how much of the planet it has in its grip. If the head were to be cut off now, not only the homeland but all its colonies and areas would fall apart. It'll lead to anarchy and infighting as other royals and nobles try to fill in the power gap. Not to mention the Chinese Federation and the EU would try to take advantage of this as well and that could lead to a full-blown war."
Many of the Autobots were not only surprised but also quite impressed.
"You thought this through, haven't you?" Ironhide asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I want to destroy Britannia, but not the whole planet," Lelouch stated.
"That is indeed correct," Optimus agreed, "In addition, as Britannia is under the influence of the Decepticons, they too would join in the conflict and attempt to seize more power from the Earth themselves, leading to even more devastation and bloodshed."
Ironhide, Bulkhead, and Arcee reluctantly calmed down as they knew he was right. If they did that they'd be no different from the Decepticons.
"If we are to take a stand against Britannia, then we must do so that will not endanger innocent human lives," the Autobot commander began, "Although we may take the lives of soldiers on the battlefield, we must place limits on ourselves, else we risk inflicting the same fate to Earth as Cybertron."
"Which was why you waited till now, right?" Lelouch asked, "Because you were worried these Decepticons would step in?"
Optimus nodded, "Correct."
"However, now that we have stepped in, we will end up facing them, sooner or later," the medical officer said.
The veteran Autobot sighed, "Nothing we can do about that now, though. All we can do is be ready."
Fixit got the exiled prince's attention, "Excuse me, Lelouch, if I may. The reports say that you and your sister Nunnally are both deceased. It was exaggerated with you, but…what about your sister?"
"She's living with me, but she's blind and crippled," Lelouch answered as he looked down in grief.
"I'm sorry," Fixit told him.
Lelouch nodded in acknowledgment, "Thanks."
"So, now that all the heavy stuff is out of the way, how'd you like to team up, kid?" Cliff asked Lelouch, somewhat surprising him, "We both hate Britannia and the Cons are gonna show up sooner or later. We know the Decepticons, and you know Britannia. You see where I'm going here?"
"And if our last fight was any indication, you're also quite the strategist," Ironhide said.
"I'll admit… for a human… your plans were more than sound," Ratchet said.
"Uh… thanks," Lelouch wasn't quite sure that was a compliment, but still.
"Your brains, and us backing you up, we can tear all those bad guys down in no time!" Bulkhead exclaimed, looking forward to more fighting.
"So what do you say, Your Highness?" Arcee offered, Though she was the one making the offer, she couldn't help but feel there was something about Lelouch that made her a bit uneasy.
Lelouch smirked to himself. From all indications, a single Autobot was stronger than a whole squadron of Knightmares, not to mention this ground bridge of there's would be more than useful. He also knew they were correct. Though he knew Britannia for quite a while, he knew next to nothing about the Decepticons, and if they were the true masterminds behind Britannia, then they too shall know his vengeance.
"Very well, I accept," he nodded with a grin.
"Welcome to Team Prime, Your Majesty," Cliffjumper made a friendly mock bow.
Though he knew Cliffjumper was joking, he winced a bit, "I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that."
"Sorry."
"Ep, ep, ep, ep!" Ratchet stopped any sort of celebration, "Before we do anything with you, Lelouch, I'd personally like to know more about your power."
"My power?"
"Yeah, you know, where you can command anyone to do what you want just by looking at them?" Arcee reminded.
"I Lelouch Vi Britannia command you! Now all of you… DIE!" Bumblebee played the command he recorded on his radio, surprising Lelouch quite a bit.
"How'd you even do that anyway?" Bulkhead questioned, "It's kinda scary…"
Lelouch had a stern gaze as he looked up to Bulkhead.
"Tell me your deepest secret."
The red sigil in his eyes activated as he made eye contact with the big green Autobot, but he just looked confused.
"Uh… you mean embarrassing secret? Or a deeply personal one?" Bulkhead questioned.
Lelouch looked in surprise, "It didn't work?"
Most of the Autobots looked at him in surprise, though Ironhide, Arcee, and Ratchet seemed a bit suspicious.
"Oh my… something is glowing inside your optics," Fixit saw the red sigil in Lelouch's eyes, "Can all humans do that?"
Lelouch felt his face for a moment, his hand over his left eye, "No… I didn't even have this…. Till that mess in Shinjuku started."
"And you decided to test it on us?" Arcee questioned.
"Without even asking permission," Ironhide noted.
"To be honest, this is only the fifth time I've used it," Lelouch confessed, "I can only affect a person via eye contact and that's all I know."
The Autobots looked with seriousness at this. Optimus seemed the most concerned; though he was certain this sort of power could come in handy, from the looks of it though, it would strip an individual of their free will. Something about that didn't quite sit right with him. However, if interrogating an enemy, it would be easier to use something like that as opposed to taking less civil methods of interrogation.
"Seeing as how you know so little about this new power of yours, perhaps it is best that we study to better learn its implications," Ratchet said as he kneeled closer to Lelouch's level, "Now, keep that power activated for a moment."
Maybe that was the best option. Lelouch didn't know anything about this power. What other limits does it have besides the eye contact thing? It doesn't work on Cybertronians either. Does it have any side effects? The only person who could answer that was that green-haired girl and she's dead.
So with a sigh, he kept his power activated, the red sigil resembling a bird still glowing in his left eye. Ratchet pressed a few buttons on his arm and a scanner activated, and a blue light shined on Lelouch as Ratchet scanned him from head-to-toe before standing up.
"Probably too late to ask, but do you know anything about human biology?" Lelouch questioned.
Ratchet scoffed, "I've studied your primitive anatomy for quite some time. Though it is a bit… messier than Cybertronian biology, your organic systems are somewhat similar."
"Well with that being said, perhaps a study of this power could help us to discover how it works," Fixit stated.
"Very well then," Optimus began, "Lelouch, I believe you should return to your home for now. We will contact you at a later date."
Lelouch nodded in response.
"Bumblebee, escort him home."
Bumblebee transformed back into his vehicle form and opened up his front door, Lelouch stepped inside, but before the door closed…
"Oh, one more thing," Fixit began, "Where do you live? Just so we can input the coordinates into our ground bridge."
"I am at the Ashford Academy within the Tokyo Settlement," Lelouch answered.
"Very well." Ratchet went to an unbroken console, "I have the coordinates, and a ground bridge portal will be active once you reach the bay in the ship."
The door closed and Bumblebee drove off with Lelouch, leaving the remaining Autobots.
"Optimus, are you sure about this?" Ironhide asked, "I mean, bringing him into the fold and all."
"The kid may be smart, and that power of his could be useful, but I can't help but get this feeling around him," Arcee said, "Like maybe he doesn't fully trust us, or anyone for that matter."
"Well, if your whole family abandoned you and left you to die, you'd have trust issues too, right?" Cliffjumper said, "And besides, I know you had trust issues before Arcee, so I don't think you have room to talk about him."
Arcee looked down a bit as she knew he was right. After what happened to her old partner, Tailgate, she had some trust issues herself. That being said, while she was somewhat suspicious of Lelouch, she could sympathize with him a bit.
"Still, he tried to use that power on us," Ratchet input.
"Maybe he was trying to demonstrate it," Bulkhead said, "I mean it's not like he asked us to kick our buckets too, right?"
"I will agree that Lelouch may have some… issues," Optimus spoke up, "I believe that his intentions may be in the right place, and given our current situation, I feel that we need him as much as he needs us."
Ironhide knew he was right about that, "Alright, I see your point."
"So what now?" Bulkhead asked.
"Now we wait," Optimus said, "Given Lelouch's demeanor, I believe it is safe to assume that he killed Prince Clovis. Now it is Britannia's turn, and incidentally, Megatron's. I can only hope that Lelouch is ready for what is to come."
After that, Lelouch was returned to the Ashford Academy. A ground bridge portal had dropped off Bumblebee in an alleyway a couple of miles away from the school to not draw any attention. Traffic was alright. Lelouch was dropped off late at night. Things seemed to go smoothly from that point forward, until the next morning.
*SMACK!*
"Wake up Lelouch!" Milly smacked him on the head with a rolled-up paper, "I know you were sleeping! Your hand stopped moving!"
Lelouch reluctantly brought himself out of his nap, remembering he was in the Student Council meeting room along with fellow members Milly, Rivalz, Shirley, and Nina.
"Well, you don't have to beat me up over it, do you?"
Rivalz had a bragging smile, "Serves you right for ditching me like that."
"That's right," Shirley agreed, "What was up with you yesterday?"
"Oh, well…" Lelouch stuttered, 'I ran into a group of alien robots and am now about to declare war against Britannia. Oh, and Britannia is nothing more than a puppet to some other group of aliens.'
"That's enough, you guys," Milly got right to business, "Let's not get sidetracked here. If we don't come up with a fix for the club activities' budget, there won't be money left for anything at all!"
"And if it comes to that point…" Nina uttered quietly, still working primarily on the computer in the corner.
"The Equestrian Club will be pissed," Rivalz joked, "We don't want them coming in here on horseback."
"Rivalz, can't you be a more serious student council member?" Milly chastised.
"You know, it would have been nice of you if you would have reminded us of this mess a day ago!" Shirley told Milly.
"I would have to say a day later, then we would have given up," Rivalz continued to joke.
"Good idea, we can still do that," Lelouch joked as well.
"GUTS!"
Everyone winced at Milly's outburst.
"Are you trying that guts spell again?" Rivalz questioned.
"Yep," she confirmed with a mischievous grin, "I want you people to start putting your all into this."
"I don't think your 'magic' is gonna do a whole lot," Lelouch said blankly.
"It's got me going, Madame President!" Shirley raised her hand, feeling motivated.
"Supple and willing, that's what I like."
"I train hard in the gymnastics club!" Shirley proclaimed with a proud grin.
"That's not what I was getting at," Milly said, causing Shirley to look in confusion, "You're a ten."
Shirley looked at where Milly's eyes were trailed at, her 'assets'.
"From what I've seen in the girl's bathroom anyway. You've been filling out in all the right places huh?"
Rivalz chuckled as he gave a perverted glance at Shirley's chest as well, causing her to blush in embarrassment as she covered herself.
"Wha… what are you talking about, you perv?!"
After the Student Council meeting ended; Lelouch, Shirley, Rivalz, and Nina were walking toward their next class.
"Jeze, our president is just a dirty old man on the inside. Sullying the meeting with her filthy mind!" Shirley complained.
"Yeah well… that's Milly for you," Nina said.
Rivalz laughed a bit, "Eh, look at the bright side. We got the budget balanced didn't we?"
The group walked in and saw several students looking at news footage on several laptops.
"They used poison gas?"
"Man, that's freaky. Shinjuku is only 30 minutes from here!"
They were watching live news footage of the ghetto being cornered off with soldiers on guard as well as men in hazmat suits working. No doubt covering up what happened there yesterday.
"Oh my God! I saw smoke rising over in Shinjuku! It must have been the gas!"
"Are they saying anything else about it?"
Shirley looked over to Lelouch, remembering his call from yesterday, "Shinjuku?"
"I heard about it in real-time from a friend. That's why I called you."
He looked at the news footage and had a serious look in his eyes. No doubt the Autobots were seeing this as well.
The Ark
Optimus, Arcee, Bulkhead, Ironhide, Ratchet, Cliffjumper, and Fixit were watching the news report as well from a holographic screen onboard the ship's bridge.
"Poison gas huh?" Bulkhead questioned, "Wonder how long it took to come up with that?"
"Ratchet, have they said anything in regards to Prince Clovis?" Optimus asked.
"No, nothing yet," Ratchet answered, "Best guess: they're trying to cover it up to fend off the inevitable anarchy that could result from this."
"Why wait to cover up something like that?" Fixit questioned, "They'll have to release a statement eventually."
"Lelouch more than likely covered his tracks, so they're trying to find something they can work with, or rather… someone to take the fall," Ironhide reasoned.
"So they're gonna use a scapegoat," Arcee guessed.
"More than likely," Ironhide responded.
"So, what do we do now, boss?" Cliffjumper asked their leader, "You think something like that will get Megatron's attention? It's not every day a Britannian royal is killed."
"It is a possibility," Optimus said, "However until we know for certain we should refrain from taking any action for the moment. Anything from Bumblebee?"
"He's still at the academy," Ratchet noted, "As of yet, nothing suspicious is happening."
Optimus nodded as he continued to look at the news report. It was only a matter of time until they released a statement on Clovis; but until they knew what kind of statement they'd be releasing it was best to lay low for the time being.
Area 11
A fancy car was allowed to pass through a military-restricted zone. The passengers of the car were Jeremiah and Villetta.
"That ex-civil-servant is such a fool," Jeremiah uttered.
"So are you referring to Bartley?" Villetta asked.
"The killer has breached our heaviest security twice already," Jeremiah responded, "This perfunctory inspection is a farce!"
Villetta looked towards her superior with an ambitious gaze, "Margrave Jeremiah, now that Prince Clovis is out of the way, we Purebloods can…"
Jeremiah raised a finger in front of her as he smirked.
"Let me make that call. We still have to woo everyone over."
Ashford Academy
Lelouch walked a bit outside, letting some of these new events sink in. He was now allied with alien refugees who were capable of holding their own against Knightmares. Not to mention he also got a power that could allow him to control virtually everyone just by looking at them. This certainly gave him an advantage. But still, Britannia was an empire that made up at least one-third of the whole planet. Not to mention there were these Decepticons as well. They presented a real wild card from him. If he was serious about doing this, he knew that he had to step very carefully.
His attention was caught by a group of students in the parking lot, two of them happened to be Shirley and Rivalz.
"Hey Lelouch, come check this out!" his blue-haired friend waved to him.
He walked over toward the crowd, and what he saw made his eyes go wide.
It was Bumblebee! Still in his vehicle mode, fortunately. All the students were looking at the muscle car with amazement in their eyes.
"Just look at this beauty!"
"Man check out these tires too!"
"I like those racing stripes!"
"What are these wheels made of? Stainless steel?"
"Well, this is one very nice car!" Rivalz stated, "Wonder who the owner is."
"It's mine actually," Lelouch said, causing everyone to look at him in shock and surprise.
"It's your car?!"
"Whoa, no way!"
"Man, you've got some awesome taste!"
"Lulu, this is your car?!" Shirley questioned in shock.
"Geeze, how'd you manage to afford something like this?" Rivalz questioned as well.
"You remember all that money we got from gambling?" Lelouch told him, "I had to spend it on something."
Rivalz turned around, hands at his hips, as he looked at the car with a smile, "Well, I'd say you spent it wisely. I mean, I would have probably got a motorcycle, but this is pretty cool!"
Shirley however did not share the optimism, "Lelouch, why would you even buy a car? You don't even have a license!"
"I'm working on getting one," he told her, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna go street racing or anything like that."
"You'd better not! That stuff's even more dangerous than gambling!" Shirley lightly scolded.
After a few more questions and compliments the group of students dispersed to get some lunch before their next class. Once they were all clear, Lelouch leaned against Bumblebee's side.
"Guess you got a bit of a fan club now, huh?"
"[What can I say? The kids love me,]" Bumblebee bragged a bit in bleeps.
"You know I still can't understand you, right?"
In response to that, the side window opened and the dashboard opened up to reveal some sort of disk-shaped device that looked like a hearing aid of sorts. Lelouch picked it up and inspected it before putting it in his right ear.
"[Can you understand me now?]" Bumblebee asked. While bleeping noises were heard outside, with the earpiece on, Lelouch could hear actual words, just translated in the form of a monotone computer.
"Yes, I can understand you now," Lelouch answered, "So what are you doing here? The Autobots asked you to keep an eye on me?"
"[More like keeping an eye out for you. After all, you're a part of the team now, aren't you?]"
"You saw the news?"
"[Heard it over the radio. Poison gas? Hmph, what a load.]"
"They'll make an announcement soon. They can't hide something like this forever."
However, the young prince happened to overhear a group of girls talking nearby.
"Kallen! It's been ages!"
One of them greeted a red-haired girl who looked a bit familiar.
"Are you alright? Silffy's been worried sick all this time."
"You're okay though, right?"
"Yeah," Kallen answered in a fake timid voice, "I just have to go easy for a little while."
Lelouch instantly recognized the voice. This girl was the same one in the Glasgow in Shinjuku! He lightly knocked on Bumblebee's side.
"Hey, you see that girl over there? The one in the red hair?" he whispered.
"[Yeah?]"
"She was in Shinjuku, the woman in the Glasgow," Lelouch said with a serious look in his eyes.
If Bumblebee's face were present, his optics would have widened in surprise, "[Whoa! You sure?!]"
"Positive. I saw her face before, and I never forget a voice."
"[Do you know her?"]
"Not personally. All I know is her name: Kallen Stadtfeld. Her father seems to be rich, but she's sick all the time."
"[Well, given we saw her pilot a Knightmare and take out several Sutherlands back in Shinjuku, I don't think that's really who she is.]"
Lelouch nodded at that.
"[So, what are you gonna do? You gonna use the Stare on her?]"
"The Stare?"
"[You know, that eye power of yours.]"
"Since when did I call it 'the Stare'?"
"[Gotta call it something.]"
"I'm not calling it 'the Stare',"
The ex-prince walked away and slowly made his way to the group of girls having lunch.
A tiny bee happened to fly by the group, resulting in the girls screaming and running away save for Kallen.
"I don't get it," she uttered to herself as the bee flew around her, "Why's a bee after me? I wonder if there's a hive nearby."
She swiped her hand at it, resulting in the bee falling to the ground, having been sliced in half.
"God I hate this!" Kallen exclaimed to herself, letting her true personality come out, "I'm sick of acting like a freaking invalid!"
She bit down on her sandwich aggressively but turned to her side to see Lelouch staring at her.
'Crap! He saw me!'
She quickly put on her 'secret identity', "Can… Can I help you with something?"
"I want answers!"
Lelouch's Geass flew into her eyes, and she fell under his control.
"Of course."
"We're you the one piloting the Glasgow in Shinjuku?" Lelouch questioned.
"Yes," Kallen answered automatically.
"Why terrorism?"
"Because I'm Japanese. Though technically I'm half-Britannian."
"Half-blood?! But why go so far?"
As Lelouch continued to question Kallen, Shirley saw the two of them through a window on the second floor of the academy building, but she couldn't hear what they were talking about.
The Geass wore off on Kallen. She had no memory of what just happened and acted with her secret identity as usual, "Um… did you want something?"
"No, I got what I wanted here."
He was about to walk away before turning around, "Oh wait, just to be sure."
He activated his Geass again.
"Don't tell anyone about Shinjuku."
That surprised Kallen.
"What do you mean about Shinjuku? Why would you say that?" she asked with suspicion mixed in her fake timid voice.
Lelouch looked in surprise. His Geass didn't work! But it worked just a second ago!
He tried it again.
"Go back to class!"
"As soon as I get an answer to my question I will!"
"It's not working? What's going on here?" Lelouch thought in confusion.
The two stared at each other in suspense before Lelouch heard Shirley call out to them.
"Hey! Lulu! Kallen!" she waved to them from the second floor of the academy building, "You know it's time to head over to the chem lab! You better get a move on!"
"Oh, crap! It's my turn to set up for class!"
Lelouch ran back towards the school with a surprised and suspicious Kallen looking towards him.
As this happened, Bumblebee listened to the entire conversation, still in his vehicle form and from a concealed spot so Kallen wouldn't recognize him and he was about as surprised as Lelouch.
"Well, this could be a problem."
Later that night.
A young girl, Nunnally, with long light brown hair, and closed eyes, bound by a wheelchair, sat at a table alongside a young Japanese woman dressed as a maid with some origami laid along with the table.
"Well, what should we do?" the maid asked as she folded some paper, "He may be late again this evening."
"I'll wait," Nunnally replied, "He said that we'd have dinner again tonight."
The maid bore a small smile as she finished folding a pink paper crane and handed it to Nunnally, "There now. This one's finished."
Nunnally took it in her hand and felt it, "A bird?"
"Yes, it's a crane."
"Amazing," the blind girl remarked, "The Japanese are so skillful."
This earned a smile from the maid, before the door opened automatically, revealing Lelouch as he walked inside.
"I'm sorry I'm so late," he apologized.
"Hi, Lelouch, welcome home," Nunnally greeted her big brother.
"Yes, welcome home, my lord," the maid greeted as well.
"No place like it Sayoko. Right, Nunnally?"
The Ark
"Are you sure about this?" Ironhide asked Bumblebee over the comms.
"[No mistake. It was that same girl,]" Bumblebee confirmed.
"And you're saying Lelouch's power worked on her, and then it didn't?" Arcee questioned.
"[Yeah. All he had to do was mention Shinjuku, and now she's getting a bit suspicious.]"
"Well, this could be an issue," Cliffjumper stated.
Optimus had similar thoughts before he spoke, "Did she see you?"
"[Nope, I'm keeping out of sight for right now.]"
"Good. Maintain your position for now Bumblebee," Optimus told him, "We will contact you later."
"[Yes sir.]"
Bumblebee logged off.
"So, maybe the kid can only use his power on someone once?" Bulkhead guessed.
"Perhaps," Optimus responded before accessing the comms again, "Ratchet, have you found anything in regards to Lelouch's new power?"
Ratchet, along with Fixit, were in the Ark's only functional laboratory, which wasn't too far from the bridge. Both of them were at separate computer consoles analyzing the energy readings they received after scanning Lelouch.
"This energy…it's giving off readings that I've never seen before," Ratchet informed, "I honestly have no idea what it is."
"So you haven't found anything?" Ironhide questioned over the commlink.
"Well… we did find that it appears to be some form of bio-energy, so to speak," Fixit began, "The energy seems to work on the same principles as Energon, and yet, so different."
"Test readings indicate however that it seems to only respond to organic matter," Ratchet added as he typed some information down, "Which may be the reason why the power hadn't affected us."
"We are made from a techno-organic material," Optimus said, "Even the base elements of our biology are radically different from humans. That being said…."
"It seems Lelouch's power may affect humans, but it is virtually useless on Cybertronians," the medic concluded.
"So much for him using it on ol' Buckethead and making him surrender," Cliffjumper joked.
"Even so there's still so much about this we don't show… bow… know!" Fixit glitched.
"If we find anything we'll be sure to let you know," Ratchet informed the group.
"Understood," Optimus replied.
The Bridge
"Optimus, listen," Ironhide stated, "Even with Lelouch's power, it might not be enough. Even if we were only fighting Britannia, there are only seven of us; nine if you count Fixit and Lelouch. Britannia may not exactly be as advanced as us, but we're still outnumbered a hundred to one, maybe even a thousand."
"I am aware," Optimus replied, "Which is why I have been thinking: if we are to truly take a stand against not just Britannia but Megatron as well, we will need to rely on outside help."
That caught all the Autobots' attention.
"You wanna bring humans into this?" Arcee questioned.
"Well, that resistance group we met did manage to put up a decent fight back in Shinjuku," Cliffjumper recalled, "And we know that one Glasgow pilot is at Lelouch's school so…"
"But aren't we supposed to be robots in disguise?" Bulkhead questioned, "And what happened to our motto? You know, to protect the weak?"
"I agree that there are risks in taking such an approach," the Autobot leader said, "However, it is as Ironhide said. We lack both the personnel and resources to truly make a stand. Humanity must also learn to stand on its own feet as well. If we hope to save this planet, we must teach its inhabitants to stand up and defend themselves."
Area 11 – Unknown laboratory
"As you know full well, the project was a complete failure," General Bartley told the scientists working at the laboratory, which was filled with straight jackets as well as identical sphere-like devices that resembled the one that contained the green-haired girl, "Therefore this research division is being gutted."
The scientists all looked in surprise, "Yes, but…"
"I've set up a place in Narita for you. Move everything out there. While we may have no memory of it, the fact is the other staff officers and I left Prince Clovis on his own."
Bartley began to look very nervous, "I'm gonna be called out on the carpet for this back at home, and… when that happens… if His Majesty learns that this… this experiment has gone on without his knowledge I…"
"Understood sir," a scientist said, "We'll start prepping immediately."
Among the first things the scientists began to pack were several old documents and old photographs that all depicted the same green-haired woman, even pictures of the scientists experimenting on her in lab tables and chairs, and not just her. A few pictures even depicted a teenage boy with snow-white hair also being experimented on.
Ashford Academy – Lelouch's residence
Lelouch sat at a dining room table with his younger sister as he cut up her steak for her while she talked to him.
"Miss Sayoko was just teaching me the art of origami," Nunnally explained as Lelouch handed her the food he cut up for her, "Fold a piece of paper the correct way and you can make birds, boats, almost anything."
Nunnally tried to slurp some soup, but some fell down her chin.
Lelouch took a napkin and wiped her chin, "Easy there. You don't have to tell me everything all at once you know. It's not like I'm going anywhere."
Nunnally smiled, "Yeah, you're right. Thank you."
Lelouch gave his sister an honest smile. "You're very welcome."
"I'm so happy, cause last night, you scared me a little."
"Did I?" he lost his smile and looked down, "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind is all."
"Hey," Nunnally got his attention as she held the origami crane from before, "They say if you fold a thousand of these cranes, your wish will come true. So if there's anything at all that you've been wishing for…"
"No, not really," Lelouch replied, "What about you? Do you wish for anything?"
"I wish the world was a gentler place."
The older brother gave a sympathetic smile, "When the day finally comes that you can see again, I'm sure that it will be."
"Really?" the blind girl asked in a hopeful tone.
"I promise," Though Lelouch had a smile on his face, inside he seemed doubtful.
"The truth is, there are very few paths our future can take. The Ashford family is sheltering us for now, but how long can that last? If our identity is exposed, even Rivalz, Shirley could abandon us. Unless... wait…"
Lelouch recalled his first meeting with the Autobots.
" Some of them were willing to storm the Britannian capital, just for my sake. The Autobots know who we are, but I don't think they'd use us as political tools. If what they say is true… and these Decepticons are out there… Maybe, Nunnally would be safe with the Autobots."
He gently took his little sister's hand.
" I always thought a peaceful Earth would be impossible, not with the path Britannia is currently taking…. But maybe with the Autobots' help… it is."
Nunnally lifted her brother's hand and locked her pinky with his, mildly surprising him.
"Sayoko taught me this the other day. It's called a Japanese Promise," she began to sing, before finishing with a giggle, "Cross my heart, hope to die, eat a thousand needles if I die! Pinky Promise song!"
Lelouch had a surprised smile on his face, "Well that's scary, I may have to eat a thousand needles someday."
"That's right, so I better not catch you telling lies, okay?" Nunnally playfully warned.
"Don't worry, I'll never lie I swear," Lelouch promised her, "Not to you anyway."
The Next Day
Lelouch leaned against Bumblebee's vehicle mode in the parking lot outside Ashford Academy.
"So, you find anything on your end?"
"[Nope. Ratchet hasn't seen anything like this before, he's stumped, which is a first for him.]"
Lelouch turned around and saw his reflection with the Geass sigil in his left eye, "Aside from you and the rest of the Autobots, this is the only weapon I have, and neither of us seems to know how it works."
"[How'd you even get that power in the first place?]"
"You remember that girl you saw when we first met?" Lelouch recalled.
Bumblebee did indeed remember, the one with green hair that was shot in the head.
"She gave it to me."
"[Really?! She gave you that power! How?! Why?!]"
"I think the better question is who, as in who was she?"
"[So you didn't know her?]"
"No, I did not. She was probably the reason that whole mess in Shinjuku even started."
"[Saywha?!]"
"Those terrorists that Kallen is with, they stole a truck in the settlement. It had some kind of container and that girl was inside it. Everyone thought it was poison gas, so it was probably a secret that only a few people knew."
If Bumblebee could, he would have sighed, "[Why do I have the feeling we stepped into some pretty crazy stuff here?]"
Lelouch bore a humourous smile, "Probably not as crazy as meeting a group of alien robots fighting a secret war here on Earth."
"[Point taken.]"
"Lelouch!"
The raven-haired teen looked up to see a teacher calling his name as he walked by, "Class will be starting any minute you know."
"Oh, yes sir," he smirked a bit. Maybe he just needed to test his newfound power.
He activated his Geass once more.
"Um, sir, what are the topics going to be for the essays on your next exam?"
It worked on him as red rings formed in his eyes, "The humiliation of Edinburgh, the transfer of the capital, and north and south war topics."
"Okay, so he still has the Stare," Bumblebee thought to himself as Lelouch thought the same thing.
He deactivated his Geass, freeing the teacher, before reactivating it and asking the same question.
"Sir? What exactly are the topics going to be on the essay for your next exam?"
This time the power did not work.
"Right, very funny. Maybe you should try studying, just apply yourself, and you'll do fine," he said as he walked away.
"Yes sir!" Lelouch called out to him as he maintained a victorious smirk.
"[Hey, we learned something. You can only use the Stare on someone once]"
"Looks that way, but I'm still not calling it 'the Stare'," Lelouch replied.
"[Suit yourself. Oh, I forgot to mention. Ratchet also said it would only work on humans cause our biologies are different or something like that. So when we meet the Cons, don't use it on them because it won't work.]"
"I had a feeling that was the case after I tried to use it on Bulkhead back at your base. So, these Decepticons… are they as bad as Britannia?"
"[No, they're even worse.]"
"You think so?"
"[Trust me on this one. When you finally see them, you'll know. Changing the subject, what are gonna do about Kallen? You wanna bring her in?]"
"A Britannian prince with the power to control people by looking at them recruiting someone from a terrorist group to fight Britannia. How do you think that's gonna go?"
"[Ooooh… yeah you're right. But still… she's getting a bit suspicious.]"
"I know," Lelouch replied, "And I have a plan. I need you to record something for me."
Speaking of Kallen, she stood on the roof at the Ashford Academy, speaking to Ohgi over the phone.
"So, how's campus life treating you?"
"Stifling," Kallen answered bluntly, "I was stuck in history class yesterday. Look, maybe I should just head back."
"The army's on a high alert right now. Stay there, and let things cool off."
"But what about that voice on the radio? Or those drivers that helped us?"
"We never even learned their names or seen their faces, so we wouldn't know who we're searching for anyway. Besides, Naoto would be happy to see you back in school."
Kallen winced slightly. She knew he was right and while she did love and miss her late older brother, he had always been too protective over her.
"Forget about Shinjuku for now. I'll be in touch."
Ohgi hung up.
"Shinjuku… I guess he's right but…" Kallen muttered to herself before she recalled her meeting with that raven-haired boy yesterday he said, 'Don't tell anyone about Shinjuku'.
"No… it couldn't have been his voice…"
In her next class which she shared with Lelouch, Kallen kept an eye trained on him. She listened to him as he stood up and answered the teacher's question. His voice did sound very similar to the one she heard over the radio. But she couldn't remember well enough to be sure. However, if it was the same person over the radio and he knew who she was, then she'd have to take care of him.
Lelouch sat back down and noticed that Kallen was looking at him from a discrete mirror. All he did was mention Shinjuku, but it was a good thing he spoke with Bumblebee beforehand. He had everything already planned out.
Class ended and all the students put their books away and were leaving.
Shirley walked towards Lelouch, "Hey Lulu, you coming along?"
"Sorry, maybe another time," he told her as he walked towards Kallen as she was chatting with some of her friends, though they were somewhat surprised to find Lelouch walking toward them and he looked at Kallen.
"You think you could spare a minute?" he asked her, "I need to talk to you."
Shirley and all the other girls looked in surprise, even more as Kallen stood up to answer him, "Sure, I was wondering when you were gonna ask."
"Huh?!" Shirley voiced aloud as all the other girls gave squeals of delight.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Area 11, a guard of Sutherlands escorted a large armored transport. This transport happened to carry a decorated coffin, which held the body of the late Prince Clovis inside, with General Bartley sitting next to it talking to someone else on a private communication line.
"And the research center?"
"Transferred to Narita last night."
"Right then," he said as he hung up. He held his forehead in despair, "I pray you to forgive me, Your Highness."
Suddenly however the transport came to a screeching halt, almost throwing him out of his seat.
"What?! What's happening?!"
Right outside, several other Sutherlands, being piloted by the Pureblood faction, were quickly disarming all the Sutherlands via headshots. They surrounded the transport in less than a minute.
"I hope you can see how determined we are now!" Jeremiah's voice shouted through the speaker of his Sutherland as it began to tear off the roof of the transport, exposing a frightened Bartley.
"But I've already told you…!"
The Sutherland completely tore the roof off as Jeremiah's cockpit opened and his angered face became visible, "That you don't remember?! Still clinging to that ridiculous excuse!"
"Just ask the others!" Bartley exclaimed, "They'll testify…"
"Ducking the blame?! You're pathetic," Jeremiah spat, "You shan't remain at His Royal Highness' side another minute!"
Ashford Academy Clubhouse
Lelouch and Kallen stood alone in the large grand hallway of the clubhouse, which was already decorated with fancy tables.
"I didn't even know this room existed," Kallen said.
"It's the clubhouse for the student council," Lelouch revealed, "They built it as a ballroom for various special occasions."
"And we won't be disturbed inside here?"
"Yes, that's correct."
However before either of them could do anything, they heard a new voice from further up on the upper floor.
"Here it is!" Shirley exclaimed, and she wasn't the only one there.
"I found it! Look!" she held up a small microchip, "This is it, right?"
She handed it to Nina who walked up, "What a relief you found our lab data?"
Rivalz stood up with a groan, "Good, my ass is killing me."
A door opened to reveal Milly, wearing an apron, wheeling in a cart of food, "Were you able to find it? I finished up on my end, shall we dig in?"
Rivalz, Nina, and Shirley each looked excited.
"Oh wow..." Rivalz awed.
"Wait to go Milly!" Shirley praised, resulting in the blonde giggling as the trio quickly came down the stairs.
"You adore me, I know," she said as she put the trays of food on one of the tables.
"Um, what is all of this?" Lelouch questioned in mild surprise.
"Lelouch, don't you know? I thought that was why you brought her," Milly answered, "We're inducting Kallen into the student council."
That surprised the red-haired girl.
"It was my grandfather's idea."
"The principles?"
"He thought it best with her health she'd have a hard time with regular club activities," she addressed the red-haired girl directly, "Oh, I'm Milly, the president of the council. A pleasure to meet you."
Kallen maintained her persona but hid her disappointment at not being able to get information out of Lelouch, "Thank you, the pleasure's all mine."
The other student council members approached her as well, "I'm Rivalz, the secretary. If there's anything you need help with, I'm your man."
"Hi, I'm Shirley, and I'm a member of the swim club. Welcome!"
"Um, hi there… my name's Nina."
"It's nice to meet all of you," Kallen said.
Nunnally also came in via her powered wheelchair with a couple of boxes of pizza on her lap as well as a plate of desserts, "Shirley, I'm sorry, but do you think you can set these on the table for me?"
"Oh sure, thanks, Nana," she told the younger girl as she came over to help.
"Nunnally? What are you doing here?" Lelouch asked.
Kallen however looked in sympathy. Even if the girl was Britannian, it was still upsetting to see someone reduced to such a sad state.
"This is Lelouch's sister," Milly was introduced to Kallen.
"I'm still in the middle school group, so I can't be on the council yet," Nunnally said.
"That's right. In our book, you're an honorary member," Rivalz assured as Nina nodded in agreement.
"Hello there. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kallen," Nunnally greeted with a smile.
Kallen gave a real friendly smile to the younger and disabled girl, "Thank you, you as well."
Rivalz excitedly got out a bottle of some expensive champagne, "Right. Shall we kick this off with a toast?"
This surprised a few members of the council.
"Champagne?!" Shirley questioned.
"But we're on the Student Council. We shouldn't," Nina shyly protested.
"Aw come on, loosen up you guys," Rivalz tried to pry the cork off the bottle.
"No way! We're gonna get in trouble!" Shirley tried to wrestle the bottle out of his hands.
Nunnally looked a bit confused, "What's going on?"
The student council president walked up to her and gently handed her a glass of apple juice, "Here Nunny."
Rivalz tried to keep the bottle away from Shirley.
"Lelouch! Heads up!" he tossed the bottle to him, which he caught.
Shirley shoved Rivalz out of the way as she ran toward him, "You're not getting away with this either, Lulu!"
However, she accidentally tripped and fell on top of him causing them both to fall onto the ground, where the cork accidentally popped and went flying at Kallen. She was quick to swat it away, but accidentally got sprayed by the champagne itself.
Everyone stopped and winced slightly.
"What just happened?" Nunnally asked.
Kallen's school uniform was put in the wash as she was in the clubhouse's shower. It was gonna be hard to get the smell of alcohol off her.
"This is why I hate Britannians," she muttered to herself.
She suddenly heard a knock on the door.
"It's Lelouch, I brought you a change of clothes."
"You can come in, I've drawn the curtain," Kallen told him.
The door opened and he had an armful of clothes with him.
"Eh sorry about all this, I know they can be a little over the top."
"That's okay, nothing wrong with cutting loose every once in a while, you know?"
Lelouch set the clothes down in an empty laundry basket, "These are some of my clothes. I hope that's okay."
"It's cool. Don't worry about it," Kallen replied, "That was fast, you went all the way to the boy's dorm?"
"I live here. It would be pretty hard for my sister to live off in the dorms, the principal of the school lets us stay here as a favor."
"I see…"
Lelouch was about to walk out, "Anyway…"
"Hey wait!" she called to him, causing him to stop.
They were alone; she probably wouldn't have a better chance than right now to get some information out of him.
Her hand stuck out of the curtain, "Could you hand me that pouch over there?"
Lelouch saw a pink pouch on the sink, "Sure."
He took it and turned around so that he couldn't see her accidentally, as he handed it to her. The moment his hand was inside the curtain, she grabbed him tightly by the wrist.
He looked in mild surprise, "You are a livewire, aren't you?"
"We're you the one in Shinjuku?" Kallen questioned.
"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked, having expected this.
"Don't play dumb! You brought up Shinjuku the other day! Why?"
"Why do you ask? Is there something wrong with Shinjuku?" Lelouch asked, providing a better innocent act than her sick persona.
She picked up the fallen pouch off the shower floor, "Don't answer my question with a question! Yes or no. That's all I wanna hear out of you."
With a click, a small blade came out of the pouch.
Right after that, the phone on the wall next to them began to ring.
"If I don't answer it, someone will come," Lelouch told her.
She winced at that. She didn't need any more complications right now.
"Answer it."
He picked up the phone.
"Hello? Ashford Academy Student Council," he acted like someone was on the other end, "No, this is… oh… It's for you. He says he knows you."
Kallen looked in mild surprise as Lelouch handed the phone through the curtain. She slowly put her blade down as she took the phone.
"Hello?"
"Glad you're still alive, Q-1."
Her pupils shrank. It was the same voice from Shinjuku! He addressed her by the code name from before! But she was holding Lelouch's wrist and he didn't have a phone on him! So… then… he wasn't the voice over the radio?
"Sixteen hundred hours, the day after tomorrow. The observation deck at Tokyo Tower, come alone."
"Who are you?! How did you arrange that ceasefire order?!" she demanded, but the person on the other end hung up. "Hey! Don't hang up!"
She pulled on the phone, still keeping a firm grip on Lelouch, but the cord attached to the phone incidentally pulled the curtain back, exposing her naked body, but Lelouch kept his eyes in front.
"Did you say 'ceasefire'?" Lelouch questioned, surprising Kallen to realize her mistake, "Sounds like you keep dangerous company."
"Oh um.. that was…" she tried to think of an excuse.
If she couldn't then she'd have to take the blade and kill him. But when she thought about that, the image of the little girl, Nunnally, entered her mind. She already lost her sight and legs. Could she take away the girl's brother as Britannia took away hers?
"Let me guess, you're talking about a game? Something online?" Lelouch faked guessed, and Kallen seemed to have bought it.
"Um… yeah, you got me," she said, feeling a great sense of relief as she let go of his wrist, "Cause you know, I've been shut up in my house for so long…"
"That's what I was warning you about," Lelouch told her, "When I told you not to bring up Shinjuku before, seriously some guys will try to show you footage of what happened that day, and it's pretty damn grim."
He kept his back to her, "By the way, you know I can see you, right?"
Kallen realized that the curtain was open, and her body was exposed. She yelped as she quickly pulled it back and covered herself with her arms, her face about as red as her hair. Fortunately, Lelouch didn't see her. He may be an exiled prince wishing vengeance and destruction on his nation, but he wasn't a pervert.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Later."
He walked out, leaving Kallen alone. Though she was relieved that she wouldn't have to kill anyone, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"I was wrong."
Bumblebee kept his vehicle form in the school's parking lot as he replayed the recording over his radio.
"Glad to see you alive, Q-1."
"[Well, he certainly knows how to think ahead. Bet he could give Soundwave a run for his money,]" He spoke to himself.
"Bumblebee, are you there?!" Ironhide's voice came in through the comms and it sounded urgent.
"[Uh, yeah… what's going…]"
"Patch into the media feed! Now! They just released a statement on Clovis' death!"
Ashford Clubhouse
Kallen had changed into Lelouch's casual clothes: a black shirt with a dark red jacket along with a pair of dark grey pants. She walked alongside him in the hallway as he explained some of the duties she'd be doing now that she was part of the Student Council.
"The Council doesn't require much actual work I guess," Lelouch explained, "Beyond occasional paperwork, we will sometimes plan school events."
"So you mean like the Culture Festival?" Kallen asked.
"Yep, like that. Along with the crossdresser ball, the absolute silence party, and swimsuit day."
"What's up with that?"
"Blame our president," Lelouch said in a playfully warning tone, "You'll be spending a lot of time with Ashford's resident She-Devil. Hope you're ready."
"'She-Devil'?" Kallen questioned in surprise.
"Don't ask."
The two walked back into the ballroom where the other members of the council, Nunnally included, were watching a news report on the television.
"Lelouch, it's awful!" Nunnally exclaimed, despair evident in her voice.
"What is?!"
"Prince Clovis has been found dead!" Milly told him.
"They're saying he was killed!" Rivalz added.
Kallen looked with honest surprise, while Lelouch faked his, though he was a bit surprised that they were releasing the statement now. No doubt the Autobots were seeing the same thing right now.
The Ark
All of Team Prime saw the news report on the holographic screen on the ship's bridge, save for Bumblebee as he remained at Ashford and listened to the statement via his radio.
"Prince Clovis has been taken from us!" Margrave Jeremiah announced as most of the Purebloods, including Villetta, stood by his side, "He fought for peace and justice, against all the Elevens! He died a martyr!"
Ironhide scoffed, "Even in death, this guy still goes for the theatrics."
"They finally released a statement," Ratchet said, "Which would mean they likely have a scapegoat in place here as well."
The other Autobots continued to watch.
" We must all bury our sorrow and carry on his will!"
"Hate to tell ya pal, but I ain't got sorrow to burry!" Bulkhead exclaimed at the screen as an emergency broadcast came in.
"We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news! The man suspected as the murderer has been captured!"
"And cue the scapegoat. So, who's the unlucky guy?" Cliffjumper wondered.
"According to this report, the suspect is an honorary Britannian!"
The image changed to reveal a squad of Britannian soldiers dragging a young man of Japanese ethnicity.
"What the…?!" Lelouch recognized him instantly.
"Private Suzaku Kururugi, a former Eleven, and honorary Britannian. I repeat, Suzaku Kururugi has been arrested for murder!"
Lelouch could not believe this. Though he was happy that his friend was still alive, he was beyond shocked that he was accused of something that he did not do. And since the accusation was for the murder of a member of the Imperial Family, the death penalty was all but certain.
The Autobots, the Ashford Student Council, and Japanese resistance groups weren't the only ones watching the broadcast. No, someone else was watching this with great interest.
Megatron saw the broadcast via the massive window screen on board the Nemesis' bridge. He wasn't alone. Alongside him were Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Soundwave.
"I repeat, Suzaku Kururugi has been arrested for murder!"
Skywarp chuckled, "Aw well, sucks to be him."
"Oh and poor little Clovis," Starscream mocked as he laughed, "I can't believe those humans buy into this drama!"
As the two seekers continued to mock this, Thundercracker approached his master, "Lord Megatron, how is Clovis' death important to us? He may have meant something to Britannia, but to us, he was a puppet at the very bottom of the barrel."
"Clovis himself was insignificant, yes," Megatron confirmed, "However, I do not believe that this Kururugi was truly responsible."
This caught everyone's attention. Starscream had a feeling that he knew who Megatron was talking about, "Master… you don't honestly believe the Autobots are responsible for this, do you? Even if they were alive, it's not in their character, especially for their leader."
"Perhaps not," Megatron noted as Soundwave typed on the front console of the bridge and the footage rewound to show Suzaku's face, "But still, I do not believe that a measly human given the rank of 'Eleven' could have the means to assassinate a Britannian prince. Someone else was responsible. Even if it weren't the Autobots, Optimus is unlikely to stand by and allow someone innocent to take the fall for something like this."
"If Optimus were alive, wouldn't it mean that he stood by and watched as Britannia took over Japan and killed other 'innocent' humans?" Skywarp questioned with air quotes.
"Regardless, I want to watch as this situation proceeds," Megatron said.
"But master…" Starscream was about to protest when the leader of the Decepticons shot him a glare.
"Are you questioning my orders?!"
The Seeker in question winced a bit before reluctantly bowing, "No, Lord Megatron. We shall proceed as instructed."
"Good."
He turned his attention back to the screen.
"Britannia has made their move. It's your turn now… Optimus."
Chapter Text
Suzaku Kururugi was bound in a straightjacket as Jeremiah and his Pureblood Britannian soldiers were interrogating him.
"Do you know anything about this weapon, Suzaku Kururugi?" Jeremiah questioned as he held a pistol wrapped in plastic, "It was the one used to rob Prince Clovis of his life, and we've done a little homework on you as well. You are the only child of Japan's last Prime Minister, are you not? Your motive here is clear."
"You're making a mistake!" Suzaku said, "I have never even seen that gun!"
In direct response, a Pureblood soldier kicked his chair, resulting in Suzaku falling to the ground.
"We found your fingerprints all over this weapon. You're also suspected of murdering members of the Royal Guard. Come clean now, and you'll be judged as though you were born a Britannian, not some worthless Eleven!"
"You're wrong! I've done nothing…!"
Suzaku was kicked across the face before he could continue.
It was late at night as Lelouch was helping his disabled sister out of her wheelchair and preparing her for bed.
"That was Suzaku they mentioned on the news, wasn't it?" Nunnally asked as Lelouch sat her down on the bed.
"Yep, it looks like he's still alive," he responded as he tucked her in with the bed covers.
"Yeah, it's been ages, we haven't seen him since the war ended. And Lelouch…?"
"What is it?"
"It wasn't true what the news said, was it?"
"Of course not," Lelouch assured her, as he knew that he was the true culprit but he wouldn't say that out loud to her.
He held her hand in assurance, "Suzaku would never do anything like that. They just made a mistake."
Nunnally's grip tightened as she fell asleep, "Yeah, must be."
"Right. Well, goodnight, Nunnally."
He slowly stood up before turning off the lights and walking out of her room.
As Lelouch walked into the hallway, he felt a vibration on his phone and answered, "Hello?"
"I am assuming you saw the news earlier today?" Optimus asked on the other line.
"Yeah, I saw it. Bumblebee and I are on our way to the Ark. We can talk more there."
"Understood."
"That's why we should have issued a freaking statement sooner!" Tamaki exclaimed to Ohgi, "We could have taken credit for it!"
Tamaki stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind them.
Ohgi couldn't help but sigh as he looked at a framed picture of himself, Kallen, and her late brother, "Naoto, I'm not cut out for this. I'm no leader."
Bumblebee drove onto the bridge of the Ark where the rest of Team Prime was waiting for him. Lelouch stepped outside as Bumblebee transformed while the exiled prince held his stomach.
"Hey, you okay?" Cliffjumper asked him.
"Yeah… just not used to Groundbridges yet," Lelouch said as he kept his lunch down.
Fixit put his hand on his chin, "So the properties of the Groundbridge vortex seem to have some form of vertigo effect on organic matter. I'll have to make a note of that."
"Later Fixit, we got more important things to talk about right now," Ironhide told the Mini-Con before turning to Lelouch, "So… Suzaku Kururugi killed Prince Clovis…"
"We all know that's not true," Lelouch replied.
"We have done some research," Optimus began, "Suzaku is the son of the late Genbu Kururugi, the Prime Minister of Japan before Britannia invaded."
"And seeing how you and your sister were sent to Japan as bargaining tools, are we correct to assume Suzaku was an acquaintance of yours?" Ratchet asked.
"That's correct," the student confirmed, being somewhat surprised by how easily the Autobots could put the pieces together, "He and I were friends for a while, but after the war ended we were separated, I hadn't seen him since."
"So these guys are setting up the 'prince of Japan' as Clovis' killer?" Bulkhead mused, "Seems to make sense."
"Even though they know it's not true," Arcee scowled, "Bunch of cowards."
"I think it's more than that," Lelouch said, getting the Autobots' attention.
"[What do you mean?]" Bumblebee asked.
"As I said, Suzaku's father was Prime Minister Kururugi," Lelouch began, "But the ones spearheading this so-called investigation are the Purebloods, a faction in the Britannian military that believes in racial superiority."
Cliffjumper rolled his eyes, "Oh boy, here it comes. Let me guess. They think only Britannians deserve to have normal lives while everyone else is just garbage to them, right?"
"For lack of a better term, yes," the ex-prince confirmed.
"And given Suzaku's position, you believe the Purebloods would use him as a pariah to shut down the practice of granting the 'numbers' status as Honorary Britannians," Optimus followed through.
"Which in turn would send all the Honorary Britannians back to the ghetto as 'Elevens.'"
Lelouch found that to be disgusting, as did many of the bots present.
"Those damn wannabe Cons," Ironhide growled, "What I wouldn't give to blast them to pieces!"
Lelouch chuckled a bit with his devilish smirk, "As fun as that sounds Ironhide, I was thinking something a bit… more subtle and humiliating…for them."
Bulkhead smirked in response, "You gonna rescue your buddy, aren't ya Lelouch?"
The exiled prince need only smile in response to confirm his intentions.
"Well, do you have a plan to pull it off?" Arcee asked, "Because I doubt even your eye power thing is going to be enough."
"While that is an integral part of it, my real secret weapon is all of you," Lelouch said to all the Autobots, causing most of them to look in surprise, save for Optimus who maintained a serious expression.
"[You want us to help bust out your friend?]" Bumblebee asked.
"Something like that," Lelouch responded, "I have every intention of destroying Britannia, but even with this power I have, I cannot do it alone. I need your help."
As the Autobots looked at each other with certain expressions, most of them seemed to agree that now was the best time to take the fight directly to Britannia.
Ratchet however seemed to be in protest toward this, "Optimus, while I agree the Pureblood's intentions are cruel, borderline evil, there is no way for us to intervene in this situation without getting Megatron's attention."
"Which could lead to the Decepticons getting involved," Ironhide added.
"We already knew that when we chose to aid the resistance in Shinjuku," Optimus replied, "The Decepticons will become involved one way or another; it is inevitable. And I cannot allow someone innocent to take the fall for an act that he did not commit, nor would I allow others to fall prey to such a despicable act."
Lelouch had to admit, he was rather impressed with Optimus. He knew the risks but would still push forward despite them; he seemed like a real knight, not how Britannia would describe one. However, there is one thing that seemed to bug him.
"You keep speaking of these Decepticons in fear," Lelouch noted, "How bad are they? If they're going to get involved in this I need to know what exactly they are capable of so I can be prepared."
"To be honest, we're not entirely sure," Fixit said, surprising Lelouch.
"We haven't so much as seen a Con since our big fight during the Exodus that led us here to Earth," Bulkhead stated.
"We got no idea how many troops they got, what kind of weapons they have, nothing," Cliffjumper added.
"All we know for certain is that Megatron himself is here," Arcee finished.
"Still, I need to know what they are capable of," Lelouch insisted.
Optimus spoke up, "Lelouch, the Decepticons are by far the most significant threat the universe has ever known. Their beliefs on survival of the fittest have led them to commit plenty of atrocities across our planet. Under Megatron's leadership, they all but destroyed Cybertron and nearly wiped out the entire Autobot population. While Britannia may seek to rule this Earth, I believe that if Megatron had his way, he would be more insistent on destroying it completely."
That took Lelouch by surprise, "You think he'd destroy the Earth?"
"Megatron had no qualms about poisoning our planet, what makes you think he'd show any mercy to ours?!" the Autobot medic questioned, "The only reason Earth is even still around is probably that Britannia amuses him, he can have them mine the Energon reserves without doing the dirty work himself!"
"The Decepticons are a bunch of hypocritical scrap heaps and their leader is an egotistical psycho!" Ironhide shouted, "Your father is bad, kid, but Megatron is far worse. That I promise."
Lelouch let all this sink in. He had heard before just how bad the Decepticons were, but the way the Autobots spoke, the amount of anger and fear in their voices as they even mentioned Megatron's name, made him sweat a little bit.
"All the more reason for us to work together on this," Lelouch said, "I know Britannia and you know the Decepticons. It may be the only way we stand a chance."
"Even if we agree on this, we're still outnumbered from both sides," Arcee said.
"There may be only eight Autobots here," Lelouch began, "But I can think of more than a few hundred humans who could help."
The Autobots were already open to the idea that Optimus told them earlier of helping people to stand up to the Decepticons and Britannia so they in turn can help them as well. Though most seemed reluctant about it, it was still probably the best way to even the odds.
"[Lelouch already set up a meeting with that Kallen girl and the rest of her rebel friends,]" Bumblebee spoke up, "[We can use that as a foundation and build from there]"
"It's not just about getting people on our side Bumblebee," Ironhide said, "It's about letting them know that they can stand up and put up a fight."
"That's another reason why we're going to rescue Suzaku," Lelouch stated.
Cliffjumper seemed to get what he was saying, "Oh, I get it. If we knock Britannia down a peg, it shows people they aren't invincible, and more people will stand up to them. Now that is devious."
Lelouch could barely contain his devious smirk as most of the other Autobots began to follow suit.
"Well, in that case, count me in!" Bulkhead said, "Bout time we knock those jack-assets down a peg!"
Arcee was in silent agreement as she nodded along with Ironhide and even Bumblebee.
"Then we agree," Optimus spoke up, "We will begin to work to free this planet from Britannia and the Decepticons at once."
"I'm glad to hear that," Lelouch said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive, "Speaking of which, I had an idea in mind. Any place I can plug this in?"
"Right over here," Fixit waved to Lelouch from a wall.
The exiled prince walked up to him where a platform began to ascend the wall like an elevator, which would enable Fixit and a few other Mini-Cons to access some of the controls and consoles along the walls on the bridge of the Ark.
"As we assumed we'd be working with humans, I attempted to 'downgrade' our tech, so to speak, so that you would have an easier time accessing them."
The platform ascended to the height that us up to Bumblebee's shoulder as Fixit showed Lelouch the controls.
"We'll work more as we begin to recruit other people to our side but perhaps we can also teach you how to use Cybertronian technology. It should more than provide a manage… vantage… advantage!"
Lelouch plugged in the flash drive and data began to upload into the bridge's systems as a design appeared on the front screens, allowing the Autobots to see it. They were more than a little surprised.
"What… in the name of the Allspark… is that?" Ratchet questioned.
"I can't show my face," Lelouch said, "Not only is a Britannian prince, one presumed deceased, going to lead a rebellion against his empire, but I'd rather not expose myself and put Nunnally in danger."
"Well yeah, we get that it's just…." Arcee couldn't find the right words.
"Just what?" Lelouch questioned, "You can't make that."
"Oh yes, most certainly we can make this," Fixit said.
"It's just.. just…" Bulkhead stuttered, "Uh… how do I say it?"
"What were you thinking when you designed this?" Ironhide questioned, "Seems too flashy for my taste."
"I kinda like it," Cliffjumper noted, "That could freak out plenty of bad guys… but it makes you look like a drama queen."
Lelouch looked a bit miffed at that comment.
"[Yeah, sorry gotta agree with the rest of the team on this one, Lelouch]" Bumblebee said, "[No doubt this is gonna turn some heads… but…. you going for a science-fiction Draculus theme or what?]"
A few of the Autobots offered more criticism towards Lelouch's sense of style as the exiled Prince pinched the bridge of his nose. All the while Optimus maintained a serious expression.
This was it. After this, there was no turning back.
The Next Day
It was a day of morning for the people of Britannia in Area 11. Their national flags were lowered halfway as classes across the nation were canceled for the day, among them was the prestigious Ashford Academy where all the students were assembled in the auditorium as the principal gave something of a eulogy for the late Prince Clovis.
"Truly this has been a painful incident for all. The viceroy of Area 11, our beloved Prince Clovis, has been lost to us forever. However, we can and will bear the weight of this tragedy, and from this darkest of hours, draw strength."
The only ones not paying any attention were Kallen and Lelouch, as they had no sympathy to offer for they each knew just who Clovis was: a mass murderer with no sense of redemption whatsoever.
Meanwhile, as a memorial program for Clovis was shown across televisions throughout Area 11, the program was also being seen onboard the bridge of the Nemesis as Megatron and Soundwave continued to watch. Starscream walked onto the bridge and looked a bit annoyed.
"Lord Megatron, I don't know why you even bother watching this. It's not as if Clovis was of any importance to us."
"Perhaps not Starscream, but the accused killer is," Megatron replied.
"Suzaku Kururugi? What does that have to do with anything?" Starscream questioned.
"Whether Suzaku is innocent or not remains irrelevant. However, Soundwave has been monitoring the situation in regards to the Purebloods who are spearheading this so-called trial. Should Suzaku be found guilty, given his position as the offspring of Japan's late Prime Minister, this would allow the Purebloods to prey on the Elevens even further. So many weak and insignificant humans will fall prey to Britannia."
It then dawned on Starscream, "I see, you believe this will be enough to lure Optimus into the open."
"He's not one to remain idly by on such a one-sided conflict," Megatron confirmed.
"I still have doubts that he remains alive," Starscream insisted, resulting in Megatron glaring at him, causing Starscream to stifle back before regaining his composure, "But if it pleases you, Master, I shall monitor the situation by your side as well."
The Decepticon leader turned his eyes back to the program; both he and Soundwave will be watching this very carefully.
Area 11 – Camelot Engineering Division
Cecile looked towards the empty Lancelot before looking at the readings on her tablet. Suzaku's operational status clocked in at 94%, he was the best person fit to pilot the Lancelot Knightmare. She turned towards Lloyd as he sat at a console alone as she walked toward him and was about to speak she noticed that Lloyd was watching recordings from the Lancelot's optic cameras, specifically the fight Suzaku had with the yellow and black transforming machine.
"Lloyd, are you still…?" she asked him before he spoke up.
"Just look at that thing," Lloyd spoke up excitedly as he saw the recording of the humanoid robot transforming from a car to its robotic form, before rewinding the footage to watch it in reverse, "It transformed from a normal car to some form of high-functioning machine, I can't take my eyes off it."
"Just what kind of Knightmare would be capable of something like that?"
"I don't think it's a Knightmare at all actually," Lloyd responded, much to Cecile's surprise, "Take a look."
He typed on the console and rolled the footage to the point where the yellow and black machine was fighting the Lancelot. He played it frame-by-frame as the camera zoomed in to its face.
"Do you see that?" Lloyd pointed to its eyes.
"Are those… eyes?"
"It would seem so. They follow the Lancelot's movements and the expression in the changes as the battle proceeds. Not to mention this thing's own reaction time far surpasses any Knightmare we've developed as it proved to be holding its own against the Lancelot, no less."
"Have you tried showing this to the authorities? Maybe it could help Suzaku, it could prove that he and the Lancelot weren't anywhere near Clovis when they found his body!"
"I tried. But since we're an irregular group, we have no say in the matter. Even if we'd show them this footage, they would try to cover it up. A machine that we know nothing about that is stronger than any Britannian Knightmare we've seen thus far...if word of that got out it would cause a great deal of scandal amongst the military, not just with Numbers but with Britannian civilians as well."
Lloyd sighed, "It's a pity though. If something like this exists I would love to get a closer look at it."
"But… what about Suzaku…?" Cecile asked.
"Sadly, his fate is all but decided," the scientist replied, "Another pity. He seemed like the perfect devicer."
Ashford Academy
As all the students were released from the auditorium, Lelouch found himself walking alongside Rivalz and Shirley.
"Hey Lelouch, you got anything going on later?" Rivalz asked, "After all, classes have been canceled for the day. Folks have been asking for a rematch."
"You are not gambling again, you guys!" Shirley exclaimed to them, "You already got a car, Lulu! What more do you want?!"
"Aw, come on. Don't be such a stick in the mud," Rivalz told her.
"She's right though," Lelouch said, getting Rivalz's attention, "We both got more than enough money, and I even got my car. Best to quit while we're ahead."
Rivalz sighed, "Well, I guess you got a point there."
Shirley sighed too, but it was one of relief; gambling was quite dangerous after all.
"Speaking of which, I've got some driving lessons later today," Lelouch said.
"Really?" Shirley asked.
"Yeah, I mean what's the point of owning a car if you can't even drive it," the black-haired teen replied.
"Well, I guess that's true," Shirley said.
"You mind if I tag along?" Rivalz asked, "Could be fun."
Lelouch gave a bit of a chuckle, "Sorry, but it's kinda private."
As they continued to talk, only Lelouch noticed Kallen walking past them and remembered that today was the day she would be meeting her 'contact'. The Autobots had already finished the suit, now was the time for the two sides to get acquainted with each other.
Tokyo Tower; which was once a giant monolith that symbolized Japan's achievements had been completely torn down during the war seven years ago, another symbol of Britannia's dominance and oppression. The fact that it was converted into a simple museum only covered it up.
Kallen was looking at some of the pictures along the wall as she checked the clock. The time was 16:01.
"Sixteen hundred hours at Tokyo Tower. Why here of all places?" she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ohgi and two other rebels, were present as well, trying to keep some distance from Kallen to maintain their cover.
"It was Kururugi who contacted us, wasn't it?"
"Hard to say," Ohgi replied.
"Yeah, but he might have been arrested after his communication with Kallen."
"Then we're in danger here, we should go."
There was a chime over the speaker as an announcement was given, "Attention, please. Paging Miss Kallen Stadtfeld of Ashford Academy. One of your personal effects was turned in on the kiosk on the observation deck."
The three looked in surprise to see Kallen gone and discretely followed her to the observation deck.
Kallen had walked to the customer service desk where the receptionist greeted her.
"Hi, I'm assuming this phone is yours, ma'am," she handed Kallen a cell phone, who looked slightly confused, "Um, something wrong? It is yours, isn't it?"
"Uh yeah…" Kallen replied, thinking her contact left it there for her on purpose. "Thank you so much."
She walked towards the window where she got a good look at the settlement. Ohgi and the others were present as well, still maintaining their cover. Kallen then felt the phone vibrate and the caller ID said only one word.
"Zero?"
She glanced towards Ohgi who discretely nodded to her. She then answered it, "Um… hello?"
"Head to the south exit with your friends. You might see something familiar there."
Kallen, Ohgi, and the other two walked outside from the south exit of the Tokyo Tower and saw something that made them look in surprise. Pulling right up toward them was the yellow and black car that helped them in Shinjuku.
"The same car?" Ohgi questioned.
"But… who's driving…?" another rebel asked.
In response, the front and rear doors opened to reveal four empty seats, much to their surprise.
"What the… it's empty?!" Kallen questioned.
"But how!? It just drove up to us!"
The phone rang again as 'Zero' spoke to Kallen, "Don't worry, it's safe. I want you to get inside."
Kallen didn't know how to feel about this. Was this car remote-controlled? Was it like that in Shinjuku? There were so many unanswered questions.
Curiosity getting the better of them, the four of them stepped inside the yellow and black muscle car as the doors closed automatically and the seatbelts locked before the car drove off.
They were getting more than a little nervous as 'Zero' spoke through the phone again, "I assure you, you and your friends are perfectly safe. I'll give you an explanation when there aren't any people around, but for now, just enjoy the ride."
Jeremiah sat in his office with Villetta and Kewell by his side as he addressed the man in front of him, "You handled His Highness' memorial program quite well. A little too weepy for my tastes but…"
"Yes. Well, the masses tend to like tear-jerkers, your Excellency," Diethard Ried, the head of the Britannian news station of Area 11, responded.
"Spoken like a true TV man," Jeremiah said, "Still, I have to acknowledge the finesse you've shown, you did well in the short time you had. One would almost think you were expecting his highness to meet his untimely end."
"It's quite common for memorial programs to be set in advance for important people."
"Does that include me as well?" Jeremiah asked.
"Recent events may have bumped you up the list a bit, your Excellency," Diethard responded.
Jeremiah had an arrogant smirk on his face, "I wasn't deemed important enough till now, is it? How forthright of you."
"I'm afraid so, sir."
"Ever thought of enlisting? The army could use men like you," the Purebloods' leader offered.
"I don't think it would be a very good fit. Not really my cup of tea," Diethard spoke the truth, as he was no soldier.
"You prefer the civil sector I take it. No matter, I have another favor to ask of you. Tomorrow night, Suzaku Kururugi will be transferred to his court-martial."
"We should line the roads with good patriotic Britannians."
Jeremiah smirked once more, "Excellent. We catch on quickly, don't you? Be sure the rabble can see his face."
"Lord Jeremiah, there are those among the Elevens who see Private Kururugi as a hero," Villetta spoke up, "Some might very well attempt to free him."
"I'll be there personally aboard my Sutherland. If anyone even thinks of causing trouble, they'll be executed on the spot!"
The yellow and black car, which was the disguised Autobot known as Bumblebee, drove along a bridged freeway that just so happened to be in between the settlement and a nearby ghetto. Kallen, Ohgi, and the other two rebels rode inside and felt a bit uncomfortable. They had no idea what this vehicle was, how it was driving by itself, or who was speaking to Kallen via the phone. Regardless, they didn't have a choice in the matter, as with the speed limit, they could seriously get hurt if they jumped out of the car right now.
Kallen's phone vibrated as 'Zero' made contact once more.
"What now?" she answered.
"Look to your right. What do you see?"
Kallen saw the Tokyo Settlement, "The Britannian city. It was stolen away from us, and built on our sacrifice."
"And on the left?"
She said, looking at the ghetto, "I see our city. Remnants of a desiccated city after the Britannians sucked it dry."
"Good answer. You're almost to your destination, just another five minutes," 'Zero' hung up as the car drove off at an exit from the highway that led toward the ghetto.
In five minutes, the car had driven to a part of the ghetto where there were no people around, save for a few stray animals. It made a few turns before driving into a long and dark alleyway. Smoke and mist covered the two ends as the car came to a stop a few feet away from a single figure that stood with its back turned amidst the smoke and steam.
The doors on the car opened as the cautious rebels stepped out.
"Was it you, on the phone?" Kallen asked the person with his back turned to them, "Well, was that you in Shinjuku!? Was that ceasefire you're doing!?"
"Hey, we're talking to you!"
The figure turned around, his appearance startling to say the least. His body was draped in a black cape with spikes along the shoulders and back. It clung around a dark purple suit with golden outlines and a white cravat. He also wore a pair of black gloves. But his most startling feature was his mask. He wore a black spiked mask; the top spikes gave it the impression as though it were a type of crown, with a round indigo sphere for the face.
"What did you think of our tour of the settlement?" he spoke. His voice was a clear giveaway to show to them that he was this 'Zero' who spoke to them over the phone and the radio back in Shinjuku.
"Your tour?" Ohgi questioned.
"Aw come on, there's no way it was this joker," one skeptic rebel said.
"Have you managed to fully grasp the two? The settlement and the ghetto?" Zero asked.
"We noticed," Ohgi answered as he stepped up, "There's a difference between us and them, a very harsh one. That's why we resist them."
"And your end goal?" Zero asked, confusing them, "What is it you hope to achieve from this?"
"Our 'end goal'?" Ohgi questioned.
"I see," Zero said, a hint of disappointment evident in his voice, "You don't even know what it is you're fighting for, do you? It's just aimless violence, no sense of direction, and to Britannia, it's nothing more than a childish nuisance."
"What was that?! You're calling us a bunch of kids?!" another rebel questioned angrily.
"However, maybe we can provide you the means to change all that."
That caught Kallen's attention, "Who's 'we'?"
Zero didn't need to answer, because from out behind him, driving through the steam was the red and blue semi-auto truck from Shinjuku. They recognized it immediately, but before either of them could speak, they heard more coming from behind and saw the green truck, red car, black and red pick-up, and blue motorcycle, which they all recognized. But what caught his or her attention was the fact that the motorcycle had no driver; like the yellow and black car, it appeared to be driving by itself.
The red and blue truck pulled up the closest and came to a stop behind Zero. Before either of them could speak, it did the one thing that none of them would be prepared for: it transformed. Parts quickly shifted and changed around the truck as it revealed its true form, the Autobot leader Optimus Prime. The transformation and appearance were enough to make Kallen, Ohgi, and the other two instinctively back up as their eyes were so wide they looked like they might just roll out of their sockets. But it didn't end there, all the other vehicles around them followed suit and transformed to reveal Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Ironhide, and Cliffjumper in their full glory.
The four rebels could not believe what they were seeing. These vehicles… just transformed into gigantic metal humanoids! Some of them were even bigger than Knightmares! Underneath his mask, Lelouch almost laughed at their expressions but maintained a stoic demeanor as first impressions were very important.
"Wha… I… I…. what the hell?!" Kallen stuttered. She had seen plenty of things in her life, but nothing like this.
"Are… are these things… Knightmares?!" one rebel questioned, not over his shock.
Cliffjumper laughed, "Now that's kinda offensive, don't you think?"
"What?! They can talk!?" a second rebel exclaimed in shock.
"Oh, we can do a whole lot more than that," Ironhide stated.
"They are not Knightmares," Zero spoke to the rebels, "To call them Knightmares would be an insult. The Britannian Knightmare Frames are nothing more than war machines made solely to kill and destroy. The beings that stand before you are far more advanced and noble."
Ohgi found himself staring at the tallest and most imposing of these giant machines, "Who… what… are you?"
"My name is Optimus Prime. We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the planet Cybertron."
"Cyber… what… are you guys… aliens?!" Ohgi questioned.
"Got that right," Bulkhead confirmed, "The name's Bulkhead."
"Call me Arcee."
"Ironhide."
"Name's Cliffjumper, but my pals call me Cliff," he looked towards the other remaining Autobot, "Our boy here is Bumblebee. Sorry, he can't introduce himself, his voice box is cracked up."
"[Nice to meet you,]" Bumblebee gave a friendly wave. He knew they couldn't understand him, but he spoke in bleeps anyway for emphasis.
Kallen looked around more and let this all sink in before speaking to Optimus, "Why are you here?"
"To save your planet," Optimus replied.
"From Britannia…?" Ohgi guessed.
"Yes and no," Zero replied, much to their confusion.
"Britannia, as unjust as it is, is nothing more than a shadow empire, a puppet controlled by an even greater evil: the Decepticons."
"Decepticons?" Kallen questioned somewhat skeptically.
"Our planet Cybertron was once a powerful empire," Optimus began, "Peaceful and just, until we were betrayed by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. All who defied them were destroyed, and after eons of conflict, our war ravaged the planet until it was consumed by death. Now Cybertron is nothing more than a barren wasteland, unable to support life. The Decepticons have since abandoned it and have their eyes not set on Earth."
"Are these Decepticons… like you?" Ohgi asked.
"They're from the same planet and can transform like us, so in that sense, yeah," Bulkhead responded.
"Other than that we have nothing in common," Ironhide stated firmly, "The Decepticons want nothing more than absolute domination over everything. They think the one constant in the universe is survival of the fittest and all who are deemed inferior are only meant to be trampled underfoot. Sound familiar?"
The four young rebels looked at each other in surprise. That sounded just like Britannia.
"So… wait… are you saying that Britannia, the very same oppressive empire that has invaded and all but destroyed our home, and many other nations on Earth, is just a front?!" Ohgi questioned.
"Indeed," Zero confirmed, "And even Britannia doesn't know it. This is something that likely only the Emperor knows, not even the other members of the Royal Family are aware of this."
Kallen gave a hard look towards Zero and the surrounding Autobots, "Why are you telling us all this?"
"Cause we're about to take the fight to Britannia, and the Cons," Arcee answered, "But even if it's just Britannia, there are only a handful of us. We can't do it alone."
"We'll need to build an army. And guess who our first recruits are," Cliffjumper teased the four young rebels.
"You want us?" One rebel asked.
Zero nodded, "That is correct."
Most of them didn't know what to say; what could they say? Kallen however seemed to be the angriest. These giant alien robots came out of nowhere and just told them that Britannia was only a puppet! Are they saying a puppet killed her brother?!
"Oh please… you honestly expect us to believe all that?! Why should we even trust all of you?!"
"You mean aside from the fact you're talking to us?" Arcee questioned with a skeptic's eyebrow.
"But she's right though. Give us one reason why should trust you," another rebel said.
"That's right! One of you isn't even showing your face!" the second rebel exclaimed, referring to Zero.
"How about some proof," Ohgi insisted, "Give us a reason why we should get involved in all this."
Arcee, Ironhide, and even Bulkhead sighed. It wasn't like this was expected, given what these people went through it wasn't like they were wrong to be skeptical of all this. Cliff and Bumblebee looked towards Optimus as he gave them an expression that silently read 'It's under control'.
"If you desire something to work with, then how about a demonstration?" Optimus suggested.
"What do you mean by a demonstration?" Ohgi questioned.
"Suzaku Kururugi is innocent," Zero began, "He did not kill Prince Clovis. That honor belongs to me."
With that single statement; Kallen, Ohgi, and the rebels had given Zero their undivided attention.
"All that we ask of you is to watch. Watch as we rescue Kururugi, and we'll do it without even spilling a single drop of blood."
The Japan Liberation Front was by far the biggest resistance group in Area 11. It was well known amongst other resistance cells and even the Britannian military, though they had a great deal of difficulty against the oppressive forces and had to stay in hiding, striking only when they could. At the moment, however, they were debating, or rather arguing, what to do with their current situation.
"He killed a Prince of Britannia! Suzaku Kururugi should be treated like a hero!"
"But he's an Honorary Britannian!"
"Prime Minister Kururugi was his father!"
"So what?! The bastard gave up Japan! Our people don't know that about him!"
"The whole Shinjuku business was the work of Kozuki's group, wasn't it?" General Katase, the leader of the Japan Liberation Front, asked one of his men.
"Yes sir. They are being led by a man named Ohgi at the present," a man named Kusakabe responded.
"Has Kururugi's family said anything?" Katase asked once more.
"No sir. They broke contact with him once he joined the military," Kusakabe responded.
Katase looked towards a man who had been silent during the whole debate as he sat on his knees samurai-style with a sheathed katana in front of him, "Tohdoh, what are your thoughts?"
"We should not become involved in this public execution," Tohdoh responded.
"That's cowardly!" Kusakabe exclaimed, "You're Tohdoh the Miracle Worker, right?!"
"There is a difference between miracles and foolhardiness."
"Congratulations!" Lloyd told Suzaku as he sat outside his cell, "Those two you asked me about weren't on the list of casualties."
"That's good to hear," Suzaku said in relief, glad that Lelouch and that girl they met were still alive.
"Not much luck on your end though," Lloyd said, "You may be getting a trial but nobody is pulling for you certainly."
"But the courts are where truth comes to light!" Suzaku stated.
Lloyd sighed as he tried to give something of an apologetic smile, "I suspect there will be more smoke and mirrors than anything. The truth is scarce of late."
"But what about that transforming Knightmare in Shinjuku? I'm sure the Lancelot has a recording of that, right?"
"We do have footage, yes, However, they'd just try to cover it up. Something like that would just be swept under the rug like everything else that could cause the military some trouble, much like you."
"If that's how the world works, then so be it! I've no regret!"
The Next Night
A bridge in the middle of the Tokyo Settlement was lined with hundreds of Britannian civilians as the settlement's news crew, led by Diethard, covered the event that would be taking place. All of Area 11 saw it; every politician, nobility, military unit, and civilian; including the Student Council at the Ashford Academy. All the other resistance groups witnessed the broadcast as well including the Japan Liberation Front. Even Nunnally listened to it over the radio in her room.
"Any moment. Any moment now," the reporter spoke over the broadcast, "It's a sight to see, the throngs lining the route; all of them waiting on baited breath. Waiting for the accused murder of Prince Clovis to pass by Honorary Britannian, and former Eleven, Suzaku Kururugi."
Among the most prominent ones watching however were Megatron alongside Starscream and Soundwave, viewing from the Nemesis.
"And so the circus begins," Starscream noted in obvious sarcasm.
"The sarcasm is not appreciated Starscream," Megatron told him.
"Forgive me, Lord Megatron, but as amusing as humans can be, the fact they would set up all this drama simply for the death of one prince is rather annoying. And far be it from me to question you, but do you think, even if he were alive, that Optimus would rescue Kururugi now? This is being broadcast across all of Area 11. I'm even willing to bet the Britannian mainland is watching this as well. If Optimus were to move now he'd only be exposing himself."
"Perhaps, but this leads directly to Kururugi's court-martial, and later his execution. This would be the only time Optimus would be able to move. So then, let us see just how he will play this."
"I... I can see them!" the reporter exclaimed as the footage showed the incoming envoy of Sutherlands escorting a prisoner transport with a Sutherland aircraft above them as well for extra good measure, "They have the suspect. Suzaku Kururugi is heading this way."
"Like clockwork," Megatron mused while Starscream kept his annoyance to himself.
Suzaku was immediately greeted with hateful protests from all the spectators on the side as he rode on the prisoner transport, bound in a straightjacket with a collar around his neck, and two Britannian soldiers keeping their guns on him if he tried anything. He saw no possible way out of this and had accepted his fate.
"This is insane. We know Suzaku is innocent!" Cecile said as she sat in her chair, watching the news feed live on her laptop.
"The court deemed our testimony inadmissible. There's nothing we can do," Lloyd replied as he kept watching footage of the Lancelot's fight with the yellow-and-black humanoid robot.
"Yes but…"
"Is that altruism or humanitarianism?"
"This isn't the time for a game of semantics!"
Lloyd shrugged, "Not much else to do. We both know where this case is headed, don't we? We couldn't reach him at the summit. All we could do was cut our losses."
Everyone continued to watch the report as the televisions across Area 11 now had a good look at Suzaku's face.
"Voices of scorn, growing ever louder! Voices bearing testament to the people's love of their prince, reigning their judgment down on a terrorist!"
"Suzaku!" Nunnally voiced concern and fear as she continued to listen.
"No way they can pull this off," Tamaki said as he and the rest of the rebel group he was a part of watched the broadcast from their hideout.
"Still though, they gave us their word. To make the impossible, possible, to save Suzaku Kururugi," Ohgi said. He didn't know why, but for some reason, hearing that made him almost believe that something like this was possible.
Kallen remained silent as she kept her eyes on the small TV. They said they could rescue Suzaku without killing anyone. That sounded impossible. But then again, what she had only seen last night was impossible as well. She didn't know what to think.
"Margrave Jeremiah, integral in settling this case, will be presiding over the trial as acting console."
Ratchet and Fixit watched from the Ark's bridge as well.
"This is it," Ratchet said, hoping beyond hope that they knew what they were doing. He would trust Optimus with his life. However, Lelouch was another story.
"Do you think they can do it, Ratchet?" Fixit asked.
"Hard to say. But one thing is certain. After this point, there is no turning back."
Back on the bridge, Jeremiah had received an incoming communication, "Acting console Jeremiah!"
"What is it?" he asked, accessing the earpiece communicator he had.
"Vehicle approaching the main highway from Third. We just let it through as you instructed, but…"
"Do you think the target could be a terrorist vehicle?" Jeremiah asked.
"Well, sir… it's Prince Clovis' car."
"The Prince's car?" Jeremiah questioned in mild surprise before it turned into an amused grin, "Well, looks like we got a comedian. Don't worry about it, just let him through to us."
He raised his hand to direct his subordinates, "All forces, halt here!"
The caravan came to a stop, much to Suzaku's surprise.
"They're stopping?" Starscream questioned as both Megatron and Soundwave paid close attention.
"They stopped," Ohgi voiced in surprise along with the rest of his resistance group.
Tamaki scoffed, "It's just a coincidence."
"But didn't they say Jeremiah would try to hog all the limelight? Make some sort of stand about it?" a rebel questioned.
"Coincidence!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"This is not a scheduled stop!" a reporter informed the situation, "Could there have been some sort of accident?"
"This is Site-5. There's a vehicle approaching them."
While most people looked in confusion and surprise, Jeremiah gave an amused smirk as he saw the vehicle come into view.
"It's… It's Prince Clovis' transport! And it's heading straight for the caravan!"
A flashy white, gold, and blue car drove up towards the caravan with a large cargo attachment on the back bearing the Britannian flag.
What everyone didn't know however was that it wasn't Clovis' car at all. But rather it was a hologram being projected around a completely different type of vehicle. It came to a stop about ten meters away from the caravan as Jeremiah spoke to the apparent driver.
"You dare desecrate His Highness' transport?! Come out of there!"
In direct response, a holographic fire appeared around the image of Clovis' transport as it was 'burnt' away to reveal a large red and blue semi-auto truck. Once the hologram of the Britannia flag was burnt away as well it showed the masked and caped individual who stood on the roof of the truck. Everyone gave audible gasps at the appearance of this man.
"Zero?" Villetta questioned.
"Who… who is this person…?! This man calling himself Zero! Standing before a full military convoy!?"
"Zero?" Starscream questioned, "What does that mean? He's… nothing?"
Megatron raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he continued to watch and listen.
The entire Ashford Student Council was paying attention now.
"What is all this?" Rivalz questioned.
Nunnally all the same twitched a bit as she continued to listen in her room.
"What the hell does he think he's doing?!" Tamaki questioned as Kallen and Ohgi looked in surprise. He'd openly reveal himself on international television?!
It wasn't just them. All of Area 11 had their heads turned as they saw this Zero standing in direct defiance to the Britannian Pureblood faction, including resistance groups like Area 11 such as the Japan Liberation Front. Even Tohdoh gave some attention to it.
"Are we gazing upon a terrorist? Surely not the wisest if such is the case."
Suzaku looked at him in surprise and confusion, "Is he, an Eleven?"
"Now to return the favor, Suzaku," Lelouch thought to himself.
"It is now or never," Optimus thought to himself as well in his vehicle form, "If this world is to survive, then it must know of us."
"I've seen enough 'Zero', this little show of yours is over!" Jeremiah shot his pistol into the air, signaling the aircraft above them to drop four Sutherland Knightmares around the truck, all of which pointed their large rifles at him.
Zero's cape blew in the wind as he remained completely unmoved. "First things first, why don't you remove that mask!" Jeremiah ordered.
The masked man raised his hand toward it as if he were about to take it off, only for him to raise his hand straight up into the air and snap his fingers.
The second he did, a Groundbridge portal opened up above him. Before anyone could even react, the vehicle form of Ironhide drove out and transformed mid-air to land on his feet as he pointed his Energon cannons at the Sutherlands around him; he wasn't alone either as Bulkhead, Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Bumblebee each followed suit, transforming and revealing their natural Cybertronian forms and pointing their Energon blasters at the Sutherlands that instinctively backed up. Finally, the truck that Zero stood on transformed as well to reveal Optimus Prime in his full glory. Zero stood firm on Optimus' right shoulder as the Autobot leader pointed his left Energon blaster directly at Jeremiah just as the Groundbridge portal above closed.
Immediately; everyone screamed as they all backed away in fear. Fortunately, it did not break out into a panic as everyone had their eyes set on the revealed Autobots.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Jeremiah exclaimed in shock.
Villetta's eyes widened, "Jeremiah, those are the same vehicles in Shinjuku!"
Suzaku recognized Bumblebee right away, "Wait but that's…"
The collar on his neck zapped him before he could continue.
Lelouch grinned underneath his mask as he almost gave a laugh at everyone's reaction but maintained his demeanor all the same.
Similar reactions were seen everywhere as civilians across Area 11 backpedaled in shock and eyes widened into softballs. Nunnally in her room didn't quite understand what was going on and only tilted her head.
Shirley and Nina stood up from their chairs in the Student Council room and almost screamed along with Milly as she backed up; while Rivalz fell back onto the table giving a "What the…?!" yell.
"Wha… just what the hell are they doing!?" Kallen exclaimed as she, Ohgi, Tamaki, and the rest of their comrades looked in surprise at how the Autobots just revealed themselves on international television alongside Zero.
Everyone in the JLF stood up as well, even the ever-stoic Tohdoh stood up in straight surprise as his eyes widened.
"Ll… Lloyd… are you seeing this?!" Cecile stood up and showed him the footage on her laptop.
Lloyd meanwhile could only look with a dropped jaw before it turned into a massive grin with stars in his eyes.
"Our transforming friend from Shinjuku is back! And it looks like he brought some friends too!"
Ratchet and Fixit both watched in suspense, neither dared say anything as the only sound was the reporter stuttering the scene with the Autobots standing for all the world to see.
"What… what is going on…!? These… these transforming Knightmares just came out of nowhere!"
"Optimus Prime?! H-He's alive!?" Starscream completely lost his composure and looked as though he were about to faint.
Megatron however chuckled as he lowered his arms, "Yes! You do indeed live, Optimus. Though this is a bold move for you. Just what do you have planned?"
"All fighters scramble immediately!" Starscream began to instruct via the Nemesis' open communications, "Prepare for combat at once!"
"Belay that order!" Megatron stopped them before they could do anything, "No one leaves this ship unless I say otherwise!"
"But Lord Megatron, Optimus…." the Seeker tried to protest only for Megatron to cut him off.
"I said stand down, Starscream!" Megatron yelled as he leaned close to his lieutenant's face.
"Yes…. Yes, master," the sniveling second-in-command reluctantly bowed and backed off as Megatron returned to the screen.
"There a problem here?" Bulkhead questioned; causing all the Pureblood soldiers and Britannian civilians to look in even greater shock. Did that thing just talk?!
"Whoa, little Mexican standoff we got here," Cliffjumper said on account of the Sutherlands pointing their rifles at the Autobots who in turn pointed their Energon blasters at them.
"They… they can talk?!" Villetta questioned in absolute shock and surprise.
Jeremiah shook in his spot, sweat pouring down his face as his eyes trembled, "What… what is this!? What in the hell are you?!"
"You know that 'what are you' phrase is starting to sound like a broken record," Cliffjumper said, "I may be a chatterbox, but even I don't like to repeat myself."
Despite the joke, the leader of the Autobots spoke, "My name is Optimus Prime. We are the Autobots: protectors of the innocent and the weak, and warriors for freedom and justice! And as of now, we stand against the oppressive forces of Britannia who have held the Earth in a death grip for far too long!"
Suzaku looked in surprise, "Warriors for freedom and justice?"
Jeremiah's face twisted into one of fear and anger, "I don't know what game you freaks of nature are playing, but it ends here!"
He pointed his pistol at them, apparently forgetting that a measly little pistol couldn't even scratch them.
"Do you intend to start a fight?" Zero questioned, as he continued to stand on Optimus' shoulder, "Have you forgotten where we are? You may not care for the lives of the Japanese that you condemned to the ghettos, but will you willingly endanger your civilians, whom you have sworn to protect?"
Jeremiah, Villetta, and all the other Pureblood soldiers' eyes narrowed at that. Optimus himself was not too comfortable with putting innocent people in danger like this, but ironically with the plan that Lelouch came up with, it was the only way to rescue Suzaku without inflicting any casualties.
Diethard saw all this from his news van as well. He could however scarcely make out what Zero was saying earlier.
"Unit six, bring up the sound! And get that camera right in his face!" Diethard ordered.
"Sir, it's too chaotic out here!"
Diethard scoffed, "Amateurs!"
He took a nearby camera and went outside to do it himself.
Jeremiah lowered his pistol, "Fine, what are your demands?!"
"Weapons down," Ironhide stated.
"Release Suzaku Kururugi to us," Arcee added.
"And we'll let you escape with your dignity," Cliffjumper said with a cocky smile.
"Escape with our…?!" Villetta thought as her hands clenched on her Sutherland's controls and her face twisted into a scowl, "Of all the nerve!"
"The hell we're gonna do that!" Jeremiah exclaimed, his eyes gazing back at the shocked boy, "He's charged with high treason for murdering a prince! I can't hand him over!"
"Come on, we all know that's not true," Bulkhead said, "Suzaku is innocent and you framed him."
"Indeed," Zero confirmed, "We all know the real reason he's here is to promote your agenda on racial superiority. You couldn't find the real killer so instead, you choose to set up Suzaku as a scapegoat, and being that he's Japanese, it only made sense for the Purebloods to pull such a stunt, am I wrong?"
Jeremiah's eyes widened as everyone in the crowd was present, and even those watching from their televisions looked in shock. But it didn't end there.
"Suzaku Kururugi is the son of the late Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi," Optimus continued, "If he were found guilty of the death of a member of the Britannian royal family, it would pave the way for your faction to dismiss the practice of granting natives the status of 'Honorary Britannian' condemning those who are already granted such status to return to the ghettos where you would continue to prey on them simply because you view them as weak. Is that correct?"
The leader of the Purebloods continued to shake as the Autobots just exposed their plot to the shocked public as all of Area 11, and possibly the whole world had now learned of their intent.
"Busted," Bumblebee thought to himself as a smirk lay underneath his face.
"Clovis wasn't exactly innocent either!" Ironhide added, "All those news reports in Shinjuku we're total garbage! There was no poison gas. All those deaths were done by you! Clovis made a mistake and he decided to cover it up with human blood!"
"And you Purebloods were just his little wind-up tin soldiers who did all the dirty work!" Arcee added, contempt and venom evident in her voice.
If the world wasn't paying attention to this scene, they certainly were now. But nothing would compare them to what was said next.
"As for the real killer, look no forward than the man who stands before you," Zero said as Deithard walked closer to the scene.
Bumblebee noticed him but paid him no mind as he just had an ordinary camera.
"The man who killed Clovis, who ordered the deaths of countless men, women, and children in Shinjuku… was me!"
And with that, the whole world came to a grinding halt.
"So this Zero killed Clovis?" Starscream questioned.
Megatron however gave a slight chuckle. Whoever this Zero was, it was understandable why Optimus appeared to be taking a liking to him. He was stirring up a hornet's nest in Britannia. Not only that but he quickly turned the whole situation around as he put the Purebloods right in the spotlight of condemnation which was previously on Suzaku. For a human, he was somewhat impressive.
"Well… he certainly knows how to turn some heads… doesn't he?" Fixit stuttered in between a few glitches.
Ratchet kept his eyes fixed on the screen. He already knew the plan, all the Autobots did. But still, to say something like this and turn the Purebloods into a pariah, Lelouch was walking on thin ice right now. He'd have to keep on his toes at this point forward.
"Did he seriously just say that out loud?!" Tamaki questioned, "Does he want to start a fight?!"
Ohgi and Kallen couldn't look away from the television screen. The Autobots and Zero said they would do this without killing anyone, so why speak like this right to Britannia's face!? These guys had some serious guts. That was certain…. but still….
"But we are not here to place innocent lives in danger," Optimus stated to the shocked Purebloods, "Release Suzaku to us and we will leave peacefully."
"That being said, if anyone here dies, their blood will be on your hands and yours alone!" Zero added, "A single human and spare yourselves a humiliating defeat, I'd find that to be a bargain."
Diethard felt his lips curve into a smile, "This is all one big performance to them!"
"You are all mad! Completely and totally out of your inhuman minds!" Jeremiah shouted, "You dare to insult us as such!? No one mocks the crown and lives!"
All the Sutherlands straightened up and pointed their rifles at the Autobots who pointed their Energon blasters at them in response while a few of them looked in either surprise or disgust.
"They'd seriously start a fight now and put their people in danger?!" Bumblebee thought in shock, "They are no different from the Cons!"
"Careful," Zero warned, "You wouldn't want your Decepticon masters to learn of Orange, would you?"
"What? Orange?!" Starscream questioned in surprise.
Megatron even raised an eyebrow in mild suspicion.
"Orange? Decepticons? What are they talking about?" one of the soldiers guarding Suzaku asked his comrade.
"I don't know," the other one responded.
Zero tapped his foot on Optimus' shoulder. He lowered his Energon blaster and began to slowly walk to Jeremiah's Sutherland while the other Autobots kept their weapons trained on the Sutherlands still surrounding them.
"If anyone dies here, it'll all go public," Zero told the confused Jeremiah, "The Emperor himself, and even Megatron, will know about it. If you don't want that to happen…"
"What are you talking about? What is this?" Jeremiah questioned.
Once Optimus was close enough, a slit on the mask opened up to reveal Lelouch's left eye as his Geass activated.
"…You'll do everything in your power to let us go with your prisoner as well!"
The red sigil flew from Lelouch's eye and into Jeremiah's. His brainwave patterns changed as red rings formed in both his eyes and he followed Zero's orders without question.
"Right, understood."
He turned to his subordinates, "You there, release the prisoner!"
His order surprised everyone, civilians and soldiers alike. Even Suzaku looked stunned.
"What on Earth are you doing my lord?!" Villetta questioned.
"Get that man over here!" Jeremiah insisted.
"Should we?" one guard questioned, "But…"
"Hand him over! Nobody gets in his way!" Jeremiah ordered as Kewell's Sutherland rolled over.
"No! What are you thinking!? You can't do this!"
"Lord Kewell, this is an order!"
With great reluctance, the guards close to Suzaku undid his bonds as the Autobots lowered their weapons while Bulkhead and Cliffjumper shared triumphant smirks.
As Suzaku stepped off the transport and onto the road, Zero slid from Optimus' shoulder to his lower palm where I met Suzaku.
"Who are…" Suzaku was once again shocked by the collar he road.
"As I thought, they didn't allow you to speak."
Meanwhile, Villetta slid into her Sutherland, "If they get away, we'll lose everything!"
Optimus transformed back into his vehicle mode and rode up next to the two youths, "It's time to go, Zero."
"Well then, till next time," Zero led Suzaku to Optimus as the side doors opened up, allowing them to step in just as Villetta was ready to shoot them.
"You cowardly Eleven!" she was about to shoot, but Jeremiah's Sutherland knocked her back, "Lord Jeremiah, what are you…?!"
"You heard me! Stand down! Now!"
"Oh no! You are not getting away!" Kewell took control of the situation, "ATTACK! DESTROY THEM!"
With that the Sutherlands opened fire on the Autobots as they covered Optimus' vehicle form, resulting in all the civilians panicking and running away from the scene.
"Autobots attack! No one dies tonight!" Ironhide ordered as he and his comrades charged forward at the enemy Knightmares.
Bulkhead's right hand turned into his mace weapon as he brought it down to crush the head of one Sutherland, but held it back to not kill its pilot, causing the inoperable Knightmare to fall on its back.
Kewell tried to shoot at Bumblebee who rolled out of the way as he opened fire with his Energon blaster to knock the rifle out the Sutherland's hands, letting Bumblebee come in with a roundhouse kick to knock it down onto the ground.
Cliffjumper maneuvered underneath the third Sutherland and picked it up over his head before slamming it on its front onto the road, disabling it.
Villetta had recovered and opened fire on the charging Arcee as her arm-blades popped out and the blue Autobot jumped up and sliced at the Sutherland's neck to disable it before sweeping her feet to knock it down.
Ironhide shot with his right cannon to completely tear off the head of one incoming Sutherland as another tried to shoot at him only for the bullets to barely graze him as he grabbed the Knightmare by its head.
"Britannian punk," he said before blasting off its legs, but leaving the pilot unharmed.
As the fighting came to an end, a Groundbridge portal opened up. Optimus was the first to drive into it with Zero and Suzaku safe inside. All the other Autobots transformed and drove into the vortex as well. However, Kewell attempted to chase after them.
"You imbeciles! No one runs away from…"
Before he could even get close, however, several bullets tore through his Sutherland's legs, causing it to fall. The culprit was none other than Jeremiah as he pointed his mech's rifle at him.
"Lord Kewell, are you going to follow orders or not?! And believe me, there will be repercussions! All units, do I make myself clear!? Let them go!"
Right as he made that order, the Groundbridge portal had closed and vanished, and the Autobots had left the area. Just as they had promised, not a single person died, be it a civilian or a soldier.
"I do not believe this!" Starscream ranted, "Not only do the Autobots live, but this Orange is going around! Are the Purebloods aware of us?! How could they be!? We left no traces of our existence!"
He growled, "Incompetent fools! I will get to the bottom of this one way or another!"
He stormed off the bridge as he continued to rant his mouth off, leaving Megatron alone with Soundwave as they watched the live broadcast finish up.
"Things have certainly taken an interesting turn, haven't they Soundwave?" Megatron questioned his most loyal soldier, "Whoever this Zero may be, it would seem that Optimus has taken an interest in him. Perhaps it is time that we take a more active role in this world's affairs."
The Decepticon leader gazed at the paused image of Zero standing on the shoulder of his greatest enemy. Though most humans were beneath him, there was something about this Zero that had piqued Megatron's interest, causing the warmonger to smirk amusingly.
"Man, I didn't think they could do it."
"Yeah, just who are these guys?"
These were among the many questions asked by the Kozuki resistance group after the Autobots returned. A vast majority of them had returned to their base while Optimus and Zero were speaking with Suzaku in private deeper in the ruined building.
"That's crap! How many times can a bluff like that work anyway?!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Are you serious Tamaki? Did you not see those guys in action?! They tore through those Sutherlands like nothing! And I don't think they were even trying!"
"Yeah, you gotta give 'em credit," Ohgi said, "Gotta admit, nobody else could have pulled that off. Not the Japan Liberation Front, and certainly not me."
"Ohgi, do you think what they said was true? About these Decepticons?" Kallen asked.
"It sounds pretty fantastic, yeah," Ohgi admitted, "But after seeing these Autobot guys in action… I can't call anything impossible anymore."
Meanwhile, in a ruined auditorium; both Zero and Optimus had spoken to Suzaku about the circumstances involving the Autobots and Decepticons as well as the latter's influence on Britannia.
"Now do you understand what they are truly like, Private Kururugi?" Zero asked him, "Even though it is a shadow, Britannia is still rotten through and through. If you truly wish to bring change to this world, then join us!"
"So then, these Decepticons, you say they're controlling Britannia?" Suzaku questioned.
"They may be influencing its direction, but Britannia itself remains unaware of this. Many of the atrocities committed, such as Shinjuku, have been done by Britannia's hands and there's alone," Optimus replied.
"What about what happened back there? Those were civilians…!" Suzaku tried to speak but was cut off by Zero.
"We had no intention of starting a fight," the masked man stated, "We meant what we said and had every intention of leaving peacefully. The Purebloods shot at us first; they endangered those civilians, not us! And no one has died."
"Even so…" Suzaku looked down briefly.
"Suzaku, I regret placing those innocent people in such a situation," Optimus said, "However, it was the only way to not only rescue you but to spare their lives as well, not even the soldiers suffered casualties tonight."
Suzaku had to admit that was true. No one died, not even the Purebloods. He also knew there was no poison gas in Shinjuku, so all the casualties, while he believed some were the result of terrorists, he wasn't foolish enough to think that the Britannian military back there was completely innocent.
"Come with us," Zero offered his hand, "The Britannia you serve is nothing more than a delusion. A puppet empire on the strings of an even greater threat."
"Maybe that's true," Suzaku admitted before turning to the duo, "But this nation, it can be changed for the better, and from within!"
Lelouch's eyes widened beneath his mask.
"Changed?" even Optimus looked in mild surprise at Suzaku's response.
"And any ends gained through contemptible means aren't worth anything," Suzaku said as he began to walk away.
"Wait, where are you going?" Zero asked.
"My court-martial begins in an hour," Suzaku responded.
Optimus was a bit surprised by this action while Lelouch's expression was one of outrage.
"Are you mad?!" Zero exclaimed, "The only reason they're giving you a trial is to find you guilty! The judge, prosecution, and defense!"
"Rules are rules," Suzaku said as he stopped briefly and kept his back turned, "And if I don't go, they'll start cracking down on Elevens, and Honorary Britannians."
"He's right," Optimus understood. If Suzaku sided with them, the Purebloods could still bounce back and have what they needed to pursue their racial agendas.
"But you'll die!" Zero told him.
"I don't mind," Suzaku insisted.
"Don't be an idiot!"
"You can stop me though, can't you?" he turned around to face them, Optimus specifically, "One of you happens to be a giant sentient machine far stronger than myself. If you want, you could stop me from leaving right here and now. So I guess the real question is: will you allow me to leave of my own accord? Or force me to stay against my own will?"
Though Zero couldn't think of a response, Optimus already had an answer to give.
"Freedom is you're right. If this is indeed what you choose, we will respect your decision."
Zero looked as though he was about to protest, but Optimus gave him a look that said it was all right. One look from Optimus was enough to keep Zero from making an outburst.
Suzaku had a respectful smile, "Thank you."
"However Suzaku, I ask for one thing," Optimus told him, "Now that we have made our appearance, the Decepticons will more than likely make one as well. I implore you, do not trust them."
Suzaku had a serious expression on his face as Optimus continued.
"There is one other thing. I want you to also ask yourself a question. You say Britannia can change for the better. What if you go down this path… and you're wrong?"
"That's a good question," Zero thought to himself.
Suzaku was mildly surprised by that statement before he formed a neutral expression, "Well… I'll just have to hope I'm not. Even still I thank you both, for saving me."
With that, Suzaku had left the building and would find his way to the authorities soon. Once he was out of earshot, Zero turned to Optimus.
"You're letting him go?!"
"We have no right to deter him from his path. This is his choice and we should respect it," Optimus replied.
"But he could die!" Zero exclaimed.
"No, he will not," Optimus began, "You exposed yourself as Clovis' true killer and our actions, along with 'Orange' have also exposed the Purebloods' conspiracy and thus we have confirmed that Suzaku is innocent. As corrupt as they are, the Britannian judicial system cannot condemn Suzaku without facing a significant backlash from their populace, maybe even that from certain members of the Royal Family."
Lelouch could think of maybe one or two of his half-siblings who would be disgusted with the Purebloods' actions, primarily using the death of Clovis to further their agenda. There would be no way they'd let something like that go unpunished.
"Even so…"
"What would you do, Lelouch?" Optimus asked, "Would you use your power on him to strip him of his free will and force him to stay with us?"
Lelouch did not expect that sort of question, nor could he think of a response. Optimus saw this as something good, however. He would not force his friend to do something he wouldn't do, even if he completely disagreed with his action.
"You care for your friend. That is evident. However, it is also important for you as his friend to respect his choices. You may try to change his mind with your words and actions if you desire; however, I cannot condone stripping an individual of their free will to get what you want. I can see where your power can be useful and there may be times when you have no choice but to use it, but I would not recommend becoming completely dependent on it, especially considering we all still know very little about it."
Deep down, Lelouch knew that Optimus was right. He wouldn't' force Suzaku to do anything he wouldn't want him to do, and his power was still new and largely unknown to him. Maybe caution was the better step.
"So, what now?" he asked.
"For now, I believe you should return home. I will confer with the resistance group at present and return to the Ark afterward. Bumblebee will maintain cover at your school and we will contact you on our next move."
"Alright, that's probably for the best," Lelouch nodded, "I'll see you soon."
He began to walk out of the auditorium.
Optimus had walked out of the large hole and around the ruined building where he met with the Kozuki resistance group. They were slightly startled a bit as he walked onto the scene but quickly recovered when they remembered he was on their side.
"Well? How'd it go?" Ohgi asked.
"Suzaku Kururugi will not be coming with us," Optimus said, much to their surprise.
"Are you kidding?! After all, Britannia's done to him?!"
"And after all the trouble we went to rescue him! Talk about ungratefulness!" Tamaki shouted.
"Uh Tamaki, we didn't do anything. Zero and the Autobots did all that stuff," one rebel pointed out, resulting in Tamaki comically pouting.
"Given the circumstances, I would say that is the right call," Optimus said, getting the group's attention, "Suzaku may not have been the one to kill Prince Clovis, however, if he openly sided with the party responsible for the event, it would still give the Purebloods the excuse they need to persecute the Japanese."
"Meaning rescuing him would have all been for nothing," Ohgi realized, with Optimus nodding in confirmation.
"Yeah, I hate to admit it, but it kinda makes sense," Another rebel seemed to agree.
"Hey, where's Zero?" Kallen asked.
"He has returned to our base with the remaining Autobots," Optimus said.
"So, what you said about these Decepticons… you think they're the ones in control here?" Kallen asked again.
"Indeed, they are," Optimus confirmed, "And as we have mentioned their names in this incident, I have reason to believe that they will begin to take a more active role in the coming conflict."
"So you're serious about this?" Tamaki questioned, "You and all your robot buddies are gonna take on Britannia and these Con-guys?"
"We have no choice. If we do not stand against them, this world will fall prey to their evil.
"Optimus, sorry to ask you this but, why are you helping us?" Ohgi asked him, "I get it that this Megatron guy is your enemy and all, but why are you helping us against Britannia? Wouldn't it be easier for you and the other Autobots to just leave and save yourselves?"
"Perhaps, however, that is an act we will not take. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. Even if the Decepticons weren't involved, Britannia has no right to take away not only Japan's freedom but the freedom of every other nation on this Earth. We Autobots exist to protect those who cannot protect themselves. We will fight for this Earth, even if it means facing the full might of the Britannian empire!"
To say the Kozuki Resistance group was surprised would be an understatement. Here stood a sentient alien machine, whom they barely knew, and he said he was going to fight for their freedom. He could easily side with Britannia, but instead, he chooses to use his power and strength to protect the weak, not oppress them.
Ohgi looked towards his friends, including Kallen, as they shared the same expressions and all thought the same thing. He smiled as he stood up, "Optimus if it's alright with you, we would like to help you as well."
Other members of the group stood up and spoke out as well.
"That's right, we can't let Britannia get away with all this!"
"If these Decepticons are as bad as you say they are, then you might need us to!"
"Japan is our home and we're gonna fight for it all the same!"
Even Kallen stood up, "Britannia has taken so much from us, from me especially. If you can give us a chance to stand up to them and fight back, then I'm all for it, even if we have to fight these Decepticons too!"
Optimus was quite impressed; despite their small size, these humans' wills were ironclad. He could tell that they meant every word they said.
"Very well, we will fight together," the Autobot leader spoke, causing the group to smile.
"Alright, so what's the next step?" Ohgi asked.
"For now, I suggest you lay low," Optimus informed, "Until we know our enemies' next move, we cannot afford to move in blindly. We will contact you at a later date."
"Got it. See you soon," Ohgi nodded.
Optimus then turned around and began to walk away before transforming back into his vehicle mode and driving off into the distance. The Kozuki resistance group looked in surprise and amazement.
"Robots who turn into vehicles," Kallen said before smirking, "Awesome!"
Nunnally continued to listen to the radio broadcast in her room for anything regarding Suzaku.
"Yes. Private Kururugi has made contact with the authorities. It would seem these Autobots have released him. However, now that the original charges against him have been thrown into question, Kururugi may be found innocent and acquitted."
That caused Nunnally to smile, "Thank goodness."
She heard the door open behind her, "Miss Sayoko?"
However, the one who opened the door was not the maid, but rather a green-haired woman with yellow eyes wearing a loose straightjacket. The same woman gave Lelouch his newfound power.
Notes:
Originally Posted at FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13151821/35/Code-Prime-R1-Rebellion
Edited using Grammarly.
OST: https://www.deviantart.com/digimonat0318/art/Code-Prime-R1-Voice-Cast-and-Soundtrack-859175208
Chapter 6: Diverging and Intersecting Paths
Chapter Text
The Middle Eastern Federation is a comparatively small union of Islamic countries, but right now it was making its final stand against the invading Britannian forces, defending a small base from the enemy. Several large fourth-generation Knightmares known as Bamides were deployed against the Britannian forces, though it would be more accurate to compare these so-called Knightmares to oversized tanks as they had little-to-no maneuverability and their only offensive weapon was a single cannon mounted on the front. But these soldiers wouldn't give up without a fight.
"OPEN FIRE!"
The Bamides opened fire on the group of Britannian tanks and managed to take out several. However, these tanks were cannon fodder compared to the real threat as several Britannian Knightmares shot out of the dust and made a beeline straight for the Bamides.
"Gloucesters?!" one commander questioned.
"They're supposed to be in Seraphalm!"
The Britannian Knightmares identified as Gloucesters bore appearances more akin to medieval knights. Most were a dark greyish sort of color, while the ones at the lead had a purple paint job to them, and each one of them wore a cape as well.
"Shotty-oversized-imitation Knightmares!" the commander, a middle-aged well-built man with a scar on his face insulted the enemy.
"They would have been wise to surrender from the start!" a young Britannian soldier with long black hair and glasses stated before the Gloucesters got to work and tore through the Bamides with little trouble.
Their speed and size worked to their advantage as they sped underneath the larger vehicles and opened fire on the chassis. Already several have fallen. However, that was nothing compared to the explosion that engulfed their base behind them.
"What?!" The Middle Eastern soldiers saw in horror as their base was no more and a single vibrant purple Gloucester with a white cape, and long horns on the side of its head, stood proudly amidst the fire with a large golden lance in its hand.
"Cornelia…?! A single unit did this…?!" this would be the soldier's last words as the last of the Bamides were destroyed and the battle was over.
"Another victory. Area 18 has been established."
This was the declaration of the commanding Gloucester that destroyed the base, a young woman with long violet hair and indigo eyes. This was Cornelia Li Britannia, the Second Princess of the Britannian royal family.
"My Lady, about our next course of action," the middle-aged commander, Andreas Darlton, contacted her from his Knightmare.
"Sorry to make you clean up after my foolish younger brother," Cornelia said.
"Please don't apologize, my lady, we live to serve and our place is with you," Darlton assured her, causing her to smirk.
"Do you think Area 11 needs our usual treatment?" Cornelia asked.
"Yes, my lady," Darlton answered.
"If I may speak freely, Your Highness," the younger soldier, Gilbert G. Guilford, began, "I'm somewhat excited. These Autobot beings could provide a bit of a challenge."
"I admire that eagerness, Guilford. Let's just hope the battle isn't too one-sided," Cornelia said as a scowl appeared on her face. Though she acknowledged these Autobots as a threat to the Britanian Empire, her wrath was solely focused on one individual.
"I will drive you into the open Zero! Clovis will be avenged!"
Area 11 – Ashford Academy Schoolhouse
Lelouch had only just returned home after stunning the world as Zero with the Autobots at his side. They had rescued Suzaku and proved his innocence, while also dealing a humiliating blow to the Purebloods. Optimus and the rest of Team Prime had returned to the Ark except for Bumblebee as he stayed outside Ashford to watch Lelouch.
A tired Lelouch walked through the halls of the clubhouse. Though his victory seemed rather empty as he had hoped Suzaku would side with him, instead he willingly turned himself over to the authorities; though he knew Optimus was right that if Suzaku sided with them, it would still allow the Purebloods to condemn more of the 'Elevens' even if they had status as 'Honorary Britannians'; that along with the revelation of himself being Clovis' true killer will no doubt force the judiciary system to drop the charges against Suzaku. However, this was only the beginning. Britannia will find a way to retaliate to this, not to mention the Decepticons we're a bit of a wildcard.
Lelouch rubbed his hand against his face as he came to the door that led to the dining room where Nunnally was probably waiting for him.
"Why can't things be so simple?" he asked himself as he opened the door.
"I'm back."
"Welcome home Lelouch."
This greeting however was not from his sister, but rather the same green-haired girl in a straightjacket that gave him his power in Shinjuku, who was also shot in the head right in front of him. Yet she greeted him as if it were just a casual meeting as she sat at the table next to Nunnally making origami with her.
Lelouch stopped in his tracks and couldn't believe what he was seeing; his expression almost mirrored the one where he first saw Bumblebee transform with his own eyes on the very same day.
"I'm so glad, I was worried," Nunnally said with an innocent smile.
"I'm assuming you ate out tonight, judging by your appearance," the green-haired woman said, covering for the still-shocked Lelouch.
"Thank goodness. I thought you got caught up in the uproar caused by those people, Zero and those Autobots. I tried calling you, but you didn't answer your cell phone," Nunnally said, "But… is what they say over the radio true?"
"What?" Lelouch asked automatically like a machine, not taking his eyes off his 'guest'.
"That these Autobots are… living Knightmares…?" Nunnally asked, "I mean… I can't imagine something like that even being possible…"
"They're some form of sentient machines," the green-haired girl told Nunnally, "I would think they're alive the same way we are."
"Is that true C.C.?" the blind girl asked her.
Lelouch looked in surprise and confusion. "C.C.?"
The younger girl giggled slightly, "Your friend goes by such an unusual name; only her initials."
"Yeah."
"I was just wondering, is C.C. your girlfriend?"
Before Lelouch could even respond to that question, the mysterious woman already spoke, "He made a promise about our future together, right?"
Nunnally hovered and frowned as the wrong idea came to mind, "A future? You mean marriage?!"
"What?! No! No, that isn't what she was talking about!" Lelouch said immediately with sweat coming down his face, "It's like uh… she's kidding around…"
"No, I'm not," the girl named C.C. responded as she continued to fold some origami.
"Well, you're certainly doing this more than most," Nunnally said, still having the wrong idea, "But everyone's different, aren't they?"
As she spoke, Lelouch lifted a teacup that was at C.C.'s place, "So I don't suppose it's that strange, but if you feel like you're ready for…"
Lelouch dropped the cup onto the floor, causing it to break, startling Nunnally a bit.
"Oh, C.C. Look what you've done. You're soaking wet," Lelouch said while grabbing C.C. by the arm, "Come on, let's get you to the bathroom into a dry change of clothes."
He began to leave the room with her as he spoke to Nunnally one last time, "Nunnally, stay here and I'll get that cleaned up in a minute. And she was kidding before, kidding, just a dumb joke that's all!"
He left leaving Nunnally even more confused than before.
Lelouch practically dragged C.C. into his room and threw her down onto his bed.
"Who are you?" he questioned.
She sat up and observed her new surroundings, "She said my name, I'm C.C."
"That's not what I meant! Why aren't you…?"
C.C. turned to face him, "Supposed to be dead? So, do you like the power that I gave you?"
His Geass flashed in his eye for a brief second, "As I thought, it was you."
She sat on his bed, "Dissatisfied?"
"On the contrary I'm grateful. It allows me to speed up my schedule tremendously, which is a huge help."
"Your schedule?"
"Yes, my schedule for obliterating Britannia. However, it also spawned unexpected complications as well."
"You mean those Autobots?"
"So you know of them?"
C.C. fell flat on his bed, "Pretty sure the whole world knows about them now, considering that flashy show you put on with them."
"What can I say? It's about time Britannia was dealt some humiliation," Lelouch said with a devilish smirk.
The mysterious woman looked at the ceiling, "I just knew he'd turn out to be the fascinating guy."
"What will you do now? I'm sure the military is after you."
"Not the entire military. Only a small fraction of it. So it shouldn't be difficult to find a hiding place."
She took off her straightjacket to reveal some white undergarments not carrying that she was undressing in front of someone else, "I can make do here."
"What?! You expect to stay here?!"
C.C. already pulled the blanket over herself as she made it clear she would be sleeping in his bed, "A gentleman would sleep on the floor."
"Don't joke around."
"My being caught would cause trouble for you too."
"It's dangerous to stay together!"
"If I wander the streets, they'll find me."
"This isn't about you! It's my situation!"
C.C. turned over, being quite stubborn herself about this, "I hate stubbornness."
Lelouch stated as he sat at the side of his bed, "You sure take things casually, don't you? How did you manage to survive before this? What did you do before now? And what's the deal with that so-called contract you spoke of….?"
"Good night, Lelouch."
Lelouch sighed. Just when he thought the situation couldn't get any more complicated. If she stayed here, it could put Nunnally in danger; but with the uproar he caused a few hours ago, there was no doubt both the police and military were combing the streets looking for Zero and the Autobots so she could get caught if she left now. He would let her sleep here for tonight, tomorrow he'll take her to the Ark and let the Autobots do some questioning, maybe they could get more information out of her and the Ark would be a safer place to stay than here. He gave a deep sigh.
"Guess I'm sleeping on the couch tonight."
The Next Morning
Bumblebee stayed in his vehicle mode outside the Ashford Academy clubhouse parking lot as the sun began to rise. Before returning Lelouch last night, he took the initiative of altering his vehicle appearance slightly; though he still had his racing stripes and paint job, he had his license plate and the model number changed. They were small appearances, but enough so that no one would notice the difference between this and what he had before back in Shinjuku, as he would be looking like that when going into battle.
He then noticed Lelouch walking out toward him and was a bit surprised, "It's a little early for him to be out. His classes don't start for another few hours,"
However, he spotted someone behind him and his optics would have widened in shock if they were shown, "Wait a minute…?! Is… is that…?!"
Lelouch practically dragged C.C. towards Bumblebee whom he'd imagine was quite shocked since he saw her get shot in the head to back in Shinjuku.
"Hey, you awake?" he asked.
"[Technically we don't sleep as you do,]" Bumblebee responded. "[But… ]"
His optics widened in shock as he saw who was next to him, "[...wait...is that girl….?]"
"The same one that gave me the power back in Shinjuku? Yep." Lelouch confirmed.
"[How in the name of Primus is she even…?!]"
"Alive?" C.C. finished, "I'm guessing I'm going to be asked that quite a lot."
Lelouch and Bumblebee we're both quite surprised.
"Wait… you can understand him?!" Lelouch questioned in shock.
"Of course I can, can't you?" she asked him nonchalantly.
"[But… but he has a translator! You don't…!]"
"So?"
Lelouch simply pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as Bumblebee spoke again, "[So…. To the Ark then….?]"
"Yup."
Bumblebee's side doors open allowing both Lelouch and C.C. to step in as the Autobot in disguise drove off away from the school. Once he was far enough away he made contact with the rest of his team.
"Ratchet, I need a Groundbridge."
A portal opened less than a second later, which Bumblebee drove into before it closed shortly as to not draw any attention.
Optimus, Arcee, Bulkhead, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Cliffjumper were all gathered at the Ark's bridge along with Fixit as he made his way toward the front of the group as Bumblebee drove into the room. The doors opened, allowing Lelouch and C.C. to step outside as Bumblebee transformed back into robot mode. Though the team was mildly surprised by the girl that Lelouch brought with him.
"Lelouch, who is this?" Ironhide questioned.
"Meet C.C., she's the one who gave me my power," he answered, causing many of them to look in shock.
"This is the person who gave you the Stare?!" Fixit questioned in surprise.
"The Stare?" C.C. questioned with a raised eyebrow as she looked around at the surroundings of the Ark's bridge.
"That's what Bumblebee calls Lelouch's newfound power."
"It is called Geass. 'The Stare' sounds like something out of a children's show," C.C. said casually, even though she was now surrounded by massive sentient robots.
"Geass?" Ratchet questioned as all the Autobots looked towards Lelouch.
"Didn't you say she was dead?!" Arcee questioned him.
"Yep, shot in the forehead," Lelouch pointed to his forehead for emphasis.
"Can all humans survive from that?" Bulkhead asked.
"Cybertronians can't survive headshots, what makes you think humans can?" Ironhide told him.
C.C. looked around at the surprised group of Autobots, "So… you are the ones who are going to destroy Britannia?"
"She says that so casually," Cliffjumper whispered to Arcee who was about as confused as he was.
Optimus leaned down to get a closer look at the girl, "Who are you?"
"Lelouch said my name. I'm C.C."
"That's a machine's name," Ratchet stated, "What's your real name?"
"This coming from a literal machine," the girl rebutted, "Along with someone who's on the same team with a being named 'Bumblebee'."
This resulted in Bumblebee giving a slight glare in her direction.
"You don't seem afraid," Optimus spoke in a calm voice, "Are you not surprised to see us?"
"After the ruckus that you and Lelouch put on last night, I was expecting to see you. Besides, at this point, nothing surprises me anymore," she replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Arcee questioned, "How are you even still alive? How exactly did you give Lelouch this 'Geass' or whatever you want to call it?"
"How'd you even know it was Lelouch out there last night?" Ironhide questioned as well, "What exactly do you want?"
"Are there others like you?" Ratchet also questioned, "Have you given this 'Geass' to anyone before?"
"[What kind of a name is 'Geass' anyway? 'The Stare' sounds way better,]" Bumblebee noted.
"What's with the getup? You an asylum escapee or something?" Cliffjumper questioned.
C.C. gave each of them an apathetic look, "If I don't answer these questions, do you intend to force the answers out of me?"
This surprised most of Team Prime as they looked at Lelouch.
"Hey, don't look at me! She gave me the same treatment last night!" he quickly said.
Most of the team sighed while Optimus had a look of understanding, "If this C.C. does not wish to answer our questions, she does not have to. However, if there are dangers to be expected from this unique alignment of ours…"
"Oh relax," C.C. assured as she began to climb up a ladder along the side of the wall with an observing Fixit following right behind her, "Lelouch and I have a contract. I wouldn't do anything that would endanger it or him. And seeing as how you are now working with him, you have nothing to fear of me. If anything comes up and I find it necessary to inform you of it, I will."
She got up to the platform along the side and began to walk around it.
"Well, if it is not too rude, do you have the same power as Lelouch?" Fixit asked as he continued to follow C.C., "Seeing as how you gave it to him, it would only be logical that you have the same power as shell…. Tell… Well!"
"You seem to be glitching up," C.C. noticed.
"Yes, I am aware," Fixit nodded.
"Well to answer your question. No, I do not have the same power," the mysterious girl responded.
"Okay, so what do you have?" Bulkhead asked.
C.C. said nothing as she walked up to the front of the bridge just below the main window where she saw all the fish swimming by, "Underwater? Yes, this does seem safer."
The Autobots looked amongst themselves and even Lelouch as they could tell this wasn't going to be easy.
"Not much of a conversationist, is she?" Cliffjumper asked.
"Doesn't seem that way," Lelouch answered.
"Just when I things couldn't get any weirder," Arcee rolled her eyes.
"Aside from the obvious, what exactly do you know about this girl, Lelouch?" Ironhide questioned.
"All I know is that a small fraction of the military is looking for her," the former prince-turned-revolutionary responded, "And seeing how she was the reason that whole mess in Shinjuku started, not to mention the Royal Guard soldiers were under orders to bring her back alive, I can assume either Clovis was a part of it."
"Well, not like we can ask Clovis at this point," Bulkhead noted, "Considering he's pushing up lugnuts now."
Optimus then spoke up, "Lelouch, while I agree there are many things concerning this C.C. individual, I feel at the moment it is best to focus on current matters that we are directly connected to."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Lelouch nodded. C.C. can wait. Right now, he and the Autobots were about to start a revolution that needed their immediate attention, "So, what's the situation?"
"The situation is that yours and our faces are all over your world's internet," Ratchet typed on his console where the front screen displayed multiple websites and news articles, each of them featuring Zero and the Autobots during their confrontation with the Purebloods the previous night.
"Well, I don't see your face there, Doc. So you're not the star here," Cliffjumper joked.
"Cliffjumper, this is no laughing matter!" Ratchet told him.
"So, is there anything in regards to us that could be considered dangerous?" Lelouch asked.
"Aside from some Britannian fanatics saying that we should all die for protecting 'Elevens' and all that garbage, not really," Ironhide said.
"We've turned some heads here," Arcee also said as she smirked, "And it's caused some major trouble for them too."
"Yep, all 'cause of 'Orange', the Purebloods' reputation is out the window," Cliffjumper also said with a smirk, "Since this morning they've had protests outside their place and it is only getting bigger. Some people aren't too happy about the Purebloods lying to everyone's faces."
"It's true. Even connections between the police and military are all screwed up," Bulkhead added.
"The Britannian forces may have declared us criminals, but it seems we are also becoming heroes to several resistance groups as well," Fixit said, "Look at all these incidents."
The orange Mini-Con put in some data to show the group the news reports of incidents that have shown up since last night.
"It hasn't even been twenty-four Earth hours and already more and more people are rising!" Fixit exclaimed.
Arcee couldn't help but chuckle, "One fight against those wannabe Cons and already they're falling apart at the seams."
"I'm not particularly surprised," Lelouch said, "Aside from Orange, we've shown the world that Britannia is vulnerable, that there is a force out there that can not only match but surpass them. These resistance groups will be following the same sort of lead and will cause some trouble, but at the moment we cannot afford to get sloppy. This is only the beginning."
"Lelouch is correct," Optimus began, "These initial results may seem promising. However many are acts of violence that endanger innocent people, which I will not tolerate. In addition, Japan is only one Area of the Empire; no doubt the Britannian Homeland will soon send reinforcements to quell this resistance if they haven't already."
"Not to mention the Decepticons are gonna make a move soon, now that Megatron probably saw us," Ironhide noted.
"So, am I correct to assume that you and these Decepticons are aliens?" C.C. asked as she hung upside down from the walkway, causing the Autobots and even Lelouch to look at her oddly.
"You assumed correctly," Ratchet said, "We also believe that they are the true masterminds of Britannia."
"Oh, is that so?" C.C. stood straight up.
"You don't seem all that surprised," Ironhide noted with suspicion.
"As I said before, nothing surprises me anymore," C.C. replied, "However, one thing does pique my interest. What exactly is Orange?"
"Well, orange is a type of fruit grown here on Earth. But it's also the name of the color that…" Cliffjumper joked.
"That's not what I meant," C.C. said in a minor glare, as Cliff laughed a bit.
"You know for someone who doesn't answer questions, you sure ask a lot of them," Arcee noted as well with suspicion.
"You don't have to answer my questions just as I don't."
Ironhide, Arcee, Ratchet, and even Lelouch were starting to get a little miffed by how apathetic C.C. seemed to be, but Optimus chose to remain calm as he answered.
"There is no Orange. It is simply something Lelouch made up. He used it as a means for us to free Suzaku Kururugi from his court-martial while also creating the illusion that there is a conspiracy among the Purebloods, which in turn will divide the Britannian forces as they become suspicious of one another."
"I see," C.C. said, "Well, that is a clever move. So, what will you do now? After all, it seems like the whole world is looking for all of you."
"Right now we're waiting," Ratchet said, "Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, will make a move soon, and until we know what he has at his disposal we have to step very carefully."
"If something comes up, contact me," Lelouch said as he started to walk away, "I need to know as well if we're going to be facing the Decepticons as well as Britannia."
"Wait, where are you going?" Arcee questioned.
"To school," Lelouch answered, "I can't be Zero all the time, I have to keep my identity of Lelouch Lamperouge up so people don't suspect we're on in the same."
"So wait… you're just gonna leave her here?" Bulkhead questioned as he pointed his thumb at C.C. who didn't seem bothered by this.
"Can't bring her back to my home, can't I?"
"But still…" Ratchet stuttered, "We're not human-sitters!"
"I feel C.C. should remain here as well," Optimus agreed with Lelouch, "Even if she chooses not to answer our questions, it is clear there is more to this Geass than we originally thought. If Clovis chose to commit a massacre simply to acquire her, it may suggest that there is something that we have missed."
"Sounds like we've got a bit of a conspiracy going on," Cliffjumper said.
"I think she should stay here too. Ratchet, you and I may get a chance to study more about this Geass and get a better understanding of it," Fixit added.
Ratchet looked towards Ironhide who nodded thinking it was probably for the best. He shook his head with a sigh, "Fine."
"Bumblebee, escort Lelouch back to Ashford," Optimus told the team scout as he nodded and transformed into his vehicle mode. Lelouch stepped inside as the yellow and black car drove off and toward the Groundbridge station where Ratchet was reading to put in the coordinates.
As they drove, Lelouch couldn't help but smirk a bit.
"[You caused a bit of trouble for Britannia, bet you're feeling quite proud.]"
"Very," Lelouch said without a trace of regret, "Of course, this is only the beginning. I plan to take this all the way and completely tear my father's empire to the ground, even if I have to go through the Decepticons to do it. The world is destined to descend into greater chaos."
"[You say that like it's a good thing.]"
"I may not be able to understand your tone, as my earpiece makes you sound like a monotone computer, but I think I can hear a hint of apprehension. This is what we were striving toward."
If he could, Bumblebee would have sighed, "[Lelouch, look, we are going to stand by your side for this. We'll help you free this world. But trust me when I say there is no such thing as a good war.]"
Lelouch couldn't help but look serious at that remark.
Cecile looked at the different news reports on her laptop, all of which reported acts of resistance and terrorism against the Britannian-occupied districts throughout Area 11. She couldn't help but look in concern at all of this. Her gaze turned towards her superior as he continued to look at his computer; even though she couldn't quite see, she knew what he was looking at.
Lloyd continued to watch recorded footage of the Autobots' grand entrance the previous night, even recorded clips of their brief skirmish against the Purebloods; and he couldn't help but giggle slightly.
"You're still watching all that, Lloyd?" Cecile asked as she walked up toward him.
"Come on, you cannot tell me that you aren't the least bit interested in this!" Lloyd said as he saw the footage of Arcee easily taking down Villetta's Sutherland.
"So, that… 'Autobot' from Shinjuku wasn't the only one it would seem," Cecile noted as she sat beside him. Though she was more than a little surprised by this sudden development.
"Looks that way! And do you see the way they fight?! They took down military-grade Knightmares like they were wind-up toys! Not to mention they can speak to! Heh, sentient robots that transform into vehicles."
"Sentient? Lloyd… you think they're actually… alive?"
"I can't think of any machine fast or strong enough that can do all this damage. Not to mention that the red one has a sense of humor. 'And we'll let you escape with your dignity ', that must have pissed the Purebloods off."
"Lloyd, I agree that this is… something incredible, but we should also focus on what's going on right now," Cecile tried to show him the information on her computer, but his smile faded, as he already knew.
He waved his hand, "Yeah, yeah, I know. More terrorism, other groups following Zero's lead, the Purebloods facing a serious scandal, the Orange business costing Jeremiah his command, and all the screwed-up connections between the police and military. We knew that was gonna happen."
"But what about that comment Zero made? When he said 'Decepticons', what does that mean?"
Lloyd shrugged, "No idea. Perhaps some secret conspiracy within the army."
He resumed watching footage from the fight, "Let me know when Suzaku's about to be released so we can go get him."
Cecile shook her head slightly; though this was expected. Lloyd was always more interested in science and technology than people, and given these Autobots appeared to be living technology, it was rather obvious they were receiving his full and undivided attention.
JLF Headquarters
"Help them Tohdoh!" Kusakabe exclaimed to the veteran soldier, "Zero and the Autobots have thrown the Britannians into chaos! Now is the time for us in the Japan Liberation Front to make our stand!"
"Calm down!" Tohdoh replied, "The information of Kyoto giving the Guren Mark II to Zero hasn't been confirmed. I don't even see a reason why when these Autobots seem fully capable of handling Knightmares on their own."
"Isn't that all the more reason for us to step forward?!" Kusakabe questioned, "With so many other cells and groups fighting we can easily join in and possibly drive out Britannia entirely!"
"Don't let all this get to your head! If we focus too much on Zero, we could trip ourselves up, and we know little to nothing about these Autobot beings!"
The Nemesis
Megatron stood on the bridge of his ship gazing at the image of Zero standing on the shoulder of his greatest enemy. While he would divert his attention toward Optimus as he was his greatest threat, there was also something about this Zero character that piqued his interest. It was very rare that a human would catch his attention. it wasn't just for his unique appearance, but the way he stood on Optimus' shoulder and the amount of command he carried, it was as if he was standing here as Optimus' equal. Megatron gave a slight smirk of amusement.
The door opened behind him and Soundwave entered the bridge, followed by Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp.
"Lord Megatron, I have assembled a squadron of Vehicon troopers and we are ready to deploy on your mark," Starscream said proudly as he gave a slight bow.
"Oh? And just where would you be deploying to?" Megatron questioned.
Starscream looked a bit confused, "To Area 11, to deal with the Autobots, as well as this Orange that has made quite the fuss."
"And how, pray tell, do you plan on approaching this situation?" Megatron asked once more.
"Oh, that's simple," Skywarp put in, "We blow up all of Area 11 until we find the Autobots! And we also end up taking out Orange or whatever it is in the process!"
Megatron looked more annoyed than anything else, "Simple, not a lot of moving parts, and so incredibly stupid."
That caused both Starscream and Skywarp to look in surprise, save for Thundercracker.
"Told you he wouldn't like it," he told his fellow Seekers.
"But Master… the Purebloods… they somehow knew of us!" Starscream exclaimed, "Why else would their leader hand over their prisoner once that was even mentioned?!"
"Charging in blindly into a situation where we know little to nothing always ends in disaster," Megatron stated, "Aside from this 'Orange', we do not even know if Optimus is even in Area 11. Though he may have only a small group of Autobots, it is clear that he possesses a Spacebridge or at least a smaller variety of it. He could be hiding anywhere on this planet."
"Lord Megatron, if Prime has a Spacebridge, then wouldn't it be possible that he's no longer on Earth?" Thundercracker asked.
"Optimus would not openly reveal himself and declare war against Britannia, only to leave soon after. He is no coward, unlike a certain Seeker in our midst," Megatron mentioned to Starscream who scowled slightly.
"So what are we going to do?" the black Seeker asked.
"Soundwave has been scouring the human's data net for any information in regards to the Autobots and their mysterious new ally," the Decepticon leader answered, "Speaking of which, what have you found, Soundwave?"
The silent surveillance chief of the Decepticons walked up to the console at the end of the bridge and typed in some information where they could see all the news reports and articles on the Autobots and Zero.
"Wow, someone's famous," Skywarp commented.
"Over 3 million hits on the human's internet on Prime and Zero," Thundercracker said as he turned to Soundwave, "How many of them are informational?"
Soundwave presented the number zero on his faceplate, indicating that there was nothing informational on them yet.
Skywarp smirked a bit, "How many of them contain the phrase 'these guys are awesome!'?"
The communications officer presented the number 1,203,407 on his faceplate. Skywarp chuckled a bit before Megatron gave a slight glare, silencing him.
Starscream looked at the data on the screen in front of them, then slammed his hands on the controls, "This is what the humans call the 'information super highway'? A trillion gigabytes of data, none of it useful!"
"So, what? Do we just wait? With not only the Autobots at large but Orange up in the air as well?" Skywarp questioned.
"I am inclined to agree with them, Lord Megatron," Thundercracker added, "The Autobots are the graver threat, but the fact that the Purebloods are somehow aware of our existence presents a significant problem."
"Is it?" Megatron questioned, "We know not what this 'Orange' is, or if it is even real. This Zero character is aware of our presence because Optimus has told him."
"Considering they are working together," Starscream trolled while rolling his eyes.
"But is he the only one?" Megatron pondered, "Perhaps the leader of the Purebloods is secretly working with Zero and the Autobots as a spy within Britannia's ranks. Or perhaps it is something else. Either way, we do not possess enough knowledge to take action, let alone a reckless one."
"But master…!" Starscream attempted to protest but Megatron glared at him and growled slightly, causing Starscream to stutter before straightening up.
"Your wisdom is supreme, Lord Megatron," he bowed, "Come Thundercracker, Skywarp. Best we disassemble our squadron seeing as how we have no current use for it."
The three Seekers left the bridge of the Nemesis, leaving Megatron and Soundwave alone for a short time before the door to the bridge opened again and a different Decepticon entered. He was larger than most, about the same build as Optimus with a dark blue and yellow color scheme.
"You summoned me, Lord Megatron?" the Decepticon bowed.
"I did, Dreadwing," Megatron acknowledged one of his most loyal soldiers, "I trust you are aware of our current situation?"
"I am," the Decepticon known as Dreadwing responded as he stood up, "It would seem the Autobots are indeed alive and are recruiting humans to their cause."
"It would appear so, which is why I have summoned you," Megatron began, "I imagine that soon, the human convicted for the death of Clovis, Suzaku Kururugi, will be released. He has undoubtedly had contact with Optimus Prime."
"Do you suspect he is working with Prime?" Dreadwing asked, "Even though he turned himself in shortly after his rescue?"
"His position among the Elevens is precisely why he was chosen to be prosecuted in the first place," Megatron explained, "If he sided with the Autobots, who have taken a stand against Britannia, the human empire would still use this as an opportunity to pursue their initial agenda."
"So he would act as a spy from the shadows to prevent their agendas from coming to fruition," the larger Seeker realized.
"Indeed," Megatron confirmed, "I want you and Soundwave to monitor him, and report back to me if you find anything suspicious in regards to his motives."
"As you wish, Lord Megatron," he bowed once more, "And I should also note that I have previously scanned an Earth-based vehicle mode as to better hide among the human populace without drawing too much attention.
Megatron nodded in approval, "Excellent work Dreadwing."
The loyal Decepticon turned toward the one in charge of surveillance, "Soundwave? Shall we?"
Soundwave nodded before a series of coordinates appeared on his faceplate. A second later, a Groundbridge portal opened right in front of him. The two Decepticons entered the portal before it closed immediately, leaving Megatron alone as he looked more at the information, his eyes pertaining close towards an image of Optimus and Zero.
"So my old friend, just who is this human you seem so interested in?"
Area 11 – Tokyo Settlement
"Case number 107: Private Suzaku Kururugi, Area 11 Military Forces. In the murder of His Highness, Prince Clovis, you are no longer a suspect and hereby set free due to a lack of evidence."
That was the decree of the judge as Suzaku was released from the courthouse. He bore some casual clothes, which included a brownish-green shirt with blue jeans and a long blue overcoat. He carried a bag over his shoulder as he had a few bandages on his face as he had a contemplating look on his face.
"What happened? I'm free," he spoke to himself. Though a part of him knew that would happen. Ever since Zero publically announced he was Clovis' true assassin, it was most likely Suzaku would be released. Yet, why did he sound so disappointed? When he asked himself that, another question entered his head.
"You say Britannia can change for the better; what if you go down this path… and you're wrong?"
That was the question given to him by Optimus Prime, and it was one question that Suzaku didn't answer. All he said was that he hoped he was right. Before he could dwell on this any further, however….
"Out of the way please! Look out below!"
Suzaku looked up to see a girl falling toward him. He immediately dropped his bag and caught her. He looked at the girl in surprise.
"Uh… are you alright?"
The girl was about his age and had long pink hair and bright violet eyes. She had a rather fancy dress on as well. A noble, perhaps?
"I'm sorry! I wasn't aware you were down here until I had leaped!"
"Well, don't worry," Suzaku replied, "I wasn't expecting a girl to come falling out of the sky and into my arms either."
"Oh my," the girl uttered to herself as she got a good look at his face.
"Is something wrong?"
The girl didn't speak for a few seconds before answering, "Yes, there is something wrong! The truth is… bad guys are chasing me! So considering the circumstances, could you help me please!"
"We must get rid of this 'Orange' character before Princess Cornelia assumes her new post!" Kewell exclaimed as he stood with three other Pureblood soldiers in a military communications station as the screens showed images of Jeremiah standing outside the Purebloods' headquarters where several massive protests were being held, the military and a few Knightmares were keeping people back.
"Now the loyalty of us Purebloods is being called into question," a Pureblood officer added.
"Are the reports we've been hearing true? Lord Jeremiah was bribed?" a communications officer asked.
"Do you know what this 'Orange' means?" Kewell questioned, to which the officer couldn't offer a response.
"In any case, Lord Jeremiah is hiding something."
"Saying he can't recall anything? Bartley offered the same excuse!" Kewell stated, "We need to…"
Before he could finish, all the screens in the station turned static, much to the group's surprise.
"What? What's going on?"
The officer sat down and tried to get control, "I don't know! Outside interference?"
The static vanished as all the screens turned black and the only thing visible was a single line that vibrated and shift as a new voice spoke up.
"Greetings, Pureblood soldiers of Britannia."
"Who are you?! This is a restricted communications frequency!" Kewell exclaimed.
"My identity is not important. What is important is how to deal with this 'Orange' before it becomes a problem."
"Are you somehow a part of it?" Kewell questioned.
"I am not. However, we all may face the consequences should this unknown factor be unleashed. I am not aware of what it truly is, nor do I wish to know. Seeing as how we both have a common goal, I would like to propose a deal that would benefit us both."
Kewell looked towards his fellow Pureblood soldiers for a moment before speaking again, "What do you have in mind?"
"I am transferring a set of coordinates, where you should lead this Jeremiah toward. Once he's there, we will execute him as quickly as possible."
Kewell and the others saw on one screen a series of coordinates being uploaded. It was in the Shinjuku Ghetto, an unpopulated area that no one would notice.
"Very well then. We'll lead Jeremiah to your proposed location."
"Excellent then. We shall see you there."
The communication then cut off as the screens turned to normal. One of the Purebloods addressed his superior.
"Lord Kewell, are you certain of this?"
"If it means getting rid of Orange before Princess Cornelia arrives, I'll take it."
Starscream cut off the communication link from a console in the Nemesis with both Skywarp and Thundercracker by his side, as the first lieutenant of the Decepticons chuckled.
"Foolish humans. They always try to find the quick and easy way out, making them all the more vulnerable to manipulation," Starscream said with a sneer.
"What a bunch of idiots," Skywarp laughed.
However, Thundercracker didn't share their optimism, "You know, Megatron won't be happy if he finds out about this."
"He won't know of it, Thundercracker," Starscream replied, "We'll eliminate Orange before he even knows what hit him."
"A quick in-and-out. We'll fly back here before anyone notices we're gone, and no one's the wiser," Skywarp said.
"And the Purebloods?" Thundercracker questioned. "I don't think they'll keep our secret."
"Well then, we'll just make sure they keep this little secret… to their graves."
Villetta sat in her Sutherland behind the soldiers keeping the protesters back as she found herself looking at Jeremiah from her screen.
"Lord Jeremiah's memory is muddled. Exactly like those of the men in Shinjuku whose Sutherlands were stolen. And…"
Her thoughts were cut off as she remembered the incident where she blacked out back in Shinjuku as well. She remembered a yellow and black car, most likely that same Autobot that appeared on the bridge last night to free Kururugi, but wasn't there someone else with it….?
Elsewhere in the Tokyo Settlement, two airborne vehicles; one being a large and bulky, blue and yellow fighter jet, the other a dark blue drone, flew alongside the clouds before slowly coming to a halt toward the rooftop on a relatively tall building before transforming to reveal the natural Cybertronian forms of Dreadwing and Soundwave respectively.
Fortunately, humans rarely look up so they were safe from view. Dreadwing got a good look at the city around him.
"This is the Tokyo Settlement of Area 11?" he looked around, "Very quaint. Now, where is Kururugi?"
Soundwave stepped by his side and pointed in one direction, he looked in the said direction where he spotted Suzaku, wearing a pair of sunglasses, walking with a human female about three kilometers away.
The two teenagers didn't notice they were being watched as they walked when the girl spoke up.
"We haven't introduced ourselves, have we? My name is… Euphie."
"Euphie?"
"Yes."
"My name's…"
"Don't tell me," Euphie said almost playfully, "Cause I already know it. You're a celebrity, son of Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi. Private Suzaku Kururugi."
Suzaku looked around, "You lied before. There's no one chasing you at all, right?"
It was apparent however that Euphie wasn't paying attention when he heard her say 'meow'. He turned to see her kneeling in front of a stray cat that held an injured paw up slightly.
"Aw, does the kitty's paw hurt?" the cat hissed at her slightly, "Meow, meow, meow,"
The cat looked curiously at her as she let it sniff her hand before it brushed up against her hand while purring, "Meow, meow."
Suzaku smiled a bit as Euphie lifted the cat to show him. He tried to let the cat sniff his hand, only for the cat to bite his finger immediately.
"Oh my."
Lloyd and Cecile drove in their large truck, which also carried the Lancelot in the back, as they came to a stop at a traffic signal.
"Oh goodness, we're going to be late," Cecile said with a sigh, "I hope he's still waiting for us."
"I'm sure, while they put him through the third degree, he's fine," Lloyd said as he looked out the window.
"Looking for Suzaku?"
"I'm looking for more of those Autobots," Lloyd responded, causing Cecile to roll her eyes.
"Well considering the entire Britannian military in this country is hunting them, I don't expect them to show up here," Cecile said with a sigh.
"Well also considering they can transform into vehicles, I'd say they are also experts at hiding in plain sight," Lloyd argued while giving his usual smile, "Robots in disguise if I've ever seen it."
However, the two of them spotted out on the sidewalk Suzaku walking with Euphie who held the stray cat in her hands.
"What… why is he…?"
Suzaku and Euphie sat down on some steps as Euphie tied a bandage around the cat's injured leg.
"Do you have trouble with cats?" Euphie asked Suzaku.
"I like them fine, however…" Suzaku tried to reach and pet the cat, but it hissed at him, "The attraction isn't mutual."
"I think that is the remark of a kind person," Euphie commented as the cat hopped off the stairs and ran away from the pair, "The kitty ran away."
"Euphie, why did you tell me that lie when we met?" Suzaku asked, considering she said her life was in danger and seeing how that wasn't the case, naturally he felt confused.
"Do you ask because you are concerned about me?"
"Huh… um, of course!"
"Good, then you can accompany me some more," she grabbed his arm and began to pull him with her, "Come on, it'll be fun!"
For most of the day, Suzaku and Euphie wandered around the city. They didn't buy anything, just walked around, looked at some of the sights, had some lunch, and talked quite a bit. Suzaku took quite a liking to Euphie. She seemed very friendly, a bit impulsive, however, but it was in a good way. Euphie talked about how she was from the Britannian Homeland and was a student until the previous week. This was the last day of her vacation and she wanted to see as much of Area 11 as she could. She was happy to visit it alongside Suzaku. The two had enjoyed each other's company a great deal; neither of them noticing however that they were being watched by two separate parties; one was Lloyd and Cecile from their truck; the other, Dreadwing, and Soundwave from a rooftop.
The pair weren't the only ones taking in the sights, however. While Dreadwing kept a close watch over Suzaku, he could tell that he wasn't in league with the Autobots, not at first glance anyway. However, he also found himself looking around at the Tokyo Settlement. In a sense, it reminded him of Cybertron before the war began as people moved around about their daily business. It was no secret that Dreadwing truly missed his home.
However, there was one moment where both Suzaku and Dreadwing from their respective locations found themselves looking at a news report on a jumbotron on a nearby building that showed the image of Zero, Optimus Prime, and the other Autobots as they made their public debut the previous night. Both of them looked serious at the image.
The teenage pair walked for a bit more as Euphie asked him a question, "Suzaku, would you mind taking me to one more place, please?"
Suzaku gave a playful bow, "Your wish is my command, my lady. Where to?"
"Take me to Shinjuku."
Suzaku's eyes widened underneath his sunglasses as he looked up to Euphie as she had a serious look on her face and spoke in a gentle tone that also carried a hint of authority.
"Suzaku Kururugi, please escort me there."
Ashford Academy
Lelouch sat underneath a tree outside the main building of the campus as classes have just gotten out for the day. He typed on his laptop, trying to find information on Suzaku when Kallen, still feigning her sickly girl disguise, approached him.
"Lelouch, do you have a minute?" she asked him.
"Sure, what is it?" he addressed her.
"About that phone call the other day…" Kallen said.
"Phone call?"
"Yeah… you know when you and I were in the bathroom."
"Ah, yeah that one."
"Can you find out what the caller ID was? I want to contact that person again."
"It was a school phone, so I don't think that…"
Lelouch's eyes quickly widened as he saw something behind Kallen that made him look in complete and utter surprise.
"I see, makes sense I should have…" Kallen didn't get a chance to finish as she saw Lelouch's shocked face and turned around behind her to see what he was seeing, which made her look equally in shock.
It was a young man with silver hair and blue eyes, he appeared to be wearing some form of a straightjacket, similar to the one C.C. wore, which Lelouch noticed quickly; only it appeared to be more torn with small bits of stained blood along the sides a bit. His breath was ragged as he held onto the side of a tree before he stepped forward and fell flat on the ground.
Immediately Lelouch and Kallen ran toward him and turned him to where he was face up and they could see he was barely conscious.
"Hey, are you okay!? What happened?!" Kallen asked him urgently.
He didn't say anything as he completely lost consciousness. Lelouch, though greatly shocked by this, noticed how similarly dressed he was to C.C. Was he from the same place as her? Who was this guy? Either way, he was going to find out.
The Ark
Ratchet had finished scanning Bulkhead with his arm device, he then pressed a few more buttons before he finished.
"Alright, the signal dampeners have now been installed in each of us," the Autobot medic told the rest of Team Prime.
"You're certain the Cons won't be able to track us down anymore?" Ironhide asked.
"Though it hasn't been tested, we can be fairly certain that all Autobot signals, at least for us anyway, are now completely invincible… divisible…. Invisible!" Fixit confirmed between glitches, "Invisible to both Britannian and Decepticon radar."
"Nice to know we can go out now and not be constantly looking over our shoulder," Arcee commented.
"We technically don't have any shoulders in vehicle mode," Cliffjumper said in a joking tone, causing Arcee to roll her eyes.
"[Alright, I'm gonna head back to Ashford,]" Bumblebee told the team, "[Lelouch's classes should be getting out soon, and knowing him, he's gonna wanna figure out our next move soon.]"
"Be on your guard Bumblebee," Optimus told him, to which the scout nodded before he transformed and drove off to the ship's Groundbridge station.
"Okay, now let's…" Ironhide looked around a bit and noticed something, "Hey, where's the girl?" The group looked around in surprise to C.C. was no longer with them.
"She's right here just a second ago!" Bulkhead stated.
Arcee looked a bit towards the front screen/window of the bridge and looked in surprise, "I found her."
The rest of Team Prime looked out toward the front window and they each had their comedic dismayed expressions, even Optimus raised his eyebrows in surprise, as they saw C.C, in her undergarments, swimming in the ocean alongside several fish. She saw the Autobots and gave a slight wave before resuming her swim.
"That's one strange chick," Cliffjumper commented.
"How'd she even get out there?" Ratchet questioned.
"A few of the Ark's chambers are breached and flooded, so I would assume that is how," Fixit said.
Arcee sighed, "I'll go get her."
Area 11
A Britannian military plane was leaving the country with its destination being the capital of the empire: Pendragon. The occupants of the plane were several soldiers and General Bartley, though he was a prisoner waiting to be tried and convicted for his failure to protect Prince Clovis. He was bound in a straightjacket with the same sort of collar Suzaku had when he was a prisoner.
"To think I'd return to the homeland like this. I wish I'd never involved those damned people!"
The Ark
Arcee walked back onto the bridge, covered in saltwater as dripped off her body while holding C.C. in her right hand before putting her on the side platform where Fixit found a random cloth to give her some form of decency.
"What were you doing out there?" Arcee questioned.
"I was bored. There was nothing else to do," C.C. responded.
"You can't just wander wherever you want!" Ratchet protested, "Human physical capabilities make it impossible for you to stay underwater for long periods!"
"Uh Ratchet, considering she was shot in the head and is just fine now, I don't think drowning is going to worry her," Bulkhead commented.
"That should still worry you," Ironhide stated, "We don't know anything about her and were just supposed to trust her?!"
"You don't necessarily have to trust me if you don't want to," C.C. said.
"Then why are you here?" Cliffjumper asked, "No offense, but you don't seem all that interested in what we're doing."
"I never said I wasn't interested," C.C. replied, "Being caught in a war between two alien robot factions is first for me. I was only taking a swim because there is nothing to do at the moment."
"But still you haven't even said anything to us. You're no average human and that much is certain," Ratchet said, "I doubt you've even said anything to Lelouch at this point."
"If C.C. does not wish to share any information with us, she does not have to," Optimus told the rest of the Autobots, "Though I will agree that communication is key, I will not force any information out from an unwilling participant."
"Even if said information spells her working with Britannia or maybe the Decepticons in secret?" Arcee questioned.
C.C. sighed before speaking, "I said it before. I won't do anything that would endanger my contractor, or you seeing as how he's aligned himself with your particular group."
"Optimus…" Ratchet looked towards his oldest friend.
"I believe she should remain under our watch," Optimus stated, "Until we can know for certain what it is she was being used for as she was in Britannia's possession till now."
Ironhide, Ratchet, and Arcee looked a bit reluctant but agreed all the same, while Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, and Fixit didn't appear to be having any issues.
Optimus then began to walk away, "I will return shortly, there is something that I must do."
He then transformed into his vehicle mode and left the Ark's bridge towards the Groundbridge station as well.
The white-haired boy's eyes slowly opened as he found himself sitting on some form of bed, with only a pair of white pants on. He tried to sit up but held his head as he had quite a bit of a headache.
"Hello, Sleeping Beauty," the boy looked to find that several other people his age surrounded him, the Ashford Student Council, the blonde girl known as Milly greeted him with a smile, "You all rested up?"
"I… yes…. I think so."
"Are you okay?" Shirley asked him with concern in her voice, "Lelouch and Kallen said they found you outside before you fainted."
"I guess so…"
"Who are you?" Lelouch questioned with a straight face, "Where did you come from?"
Before the youth could answer, Milly looked at him with a chastised face, "Lelouch, it's rude to ask someone a question like that without introducing ourselves first."
"To be fair, the guy was wearing a straightjacket," Rivalz commented, "Maybe he's from a mental hospital."
That caused the girl named Nina to shiver slightly, "What if he's dangerous?"
"Come on. He doesn't look that dangerous," Shirley said, "Plus, he was hurt, his clothes had blood on them."
"But he doesn't appear to be bleeding," Lelouch replied, "So it might not have been his blood."
"Um, you guys do know he's right in front of us, right?" Kallen commented, "He can hear every word we're saying."
They all looked a bit awkwardly at the youth who just looked more and more confused, "Where am I?" He asked.
Milly sighed, "Okay, let's start this whole thing over. This is Ashford Academy, one of the most prestigious schools in Area 11, you're in the nurse's office right now. My name is Milly, my grandfather is the principal, and this is the Student Council. The rude black-haired-pretty-boy is Lelouch, the vice president."
Lelouch rolled his eyes at Milly's comment as she continued.
"This is Shirley, Rivalz, Nina, and Kallen."
"…Hello…" he nodded his head.
"So, what's your name?" Milly asked him, trying to be as polite as possible.
"My name…" the boy looked as though he was thinking quite hard, "Kai…. Rai… I… I don't really… remember… I…"
That took the whole group by surprise.
"You don't know your name?" Kallen questioned in shock.
"No," he shook his head, not believing it himself.
"Really? Is there anything you remember?" Rivalz asked, "Like maybe a home address?"
"Your parents? Or someone you live with?" Shirley asked as well.
"Are you… an Eleven…?" Nina asked timidly.
He shook his head once more, "I don't know…. I don't know anything. All I remember is just… waking up here. But… that's about it."
The entire Student Council looked at him in both surprise and sympathy. Even Kallen was sympathetic toward this situation. Lelouch, while he did have sympathy towards this amnesiac person, also looked in contemplation.
"Is straightjacket was the same one C.C. wore. Is he like her? Does she know who he is? I'll ask her when I return to the Ark after this."
"Hey, tell you what," Milly told the white-haired youth, "Until we figure it out, you can stay here."
That took him by surprise, along with the rest of the Student Council.
"Seriously Madam Prez?" Rivalz asked.
"Well yeah, we can't just let him out back into the streets," Milly said.
"Yeah… but…. He could be dangerous…" Nina uttered.
"Come on, he doesn't look that dangerous to me," Shirley said with a smile as she turned to the amnesiac youth, "You can stay here as long as you want."
"I… I don't know what to say…"
"Eh, don't worry about it," Rivalz gave him a friendly smile.
"Are you sure this is okay though?" Kallen asked Milly.
"I'll talk with my grandfather and he'll understand," the blonde began to explain, "He may have to be enrolled as a student, but I'm sure it'll be fine."
"Well if he's gonna attend the school, then we're gonna have to give him a name," Shirley said, "You said 'Rai' when you tried to remember yours. I kinda like Rai."
Lelouch smirked a bit, "In Japanese, the word 'Rai' is translated to lightning."
"Oooh, I like that," Rivalz smirked.
Kallen suppressed her smirk as the name did sound kinda catchy. Milly turned to the white-haired boy.
"So, what do you think?" Milly asked, "It's what people are gonna call you, and if you don't like it…."
"I… I like it," he gave a weak smile, "Yeah… Rai it is."
"Well then Rai, welcome to Ashford Academy," Milly greeted proudly with both her hands on her hips.
"So, where's he going to stay?" Kallen asked.
"He can stay at the Clubhouse with me and Nunnally," Lelouch said, "I found him, it's only fair I give him a bed to sleep on."
The truth is, he could also use that to keep an eye on him. If he came from the same place as C.C., he might be able to learn more about her, and incidentally more about his Geass.
Shinjuku
The sun had begun to set upon the ruined ghetto as Optimus, maintaining the cover of his vehicular mode, slowly rode through before coming to a halt at a field of makeshift graves for all the people who died a few days ago. Several pipes were stuck into the ground as makeshift tombstones with flowers, toys, cookies, and other various items laid in front of them. That was only for the bodies, or what remained of them, that could be found and buried. For those that had no remains left at all, pictures and names were placed upon a ruined wall with flowers laid across the ground.
It pained Optimus a great deal to know just how many innocent lives were lost, all the people that he couldn't save: men, women, old, and young, even children. All of this, just because Clovis made a mistake and tried to cover it up with something like this. The last of the Primes certainly knew how to keep his emotions in check, and also understood one of the most difficult things about war, that he can't always save everyone; it didn't ease him in the least. The most he could do now was pay his respects to those that he couldn't save and do what he could to help those that he could in the future.
"The Shinjuku Ghetto... ruined again."
Optimus heard a familiar voice as his optics located Suzaku and a certain pink-haired girl with him a bit ways away, also paying their respects. It was a surprise that Suzaku didn't notice him, probably because he hadn't seen his vehicle mode before. It was best that Optimus not interact with Suzaku at the moment; not when revealing himself could bring the Britanian military back here.
"The residents were starting to return too."
Euphie's face was one of great sorrow, "Those news reports said that terrorists used poison gas, but they're never was any gas, was there?"
"No, there wasn't," Suzaku confirmed.
"So… is it… true?" Euphie asked as Suzaku looked towards her, "That Cl… Prince Clovis… just ordered all these people to die…?"
"I can't say for certain whether it was or not," Suzaku replied, "But I'm not naïve enough to think that it was just terrorists who were responsible for this."
Euphie looked at the graves once more and noticed how many of them were for children, "Clovis… why would you do something like this? Something so… horrible?"
However, it was not just Optimus that noticed all this as well. At the top of a ruined building, Dreadwing and Soundwave were a relative distance away. Though Optimus had not noticed them, and neither of them noticed the disguised Autobot leader either, each of them had a different view on this situation.
Soundwave paid all this destruction no mind. He didn't enjoy it, but he didn't mourn for these people either. This particular Decepticon was about as cold and emotionless as they came. If Megatron had ordered him to, he would have completely eradicated this entire ghetto and all its inhabitants without the slightest hint of regret. But at the moment, his only priority was monitoring Suzaku, which he was.
Dreadwing however had a different opinion. He felt a tad bit of sympathy for those whose lives were lost here as well and this scene also reminded him of Cybertron and the desolation that followed from all the constant fighting and warfare. Though he still watched Suzaku, he silently closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly out of respect for the people whose lives were lost.
"Man, they didn't use RGMs on the Elevens, I figured they wouldn't."
All five of the individuals noticed a group of young Britannian students, from Ashford Academy, taking pictures in front of the ruins and graves, not caring for those who died there.
"Hey look! Those are marks from hummer rounds! Get a clear shot!" he posed in front of his friend with a camera.
"Say cheese!" he took the picture, "Okay, me next."
Each of the individuals had different opinions concerning this. Soundwave didn't care, unsurprising. Dreadwing glared slightly at those who desecrated these graves. Optimus had similar feelings, though they were of sorrow for their ignorance, rather than anger. Suzaku and Euphie each felt the same sort of thing as the disguised Autobot.
Jeremiah piloted his Sutherland down the streets towards Shinjuku as fast as he could once he received the report.
"This is accurate? This information about Zero?"
"Yes sir. Lord Kewell contacted me."
"Are there any Autobots with him as well?"
"Yes sir. The yellow one."
"The same one from before," he uttered to himself, the one that took him down twice in Shinjuku. Now it was time for some payback, "Alright, set up a cordon around Shinjuku ghetto Sector 4 at once!"
"Cordon Sector 4, roger," the communications officer replied before hanging up. He smirked at his associate, "Okay, the ball's in your court now Lord Kewell."
Suddenly a sword came in between the two of them, causing them to look up in shock as they turned around to see the blade's wielder.
"I wanted to be put through to Lord Jeremiah, but it appears you're too busy now," Villetta said with a hardened glare.
Shinjuku
"Get out of here you damn Brtitannian bastards!" Tamaki exclaimed to the two students as he and his two friends, all three of which were rebels who are now secretly working with the Autobots, were more than angry with them. Tamaki slapped the camera down onto the ground.
Optimus, Dreadwing, and Soundwave noticed this as well; as did Suzaku and Euphie, the girl giving an audible gasp.
"Stay here!" Suzaku told her as he ran towards the scene.
"How dare a lowly Eleven to speak like…"
"Don't call me an 'Eleven'! I'm Japanese!" Tamaki yelled.
"Wrong! You seem to forget that your people lost! You're nothing more than a beaten dog!"
Tamaki growled, "You racist pig!"
"Stop! Please! No violence!" Suzaku ran towards Tamaki.
"Stay out of this!" Tamaki swung the back of his hand at him, knocking the sunglasses off and revealing his face, surprising everyone present.
"You're that…" one of the rebels uttered in shock.
"Are you… Suzaku Kururugi?" Tamaki asked, also in shock.
Suzaku didn't answer and simply looked down.
"Hey, sorry we didn't know it was you," one of the rebels said.
"Are you doing okay?" another rebel asked, surprising Suzaku.
"Uh… yes why wouldn't I…?"
"Well didn't the Purebloods frame you? And try to get you killed?" the first rebel questioned.
"That… that doesn't matter," Suzaku said as he faced the trio of rebels, "What does matter is you attacking these two."
"Are you kidding me?!" Tamaki exclaimed, "These guys are petty much pissing on people's graves! Are you seriously okay with that?!"
"No! I'm not alright with that!" Suzaku quickly stated, "But, there are other ways to handle this without resorting to violence."
Tamaki scoffed, "Well alright then, 'Mr. pacifist', why don't you handle this?"
Suzaku sighed as he walked toward the pair, who looked a bit nervous, "I'm sorry for how you were just treated. But still, they're right. People died here for no reason at all. If you can't show some respect…"
The two students looked at Suzaku in disbelief, "What do we care? They're just a bunch of dead Elevens. It's not like they're important or anything!"
Tamaki growled, "You see?! This is what Britannians always do! They keep kicking and don't stop even when they're dead!"
"Who do you think you are talking to us like that!?" one of the students exclaimed, "It's only because of us that you guys are even still around anyway!"
"Yeah, you're only siding with these Elevens cause you're one of them!" another student pointed at Suzaku, "You should have sided with those Autobot-freaks and that Zero, give the military a reason to kill all of you…"
*SLAP!*
The student's camera dropped as Suzaku, Tamaki, and the two rebels looked in shock as it was Euphie who slapped the student across the face.
"I will not allow you to insult this man any further you oaf!" she exclaimed, "And they're right! These people deserve to rest in peace. If you can't do that, then you need to leave!"
The Ark
Bumblebee had picked up Lelouch and returned him to the Ark where the rest of the Autobots were waiting for him, along with C.C.
"Hey, how was school?" Cliffjumper greeted in a joking tone.
"Uneventful, save for a random amnesiac boy stumbling onto school grounds and now staying with me and my sister," Lelouch answered as he began to climb up the ladder on the side to the platform where C.C. was as she put her straightjacket back on.
"Well, that's oddly specific," Ratchet noted.
Lelouch looked around a bit and noticed one Autobot wasn't present, "Where's Optimus?"
"He went to Shinjuku, to pay his respects," Ironhide answered.
"Are you sure that's safe?" Lelouch asked, "Considering that pretty much the entire military in Area 11 is looking for him, and more than likely the Decepticons as well."
"You don't have to worry about that," Fixit said, "We've developed signal dampeners to hide our energy signatures from enemy radar."
"So now we can go out for a drive without being shot on sight the second we pop out of a Groundbridge," Bulkhead said.
"Well, that makes things convenient," Lelouch then looked towards C.C., "What do you know of a boy with white hair and blue eyes?"
C.C. looked in minor surprise at his question, "Why do you ask?"
"That amnesiac boy I just mentioned, he had the same outfit you're wearing. I doubt it's a coincidence," Lelouch said, causing many of the Autobots to look in surprise as well.
The green-haired woman put her usual indifferent face back on, "I don't know him, personally. Though I'd seen him once or twice."
"Is he like you?" Arcee asked her.
"I don't think so," C.C. responded.
"Is he going to be a problem? If he came from the same place you did…" Ratchet began.
"If he was going to threaten our unique partnership, I would have said something," C.C. said.
"So you're not gonna tell us anything unless you have to," Ironhide summed up, "Yeah, that's reassuring."
"While we're on that sort of subject, did you learn anything more about my Geass?" Lelouch asked.
"I believe we have, yes," Ratchet responded as he walked toward one of the consoles on the Bridge and typed a few commands.
A holographic screen popped up to reveal the image of a human brain with a small red spot glowing in the back near the optic lobe and connecting toward the eyes via the nerves.
"This spot you see here?" Ratchet pointed toward the red light, "I believe that is the energy upon which your Geass originates. It lies within your optic lobe and connects to your own eyes via the nerve endings. Right now it's dormant, probably because you aren't using it at the moment."
"Makes sense," Lelouch began, "I have to make direct eye contact for it to work. Transparent objects like eyeglasses present no problem. The effective range is approximately two hundred and seventy meters, and the subject appears to have no memory of the event before, during, or after the power has been used. I think this is due to damage caused by Geass interfering with the brain of the subject, also if the signal is optical I can reflect it."
"I see you've done some research of your own," Fixit noted.
"I need to know the specs of my weapon don't I?" Lelouch said, "No offense to any of you, but unless you happen to be experts at human biology I had to do some testing myself."
"What do you mean you tested it?" Bulkhead asked.
"[I saw him use it on this girl back at his school. [She's marking a cross on a wall and has been doing it the last few days.]"
"Testing to see how long it lasts?" Arcee questioned.
"So far it hasn't worn off," Lelouch said, "Perhaps it may also have to do with a specific command I give. If it's toward a specific event it shouldn't have too much of an effect in that person's future; unless I say otherwise."
"Guess you better watch what you say," Cliffjumper noted, "Your Geass might not know if you're being sarcastic or not."
"I'll make a note," Lelouch said.
"In the short time you've had it, you've learned quite a lot," C.C. observed.
"We also know it doesn't seem to work on Cybertronians 'cause he tried it on me," Bulkhead added.
"It doesn't work on inorganic matter," Lelouch added as well.
"I don't think that may be the case," Fixit said, getting everyone's attention, "We've also done some studying of our own. Your Geass is a form of energy that is currently inhabiting your brain and it affects other individuals because it interacts directly with the nerve endings…. endings… endings… endings… endings… endings…!"
"What Fixit is trying to say is, that your Geass acts as a form of energy; but it's not because Cybertonians are immune to that sort of energy," Ratchet explained, "It's because the energy radiating from our sparks is much more powerful."
"Your sparks?" Lelouch questioned.
"It's the source of all Cybertronian life. You could say it's what powers us," Arcee summed up.
"What? You thought we'd operate on cogs, gears, and stuff?" Cliffjumper joked, "We're not Knightmares."
"Maybe this can help explain."
Ratchet changed the visuals on the screen to a new image that showed a pulsating red line, "This right here is the energy originating from your Geass when active. And this..."
He typed in a few more commands to show a pulsating blue line above the red one, and it was much larger and more active than the red one, "...is the average energy output of all Cybertronian sparks. As you can see, the difference is quite clear."
"I think I understand now," Lelouch realized, "The energy that powers you—your life force—it's stronger than a Geass command."
"Exactly," Ratchet confirmed.
"Another drawback to adding to your list: your Geass won't work on Cybertronians. So you can forget using it on the Cons when they show up," Ironhide said.
"Is that why you are all working together?" C.C. asked, "You have a common enemy?"
"Yep," Bulkhead nodded.
"But still, I'd understand if you were an Eleven, Lelouch, but you're a Britannian, aren't you?" C.C. asked him, "That being said, I also must ask why sentient alien machines are getting involved in a conflict, not of your world. I can understand that you want to fight the Decepticons, but why should the matters of Earth concern you?"
"You mean aside from the fact that Britannia is just a puppet on Megatron's strings?" Arcee questioned.
"[This may not be our planet, but we Autobots live by a code. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. For anyone who is oppressed and has that right stripped away, we'll stand with the weak and oppressed any day of the week. Who they are or where they come from doesn't matter. Even if the Cons weren't involved, we'd still stand against Britannia. Cause it's the right thing to do.]"
C.C. looked towards Bumblebee in minor surprise before turning away slightly, "How idealistic."
"Excuse us?" Ironhide questioned irritably.
"There are only eight of you Autobots, and only seven of you are capable of fighting," C.C. began, "Britannia is an empire that controls one-third of this whole planet, and from your descriptions, the Decepticon forces are even stronger than that. Your conjoined enemy may be too strong to fight with only eight of you and Geass."
"Is it good to be strong?" Lelouch asked as he looked out the window towards the ocean where he could see a shark chasing after a school of fish. Everyone looked towards Lelouch as he spoke in a tone that caught all their attention.
"Starvation, filth, decay, constant war, and terrorism, the strong constantly devouring the weak, like rats running in a wheel: they keep running and running but they always remain in the same spot. Never changing."
"And to have this utopia, what would do?" C.C. asked him.
"It's simple. When somebody wins, the fighting will end," Lelouch answered.
Most of the Autobots looked at Lelouch with surprised and serious expressions.
"When somebody wins?" Arcee questioned, "As in, you don't care who wins, or how?"
"I'll see to it that we win," Lelouch confirmed, "That much is certain."
This surprised most of the Autobots, but Ironhide and Ratchet both shared concerned expressions as they heard this sort of thing before. Someone who wanted to change the state of the world and would do whatever it took to obtain that victory… that sounded very familiar.
Shinjuku
After Tamaki and his group left, along with the two Britannian students, Suzaku found himself looking at a broken statue with Euphemia as the still-disguised Optimus Prime as well as Dreadwing and Soundwave watched and listened to the youth as he spoke.
"Is it bad to be weak?" Suzaku began, "Back then when I was ten, the world seemed like such a sad place; a world without any hope at all. Disease, racism, and living in a never-ending cycle of hate. The cycle must be broken, somebody has to do it! Of course, it's doubtful that the one who does it will make all the bad things go away. No one should lose more of the people they love, at least a world without war."
"How… how would you do it?" Euphie asked.
"I don't know how you would do it," Suzaku replied honestly as he looked at his broken pocket watch keepsake, "But if I stop trying, then my father's death will have been in vain!"
"The Prime Minister's death?" Euphie questioned.
"My father died because he had to sacrifice his life in that war!"
Optimus had listened to every word that Suzaku spoke, and he couldn't help but sense the familiarity, "He's exactly like how I used to be."
However, while Optimus admired Suzaku's idealistic views, he also knew that not everyone wants peace, and it seems Suzaku has yet to understand that fact.
Dreadwing also listened to it as well.
"I can see that young human has a strong sense of honor," he spoke to Soundwave, "However, as idealistic as he is, he has yet to understand just how the universe truly works."
Everyone's attention was suddenly caught by the sound of an explosion coming from a ruined baseball field at least ten kilometers away from their current location.
Jeremiah's Sutherland was backed into a corner as four of his fellow Purebloods had their Sutherlands pointing their lances at him.
"Jeremiah, you're going to pay for letting Prince Clovis' murder go free!" Kewell exclaimed.
"Kewell, you dirty coward!" Jeremiah spat, "That sighting of Zero and the Autobots was a lie, wasn't it?!"
"It was, but it wasn't their lie," a new voice spoke from above.
Everyone looked upward to see three fighter jets: the middle one being silver and red, the one on the right being blue, and the one on the left being black and purple; shooting their missiles toward Jeremiah. The four Sutherlands moved out of the way and Jeremiah tried to do the same, but the resulting explosion knocked him down quite a bit.
The three fighter jets hovered over the ground before they transformed and revealed themselves as Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp respectively. This caused Jeremiah, Kewell, and the other three Purebloods to look in shock.
"Thank you for your help, Britannian Purebloods. We'll take it from here," Thundercracker said.
"You… what are you?! Are you more of those Autobots?!" Kewell demanded.
"Oh please, don't lop us in with them," Skywarp brushed off as Jeremiah got his Sutherland back on its feet.
"Having a bad day, Orange?" Starscream teased Jeremiah.
"You aren't Autobots. Who or what are you?!"
"I am your superior in every way; for you are powerless in the face of the mighty Starscream!"
"Starscream?!" Dreadwing exclaimed, "What is that fool doing!?"
He turned to Soundwave, "Contact Lord Megatron and inform him of this immediately, I shall try and quell the situation!"
Soundwave nodded before Dreadwing transformed into his fighter-jet mode and shot towards the arena.
Optimus drove away from Suzaku and towards the field as well, while the military truck being driven by Lloyd and Cecile drove past him, without even noticing the disguised Autobot, and pulled in front of Suzaku and Euphie.
"Suzaku!" Cecile opened the driver's door for him.
"Miss Cecile!"
"It's dangerous here, get in!"
"It seems the Purebloods are having a bit of a squabble, and it seems more of those transforming robots are there as well," Lloyd said causally.
Suzaku and Euphie looked in surprise.
"The Autobots?!" the Japanese youth questioned.
"Hard to say," Lloyd shrugged, "Oh and by the way, what a shame about your acquittal. Because now you'll have to work for me again."
"Wait, please! Isn't this an opportunity to gather battle data for the Lancelot?" Suzaku asked seriously, causing Cecile to look in surprise while Lloyd looked intrigued.
"Suzaku?" Euphie asked as he turned to face her.
"I'm sorry Euphie, we have to say goodbye here. I need to do this. I think I can stop them with the Lancelot. I have to try. I… I must!"
Starscream brandished his claws as he batted away the gun from Jeremiah's Sutherland. He chuckled evilly as he went on the offensive, with Jeremiah using his Knightmare's stun-tonfa to try and block it. However, while he struggled on the offensive, Skywarp appeared behind him and opened fire with his Energon blasters towards the Sutherland's legs to cripple it.
"An attack from behind?! Cowards!" Jeremiah exclaimed as he tried to swing his stun-tonfa to get them to back away.
"Aren't you one to talk?" Thundercracker said as he drew a long blade from his left arm to block the stun-tonfa before the same blade popped out of the seeker's right arm which he quickly used to sever the Sutherland's right arm completely.
The crippled Sutherland stumbled back a bit as Jeremiah grunted in frustration, "Damn! You're just toying with me?! Aren't you?!"
"What gave it away?" Skywarp teased.
All the while, Kewell and his comrades hadn't done anything other than simply watch. One of his soldiers contacted Kewell via their communications so that the Decepticons couldn't hear them.
"Lord Kewell, these might not be the same Autobots that we saw before on the bridge."
"It doesn't matter. Once we take care of Jeremiah, we'll eliminate them too," Kewell said.
Jeremiah desperately tried to fire his slash harken, his only remaining weapon, but Starscream effortlessly caught it.
"You humans are so amusing," he began to taunt, "Once you obtain a taste of power, you automatically believe that you can rule your whole planet with it. Only to receive a cold reminder of what true power is."
Starscream crushed the slash harken in his grip, leaving Jeremiah completely defenseless.
"Wait," Kewell spoke up, "Jeremiah is our responsibility! We must be the ones to finish him!"
He readied his Knightmare's lance, with all three Pureblood Sutherlands mimicking the action as they surrounded Jeremiah.
Starscream looked more amused, "Then, by all means, have at it."
He 'graciously' bowed and gestured for them to deliver the finishing blow as he stepped back with his fellow seekers.
"Once they're finished, destroy them. We leave no witnesses," Starscream whispered as both Thundercracker and Skywarp nodded.
As they all prepared, Optimus had managed to drive in through a small broken opening in the stadium, though he remained in the shadows. He saw Starscream and couldn't help but glare through his optics at the Decepticon Commander's cowardly tactics.
"Don't worry Jeremiah, we'll say that you died in battle. Your family name won't be disgraced," Kewell said.
"You're serious?! You intend to kill me! KEWELL!"
"Silence Orange!" Kewell exclaimed, "We serve the imperial family! Why else would we be here!?"
All four Sutherlands revved up their wheels and prepared to charge as Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker all aimed their missile arms toward the center where all of them would meet. They would get them in one shot.
Optimus was prepared to charge into the fray as well. Though Jeremiah was an enemy once before, he didn't deserve to die like this.
"ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"
However, before any sort of collision or explosion could occur, a single Slash Harken shot in Kewell's path, forcing him to jump back from his Sutherland, the other three stopped as well and all eyes were set to the direction where the projectile came from.
"Stop it! You're all Britannian soldiers!"
Optimus, still in his vehicular mode, looked in surprise, "That's the same Knightmare from before! And that voice… it's Suzaku!"
Jeremiah's eyes shook in surprise, "That's him! It's that honorary Britannian! The advanced weapon: Lancelot!"
Starscream's look of surprise faded into one of rage, "Suzaku Kururugi! So you are aligned with the Autobots!"
"No, he is not, Starscream!"
Everyone saw this new voice coming from an incoming plane that transformed and landed in front of Jeremiah's downed Sutherland, revealing the one previously overlooking Suzaku.
"Dreadwing!?" Thundercracker exclaimed.
"What the scrap are you doing here?!" Skywarp questioned.
"Following orders, which is more than I can say for the three of you," Dreadwing replied as the Lancelot jumped down from its point to land right next to Dreadwing and face the three Decepticon Seekers and four Sutherlands.
"Leave this place at once! Interlopers will die!" Kewell exclaimed.
"You are in no position to make such a statement!" Dreadwing told Kewell, "Attacking your comrade out of a rumor?! It would seem the Purebloods have no honor."
Suzaku however found himself gazing upon the Cybertronians and saw that all four of them had a certain mark on their chests.
"That emblem, it's different from the one Optimus Prime and the other Autobots had. A different faction maybe?" his eyes widened in realization before they narrowed, "Tell me, are you Decepticons?!"
"How dare you address me as such you lowly human! I am Commander Starscream, and I order you and Dreadwing to stand down now! Do that and maybe I'll forget your insolence!"
"That is an order I cannot follow," Dreadwing stated, as he stood firm before turning toward the Lancelot, "Suzaku Kururugi, I understand that you have a great deal many questions to ask. I promise to answer them later, but for now, these subordinates must be dealt with."
Suzaku's eyes narrowed as he realized that this Decepticon was right. Everything else can wait, "I won't leave either."
His Lancelot reached back to draw a pair of dual swords, which began to glow red as he crossed them with Dreadwing standing by his side.
"My God," Kewell uttered, "They've perfected the MVS's."
Starscream looked a bit nervous as well.
"Do you not see that you are vastly outnumbered?" he gestured to himself, his fellow Seekers, and the four Pureblood Sutherlands.
"Yes, but I can't stand by and ignore this senseless battle!" Suzaku announced, earning something of an impressed smile from Dreadwing.
Starscream growled, "DESTROY THEM!"
Thundercracker and Skywarp opened fire with their Energon blasters and the Pureblood Sutherlands shot forward.
Suzaku shot his Lancelot forward as he used his Knightmare's MVS blades to deflect the red Energon blasts shot by Thundercracker and Skywarp as he soared to them, forcing them and Starscream to scatter. Thundercracker drew both his blades and charged at the Lancelot before locking his blades.
Suzaku held the controls firm. Despite the blades being activated they didn't seem to be able to cut through Cybertronian metal, but that wouldn't deter him as the Lancelot jumped back before charging forward and delivering a roundhouse kick to knock Thundercracker down. He swerved the Lancelot out of the way to avoid the shots of Skywarp as he circled on his Knightmare's treads and shot both his slash harkens at the Decepticon; though he caught them both in his hands, it left him open as Suzaku shot the Lancelot forward and rammed Skywarp who couldn't react in time and it sent him flying and crashing into the bleachers of the abandoned stadium.
One Pureblood soldier shot his Knightmare forward with his lance to try and pierce Dreadwing. But in a surprising turn of events, Dreadwing grabbed the lance and used the Sutherland's momentum to flip it over himself and send it crashing onto the ground behind him. Though the Knightmare was heavily damaged, the pilot was still alive. Dreadwing took his newly acquired lance and he spun it around like a master before facing the two remaining Sutherlands.
Both Sutherlands charged at him at the same time. Dreadwing shot his lance toward the Sutherland on the right to shatter its head, stop its advance, and swerved out of the way to the second Sutherland simultaneously before grabbing it by the shoulder and using his strength to lift it before slamming it hard onto the ground and impaling the lance into its shoulder, narrowly avoiding the pilot inside.
"Stay down if you value your life," Dreadwing warned.
"We can at least kill Orange!" Kewell tried to get the finishing blow on Jeremiah, but Villetta suddenly arrived in her own Sutherland and crossed her tonfas to block the lance attack before shoving Kewell off.
"Lord Jeremiah!"
"Villetta, thanks," he breathed in relief.
However, his relief was still overlapped by his surprise. Aside from the fact he has now seen several more Transformers, different from the ones he's seen before, he was beyond shocked to find Suzaku Kururugi being one of the ones to save his life, despite the fact he tried to frame him for his purposes.
Starscream growled, "Incompetent fools!"
He aimed his right arm and twitched two of his fingers to fire a missile directly toward Jeremiah, but the Lancelot shot one of its Slash Harkens to destroy it before it made contact. When the dust cleared, Suzaku's Lancelot, Villetta's Sutherland, and Dreadwing all stood in front of the downed Jeremiah, with Starscream and Kewell being the only ones still standing.
"Still want to fight?" Suzaku challenged.
"I would highly suggest all of you surrender," Dreadwing advised.
Optimus continued to remain hidden, as he had seen the entire battle. A part of him was glad to see Dreadwing here, as he, along with his late twin brother, were among the few Decepticons that he respected. He also recognized the Lancelot's moves, and there was no doubt in his mind. Suzaku was the pilot of the Knightmare in Shinjuku before the trial when they first met and worked with Lelouch.
The three other Sutherlands were down for the count as Skywarp and Thundercracker attempted to stand while Starscream growled in frustration.
"Men, stand down," Kewell ordered.
"What?!" Starscream questioned.
"Kewell…" Villetta uttered.
"You understand then."
Dreadwing's eyes narrowed, "No, he's up to something."
A small compartment opened on Kewell's Sutherland, "I'm using a chaos mine!"
This caused Suzaku to gasp and Dreadwing's eyes to narrow even further. Right as he threw it over…
"NO! STOP IT NOW!"
Dreadwing, Suzaku, and Optimus all looked in surprise as Euphie ran onto the scene right as the chaos mine activated. Acting on instinct, Dreadwing covered Euphie with both his hands and shielded her with the back of his body just as Suzaku activated the Lancelot's shields to deflect the multiple projectiles that shot all around the area.
The Lancelot's shields protected a majority of the group, though Dreadwing was nicked a bit along his back. Euphie remained unharmed even after the weapon ceased its function, allowing everyone to stand up.
Villetta looked in shock, "That Honorary Britannian and that… other… Transformer! Did they just…"
"Everyone, lower your weapons at once!" Euphie walked forward and spoke in an authoritative tone of voice, "In my name, I command you!"
Kewell looked in shock, "It… can't be…"
"Who is…?" Starscream questioned.
"I am Euphemia Li Britannia of the Empire! And the Third Princess of the Royal Family!"
Everyone present had his or her look of surprise and shock. No one saw this coming.
"Euphie…!" Suzaku said in an audible gasp, realizing the girl he'd spent the entire day with was a Britannian Princess.
"The Britannian Princess?!" Thundercracker exclaimed.
"Euphemia Li Britannia… Lelouch's sister…?" Optimus questioned in thought.
"I'm assuming command here! Now fall back!" Euphie ordered.
"It is her," Jeremiah recognized her, "It's the princess!
Cecile and Lloyd also saw this from a smaller entrance, the former holding a shield to protect from the gunfire.
"Did you know it was her, Lloyd?!" Cecile asked.
Lloyd looked about as casual as usual, "Uh-huh. But she's been a student up until now and hasn't made her public debut yet."
Kewell's eyes shook in surprise as the other Purebloods got out of their disabled Knightmares, "We… were truly… were truly sorry, Your Highness!"
He kneeled his Sutherland as his three comrades kneeled as well. Jeremiah did the same as he got out of his heavily damaged Sutherland, with Villetta kneeling in hers.
However, a laugh cut everyone off as Starscream walked forward, the recovering Thundercracker and Skywarp right behind him, "I hate to break this to you, 'Princess'. But while you may hold authority over all of them, you do not order me!"
He pointed his Energon blaster right at her, causing her to look in fright as everyone was more than shocked and would have reacted if it weren't for…
"STARSCREAM! STAND DOWN AT ONCE!"
Starscream's look faded into one of terror as he recognized the booming voice, as well as the other Cybertronians. Even Optimus knew who it was from his hiding spot.
"Megatron."
All eyes were set upon a massive, silver, alien-like jet with a reaper-drone right by its side as they both flew and came to a stop at the stadium before they transformed to reveal the lord of the Decepticons with Soundwave right by his side.
"L… Lord… Lord Megatron…" Starscream uttered in fear.
"Master," Dreadwing bowed in respect as all the humans' eyes set upon the massive hulking Transformer that easily dwarfed any Sutherland present. He was almost twice as tall as the Lancelot even.
Everyone, including hardened soldiers like Jeremiah, Villetta, and Kewell, as well as Lloyd, Cecile, even Suzaku, and especially Euphie, looked in awe and even fear at the giant that now stood before them.
"Lord Megatron!" Thundercracker quickly said as he, Starscream, and Skywarp all bowed on their hands and knees, "We live to serve you!"
"All hail Lord Megatron! Supreme leader of all Decepticons!"
"He… he's their leader…" Suzaku uttered in surprise.
"Decepticons…" Cecile uttered before her eyes widened, "Lloyd that's what…!"
"Yes, that's what Zero said beforehand along with that 'Orange' as well. It would seem the Autobots aren't the only Transformers out there," Lloyd said as he couldn't take his eyes off Megatron. Though this sort of thing would have him beyond excited, there was something about Megatron that made him feel fear.
"Starscream," Megatron spoke as the coward trembled underneath his leader's shadow, "I believe I told you not to act brashly."
"It was all Starscream's idea!" Skywarp quickly said as he pointed to Starscream.
"What!?" the seeker yelled.
"He was obsessed with discovering this 'Orange' and he ordered us to follow him!" Thundercracker quickly added.
"You traitors!" Starscream uttered.
"SILENCE!" Megatron ordered, causing them all to shut up, "I will deal with the three of you later."
He walked past them as they remained on their hands and knees, "Dreadwing."
Dreadwing walked towards his leader and bowed, "Lord Megatron. I am aware that you told me not to reveal myself, but given the situation, I had to act. I humbly apologize for defying your orders."
"You acted wisely, given the circumstances, Dreadwing," Megatron told him, "I will be sure to reward you for your efforts later."
"I am humbled, master," Dreadwing bowed his head.
Megatron then approached Euphemia as she instinctively backed away in fear, with Suzaku, having stepped out of the Lancelot, quickly moving toward her side.
"Princess Euphemia Li Britannia, Private Suzaku Kururugi. I apologize for the actions of my subordinates and that you had to be dragged into such a conflict," Megatron told them in false sincerity, "Rest assured, my soldiers will be duly punished, and I will deter the punishment of your soldiers, to your sister Cornelia."
Euphemia looked in surprise, "You know of my sister?"
"Princess Cornelia and I made contact some time beforehand," Megatron explained, "We share a common enemy: the Autobots and this mysterious Zero who has aligned with them. Though I know not of Zero's identity, the Autobots are fugitives and war criminals from our home planet of Cybertron. Your sister can spare you the details later, but I assure you that we of the Decepticons mean no harm to humanity. We merely desire a place to call home. Should your Britannia choose to accept us, we will not only aid you in riding this world of the Autobots who threaten it but also work with your father, Charles Zi Britannia, in bringing peace and order to this chaotic and broken world."
"Peace?" Euphemia found that difficult to believe, given how she had just seen Starscream act.
"That is what you desire, is it not?" Megatron continued, "Forgive me for prying, but you recently lost your brother, Princess Euphemia, as Suzaku Kururugi has lost his father. I am no stranger to loss myself and can understand your plight. So tell me, Princess Euphemia, what is it that you hope to desire?"
Euphemia looked towards Suzaku and her expression became firm as she addressed Megatron directly, "To help create a future where no one else has to suffer the loss of a loved one on the battlefield."
Suzaku's eyes widened as he realized those were the words he said to her before.
"Words of a wise leader," Megatron told her with a false sincere smile, "Together Princess Euphemia, I believe we can make that dream a reality."
Despite the words spoken, Euphemia looked into Megatron's eyes and they told a different story. There was something about those red eyes that frightened her a great deal. The same went for Suzaku, something about Megatron's presence just didn't feel right as he remembered the warning Optimus gave him beforehand.
"Now that we have made our appearance, the Decepticons will more than likely make one as well. I implore you, do not trust them."
One thing was certain: Suzaku was going to be keeping a very close eye on this situation.
At the same time, Megatron noticed out of the corner of his eye someone else watching them. Only Megatron noticed as he saw the disguised Optimus watching them from the shadows. He gave his nemesis an evil smile, as Optimus would have glared back if he could.
He quietly backed away and made his way from the stadium and back to the Ark. He was going to tell his team and Lelouch what he saw here; Suzaku piloting the Lancelot, and Megatron's appearance.
Later that night
Euphemia faced her older sister Cornelia as she stepped out of the plane with several of her knights, Guilford and Darlton included, standing dutifully by her side.
"I heard what you did, Euphemia. You shouldn't be so reckless," Cornelia gave her a light yet carrying scolding.
"I know sister, forgive me. But…" Euphemia replied.
"You will address me as Viceroy here, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia," Cornelia told her, "Because we are sisters, we need to follow a stricter protocol."
"Yes, I understand," Euphemia nodded, "But Viceroy, you have made contact with Megatron and these Decepticons?"
"I did," Cornelia confirmed, "And perhaps I should have informed you beforehand, that was my mistake."
"So… they will be our allies?" Euphemia asked.
"They will be. I promise to give you the full story later but seeing as how they know more of these Autobots than we do, it only makes sense that we work together," Cornelia explained, "I enjoy a challenging fight as much as the next soldier, but I prefer to have some knowledge of my enemies before charging in blindly. That being said, however, I ask that you not speak to Megatron or any other high-ranking Decepticons unless told otherwise, do you understand Euphie?"
"I understand Cornelia," Euphie nodded again, inwardly breathing a huge sigh of relief. One encounter with Megatron was more than enough for her.
Cornelia then turned to an officer near her, "Now then, give me your report."
"Yes, my lady," the officer who previously served Clovis saluted, "The first order of business is a welcome party we've arranged for…"
He was interrupted however as Cornelia pointed her weapon, something of a mix between a sword and a gun, right at him, causing Euphie to gasp slightly.
"Sloppy, senile, corrupt," she shook her head disapprovingly, "Where is Zero?! I want the enemy of the Empire caught! GET ZERO!"
Chapter 7: Stolen Mask
Chapter Text
"Suzaku was the pilot?!" Lelouch exclaimed in shock and surprise as he heard what Optimus just said for the leader of the Autobots had returned to the Ark after having witnessed Suzaku and Dreadwing defend Jeremiah from a surprise attack by the rest of the Purebloods as well as Starscream and his fellow Seekers. He also informed them of Princess Euphemia, as well as Megatron's appearance and his claim to be a 'protector of Britannia'.
"Indeed he was," Optimus Prime confirmed, "This Knightmare, the 'Lancelot', moved and reacted the same way it did earlier in Shinjuku, it is without a doubt that Suzaku was the pilot."
"Well, what do you know?" Cliffjumper said, "Did not see that coming."
"Hard to believe a kid could give us all that trouble," Bulkhead noted.
"[The way he moved though when I fought him, it felt like he was piloting that Lancelot-thing for years. He's quite the fighter, I'll give him that,]" Bumblebee admitted, considering he fought the Lancelot.
"The Lancelot itself is quite the dangerous weapon as well," Fixit said as he accessed the Ark's systems and found the data on the aforementioned Knightmare, "From our knowledge of Earth-built Knightmares as well as our observations, this Lancelot can move at speeds that surpass any other Britannian Knightmare, as well as built-in shields and four sets of Slash Harkens. From a scientific standpoint, this Knightmare is a work of sneezes….breezes… genius!"
"I'm a bit surprised Britannia let a so-called 'Eleven' pilot an advanced Knightmare like that," Arcee commented.
"I think it's more they're using him to test-pilot it because he is an Eleven," Ironhide said.
"I agree," Ratchet said, "This is an advanced weapon, though due to human biology being physically weak, there is only so much pressure the human body can take."
"So if the guinea pig dies from the test, it's no skin off their bones because the pilot wasn't a 'true Britannian soldier'," Bulkhead surmised, clearly disgusted.
Optimus and everyone else, even C.C., who remained silent during the exchange, looked towards Lelouch as he looked down, his face being one of anger and confusion as he clenched his fists. Suzaku, one of the few people he could consider a true friend, the person who saved him and Nunnally seven years ago from being killed was now an enemy?! Damn Britannia straight to Hell for doing this to him!
"[Hey uh… Lelouch… are you okay?]" Bumblebee asked in concern as he kneeled in front of him.
"My friend is now my enemy, how do you think I feel?" Lelouch questioned in obvious sarcasm.
Most of the Autobots grimaced a bit as they glanced towards Optimus who looked sympathetically towards the former prince, as he knew exactly how that felt. However, this situation was very different than his own.
"Lelouch, I do not believe that Suzaku has to be an enemy," The last of the Primes began, "We both know his intent on changing Britannia from within."
"Good luck with that," Cliffjumper commented, only to be silenced as Ironhide glared slightly in his direction
"Despite how unlikely that outcome is, we are both aware that his intentions are good," Optimus continued, "Though he may fight in the Britannian military once more in the future, I do not believe he is naïve enough to fully trust Megatron or most of the Decepticons as they have now made their appearance."
"'Protectors of Britannia' my mudflap!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "The Cons are only here because we are!"
"We already knew that would happen when we go in, and since Megatron is Britannia's true master, I'm not surprised he's playing that card," Arcee said.
"Regardless, the fact remains that Suzaku, despite his current alignment, seeks to bring peace to this planet," Optimus continued, "Which could make him a possible ally in the future."
Lelouch looked towards Optimus, "I don't know how that'd be possible. Besides the fact he's as stubborn as a rock, he can't just openly join our side without the military using his position to crack down further on Elevens."
"You could use your Geass on him," C.C. suggested, "Wouldn't be too difficult."
"I won't do that! Not to him!" Lelouch said immediately.
Most of the Autobots looked in surprise; did he value Suzaku's friendship so much that he wouldn't use his Geass and force him to work for him? Optimus however was not surprised, as he knew this from when he and 'Zero' rescued Suzaku from his court-martial and went back of his own free will.
"We can figure that out later," Ironhide said, "What do we do about Megatron?"
"We do now have a general idea of who he has with him," Ratchet responded, "Starscream and his band of seekers are with him, not to mention Soundwave, but that's no surprise, though it would seem that even Dreadwing is at his command as well."
"Could you explain to me who these Decepticons are?" Lelouch requested, "I'd like to know what my enemy is capable of."
Fixit then accessed the systems from his own smaller console as he and Ratchet began to show images of certain Decepticons on the front screen of the Ark.
"Starscream is Megatron's second in command," Fixit explained, "He used to be Air Commander of a neutral group of Seekers during the war. Seekers were considered to be the best flyers on Cybertron, he defected to Megatron's side once he took over his station. Alongside him are his commanders Thundercracker and Skywarp."
"Thundercracker is a scientist," Ratchet began, "He's among the least reckless of the Decepticons, but he's also a capable fighter in the field. Skywarp, though small and remarkably unintelligent, always rushes in and is also capable of handling his own."
"Starscream himself however is a coward, always relying on sneak attacks and back-stabbing. He's not above groveling either," Ironhide added.
"Then we have Dreadwing, a former captain of Seeker armada back on Cybertron during the war," Fixit explained as Lelouch continued to look through the images, "He's among the strongest of the Seekers and is a master at both long-ranged and short-ranged weapons. His most preferred are remotely detonated bombs."
"He is also fiercely loyal to the Decepticon cause," Optimus added, "Although I will say that he values loyalty and honor. Though he will not hesitate to terminate an enemy, he will do it on even ground and in battle, not through deception or manipulation."
"From the way you talk, it sounds like you respect him," Lelouch observed.
"He did aid Suzaku in defending Jeremiah from Starscream and the Purebloods," Optimus said.
"I'm not surprised," Ironhide said, "Most of the Cons are pretty rotten, but at least this guy has his sense of honor."
"Doesn't change the fact he's still a Decepticon," Arcee said with a scowl.
"He took down a few of my friends during the war, so I'm not hanging my hopes on him," Bulkhead commented.
"I feel we're getting off track," Lelouch said.
"Right, then we have Soundwave," Ratchet continued, "He's arguably the most dangerous of all the Decepticons next to Megatron himself. He is the eyes and ears of their cause, a technical and tactical genius."
"His skills as a fighter are pretty top-notch too," Ironhide added. "He almost killed me more than once."
"He's that good, huh?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Oh you have no idea," Cliffjumper commented, "Especially considering he's got a small army on him."
"Pardon?"
"Soundwave carries an assortment of Mini-Cons with him," Fixit began to explain, "There is Laserbeak, his surveillance drone; Frenzy, who uses speed; Rumble, who can create minor shockwaves; and his most dangerous one, Ravage, who is fast, strong, and can attack from both short and long-distance."
The screen displayed the images of all four Mini-Cons; Laserbeak resembling a bird-like-drone, Frenzy being a small red Mini-Con, Rumble being a blue Mini-Con of similar build with large pounders for arms, and Ravage which resembled a large jungle cat with razor-sharp teeth.
Lelouch hated to admit it, but he was impressed. This Decepticon seemed like a truly intelligent one and had disposable drones that each served a functional purpose to cover nearly every possible outcome. Weirdly, it reminded him of himself, and even his older brother Schneizel, and it made him a bit uncomfortable. Soundwave's appearance didn't help all that much either.
"Is there anyone else?" Lelouch asked.
"Those are the only Decepticons I saw earlier today, besides Megatron himself," Optimus answered.
"It doesn't mean they're his only troops," Bulkhead said, "For all we know, he could have a whole army."
"Not much we can do about that," Cliffjumeper said, "But we can figure something out from the Britannian side. So Prince Lelouch, who we're gonna go up against now?"
Though he could tell Cliffjumper was joking, Lelouch didn't like it one bit, "First of all, don't call me that again. Second, I wouldn't worry about Euphemia. She's no fighter and not much of a strategist either."
"From what I observed from her, it would seem she shares the same beliefs as Suzaku," Optimus added, "She too wishes to bring peace to Earth."
"So she's not one of those fanatics who'd start a massacre?" Arcee questioned somewhat skeptically.
"Euphemia never once held a weapon in her life," Lelouch commented, "She may be a Britannian princess, but I can see she's no killer."
"Her records seem to confirm that," Fixit added as he pulled up her data, "There are no battle records, nothing to indicate that she participated in any form of combat or even politics. In fact, up until now, she has only been a student."
"So why send someone who's virtually useless here to where Clovis was killed?" Ironhide questioned, "I doubt it's to make peace."
"She's probably here because of Cornelia, who is the real threat from Britannia," Lelouch replied.
"Cornelia li Britannia, the elder sister of Euphemia li Britannia, and Second Royal Britannian Princess," Fixit read her records, "Also known as the 'Goddess of Victory', she is the Chief General of the Imperial Army piloting a custom-made Gloucester Knightmare; she also leads her squad known as the Glaston Knights who also pilot Gloucesters."
"'Goddess of Victory', huh? I'm guessing you don't get called that for losing," Cliffjumper said.
"Her records indicate she has not lost a single battle, ever," Fixit said in a surprised tone.
"Yeah, well she's never gone up against us!" Bulkhead said eagerly.
"Let's not jump the gun just yet," Ironhide said, "We also have to keep an eye on Megatron."
"In addition to taking care not to endanger the civilian population of Japan," Optimus added.
"If I know Cornelia, she's going to want to sweep up the entire country looking for us," Lelouch said, "She'll start taking out other terrorist groups and resistance cells one-by-one till she finds us."
"So, Optimus how should we proceed?" Ratchet asked their leader.
"Lelouch, you should return to Ashford for now," Optimus began, "Bumblebee will accompany you, while the rest of us will work to contact Ohgi's group on how we can proceed until we know our enemy's intention."
"You're going to be relying on them?" Lelouch questioned.
"They're the only resistance group we are currently acquainted with," Optimus informed, "You even admitted that we alone cannot defeat Britannia and the Decepticons."
"I know what I said," Lelouch stated, "But from what I've seen from them, they're not exactly disciplined."
"What do you expect? They're not trained soldiers, not yet," Ironhide said.
"I'm not disapproving the idea, I'm only saying that when we do build our army, we have to be sure to set a proper example so that we become a force to be reckoned with," Lelouch argued.
"Okay, that does make sense," Bulkhead nodded.
"Nonetheless, we cannot afford to take risks at the moment, the best thing we can do is wait," Optimus said.
"Alright, then contact me when you're ready to proceed," Lelouch said as he turned towards Bumblebee, "Let's go."
"[Got it,]" Bumblebee nodded before transforming. Lelouch got into the driver's seat but looked in surprise to see C.C. getting into the passenger seat.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going with you," C.C. answered, "Obviously."
"No, you're supposed to stay here," Lelouch told her.
"It's too boring here." The green-haired immortal said.
"Boring?" Lelouch questioned, "This is an alien spacecraft being operated by giant sentient robots and you think it's boring?!"
"I'm over it," C.C. commented. "Plus there's nothing to eat here."
"Considering you were shot in the forehead, I don't think you need to worry about starving to death," Lelouch lowered his eyelids.
"I'd still like to eat something," she replied.
"[Lelouch come on, it's not like the whole world is out looking for her,]" Bumblebee bleeped through his radio.
The young revolutionary sighed, "Fine."
He sunk into the seat as Bumblebee drove off toward the Groundbridge station onboard the downed ship.
It was nighttime by the time Bumblebee pulled up to the Ashford Academy Clubhouse where Lelouch and C.C. stepped out.
"Alright, one last time. Do you know anything about a boy named Rai?" Lelouch asked C.C.
"That young man with white hair, blue eyes, and amnesia?" C.C. responded. "No, I don't."
"If you're going to stay here, then I think he shouldn't see you, since he's taking up residence with Nunnally and myself," Lelouch advised her.
"Since he has amnesia, I doubt he'd recognize me from anywhere," C.C. commented.
"[I think he's more worried about word of a 'green-haired crazy girl' getting out, which can lead to the military coming here and causing a whole bunch of problems,]" Bumblebee pointed out.
"Exactly," Lelouch confirmed.
"Well, I suppose that makes sense," C.C. nodded, "I'll just wait inside Bumblebee till around midnight when everyone's asleep then climb into your room."
"Why my room?" Lelouch asked.
"Because," C.C. answered with a shrug
Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Fine," He walked towards the clubhouse as C.C. got back inside Bumblebee.
The black-haired youth entered the dining room to find Nunnally and Rai sitting at the table.
"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late coming home," Lelouch said.
"Welcome home Lelouch," Nunnally greeted.
"Hey, look who's back," Rai greeted as well.
"Nunnally, what are you doing up so late?" her brother asked, "It's past ten and we have school tomorrow."
"It was my fault actually," Rai told him, "She was just telling me about, well, you and her being royalty and all."
Lelouch did not expect that response as his eyes widened and he gave an audible gasp of shock.
"You told him?!" Lelouch questioned.
"Since he's going to be living with us, I felt it was best to get that out in the open," Nunnally explained, "But you don't have to worry, we can trust him."
"You only just met him today," Lelouch said, disapproving of her action.
"Hey, it's okay, I won't say anything. It's the least I can do for taking me in." Rai assured, "I promise I'll keep your secret."
Lelouch looked serious for a moment before walking up, "Nunnally, would it be alright if I spoke with Rai in private? I promise I won't do anything, I just need to talk to him."
Nunnally looked a bit unsure, but she was certain her brother wouldn't hurt Rai or anything, "Okay."
Rai sighed as he stood up and followed Lelouch into the kitchen. "Lelouch, I get why you probably don't trust me with this. But I…"
"I want answers," Lelouch stated as he activated his Geass and made eye contact. The red sigil flew from his eyes and into Rai's, his brainwave patterns shifted before a pair of red rings formed in his eyes.
"Alright, what do you need to know?" Rai answered automatically, now under the effects of Lelouch's Geass.
"What do you know about a girl with green hair named C.C.?" Lelouch asked.
"I don't know anything," Rai responded, "This is the first time I've heard of that name,"
"You're certain?" Lelouch persisted.
"I am," Rai nodded.
"What do you remember before arriving at Ashford?" Lelouch asked.
"Nothing past me waking up in the nurse's office and meeting you," Rai answered.
"So my Geass can't retrieve lost memories from amnesia." Lelouch made a mental note before cutting off his Geass. The rings faded from Rai's eyes as he gave a slight gasp.
"Is everything alright?" He asked Lelouch, having no memory of being under the Geass.
"It's fine, don't worry," Lelouch told him, "But, I know you already said it, but I need you to promise me you won't say anything about me and Nunnally to anyone."
"I promise, I won't say a word about you and your sister, or about your asshole of a father," Rai responded though that last comment caught him by surprise. "I may have amnesia, but I'm not stupid enough to know that so-called Emperor is a pathetic excuse for a human being. And about your mother I… I am sorry…"
"Nunnally told you about that?" Lelouch asked as Rai nodded, "What else did she tell you?"
"Only that Milly and Sayoko are the ones who know about you, and an old friend of yours named Suzaku."
"I see. Well, if Nunnally trusts you, that's all I need," Lelouch assured.
"Alright," Rai said with a smile as he and Lelouch walked back into the dining room to talk with Nunnally a bit. Though Lelouch wasn't exactly thrilled with Nunnally that she reveal their identities to a stranger, but Rai seemed like a pretty decent person, despite knowing so little about him. But now Lelouch had to think of a plan for him and the Autobots for when they would face Britannia and the Decepticons. So long as there weren't any more surprises in store, things should be fine.
The Next Day
Lelouch couldn't contain yet another surprise as he saw someone standing at the front of the classroom greeting everyone.
"I'll be joining the student body here at Ashford Academy beginning today. My name is Suzaku Kururugi, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Pretty much every student in the class was shocked, to say the least. Not only was he pretty much the first Honorary Britannian to end up at the school, but he was the very same that was previously accused of murdering Clovis, only to be revealed as a framed victim by the Purebloods.
On one hand, Lelouch was glad to see him again. On the other, he was still angered a bit because now he knew him as the pilot of this Lancelot Knightmare, which could present a problem for him in the future; the last thing he wanted was for his friend to become his enemy. But that can wait, the first thing he needed to do was talk to him after class, and at least make him feel a bit more welcomed and comfortable, it was the least he could do for trying to save him when they met and found C.C. back in Shinjuku.
The rest of the class period proceeded pretty normally, it wasn't till after class was dismissed that Lelouch overheard what people were thinking and saying as Suzaku began to put his stuff away.
"What's an Eleven doing here?"
"He was a suspect in Prince Clovis' murder."
"But didn't the Purebloods frame him? Seriously that was cold."
"You don't think he's a terrorist, do you? Working with that Zero guy and those Autobot things?" One student asked worriedly as Kallen glanced in Suzaku's direction.
"Of course he isn't, the school board would know something like that."
"An Eleven here at school?" Nina questioned in a somewhat frightened tone.
"He is an Honorary Britannian," Rivalz said.
That fact didn't make Nina any less nervous, "I know but still all the same…"
"Well I think it's kind of exciting," Shirley said with a smile, "I mean he was face-to-face with transforming robots! How cool is that?! We should.." She was about to walk up and give him a friendly greeting, but Rivalz stopped her.
"The guy just got here, give him some space," Rivalz didn't mind the idea of Suzaku being here, but being the new guy was always a bit nerve-racking, so he figured he let Suzaku settle in before saying hi.
Lelouch stood up from his seat and began to walk toward the door past Suzaku, who noticed Lelouch the first time he entered the classroom but hadn't said anything to him since then. Lelouch walked into the doorway, before pulling up on his collar, surprising Suzaku, as he walked outside.
Suzaku walked onto the roof of the building to see Lelouch leaning against a railing before walking toward him. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. It had been seven years since he'd last seen him, aside from Shinjuku, who knows how much Lelouch has changed. But then again, he changed quite a lot himself at that time.
Lelouch turned to him with a friendly smile.
"Seven years since we used this signal, long time, huh?" he greeted as he demonstrated said signal again.
"Meeting on the roof like the old days," Suzaku greeted back with a friendly smile as well, "I'm glad you're okay, I've been worried."
"Alive and kicking thanks to you. You almost died… trying to protect me."
"I was just returning the favor, from seven years ago," Suzaku said as Lelouch's smile faded as that wasn't the most pleasant of memories.
He then remembered the incident, "What about that girl, you know, from the capsule?!"
"I don't know, we got separated during the fray," Lelouch lied, "But you would know more about her than I do, right?"
Suzaku looked down, "No, the only ones who knew anything, were the inner circle of the Royal Guard."
"I see." Lelouch had a feeling that being the case, and most of the Royal Guard, including Clovis, was now dead, so not much he could do about that now.
"And your name, do I still call you Lelouch?"
"The records count my old identity among the dead. I go by the name Lelouch Lamperouge now."
"Oh."
"What about you? I mean, you were face-to-face with actual living robots. That must have been nerve-racking," Lelouch said.
"Oh you have no idea," Suzaku replied, "I mean, we've both seen some pretty intense stuff, but something like that, alien robots, that's certainly something new."
"Alien?" Lelouch asked, trying to maintain a cover of ignorance.
"Oh yeah… I found out they are from another planet. Pretty amazing, huh?" Suzaku said with an impressed smile.
"Yeah, and the way they just took out all those Knightmares at your court-martial…" Lelouch said.
"You saw that?" Suzaku asked in surprise.
"Pretty sure the whole world saw it," Lelouch stated.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"But the way they just took down almost a dozen Britannian Knightmares like that, especially considering those people framed you for something you did not do," Lelouch couldn't contain his grin, "I couldn't help but feel a tad bit of satisfaction for it."
Suzaku understood why Lelouch felt that way, he was well aware of how much his friend hated his own country. Though he was grateful for Optimus and Zero's help, as well as them letting him go, he wished the situation would have been resolved without resorting to violence. But then again, the Purebloods were the ones who shot first so he couldn't hold them solely responsible. Plus he had a feeling that Optimus was telling the truth about these Decepticons as he had only met Megatron the previous night and he could tell right away that this particular being did not want peace as he claimed.
"But, how exactly did you end up from there to here?" Lelouch asked Suzaku, changing the subject.
"I'm surprised as you are," Suzaku replied, "What are the odds we'd end up at the same school? Truth is, someone arranged for me to receive a proper investigation, and that person said a 17-year-old should be in school."
Princess Euphemia, the same person who arranged for Suzaku's investigation, was looking at several paintings done by her late brother. Her eyes fell on one, in particular, showing a much younger Lelouch and Nunnally sitting by their late mother Marianne Vi Britannia.
"We're all of these painted by Clovis?" She asked.
"Yes," A butler responded.
Euphie brushed her hand along the surface of the one depicting her siblings that she missed so very much, "Such gentle colors…"
Her eyes wavered a bit as she remembered the smiling faces of her brother and sister.
"Lelouch… Nunnally…"
"We've successfully identified the guerrillas," A staff officer on board Cornelia's mobile base reported as the data was illustrated on a radar screen at the front.
"That's good, now all we need is their hideout. Get that intel to the Viceroy!" Darlton ordered.
"Yes my lord."
Several large motor cannons were lined along the side of a large mountain as they opened fire on multiple Britannian tanks on the ground, who returned fire immediately. The rebel forces were able to keep the Britannian military at bay, however, this proved to be only a distraction as Cornelia's Gloucester came in from behind.
"What the…?!"
"Is that Cornelia?!"
The rebels tried to turn their turrets around to fire on the fast-moving Knightmare.
"Relics of a forgotten age," Cornelia spat as she maneuvered her Gloucester around the motor shots before leaping up into the air. While airborne, her Gloucester pulled out its rifle and opened fire, destroying a couple of motors before she shot one of her slash harkens to destroy one, and shooting another to take out a separate motor. Using the cords of the harkens, Cornelia was able to maneuver around the motors shot at her even while airborne.
She landed her Gloucester on the ruins of one destroyed motor turret before contacting her Knight.
"Darlton, in here, correct?" She asked, referring to the tunnel behind her.
"Yes, my lady. Shall we accompany you?"
"Not for this level of resistance," she replied as she turned around and drove her Knightmare into the tunnel and into the mountain where the rebels were hiding.
"Understood."
Cornelia entered the enemy base where she spotted the rebels. "Surrender at once you feeble-minded Elevens!"
"DOWN WITH BRITANNIA!" They all exclaimed as they opened fire with rifles, but they barely did any damage to the Knightmare as Cornelia looked around.
"Doesn't seem that Zero is here, no sign of any Autobots either. No point in going after them one-at-a-time I suppose. Vermin! Rot like the filth that you are!" she opened fire with her Knightmare's rifle to mow down the rebels.
Meanwhile, as Darlton and Guilford mopped up the remaining rebels outside the mountain, Dreadwing had maintained a fair distance away from the fight to observe. He wanted to see what Cornelia could do firsthand.
"She used her forces as a distraction before ambushing her enemy from behind. A simple and old tactic, but an effective one. She may not be much of a strategist, but her skills as a warrior are indeed impressive. Had she been born on Cybertron, she would have made an excellent gladiator in the pits of Kaon," He thought as he contacted the Nemesis.
"Dreadwing to Lord Megatron. The operation was a success, Viceroy Cornelia Li Britannia has wiped out the group known as the Blood of the Samurai. We have yet however to see the Autobots or this Zero."
"I'm not surprised," Megatron replied, "I don't expect Optimus to be able to aid every resistance cell in Area 11. Maintain your position and aid the young Viceroy however you can. Should you locate Optimus, contact me immediately."
"Understood my liege," Dreadwing said before he cut off the comms.
Dreadwing was impressed with Cornelia's tenacity, though when facing the likes of the Autobots, he was rather uncertain. But then again, that is why he and the Decepticons were here, to better prepare Britannia in facing the Autobots and he would be certain that Earth would be their final resting place.
The Nemesis
"Young Cornelia had only just now arrived in Area 11 and is already making her way through all the resistance cells in this country. She certainly doesn't waste any time," Megatron said as he stood on the bridge of his ship with Soundwave by his side, "In the meantime, Soundwave, have you managed to locate Kururugi?"
Soundwave nodded.
"Excellent. I want you to keep an eye on him," Megatron instructed, "Though I am certain he is not aligned with the Autobots, he seems like the individual who Optimus would take an interest in. Should you find anything related to the Autobots in any way, inform me at once."
The silent Decepticon nodded once more before entering a set of coordinates in his visor. A Groundbridge portal opened in front of him before walking inside and leaving the evil smirking alien warlord.
Ashford Academy Clubhouse – Evening
"Hi Lelouch, we're home," Nunnally greeted as she and Rai came in, with Sayoko pushing Nunnally's wheelchair.
"Hi there, welcome back. Rai, Sayoko," Lelouch greeted before turning to his disabled sister, "I've got a special present for you today."
"Really? What could it be?" Nunnally asked as she sounded excited.
Lelouch smiled before looking to Rai and Sayoko, bringing a finger over his mouth for the two to be quiet as he waved his hand toward the right. Suzaku then stepped out, causing Sayoko and Rai to look in surprise, but still kept quiet.
The second Suzaku's eyes set upon Nunnally, he stiffened with nervousness. He quietly and slowly walked towards her before turning to Lelouch who nodded for him to proceed. He slowly kneeled to her level and took her hand.
Nunnally was surprised at first, but she gasped as she recognized the feeling, "This hand…"
Suzaku smiled, as did Nunnally as tears of joy fell down her face.
"Thank Heaven! I knew it! I just knew you'd be alright," she held his hand close to her face.
"It's been a long time, Nunnally."
After that reunion, Lelouch and Nunnally told Rai about their history with Suzaku, about his father being the late Prime Minister of Japan before Britannia invaded. Of course, they also had to explain to Suzaku about Rai's situation, about him having amnesia and him living with Lelouch and Nunnally till he can regain some of his memories, and Nunnally telling him about her and Lelouch's previous royalty status. Suzaku was a bit surprised but also happy to hear about Lelouch opening up to some people, albeit reluctantly.
"So tell me, you will stay the night, won't you?" Nunnally hoped as she, Suzaku, Lelouch, and Rai all sat down for dinner.
"Suzaku's enrolled as a student at Ashford Academy now, so you can see him anytime you want to," Lelouch told his younger sister.
"Is that true?" Nunnally asked in a surprisingly excited tone.
"It would be nice to have some visitors here," Rai said as well.
"Well I still have military duties, so I can't be here every day," Suzaku replied.
"Hold on, you were in the military?" Rai voiced in surprise as Nunnally looked worried.
"Yeah, but don't worry, I've been assigned to the engineering corps. It's a lot less dangerous," Suzaku replied.
"Oh cool. Engineering, huh?" Lelouch of course knew Suzaku was lying but chose not to say anything as to not upset Nunnally. He stood up to refill the teapot.
"Oh… let me help you," Suzaku tried to stand up, but Lelouch smiled in response.
"You just sit down. Unlike seven years ago, we get to be your hosts now," Lelouch told him. Suzaku looked in surprise before smiling back, "It's funny though. You're a lot more mellow than you used to be."
"And you're a bit rougher." Suzaku joked.
"I suppose," Lelouch said in a half-laugh before walking back into the kitchen.
"So Rai… you don't remember anything at all?" Suzaku asked the white-haired young man.
"No, nothing before waking up here yesterday," Rai confirmed as his smile dropped.
"No parents, no home, nothing?" Suzaku asked
"Nothing at all," Rai said, causing Suzaku and Nunnally to offer sympathetic expressions.
"I'm sorry," Suzaku said in total honestly.
"Thanks, but it's not all bad. You know what the best part of having amnesia is?" Rai asked with a half-smile.
"Uh… no. What is it?" Suzaku asked in confusion.
Rai shrugged. "You tell me, I don't remember."
This causes Suzaku to laugh while shaking his head, even Nunnally giggled a bit, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Pretty corny huh?"
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Lelouch shook his head with a smile at Rai's bad joke as he refilled the teapot. But his smile faded once he saw C.C. enter the room.
"I told you to stay in my room."
"That boy out there, he's the Britannian soldier from Shinjuku as well as the pilot of that Lancelot Knightmare, isn't he? Are you sure this is wise?" she asked.
"Don't worry, it's fine. He's… an old friend… from the past," Lelouch said.
"You're getting out Jeremiah!" Guilford said as the glass cell door opened to reveal Jeremiah bound in a straightjacket and looking at the Britannian Knight with a hopeful expression.
"Lord Guilford! You see I'm innocent, don't you?" However, Guilford did not share the same feelings.
"Well, it seems in the eyes of the court you are, Orange-Boy," He spat in disgust, much to Jeremiah's shock, "One thing is certain. You used Prince Clovis' death to further your agenda; and allowed his true killer to escape, but not without suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of these Autobots. If it were up to me, I'd see that you rot away in this cell for the rest of your life! As of this moment, the Purebloods connections to the Homeland have all been severed, and you've been demoted three ranks for failure."
Jeremiah's face was one of complete horror. He had just now lost everything. And it was all because of Zero and those Autobots.
"You have two options to choose from: starting over as a pilot, or cultivating an orange farm."
Ashford Academy Clubhouse
"You should come by again, Nunnally would enjoy it," Lelouch told Suzaku as he was about to leave.
"Sure, but um…" Suzaku looked a bit uncertain, "Lelouch, I… I don't think we should be seen together at school."
"What do you mean?!" Lelouch asked in surprise.
"Think, how would you explain it?" Suzaku began, "Being friends with an Honorary Britannian? We have to guard your secret. I know that Rai has promised not to say anything, but still, that doesn't change the dangers that could come if the wrong people find out. I don't want to cause you or Nunnally any trouble."
"Doing it again, huh?!" Lelouch questioned in anger, "Everyone's needs but your own!"
"Again?" Suzaku questioned in surprise.
"Forget it," Lelouch grumbled.
Despite this, the Japanese youth still gave a friendly smile, "Thanks for having me."
He turned around and was ready to leave, "I'll see you…"
He noticed something out of the corner of his eye and looked in shock, so much so that his eyes widened like dinner plates. Lelouch noticed where he was looking and to looked in surprise. He noticed Bumblebee!
It was no surprise that Suzaku would recognize the vehicle mode of the Autobot scout considering he fought him in Shinjuku with the Lancelot, despite the change in license plate number as well as the subtle change in the paint job to make it look a bit rusty while on the school ground.
"Scrap! He saw me!" Bumblebee thought but kept as quiet and still as possible.
"Hey uh, Lelouch… that car…" Suzaku began, but the former prince interrupted him.
"That's my car."
"Yours?!" Suzaku looked at him in surprise.
"I kinda used to gamble, and I used the money I got to buy that," Lelouch lied.
Suzaku still looked at the yellow and black car in surprise, "But, it looks just like…"
"That one Autobot from the news?" Lelouch finished, "I assure you, it's not. It was in the parking lot when I saw the whole thing; and considering I've been driving it, I'd think I'd know if it was an alien robot."
Suzaku seemed convinced, "Alright, I guess you got a good point. So, anyway I'll see you later."
"Yeah," Lelouch nodded reluctantly as he saw Suzaku walk away, before breathing a sigh of relief and walking towards Bumblebee.
"[That was close,]" Bumblebee said once Suzaku was far enough away, "[So, Suzaku is at your school now?]"
"Looks that way," Lelouch confirmed, in a tone that suggested he wasn't too thrilled. Not with Suzaku being there, but with that he knew his friend was right about them not being seen together at school.
"[We should tell Optimus about this, he'd want to know,]" Bumblebee told him.
"Tomorrow after class," Lelouch stated, "Right now, I'm just not in the mood."
"[Because he's still with the Britannian military and we're probably going to fight him again in the future? Or that he's your friend and you can barely speak with him to hide your own identity?]"
"Both," Lelouch confirmed; neither noticing C.C. looking at them from the window of Lelouch's bedroom.
The Next Day
The class seemed to be going pretty well the next day, that is until Suzaku walked in before class started and all the other students stopped talking and most looked towards him with surprise. A few of them looked with disgust at how an Eleven attended their school. He sat down in the room, across from where Rai was sitting.
Rai had been told by Lelouch about Suzaku's request, and he didn't like it one bit. So what if the guy was from Japan? What did that matter? He was still human just like everyone else! Being from a different nation shouldn't be a crime! As he looked at some of the disgusted looks some of the students gave him, Rai's fists clenched in anger.
The Ark
"The Blood of the Samurai?" Ratchet questioned as Team Prime had contacted both Ohgi and Zero on different lines; Ohgi talking from a phone in his small base hidden in a ghetto, and Lelouch being at Ashford on his cell phone.
"Yes, it hasn't made the news yet, but they were completely wiped out by Cornelia!" Ohgi informed, "They were the largest resistance group in Central Japan!"
"I see, they're going after every large resistance group, likely searching for us, while also wiping out any enemy forces in the country that pose the biggest threat," Optimus said, for it was a decent strategy.
"Yeah, it may only be a matter of time before she comes for us!" Ohgi stated.
"Unfortunately Ohgi, it's not just Cornelia we need to worry about," Zero told him.
"Huh?"
"That's right, we have confirmation that Megatron is here. He and the Decepticons are getting ready to mobilize as we speak," Ironhide stated.
"What?! They're here in Japan!?" Ohgi practically screamed.
"Don't sound so surprised," Ratchet said, "We knew they'd arrive sooner or later."
"I know, I just hoped that it would be later rather than sooner," Ohgi admitted.
"Keep your head cool Ohgi, panicking will do no good," Zero said.
"Zero is correct," Optimus agreed, "The best thing we can do now is to wait for our moment. Until we know what Megatron and Cornelia have planned, we'd only be charging in blindly, which is something we cannot afford."
"Okay, I understand," Ohgi said with a sigh, having appeared to calm down.
"Sit tight Ohgi, we'll contact you soon on our next step," Zero told him.
"I understand. We'll wait for you," Ohgi then hung up, leaving Lelouch's the only one on the Ark's frequency.
"Lelouch, Bumblebee has told us that Suzaku is now a student at your school," Optimus said.
"Yes, I met with him yesterday."
"Is this going to be a problem?" Ratchet asked.
"I don't think so," Lelouch replied, "He doesn't know I'm Zero, and he wouldn't do anything that would put Nunnally in danger. Here, he's no threat to anyone."
"Well, it would be easier for us to keep an eye on the kid then," Ironhide commented.
"Lelouch, as we have told Ohgi, it is best that you remain at Ashford for the time being. Should we need you, we will contact you."
"Alright, and I don't think this needs to be said, but I feel the rebels shouldn't learn about Suzaku piloting that Lancelot, it could cause some trouble," Lelouch stated.
"Understood," Optimus nodded.
"Contact me as soon as you can, once you're ready to proceed," Lelouch hung up.
Lelouch hung up his phone as stood in the middle-stairwell where nobody else was, having something of a contemplated look on his face.
"Why does it feel like I'm taking orders from them? I'm nobody's subordinate."
His thoughts were cut off as he glanced out the window he was nearby and noticed Suzaku washing his white shirt which had red writing on it that said 'go back to your ghetto, Eleven!' That caused Lelouch's eyes to widen in shock.
Meanwhile, in a separate part of the school, Nina was typing furiously on a computer, solely focused on the data she was working on when the door opened.
"Nina?"
She gave a slight gasp as she was startled, but calmed down when she saw it was Nunnally who came in via her electric wheelchair.
"I'm sorry, am I too loud?"
"Not at all, why are you here?" Nunnally asked, "What about class?"
Nina shivered slightly, "Oh."
"Something wrong?"
"Well, it's… I don't know… a little scary," Nina held her arms with fear.
"Scary?" Nunnally questioned.
"We have a transfer student in our class now," Nina said, "It's that boy who was accused of murdering Prince Clovis. The same one with those giant scary robots. He's an Eleven."
Nunnally gasped, as she knew she was talking about Suzaku. Nina was afraid of him, which caused the younger girl to look sad.
The Ark
"Cornelia and Megatron, huh? Well, so much for being easy," Cliffjumper commented.
"When is it ever easy for us?" Bulkhead questioned.
"Optimus with all due respect, I can see where Lelouch and his Geass can help us," Arcee began, "But I can't help get this feeling that he only sees us as tools to bring down Britannia."
"Do you believe he may betray us?" Optimus asked.
"Why would Lelouch do that?" Fixit asked, "His reasons for fighting Britannia are sound and seeing how the Decepticons are now allied with them, I see no reason why he would side with them."
"Well, he does know that he needs us if he stands any chance of taking down Megatron to," Bulkhead pointed out.
"I'm not saying Lelouch would go over to their side, I sincerely doubt he would," Arcee pointed out, "But I don't think that he's on our side, or anyone's side but his own."
"We already figured he had trust issues Arcee," Cliffjumper said, "Given what happened to him and his sister, I'm not surprised."
"You all heard how he spoke yesterday, however." Ratchet said, "His goal is indeed to bring down Britannia, and maybe he does have the right reasoning to do so, but his methods and his ideology…"
"Not to mention his friendship with Suzaku," Ironhide added, "Two good friends wanting to change their world; while one doesn't believe in violence as a means of achieving justice, the other wants to overthrow the old regime through force. This all sounds far too familiar for comfort."
Optimus had a serious expression as he spoke, "You believe the situation involving Lelouch and Suzaku parallels that of my former friendship with Megatron before the war?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more than concerned about history repeating itself," Ratchet admitted
"I am more than aware of the similarities between these situations," Optimus said, "As well as the characteristics between Suzaku and my younger self, as well as that with Lelouch and Megatron. However, I have noticed a fair amount of differences as well with both of them. I can respect Suzaku's beliefs, on his goal of changing the Britannian Empire from within through peaceful methods, and perhaps some will try to aid him, such as Princess Euphemia. However, Suzaku has yet to understand that there are those with power who will do whatever it takes to maintain that power, those who refuse to change for the better. A lesson that I learned myself when it was already too late."
All the Autobots were listening to Optimus and gave him sympathetic expressions as they, Ironhide and Ratchet in particular as they knew him the longest, that he did try to bridge peace between Autobots and Decepticons and tried to reason with Megatron several times; only to learn the hard way that Megatron and many of his followers do not want peace, but power.
"The same goes for Lelouch," Optimus continued, "I am aware that his goals may be… extreme, and may parallel Megatron's, however at his core, Lelouch is good, despite both his upbringing and his experiences. Bumblebee has told me of what he learned of the relationship between Lelouch and his sister Nunnally, and we have seen that he values his friendship with Suzaku, even refusing to use his Geass on him to get what he wants. That is the difference that separates Lelouch from Megatron. He is young and he has much to learn; but he is capable of both compassion and love, driven by a desire to create a world not for himself but for those he cares for. Megatron's only desire has been to obtain power solely for himself and no one else."
"And you believe you can help guide Lelouch down a more peaceful path?" Ratchet questioned, "One of justice, not revenge?"
"Yes," Optimus confirmed with a nod, "Britannia must be stopped, but we must also do what we can to avoid becoming just like them. Megatron will do everything in his power to obtain what he wants; he will drive this Earth to the breaking point. No matter what, we cannot allow this world, or humanity, to pay for our mistakes."
"We're with you Optimus, all the way," Arcee swore as she clenched her fist.
"Got that right," Bulkhead nodded.
"You know I'll always stand by your side, Optimus," Ratchet confirmed.
"So will I," Ironhide swore, "And if it also means smacking some sense into Lelouch, then so be it."
"It's time to show the Cons and Britannia that they aren't the only superpower here," Cliffjumper said.
"I may not be a fighter, but I am an Autobot!" Fixit stated, "And I will do everything I can to stop the Decepticons."
Optimus nodded as he gave a slight smile, "It has been an honor serving with you all."
A deliveryman from Pizza Hut had pulled up to the Ashford Clubhouse with a large pizza and was about to ring the doorbell when C.C. already opened it.
"Oh, thanks for all the repeat business. Although the name on the account we debit has a guy's name on it. Is that okay?"
However, neither of them noticed a stray black cat, the very same one Suzaku and Euphemia had met when they first met and bandaged up, walk into the clubhouse underneath C.C.'s feet.
Lelouch worked on creating a secondary compartment on his bag for him to store his Zero mask in, with the said mask being in front of him. If he ever needed to do his identity as Zero, it would be best to have the mask on him at all times as to assume his role as a revolutionary as soon as possible.
C.C. walked in with her pizza, with the cat right behind her, and saw what he was doing.
"Trying to hide your mask, huh?"
"Unlike my Geass, the mask is a physical piece of evidence," Lelouch responded as he put the mask in his bag when Nunnally came in.
"Alright Lelouch, the tea is ready when you are," his sister told him before sniffing something, "That smell, hey did you order pizza again?"
"I'm racking up reward points. I'll be right down, okay?" Lelouch got up and left his open bag on the table.
"Lelouch, maybe you should cut down on the pizza," Nunnally advised light-heartedly, "You wouldn't want a blubbery belly."
"Just don't touch or rub it, okay?" Lelouch joked as he walked past C.C.
"Oooh, scary," Nunnally laughed as they both left the room.
As C.C. looked in the direction where they left, she failed to notice the cat digging its way through Lelouch's bag until the bag fell on top of the cat, where it gave a loud meow in distress. She looked in the direction where it happened as the cat slipped past her with something on its head.
"What the heck?"
Lelouch sighed, "Yeah, Rai told me he saw some of that going on."
"They're just being cruel to Suzaku," Nunnally said as she held her tea. It was no secret that several of the students were openly displaying racism towards the so-called 'Eleven'.
"No, it's just… These things take time, people will come around," Lelouch tried to assure his sister.
"Isn't there anything you can do, though?" Nunnally asked, "I mean he is your friend."
Lelouch didn't have an answer for that. There were just a lot of complicated feelings about Suzaku right now. However, Lelouch's thoughts were interrupted when he saw the stray cat enter the room and meow, which just so happened to have his Zero mask on its head. This caused Lelouch to stand up and practically scream in shock, causing Nunnally to look in surprise.
The cat hissed as Lelouch tried to chase after it, "Hey! Give that back!"
"Uh… Lelouch?" Nunnally titled her head.
The cat gave multiple annoyed and distressed meows as it tried to shake the mask off its head while also being chased out the window by Lelouch.
"A cat…! A stupid little cat!"
He climbed out the window and chased it outside, "You gotta be kidding me! There's no way I'm getting exposed by a lousy feline!"
C.C. ate a slice of pizza when she saw Lelouch chasing the cat from the window in Lelouch's room, "That wasn't my fault, was it? I didn't touch anything."
Thanks to the help from Sayoko, Nunnally had called Rai, Rivalz, Milly, and Nina to see if they could help.
"A cat?" Rai asked in surprise.
"Yeah, that's right," Nunnally confirmed, "I think a cat ran off with something pretty important to him."
"Important?" Milly questioned.
"I'm not sure what exactly, but I'm positive it was something of value to him," Nunnally said, "Because I've never heard my brother sound like that. He was completely hysterical!"
"That's weird, what could be so important to the guy?" Rivalz wondered.
"Maybe the keys to his car?" Rai suggested.
"A love letter?" Nina wondered.
"An embarrassing photo?" Milly guessed.
"Poetry he wrote?" Rivalz guessed as well.
"Poetry?" Nunnally questioned, her brother wasn't a poet so it probably wasn't that.
"Well whatever it is, we're gonna help him find it, right?" Rai asked as he saw Milly and Rivalz sharing mischievous smirks.
"Leave it us!" Milly assured, "We'll get our hands on this thing before Lelouch has a chance to blink! Just you wait!" She gave Nunnally a thumbs up, despite the younger girl not being able to see it.
Rai didn't know why, but he did not like the look in Milly's eyes.
Lelouch had chased the cat to the main school building as he followed it to the garden and lost it for a second.
"If I had the Autobots with me, we could encircle the enemy… no! If they found out about this, I'd never heard the end of it!"
He spotted the cat running along the roof and began to follow it along the ground, but he wasn't watching where he was going and ended up tripping over a bush. The cat jumped down onto the ground and ran past Lelouch as he got up.
"Get it together!" Lelouch said to himself as he resumed the chase with the cat making it inside the building. It passed by a few students in the hall, but none of them appeared to have noticed it, save for two girls as it stopped near them to try and shake the mask off.
"What's up with that cat?"
"Is that the mask Zero wears, or am I crazy?" The other one asked as they saw the cat run.
"No way, why would it be here?"
Lelouch had just stopped in front of them, "You two saw it!"
He quickly activated his Geass, "Forget everything you've just seen!"
Immediately, red rings formed in both their eyes.
"Sure, no problem at all," they both said at the same time.
"Good," he continued to chase the cat throughout the hallways till he heard the school chime.
"This is Milly Ashford, your student council president! Cat Hunt everybody!"
The announcement reached all across campus, including the room where Suzaku was studying, and even where Bumblebee was parked outside as C.C. sat on his hood while eating a slice of pizza.
"[Cat Hunt?]" Bumblebee questioned out loud.
Milly was in the announcement room along with Nina, Rai, and Nunnally as she spoke through the intercom.
"There's a cat loose that needs to be rounded up! Put everything on hold people! Participating clubs will get budget priority!"
"Is all this necessary?" Rai thought as he looked in a mixture of surprise and nervousness.
It even reached the poolroom where the swim club was, with Shirley prepared to dive the top diving board.
"And whoever manages to catch our feline friend will get an extra special prize! A big old kiss from one of the members of the council!"
"Wait… WHAT?!" Rai practically shouted over the intercom in near horror.
That announcement caused Shirley to lose her balance as she screamed and comically fell off the diving board to belly flop into the pool.
"Members of the… wait like me?!" Kallen questioned in shock.
"EXACTLY!" at least two dozen boys from the film and science club popped out of the bushes, much to Kallen's surprise.
"You've been hanging around the Student Council, haven't ya?"
"I wouldn't mind a taste of those lips!"
"It's not like gonna be a lame peck on the cheek though, is it?"
"A kiss on the cheek would be fine with me!"
"Wait… we can choose where she lands it?"
"Ooh… yeah!" the perverted guys all moaned while Kallen had a look of comic horror, getting a whole bunch of stalker and rape vibes from this.
"ALRIGHT!" all the guys shouted as they ran off to search for the cat.
"There's no way that's how I'm gonna get my first kiss!" Kallen exclaimed with her face being redder than Cliffjumper's paint job as she ran for her life to catch the cat before some random pervert did.
"What from a member of the council? Does that include Lelouch?" A female student asked as she and several other girls squealed in delight.
"I prefer Milly," One girl said shyly, much to the other girls' surprise.
"Could you get back in the closet please!" An insensitive girl stated.
"Hut! Hut! Hut!" The Football team was already on the run for the cat.
"We have the advantage in mobility!" The Equestrian Club was on horseback.
"Hurry look for catnip!"
"Science will prevail!" The Science Club tried to dig into the ground.
"And when you do catch that cat, bring whatever it's carrying to me! To me! To me!" Milly exclaimed joyously before coughing furiously over the intercoms.
"Scrap! This is the last thing I need!" Lelouch cursed as he tried to find the cat after losing it in the hallways.
Kallen ran through the halls as well. "Offering people up as prizes, that's why I hate Britannians!" She stopped however as she passed by a few other students to maintain her sickly façade, but resumed running once they were gone.
"Damn it! Why do I have to pretend that I'm sick and feeble!?" Kallen however bumped into someone around the corner, "Geeze, I'm sorry about that…" She however looked in surprise to see who she bumped into.
"Shirley, why are you dressed like that?!" Kallen questioned on account Shirley was still in her bathing suit.
"I didn't have time to change, they're gonna make us kiss somebody!" Shirley stated as she looked like she was about to have a panic attack, "We gotta hurry!"
"I'm with you."
"Well, this could be a problem," C.C. said as she stood up from Bumblebee's hood.
"[What could be?]" Bumblebee asked.
"That thing the cat is carrying happens to be Lelouch's Zero mask."
"[Wait, what?!]" the Autobot scout exclaimed through bleeps, "[How the heck did that happen?!]"
"You got me." C.C. shrugged as she got into the driver's seat, "But we better find it."
"[How are we supposed to do that?!]" Bumblebee questioned, "[I can't just transform and look for a cat! And I can't drive without someone in the driver's seat!]"
"That's why I'm sitting here," C.C. said, "All you have to do is drive and find the cat, I'll grab it and the mask."
"[Well… sure but…]"
"Do you want Lelouch's cover to be blown?" C.C. questioned, "Then you better find that cat."
If he could, Bumblebee would have an exhausted look on his face, "[Oh Primus help me. Fine, let's go! But don't expect me to kiss anyone!]"
He drove off toward campus to try and find the cat and mask any way he could.
"Rai, where are you going?" Nunnally asked as Rai was about to run out of the room.
"To find that cat!" Rai exclaimed. "I don't know if I was kissed or not before, and I don't want my first kiss to be with some random stranger!"
He ran out of the room as Milly drank a glass of water to clear her throat.
"Nunnally, is there anything about this cat that's special?" Nina asked as Nunnally began to think. Milly brought the intercom towards her mouth so that everyone else could hear her description.
"I think that its leg must be hurt because its footsteps sounded off to me. And uh… Oh, I almost forgot, it meowed like this…"
"...MEOW!"
Nunnally's attempt at a meow echoed will past campus, with all the other students cheering and meowing at the same time. It was even heard by Soundwave as he stood on the roof of a building three blocks away. Though he honestly couldn't care what the students were doing, all this activity would make it difficult for him to get any closer without drawing attention to himself, and he needed to be discrete to fulfill his master's mission.
"Should you find anything related to the Autobots in any way, inform me at once," Soundwave repeated Megatron's orders through his recordings before deploying Laserbeak from his chest. The drone that set off for Ashford Academy.
"Kay, let's go!" Milly hopped into the sidecar of Rivalz's motorcycle.
"What happens if a member of the Student Council catches the cat?" Rivalz asked, "We don't get a prize, do we?"
"Do we get a kiss? But of course," Milly answered.
"That so?" Rivalz was now all the more motivated to catch the cat if it meant getting a kiss from Milly. "Well, what are we waiting around for then?! This is my day to shine!"
He drove off in hot pursuit.
"Hey! No speeding on campus!" A random teacher called out.
Kallen and Shirley had managed to corner the cat underneath a table as it hissed defensively at them; fortunately, they did not see the mask that was still stuck on its head. Kallen had also provided her jacket to Shirley to give her some decency as she was beyond embarrassed for running around campus in her swimsuit.
"Okay, we do this right and our lips will be safe. Shirley, you cover the rear," Kallen was about to approach the cat.
"Wait a sec!" Shirley stopped Kallen.
"What's the matter?" The redhead asked.
"Who would you want to get a kiss from? Is there anyone in particular?" Shirley asked, surprising Kallen, "It wouldn't be Lulu would it?!"
Kallen did not expect that sort of question, "Just what would make you think that?!"
Shirley stuttered as her cheeks turned pink, "Oh well.., I guess… it's just…"
As she stuttered, the cat used this opportunity to slip past the two girls, neither of them noticing the Zero mask that it was still wearing.
The cat was running along the roof toward the clock tower, Suzaku happened to spot it, but didn't get a good look at what it had on its head.
"Hey, that's…" He ran towards the bottom of the clock tower where he ran into both Rai and Lelouch.
"Suzaku?!" Lelouch and Rai both questioned in shock.
"Lelouch?! Rai!? You guys are looking for the cat too?!" Suzaku asked.
"Well, it's kinda my fault," Rai rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Nunnally told me the cat had something of yours Lelouch, I told Milly…"
Lelouch looked at Rai in surprise, "And I thought she'd try to help, but I had no idea she'd bring the whole freaking school in on it!"
Ordinarily, Lelouch would have been angry, but there were other things to be worried about right now, "You don't know Ashford's resident She-Devil."
"She-Devil?!" Suzaku questioned in surprise when the trio heard a loud meow from the cat echoing at the top of the clock tower, "Up there!"
"Suzaku! Rai! Wait!" Lelouch tried to chase after them as fast as he could, though he was in far less shape than they were, with Suzaku at the lead and Rai in the middle as they ran up the stairs, "Don't go up there!"
"But the Student Council president said to catch it!" Suzaku exclaimed as they continue to climb the stairs.
"Well it's my fault, so I should catch it!" Rai tried to argue, "Plus I don't wanna be kissed by some random stranger!"
"Then I'll catch the cat!" Lelouch argued back as he fell a bit behind, "Don't worry about it!"
"I was always more agile than you!" Suzaku told him, "Remember when that little bird got loose!"
"A bird!?" Rai questioned.
"Quit talking ancient history!" Lelouch exclaimed.
"It was only seven years ago!" Suzaku stated as he got a major lead, with Rai falling behind to help Lelouch.
"You okay, Lelouch?" Rai tried to help him up.
He tried to catch his breath, "He always was an exercise nut."
Bumblebee had driven towards the back of the clock tower to avoid being seen. His optics spotted the cat as it climbed out of the window and toward the bell at the top.
"[Okay, I see the cat. Now you go and get it,]" he told C.C., who was still in the driver's seat.
"Not a good idea," C.C. said, "There's already a huge crowd."
More than a dozen students were at the front of the tower, none of them noticed Bumblebee in his vehicle mode on the other side as everyone kept their eyes on the top. This included Shirley, Kallen, Nina, and Nunnally; even Rivalz and Milly as the blue-haired teen pulled up in his motorcycle.
"So someone's got it cornered, huh? So who's the lucky winner?" Milly asked.
"Up there!" Shirley pointed to the top of the roof where Suzaku was climbing closer to the cat, "Suzaku?"
"Easy now, you don't have to be scared," Suzaku tried to ease the cat as Rai climbed out the window after him.
"You got it?" Rai asked.
"Suzaku! Rai! Come back!" Lelouch called to them as he stuck out the window.
"It's alright, leave this to me!" Suzaku insisted on Rai being close behind him.
Lelouch scowled, "He never went with the crowd like this. It's no wonder the military is having him pilot the Lancelot!"
He had to think of something and fast. Lelouch then pretended to lose his grip and was actually about to slide off the roof.
All the students on the ground looked in shock and terror at this sight, even Bumblebee could see it and he looked like he was about to make a move, but C.C. put her foot on his breaks to stop him.
Suzaku looked back and gasped, "Lelouch!"
"Crap!" Rai exclaimed as he and Suzaku both slid down the roof to try and grab him. Lelouch was about to completely slide off the roof, but fortunately, Rai caught his left hand and used his feet to steady himself on the gutter while Suzaku caught Lelouch's right arm and caught the window with his other hand.
"Lelouch, are you okay?!" Suzaku asked him.
"Yeah…" he responded as he was practically dangling off the roof while all the students below looked in surprise. Suzaku and Rai tried to pull him back up, while Lelouch looked past them to see the cat slide underneath the bell, allowing the Zero mask to slide off. He saw it bounce off the roof a bit before catching on a window-pike on the other side, where no one else could see it, causing Lelouch to inwardly breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Suzaku and Rai pulled Lelouch back up and to safety.
"You okay?" Rai asked him.
"Yeah, thanks," Lelouch nodded.
"Pretty calm for someone on the verge of death," Suzaku tried to joke to lighten the mood.
"Yeah right, I was just limp with fear."
Milly couldn't hear them, but she could tell there was some interaction between the three of them.
"Hey, what's going on?" Nunnally asked.
"Rai and that new transfer student just saved Lelouch from a close call," Milly answered, causing Nunnally to look in surprise before smiling.
Suzaku had managed to grab the cat from the bell tower and pull it inside, with the cat biting down onto his arm as Lelouch and Rai looked at it. Suzaku recognized it from the first time he met Euphemia, but choose not to say anything.
"So this is the little troublemaker." Lelouch wanted to wring its neck for nearly exposing him like that.
"He doesn't have a collar, probably a stray," Rai said, "Kinda like me."
Suzaku chuckled slightly and Lelouch gave a half-smile.
"Wonder what it was carrying though, the president said it had something," Suzaku wondered.
"Those were my car keys," Lelouch said.
"Your car keys?!" Rai and Suzaku questioned at the same time.
"You risked your life for some car keys!?" Suzaku questioned in comical disbelief.
"Well, I wouldn't some random guy getting them and stealing my car," Lelouch stated.
"Guess you got a point there," Rai said, "And hey, Lelouch, I'm sorry for this whole mess I didn't mean…"
"Don't worry about it." Lelouch assured, "Just be sure to watch your back around Milly. She's a good person, but she can be a real demon when she wants to be."
Rai chuckled nervously, "Yeah, I think I noticed."
"You guys go on ahead, I just gotta get my keys real quick."
"Sure thing," Suzaku nodded.
Lelouch had exited out the backdoor of the bell tower with his Zero mask safe in his hands when he looked in surprise to see both Bumblebee and C.C. inside the driver's seat.
"[You got it, nobody saw it?]" Bumblebee asked as Lelouch quickly came to the car.
"Yeah, right here," He handed C.C. the mask, which she took into her hands.
"You really should be more careful with this sort of thing," C.C. advised.
"Shut up," He glared at the immortal girl before speaking to Bumblebee, "We will never speak a word of this to anyone again!"
"[My lips are sealed,]" Bumblebee assured, no doubt Ironhide and Ratchet, and even Arcee would grill both him and Lelouch hard for something like this. "[Well they would be if I had any,]"
He then drove off away from the students down a path that no one would see with C.C. and the Zero mask safe inside.
However, neither of them noticed something passing over them. Lelouch would have probably dismissed it as a regular bird if he saw it, but it wasn't a bird. It was Laserbeak who flew over and flew back in the direction it came from.
Suzaku and Rai had both walked outside to where the other students were waiting for them, with the cat still biting down on Suzaku's arm. The situation felt awkward as everyone was staring at Suzaku, making him feel slightly uncomfortable.
However, Shirley smiled before running up to them, "You saved him! Thank you so much, Suzaku! You to Rai!"
"Yeah, way to go there, guys!" Rivalz gave them both a friendly smile and a thumbs up.
"That cat was carrying something, wasn't it?" Milly asked excitedly.
"Yeah, it was Lelouch's car keys," Suzaku answered.
"His car keys?!" Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz all exclaimed at the same time.
"That's exactly what we said," Rai said with a nervous laugh.
"You're kidding me!" Milly exclaimed, "I started this whole cat-hunt only to find out Lelouch just lost his keys?!"
"What did you think it was? My baby pictures or something?" Lelouch questioned irritably as he walked outside to join everyone.
Milly comically pouted, "Awe! After all this time I thought I finally had some dirt on you!"
"Yeah, he almost lost his cool for once," Shirley said in a disapproving tone towards Milly. Rai and Suzaku shared humorous smiles as they glanced toward Lelouch.
"So uh, do you two know each other then?" Kallen asked in regards to Lelouch and Suzaku, causing them and Rai to look in surprise.
"Yeah but… he's an Eleven…" Nina said nervously, causing Nunnally to look in worry.
"So what?! What the hell does that matter!?" Rai exclaimed, surprising everyone.
"So what if he's from Japan?! That doesn't mean he's any less human! He eats, talks, bleeds, and breaths the way all we do! I don't care where he's from; he just saved Lelouch's life, the life of one of my friends! As far I'm concerned, he's my friend too!" Rai stated as he put a firm hand on Suzaku's shoulder.
Pretty much everyone was surprised by what Rai said. Though Suzaku was grateful for his support, it made him a bit nervous about the slander he could receive for standing for an Eleven, but that didn't deter the white-haired boy, nor the raven-haired former prince.
"Well said, Rai," Lelouch nodded, surprising Suzaku, "He's my friend too."
He looked towards Milly, "Madam President, would you permit both him and Rai as members of the Student Council?"
This request surprised everyone even further, "The rules are clear: all students are required to join a club, although…"
Though it would be nice for Lelouch to have them close as he did consider both of them his friends, it would also give him a better opportunity to keep an eye on them and see if Rai can remember anything about his past, to see if he's connected to C.C., and maybe see about Suzaku in regards to him being the pilot of the Lancelot. But since Milly was the president, she had the final say.
Everyone else looked to Milly as she came to a decision, "Well, you are the Vice President, so I suppose I can't refuse." Her choice caused Rivalz, Shirley, and even Kallen to smile. She was one of the few people who knew Lelouch and Nunnally's true identities, that being said she also knew of the time when they were under the Kururugi household before Japan was invaded so she could tell they had a history with Suzaku, plus she'd like to keep an eye on Rai to help him remember anything on his past.
"Well then, I'd say that's the end of that," Nunnally said as she rolled close to them, "Now come here you three, lend me an ear."
Lelouch, Rai, and Suzaku each looked in surprise but leaned in close to Nunnally before she kissed all three of them on the cheek, causing them to look in further surprise.
"Nunnally…" Suzaku uttered in surprise.
"There you go, the reward Milly promised," Nunnally told them, "Rai, you said you didn't want to be kissed by a stranger, well I'm not a stranger, and I'm an honorary student council member, so I'd say this still counts."
Rai chuckled nervously, "Thanks, Nunnally… but I think it's best we just stay friends…"
It was entirely meant as a joke as several others did manage to laugh.
"Yeah, that is for the best," Lelouch told him, though his face was smiling, his eyes gave Rai a warning saying 'try anything and you're dead!'
"Alright then! Let's celebrate the catching of the cat!" Rivalz exclaimed, "Everything's on the new guys naturally!"
"Oh back off!" Shirley scolded him before smiling at Suzaku, "Hi there, I'm Shirley. A pleasure to meet you."
"Oh right, I'm Rivalz."
"Milly Ashford, student council president."
Though he was surprised, Suzaku couldn't help but smile as other students began to smile and introduce themselves to him, "Thank you, the pleasure's all mine."
As all the other students began to interact with Suzaku, the only one who didn't seem thrilled about this was Nina as her eyes shook nervously.
Laserbeak flew away from Ashford Academy and made his way back to Soundwave. The surveillance drone attached itself back to Soundwave's chest before its data was downloaded into Soundwave's drives. His faceplate shifted to a recorded view of Lelouch handing Bumblebee his mask.
"[You got it, nobody saw it?]"
"Yeah, right here."
"You really should be more careful with this sort of thing."
"Shut up. We will never speak a word of this to anyone again!"
"[My lips are sealed.]"
His visor zoomed in on the object in Lelouch's hands which he identified as the Mask of Zero, and ran Lelouch's voice through his data and found that it matched Zero's 100%. With the data needed, Soundwave transformed into his vehicle mode and flew off.
Every single student and faculty member of Ashford Academy had gathered in the main auditorium for a mandatory announcement. A massive television screen flickered on before it projected the image of a massive gathering at Pendragon with the words 'Prince Clovis' State Funeral'.
But it wasn't just Ashford Academy watching. Meanwhile, at the Ark, all of Team Prime (save for Bumblebee, who remained at Ashford Academy) gathered in front of the massive holographic screen projecting the same image.
At Pendragon, hundreds of people including nearly every noble had been gathered together, as well as countless soldiers in the homeland as other members of the Royal Family, both prince and princess as well as the other consorts all sat in the back as a single man began to step up.
"And now, his Royal Majesty, the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire!"
At Ashford; Lelouch shot the man a hateful glare; while at the Ark, Optimus gave a serious expression at the sight of the man.
"All living beings are not created equal!" Charles Zi Britannia began, "Some are born with more power! Some are born swifter afoot! Some with greater beauty! Some with greater strength! Some born into poverty! Some are born possessing abilities that others do not! And others, born sick and feeble! Both in birth and upbringing! In the sheer scope of ability, every living being is inherited different!"
At Ashford, everyone was paying attention, though many had different expressions. Shirley looked serious as her eyes shook with fear while Nina had a similar expression. Milly also looked in seriousness; Rivalz crossed his arms and had a half-smirk. Kallen tried her best to hide her hate as her eyes shook. Rai looked at the man and clenched his fists. Was this man Lelouch and Nunnally's father!? The same one who banished and exiled them just for their mother's death and Nunnally's condition?! The more he thought about it, the more he hated this man and he wanted nothing more than to punch his face and knock out a few teeth!
"Yes, that is why people discriminate against one another. Which is why there is a struggle, competition, and the unfaltering march of progress!"
At the Ark; Arcee, Ironhide, and Bulkhead shot looks of hate towards the image of Charles. Fixit was greatly intimidated, the expression on his face being one of fear. Ratchet and Cliffjumper had hardened expressions while Optimus had a serious look on his face. He could easily tell why Lelouch despised his father and didn't blame him for it. This man was the flesh-and-blood incarnation of Megatron and everything the Decepticons stood for.
"Inequality is not wrong, equality is!"
Though most people at the TV studio were listening to Charles' speech, Diethard Ried was focusing solely on the recorded footage of Zero's debut with the Autobots.
"What of the E.U. which made equality a right?! Rabble, politics, by a popularity contest! The Chinese Federation with its equal distribution of wealth!? A nation of lazy dullards! But not our beloved Britannia!"
Ohgi and the rest of his comrades in the Kozuki Resistance Cell watched the TV and most could either glare or look in fear. Ohgi was among the former.
The Britannian military across Area 11 watched and listened as well; including the now-demoted Purebloods along with Jeremiah and Villetta, even Lloyd and Cecile in the Special Corps. Though Lloyd honestly couldn't care less.
"We fight, we compete, evolution is continuous!"
"Evolution, such a pretty little word." Lloyd mused amusingly.
Several of the countless Vehicon troopers throughout the Nemesis found themselves listening to Charles's speech as well; among them were Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Dreadwing. Though Dreadwing and Thundercracker looked with serious expressions, Skywarp looked bored out of his mind while Starscream merely smirked.
"Britannia alone moves forward, steadying alone into the future!"
"Spoken like a true puppet," Starscream said with a chuckle.
"Even the death of my son Clovis demonstrates Britannia's unswerving commitment to progress!"
Both Euphemia and Cornelia stood together and watched. Cornelia maintained an ironclad position, while Euphie tried to stand straight, but one look in her eyes said that she was crying hard on the inside.
"And now, I have a special message I'd like to give to a certain group of individuals. To this Zero and these beings called the Autobots who claim to fight for the ridiculous and false concepts of justice and freedom!" Charles continued, "You have made a grave mistake in challenging Britannia! All other foes who would dare challenge us have all fallen and you shall suffer the same fate! You may be strong, but you misuse your power in defending the weak! That alone makes you weak, not in physical strength but it will! Do you hear me Optimus Prime? No matter how you may challenge us, we will fight on! We shall struggle, compete, plunder, and dominate! And in the end, the future shall be ours! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"
"ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"
Bumblebee heard all of this from his radio as C.C. sat in the driver's seat while holding the helmet of Zero.
"So, this is your enemy."
"[Yep,]" Bumblebee confirmed. Just from this speech alone, Bumblebee hated Charles with every fiber in his body, almost as much as Megatron. He was looking forward to knocking Britannia down a peg.
"Bring it on you wannabe Megatron!" Bulkhead exclaimed, "Bring! It! On!"
"Who else votes for Groundbridging to Pendragon and making him eat his own words!?" Cliffjumper proposed.
"I wouldn't mind," Arcee commented, her hate-filled eyes not shifting from the screen.
"Remember, we have to proceed carefully," Ratchet reminded the team.
"Yes, like Lelouch previously said, we don't want to plunge the Earth into chaos!" Fixit stated.
"Yeah we know," Ironhide stated, "But that doesn't make me hate this man any less."
"Indeed," Optimus agreed, "Even without Megatron's influence, this world has produced its Decepticons in human skin."
As Suzaku looked at the image, he couldn't help but recall the one question Optimus asked him that he couldn't forget no matter how hard he tried…
"What if you go down this path… and you're wrong?"
The more he thought about it, especially after hearing Charles' speech, the more it seemed to make sense… no! Suzaku clenched his fists. He can't be wrong! He just can't be! Because if he was, and Britannia can't change, what hope is there for this world?!
Lelouch glared at the image of his father. He swore, even if it was the last thing he did, he would obliterate his father's empire! He would burn him and everything he stands for to the ground! No matter what!
Megatron stood alone on the bridge of the Nemesis as he saw and listened to the whole speech. He couldn't help but smirk with pride.
"I expect nothing less from my pupil," He heard the door opened behind him and saw his most trusted soldier walk in. "Soundwave. I trust you found something very interesting?"
Soundwave nodded as he produced a set of tentacles from his body and they attached to the main console on the bridge before a screen on the front appeared as he showed the recorded footage Laserbeak caught.
"[You got it, nobody saw it?]" Bumblebee asked as Lelouch quickly came to the car.
"Yeah, right here.," He handed C.C. the mask, which she took into her hands.
"You really should be more careful with this sort of thing," C.C. advised.
"Shut up." Lelouch glared before speaking to Bumblebee, "We will never speak a word of this to anyone again!"
"[My lips are sealed.]"
"The Autobot scout?" Megatron questioned as he recognized Bumblebee. "So, he is stationed at this place?"
Soundwave however paused the image and zoomed in on what the human boy was handing over to the girl inside before the image focused and the item in question was shown in clear quality.
"Zero's mask!" Megatron stated.
Soundwave then began to shift the image as the screen split in two; one showed the image of Lelouch, the other of Zero in his debut.
"Yeah, right here."
"I am Zero!"
The vibrating lines represent the voices of each of them that came together and were a 100% match. Megatron couldn't help but look in a mixture of surprise and amusement.
"So, the mysterious Zero is a youth of Britannia?" Megatron wondered, "I would have thought he'd be someone of Area 11, or from somewhere else that fell to Britannia's onslaught. This is certainly…"
However, Megatron noticed that Soundwave wasn't done yet. He saw the image of Lelouch change as Soundwave remotely hacked into the files of Ashford Academy, something very simple for the Eyes and Ears of the Decepticons, and found his student ID both a name and photo: Lelouch Lamperouge, age 17. But he wasn't done yet, Soundwave ran Lelouch's face through the records on board the Nemesis, which also kept records of Charles Zi Britannia and his royal family. He found a match: Lelouch Vi Britannia.
"Charles's youngest son," Megatron observed, "Lelouch Vi Britannia…"
The evil alien warlord then began to chuckle before it erupted into full-blown laughter, "Such irony! Charles's son aims to topple his empire! But, now that I think about it, the more it makes sense. Wasn't young Lelouch exiled to Japan with his youngest sister following his mother's death?"
Soundwave nodded in confirmation.
"And the official records count him and his sister among the dead." Megatron continued, "Obviously with Lelouch, those claims are exaggerated, but does his sister live as well? How do they live? Did Optimus save them upon Japan's invasion? No, he wasn't even there, for if he were, he surely would have done more than that. This suggests that perhaps Optimus has met Lelouch rather recently. And given how his father left him and his sister for dead, it's no secret that he hates his empire. So his identity as Zero is merely a child's game of revenge, yet Optimus sees something within him, something that he views as worthy to make him fight alongside him. If Optimus sees value in Lelouch, then perhaps there is something more to him."
Megatron turned to his most trusted servant, "Soundwave, let us keep this information to ourselves, not even our soldiers most know of it. Knowing Starscream he would likely do something rather reckless, such as attacking the place of Lelouch's current residence. He may destroy Zero, but I doubt Optimus has all his Autobot forces stationed there. And if in the event he and any other Decepticon were captured, it would run the risk of the Autobots learning what we know of this, and perhaps Lelouch could be useful, very useful."
Soundwave nodded in acknowledgment. He would keep this information a secret.
Megatron looked at the paused image of Zero's debut as he stood on the shoulder of his greatest enemy.
"Now then, Optimus, Lelouch, shall we play a game?" he questioned aloud with a sinister smile and an evil glimmer in his eyes.
Chapter 8: Duel of Steel
Chapter Text
"The Blood of the Samurai, the Shadow Clan, and Shinobi's Steel. These are all the resistance cells that Cornelia has completely wiped out in just a few days," Ratchet pointed to the rest of Team Prime, including Lelouch, as they stood in the Ark's control room, with a holographic map of the area presented on the main screen with red dots representing each of the locations Cornelia has hit.
"I'll give her credit, she doesn't waste any time," Ironhide commented.
"Of course she doesn't," Lelouch said, "She's not exactly a master strategist, but she is a warrior. Whenever a problem is presented, she always cuts it out immediately."
"Cornelia's track record before Japan is nothing to scoff at either," Fixit added as he looked at some of the data on his station, "Including the recent defeat of the Middle Eastern Federation, she has never once suffered a defeat. And all her battles come to an end in record crime… dime… time!"
"So what, she's just wiping out every single rebel group she comes across?" Arcee questioned, "Like some kind of purge?"
"I don't think so, she's probably looking for me. Well, for Zero anyway," Lelouch pointed out.
"Yeah, you're pretty much all over the news since that mess with the Purebloods," Bulkhead commented.
"That and I openly challenged Britannian rule by killing a prince, so of course they'd respond with something like this," Lelouch said with a smirk.
"Why do you sound so happy about that?" Ironhide questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"The fact that Britannia is going to such lengths as to sick the Goddess of Victory on me is proof that I've got them scared," Lelouch continued to smirk.
"Um… I think you mean on us," Arcee stated, "We're just as involved in this as you are."
"I know, you're a vital part of all this," Lelouch said.
"The way he's talking, it's like we're just cogs in a machine to him," Bumblebee noted silently as Ironhide, Ratchet, Arcee, and even Bulkhead looked toward Lelouch suspiciously.
"So what exactly are we gonna do?" Fixit asked, "Cornelia is eradicating virtually everything in sight and there doesn't seem to be a pattern to her method."
"I wouldn't exactly say that," Cliffjumper spoke up.
"[What do you mean?]" Bumblebee asked.
"Look at all those locations again," Cliffjumper pointed to the map of Cornelia's recent battles, "Now connect the dots, and I mean to connect the dots, as in draw a line."
Ratchet put in a few commands before a red line, that's when the Autobots and Lelouch noticed that there was indeed a pattern, literally connected the dots. It was a near-perfect circle that encompassed the area that represented the Tokyo Settlement.
"Whoa… no way!" Bulkhead exclaimed.
"Exactly, these attacks aren't random," Cliffjumper said, "Every single one of them is circling the perimeter of the Settlement. Since she's looking for us, she's hitting each possible hiding place we'd be at since our big debut."
"And it's completely encircled the entire area," Ratchet added.
"So now that Cornelia's looked all over the perimeter…" Arcee began.
"She's going to now focus more on inward territory as it appears she has cut off our escape routes," Lelouch finished, "Completely unaware that we're not even in Japan right now."
"So then, it would stand to reason that Cornelia will likely target a major resistance group with the belief that either we are hiding there, or an attempt to draw us out," Optimus theorized.
"Well, which is the biggest resistance group in that area?" Bulkhead asked.
"Given the intel Ohgi provided, he said the biggest group, beside the Blood of the Samurai, is the Yamato alliance stationed in the Saitama Ghetto," Ironhide answered as he typed in some of the data on another console on the bridge.
"But, the Saitama ghetto is one of the most overpopulated areas near the Tokyo Settlement," Fixit quickly added, "Not just resistance fighters, but all sorts of people live there. If Cornelia were to attack, countless people will get caught in the crossfire."
"She doesn't care about that sort of thing," Lelouch pointed out, his face contorting with disgust, "No one in Britannia truly does. To them, the people in that ghetto are just lambs for the slaughter, trash to be thrown away. Nothing more."
"Those damn wannabe Cons!" Ironhide growled.
"Speaking of which, don't you think it's weird that we haven't seen any real appearances from the Decepticons?" Bulkhead growled, "I mean, there isn't even a real news report of them yet."
"If I had to guess, I would say that Megatron is more than likely using Cornelia and the Britannian forces in Area 11 as a test, to see what we are capable of before finding an appropriate response," Optimus assumed.
"So he's using Britannia to measure our strength," Lelouch surmised before something of a smirk formed on his face, "My father's empire is nothing more than a tool for the Decepticons."
"That's a bad thing, Lelouch," Arcee told him, "It means the entire empire's resources are at his disposal while we have next to nothing!"
"[That's not entirely true,]" Bumblebee pointed out, "[We have Ohgi and his group with us, not to mention Kallen's a force to be reckoned with herself.]"
"A couple of soldiers on our side isn't enough to wage a full-scale war, Bumblebee," Ironhide told him.
"How about instead of focusing on what we don't have, let's focus on what we do have and what we can do with it," Cliffjumper suggested.
"Cliffjumper is correct," Optimus stated, "If our theory is true, and Cornelia will attack the Saitama ghetto, then we must evacuate it immediately."
That took most of the crew by surprise.
"Evacuate the ghetto?" Bulkhead questioned.
"Optimus, the entire Saitama ghetto is filled with over two thousand people," Fixit told him, "Organizing an evacuation like that could take days."
"And even then, don't you think outside parties would notice countless people leaving the area?" Ratchet questioned, "It would suggest that we are aware of the enemy's plan and it could provoke them into attacking the evacuating civilians!"
"Not if we do it carefully," Lelouch got everyone's attention.
"What are you getting at, Lelouch?" Cliffjumper asked the former prince.
"We'll use the Groundbridge," He said, surprising most of the group, "We'll use the ruined sewers or anything else that's underground to mask ourselves. We can use the Groundbridge to send multiple people to Shinjuku all at once, while at the same time, preparing the ghetto itself to be used to our advantage."
"Why Shinjuku?" Arcee asked.
"Considering I was recently there, Cornelia wouldn't think I'd be so foolish to return to a place that can be so easily attacked. It's the last place she'd look," Lelouch explained.
"[Well… that does make sense,]" Bumblebee pointed out.
"Alright, so… what do you think Optimus?" Bulkhead asked their leader.
"It is a sound strategy," Optimus said, "I will not allow more innocent civilians to be caught in the crossfire of our battles. Contact Ohgi immediately and see if he can get in contact with the Yamato alliance in Saitama. We need to evacuate everyone as soon as possible."
"Understood," Ratchet began to type on the communications' control to try and get in touch with their only human ally at the moment.
"In the meantime, Bumblebee, escort Lelouch back to Ashford. Lelouch, we'll contact you once we know whether or not our suspicions are proven true," Optimus told the young exiled prince and his current guardian.
"Got it," Lelouch said as Bumblebee nodded.
He stepped down a ladder onto the ground where Bumblebee transformed into his vehicle mode, allowing Lelouch to step in before driving off.
Ironhide sighed, "I said it before Optimus, I'll say it again. I don't trust Lelouch right now. And it's not just because of his motives, it's his ego."
"I'm with Ironhide on this," Arcee agreed, "He's getting too cocky and full of himself. I'll admit, Lelouch is a strategic genius, and he has every reason to hate Britannia, but he's letting a few victories get to his head."
"I will have to agree, Optimus," Ratchet added as well, "All the power and strategy amounts to nothing if you allow your pride to get the better of you."
"That being said, it's only a matter of time till he slips up and makes a big mistake, and we have to bail him out," Ironhide finished.
Deep down, Optimus knew they were right. Though Lelouch was good at his core, he was allowing his pride to get the better of him, and maybe right now, he may see the Autobots as a means to an end; but if they can help guide him and get through to him, he may end up becoming this world's greatest, if not only, hope.
"Believe me, I am aware of Lelouch's flaws," Optimus acknowledge, "However, given both his Geass as well as his knowledge of Britannia, not to mention his strategic intellect as you mentioned, he is also a valuable ally."
"So the kid's got some issues, nobody's perfect," Cliffjumper said as he stood with Bulkhead.
"I'm a little surprised you guys are so alright with him," Arcee commented.
"Look, we'll admit, he's a morally complex guy," Bulkhead said, "But, Bee's also told us what he's like at home. He does care about his sister."
"Not to mention he cares about Suzaku too, despite the guy being on the wrong side," Cliffjumper added, "So you guys can't say he's all bad."
"No, he isn't all bad," Ironhide admitted, "But he does have the potential to become a 'second Megatron'."
"That's why we're here," Bulkhead said, "If he's with us, then we can show him how to work the right way."
Arcee, Ratchet, and Ironhide exchanged glances. Though they were aware of the concerns regarding Lelouch, they weren't ignorant of the more positive aspects of his character as well. So they were willing to at least listen and maybe give him a chance.
"But still, the way he's acting right now, it's only a matter of time till he makes a mistake, a pretty big one that could end up costing lives," Arcee commented.
"You don't think Lelouch would kill any of us, do you?" Fixit asked with worry.
"No, I don't think that," Arcee assured, "But I do think that if he doesn't think clearly…"
"He may make a mistake that he will end up regretting," Optimus finished.
"Exactly," Arcee confirmed.
Though the Bots each had different opinions regarding Lelouch, they also agreed on some things, and Optimus was aware of the positive and negative aspects. So, for the time being, he will be keeping an eye on Lelouch, while at the same time, giving him enough space as to not have him think he's a tool for them to use. However, he will also see to it that Lelouch is aware that they aren't tools for him either.
Just after night had fallen; Optimus had come into contact with Ohgi and informed him and his group about the possibility of Saitama being attacked, so he, in turn, contacted the group known as the Yamato Alliance. However, this group appeared to be a bit more stubborn than expected, and due to Ohgi's more passive nature, it was difficult for him to talk to them. That all changed however when Optimus and the rest of the Autobots themselves arrived. Upon the sight of the sentient giants that took down the Purebloods on national television, all doubts from the leaders of the Yamato Alliance came to a halt and the conjoined group immediately began to evacuate all the citizens.
They had to be extra careful, despite it being nighttime; the citizens were all moved to the sewers and any other form of underground passageways that would conceal them. Due to the large population, they all were moved in several smaller groups to different locations throughout the ghetto before a Groundbridge portal opened up that sent all the civilians to Shinjuku, the last place where anyone would think to look. It took most of the night, but with the help of the Autobots working with both the Yamato Alliance and Kouzuki Resistance group, the ghetto had been completely evacuated. Now all they had to do was wait for when they believed Cornelia li Britannia, the infamous Goddess of Victory, would attack.
The Next Day – Tokyo Settlement royal palace
"It's a seventh-generation Knightmare Frame, making its abilities far greater than normal," Lloyd explained to Princess Cornelia his most prized invention, hoping this would allow him to use it in battle far more often.
"I understand that the Lancelot's pilot is an Eleven," Cornelia said.
"That's correct, an honorary Britannian. However…"
"I am promoting this man from private to warrant officer," Cornelia said immediately, "That should satisfy him. I'm trying to win without relying too much on the numbers."
"To win, you say?" Lloyd questioned with an amused smile, "Do you think you can win against those Autobots?"
Cornelia narrowed her eyes. "Are you doubting my abilities, Asplund?"
Lloyd didn't lose his odd smile, "No of course not. I'm only saying it's best not to underestimate them. After all, they made the Purebloods look like novice pilots, not to mention one of them was able to go on par with the Lancelot."
"My forces and I are not the Purebloods," Cornelia stated firmly, "I can promise that neither they nor Zero has ever faced anything like me before."
"Well good luck, your majesty," Lloyd gave a mocking bow, much to Cornelia's annoyance. She found his indifference to be grating, but she couldn't deny his technical genius, "Oh, while we're on the subject, you by any chance, wouldn't happen to know a way for me to get in touch with those Decepticons? I would love to see what makes these Transformers tick."
"You'll have to take it up with them," she told him as she began to walk away, "Megatron, I don't know the full story, but your assistance will be completely unnecessary. You may provide us with valuable intel on our new enemies, but I will be the one who destroys them. I don't need your help."
Meanwhile, Cornelia's younger sister, Euphemia li Britannia, sat in her office with a gloomy look on her face.
"'Those who risk their lives on the battlefield are the ones who deserve to rule'. I understand the theory, sister. But still…"
This was among the many things she disliked the current regime of Britannia, it is that sort of belief that cost her three of her beloved siblings, one of whom resorted to starting a massacre. What could any gain from all this violence and bloodshed? Upon thinking that, she immediately recalled something Megatron himself said…
"Should your Britannia choose to accept us, we will not only aid you in ridding this world of the Autobots who threaten it but also work with your father, Charles Zi Britannia, in bringing peace and order to this chaotic and broken world."
Those were the words Megatron told her upon their first meeting, however, something in Megatron's eyes told her otherwise. Britannia preached the same sort of thing, and yet they sought to bring order through violence and killing. It would seem there was another person she feared as much as her father, perhaps even more so.
Special Corps headquarters
Suzaku was working on some schoolwork on an elevated platform by the Lancelot with Cecile by his side.
"Sorry you have to sit here, watching me do my homework," Suzaku apologized sincerely.
"Oh don't worry about it," Cecile said, "You never attended a regular school before, so it can't be avoided."
"The guys on the Student Council are helping me too, but it's still hard," Suzaku said as he read a textbook.
Cecile gave a slight giggle, "To be perfectly honest with you, I've been a little bit worried. It's supposed to be a liberal school but I was afraid you weren't fitting in well."
"Me too, I was expecting that," Suzaku explained, "But I happened to run into an old friend there and he smoothed everything out for me."
"Be sure you never take that friend for granted," Cecile told him, "If your friendship continues, your reunion won't have been mere coincidence, it will have been predestined."
"Okay," Suzaku said with a smile before it faded slightly, "Hey, Miss Cecile? If it's alright for me to ask, what exactly do you think of all this? All these transforming alien robots? The Autobots and Decepticons?"
Cecile looked in seriousness, "Well if I'm being honest, a part of me is quite amazed. Honestly, transforming metal aliens, how can that not be exciting?"
"Yeah, I felt the same sort of way when I first saw them," Suzaku said in honesty, though he had mixed feelings about them fighting Britannia. He understood their reasoning, but surely there had to be a better way without resorting to violence.
"But again, that's just a part of my opinion," Cecile continued as her smile faded, "The rest of me feels rather… terrified."
Suzaku looked in surprise as she continued, "Not just for their size and power, but... that Megatron character specifically. Just looking at him… let's just say I'd much rather avoid talking with him again in the future."
Suzaku understood why. Even he felt intimidated just from being around the leader of the Decepticons. But, maybe if Britannia can change, perhaps there was hope for the Decepticons as well. He wasn't going to judge them right away without first seeing them in action, but at the same time, he wasn't naïve enough to accept them with open arms. He would just have to tread carefully.
Seeing how somber the mood became, Cecile tried to lighten things up, "Anyway, would you like to try one?" She offered him a tray of rice balls.
"Uh… thank you. I will," he was a little surprised but took a bite of one anyway, though his eyes widened in surprise. The rice ball wasn't bad, but the flavoring was unexpected, "There's a jam in here."
"Yes, I just happened to get some lovely blueberries."
"Alright, everyone!" Lloyd walked in and began to announce to everyone in the room, "Pack it up! Pack it up! We're done for today! Don't do any more work! Hip, hip hooray! That's all folks!"
Suzaku looked a bit in surprise but Cecile gave him an apologetic smile, she'd felt bad now that he'd have to put up with Lloyd's antics.
"Go to school. Classes may be over for the day, but it's still important to meet your friends and have a social life too."
Ashford Academy – Student Council Room
Kallen and Shirley were putting together a cat tree for the stray cat that the Student Council took in after that whole mess a few days ago, they even named the cat Arthur. Shirley was setting up the tree itself while Kallen was getting some supplies out of a box.
"Say, can I ask you something important?" Shirley asked her.
"Sure, what is it?" Kallen responded.
"Kallen, are you hiding something from us?" Shirley questioned, surprising Kallen, "If it's something too personal…"
"No, what are you talking about?" Kallen questioned, trying to keep up her sickly façade.
"You can tell me, I promise I won't be upset or anything," Shirley said. "Are… are you going out with Lulu?"
Kallen's face was completely appalled as she shot to her feet in surprise, "What?! What would make you think that!?"
"Well, I've seen you two together, and you were trying so hard to catch the cat before…"
"Because I didn't want to be kissed by some random pervert!" Kallen exclaimed.
Principle's office
"But an arranged marriage is so…" Milly talked over the phone with her grandfather, the principal, sitting at the desk, "I understand how much you want to reestablish the Ashford family… but mother… it's just that…"
"The Saitama ghetto is surrounded," Darlton informed Cornelia as the two of them, Guilford, and several other officers and soldiers were stationed in her mobile base while all of Cornelia's forces, including multiple Sutherlands, tanks, foot soldiers, and aircraft, had completely encircled the perimeter of the said ghetto, as per her orders, "The Yamato Alliance's hideout is located somewhere in here, half the people in this neighborhood are cooperating with them. So if we proceed now…"
"What'll be the effect on production?" Cornelia asked.
"Primary sector output should decrease by zero-point-two percent," Darlton answered.
"Within expectations you mean. Alright," she turned her gaze to a trio of officers as they bowed, "All of you here participated in the Shinjuku disaster; is that correct?"
"Yes, and we're indebted to you, Princess Cornelia, for your mercy," One officer said.
"That's not what I'm asking!" Cornelia raised her voice as a small smile curved on her face, "Do you think the conditions are similar...to those in Shinjuku…?"
Outside Cornelia's mobile base, Dreadwing stood with a pair of Vehicon troopers as well.
"So, when are we going in?" one Vehicon asked.
"We will not, unless Princess Cornelia says otherwise," Dreadwing informed him.
"But lieutenant Dreadwing, sir," the second Vehicon protested, "We serve Megatron, not some stuck-up human!"
"And Lord Megatron informed us to only observe and intervene only should Princess Cornelia tell us," Dreadwing insisted.
"But…"
"That is final!" Dreadwing raised his voice to silence any further protests.
"Military authorities report that they have surrounded the Saitama ghetto, a known hiding place for terrorists," an emergency news report broadcasted throughout the Tokyo Settlement, "Viceroy Cornelia is also on the scene, and entry to that area is restricted."
This reached every television and radio, including the one built into Bumblebee's vehicle mode, as he remained parked outside the clubhouse at Ashford Academy. Immediately he contacted Optimus, Lelouch, and even Ratchet onboard the Ark.
"[Hey, if any of you are near a TV or radio right now, it looks like our little theory is right.]"
Inside Lelouch's room, C.C. laid on Lelouch's bed as she looked at some of the coupons and reward points for Pizza Hut as she saw him walk into the room with the phone to his ear.
"Of course, all these years and Cornelia is still achingly predictable," Lelouch said over the phone as he recalled all the years he trounced her in chess during his childhood, "So, is everything all set?"
"Yes, the Saitama ghetto has been completely evacuated," Optimus informed, "Both Ohgi's group and the Yamato Alliance are on standby with what Knightmares we've recovered. All of which are Sutherlands."
"And Kallen? Is she there?" Lelouch asked. It made sense, since Kallen was pretty much the best pilot in the whole group, possibly out of all the resistance fighters in Japan. Even if she was in a run-down Glasgow, she was still a force to be reckoned with.
"Ohgi is already making contact with her. Arcee will pick her up from the academy and will arrive via Groundbridge. Her Glasgow is already prepared and waiting," Optimus replied.
"Don't you think it's rather odd that Cornelia is announcing her attack on Saitama over the news?" Fixit asked from the arc, "She is certainly losing the element of prize… reprise… surprise!"
"More likely she's trying to provoke us," Ratchet assumed.
"[Too bad for her, we already guessed what she was up to,]" Bumblebee noted.
"Alright, Bumblebee and I will be there soon," Lelouch said, "Sit tight and remain out of sight till then."
"Understood," Optimus said before everyone hung up.
"It appears that a full-scale assault will be launched in two hours. Consequently…" the news continued to report as it was seen from the main screen onboard the Nemesis with Megatron, Soundwave, and Seeker trio observing.
"They're announcing when they're about to attack?" Skywarp questioned, "Wow, looks like Cornelia's the dumbest of the royal family."
"Which says a lot coming from you," Thundercracker mumbled toward him.
"It is not a matter of lack of intelligence, Skywarp," Megatron told him, "But rather they are trying to provoke the Autobots as well as Zero into showing their faces."
Starscream smirked, "Those fools always fight for the weak, that is what makes them so pathetically predictable. I shall prepare a strike team immediately…"
"No," Megatron told him, "We will not be taking part in this battle."
Naturally, the Seeker trio looked in surprise.
"Lord Megatron, do you believe that to be wise? I know Dreadwing is down there, but just him…" Thundercracker questioned before his leader interrupted him.
"The objective of this exercise is not to eliminate Optimus, but to see what he is capable of," Megatron explained, "I want to know if he still possesses the same fight he had in our last encounter if he has grown stronger or not. That, and I wish to see what Zero is capable of myself."
That earned a scoff from Starscream, "Master, I can understand wanting to take caution from Optimus, but why Zero? After all, he is only a human."
"A human whom Optimus has taken quite the interest in. Otherwise, why would he allow this Zero-character to stand beside him as an equal?" Megatron continued to explain, "Perhaps this exercise will show us."
"Or we could just use the Nemesis and blow the whole place to bits," Skywarp said.
"And risk losing sight of our greatest foes admits the chaos?!" Megatron shouted, "No! We need precision, not a blunt instrument. I will reference your blunder with the Purebloods as a prime example."
"But master…" Starscream tried to protest.
"That is final! I will not hear another word of this!" Megatron exclaimed, causing all three of them to falter back, "Am I clear?"
"Yes Lord Megatron," Thundercracker was the first to bow.
"Crystal clear," Skywarp bowed as well.
Starscream gave a low growl as he reluctantly bowed, "Your wish is our command."
"Good," Megatron then turned toward the main screen as Soundwave plugged in his tentacles into the main console that projected an image of the Saitama Ghetto, broadcasted live by Laserbeak whom Soundwave previously deployed.
"Zero is a criminal with a flare for the theatrics, and it would seem that for some reason, that these Autobots value the lives of the weak, such as the Numbers," Cornelia began to explain to her soldiers and officers, including Dreadwing who is listening via the comms, "I've recreated the same conditions that existed in Shinjuku to draw them all out. If they are the over-confident type, I predict that they'll come here to try and kill me."
"Viceroy Cornelia, forgive my impertinence, but if you are truly trying to replicate those conditions, then why is it Warrant Officer Kururugi here with the Lancelot?" Dreadwing asked via the communications.
"I will not need that measly Eleven," Cornelia answered, "And you, Dreadwing are here merely to observe. If you have any intelligence to provide for the Autobots I will listen to what you have to say, but that is all. You will not interfere in this fight, do you understand?"
"You wish to capture Zero to avenge your brother. I understand that feeling all too well, so I will let you handle this. That being said, I will also stand by should you need my assistance," Dreadwing told her.
At the same time, Dreadwing looked toward the ghetto that lay before him. He understood Cornelia's motivation; both her personal goal to avenge her brother as well as her loyalty to Britannia; Dreadwing himself understood both those feelings as he was steadfastly loyal to Megatron and had a desire to avenge Skyquake as well. Yet, he couldn't help but shake this feeling. All these sentient beings in the ghetto are going to be slaughtered. True, many of which were enemies likely aiding the Autobots, but some were just bystanders who had nothing to do with him. That was something that didn't quite sit well with him.
"Really? Already?" Kallen asked subtly on her cell phone, not to try and let Shirley hear what she and Ohgi were talking about, "Okay, I'm on my way."
She hung up, "I gotta go."
"Was that Lulu on the phone?" Shirley asked nervously as she held Arthur.
Kallen growled. She was going to get the point across, "No! Look for the last time, nothing is going on between Lelouch and me!"
She was about to leave when the door opened to reveal the surprised faces of both Suzaku and Rai.
"Excuse me," she walked past then and out in the hallway.
Both the nervous teens walked in to see Shirley looking a bit upset.
"Uh… what was all that about?" Rai asked.
"It's none of your damn business!" Shirley exclaimed, her cheeks being red with tears ready to fall, much to the duo's surprise and confusion.
Kallen walked outside the clubhouse to see the vehicle form of Arcee, complete with a holographic driver, waiting for her by the parking lot.
"Sure took your sweet time," Arcee commented as Kallen got on.
"Just some high school crap, forget about it," she said as Arcee revved up and drove off campus before a Groundbridge portal opened up in front of them and they entered.
Lelouch was packing a suitcase with the soldier uniform he stole from Shinjuku as he prepared to leave.
"You're not falling for the enemy's provocation, are you?" C.C. asked him.
"Everybody's waiting for me though," Lelouch said, "Besides, there's something I'd like to ask Cornelia personally."
"Destroying Britannia, fighting the Decepticons, or discovering who murdered your mother. Which is more important to you?" C.C. asked.
"All three are of equal importance," Lelouch replied, "The royal family members are competing with each other to see who will become the next ruler. Or rather, they're being forced to fight… by that man, who in turn, is a pawn himself!"
"But the very thing you hate is the same thing that makes Britannia strong," C.C. said, "And if the Decepticons are the ones who made Britannia what it is now, then it seems they too embody that same philosophy. The one most fit to rule is the one left standing."
"Exactly," Lelouch said as his voice lowered to a growl, "The weak ones are cast aside, while the strong thrive. Britannia is that kind of nation, and so are the Decepticons it would seem."
"Survival of the fittest is the most basic rule of all," C.C. said.
"If that's true then what happens to Nunnally?!" Lelouch exclaimed as he slammed his suitcase closed, "Should I simply give up on my sister just because she's frail?! I refused to accept that! Britannia, Decepticons, the Emperor, Megatron, I don't give a damn! I'll wipe out whoever promotes that sort of world myself! No matter what it takes!"
Lelouch was about to leave but looked in surprise to see C.C. blocking his way with a pistol pointed at him.
"You can't go, Lelouch," C.C. insisted sternly, "You need to fulfill your part of our bargain so I won't have you dying before that!"
"Notice that what you're saying and what you're doing are contradictory," Lelouch told her, considering she was pointing a gun at him.
"Oh, I won't kill you. I'm merely going to shoot you in the leg to quiet you down," C.C. told him.
Lelouch smirked, "Now I get it, you're unable to use Geass yourself, aren't you?"
That comment caused C.C.'s eyes to shake slightly, "But it's not just that, is it? You're unable to form contracts with any of the Autobots, are you? Probably for the same reason my Geass won't work on Cybertronians."
"Honestly, I've never tried the latter, so I can't say whether that's true or not," C.C. said.
"But there's still a chance that it's impossible," Lelouch continued to smirk, "You need me alive, that being said…"
Lelouch pulled out a pistol of his own.
C.C. wasn't impressed, "Do you honestly think you can threaten me with a gun?"
Lelouch's smirk hadn't vanished, "Yes, I do."
He didn't point it at C.C., but rather be pointed it at his head, causing C.C.'s look to fade into one of uncertainty.
"Until I met you and the Autobots, I was dead; an impotent corpse existing behind a false guise of life, a life in which I did nothing. Day-to-day, I merely went through the motions of living, as though I if a zombie, and I always had the feeling I was gradually dying! If I am condemned to go back to that then I'd rather…" he was ready to pull the trigger.
"Stop it!" C.C. exclaimed as she lowered her pistol, causing Lelouch to lower his as well as he smirked in victory. "I see now, it's a life without meaning and a life like that…" Lelouch began to walk past her.
"I have no intention of getting caught or dying. I doubt the Autobots would so easily abandon their only real partner," he said as he walked out of the room.
"Yeah, provided you don't let your ego get to you and do something stupid."
Several Britannian foot soldiers and a few tanks continued to march through the empty Saitama ghetto. They continued to march as they looked around the area for any sign of a terrorist group; but after twenty minutes, all they found were just a few stray dogs and cats, nothing more. It was as if the entire ghetto was a ghost town with the soldiers being the only humans in there.
"Sector 2 is completely clear, no sign of the enemy."
"Sector 4 reporting in, it's all empty. No terrorists or civilians of any kind."
Those were among the many reports Cornelia received in her mobile base since the operation started, her face lined with slight disappointment as Darlton looked in curiosity.
"This is odd," his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes, you would have thought we would have seen something by now." Guilford agreed.
"But how is this possible? An entire ghetto population just can't vanish overnight!" one of the Shinjuku officers exclaimed.
Before Cornelia could speak, Dreadwing made contact with her, "Princess Cornelia, if I may…."
"Go ahead, Dreadwing," Cornelia acknowledged.
"I believe that it may have been possible that the enemy has learned of your operation," Dreadwing informed.
"That's impossible," Guilford stated, "All personnel here have been sworn to secrecy! This plan wasn't leaked to the media till recently!"
"That may be true," Dreadwing began to explain, "However I have noticed a pattern to your method. You eliminated all the resistance groups surrounding the settlement, not just to stomp out terrorism, but to eliminate any possible sanctuary for the Autobots or Zero. Once you have discovered they had not gone there, you closed in on the largest resistance group within the settlement, knowing that the enemy was still hiding nearby."
"You figured that out all by yourself?" Cornelia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I did, and I could figure it out, then it is more than likely Optimus Prime has learned of it as well," Dreadwing answered, "He is both a cunning warrior and a brilliant strategist. That, and as you previously said, the Autobots do appear to care for those would consider 'weak', so if Optimus could theorize what your plan was, it is more than possible that he arranged for the ghetto to be evacuated and spare its populace of the slaughter to come."
"If that's the case, then we may have underestimated this 'Optimus Prime'," Darlton said with a low growl as he gave slight begrudging respect to Optimus for anticipating Cornelia's plan, "Should we fall back then, your majesty?"
"No," Cornelia insisted, "I could honestly care less about some measly Elevens. But if Zero and the Autobots went to all this effort, then I can only assume that they are simply waiting for me somewhere inside the ghetto. What do you think, Dreadwing?"
"It is possible, Viceroy," Dreadwing said, "I cannot speak for Zero, but I doubt Prime would make such a grand entrance beforehand and choose to go back into hiding so soon. He is many things, but Optimus Prime is no coward."
Cornelia smirked, for she may still have her victory yet, "Send in the Knightmares. Flush them out."
"As you wish," Darlton then began to order all their soldiers, "Attention all forces! Commence eradication of the Saitama ghetto!"
With that one order, all Knightmares were deployed from the mobile base as they and all surrounding Knightmares and soldiers from around the perimeter began to invade the ghetto. They opened fire and began to destroy multiple buildings in an attempt to flush out the enemy.
However, there was one group, besides Dreadwing and his Vehicons, that did not advance. Behind Cornelia's mobile base was what remained of the Purebloods; including Jeremiah, Villetta, and Kewell.
"I don't understand. Why doesn't Princess Cornelia order us to attack as well?!" Jeremiah questioned.
"She won't because 'Orange' is here," Kewell spoke in disgust towards Jeremiah, "Just be thankful you haven't been disposed of. You're to blame for this. It's due to you our careers are over!"
"You're wrong!" Jeremiah exclaimed as his eyes shook with fury and frustration, "Zero's the one who did it!"
"You have no one but yourselves to blame for your current positions!" Dreadwing stated as he marched towards the Purebloods.
They all backed slightly at the sight of him, not only was he physically imposing, but he proved strong enough to eliminate them as he disabled the rogue soldiers Kewell enlisted to try and assassinate Jeremiah beforehand.
"You framed an innocent man for a crime he did not commit simply because of his position as the son of Japan's previous ruler," Dreadwing continued, "You used the death of a member of the royal family, whom you have sworn your allegiance toward, to pursue your agenda! You have betrayed your empire!"
"How dare you!" Kewell exclaimed, "You dare to doubt our loyalty?!"
"You know nothing of loyalty or honor," Dreadwing stated as he glared at them, "Not even to yourselves. You turned on each other like a pack of beasts simply for that Orange-rumor."
"You… you…" Jeremiah growled as he couldn't muster a response while Dreadwing leaned in close.
"We're up to me, I would send each of you here and now," Most of the Purebloods backed away in fear, but it was for nothing as Dreadwing eased himself, "But that is not my call to make. Just be assured, that I will be watching you very closely. Any further sign of a betrayal and you will answer to me."
Dreadwing walked away as several of the Purebloods glared at him considering he had just destroyed whatever little pride they had left with mere words; Jeremiah looked as though he was about to have an aneurism as Dreadwing had told him that he had no honor or loyalty whatsoever. That had him think of the late imperial consort Marianne Vi Britannia as well as her children, whom he failed to protect.
However, Villetta had other thoughts going through her mind. Though she despised Dreadwing's accusation, she remembered something back in Shinjuku.
"Zero…" She remembered seeing a young boy with black hair standing alongside a certain yellow-and-black car, which she was certain, was one of the Autobots. If that student was with it…
"Could… could he be working with them?"
Bumblebee drove underneath a ruined building out of sight as the disguised Lelouch got out. Despite being well hidden, the two could see the destruction being unleashed.
"[Wow. Good thing we got everyone out beforehand,]" Bumblebee commented, "[It still makes me sick how far Britannia is willing to go.]"
"It's always the same," Lelouch said, "Cornelia replaces Clovis, yet Britannia never changes. I doubt it ever will."
"[So you think Suzaku was wrong?]" Bumblebee asked.
"With someone like my father in power, changing Britannia for the better is all but impossible," Lelouch said as he began to climb his way towards the upper level, "I'll contact you and Optimus when I'm ready. For now, just stay here."
"[Got it,]" Bumblebee remained in his vehicle mode as he watched Lelouch leave his site.
The young exiled prince walked on an upper level of a ruined building to where he was visible, just as he wanted. In less than a few seconds, a Sutherland shot its slash harken to pull itself on the same level as him.
"What unit are you from? Your unit name and ID soldier!" the pilot demanded, falling for Lelouch's disguise.
"I'm Redario Torez sir, with Third Reconnaissance Company," Lelouch lied as he pulled out a random data disk he got from his room, "I obtained this item from one of the terrorists. Could I please ask you to transmit to headquarters for me, sir?"
The pilot opened his Knightmare's hatched and stood up, "A disk, huh? Well, I still need to verify your ID first."
Lelouch smirked, "Right, understood."
He activated his Geass, "But before we do that sir, I'd like to borrow your Sutherland, so hand it over."
The sigil flew into the pilot's eyes and rewrote his brainwave patterns as a pair of familiar red rings formed and he was under Lelouch's control.
"Sure, no problem. Just take good care of it."
"Thank you, I appreciate it," Lelouch said as the entranced pilot stepped out, allowing Lelouch to step in. Once he did he accessed his commlink he set up with the Autobots.
"This is Zero; Optimus, do you read me?" he asked as he drove his newly acquired Sutherland down the building, close to where Bumblebee was hiding.
"I read you Zero," Optimus informed, "Everyone is prepared."
"Right. All groups report in," Zero ordered.
"This is Alpha Team, reporting from Sector 1," Arcee reported in, as she was ready with both Cliffjumper and even Kallen in her Glasgow, all three hiding underneath a building.
"Ready to get this whole thing rolling," Cliffjumper commented.
"Beta Team ready to rock and roll," Bulkhead reported in as he was with Tamaki and a few other rebels, all of which had their group hijack Sutherlands.
"Delta Team in position," Ironhide called in as he too was hiding with his squad in the ruined sewers of the ghetto.
"Communications team is on standby," Ratchet reported from the Ark as he and Fixit maintained the communications frequency as well as providing an emergency escape route should the need arise.
"The Groundbridge is also ready should we need to evacuate," Fixit added.
"We are ready to proceed on your mark, Zero," Optimus said as he stood in a large space within a ruined building with Ohgi inside a Sutherland right beside him.
"Stand by," Zero instructed, "Wait for my signal."
As they waited, Ohgi couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, something the leader of the Autobots noticed, "Ohgi, is something wrong?"
"Well… it's just… we're about to go up against Cornelia. I mean… I've heard all she's done… but… is there a chance we can get out of this?"
"There is," Optimus assured him, "We were able to drive back Clovis' forces in Shinjuku, and I have no intention of backing down now."
"What about the Decepticons? Are they gonna show up?" Ohgi asked.
"If Megatron wanted to become involved in this, he would have already eradicated the entire ghetto by now," Optimus said, surprising Ohgi, "The fact that he, nor any other Decepticons, are partaking in this suggests that at the moment he is only watching to see what his enemy is capable of."
That didn't make Ohgi feel any better, "Do you think we stand a chance against him? I mean, from everything you said, it sounds like this Megatron guy is even worse than Britannia. And if he's taking it easy right now…"
"Ohgi," Optimus began, "Let me ask you, why did you choose to fight against Britannia before?"
Ohgi looked in surprise as Optimus continued, "It is no secret you are afraid, as are many of your comrades, you could have easily chosen to become Honorary Britannians and avoided all this fighting, yet you choose to take a stand. Why?"
The leader of the Kouzuki resistance sighed with a sad smile, "Yeah well, the truth is, I'm kinda following a friend of mine. Naoto, Kallen's older brother, was the leader of this group before I was. Though he wasn't a fighter, all we did at first was just steal food and supplies and give them to the people who lived in ghettos like these. I guess you could say we were like Robin Hood. He even insisted that we didn't carry any guns, no one got hurt. But, we got caught, and… well… Naoto bought time for me and everyone else to escape. Three days later, he was executed publicly."
Optimus' optics widened in shock.
"You should have seen Kallen's face," Ohgi continued, "She loved her brother more than anything, and Naoto was my best friend since childhood. He didn't hurt anyone; all he did was help people. But Britannia killed him just for helping 'the Numbers'. What kind of world is it like that we're punished just for helping people?!"
He clenched his fists in anger, "I get some people are afraid and don't wanna fight, so they become Honorary Britannians to save themselves. I get it; I don't blame them. But I can't do that. I can't be part of a world like that. So that's why I'm fighting. Why Kallen, Tamaki, and all the others are fighting! We can't let Britannia get away with all this! I'm scared, hell I'd even say I'm terrified, but… I stand my ground because that's what Naoto would do."
Optimus looked at Ohgi with a serious expression on his face. He and Kallen had lost just as much as Lelouch had, they to had just as much reason to stand against Britannia. Optimus knew Ohgi was afraid, even Ohgi himself knew that, but he stood his ground anyway despite the odds. That is real bravery.
"Ohgi, you have just now proven how strong you are," Optimus told him, causing Ohgi to look at him in surprise, "You are aware of how much the odds are against you, yet still choose to make a stand anyway and avoid taking the easy way out, because you know Britannia is wrong. You choose to fight, not out of hate, but for what your friend believed in. And that is why we have chosen to fight with you, because we fight for the same thing, to create a better world. So let us create that world together."
Ohgi looked at Optimus, not believing what he had just heard. Anyone else would have probably called out Ohgi for being scared, but Optimus just told him he was strong and would stand beside him all the way, to fight for what his friend believed in, despite not even knowing him. Did Zero feel this way? Is that why he's working with the Autobots to? Despite that, Ohgi couldn't help but smile.
"Optimus, thank you," Ohgi said with a smile as the leader of the Autobots gave a returning smile.
Just then, Zero chimed in, "This is it. All units move in now!"
With that order, and the speech Optimus just gave, Ohgi gave an eager smile, "Well, shall we get started?"
"Yes, we shall," Optimus said as his faceplate activated.
Two Sutherlands drove through the ruined street, as they had encountered zero resistance.
"No response at all," one pilot said, "These Autobot-guys might just turn out to be a no-show."
"Probably went off to whatever world they came from," the second pilot commented.
"Uh, excuse me!"
The two Sutherlands turned around as the pilots looked in surprise at Cliffjumper casually walking toward them, "I got separated from the tour group. Does anyone know where I can find Princess Cornelia's base?"
"We got an Autobot!" one pilot exclaimed as they both pointed their Knightmare-rifles at them.
"Stop right there robotic-freak!"
Cliffjumper maintained his smile as he raised his hands, "Whoa-whoa, don't worry boys. I'm not gonna fight ya. They are."
He pointed behind himself as he ducked, just as Arcee in vehicle mode jumped over him.
She transformed and pulled out her arm-blades as she slashed in mid-air to decapitate one Sutherland. Before the second one could react, it was torn apart by a pair of slash harkens from Kallen's red Glasgow as she sped onto the scene.
Cliffjumper gave an impressed whistle, "You know, you ladies make quite the team."
Lelouch smirked inside his Sutherland as it stood at the top of one building. He observed the radar on his screen.
"Now, shall I drag Cornelia out or make an opening?" he asked himself before accessing communications, "Beta Team, move in now!"
"Take 'em down!" Tamaki shouted as he shot with his Sutherland's rifle along with several other friendly Sutherlands, blasting away three of them as the remaining four in the group tried to shoot back.
However, Tamaki's attack created an opening for Bulkhead to drive up in vehicle mode. Once he was close enough, he transformed into his robot mode and spread his arms out to knock the Sutherlands back.
"I couldn't go all out on you guys back in Shinjuku," Bulkhead said, "But now that our cover isn't necessary anymore…"
Both his hands turned into wrecking balls, "It's time to kick some tailpipe!"
Bulkhead smashed his right wrecking-ball onto a downed Sutherland, crushing it just as the other three stood up and attempted to open fire. But Bulkhead charged and with his large size, he was able to swipe his arms to knock down two of them before smashing them into the ground. The last one tried to back away, but Bulkhead already turned his right arm into a large Energon cannon, which he shot and blew off the Sutherland's head, taking it out of commission.
"Hell yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Tamaki cheered.
"Delta Team, enemy unit thirty meters ahead!" Zero ordered over the comms as Ironhide ran out from his cover with a flank of rebel Sutherlands on his left and right.
They all opened fire with Knightmare rifles and Energon cannons respectively and tore apart the enemy unit, leaving only two left as Ironhide came in and delivered an uppercut that knocked it into the air, before grabbing the Sutherland by the foot and using it as a make-shift weapon to bash down the second remaining Sutherland.
"Piece of tin," Ironhide commented as he held the torn leg of the Sutherland he just took out of commission.
"Alpha Team, advance! Keep in mind of enemy aircraft!" Zero instructed.
Kallen shot her Glasgow's slash harkens from behind cover to take down an enemy helicopter as Arcee drove along a rooftop before jumping over a second aircraft, while in mid-air, she transformed and shot from above it to destroy it before opening fire with her Energon blasters on a three Sutherlands below her. She was able to take out the one in the middle, which she also landed on before pulling out her arm blades to cut down the one her right before flipping over the strike of the one on the left and landing behind to deliver a sweep of her feet to knock it down before slicing at its throat area to disable it.
Cliffjumper also ran out of some cover on a group of four Sutherlands, opening fire with his Energon blasters. He easily tore through the one up in front before grabbing the one behind and it using it as a shield to block the slash-harken strike of the third Sutherland. Cliffjumper was able to discard the 'shield' before charging forward and grabbing the Sutherland by the shoulder and flipping it over his shoulder before smashing its head into the ground. The last one tried to roll in and strike him with a tonfa, but he was able to catch the weapon as he ripped off the last Sutherland's arm and delivered a punch to knock its head off, disabling it.
Kallen watched in awe at their display of power, "Amazing… they… they make those Sutherlands look like wind-up tin soldiers."
"Optimus, you have a large unit heading in your direction." Zero informed him.
A large group of tanks and Sutherlands opened fire on Optimus as he drove towards them in his vehicle mode, but their line was broken on both sides of their flank. From the right flank, Ohgi and a group of Sutherlands from the Yamato Alliance shot through a wall of a ruined building to take out two enemy Sutherlands on the sides while Bumblebee drove down on the left flank and rammed a Sutherland's side before transforming and opening fire with his Energon gun; destroying a tank and a Sutherland in the process.
With the enemy line broken, Optimus transformed and ran forward, using the momentum gathered from his vehicle mode's speed, he delivered a punch to a Sutherland that sent it flying at least a hundred yards before crashing hard. He then ran forward and picked up a tank with one hand, before shooting with his Energon blaster into its belly to disable it before flipping it over. His other hand converted into another Energon blaster as he shot forward and tore through the last three Sutherlands as though they were tissue paper.
"Beta team! Take out the bridge!" Zero ordered
Bulkhead drove underwater and used his Energon blasters emerging into his vehicle mode's sides and was able to destroy one of the support beams, causing the entire bridge to collapse as the whole Britannian unit fell into the water and got crushed by the debris.
Dreadwing could see explosions from his location right by Cornelia's mobile base. It didn't take a genius to know that Optimus and his team were likely here, more than likely making the Britannian forces look like amateurs. Though he commended them on their bravery, he knew the Autobots outclassed them significantly. While he wanted to provide his aid, he had strict orders to only observe and intervene only when instructed. He wondered if Cornelia had a plan, and she might have had considering she planned this attack with the sole purpose of drawing out her enemy, namely Zero. Since it was clear that he and the Autobots were here, it was only a matter of time till she put her plan into motion.
"Squad 5! Contact lost!"
"Enemy sighted in Sector G-47!"
"We have confirmation! It is the Autobots!"
"Not just the Autobots! The terrorists they are helping also appear to be using Sutherlands captured from our forces!"
"The same as Shinjuku," one of Clovis' old officers uttered in fear.
"Is there any sign of Zero yet?"
"No official sighting, but with the Autobots here, there is little doubt."
"That's enough," Cornelia broke her silence, "Order all troops to fall back. Further damage in casualties serves no point."
"Fall back?!" one of Clovis' former officers questioned.
"With all due respect, we can still fight!" another officer exclaimed.
"We can't fight them like this," Cornelia stated.
"All forces, fall back behind ghetto perimeter at once!" Darlton ordered, "Formation doesn't matter! Fall back behind ghetto perimeter at once!"
Lelouch heard the order from his stolen Sutherland and smirked triumphantly, "What? No stomach for it? If I blend in with the retreating units, that'll put me right next to Cornelia. Have I cleared the task at hand already?"
He contacted the rest of his forces, "All teams stand by, the enemy is falling back. Await further orders."
"Did you guys hear that? Cornelia's falling back!" one rebel exclaimed victoriously through the comms.
"Yeah, take that you Britannian bitch!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Guess all that Goddess of Victory stuff doesn't amount to much," Cliffjumper voiced.
However, Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ohgi looked in concern.
"That's it?" Ohgi questioned, "She's retreating? She's not coming out here herself?"
Before either Autobot could respond, Ironhide made contact, "Optimus, this doesn't sound like something Cornelia would do. On top of that, we've never once seen her Knightmares here, not even one of her Glaston Knights."
"[Yeah, at all those other spots she's hit here in Japan, Cornelia's always led the charge. But now, she didn't,]" Bumblebee voiced with concern.
"Uh… what did he say?" Ohgi asked as he couldn't understand Bumblebee's bleeps.
"He said this doesn't feel right," Optimus translated, "And I agree, something is not right here."
Ashford Academy Clubhouse – Lelouch's room
C.C. casually lay on Lelouch's bed.
"No, I don't know where the Autobot base is. Guess you'll have to find out for yourself."
She then chuckled, "You can't fight your blood, can you? But regardless, that type of person is dangerous, I wonder which path he'll take."
She sat up off the bed with an impatient look on her face, "I understand, just who do you think I am anyway?"
Student Council Room
"I see, so Lulu lived here before this became Area 11. Was he a neighbor?" Shirley asked Suzaku as he tried to get Arthur to play with a toy, but the cat paid Suzaku no mind.
"Well, you could say that," Suzaku answered, not revealing any important details.
"What about you, Shirley?" Rai asked as he sat down near her, "How long have you known 'Lulu'?"
"Well," Shirley tried to find an answer, "I met him here during our freshman year, but honestly I didn't like him at first. He gave had this indifferent impression and the only thing he worked hard at was avoiding hard work. But early in our first year, I happened to see him come upon a traffic accident."
"Traffic accident?" Rai asked as he and Suzaku listened to her.
"A driver rear-ended another car and was clearly at fault, but he tried to blame it on the elderly owners of the other car. Nobody tried to help them, and then Lelouch got up and walked over to a nearby tow truck waiting at the red light and attached its tow cable to the angry driver's car. Once the light turned green, the tow truck drove off with the angry driver's car and dragged it along the road, breaking it down even further."
Suzaku looked in surprise while Rai just laughed, "Seriously?! Wow, I wish I could have seen that!"
Shirley had a slight smile as she found it pretty funny too, "Lulu didn't do it so he could boast to his buddies or laugh about it later, he did it with the same bored expression he always wears. And that's when I wondered 'what's up with this guy? What goes on in his mind? What does he want to do?' I wanted to know and am in the process of finding out…"
Suzaku smiled, "You fell in love with him."
Shirley blushed, "Um… you think that's what this is? Maybe you're right."
"Well I mean it's kinda obvious, I had a feeling that was the case," Rai said, surprising Shirley, "I mean… you even call him 'Lulu', that's kind of a dead giveaway."
That caused Shirley's face to turn red.
From outside the council room, Milly happened to hear the whole exchange and smiled a bit for Shirley.
"How dreamy it is to be in love," her smile faded, "Oh, how I wish…"
Saitama
Lelouch used his stolen Sutherland to slip into a retreating unit as they proceeded towards Cornelia's mobile base. He thought he had this in the bag as he smirked victoriously.
"Cornelia, you're no match. You'll lose."
Cornelia smirked from her throne, "Zero and those foolish Autobots are no match for me, I'll win."
Most of Clovis' former officers looked in surprise, while Darlton remained unsurprised, "Of course, that's why they call Princess Cornelia the Goddess of Victory."
Said 'Goddess' turned her gaze towards her youngest knight, "Shall we go then, Guilford my Knight?"
He bowed, "It is my pleasure to serve and obey you, my lady."
Lelouch appeared to be close to his victory as his Sutherland was with all the others right under Cornelia's nose, just a few feet away from her transport.
"Even with my Geass, the normal security leaves it too risky for me to simply stroll in. I guess I'll need to create an opening like I did with Clovis."
He then felt his cell phone vibrate and looked in minor surprise at the caller ID.
"Student Council Room? But I thought the cat festival meeting was scheduled for tomorrow."
Ashford Academy - Student Council Room
Suzaku was on the phone trying to get into contact with Lelouch while Rai and Shirley both sat down with Arthur sleeping on the cat tree.
"I know Kallen said I had it all wrong, but it seemed like she was getting upset to fool me," Shirley said.
"I don't think Kallen is that shallow," Rai tried to tell her, "I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding."
"Which is why in this case it's best to simply ask Lelouch directly," Suzaku said as he held the phone, "On your behalf, I can ask him how he feels about you."
Rai looked in surprise while Shirley's face turned red, "What?! You'd do that?!"
"Uh, Suzaku… I don't think we should pry!" Rai didn't like the idea either as it seemed a bit too personal.
"Just relax, it'll be fine…"
But Shirley quickly came up and snatched the phone from him.
"Are you nuts?! No way!" she shouted as she dramatically hung up the phone.
Lelouch saw the call ended before he could answer and paid it no mind, "Oh, whatever."
Suzaku tried to pick up the phone again as he tried to smile, "Oh come on, let me handled this for you. I'll be discrete…"
"I don't want your help! Okay!?" Shirley shouted with her face being redder than Cliffjumper's paint job.
Rai tried to come in between them, "Suzaku if she doesn't want your help, then she doesn't want it. Let's just…"
As he tried to separate them, his foot tripped on the phone's wire causing him to trip and stumble onto both Shirley and Suzaku, the scuffle knocking down the cat tree and upsetting Arthur a great deal.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't…" Rai then realized that he was actually on top of Shirley on the ground, their faces less than an inch apart as her eyes shook. But they were quickly pulled out of it as they heard Suzaku grunting in pain and turned to see Arthur biting down on his hand.
"Uh oh. Does that hurt much?" Shirley asked him.
"Greatly."
Saitama
Lelouch saw Guilford in his Gloucester and a few other Glaston Knights depart from the mobile base as he smirked, "You're desperate, Cornelia, in using your royal guard in such a manner."
He opened his communications again, "Beta team, reengage their IFF signal, operate as a Britannian unit."
"Got it," Tamaki responded.
"As my decoy," Lelouch thought to himself.
Meanwhile; Optimus, Ohgi, and Bumblebee laid hidden in their spot as Optimus heard Zero's order and yet he couldn't shake this feeling.
"Cornelia is choosing to send her Royal Guard yet doesn't enter the battle herself. Why would…" his optics widened in realization,
It was a trap! He quickly accessed his comms again.
"Tamaki, leave your Sutherland active, but exit the Knightmare immediately!"
"What?! Are you serious?!"
"Ratchet, lock onto all the team's coordinates and prepare for multiple Groundbridge extractions! All units, be prepared to fall back immediately!"
Bumblebee and Cliffjumper looked at Optimus in surprise as he heard several questions and protests over the communications.
"Fall back?!" One rebel questioned.
"We can still fight!" Kallen exclaimed.
"What's going on Optimus?!" Ironhide questioned.
"We're calling it quits!?" Cliffjumper also questioned.
"I believe this may be a trap," Optimus instructed everyone, "I will not take any chances without knowing what Cornelia has planned! Ratchet, be prepared to evacuate our forces immediately and send them to Shinjuku. Bulkhead, wait with Tamaki and your team. If it is a trap, then fall back immediately!"
Though unsure, Bulkhead knew better than to question his leadership, "Uh sure… got it."
"Optimus… are you sure it's a trap…?" Ohgi asked him.
"It is possible, and I won't risk your lives anymore on the chance that is," Optimus told him.
Bumblebee nodded in understanding while Ohgi had a serious expression on his face.
Cornelia's base
Darlton and the other officers saw the signal being transmitted by the active-but-abandoned Knightmare, though they didn't know it was empty at the moment.
"One Knightmare left transmitting an IFF signal within the city area," Darlton reported.
"Can't you contact it?" one officer asked, "Scramble a rescue team!"
"No, destroy it," Cornelia ordered, much to the surprise of a few of the officers, but not Darlton.
"You can't!"
"He might be a captive of the enemy!"
"I ordered all troops to fall back," Cornelia instructed, "I have no use for soldiers who can't follow my orders."
"You heard the princess," Darlton agreed.
"Do your duty. Even if it costs your life," Cornelia pressed, "My subordinates follow that code without question."
Bulkhead laid hidden in some rubble in his vehicle mode with Tamaki in the driver's seat as they saw the Sutherland, still transmitting its signal, but empty of all pilots.
"Hey, you sure about this?" Tamaki questioned, "Maybe the big guy's just paranoid."
"No, Optimus is never paranoid," Bulkhead insisted, "If he thinks it's a trap, he's usually right."
In less than a second, they spotted Guilford leading his Glaston Knight squad as they gunned for the empty Sutherland. They didn't even try contacting the supposed pilot as they pierced their spears into it from all sides, reducing the Sutherland to a pile of scrap metal in less than a second.
"Whoa, whoa, what the hell was that?! They'd kill their guy?!" Tamaki questioned.
"Just like a Con would!" Bulkhead said in a low growl as he turned around and drove away from the scene, "Doc, Optimus, it was a trap! We're gonna need those Groundbridges!"
The Ark
"Understood!" Ratchet and Fixit saw the map of the area as well as the signals of all the Knightmares, enemy and friendly, including their fellow Autobots, "All teams, prepare for immediate extraction!"
"I am uploading coordinates in each of your Knightmares!" Fixit inputted the data in his console at the same time, "Don't try and fight them, retreat immediately!"
"We're retreating?" Kallen questioned as she rolled her Glasgow down a road with Arcee and Cliffjumper in their respective vehicle modes right beside her, "Can't you just fight these guys!"
"Better to fall back now and come up with a plan for later than going in blindly!" Arcee argued.
"Arcee's right, We got no idea what Cornelia has up her sleeve, best to live to fight another day!" Cliffjumper agreed.
Kallen grumbled but saw their logic as a Groundbridge portal opened in front of them and they left the ghetto.
Lelouch's smirk vanished and his face was evident with shock as he heard Optimus' command over the comms. "What is going on out there?!"
"Zero, we're retreating!" Ratchet exclaimed, "This whole thing was a trap, we're falling back immediately!"
"What?!" Lelouch questioned in absolute shock, "I can't fall back! I'm right in front of Cornelia! We can still fight!"
"No, we're falling back! This not up for question!" Ratchet hung up.
"Ratchet? Ratchet!?"
"Fixit cut off Lelouch's communications," Ratchet ordered the Mini-Con, much to his surprise.
"What?! We're abandoning Lelouch?!"
"No, we're abandoning him!" Ratchet stated, "But we can't have two separate orders creating chaos, allowing Cornelia's forces to take advantage! We'll come back for him later, cut him off!"
Fixit, with a great deal of reluctance, cut off Lelouch's communications from everyone else just as they heard a familiar voice over the comms.
"So, he ended up doing something stupid after all."
"C.C.?! How did you get this frequency!?" Ratchet questioned.
"Bumblebee gave it to me just in case I needed to be rescued," C.C. replied, "Once you've cleaned up the mess Lelouch made, I'd like to request a Groundbridge to the Ark. Something tells me Zero may need a body double."
She hung up, much to the surprise of the Medic-Bot and Mini-Con, "Well… she is rather… odd," Fixit commented.
"Odd doesn't even begin to describe it," Ratchet said with a sigh.
Ironhide drove in his Vehicle Mode with several friendly Sutherlands down a ruined street with Guilford close behind them. They tried to shoot their Slash Harkens, but a Groundbride portal opened up in front of Ironhide's group.
"Gun it! Don't turn around! Just go!" Ironhide ordered as they entered the portal and it closed just before Guilford could get to them.
"Damn it," he cursed before contacting his princess, "Your majesty, I believe I made contact with one of the Autobots with a group of terrorists, but he escaped through some form of the portal, the same kind Zero used when he and the Autobots first made their appearance…"
"…Also, that Sutherland that was transmitting the IFF signal turned out to be empty. It was a decoy!"
Cornelia's eyes narrowed slightly as she heard Dreadwing contacting her.
"So this was your plan?" The Decepticon questioned, "Send out weaker soldiers to soften up the enemy before sending in your Royal Guard to act as a scalpel and cut them out one at a time?"
"That's part of my plan, Dreadwing," Cornelia responded, "If a few of those messily little Autobots choose to run away, that's fine. Turns out they were cowards all along, but my real target may just be underneath my nose."
Optimus and Bumblebee drove towards the coordinates provided along with Ohgi and his Sutherland. Though the Autobot leader stopped shy of the Groundbridge portal just as it activated, causing Bumblebee and Ohgi to stop.
"Hey, something wrong Optimus?" Ohgi asked in concern.
"Bumblebee, Ohgi, return to base. I will stay here."
"What?! But you just said it was a trap!" Ohgi protested.
"[It's Lelouch, isn't it?]" Bumblebee asked in bleeps, so Ohgi couldn't hear Zero's real name.
"Indeed," Optimus confirmed, "Though this was a trap laid by Cornelia, I will see to it that she understands the consequences of her actions in endangering innocent lives."
"Wait… what are you going to do?" Ohgi asked.
"You will see," Optimus turned around and drove away from the portal.
Ohgi honestly didn't know what to make of this.
"Hey, you know what he's doing?" he asked Bumblebee.
"[Don't worry, you can trust him. He always knows what to do,]" Bumblebee assured him.
Ohgi sighed a bit, "You know, I need to get some kind of translator for you."
Bumblebee would have rolled his optics as this lack of communication was getting a bit annoyed, "But… you guys have helped us before, and you've always kept your word. So, whatever he's doing, I'll trust him."
Bumblebee would have smiled at that as he and Ohgi drove into the Groundbridge portal.
"Ratchet?! Arcee?! Cliffjumper?!" Lelouch tried to contact the Autobots through his communications but got no response, "Fixit! Bulkhead! Ironhide! Bumblebee! Anyone, please respond!?"
Still no response, "What… did… did they abandon me?!"
"Mission complete!" A citywide announcement was broadcasted from Cornelia's mobile base, "All forces that take formation number four."
Lelouch saw that he was surrounded, he had only just now realized that he just walked right into the lion's den, "Damn it! Beaten so easily! Optimus… Bumblebee… have you abandoned me?! This isn't how the game is supposed to go!"
Cornelia smirked in victory, "This didn't work out the way it did in Shinjuku, Zero. I may not have gotten any Autobots, but perhaps their retreat is only a distraction, so that you may sneak in disguised as one of us as we lower our guard. Sorry, that may have worked on Clovis, but I'm not so easily fooled."
She then began to announce her next order over her mobile base's speaker.
"Attention all Knightmare pilots! Open your hatches and reveal your faces! I repeat, all pilots open your hatches and show me your faces!"
Dreadwing looked in mild surprise while the two Vehicons beside him were quite stunned.
"So she learned from her idiot brother's failure and used it to her advantage," one Vehicon commented.
"I hate to admit it, but that's a pretty clever strategy," the second Vehicon said.
Dreadwing said nothing as he looked around at some of the Sutherlands as they opened their hatches, "This plan is far blunter than I would have preferred, but still, rather clever. So she knows when and when not to engage in battle. Still, that arrogant attitude of hers could use some work."
"But what if Zero isn't here?" one Vehicon asked, "What if he retreated with the Autobots?"
"Then we will simply wait for the next battle," Dreadwing told them as they continued to watch more pilots reveal their faces.
Little-do-they-know, Zero was here. And it looked like that he was about to have a panic attack as he tried desperately to think of a strategy.
"What do I do?! If she gets me in a lineup without my mask, my identity will be exposed! That mustn't happen! Use my Geass? No, impossible! It won't work unless I look directly at them, and there are Decepticons here, it won't work on them at all! How do I turn this around?! Maybe I can start shooting and break my way out of here! Impossible, to those Decepticons, this Sutherland might as well be tin foil! Without the Autobots… no wonder they broke off contact! If a Groundbridge portal opened here, they'd invaded the Ark and learn its location!"
"Open your hatch, soldier," he looked in surprise to see it was none other than Dreadwing addressing him. He may have been up close and personal with the Autobots, but being this close to a Decepticon, especially a high-ranking one, really made his blood freeze.
"What are you waiting for? Open your hatch!"
"I'm sorry… I can't!" Lelouch desperately tried, "My hatch was damaged in battle!"
"Very well, then I will open it for you," Dreadwing said.
Lelouch's face paled, "This is it… I'm done for!"
He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable end, "Nunnally!"
However, before Dreadwing could even make a move there was a loud sound that caught everyone's attention. It was the honking of a certain red and blue semi-auto truck.
Said truck honked once more, as it broke right through the line-up, knocking down several Sutherlands as it drove towards Cornelia's mobile base. Due to the sudden surprise, as well as most of the pilots being out of their Knightmares, the truck drove and swerved to knock down most of the Knightmares before it came to a halt right in front of Cornelia's transport.
"What?!" Cornelia shot up from her chair in surprise as she, Darlton, and all the officers on board did not see this coming, "What is this?!"
Guilford and several Glaston Knights quickly surrounded the truck in their Gloucesters, as all the infantrymen pointed their guns at it, even the Vehicons pointed their own Energon blasters at the truck, as Dreadwing drew a large Energon cannon from his back and aimed it at the vehicle.
"You! Identify yourself at once!" Guilford demanded.
However, no driver stepped out of the truck. Rather instead it transformed to reveal the largest and most powerful Cybertronian present.
"Cornelia li Britannia! I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, and I challenge you to a duel!"
Lelouch couldn't contain his surprise, "Optimus…"
"Prime!" Dreadwing exclaimed as he and his Vehicons readied their weapons.
"The Autobot leader!" Guilford also exclaimed, "Prepare to open fire!"
"HOLD YOUR FIRE!"
With that command from Cornelia, no one made a move or sound to attack. Though all the Britannian forces kept their weapons trained on Optimus as he glared in the direction of the mobile base.
Meanwhile, behind the mobile base, the remnants of the Purebloods looked in honest shock and surprise, especially Jeremiah.
"It's him! It's that damn Autobot! The one with Zero!" Jeremiah exclaimed, "I will destroy him for…"
"Did you not hear Princess Cornelia?!" Kewell exclaimed to him, "She said 'hold your fire'! So unless you want to be charged with even more treason, I suggest you keep it cool, 'Orange'!"
Jeremiah was about to protest when he turned to see Villetta shaking her head at him. She too wanted revenge on the Autobots for what they did to them, but if they openly defied an order from a member of the Royal Family, especially since they were already on thin ice as it is, the consequences could be very severe. So with great reluctance, Jeremiah did not proceed forward.
However, Dreadwing contacted his one true master, "Lord Megatron! Optimus Prime has just now revealed himself, and it seems he is openly challenging Cornelia! Should we engage?"
"No Dreadwing," Megatron told him, "His challenge was to Cornelia, not to me. Let this play out."
"As you wish," Dreadwing looked to the two Vehicons near him as they didn't advance but still kept their weapons on standby.
"So that's the leader of the Autobots," Darlton said as he and everyone else onboard saw the imposing figure of Optimus Prime, "I have to admit, he certainly looks intimidating."
Cornelia however didn't seem the least bit intimidated as she walked forward slightly and spoke over the speaker.
"Optimus Prime, was it? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I just heard you challenging me to a duel."
"You heard correctly," Optimus confirmed, "I am challenging you to a one-on-one battle between me and yourself."
Lelouch's eyes shook with surprise as this was something he did not expect. Just a minute ago, it felt as though the Autobots had abandoned him, but now their leader had just walked right into the enemy's lines and challenged their leader to a one-on-one battle, "Optimus… why are you…"
If Optimus could see Cornelia's face right now, it would be one of arrogance, "Well, Optimus Prime, it would seem your guts are made of steel like the rest of your body. But, I question your intelligence. You are surrounded by my entire royal guard, all of whom are ready to fight and die for Britannia without hesitation. And while you might be able to take out a few of them, there is no way for you to fend them all off. So tell me why I would give you the luxury of a duel when I can simply order your execution right here and now?"
"Are you or are you not the Goddess of Victory?" Optimus questioned, "If I recall, in nearly every one of your battles, you've always led the charge in your Knightmare. That is, until now. Why change tactics? Do you fear me and my comrades? While one could make the argument that this was a wise decision, another could accuse that you are simply a coward."
"What?" Cornelia said in a low growl.
"You endangered countless innocent civilians, all to simply draw us out," Optimus continued, "Clovis attempted the same thing, hiding behind his soldiers while he ordered the deaths of countless men, women, and children in Shinjuku, all to cover a mistake he made. If that doesn't count as cowardice then I don't know what does."
Cornelia narrowed her eyes as she practically gritted her teeth.
"Viceroy, he is only trying to provoke you!" Darlton advised her.
"However, if you truly do wish to uphold yourself as a warrior, then you will accept my challenge," Optimus continued, "And if you desire a reason to accept, then I propose a wager."
"What sort of wager?" Cornelia questioned.
"If I am victorious, then you will vow as a member of the Royal Family that you will not endanger innocent civilians again! Be they Japanese, Britannian, or any other nationality!" Optimus told her.
"'Britannian'?" Darlton questioned in a low tone, "Does he seriously believe we'd attack our people!?"
"How dare this abomination insult Princess Cornelia!" one officer exclaimed.
"He should be executed at once!"
Their ranting however was cut off as Cornelia shot her arm towards them to silence them as she addressed Optimus once more, "And if I win, what do I gain?"
"Knowledge that you may find valuable, regarding a certain sibling of yours."
Optimus' wager caught Lelouch by an even greater surprise than before. Was he offering to expose his identity to Cornelia?! Before he could question any further, he felt a vibration on his phone and answered it.
"[Before you do anything stupid again, let Optimus keep going. He knows what he's doing. Once the coast is clear, get out of that Sutherland and get into the building right behind you. I'll be there,]" Bumblebee instructed before hanging up.
Lelouch couldn't get his thoughts together, so the Autobots didn't abandon him. However, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to be angry or relieved. But he knew Bumblebee was right, this was his chance to escape without Cornelia seeing him. So he put his soldier's helmet back on to hide his face and would wait for the right moment to leave.
Optimus' wager was something that Cornelia did not expect. Her sibling? Was he referring to Clovis? Did Zero know something about him? Whatever it was, it certainly caught her attention.
"What do you mean by that?" she questioned, "Does this information have anything to do with the identity of Zero?"
"Accept my terms, and you will find out," the Autobot leader told her.
Before Cornelia could answer, Darlton tried to speak, "Your majesty, this could simply be an act to lure you into an ambush! I would not accept this challenge!"
"It could be a trap, your highness!" Guilford agreed over the communications as he was still in his own Gloucester outside, "We can destroy him right here and now!"
"I disagree," Dreadwing spoke up, "Optimus Prime, while he may be my enemy, he is neither a coward nor a deceiver. If he claims to have knowledge that is important to you, it must be true. I am not saying you should accept his challenge, I am simply telling you that he never lies."
Cornelia heard all their advice and smirked.
"All forces stand down!" she ordered before addressing the Autobot directly, "Very well Prime. I accept your challenge."
All the Knightmares lowered their weapons, as did Dreadwing and his Vehicons. Optimus gazed up at the mobile base once more.
"We will meet fifty kilometers west of here. I will be waiting for you," Optimus turned around to walk away before transforming and driving off.
As he retreated, no one noticed the empty Sutherland that the disguised Lelouch left as he slipped into a ruined building not far from the area. After climbing over some debris, he spotted not only the vehicle mode of Bumblebee but C.C. wearing his Zero outfit as well, complete with his mask.
"Why did you do that?"
"[Your welcome,]" Bumblebee said, though his tone couldn't be identified with his bleeps, it was obvious he was less than pleased.
"I told you he wouldn't say thanks," C.C. said to the disguised Autobots.
"You cut off communications with me and leave me out to dry, then just waltz right in and challenging Cornelia without even telling me?!" Lelouch was about to yell, but Bumblebee cut him off.
"[Now's not the time for that! Don't worry we will be talking about this later! But for right now, just get in!]" Bumblebee opened his doors as C.C. got in the driver's seat while Lelouch got it in the passenger seat.
Bumblebee closed his doors and drove off.
"Where's everyone else?" Lelouch asked.
"[The rest of the Bots are at the Ark right now. Kallen and Ohgi's group, as well as the Yamato Alliance, are all at Shinjuku, getting ready for the show.]"
"What show?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you'll see," C.C. said as a ghost of a smirk appeared on her face.
Ten Minutes Later
Bumblebee pulled up right behind Optimus who stood in his full glory, though Bumblebee remained in his vehicle mode as Lelouch observed the surroundings. They were in the very center of the Saitama ghetto. The 'arena' had a diameter of fifty meters all around. There were no ruins or buildings anywhere, an open arena without any form of cover. The perfect spot for an open duel.
C.C., still dressed as Zero, left the vehicle.
"[You're gonna want to stay inside,]" Bumblebee told Lelouch. It didn't take a genius to know what they were doing. C.C. was going to act as Zero to make it look as though everyone in her lineup before was a Britannian soldier and that this whole thing wasn't just a big distraction.
Optimus stood as he saw a large group of Knightmares roll onto the area before coming to a halt one hundred meters away from Optimus at the very edge of the 'arena'. These included multiple Sutherlands, including the Purebloods being held in the very back of the pack, and many Gloucesters as well, including both Guilford and Darlton in their Knightmares. At the front of the pack was Cornelia herself in her own personal custom-made Gloucester.
But it wasn't just them, a certain airplane, flanked by two more dark purple jets, flew towards the scene before transforming and landing to reveal Dreadwing and his Vehicon troopers as they landed next to Cornelia's forces. Dreadwing made contact with Optimus as the Autobot leader gave him a nod of acknowledgment and respect.
However, what the Britannian forces did not know was that Bumblebee was recording and broadcasting the footage from his optics and transmitting them to the Ark as Fixit transmitted that frequency to a large television in the hideout for the rebels in Shinjuku as they, including Kallen, Ohgi, and Tamaki, watched with interest.
All the remaining Autobots watched from the Ark's bridge as well as they saw the coming battle from the main screen.
It wasn't just them, however, as Laserbeak flew high over the battle and also broadcasted the event taking place to the Nemesis where Megatron, Soundwave, Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp all continued to watch.
Megatron would be lying if he said he wasn't interested at all in the fight about to take place. Up till now, he hadn't seen what Optimus was capable of since the Exodus from Cybertron, as he didn't fight against the Purebloods, only the rest of his team did. Now he could see what his greatest foe could do. Had he grown weaker or stronger since their last encounter? Either way, it was going to be quite the show.
Cornelia saw from her Gloucester that 'Zero' was present as well. She wanted to get her hands on him for what happened to Clovis. But right now, she had a duel to win.
"Soldiers of Britannia, listen closely!" Cornelia began to announce to her soldiers, including the three Decepticons nearby, "This battle is mine and mine alone! You will not interfere! Is that understood?!"
"Yes, your majesty!" all the soldiers, including Guilford and Darlton, all exclaimed at once.
"Indeed, the battle is yours. I will not interfere," Dreadwing assured her.
With that declaration, Cornelia moved her Gloucester slowly into the battlefield as Optimus began walking towards the center as well. They slowly came towards the center before stopping twenty meters away from each other.
"Optimus Prime, before we begin, let me ask you something," Cornelia began, "Why do you fight for these measly Elevens? With all the power you possess, you should have sided with us. With all our power combined we could easily control this world."
"You believe that those with power should use it to oppress others simply because you view them as weak?" Optimus questioned.
"Indeed."
Optimus shook his head, "That is why I side with them. You may view them as mere 'numbers', but they think and feel the same way both you and I do. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. I will fight to protect that right, no matter the cost."
"Freedom is their right?" Cornelia questioned with a scoff, "I never realized just how foolishly idealistic you were. It's a law of nature: the strong survive while the weak always perish beneath our feet. That's how it is and how it always will be."
"For wild animals with base instinct perhaps," Optimus responded, "But you are an intelligent being, and with Britannia's resources, your nation could use them to help those less fortunate than you, not oppress them. But you choose this path, you aren't forced onto it, it's a choice. If you truly wish to be a true leader Cornelia, then stray from your father's path of destruction and death, and lead Britannia towards peace!"
Cornelia's eyes twitched slightly as anger flashed in her eyes before she put herself back in her current situation.
"Alien, you do not know how this world works. But don't worry, I'll teach you."
It was silent from that point forward. Optimus' faceplate closed as he glared at Cornelia, who glared back from inside her Gloucester. No one dared make a move, not the two fighters, nor the Britannian soldiers observing them, not even Dreadwing. Lelouch watched this intensely with Bumblebee, the exiled prince who had never seen Optimus in action before, and against Cornelia no less.
C.C. meanwhile had an amused smile underneath the Zero-mask. The leader of the Autobots against the Goddess of Victory of Britannia. This should defiantly be interesting.
Everyone else watching from their respective separate locations; Autobots, Decepticons, and resistance fighters were just as tense as everyone else as not even Optimus nor Cornelia had made a move. The tension was so thick; one could cut it with a knife.
A slight breeze blew in between them as they continued to glare, almost as if one was silently daring the other to make the first move. Optimus, though he maintained his glare, kept a cool head and remained calm, while Cornelia's hands twitched slightly on the controls of her Knightmare. Finally, Cornelia made the first move as she pulled out her Gloucester's rifle and opened fire on Optimus.
Optimus' hands converted into his Energon blasters as he ran to avoid the bullets shot at him, while he shot Energon blasts at Cornelia, who move her Gloucester to avoid the shots. Her Knightmare moved along the ground at such speed that she was able to avoid all the blasts shot at her, while Optimus ran parallel to her. For someone so large he was quite fast and nimble. Realizing this wasn't getting her anywhere, Cornelia shot her Gloucester straight towards Optimus, while still shooting with her rifle to keep him from fighting back. Once she got close enough she shot her slash harkens in his direction, however she did not expect him to jump and flip over where the harkens landed, not only that he landed behind Cornelia and gave a powerful kick to the Knightmares' back to send it skidding across the ground.
Darlton and Guilford looked in surprise. No one has ever managed to knock down Cornelia before. However, Dreadwing wasn't surprised in the least, he battled Optimus before and knew just how formidable he was.
Cornelia was able to get her Gloucester back on its feet before she rolled directly at Optimus with her jousting lance. But Optimus made no effort to avoid it, rather he converted his right hand into one of his signature blades to block and parry the lance's thrust as Cornelia skidded past him. She immediately turned her Knightmare around and shot forward again with her lance, only for Optimus to block and parry with his sword again. As Cornelia turned around it appeared she was about to try it again a third time, but as she got close she shot her slash harkens out on the ground and propelled her above Optimus.
Optimus was able to roll underneath the cables of the harkens as they pulled Cornelia's Glouchester down, as she descended she pulled out her rifle again and shot at Optimus, who ran back to avoid the shot. Just as she landed, he pulled out his Energon blaster in his right hand and shot the rifle out of her Knightmare's hands, obliterating the weapon.
Cornelia growled in frustration before she readied her lance and shot for Optimus again as he converted both his hands into blades, ready to block it. However, Cornelia did something unexpected as she held her lance in her Knightmare's right arm but threw her left arm out for a punch, which Optimus blocked with the flat part of his right blade, but it left his right flank vulnerable as Cornelia pierced her lance into his side and shot past him.
The Gloucester skidded to a halt some distance past Optimus as she saw him hold his would where blue liquid Energon leaked out of it. She saw it and smirked.
"Do you see that!?" she announced to her soldiers, "He bleeds! These Autobots aren't invincible; they are vulnerable! And anything vulnerable can be killed!"
However, Optimus wasn't the least fazed as he stood up straight, "Are you proud?"
"What?" Cornelia questioned.
"You only managed to scratch me. Are you proud of this achievement?" Optimus asked, not even fazed by the small wound Cornelia gave him.
"Oh, you are going to get a lot more than just a scratch! Optimus Prime, I will be your end!" Cornelia shot her Gloucester straight at Optimus with her lance, at her Knightmare's top speed, ready to impale him.
However, Optimus let her come. And just before she could thrust her lance into his chest area, Optimus caught the weapon with both his hands. Using her momentum, he lifted the Gloucester over his head and threw her across the ground.
"No way!" Lelouch exclaimed in surprise as he still watched from inside Bumblebee. While C.C., still disguised as Zero, also looked in shock, which was a first for even her.
"Princess Cornelia!" Guilford shouted as Darlton's own eyes widened in surprise. Dreadwing however kept his eyes on the battle, as he wasn't the least bit surprised.
Cornelia was completely stunned by this but was quick to regain her bearings as she tried to pull up her damaged Knightmare. She looked in shock to see Optimus running toward her like a speeding bullet. Acting on instinct, she shot her lance out forward, but Optimus already had his blade ready and sliced through the lance down the middle and dragged his blade through the Gloucester's right arm before completely severing it.
She tried to throw a punch with her Knightmare's left arm, but Optimus caught it effortlessly before crushing its fist in his hand. Now it was Optimus' turn to go on the offensive as he began to lay a series of punches all across Cornelia's Gloucester. Each punch was thrown with such force that the internal systems of the Knightmare suffered severe damage, though Optimus held back a bit as to not kill Cornelia inside.
The Britannian soldiers could not believe what they were seeing as Optimus Prime continued to punch the Gloucester owned by Princess Cornelia li Britannia. Guilford's eyes shook with shock.
"No… this… this can't be possible," he uttered.
Darlton was equally shocked as he gripped the controls of his Knightmare hard. "Princess Cornelia… is actually… losing!"
Finally, after several more punches, Optimus delivered a powerful fist directly to the face of the Gloucester, so powerful that it knocked off the Knightmare's head. Optimus then delivered the finishing blow as he drew his blade and slashed at the Gloucester's abdomen area, just below the cockpit. The Knightmare wasn't cut in half, but it was deep enough that its systems were now completely inoperable as it fell on its back in defeat.
"This duel is over. You have lost," Optimus declared.
With that declaration, the entire battlefield had been rendered silent. Lelouch couldn't believe what he had just seen, such skill and power. Optimus Prime knew exactly what to do and applied what force was necessary to win, and he didn't even kill her. He was a force to be reckoned with. C.C. had the same sort of thoughts as she couldn't help but give an impressed smile at the result.
The forces of Britannia however were far from pleased. Guilford was completely speechless, while Darlton narrowed his eyes and gripped his controls so hard it felt as though his knuckles would have turned white. Jeremiah's jaw was agape while Kewell's eyes shook beyond belief.
"Optimus Prime… defeated… Princess Cornelia… the Goddess of Victory," Villetta thought in an equal amount of disbelief, "The Autobots… just who are these warriors?"
The Cybertronians present weren't all that surprised. Bumblebee had fought beside Optimus for years and he knew he had what it takes to win; no way Cornelia was ever going to beat him. Dreadwing had expected this outcome, while he knew Optimus was the most skilled fighter he ever encountered, it was also Cornelia's arrogance that also got the better of her.
The Ark
"Alright! That's how we do it!" Bulkhead exclaimed with a wide grin as the rest of Team Prime saw the battle come to an end.
"As if there was ever any doubt," Cliffjumper said with a bit of a smug expression.
"Way to take that wannabe Decepticon down a peg, Optimus!" Ironhide stated with a smirk and a nod.
"Well I'm not all that surprised, I mean this is Optimus we're talking about," Arcee commented with her smirk.
"Indeed, there was no possible means of victory for Cornelia," Ratchet said as he knew what his oldest friend was capable of and it dwarfed anything Cornelia had to offer.
"Despite knowing this victory was likely, it's still a privilege to watch Optimus Prime lurk… quirk… work!" Fixit said in-between glitches.
Pretty much every resistance fighter cheered at the top of his or her lungs as the Kozuki Resistance Cell and the Yamato Alliance just saw Optimus' victory.
"Hell yeah! Suck it Britannia!" Tamaki cheered with everyone else.
"Autobots 1! Britannia nothing!"
"That was amazing! He took down Cornelia!"
"He destroyed her!"
"How does Zero know these guys!"
"Well, they can sign me up! I'm gonna work with these guys!"
The only ones not cheering or celebrating were Kallen and Ohgi as they were still quite shocked with the result. Though Kallen was the first to break the silence.
"He won… Optimus Prime… beat Cornelia," Kallen uttered before a wide grin broke on her face, "He can beat them! They can beat them! The Autobots, Zero, they can beat Britannia! We can actually win this!"
Ohgi said nothing as he saw Optimus' figure from the TV. This alien being was not only powerful, but he could tell just from a few short meetings and fighting beside him, that he meant what he said. Optimus Prime would stand and protect Japan and all others that Britannia and even the Decepticons would oppress. He smiled, even if he didn't know him long, he would trust Optimus with his life. He would even follow him into hell if he was asked to.
The Nemesis
Though Starscream and Skywarp looked frustrated at this, Thundercracker wasn't surprised. This was the most likely outcome. However, it still would have been satisfying to see if by some miracle that Optimus did indeed fall, but they knew that Cornelia didn't have what it takes to bring him down.
Despite the enemy's victory, Megatron chuckled slightly, "After all these years Optimus, still at the top of your game."
Saitama
Cornelia couldn't believe it. She lost, for the first time in her life, she actually lost. She lost a real battle, a one-on-one duel. How was this possible, she was the Goddess of Victory! The Pride of Britannia! But now she couldn't even move her Knightmare! Her body wasn't all that great either as she felt some bruises all over her body, her right arm was sprained, and she even had some blood trickling down the right side of her face, past her eye. But nothing was more damaged than her own pride. The only thing working with her Gloucester was the screen in front of her, but barely, as she could see Optimus looking down at her through the static.
"Well… what are you waiting for?" she spoke to him through a spiteful growl, "Finish it! Finish me! I'm ready!"
However, Optimus made no such moves. His faceplate opened as he shook his head, "No."
Cornelia's head shot up in disbelief, "What?!"
"You are defeated, your Knightmare cannot move, and you are unable to defend yourself any further. There is no point in me taking your life," Optimus told her.
"You must! You… you… cannot…!" Cornelia stuttered.
"I can, because at the moment you are helpless, unable to defend yourself," Optimus said, "And no matter the circumstances, even if you are my enemy, I will never terminate a helpless life form. Otherwise I'd be no different from your father or Megatron."
Cornelia shook with rage and disbelief as Optimus looked towards her as well as her own soldiers.
"You have the accepted the terms of this duel, and you have lost," Optimus began, "From this point forward, you will no longer endanger innocent civilians, regardless of their nationality! If you choose to wage war, then very well, but it will remain solely between soldiers. If any of you have any sense of loyalty or honor, then you will respect these terms!"
Guilford and Darlton glared at him, but they knew that was what they will do. Though they themselves did not make the agreement, their princess made it. So they till will follow it and they would no longer attack any civilians, even the Elevens living in the ghettos. Dreadwing gave a nod of acknowledgment, though he wasn't officially one of Cornelia's soldiers, he was among the few Decepticons with a sense of honor, and he would never endanger innocents.
Optimus then turned around and began to walk away. But Cornelia wouldn't have it. In a fit of rage, she manually opened her cockpit and stuck out as she pulled out her sword-gun weapon and shot at Optimus.
"GET BACK HERE!" she shouted as she continued to shoot at him, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off his metal body, "I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU! THIS ISN'T OVER! COME BACK AND FACE ME!"
Optimus stopped briefly and turned back to Cornelia as she continued to shoot, even after her gun ran out of ammo, "I will leave you a warning. Do not trust Megatron, if you do, you will regret it."
With that final warning, Optimus transformed into his vehicle mode and met up with Bumblebee, as well as Lelouch and C.C. as they rode inside the Autobot scout. A Groundbridge portal opened up and they were both transported back to the Ark before it closed.
Cornelia couldn't believe it. With a yell, she threw her weapon away and began to pound her fist into the damaged body of her Knightmare.
"Damn it! DAMN IT ALL!" she yelled, "Not only does he humiliate me in front of my soldiers, but he doesn't even see fit to grant me a warrior's death?! Does he think I'm beneath him?!"
She looked in the direction where the Groundbridge portal had vanished as her eyes shook with unbelievable rage as her soldiers came to her aid, "I am a woman of my word, so I will honor the terms of this agreement. However… I swear even if it's the last thing I do… I will kill you Optimus Prime! I'll have your head mounted on my wall!"
The Ark
Bumblebee and Optimus had arrived back at the Ark with Lelouch and C.C. as the later took off the mask to show her face. Once the humans exited the two Autobots and they transformed, Lelouch noticed the looks the Autobots were giving him, they were looks of disappointment and even anger, especially with Ironhide and Arcee.
"So, you decided to grace us with your presence, your majesty?" Ironhide said mockingly.
"Don't call me that!" Lelouch stated.
"You really have no room to complain here!" Ironhide stated, "How could you not see the whole thing was a trap?! It was exactly like Shinjuku! Cornelia may not be a strategist, but you don't need to master strategy to know she was playing you!"
"Sorry Lelouch, but I gotta go with everyone else on this, you really messed up big time," Cliffjumper said. Though he wasn't angry with him, he was still disappointed.
"I don't need a lecture," Lelouch said in a low.
"We think you do," Ratchet said, "You are a strategic genius Lelouch, we know that. So how is it that you couldn't see that you we're being drawn in!? It was because you let your pride get to you! You won a few battles and you have a power that no other human has, now you suddenly believe you can take on the entire Britannian Empire and win!? Any competent force learns from their mistakes, and it seemed they have!"
"I would have won if the conditions we're equal!"
"Conditions we're equal!?" Ironhide exclaimed, "This isn't a game! This is war! It's not like chess where your opponent has to abide by the rules! Megatron doesn't care about 'following the rules'! He doesn't play fair! And neither does Britanina, so don't expect them to!"
"He's right, Lelouch," Bulkhead began in a less strict, but still straightforward tone, "No offense, but we got a lot more experience than you, you don't know war like we do. The Cons aren't gonna paly fair."
"I have all the data on Cybertron's battles if you want to look at that," Fixit offered.
Lelouch looked away with a scowl, "[Oh and by the way, C.C. told us what you tried to do back at Ashford.]"
He looked in surprise as he turned to the immortal haired girl who simply shrugged while Bumlebee continued, "[Did you seriously threaten to kill yourself in order for her to let you go? Really?! That seems like something a spoiled little kid would do to get their way!]"
"I can't have you dying Lelouch," C.C. added, "And it seems that they'd prefer to have you alive as well seeing as how you're working with them."
"Emphasis on 'working with us'," Ironhide said sternly, "Contrary to what you think, we're not your personal weapons of mass destruction!"
"This is my fight!" Lelouch yelled, "I made a vow to obliterate Britannia and I will do that no matter what it takes!"
"You still don't get it, do you?" Arcee began, "A couple of victories doesn't mean you're invincible. Not every mission results in success! Not for me, not for Bee, not even for Optimus! What happened to you and your sister was a tragedy and you have my sympathies, but you're not the only one who knows what loss is! All those rebels we're fighting with, every single one of them has lost something! Their homes, their friends, their families! And we know what that's like to! We've won battles and we've lost some, we've lost friends to, we even lost our whole world! Cybertron is gone! We can't ever go home now, do you understand what that's like?! But you still have your planet, and we have a chance to save, a chance to stop Britannia and the Cons from doing to it what happened to our home. But if we're going to win this, everybody in this room needs to be in sync! This isn't about you or your own little vendetta!"
Lelouch didn't expect something like that. He couldn't think of a response as he simply looked away.
"Alright, I believe that is enough," Optimus said to his team, "You have all made your point."
"Optimus, he needs to hear this," Arcee insisted. Ironhide and Ratchet looked towards Optimus as they silently told him that they agree with Arcee, they need to make sure this sticks with Lelouch.
"You might actually do it," Arcee continued to speak to Lelouch, "You might actually defeat your father and make this world a better place, and I sincerely hope that you do, but that begins and ends with putting the team first! Not your personal score card!"
"I will destroy the empire of Charles Zi Britannia!" Lelouch suddenly exclaimed, letting his emotions get the better of him, "I'll do whatever it takes to make this world better for Nunnally!"
"Then stop acting like a Britannian prince, and start being a soldier, an Autobot," Arcee told him.
Lelouch's look softened a bit as he instinctively glanced towards Optimus who held a straightforward look. Though he didn't say it, Optimus agreed with everything they said. If Lelouch really wanted to create that sort of world, he needed to put his comrades and his team first. This wasn't about him.
The former prince turned revolutionary sighed as he relaxed a little, "Alright… so, what's the next step?"
The group calmed down a bit as it seemed Lelouch was now willing to listen to them, though he still probably had a long way to go, it was at least a start.
"Well, since Optimus took down Cornelia, both Ohgi's group and the Yamato Alliance have sent messages about wanting to join us," Bulkhead said.
Lelouch smiled slightly, "That's good to hear."
"We talked about this before, that if we're going to actually stand a chance at beating Britannia and the Decepticons, we're gonna need to build an army," Ironhide said.
"But since we can't reach any other Autobots out in space, we're gonna have to work with what we got here," Cliffjumper added.
"I have tried to send out signals, but with the state the Ark is in, not to mention that we are actively hiding from the Decepticons, I've had less than successful results." Fixit said.
"While I am not fond of involving humans, it seems like we don't have a choice," Ratchet said, "But two resistance groups aren't enough for us to wage a full scale war."
"Then we better start building our army," Lelouch said, "An army that can't lose to Britannia or the Decepticons! A people! A Nation!"
Optimus nodded, "Then let's get to work."
Meanwhile, in an unknown location, the current emperor of Britannia, Charles Zi Britannia stood on what appeared to be some kind of ancient altar as he looked to what appeared to be a cloudy sky with a strong light behind it. The silence was broken by a series of footsteps as someone who bore the appearance of a young boy entered.
"Charles, how are things proceeding here?" V.V. asked.
"Steadily, big brother," Charles answered, "I was just conversing with Clovis, actually."
V.V. had a bit of an amused smile as he walked to his brother's side, "Looks like Lelouch has now joined with the Autobots, they even defeated Cornelia of all people."
"I'm not surprised," Charles said, "If they are anything like what Megatron has told us, then the Autobots will present a problem for our empire."
"Speaking of our old teacher, now that Optimus Prime has revealed himself, Megatron might take a more active roll in our world's affairs," V.V. said with concern, "Should he learn of what we've been doing…"
"He won't," Charles said, "His gaze is fixated solely on Area 11 where Optimus and Lelouch are. So long as he focuses on them, we'll be secure."
"C.C. is there as well," V.V. said, "If Megatron happens to find her before we do, it could cause some problems."
"Perhaps you're right. We'll need to accelerate the project, but we can't rush it too much. It's a delicate process and we cannot afford any mistakes," Charles stated.
"And Lelouch? Will he be a problem?" V.V. asked.
"I wouldn't worry about him just yet. Megatron might handle him for us," Charles said, "Don't worry big brother, the dream that you and I and Marianne all shared will come into fruition. I will make sure of it."
At the mention of the woman's name, V.V's eyes twitched slightly. Even in death, her name still brought out some spite and jealousy in him, "I'm sure it will. I'll leave you to it, then,"
V.V. left the area, leaving Charles alone, or supposedly.
"Charles…" a new voice spoke in his mind, "I admit, I'm rather nervous. This is Megatron we're talking about, he's even smarter than Lelouch and Schneizel combined, and more powerful than anything we have at our disposal. If he learns of our project…"
"Marianne, I promise, he won't. Ragnarok will make this world a better place. I promise."
Chapter 9: Knights of Justice and Freedom
Chapter Text
A bullet train rode on the tracks over a nearby ghetto, the occupants of one of the train cars being members of the Ashford Student Council: Milly, Shirley, Nina, and even the amnesiac Rai, all of whom wore casual clothing. Milly wore a long light blue dress that stretched to her ankles; Shirley wore a green tank top with brown shorts and sandals, her hair tied back in a ponytail; Nina wore a beige jacket with heavy brown pants and a hat.
"I've never left the Tokyo Settlement before, this is my very first time!" Shirley said excitedly as she looked out the window, "What about you Rai?"
"You tell me, I don't know," Rai said in a bit of a joking tone referring to his amnesia, but despite the joke, Shirley looked regrettable at that.
"Oh, right I'm sorry…"
"Forget, don't worry," Rai assured.
"I'm still a little bit surprised Lelouch said it would be alright with you coming with us," Shirley said honestly.
"Why? I mean it's not like he's my dad or anything," Rai said.
"Well considering how overprotective Lulu is for Nunnally, it's naturally a bit of a surprise that he's letting anyone who lives under the same roof go anywhere without him," Milly explained.
"Of course he's protective of his sister. She's blind and in a wheelchair, for Pete's sake," Rai said as if it were obvious.
"Relax, I was joking," Milly said before turning to Shirley, "Speaking of Lelouch, I bet you wish he was here with us, don't you Shirley?"
The tease caused Shirley to blush while Rai had an indifferent look.
"I think I'm starting to understand why you're called the 'She-Devil'," Rai said while Milly just had a mischievous grin.
The train however entered a dark tunnel, causing Nina to give a frightened shriek, slightly startling both Rai and Shirley. Milly hovered kneeled in front of her and held her hand gently as the lights came on in the train car.
"Nina, it's alright," Milly said in a calm and soothing tone, "There are lots of tourists at Lake Kawaguchi so security's fine. Don't be afraid, it's not the ghettos."
"Yes but…"
"We'll be with you the whole time. We won't leave your side for a second," Milly assured.
Nina smiled, "Thanks."
The train exited the tunnel and entered a valley where one could see Mount Fuji. Shirley looked in amazement and wonder, while Rai, who was also amazed at the sights before him, had something else on his mind. He saw the metallic exterior around Mount Fuji and his face grimaced a bit, that along with what Milly said in regards to the ghettos.
Lelouch and Nunnally had both told him not only of their former status as royals but of what Japan was like before the invasion. Though he was amazed at the sight of Mount Fuji, he was also disgusted at the man-made structures built around it, almost as if it were a symbol of Britannia's dominance and oppression. He already had a strong dislike for the Britannian Empire, though he cared for his friends in the Ashford Council, despite being Britannians themselves, as they were only civilians and good people; but that did not deter his distaste for the empire and its beliefs on Social Darwinism. He wanted to do something about it, but what could he do? He was only one person. It's not like he knew people actively fighting Britannia.
The Ark
The vehicle modes of Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, Ironhide, and Arcee all drove through several Groundbridge portals from the Groundbridge station up to the bridge of the submerged Autobot ship. Once the vehicles came to a halt, the doors opened to reveal the combined members of the Kouzuki Resistance Cell and the Yamato Alliance, Kallen herself having ridden on Arcee. They all stumbled for a bit as the Autobots transformed into robot-mode.
"Aw man, I think I'm gonna be sick," Tamaki grumbled as he held his stomach as many other people had similar feelings around him.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Cliffjumper said.
"Shake it off everyone, and welcome aboard."
That was the declaration of Zero as everyone shook off their nausea to look up to see Zero himself standing on a built-in human-sized just below the main window-screen with Optimus and Ratchet standing at each of his sides in front of him.
Once their amnesia was shaken off, all the Rebels looked around at their new surroundings in amazement.
"Holy cow!"
"Whoa, look at this place!"
"It's huge!"
Ohgi looked towards Optimus, "What is this place?"
"This is the Ark," Optimus began to explain, "It once served as a mass Autobot transport during an exodus from our home planet. But as of this moment, it will serve as our headquarters."
"We're inside an alien spaceship?" Kallen questioned, still not over her amazement.
Ratchet gave a scoff, "Puh-lease. I wouldn't describe it simply as that."
"Who's the bot with the attitude?" Tamaki asked with crossed arms, not liking Ratchet's tone of voice.
"That would be Ratchet," Bulkhead introduced, "He's not too big a hands-on-fighter, but he's our team's medic, and stinking good scientist."
"Their medic, huh?" One rebel wondered.
"Yes, and I am his assistant and caretaker of the Ark," Fixit rolled up to many of the rebels, who looked at him in surprise, "My name is Fixit. Nice to beat you….great you… meet you!"
"Whoa, a mini-bot!" Another rebel voiced in surprise.
"Aw, ain't that cute," Tamaki teased.
"The official term is Mini-Con, thank you," Fixit confirmed, "And I apologize for any mispronunciations in my speech, for my body was damaged when the Ark crashed here on Earth so I might be a bit glitchy."
"Crash landed?" Kallen questioned. "Where exactly are we anyway?"
"The Ark is several miles off the coast of Japan, deep in the Pacific Ocean," Arcee answered as all the rebels looked out the main window to see the oceanic setting before them, complete with a multitude of fishes.
"Whoa, we're underwater!"
"That's cool!"
"Zero, Optimus, are you sure about all this?" Ohgi asked, "Letting us into your place like this?"
"Of course. We're comrades after all," Zero assured.
"Indeed, if we are to stand a chance against our enemies, then the best possible option is cooperation," Optimus explained as well.
"You sure this place is safe?" One rebel from the Yamato Alliance asked.
"Yeah, don't worry about it," Cliffjumper said, "This place is completely invisible to both Britannia and the Cons, no one's gonna find us down here."
"And it's best you guys don't stray too far from the bridge," Ironhide explained, "The Ark is huge even by our standards, it's easy to get lost here."
"Not to mention some of the areas around this place are damaged with flooded compartments too," Arcee added.
"But other than that, our casa is your casa," Bulkhead welcomed.
"We'll make more accommodations as time passes," Zero said, "But in the meantime, we've established a small area over there, serving something equivalent to a meeting and recreational area." He pointed over to the far right side where a staircase built into the wall leading up to a large platform that could hold over two dozen people with plenty of tables, several chairs and couches, a few fridges, and a flatscreen television set.
The rebels all climbed up the staircase and looked at the area they'd probably be spending most of their time in. Kallen and another rebel opened some of the fridges to find some bottled water already there. They'd probably need more food, but this was the best that can be made on such short notice.
"Optimus with all due respect, the rebels are in much danger here as anywhere," Ratchet voiced his protest, "They have no protective shell! If they get underfoot they will go… squish!"
"Then for the time being Ratchet, we must watch where we step," Optimus told him.
"As Optimus said Ratchet, cooperation is necessary," Zero added, "Every army needs a base they can all reconvene at, and the Ark is perfect. It's large enough to hold the entire population of Japan and still have room to spare, the Groundbridge portals will make it easy for all of us to transport in and out of dangerous locations, and we're so deep underwater that we're completely invisible to our enemies' eyes."
Ratchet understood the logic in Lelouch's statement and agreed with Optimus that if they are to have any hope of standing against the combined forces of the Decepticons and Britannia, they need an army of their own. As much as he hated to admit it, they needed the help of the humans right now.
One rebel turned on the television with a remote as an emergency news report came on.
"How are things looking on the scene?"
This got the attention of many of the rebels, and even Bumblebee and Cliffjumper.
"What's going on?" The red Autobot asked as they watched.
"I'm here in front of the Lake Kawaguchi Center Hotel," A female reporter began in front of said hotel, "The hijackers have identified themselves as the Japan Liberation Front…"
That caught Ironhide's attention, "Fixit, put that on the main screen."
Fixit nodded as he pressed a few commands on a small Mini-Con console made for him as the news broadcast was now being projected on the main screen on the Ark's bridge, allowing the Autobots and Zero to see it.
"Members of the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting, most notably Chairman James, were taken hostage as well as several tourists and hotel employees."
The screen showed footage taken by the hijackers to show all the hostages surrounded by armed men all stored in a meat-locker with hands above their heads. "
This footage was taken by the perpetrators. In it, you can see Chairman James and even some students."
Zero looked in surprise, as did Kallen as they recognized the faces of Shirley, Rai, Milly, and Nina among the console.
"From the Student Council?" Kallen thought.
Even Bumblebee looked in surprise as he recognized them from his time watching over Lelouch at Ashford.
JLF Headquarters
Tohdoh and several of his comrades watched the broadcast as well, not pleased at all.
"The leader of the group claims to be Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe of the new debunked Japanese Military…"
Tohdoh slammed his fist on the ground, "That imbecile!"
On the Scene
Princess Cornelia's transport, along with several soldiers, and even Suzaku and the Special Corps had gathered around the hotel as Diethard Ried's news unit continued to broadcast.
"Sakuradite, an essential component in the manufacture of high-temperature superconductors, is a vital strategic resource that directly affects world security. Area 11 is the largest producer of this material, providing 70% of the worlds' total supply. Here at the yearly national meeting of Sakuradite producers, it will be determined how this resource will be disturbed among the world's nations…"
The Nemesis
Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave all stood on the bridge of the Decepticon Warship as the report was being broadcasted on their main screen.
"…It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome determines the balance of global power between Britannia and other countries. It is believed that the terrorists are using world interests in the annual gathering to their advantage by carrying out this violent hotel takeover."
"Interesting," Megatron mused, "And why is this of importance to us Starscream?"
"Well you see Master, I'm the one who leaked the information to the Japan Liberation Front in the first place," Starscream revealed with a smug grin.
"You what?!" Megatron was not amused that Starscream went behind his back to provide information to a human resistance organization. Despite that, however, Starscream kept up his confident expression.
"Because, now it is known to the public that an actual terrorist organization has taken innocent civilians hostage, for even if they are Britannian, I am highly doubtful Optimus and even that meddlesome Zero, will ignore such a vile act."
Starscream began to explain, "So, while Cornelia and her forces are so focused on the situation in front of them, all we have to do is wait, watch, and listen. For when the Autobots do come to rescue the civilians, my attack squad will strike! I already have Thundercracker and Skywarp on standby with the unit, ready to attack whenever I give the command."
Megatron found it a rather brilliant strategy. Optimus always put the needs of the weak ahead of his own, making him almost predictable, it would be out of character for him if he'd ignore a situation like this.
"Which in turn will destroy the Autobots in one fell swoop," Megatron said, "I must admit Starscream, it's very interesting, which is so rare for you."
Starscream tried his best not to scowl at the subtle insult Megatron gave him, "However, that is provided your unit succeeds in wiping out our enemy."
"I assure you, Lord Megatron, now that we have seen Optimus in combat first hand, with both Thundercracker and Skywarp leading the charge, the Autobots will fall!" Starscream stated.
"I'm Kusakabe of the Japan Liberation Front!" he exclaimed to his hostages gathered together, "This stand we're taking is for the freedom of Japan and our countrymen! Even though you are not soldiers, you are still Britannians! You are the ones who rule and oppress us! Sit still and be quiet and you'll be fine! If you don't…"
Rai glared at him. Despite what this man said, he could tell that he acted no different from the Britannian royal family, particularly the Emperor. Next to him, Shirley looked down as her eyes shook with fear.
"Lulu..."
Rai put a comforting hand on her shoulder, silently telling her that everything will be fine.
The Ark
"Taking civilians hostage?! That's a low blow!" Bulkhead commented in disgust.
"Well they're easily the biggest Anti-Britannian force in Japan, and now they're pride's hurt," Ohgi stated, though his tone indicated he wasn't too happy with the action himself.
"Probably because we've been doing the most damage to Britannia recently, and we're just a new group to everyone," Ironhide said, though he kept his cool, he did not like this one bit either.
"But why would they do this, though?" Fixit asked, "I mean, wouldn't it be easier if we all work together? We're all resistance fighters, aren't we?"
"Not every resistance group feels the same way as us, Fixit," Ohgi tried to explain to him, "Some of those people are actual terrorists who have tried to hurt innocent people; Britannia just chooses to lop us all in together with them."
"I don't know whether to feel happy or sad about this, because they're all gonna end up dead," one rebel stated with little emotion in his voice.
Arcee glanced over to Kallen who said nothing, but her eyes radiated a bit with worry as she did come to care about some of her classmates in the Student Council, even though they were Britannians themselves.
Both Bumblebee and Optimus happened to glance towards Lelouch as his features were hidden behind the mask. He too was worried; those were his friends in there, not to mention Rai. Aside from how they have been unable to help him regain his memory, Nunnally had already grown quite attached to him, if he got hurt, she'd be devastated.
Zero felt a buzz in his pocket and took out his phone to see Rivalz was calling him. He glanced upwards to Optimus who nodded to him. Lelouch had walked to the far side of the catwalk he was on, at the far side of the ship's bridge, far away from the hearing of the rebel fighters as a plate at the bottom of his mask opened to reveal his mouth as he answered the phone and spoke in his natural voice.
"Hello?"
"Lelouch! Are you near a TV?!" Rivalz frantically exclaimed over the other line, fortunately, no one else heard him.
"Yeah, I'm seeing it right now."
"Oh, man. Those guys got the Prez, Shirley, Nina, even Rai! What are we gonna do?!"
"Rivalz, calm down," Lelouch tried to urge him.
"Calm down?! Our friends have been kidnapped by terrorists!? How can I be calm?!"
"Panicking is not going to help," Lelouch said in a strict-yet-calm tone, "As much as I hate to admit it, there isn't anything we can do. The military is there, so all we can do is have faith and hope everyone will be safe."
Rivalz seemed to calm down a bit before speaking again, "Okay… you're right I… I'm sorry I snapped at you."
"Don't worry about it," Lelouch told him, "I gotta go. Talk to you later."
Lelouch hung up as his helmet closed and his face was completely riddled with fear and worry.
Cornelia's Mobile Base
"All bridges connecting to the hotel, except the main one, have been destroyed," One officer reported to Princess Cornelia as she sat in her command chair, "Our attempted approaches from the air and water have been unsuccessful. There's only one route left that will allow us to develop a possible hostage-rescue plan."
The main screen projected a three-dimensional image of the hotel and the environment around it.
"The main utilities tunnel running directly beneath the convention center hotel. We would go in through this route, destroy the foundation block, and submerge the hotel. Since the tunnel was built to handle supply deliveries, it should be able to accommodate Sutherlands. Even if the enemy has taken precautions, it should be no problem. They've been using sub-standard weaponry so we should have no problem evading them."
Just behind the mobile base, three Sutherlands were loaded down into the massive tunnel by a set of cables before they sped into it with the intent of destroying their enemies.
However, it seems they were expected as a pair of JLF soldiers saw them incoming on a radar screen. The soldiers piloted what appeared to be a combined-re-model of four Glasgows that supported a massive cannon on top.
"Enemy detected! As expected, they're moving through the underground tunnel!"
"Roger that! Raiko, get the secondary start-up! Both quad-linkage legs are locked! Super-Electromagnetic-Shrapnel-Cannon confirmed!"
The three Sutherlands continued down the tunnel with no resistance whatsoever. One pilot noticed something at the end, "I think these guys have Knightmare rifles. Spread out and flank their ranks."
"Super-Electromagnetic-Shrapnel-Cannon FIRE!"
The JLF soldier pulled the trigger, and the massive cannon on-board the unconventional Knightmare Raiko shot a large projectile that broke off and exploded, sending multiple smaller projectiles shooting outward that completely tore apart and destroyed all three Sutherlands.
Kusakabe and several JLF soldiers saw the result from their occupied room.
"One shot! Yes!" one soldier exclaimed enthusiastically.
"It works!"
"The Raiko was a complete success!"
Kusakabe had a smug grin, "What do you think of that, Britannian pigs?!"
Cornelia's mobile base.
"Wiped out?!" Darlton questioned in surprise.
"It looks as though they modified several Glasgows into a linear cannon!" One officer reported.
"Then there's no way we can breakthrough!"
"What do we do now?! If we release the political prisoners as they demand…"
"We cannot show weakness to terrorists!" Cornelia exclaimed.
Guilford walked up to her and whispered, "But Princess Euphemia, she's…"
Cornelia's intense look faded into one of concerned frustration, "Yes, I know."
Darlton turned to her, "Thus far, it appears that none of them have discovered that fact. If they learn that Princess Euphemia is among the hostages, they'll undoubtedly use her as a bargaining chip. She went there to observe, therefore she is not officially registered along with the other guests."
"What about the Decepticons?" one officer asked, "Have we tried contacting them?"
"One is already on the ground now," Darlton answered, "Dreadwing, though at the moment he is currently with Warrant Officer Kururugi and the Special Corps unit."
"Well, maybe we can ask him for assistance," The officer suggested, "Maybe he could contact the other Decepticons, and they…"
"No!" Cornelia exclaimed, "I will not rely on those aliens to solve our problems! We can handle this on our own!"
Ashford Academy
C.C. stood over a railing on a rooftop observing a certain schoolgirl, the same one Lelouch used his Geass on a couple of weeks ago, marking the very same mark she was told to do in the same spot. She walked away once it was done with an innocent smile.
"No, I still don't know where the Autobot base is," C.C. answered to someone only she could hear. She then rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Yes, yes, I understand, I'll do well this time. But why should I look after him though? He's already got bigger hands more capable of that, and I'm not much of a guardian myself."
Lloyd sat on a hilltop above the lake as both Suzaku and Cecile stood with him, the aforementioned scientist having thrown a pebble into the lake out of boredom.
"Can't the Special Corps offer any assistance in the rescue operation?" Suzaku asked.
"I already asked them, but we're an irregular unit and they don't acknowledge our chain of command," Lloyd answered, "Besides…" He threw another pebble across the lake.
"It's too risky to entrust the operation to an Eleven, is that right?" Suzaku assumed.
"Yet I'm sure that you are aware that Princess Cornelia is very discriminating about Britannians and Numbers," Lloyd told Suzaku.
"So the Japanese aren't being accepted enough into your structure."
"If that were true, then what point would there be in even having an Honorary Britannian system?" Cecile questioned.
"Perhaps to keep the populace in check, as there may very well be those within the Britannian populace who don't share such discriminatory thoughts."
These were the words of Dreadwing as he walked up toward the trio of humans, who were slightly started at how close they were to him, while Dreadwing himself kept his eyes fixated on the hotel.
"I don't see a reason why such discrimination exists," Dreadwing spoke, "If you can hold your own in battle, then where you come from should be irrelevant: for in the battlefield, all are equal."
Both Suzaku and Cecile looked up to Dreadwing in surprise, not just at how large and imposing he was, but the words that he spoke.
He looked down at the young man, "Suzaku Kururugi, despite hailing from another nation, your skills as a Knightmare pilot are superior to most Britannian soldiers, I'd dare say you even rival Princess Cornelia herself, the Lancelot itself is a very impressive weapon as well. Therefore you would be the most suitable soldier for a crisis like this, yet they refuse to acknowledge you due to your heritage, which is a lack of foresight if you ask me."
Suzaku's surprised look hadn't faded at just how much praise Dreadwing had shown him. A smile soon formed on his face.
"Um thank you… it's Dreadwing, right?" the aforementioned Decepticon nodded, "And… I never did get a chance to thank you for your help, during that mess with the Purebloods a while back."
"I was merely assisting in a situation in which one of my own was acting out of line as well," Dreadwing explained, "Pay no mind to it."
His attention was however caught as he looked down to see Lloyd looking up at him with stars in his eyes, as though he were a child looking at a brand new toy, "Can I help you?"
"Your name is Dreadwing, right?" Lloyd began, "I have to say, it's a pleasure to stand in the presence of a living machine! So tell me: how do you transform like that? How many transformations do you possess? Where did you come from? Did somebody create you? How strong is your metal skin? What powers you? Have you ever used a wrecking ball for a punching bag?"
Lloyd stopped his ranting however as Cecile pulled him away by the shoulder.
"Sorry about him," she looked up to Dreadwing apologetically, "He's a bit of an overly egotistical science geek."
Dreadwing nodded in acknowledgment; it was understandable since Cybertronians were still new to Earth, "I may answer your questions at a later date, but for now, I am on a mission."
"You're here to help with the rescue operation?" Suzaku asked.
"If they ask for my assistance," Dreadwing replied, "I am under strict orders to only assist Princess Cornelia if she asks for my aid, and she has yet to do so."
Suzaku looked in surprise. Even if she were discriminatory towards the Elevens, surely she would see the potential in Dreadwing. If what he's seen of Cybertronians thus far is any indication, Dreadwing alone could potentially disarm the terrorists with little effort. Yet Cornelia didn't allow it.
"If I might ask you, I have also heard some rumors going about," Lloyd spoke to Dreadwing, "About how Princess Cornelia went up against the leader of the Autobots and ended up having her Knightmare totaled."
"That is indeed correct," Dreadwing confirmed, "Princess Cornelia engaged Optimus Prime in a one-on-one duel and lost."
Suzaku and Cecile looked in honest surprise. Princess Cornelia, the Goddess of Victory, actually lost?! Though there was a part of them that seemed to understand; they've seen the Autobots in action first-hand; they've taken out Sutherlands with little effort and even one Autobot could match the Lancelot in single combat. But to hear Cornelia lose sounded almost unbelievable.
Lloyd however maintained his excited expression, "I'm not surprised at all! One Autobot could go one par with the Lancelot and I poured my blood and sweat into that, so I'd expect their leader to easily defeat Cornelia's less… advanced Knightmare. Still, I wish I could have seen it with my own eyes."
"It is that defeat however that worries me," Dreadwing said, getting their attention, "Princess Cornelia's pride took a major blow after that, having apparently never lost a battle before, hence the title 'Goddess of Victory', yet she was not only defeated but her life was also spared. Perhaps that she still feels that pain even now and is not thinking rationally, otherwise she would have used the more effective tools she currently has at her disposal, as opposed to only relying on Britannian soldiers. I worry that she may even forsake logic entirely and choose to attack the facility; destroying the terrorists as well as forsaking the lives of the hostages."
Neither Suzaku nor Cecile could believe what Dreadwing just said, even Lloyd seemed surprised at that. Dreadwing just said he was expecting Cornelia to kill the terrorists even if it means killing all the hostages in the protests.
"Why would she do that?!" Suzaku exclaimed, "Those are Britannian civilians in there! Women and children! Her people! Why would she throw their own lives away?!"
"I agree, it doesn't make sense at all!" Cecile agreed, "I can understand if her pride was hurt but… to sacrifice all those people….!"
Dreadwing had a somber look, "It is not likely, but it is a possibility. You would be surprised how often one values their pride over the lives of others."
The Ark
Lelouch had his quarters built into the Ark, which was on the far left side of the bridge, connecting to the main catwalk just below the main screen window. The room was relatively simple, just a bed and desk with a laptop. He looked at the live news footage over the laptop without his mask.
"She was only sightseeing! Shirley is still a student! But these criminals act indiscriminately! Savages! I want to know if Shir… I want to know if my daughter's alright! She hasn't done anything wrong!"
Lelouch's face filled with worry, he was also concerned for not only Shirley's safety but the rest of his friends among the hostages.
"The Autobots are strong, I know that but… can we pull off something like this? We managed to evacuate everyone in Saitama before Cornelia attacked but… no one was watching. Here, the whole world is watching! Not to mention all those resistance fighters we've recruited aren't ready. It's not just the fact we still haven't seen any Decepticons yet but… with Cornelia being there… I know she agreed to Optimus' terms in their duel about not involving civilians but, she could still just sacrifice the hostages anyway! Wait… why hasn't she made a move yet? Is it possible…?"
Lelouch's thoughts were cut off as he heard a knock on his door. He quickly put his mask back on, "Come in."
Kallen walked in, "Zero, what will happen to the hostages?"
Zero closed his laptop, "Eventually, there will be no reason to keep those Britannians alive."
Kallen's face was one of regret, "Yeah… I'm sure you're right."
"That doesn't mean they're going to die, though," Zero said, surprising Kallen.
"Wait, what do you mean? You just said…"
Her words were interrupted once Fixit rolled in, "I'm sorry to bother you Zero, but Optimus wants to speak with everyone for a moment."
"I have a feeling I know what he wants to say," Zero said, smiling slightly underneath his mask, "Kallen, Fixit, come with me."
He walked out with the red-haired girl and orange Mini-Con behind him onto the cat-walk where Optimus was standing in front of the dozen rebel soldiers gathered together, along with the rest of the Autobots.
Zero looked at Optimus as the Autobot leader nodded in confirmation as if he could read Lelouch's mind and tell what he was thinking, causing Lelouch to smile even more.
Optimus Prime then began to speak to everyone present, "As you all know, a sect of the Japan Liberation Front has taken over the Lake Kawaguchi Center Hotel and has taken at least two dozen Britannian civilians hostage. As of yet, there have been no negations made between them or the Britannian military being led by Cornelia."
"And we have yet to see any Decepticons on the scene, but that could change at any moment," Ratchet added.
There were voices of confirmation among the rebels.
"However, we will not allow any bloodshed this day," Zero spoke up, getting everyone's attention, "This will be our first official mission as a combined unit: we are going to rescue those hostages!"
Every single rebel looked in surprise as they all spoke up, questioning the words that just came from Zero's mouth. Even a few Autobots looked in surprise, particularly Ironhide and Arcee, even Fixit, but all the rest, such as Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Cliffjumper smirked a bit as they expected a mission like this.
"Rescue them?!" Kallen didn't expect that either.
"Are you serious?!"
"We're going to fight the JLF?!"
"Hold on, why in the hell are we risking our lives for a bunch of damn Britannians!?" Tamaki questioned in anger.
"Yeah, they're all the reason we're here in the first place!" Another rebel exclaimed.
"Wrong!" Zero spoke up, "The Britannian military is responsible, not those people!"
"That's right," Cliffjumper also said, "I get you guys are angry at Britannia, but those are innocents locked up in there, not armed soldiers!"
Among several more unsure voices, Optimus spoke up, getting everyone's attention, "I can understand why you would all be so reluctant to get involved in this rescue operation. However, as Zero and Cliffjumper have said, it is the Britannian military and the Emperor that are responsible for Japan's current state. The men, women, and children that are among the hostages are only civilians who have nothing to do with Britannia's current status in power; many may not even have ties to the military. If we condemn them simply for their nationality, then we are no different from the likes of Britannia who have done the same thing."
"You guys want to work with us, right?" Ironhide also spoke up, "Well if you do, you have to follow the same rules as us: primarily, we will not under any circumstances, hurt civilians! We'll fight the military, but unarmed bystanders are off-limits, Britannia or not! Cause if we do that, then we are what they say we are: terrorists!"
This seemed to calm down many of the rebels as they looked to each other; many even saw the logic in their statements. Pretty much everyone there hated Britannia, but most of them hated the idea of being called a terrorist, several of them even felt upset at how it was Britannian civilians taken hostage. Even if they wanted to rescue them or not, every person knew that if they were to take a stand against Britannia, and eventually the Decepticons, then they need the Autobots, and if it meant abiding by their rules, then so be it.
Ohgi then walked up and spoke, "Look I get what you guys are all saying. I'm not exactly a fan of what the JLF is doing right now, but what can we do? I mean, you guys are giant alien robots that can probably take on a whole army of Knightmares and win! The rest of us are just two different resistance groups working together and…"
"That is wrong!" Zero spoke up, interrupting Ohgi, "You, me, everyone else here, we are not just a resistance group! Is that clear?!"
"Then, what are we?" Ohgi asked.
"As of now, we stand with the Autobots!" Zero began. "Not as their subordinates, but as their equals! Even if we hail from different worlds, we are now the same thing they are: Knights for Justice and Freedom!"
Lake Kawaguchi
Night had fallen and there had been no change to the situation. Kusakabe and his sect of the JLF still had the hostages, while Cornelia had made no move to attack or rescue, not without potentially exposing and/or endangering her younger sister, Euphemia.
In the meantime; Dreadwing stood by the Lancelot as Cecile worked with Suzaku on maintenance.
"Those teenage hostages are friends of yours from school, aren't they?" Cecile asked Suzaku. "They are still negotiating, so let's not give up hope."
"I have faith in the system," Suzaku said, getting both Cecile's attention as well as Dreadwing's, "I prefer the logic of systems to individualist emotions."
Dreadwing looked towards the young soldier with both respect and concern. While he acknowledged Suzaku for trying to see the optimistic side of things, he is also naïve in that not everyone follows the same sort of logic, nor do they share the same set of morals.
Suzaku however noticed something, "Miss Cecile, look!"
He zoomed in with the Lancelot's camera. Dreadwing also zoomed in with his optics towards the roof of the hotel to see a pair of JLF soldiers with a hostage.
"What are they going to do?!" Cecile asked with worry.
Dreadwing's eyes widened as he realized what they were doing, "Don't you even…"
But it was too late. The soldiers pushed the hostage off the roof and everyone could only watch in horror as he plummeted to his death.
"NNOOOOOOO!" Suzaku screamed while Dreadwing only closed his eyes and grimaced. Though a part of him expected something like this, it made it no less pleasing to the eye.
The Nemesis.
"Our demands have gone unanswered," Kusakabe spoke to the Britannian military via private communication line that Soundwave was easily able to hack and bring up to the bridge's main screen. "Therefore we will throw one hostage from the roof every thirty minutes until our terms are met. For the sake of the hostages, negotiations should be faithful."
Megatron however looked in amusement, while Starscream chuckled, "Well, isn't that cute."
"Very amusing," Megatron agreed, "However, we still have yet to see any sign of Optimus."
"Fret not, Lord Megatron," Starscream assured, "Now that Kusakabe has made it clear that he cares little for the lives of his hostages, it will only hasten Prime's arrival."
"More than likely, yes," Megatron seemed to agree before looking down at his commander, "However Starscream, should this plan of yours fail, there will be serious repercussions."
Starscream's smug look vanished as he chuckled nervously.
Cornelia's Mobile Base
"This is their warning?! Barbarians!" Darlton spoke in disgust as he and Cornelia walked down the hall toward their Knightmares.
"For now we could negotiate just to get the women and children out…" Guilford tried.
"Forget it!" Cornelia exclaimed, "If you give in to their conditions even once, then you are simply legitimizing terrorism!"
"What of Dreadwing then?" Darlton asked, "He is a Decepticon, and, as much as I hate to admit, it would seem that he and the rest of his kind are simply more physically capable than any Knightmare we have."
"There is also the Lancelot," Guilford added, "However the pilot is an Eleven, and besides that, we have not yet secured the safety of Princess Euphemia."
Cornelia's face contorted with worry, "Euphie."
However, an officer ran onto the scene, "Viceroy! It's Zero and the Autobots! All of them!"
"What?!" Diethard questioned as he turned around to one of his employees, "What do you mean Van 3 was stolen by Zero?! What the hell was Gibson doing all the while?!"
"He said that when he realized what was happening, it was too late!"
"Huh, then where's Van 3 now?"
"We don't know, it just dropped off the grid completely. But it looks like Zero and all the Autobots are driving straight towards the military."
The Ark
The aforementioned Van 3 that had several news cameras and equipment built onto it was now on the bridge of the Ark with several cables attached to it as Fixit began to work on the inside.
"Alright, I have managed to connect to all the onboard cameras and I am transmitting the visual and audio frequencies to you now, Ratchet," Fixit typed a few commands on a console inside the van.
"I have received the frequencies," Ratchet typed a few commands on his console as the Ark was easily able to adapt the camera's systems into its own. He gave a slight scoff, "Human technology, vastly primitive compared to our own."
"I know it is, but we may have to adapt if we're going to work with humans now," Fixit said, "This is their world after fall… ball… all!"
"Yes, yes," Ratchet waved his hand, as he knew Fixit was right, "I hope you know what you're doing Optimus."
Lake Kawaguchi
A convoy comprised of the vehicle modes of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, and Ironhide all drove down the streets in-between two lines of Britannian Sutherlands as a series of lights shined on them. It was also evident that Zero himself was standing on the roof of Optimus Prime, while all his fellow rebels were riding inside the Autobots themselves. Kallen and Ohgi rode in Optimus, Tamaki and three others rode in Bumblebee behind them as Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, and Ironhide each had up to four or five rebels themselves. Arcee had no one as she drove by herself, pretty clear, as she could not provide any sort of cover due to her vehicle mode.
"We've confirmed, it's Zero! And most likely the Autobots in disguise! Should we open fire?"
"No stand down!" Darlton ordered over the radio. "We'll capture them after they're surrounded."
However, no one noticed that inside the vehicle modes of the Autobots, each of the rebels had some form of uniform. All of them wore shinny black jackets with hats and dark purple visors. But what stood out was the emblem on each of their shoulders. It was a red Autobot symbol with a silver blade coming out from the top and bottom and the sides were a silver curved line that looked like a bird in mid-flight, the sigil of Geass. This combined symbol would represent the combined rebellion of the Autobots and their human allies.
"So, this is it, our first real mission," Ohgi spoke, "I know what the plan is and all but still… I don't know whether to be excited or terrified right now."
"Do not worry," Optimus assured, "Even if the Britannian military or Decepticons become involved, neither you nor any of our other comrades will be actively fighting."
"Hey uh listen, Optimus…" Kallen had something to say, "I never did get a chance to… you know… thank you for all your help."
"Just doing what needs to be done, Kallen," Optimus told her in a tone that made her feel very comfortable, as though it were a tone a father would speak in to calm a daughter.
Meanwhile, inside Bumblebee, a few of the rebels were talking along with Tamaki.
"When they said this was our first mission, stealth wasn't what I had in mind."
"Well, the Bots can put up more of a fight than we can."
"That's true."
"Man I hate sneaking around though," Tamaki grumbled as he punched his left fist into his right palm, "I want some action."
"[You'll get some action soon enough, just not right now,]" Bumblebee spoke with bleeps.
"I got no idea what you just said," Tamaki stated as Bumblebee could only sigh if he was capable. They really should get translators for everyone for him.
"He ordered you to be patient," Arcee said through the radio, "You're not ready for the heavy hitters, just go with the plan and don't screw it up."
"Okay, jeez you sound like my mom," Tamaki practically pouted like a child.
The Autobot convoy came close towards the bridge connecting to the hotel when Cornelia, Guilford, and Darlton in their respective Knightmares blocked off their route. It wasn't long after, that the entire convoy was surrounded.
Lelouch glared underneath his mask, "Cornelia, as much as I would love to capture and interrogate you right now, you're more useful to me than you are. If you do what I predict I may not even need to use my Geass."
Cornelia's cockpit opened up as she stood up to address her enemies, "Optimus Prime, we meet again. You even brought Zero here as well. Are you and the rest of these wretched aliens with the Japan Liberation Front? Or perhaps you intend to help us? Regardless, our concerns take priority over yours at the moment, and so for the death of my half-brother Clovis, I shall take my revenge right here!" she pointed her sword-gun right at Zero.
"Cornelia, which would you choose?" Zero spoke up, "Clovis, who is dead? Or Euphemia who's still alive?"
Cornelia's eyes widened in shock, as she did not expect that at all.
"Looks like you were right," Optimus spoke to Lelouch through a communicator built into his mask in a frequency only the two of them could hear.
Lelouch smiled underneath his mask, "She hasn't changed in the least; she's always coddled over sweet little Euphie. Which was why she never attacked."
So it would seem that Cornelia does have some human emotions underneath her cold exterior. Optimus also wondered if Cornelia ever felt the same with Lelouch and Nunnally before their exile. If that was true, and if she learned they were alive, she could potentially become an ally. But not with all the tension that was present right now. Perhaps another time.
"It is within our power to save Euphemia," Optimus spoke directly to Cornelia.
"What do you mean?! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Cornelia tried to deny it.
"We can and will rescue not only your sister but the other hostages as well," Optimus stated, "You have my word as a fellow soldier, that not a single civilian will die this night."
"What?! Zero and the Autobots?!" Kusakabe sat up from his chair.
"Yes sir," One JLF soldier confirmed, "Word came from the Britannian army."
"Attention all forces! Let the Autobots pass! I repeat, let them pass!" Darlton ordered through the radio as Cornelia and her soldiers cleared the way for the Autobot convoy to drive down the bridge and towards the hotel. But as they did, Cornelia glanced towards both Zero and Optimus with a fierce glare. It was Zero who killed her half-brother, and it was Optimus who humiliated her in a duel and even showed her mercy rather than grant her a warrior's death.
As she glanced towards them, certain words that Optimus spoke to her beforehand rang through her head.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."
"With Britannia's resources, your nation could use them to help those less fortunate than you, not oppress them. But you choose this path, you aren't forced onto it, it's a choice. If you truly wish to be a true leader Cornelia, then stray from your father's path of destruction and death, and lead Britannia towards peace!"
Cornelia's fists clenched, "It's a choice? You don't know anything."
There was indeed a small part of her that had reluctance over these actions, something she thought she had buried away forever, but ever since her fight with Optimus, she can't help but think on that, not just her reluctance, but her regret as well. Her greatest regret of not being there for two of her siblings she truly loved and thought she'd lost forever.
As the Autobot convoy drove closer towards the hotel, Lelouch spoke with Optimus over his private communication, "Either the Japan Liberation Front will accept us as their allies, or they'll view us as a threat to their pride, as we have accomplished much more in a span of a few weeks, then they have in years."
"However, I doubt they'll be able to resist the temptation of meeting us in person," Optimus communicated.
True to his word, the JLF soldiers at the front gate stepped aside as the gate opened, clearing the way for the Autobots to enter.
"Excellent, all the operation's preliminary conditions have been cleared," Zero spoke aloud. The Autobots all pulled to a halt just shy of the main gate.
The doors on the sides opened up and the new black-clad rebels quickly gathered out and ran into the foliage of trees and bushes around the area just as the Zero himself stepped down and off of Optimus, allowing him and all the other Autobots to transform to their natural Cybertronian forms.
The sight of the Autobots caused a pair of JLF soldiers to look in shock and surprise, though they've no doubt seen it on the news, seeing the Autobots up-close and personal was something else entirely. This also served as the perfect distraction to allow all twenty of the black-clad rebels to slip into the foliage and hide as Ratchet relayed instructions to them via their comm-links.
"Alright, everyone has their assignments," Ratchet informed, "Each group's designated location has been marked into your visors."
Each of their visors lit up to show them a map of where they needed to be, "Move quickly and as quietly and efficiently as possible."
"You heard 'em," Ohgi said to the group in a whisper as they split off into five separate groups of four, each group had a duffle bag that one member carried over his shoulder.
"Viceroy, what are we doing?" Darlton asked Cornelia as they had just let their most dangerous enemy pass.
"I believe that letting the Autobots and Zero go in, we can buy some time before the next hostage is executed," Cornelia answered, "So, this is our chance, we can hit them all at the same time."
"Wonderful! I want to thank you for that lovely order!" Lloyd exclaimed in joy as he just heard his next set of instructions before he turned to Suzaku, Cecile, and even Dreadwing. "They said you got the green light, Lancelot! Oh, and Dreadwing, they want you to go with him too! Both of you are to charge right into that linear cannon in the tunnel!"
Cecile wasn't as enthusiastic as Lloyd was, "Wait but why would they…"
"I see," Dreadwing spoke up, "Cornelia intends to use us as decoys, a distraction to create an opening and allow her forces to follow through."
"Right on the noose there!" Lloyd continued to laugh, "Oh, and Dreadwing if it's alright with you if you happen to die in there, can I please examine your remains! I'd love to get an inside look at what makes you Transformers tick!"
"Lloyd you can't seriously be…" Cecile tried to protest but Suzaku interrupted her.
"Miss Cecile, I'm ready! Please let me do it! If I use the Lancelot and Dreadwing and I can give the hostages an opportunity to be saved, I'll do it. Even if it means being a decoy."
Dreadwing was impressed with Suzaku's resolve, he was willing to risk his life to save the hostages.
"I will have to disappoint you, Asplund. But I have no intention of dying today," Dreadwing said as he glanced at Suzaku, "This Japan Liberation Front may be formidable, but I promise they haven't faced anything like me before. They will fall by my hand as well as the Lancelot's."
The Nemesis
Megatron, Soundwave, and Starscream saw a news report come in, "As you can see, the mysterious beings known as the Autobots have arrived at the scene of the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel-Jacking, and Zero is with them! Whether or not they intend to assist the terrorists involved is unknown so stay tuned!"
Starscream could only grin evilly.
"Those dimwits played right into my hands," he said with a chuckle.
"Thundercracker, Skywarp! Launch with the air-strike unit! We have drawn out the enemy!"
From on top of the Nemesis' flight deck, the ship itself being stationed on Earth's moon, Thundercracker and Skywarp both took a running start before jumping and transforming into their respective vehicle modes and shot up toward the sky, followed by over twenty Vehicon troopers, each one transforming into a dark purple alien fighter jet that followed their commanders.
"Soundwave, send us a Spacebridge Portal!" Thundercracker ordered, causing a large green swirling portal to open up in front of him and Skywarp, who were the first two to enter, followed by their soldiers.
Dreadwing had already leaped down the hole and into the tunnel, now he waited for the Lancelot to be lowered down by a tow cable as Suzaku prepared the white Knightmare.
"Warrant Officer Kurugui, Dreadwing, here are the instructions provided." Cecile began to inform both of them. "According to prime search, the hostages are located on the hotel's middle floor and believed to be locked inside a food storage room. Dreadwing, you and the Lancelot will use the utility tunnel to move under the hotel. Once on sight, you will destroy the foundation block and submerge the building. The area with the hostages should hold out for eight minutes. Hostage rescue and mop-up of the terrorists will be handled by other units. The Lancelot is equipped with the VARIS rifle and that will be used to destroy the foundation."
"The only variable is that pesky linear cannon waiting for both of you in the tunnel," Lloyd added.
"You leave that to me," Dreadwing stated as he saw the Lancelot being lowered down next to him, "I have a plan to destroy it. Kururugi, I will take point."
"But… I should…" Suzaku was about to protest when Dreadwing spoke up again.
"As advanced at the Lancelot is, at least by human standards, you are still inexperienced," Dreadwing explained, "I have been in many similar battles myself and I know how to address such a situation."
Suzaku had to admit that Dreadwing was right, he had more experience than him, "Alright, I'll follow your lead."
"Oh, and Suzaku, we will save your friends. You have my word," Dreadwing turned his head toward him and gave him an assuring nod, causing Suzaku to smile in his cockpit as the Lancelot got into position.
Meanwhile; all the hostages continued to sit in the food storage room with a couple of JLF soldiers guarding them. The four Ashford students sat close together with Nina being the most frightened as she shook and whimpered with Milly holding her close to comfort her as best she could.
Nina happened to glance up at a JLF soldier, "An… Eleven…!"
Rai grimaced, "Uh oh."
"What did you say?!" the angry soldier scowled at Nina, causing her to whimper even more.
"Not Elevens! We're Japanese damn it!"
"Yes, we're aware of that! Just lay off of her!" Milly exclaimed to the soldier.
"Then correct her!"
"Give her a break will you!" Rai exclaimed, "She's terrified right now you damn Britannian-wannabe!"
"What?!" the soldier exclaimed with even more fury, as the second soldier came in as well.
"You heard me!" Rai angrily said, "You say you wanna take a stand for your country's freedom! That's the same thing the other guys do! They preach that they're the good guys when they keep killing innocent people, just like what you're doing now!"
"Shut your damn mouth!" the soldier grabbed Rai and pulled him up by the shirt.
"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Shirley tried to stand up only to be kicked back down by the second soldier.
As the scuffle occurred, Euphemia, wearing civilian clothing and a pair of glasses as a disguise tried to stand up to defend them, but one of her disguised bodyguards grabbed her by the wrist and shook her head, telling her no.
"Don't you dare compare us to those pigs!" the soldier shouted to Rai who only glared in defiance.
"Why not! I'll say it again you Britannian wannabe!" Rai exclaimed in defiance.
"I said shut up!" the soldier was about to shoot Rai; Milly, Nina, and Shirley were about to scream when Euphemia stood up.
"Stop it!"
"Who the hell are you!?" the soldier threw Rai to the ground and Shirley immediately went to his side.
"I demand you take me to your leader right now! Understand?!" Euphemia demanded.
"What?!" the soldier exclaimed.
"No Sub-Viceroy, please." Her bodyguard tried to stop her.
"You're addressing Euphemia Li Britannia," she took off her glasses to reveal her face, "The Third Princess of the Britannian Empire!"
Everyone, both soldier and civilian gave audible gasps at this revelation, no one had expected this at all.
She turned to Rai and gave a soft look, "Young man, are you alright?"
"Uh… yeah," he said automatically, not over his shock, "Wait Euphemia as in… Lelouch and Nunnally's sister?!"
Meanwhile; Zero stood in front of Kusakabe, surrounded by several armed JLF soldiers who kept their weapons trained on him in case he tried to pull anything, but Zero wasn't intimated in the least.
"You have no intention of joining me?" Zero asked Kusakabe.
"Well is it true?" Kusakabe questioned, seemingly ignoring Zero's question.
"Is what true?"
"That one of your Autobots defeated Princess Cornelia in battle?" Kusakabe questioned.
"Yes, that is indeed true." Zero responded, "However, they are not mine. The Autobots are not war machines like Knightmares; they are living sentient beings with their thoughts and wills. I am cooperating with them, not controlling them."
"I see." Kusakabe seemed to get it, "So they are alive."
"You still didn't answer my question, however. You have no intention of joining us?"
"Remove your mask and reveal your real face to us. It's disrespectful not to…" Kusakabe demanded.
"I understand," Zero nodded, "But before I do, I'd like to ask you something. What exactly do you hope to accomplish by this action?"
"Gain attention!" Kusakabe answered, "I want this country and the world to know that the Japanese aren't dead yet!"
"How stale." Zero sighed in disappointment, "You people are obsolete, there's no saving you."
"What?! Why you little…!" one soldier exclaimed.
"Explain what you mean by that Zero," Kusakabe stated.
Ohgi, Kallen, and two other black-clad rebels quietly boarded a large empty cargo ship on the other side of the hotel by the docks. Two of the rebels ran up to the ship's control room, where one of them was able to place a small alien-looking device on the main console.
"Okay, we're in position," the rebel reported through the comms.
"Understood. Establishing remote control now," Ratchet responded on the other end as the small machine turned on with blue light before the entire ship activated. Lights shined in the control room as the ship hummed to life and began to slowly sail away from the docks with Kallen and Ohgi on the deck of the ship.
"Ohgi, Kallen, stand by," Fixit reported through their comms as a Groundbridge portal opened in front of them and the news van that was stolen by them drove out with Fixit himself at the wheel.
The van came to a halt as Fixit wheeled out, "I'll handle everything else down here, you two know what to do, right?"
"Don't worry, we got it," Kallen nodded.
Ratchet worked on his console on-board the Ark as he heard reports come in from the other squads. At the same time, the bridge's main screen showed a three-dimensional screen of the hotel and the Lake Kawaguchi area around it as four separate dots appeared on the four corners around the base of the building.
"Squad A, all set."
"Squad B, the bombs are in place."
"Squad C's got this thing ready to blow."
"Squad D, we're ready."
"Understood," Ratchet told everyone, "Squads A through D, I am opening a Groundbridge portal at each of your locations that should lead directly to the ship. Kallen, Ohgi, I am opening a portal on your end that'll lead into the hotel, just approximately ten meters away from the room where the hostages are being kept."
"Got it, just please try not to teleport us into a wall," Ohgi tried to make a joke, causing Ratchet to roll his eyes.
"Groundbridge activating!" Ratchet pulled on a switch, simultaneously opening the five separate portals where he saw the readings on the screen above them, "Alright, now we…"
However, Ratchet's attention was caught by a series of alarms as he directed his attention toward the screen to see several new signals incoming towards the hotel, each one bearing the logo of the Decepticons.
"Oh no," He contacted his leader, "Optimus, you have company!"
"Now is the time!" Dreadwing exclaimed as he transformed into his jet mode and shot down the tunnel.
"M.E.E Boost… Lancelot launch!" Suzaku shot the Lancelot forward, right behind Dreadwing.
The soldiers in the Raiko saw the incoming enemy signals and prepared to fire with their unconventional weapon. In less than a second, they fired their weapon.
However, Dreadwing had anticipated this and launched a single missile from his jet mode, one that had one of his custom-made bombs attached to it. It shot at an even faster speed right towards the payload, but before the payload could explode and scatter its shrapnel, Dreadwing remotely detonated his bomb, causing it to explode and take out the payload before it even detonated.
The shock from the explosion shot through the tunnel and up the hole. Lloyd and Cecile took cover to avoid getting caught up in the shockwave.
"I warned you about this Lloyd!" Cecile exclaimed.
"Looks like Dreadwing's got some tricks up his sleeves too!" Lloyd said enthusiastically before their attention was caught by the sound of aircraft as they could see more than two dozen fighter jets flying onto the scene.
Cornelia and her royal guard noticed this as well, "What's going on here?"
"Are they friendly?" Guilford questioned.
"We haven't received any reports yet," Darlton said as he did not like this.
Thundercracker and Skywarp had led to their destination as the hotel came into view.
"Target in sight. All units, open fire!" Thundercracker ordered as he, Skywarp, and all the Vehicon troopers launched their missiles directly at the hotel as they pulled out.
"Optimus, incoming!" Ironhide exclaimed as he and the rest of the Autobots opened fire with their Energon blasters and shot at the missiles. Though they managed to take down a few missiles, several managed to hit around the hotel, causing the building to shake.
Everyone inside felt the hotel shakeup, from the hostages still locked in the food storage room to the JLF soldiers escorting Euphemia to Kusakabe, to Kusakabe himself and Zero in their room, even Ohgi and Kallen in a hallway having just arrived via Groundbridge.
"What the hell is going on out there!?" Kallen questioned through the comms.
"The Cons are attacking the hotel!" Arcee exclaimed.
"What?!" Ohgi practically shouted, almost panicking, "Well, what should we do?!"
"Proceed as planned," Optimus instructed, "The safety of the hostages is your top priority, leave the Decepticons to us."
Ohgi looked a bit unsure, but he knew he could trust Optimus and knew that he was right. The best he and Kallen could do right now was save the people trapped in here.
"Alright, we'll leave it to you," he looked to Kallen and she nodded in agreement.
"What was that?!" Cornelia demanded, "I did not order an air-strike!"
"Those we're not our own!" Guilford stated, "But who…?"
Cornelia looked with a glare as the alien fighter jets made a U-turn back towards the hotel.
"The building is still standing. Should we open fire again?" one Vehicon questioned.
"Negative, engage the Autobots!" Thundercracker ordered, "They're our priority!"
"Aw yeah! Time to put those wimpy Bots in their place!" Skywarp shouted enthusiastically as he, and all the Vehicons shot down towards the Autobots that remained outside the hotel's main gate.
"Autobots, we must not allow this structure to fall yet! The safety of the hostages depends on it!" Optimus ordered as his faceplate activated. Without another word needing to be said, he and the rest of his team opened fire on the incoming Decepticons who retaliated with their laser fire.
"About time, I missed fighting these guys," Cliffjumper said as he shot into the air.
The Autobots scattered to avoid being shot as they returned fire, a few of their shots even managed to hit their mark and take down two or three Vehicons, causing them to crash and explode on the ground. All the remaining Decepticons transformed and fell to the ground as they landed and ran to engage the Autobots in close combat.
Thundercracker shot directly toward Optimus as he transformed and drew his blade, ready to swing it at Optimus who drew one of his blades to block the strike before engaging Thundercracker in a duel.
Bumblebee took the stance of a professional boxer as he engaged a Vehicon before punching it across the face. The Vehicon attempted to retaliate with a punch of his own before Bumblebee swerved out of the way to deliver a slug to its body.
Arcee ran past the laser fire of two incoming Vehicons before jumping over them and drawing her arm blades, she sliced at the back of one of them before slicing off its legs to knock it down. The second Vehicon tried to grab her only for Arcee to jump and land on its shoulders before she twisted her legs to twist off the Vehicon's head before jumping off.
Both of Bulkhead's hands turned into his mace weapons as he brought his right arm down onto the head of one Vehicon, completely crushing it before bashing away a second incoming Vehicon and transforming his right arm into a cannon to open fire and tear a hole out of an incoming third Vehicon.
Ironhide ran along the side and opened fire with both his cannons to obliterate two incoming Vehicon troopers at once before charging toward a third that tried to punch him only for Ironhide to catch his fist and retaliate with his punch to knock him down.
Cliffjumper fired at Skywarp who hovered in the air in his robot form, only for the black and purple seeker to shoot down towards him and kick Cliffjumper back.
"I've waited a long time to shut you up," Skywarp taunted as he tried to shoot at Cliff, only for the red Autobot to maneuver under his laser fire and deliver an uppercut to knock Skywarp down.
"Looks like you're gonna have to keep waiting," Cliffjumper taunted back with a smirk as he punched Skywarp in the face.
"What in the world is happening?!" one JLF soldier questioned as he, and the other soldiers, along with Kusakabe and Zero looked out the window to see the Autobots' duking it out with the Decepticons.
Lelouch's eyes widened underneath the mask, "The Decepticons?! But how…"
He turned to Kusakabe and his soldiers, "How did you know the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting was taking place here?!"
"What?!" Kusakabe questioned.
"You knew exactly where and when this meeting would be taking place! How?!"
"Uh, the information was leaked…" one soldier answered.
"By whom?!"
"I… I don't know… we just got it and…"
"You fools! You stupid… ignorant fools! This was all a trap! Orchestrated by Britannia's true masters to draw out me and the Autobots!"
Kusakabe growled at this as Zero continued, "But what's even more pathetic, is that in your stupidity you've become the very thing you claim you fight against! Persecuting and executing the weak and helpless for your gain. You're no different than the rest of Britannia! You're exactly like them!"
"What?!"
"How dare you!"
Kusakabe, having probably lost all remaining rationality, took out his katana, "Zero, THERE'S NO POINT IN TALKING ANYMORE!"
The slit in Zero's mask opened as he activated his Geass. "Die!"
In less than a second, Kusakabe turned the katana blade on himself and stabbed himself while the remaining soldiers took out their guns and shot themselves in the head. The commotion forced the soldiers outside to barge in.
"Colonel!" Zero with his pistol first shot the soldier who came in in the shoulder.
"Calm yourselves."
"Zero…?!" Euphemia questioned in surprise, she did not expect him to be here at all.
"The Colonel and the others committed suicide once they realized that they were merely pawns in an even greater game," Zero looked towards his half-sister, "Euphemia, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for the commoners. You haven't changed."
The pink-haired princess looked in surprise at what he just said.
Ohgi and Kallen stood in front of the locked door of the storage room where the hostages were being held.
"Good thing you gave Ratchet your friends' cell phone numbers, otherwise we'd probably never find them," Ohgi told Kallen.
"Yeah," she nodded. Though she was relieved that she was about to get her friends to safety, she also worried that they might recognize her. True with her visor as well as her change in hairstyle, she might not be recognized. But they might recognize her voice so she wasn't going to speak.
She walked up towards the door handle and pulled out a gun to shoot it off, unlocking it and allowing her to open it to reveal all the hostages, including Rai, Shirley, Milly, and Nina, all looked up to them in surprise.
"It's okay," Ohgi assured them, "Don't worry, we're not with the JLF, we're gonna get you all out of here."
All of them looked in surprise.
"Who… who are you…?" Shirley asked, still fearful.
Ohgi turned his shoulder to reveal the red emblem that they all recognized.
"You're with the Autobots?" Rai questioned in surprise.
"That's right, and they're all outside right now working to help get you all to safety, and that's exactly what we're going to do," Ohgi said, though most of the civilians still looked a bit unsure, especially Nina. Ohgi sighed a bit, expecting this, but he tried to put on the best brave face he could muster as he tried to carry himself in the same manner Optimus did.
"Listen, I understand that you're all very scared right now, but I promise we are not here to hurt any of you. You all have families, right? Well, We're going to see to it you see them again. I give you my word, we're going to get all of you out of here, safe and sound," His tone seemed to calm many of them as he offered his hand, "Trust me."
Rai looked back towards the hostages, particularly his friends. He could tell that this man was honest and was truly here to help them, and if he offered a chance for them all to escape, Rai would take it to make sure his friends would get home safe. The white-haired young man smiled as he took Ohgi's hand.
Dreadwing and the Lancelot meanwhile continued to shoot down the tunnel when the Raiko shot another shrapnel payload at them. Dreadwing was about to fire another bomb again, but the Lancelot zoomed in front of his vehicle mode as Suzaku brought up the Knightmare's shields to block the attack and protect them both.
"Kururugi…!" Dreadwing voiced in surprise.
"Don't worry, it can handle this destructive force!" Suzaku stated, "We can do this together!"
Dreadwing would have smiled if he weren't in his vehicle mode, "Very well, together then."
Both the Lancelot and the Decepticon zoomed down the tunnel as if they were equals, "I'll disable the main weapon, you will finish it off!"
"Understood!" Suzaku confirmed as Dreadwing shot at an even faster speed, faster than the JLF soldiers in the Raiko could believe.
Before they could even react, Dreadwing had transformed and used the momentum gathered by how fast he was moving to propel himself toward the Raiko. In one fluid motion, he drew his sword from his back and yelled as he swiped down and cut a majority of the large cannon off.
As most of the Autobots had taken out a large portion of the Vehicons, Optimus himself locked blades with Thundercracker.
"Leave it to you Autobots to be so predictable," Thundercracker stated, "Once word got out that several weak and helpless humans were in danger, you'd come like a Scraplet to its next meal."
"This was Megatron's doing?!" Optimus questioned as he delivered a kick to knock Thundercracker back.
"Well, this was Starscream's plan," Thundercracker corrected, "But it worked, didn't it? And now it is time to end you once and for all! Your honor will be your undoing, Prime!"
He shot towards him with a jet-booster in his back with his blade at the ready, but Optimus was able to block the strike and stabilize himself.
"Not today!" he converted his blade into his Energon blaster, which he used to score a direct shot at Thundercracker to blast him back.
"Optimus! Ohgi and Kallen have secured the hostages and they are all safe!" Ratchet informed.
"Understood," Optimus acknowledged as a Groundbridge portal opened behind him, "Autobots, fall back!"
Bumblebee had finished punching down one Vehicon as he regrouped with Arcee, Bulkhead, and Ironhide to run into the portal just as Optimus did. Cliffjumper was the last as he delivered a sweeping kick to Skywarp.
"Looks like we'll have to finish our dance later Skyboy," Cliffjumper gave a mocking salute as he ran into the portal just as it closed leaving only Skywarp, Thundercracker, and five remaining Vehicons.
Kallen and Ohgi had their guns trained on the JLF soldiers just outside the room that once housed the now deceased Kusakabe as Zero spoke with Euphemia directly.
"I heard that you are now the sub-viceroy, you're highness; Princess Euphemia Li Britannia."
"It's not an appointment I'm happy with," she replied.
"Why is that? Is it because you are only a sub-viceroy with no real power under your older sister?" Zero questioned, "Or is it because you are a pacifist and now have to begin taking a more active role in such a bloodthirsty world?"
Euphemia's eyes wavered at that question, "For both those reasons."
"And what do you make of the Decepticons? I trust you have had contact with them, yes?" Zero questioned, but Euphemia did not respond as she looked away slightly, "Did you know that this was their doing?"
That caught her attention.
"The Decepticons leaked this information to the JLF and used them to place innocent lives in danger, all to create a lure to draw out their ancient enemy, the Autobots, into the open so that they may destroy them, even if it meant sacrificing all those hostages."
Euphemia's eyes widened in shock at that. Did the Decepticons… did Megatron do this? They would place all these people in danger just to get rid of the Autobots?
"Their act here is no different than what Clovis did in Shinjuku," Zero continued, "He had a secret project going on, and to avoid the risk of it being made public, he tried to cover it up by ordering the deaths of countless men, women, and children. He had no value for any of their lives, but when danger confronted him, he begged for his own to the very end. Clovis La Britannia died as he lived, a spineless coward."
"Is that why you killed my brother?" Euphemia shook with a voice indicating she was hurt by that.
"Yes, and the fact that he was also a child of the Emperor."
"So…" Euphemia's eyes shook with fear, "Are you going to kill me for the same reason?"
"That depends, have you killed anyone?" Zero questioned.
"No! I would never do anything like that!" Euphemia emotionally exclaimed.
Lelouch had a small smile underneath his mask, "Then you're safe. Unlike Britannia or the Decepticons, I don't kill innocent people."
With the Raiko disabled by Dreadwing, it was now open for Suzaku to deliver the finishing blow as the Lancelot took out the VARIS rifle.
"Dreadwing, you might wanna get out of the way!" Suzaku warned as he opened fire, right as Dreadwing transformed and moved out of the way.
The VARIS' shot tore through what was left of the Raiko, causing it to explode gloriously, while also blowing up a large majority of the tunnel. Right as the explosion subsided, Dreadwing flew out in his vehicle mode with the Lancelot riding on top.
Lloyd smiled at his creation, while Cornelia looked in surprise.
"Dreadwing… and the Eleven…?"
Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the Vehicons looked behind at the explosion.
"What was that?" one Vehicon questioned.
"Is that Dreadwing?!" Skywarp questioned.
"Along with that Kururugi boy," Thundercracker stated.
Lancelot was ready to open fire with the VARIS when Dreadwing noticed his fellow Decepticons present, "Kururugi stand down!"
"What why would…" Suzaku looked in surprise, only to be even further surprised at not just the Decepticons down below, but also the fact he could get a good view of a certain masked man looking out the window, "Zero!"
Zero and Euphemia looked in surprise to see the Lancelot riding on top of Dreadwing's vehicle mode.
"Suzaku!" Lelouch voiced in surprise before getting back to the situation and accessing his comms.
"I need a Groundbridge! Now!"
Less than a second later, a man-sized Groundbridge portal opened up in the room, taking Euphemia by surprise, who was even more surprised as Zero suddenly grabbed her by the arm.
"Come with me! Now!" he ran into the portal with her before pulling out a trigger in his other hand and pressed the button.
*BOOM!*
Four large explosions erupted around the foundation of the hotel, it wasn't long before it began to sink; but it didn't just sink. The explosions were powerful enough to shatter the hotel's entire foundation, causing the whole building to collapse in on itself.
Thundercracker and Skywarp were able to barely escape as they transformed and made a bolt for it, while the rest of their Vehicon soldiers were caught in the explosion.
"EUPHIE!" Cornelia screamed in terror.
"MY FRIENDS!" the Lancelot jumped off Dreadwing and shot down towards the collapsing building.
"Warrant Officer Kururugi don't!" Lloyd tried to stop him but he was already gone.
"Kururugi!" Dreadwing flew down after him.
The Nemesis' screens showed the footage of the building collapsing as all the Decepticon signals in the area went offline with the exceptions of Dreadwing, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. Starscream gave an audible gasp at this outcome, while Megatron looked in anger.
"Starscream, what happened?!" the lord of the Decepticons demanded.
The cowardly Decepticon seeker stuttered for a bit before accessing communications, "Thundercracker, Skywarp, what happened?!"
The two remaining Seekers had transformed back onto the main bridge just outside the ruins of the collapsed hotel.
"I don't know… the whole thing just went up!" Skywarp responded.
"Was this their plan?" Thundercracker questioned, "The Autobots ground-bridged out just before the explosion. Did they anticipate this?"
Diethard and his crew were in the News Van 2 trying to get a fix on what just happened, "What about the cameras in Van 3?"
"I told you, Zero took them!"
"Well, let's hope we pick up a signal from them!" Diethard exclaimed, "What are you doing? Zero? Optimus Prime? Wasn't this your plan? To show us something?"
Dreadwing flew through the smoky area before he saw the stationary Lancelot, he then transformed and landed right next to him and approached the silent Knightmare.
"Dreadwing… are you still there? Is Suzaku…?" Cecile tried to contact him.
"I am here, and Kururugi is alive as well," Dreadwing responded.
Suzaku may have been physically alive, but inside, he may as well be dead. His eyes filled with tears.
"I couldn't rescue them… they're dead… I failed! NOT AGAIN!" he slammed his fist on his controls in frustration and grief.
Dreadwing offered a somber look towards Suzaku but said nothing, "I feel your pain, Suzaku. Truly, I do."
Meanwhile, on the Ark, Fixit was at the controls as he made final calculations, "Alright, everything is all set."
Ratchet still had some doubts, however. After this, the whole world will be focused on them, but this was Lelouch's plan and even Optimus agreed it was the best possible option. He may be a bit wary of Lelouch, but he trusted Optimus with his life.
With a determined expression, Ratchet spoke, "Then by all means… let us light this world's darkest hour!"
He pressed the final command on the console.
With that, the signal that was copied from Van 3 began to transmit all across the nation of Japan. With the Ark's systems, the signal reached every single screen in the country; every home television, every portable computer, even the large public jumbotrons throughout the Tokyo Settlement.
Even the Nemesis was able to pick it up through Soundwave as he, Megatron, and Starscream saw static before it cleared up to reveal a certain masked figure.
"Zero?" Starscream voiced in surprise while Megatron raised an eyebrow.
"My dear Britannians, have no fear. All of the hostages from the hotel are safe and sound."
The screen shifted to reveal all the hostages on a multitude of lifeboats across Lake Kawaguchi, including Rai, Nina, Shirley, and Milly; even Euphemia and her bodyguards.
"We return them to you unharmed."
Starscream gave an audible gasp.
"They… they tricked us…" he glanced back towards Megatron who glared down at his subordinate.
"They saved them…" Dreadwing voiced in surprise.
Suzaku didn't bother to hold back his tears of joy, "They're fine…!"
"They're alright!" Rivalz exclaimed as he saw this on a TV as well.
Cornelia scowled, "Of all the brazen audacity…! If we attack you, those people will quickly become your hostages, won't they?!"
However, her pride and anger once again blinded her, as what Zero said was true, the hostages were indeed safe and would not become his prisoners.
"Don't make any promises you can't keep!" Skywarp was ready to open fire when Megatron suddenly contacted him.
"Skywarp! Thundercracker! Stand down immediately!"
"Lord Megatron!" Thundercracker tried to protest, "We can still…"
"I said stand down! That is an order!"
Megatron knew that if any Decepticon attacked and killed Britannian civilians in front of such a massive audience, it would cause some serious complications between the Decepticons and the Britannian military, and Megatron did not need that yet.
Zero stood on the deck of the cargo ship that Ohgi and Kallen previously secured, with several cameras attached around the ship as the freed hostages' lifeboats surrounded it. But right away, a multitude of lights shined around him to reveal not only Optimus Prime with his fellow Autobots; Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Ironhide, and Bulkhead standing behind on the deck, but also twenty rebels, including Ohgi, Kallen, and Tamaki, all previously from either the Kouzuki Resistance Cell or the Yamato Alliance now banded together under one name.
"People of the Earth!" Zero announced to everyone watching, "Fear us or rally behind us as you see fit! We are the Autobots and the Black Knights!"
"Black Knights?" Megatron questioned with a raised eyebrow, having his full attention drawn to the screen.
It was now Optimus' turn to speak, "We of this alliance of Autobots and Black Knights stand with all sentient beings unable to defend themselves; regardless of their nationality! Kusakabe led a faction of the Japan Liberation Front to take multiple innocent Britannian civilians hostage and even threatened to execute them!"
"It was a wanton and meaningless act, therefore they have been punished," Zero stated as well.
Tohdoh and several other JLF soldiers watched this broadcast as well from their headquarters.
"But it was not just them," Zero continued, "The Decepticons, a faction of sentient alien machines, with the same moral views as the Britannian Empire and their true masters, used this incident as bait to lure us out in the open with the intent on destroying us and sacrificing the hostages in the process!"
Tohdoh's eyes slightly widened in surprise at this.
"What?!" Cornelia growled as she gnashed her teeth together. Did the Decepticons use these civilians, her sister, as bait?! Oh, there will be hell to pay.
"The Decepticons themselves have yet to be punished, but I promise you, they will receive justice all the same!" Zero stated as his broadcast continued to play on the Nemesis' screen.
Starscream's eyes were radiant with fear, as it appeared this human was able to completely turn his plan around. Megatron however wasn't fazed in the least as he kept watching.
"You heard me right! I said let it run!" Diethard exclaimed over a link to the main studio, "Liable?! I'll be the one responsible for this!"
"Prince Clovis La Britannia as well acted the same when he ordered the execution of the populace of Shinjuku without remorse." Optimus' face was alongside Zero's all over Area 11 as the Autobot leader spoke, "We stood up to him as well as the oppressive empire because we will not allow this madness to continue! We will not standby and allow the weak and innocent to suffer at the hands of the corrupt!"
"We will not repudiate battle on a fair and level field, but neither will we tolerate a one-sided massacre of the weak by the strong!" Zero stated in front of the Britannian military as well as the Decepticons present, "The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed!"
Cornelia glared at that along with her soldiers. Skywarp and Thundercracker practically growled at that particular comment. Dreadwing had a serious expression as did Suzaku as they all watched.
Optimus' voice echoed throughout Area 11 and even reached the Ashford Academy Student Council building, to the radio that both Nunnally and Sayoko were listening to.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings! We will fight to protect that freedom, no matter the cost! Whosoever will endanger the weak and helpless will face us in battle, and we will do everything in our power to stop you!"
Sayoko continued to listen as did Nunnally; she didn't know why, but when she first heard Zero's voice, something about it felt familiar. And upon hearing the voice of Optimus, a wave of calmness washed over her, just from hearing that voice she felt both safe and empowered, she felt inspired.
"Knights for Justice and Freedom…" Kallen thought as she stood alongside Zero. Here she stood among titans and who saw her as a fellow soldier-in-arms. She would be fighting to protect the weak and helpless alongside them, as their equal. She couldn't help but smile.
"You better be ready for us Megatron," Bumblebee thought, "'Cause we're coming for you!"
"Those of you with power, fear us!" Zero spread out his right arm under his cape, causing it to blow in the wind, "Those of you without it, rally behind us!"
His left arm spread out as well, "We, the Black Knights and the Autobots shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world!"
Right then, the footage was cut off and replaced with static before it cleared to reveal a black background with the emblem of the Union of the Autobots and the Black Knights. The red Autobot emblem with the silver symbol of the Black Knights, all together, flashed all across Area 11, and even on the screen of the Nemesis' bridge.
It was deathly silent as Starscream did not speak a word that would invoke the wrath of his master. However, while Megatron was through with Starscream for his failure, he looked in amusement at the screen.
"The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed, hmm?" Megatron smiled evilly, "Well then, Lelouch, Optimus; let our game begin."
Chapter 10: Reflections
Chapter Text
Kallen lay asleep on her bed as the television remained on, as she had forgotten to turn it off before going to bed.
"…Clearing the last of the debris from around the Lake Kawaguchi Center Hotel. It's been about two weeks since Zero and these mysterious Autobots revealed their Black Knights, yet there's still no insight to the man behind the mask, nor to what these Autobot beings are or where they came from."
"They weren't able to track their escape route?"
"They left none behind. After the revelation of the Black Knights, they simply vanished and left no trace."
"What about those other metallic beings whom the Autobots battled without outside the Hotel? They didn't appear to be any form of Knightmares."
"Unknown, although Zero and one Autobot named 'Optimus Prime' mentioned another entity they referred to as 'The Decepticons' and claimed that they were 'the true masters of the Britannian Empire'. Perhaps that was who they were."
"What exactly did they mean by that? Were they suggesting that these Decepticons are the ones in charge of our empire?"
"Perhaps it was some form of publicity to sway public opinion to their side. It seems highly unlikely that our empire would be…"
*CRASH!*
That large crashing sound from outside awoke Kallen from her slumber. She put on a bathrobe and went outside to see what the commotion was. She looked in the hallway to see a brown-haired middle-aged woman in a maid's outfit on her knees right by a broken chandelier and stepladder.
The maid turned to see the red-haired girl, "Uh… Kallen! I mean 'Miss'! Forgive me, I didn't wish to wake you."
"Again?" Kallen questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, it was a step-ladder this time. It broke."
"Well just get it cleaned up, and make it quick. I have to leave for school," Kallen told her.
"Mistress, you've been attending school quite a bit lately. Making any friends there…?"
Kallen scowled, "I don't see how that's any of your business!"
She stormed back into her room, oddly though, the maid still had a warm smile on her face.
However, once the door closed and Kallen was alone, her face became filled with internal pain.
"Just go, will you!" she looked towards a framed picture with her, at the age of seven or eight, her brother, and an older woman with a sticker over her face.
Later that night; a pair of shady business dealers were in a warehouse just outside the Tokyo Settlement, making final arrangements on their deal as their men loaded their product on a large truck.
"I know it's for welfare, but why waste it on the Elevens?"
"That's why I'm selling it to you, my friend. The Eleven population could use some thinning out if you ask me."
"Your payment will be transferred to your wife's account."
"Princess Cornelia is so busy dealing with those giant robots, she doesn't have time for us 'small-timers.'
*CRASH!*
Walls on both sides of the warehouse, along with the main gate we're all broken down. A black and red pick-up truck, a dark green SUV, and a red and blue semi-auto truck all poured in, causing chaos as the criminals were completely circled right when the vehicles pulled to a halt before several Black Knights all poured out with their guns just as the Autobots transformed to reveal Bulkhead, Ironhide, and even Optimus Prime, with Zero himself standing on a cat-walk on even-level with Optimus' head.
"Drop your weapons!" Bulkhead exclaimed as he and Ironhide readied their Energon blasters
"Hands where we can see 'em!" Ironhide ordered as well as all the criminals quickly and fearfully raised their hands.
"You're… you're the…" One shady dealer stuttered as he gazed up in fear at Optimus and Zero as they glared down on him.
"…Autobots!" Kallen shot up as she just doze off in class, having woken herself up from her memory/dream. Immediately, most of the class laughed at her embarrassment while she did her best to keep her sickly-girl façade, hiding her blushed face.
Once the class had ended; Rai, Shirley, and Rivalz approached Kallen to see if she was alright.
"That's not like you, dozing off in class like that," Shirley said.
"Yeah, you okay Kallen? Maybe you need to go to the doctor's office?" Rai asked.
"No… I'm fine. I just have had trouble sleeping, that's all," Kallen rubbed her tired eyes.
"You could learn a thing or two from Lelouch. He's an expert at sleeping in class," Rivalz pointed to Lelouch on the other side of the classroom.
"Wait… is he sleeping now?" Rai asked as they turned toward him.
Lelouch was indeed asleep; though he had his head propped up on his hand to keep up the façade he was awake, his eyes were closed shut.
"I don't know what he's up to night-after-night, but he sleeps through about half of them these days," Rivalz said.
"Hey Rai, you've been living with Lulu and his sister, you know why that is?" Shirley asked the amnesiac youth.
"No clue," Rai shrugged, "He hasn't said anything to me."
All the while Kallen looked towards Lelouch in surprise with a raised eyebrow. Why would he be sleeping in class like her?
Dreadwing flew towards the central palace in the Settlement and transformed into his robot form as he landed near the bullet-train station along the side of the building. There, Princess Cornelia, Princess Euphemia, and several of their guards stood waiting for him.
"You summoned me, Princess Cornelia?" Dreadwing gave a respectful bow.
"Yes, Dreadwing," Cornelia began, "I will be leaving Area 11 temporarily. Ever since the Autobots have made their big debut, other nations including the EU have been to revolt. It's high time Area 11 was made a satellite nation, but for that to happen we need to stamp out terrorism of course, but another major problem is the rampant use of a drug called Refrain amongst the Elevens."
"So you intend to hit a major supply route and cut off this nation's access," Dreadwing stated.
Cornelia had an impressed smirk, "You catch on quick."
"Do you need my assistance in this endeavor?" Dreadwing asked.
"No, I can handle a few drug dealers," Cornelia responded, "But while I'm away, I need you to watch over Euphemia and make sure she stays out of trouble."
She gestured to her younger sister, as she looked a little embarrassed, "While I'm gone, it may allow our more dangerous foes to make a more bold move."
"I understand," Dreadwing nodded, "I will watch over Princess Euphemia."
He bowed to the aforementioned Sub-Viceroy who nodded.
"Cornelia, what about the Autobots and the Black Knights?" Euphie asked her older sister.
"I'll let them roam free a bit longer. I owe then that for saving your life," Cornelia replied with a warm smile. Dreadwing seemed to understand as well; it was clear that Cornelia cared deeply for her sister, and as her opponents rescued her, honor demanded that she at least owe them something in return.
"However, upon my return, I intend to deal with them. Do you understand, Dreadwing?" Cornelia told the Decepticon. "If they make any attempt on us during my time away, deal with them how you see fit. If they don't however…"
"Very well," Dreadwing understood.
Cornelia nodded before looking to her sister again and affectionately put a hand under her chin, "Once I've cleared up this area, I'm entrusting it to you. Try to stay out of harm's way from now on, alright Euphie?"
The younger princess nodded as Cornelia smiled before walking away. As she did, Euphie gave a slight glance towards Dreadwing. While she could say that most of the Decepticons intimidated her quite a bit, especially their leader, Dreadwing was one she at least felt comfortable around. He seemed to take an interest in Suzaku and helped to stop that mess with the Purebloods back in Shinjuku before she made her debut.
But as she thought more about the Decepticons, she kept also thinking about the Autobots and what Zero had said to her when she met him back at the Hotel. She remembered him calling Clovis a coward and a murderer, and how bloodthirsty Britannia was. It was clear that he hated the Empire, and she didn't blame him, Euphemia wasn't exactly a fan of Britannia's conquests either. However, she also thought about what he said about the Decepticons setting up the entire Hotel Jacking.
"Princess Euphemia?"
She was slightly startled out of her thoughts by Dreadwing as he spoke, "Is everything alright?"
"Y… yes, everything's fine. I was… just thinking about something else." she sighed before she spoke up again. "Dreadwing… was it true?"
"Was what true?"
"That the Decepticons we're responsible for the Hotel-Jacking? All to be used as bait to draw out Zero and the Autobots?"
Dreadwing was mildly surprised before answering, "Well, that is partially true. Information was leaked to the Japan Liberation Front, which led to the incident. However, it was not the act of the Decepticons as a whole, but an overbearing commander who choose to work behind Lord Megatron's back. I can promise you that he has been duly punished."
Flashback – Nemesis – Two Weeks Ago
"Please, Lord Megatron! I meant no…"
Starscream's begging was ceased as Megatron smacked him down.
"I had ordered you not to interfere without my knowledge!" Megatron exclaimed as he backhanded Starscream and sent him flying across the bridge of the ship; while Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Soundwave just watched, "Instead, your mindless agenda not only failed to eliminate our enemy, but even increased support for them, and potentially exposed us!"
As Megatron loomed closer, the shivering commander backed away on his hands and feet, "My intentions were pure, Master! I only wanted you to be rid of Optimus!"
Megatron stomped his foot onto Starscream in direct response to that, "No one rids me of Optimus Prime but me! Do you understand?! Do you?!"
Skywarp chuckled, "No pressure Starscream."
His chuckle was cut off by an Energon blast from Megatron's fusion cannon that forced him and Thundercracker to duck.
"Be silent! You two are just as responsible as him!" Megatron exclaimed as he lifted his foot from Starscream and picked him up by the throat.
"Listen well, all of you! Unless I say, you will not engage the Autobots in public again! If you do, I will personally smelt you all to be used as exoskeletons for Britannia's Knightmares! Am I understood?!"
"Yes, Lord Megatron!" Thundercracker and Skywarp bowed in fear.
"Yes… yes… master…!" Starscream gasped as Megatron continued to hold his throat before he let him go and dropped him on the floor.
All the while, Starscream hid his scowl. Why should they care about a few measly humans? Britannian or not. One thing he knew for sure, the Decepticons would do much better if they were let off the leash and ripped all of Area 11 apart. Why should Britannia rule when they were the superior ones?
Present Day – The Ark
Several of the Black Knights were in a newly finished cargo bay for their many acquired Knightmares getting them adjusted. Pretty much all of them were Sutherlands that they already stole from Saitama, or other missions, except the Glasgow. All the Sutherlands had been given a black paint job to separate them from the military units, along with the red emblem of the Autobot-Black-Knight-Alliance being engraved onto the Knightmares' shoulders. Of course, it wasn't just painted; they did some minor tinkering with the Knightmares' maneuverability as well. Among the Black Knights present were several Autobots assisting them, including Arcee, Fixit, and Bulkhead, with Ratchet of course being the supervisor.
"Okay, I think this one's all done," Sugiyama made final adjustments on one black Sutherland as Fixit rolled up with his scanner.
"Hmm, Energon integration seems to be proceeding normally," Fixit reported, "Now let's move onto the others."
"Keep it up their Bulkhead, almost done here," Minami made a few tweaks on the back of Sutherland as Bulkhead himself held the Knightmare up with his bare hands.
"No worries, I can keep this up all day," The former Wrecker said with ease.
"Fuel line looks dead," Inoue commented as she inspected another Knightmare, "Probably a cracked part somewhere."
Arcee handed her a spare Knightmare part, "Maybe it needs one of these."
Inoue looked a bit skeptical, "You're a motorcycle, Arcee. Shouldn't you know you're way around Earth vehicles?"
"You're a human Inoue, can you build me a small intestine?" Arcee remarked sarcastically.
"Careful!" Ratchet advised everyone, "Though primitive, we only have so many Knightmares at our disposal! Everything must be attended to with extreme care and precision!"
Ohgi had a bit of a warm smile as he stood on a balcony alongside Tamaki, "Well, looks like things are going pretty smoothly. Nice to know everyone's getting along."
"Yeah, yeah, so when are we gonna tear down Britannia already!?" Tamaki complained.
"When we have a fully functioning army with all the resources we need," Ratchet said to Tamaki as he walked to the pair, "There are only seven Autobots with combat capabilities and a hand-full of Black Knights with even fewer Knightmares!"
"He's got a point, Tamaki." Ohgi seemed to agree, "I mean Britannia's been ruling for centuries, and they already make up one-third of the whole planet. We're not gonna tear it down overnight with what we have now."
Tamaki grumbled, "So why the hell are we playing superhero right now? We're going up against small-time losers with giant alien robots; the hell is Zero and Prime thinking by making us do this?"
"Aside from it being the right thing to do?" Ohgi questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Ratchet gave an annoyed sigh, especially with that comment about Optimus, "This action will help increase support for our cause, which could bolster recruitment and increase our ranks. Building an army is more than just flashy explosions."
"Yeah, but they're a whole lot more fun," Tamaki grumbled.
"Tamaki, if you're frustrated, then channel that energy into doing something useful; like helping everyone else right now." Ratchet gestured towards all the Bots and Knights working on the Knightmares.
"Fine," Tamaki sighed as he crawled down the ladder from the balcony towards the crew.
"Sorry 'bout him," Ohgi told Ratchet, "He's a good guy, but he's impatient."
"I've noticed," The Autobot medic replied.
Ohgi gave a slight chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Feels kinda good, ya know? Helping all these people the way we've been doing. Ever since this whole thing started, Britannia's called us terrorists, and I've hated it. But now, I feel like we're real heroes. Man, Naoto would probably be laughing his butt off right now, considering we're working with aliens. Sorry, sometimes I mumble."
"It's fine," Ratchet waved, "I imagine it is quite fantastic from your point of view."
"So uh… Ratchet, how long do you think it'll be till we fight the Decepticons?"
"Hard to say," The Autobot medic said, "Megatron is most likely assessing what we are capable of right now before he can think of the best way to handle us. And given that we still know little of what he has at his disposal, we are essentially going in blind."
That made sense. Ohgi didn't know what to expect from the Decepticons because not even the Autobots knew. Still though, as he looked to his jacket, toward the logo on his shoulder, one that symbolized the union between the Autobots and the Black Knights, he couldn't help but smile. He felt like he was a part of something, something that not even Britannia could amount toward.
A small explosion and a plume of smoke that arose from a Knightmare's shoulder however caught his and Ratchet's attention.
"Tamaki, what the hell did you do?!" Yoshida questioned as every Bot and Knight looked towards Tamaki as he was covered in soot.
"I just crossed some wires…. thought we could get some more firepower going," Tamaki coughed as he brushed the smoke out of his face.
Ratchet was not pleased, "Tamaki, we needed that!"
As everyone came over to try and help, Ohgi chuckled a bit, "Wonder how Kallen's doing right now."
Ashford Academy
Kallen placed her hand on the doorway that led into the Student Council room as she gave a huge yawn, "Man this double life sure is a killer."
"Hey, you okay Kallen?" Rai walked towards her as he looked in concern.
"Yeah… I think so," she tried to push herself up, "I told you I had trouble sleeping, earlier."
"Let's just hope it's not insomnia," he tried to joke, as she shook her head with a smile.
"I can promise you, it's not that."
"Come on Suzaku, hold him down!" she heard Milly on the other side of the door, followed by Lelouch's yelling.
"Damn it Suzaku, cut it out! Stop it! I'm not kidding!"
"Sorry Lelouch, but it's the president's orders!"
Kallen opened the door and looked in surprise along with Rai to see most of the Student Council, all dressed in catsuits, around Lelouch who was currently tied to a chair struggling as Shirley tried to put cat makeup on him. Suzaku and Rivalz were in blue and yellow large catsuits respectively; while Milly and Shirley had black and red cat-lady costumes on as well. Even Nina, who sat away from the group as usual at her computer, had a tiger hat on.
"Yeah, like you're not enjoying this at all!?"
"Will you hold still?!" Shirley told him.
Milly noticed Kallen and Rai enter the room, "Good 'Meowning'."
"Good… morning I guessed…" Kallen wasn't sure what to think about all this.
"Uh… what the heck is going on and why is Lelouch tied to a chair?" Rai asked.
"What do you mean? Didn't we tell you guys? It's our welcome party for Arthur, Rivalz answered, gesturing to the stray cat they took in who slept on his cat tree.
"So we finally named him, huh? I would have gone with Napoleon myself," Rai said.
"Well classes are postponed, we might as well have some fun, right?" Milly said.
"I set some stuff for you guys over on the side there," Shirley pointed to a whole bunch of cat costumes over by the window, "It's kind of an apology for me getting so upset before Kallen."
"She doesn't need a costume," Lelouch said with a bit of a knowing smirk as he looked to Kallen, "You're already wearing a mask, right?"
"Eh… what?" Rai questioned with a surprised look on his face.
"Nothing, just him being a jerk as usual," Kallen shot the black-haired youth a glare.
"Speaking of masks, I gotta ask. What was it like to meet Zero and those giant Autobot guys?" Rivalz asked excitedly, "I mean if I were me, I'd be geeking out like crazy!"
Shirley looked a bit frustrated, "Will you quit joking about that?! The whole thing's been a huge pain in the butt! We've been hounded with questions day and night! We haven't been able to leave school grounds in a week for crying out loud!"
"Well, I will say it was kind of exciting," Rai said, "I mean being taken hostage wasn't cool but… being that close to literal giants… and that man… that Zero standing among titans as if he were one himself… I… wow. It honestly felt amazing."
Lelouch tried his best to hide a smile.
Shirley honestly felt the same way, "When I first saw those Autobots on TV, I felt like I was living in some kind of science fiction story. We didn't meet them, but being that close… and those Black Knights… they saved our lives. I hope to see them again, just so I can thank all of them."
Milly had one of 'her' smirks, "A man who stands among titans can only be a titan himself; if not in stature then in heart and courage."
"Is that your idea of a love quote?" Rivalz asked.
"It means that you're either really brave or just plain stupid," Milly said bluntly.
"That's… an odd way of looking at it," Rai was a bit surprised, "What do you think Suzaku?"
However, Rai looked in even further surprise to see Suzaku had tears in his eyes.
"I'm glad… that we can be together again… you know… like this?" Suzaku covered his teary eyes.
Lelouch had a bit of an exhausted smile; though he honestly felt the same way and was glad his friends were back safe and sound, he was a bit tired of how emotional Suzaku could be.
Rivalz leaped from over the chair Lelouch was tied to and playfully tackled Suzaku to the ground, "Come on! We're supposed to be unwinding here!"
Most of the students laughed at the scene.
"That's what's so refreshing about Suzaku though," Shirley said with a smile.
"Yeah, though once in a while, you just want him to get a clue, you know?" Milly teased.
"Oh, sorry about that." Suzaku apologized.
"Aw, you luve it puddy tat." Rivalz playfully squashed his cheeks, resulting in everyone else laughing once more; even Kallen had a small smile.
After the party was done, Kallen walked off campus where she spotted a certain red car with a horn decoration on the hood.
"And how was your day at school today?" Cliffjumper teased as she got in.
"Fine, just a bunch of idiots throwing a party for a cat," Kallen said as Cliffjumper drove off.
"Is that a smile on your face? Didn't know you could smile."
Kallen's smile faded, as she looked more annoyed now, "You're quite the conversationalist"
"I'm chatty, it's part of my charm."
She sighed as she looked out the window as they drove through the settlement. Pretty much everywhere they went, they would see something that always showed off the Autobots and the Black Knights; from wanted posters to newspapers, to even kids playing on the streets.
"Man, it's only been two weeks since that mess at the hotel, yet the whole world still can't get over us," Cliffjumper remarked, "We're total celebrities!"
"Well, it's not every day that a bunch of giant talking robots plays the superhero," Kallen remarked.
It was still true, ever since the Hotel-Jacking; the Autobots and Black Knights have been wiping Area 11 clean: terrorists who involve civilians, overbearing military, corrupt politicians, drug cartels; each of them was met with a quick and decisive end. Depending on what they were facing, it was always the same nearly every night or so, a small team of Autobots and Black Knights would attack an enemy base. Two or three Autobots would charge in and take the brunt of it, showing off their firepower to force the criminals to disarm as the Black Knights came in to find the necessary evidence and take the weapons away. They did it with minimal causalities as all the crimes we're exposed to the public; leaving the local police with no choice but to arrest and convict the criminals or else face a serious backlash from the public; as even the most corrupt of politicians committed acts that even Britannian civilians would condone. Support for the Autobots and the Black Knights grew every day, not just from the Japanese but even Britannian civilians as well.
However, not everyone was giving them praise. Kallen gazed out the window as Cliffjumper pulled up to a traffic signal. She saw a kid with a black cape running down the sidewalk when his mother came up to him.
"Stop pretending you're a Black Knight!"
"But why?"
"We mustn't say anything against Britannia?! We're Elevens, have you forgotten that?!"
Kallen's smile had faded as Cliffjumper continued to drive, "Looks like we're not heroes to everyone."
The disguised Autobot commented, "Not surprising, given we're now directly against Britannia, and they've held this country in a death grip for so long."
She didn't say anything but knew that he was right. Still, there was something on her mind that she wanted to ask him, "Cliffjumper?"
"That's my name."
"Was it like this… on your planet?" Kallen asked.
"I can't say," Cliffjumper replied, catching Kallen's attention, "Bee, Arcee, and I were born once the whole war started. Most of Cybertron was already in chaos; I don't know what it was like before the whole mess started. You'd have to ask Optimus, or Ratchet, or even Ironhide about all that."
"How exactly are Cybertronians born anyway?" Kallen questioned, "Do you guys… you know…?"
"No, no, not like what you organics do," the red Autobot explained, "See, we're not born like you guys. Cybertronians usually come into existence via the Well of Allspark on our home planet. Every Cybertronian, Bot or Con, has a Spark inside them."
"A spark?" Kallen asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You could say it's our soul," Cliffjumper continued, "Anyway, our sparks have a special techno-organic metal grown around it and we pop out of the well as you see us. We're not babies and we don't grow. We just come out like this. We know how to walk, talk, all that, even transform."
Kallen looked a bit stunned, but not too overly surprised. Since they were aliens, she expected something like this.
"Huh," that was all she could say as Cliffjumper pulled up to her mansion.
"Alright, I'll see you later," she got out.
"Don't be so sure, Partner. I'm sticking around here from now on," Cliffjumper said, causing Kallen to turn around in surprise.
"Excuse me?!"
"Yeah, you could say I'm your guardian now," The talkative Autobot said, "Arcee wanted to do it, but since you got that sick girl thing going on at school, it would seem out of character for you to have a motorcycle. So you're stuck with me. But since Cee and I are partners, when it comes to missions, you're stuck with both of us."
The red-haired girl seemed a bit irked by this, it wasn't like she needed a babysitter. But then again, having an Autobot with her would make it easier to get to the Ark instead of a Groundbridge portal opening up in her living room.
"Fine, just don't let anyone see you."
She turned around with a huff and walked away.
"Hey, Robots in Disguise," Cliff said as she entered her house, "Man, she's just like you Arcee."
The Next Day
Nina sat alone in the Student Council Room. Though it was a weekend, it wasn't uncommon to stay on school grounds during that time considering it was a boarding school. Plus there was still the press outside, and she wasn't much a people person. Though as she continued to type, she couldn't help but think of her time as a captive of the JLF along with the others. She remembered Rai calling the JLF soldier a 'wannabe Britannian'. Why would he compare a terrorist to a Britannian? They weren't the same; it was ridiculous to even think of such a thing. Yet it was also in that same moment….
"You're addressing Euphemia Li Britannia. The Third Princess of the Britannian Empire!"
Princess Euphemia stood up and carried such a commanding tone, yet her eyes were so soft and gentle.
Nina stopped typing as her cheeks turned pink.
JLF Headquarters
Tohdoh sat in a meditative stance along with his unit; the Four Holy Swords, comprised of four strong and experienced soldiers as they discussed recent events.
"Why would the masses flock around those who saved Euphemia?" Urabe questioned.
"Maybe because they're so amazed that her saviors happen to be living machines that make Knightmares look like nutcrackers," Asahina guessed.
"We've heard that even Kyoto is considering sending the Black Knights not just the Guren MK II, but also the prototype of the Gekka as well," Senba informed.
"To those would-be Robin Hoods?" Urabe questioned once more.
"They're not part of the resistance! Killing Kusakabe was part of that!" Chiba stated.
"The colonel killed himself, didn't he?" Urabe asked.
"He was kind of out of line, and I'm not surprised," Asahina said, "The Black Knights are working with those Autobot guys and they've shown that they can take down Britannian Knightmares easily. I wouldn't mind working with them myself."
Urabe chuckled a bit, "Yeah, that was pretty cool."
However, Chiba and Senba gave slight glares towards Urabe and Asahine before turning to their leader.
"Tohdoh, we cannot let this stand," Senba told him.
The silent samurai opened his eyes and spoke, "I feel it is best we simply let them be."
Chiba didn't expect to hear those words, "Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh, why would you suggest something like that?!"
"As Asahina said, those Autobots have proven strong enough to defeat the Britannian Purebloods with minimal effort," Tohdoh explained, "If we were to combat them, I honestly would say they would more than likely destroy us completely. Not to mention those other machines they fought outside the hotel."
"What was it that Zero and that Autobot leader called them… Deceivingtrons?"
"Decepticons," Senba corrected, "They also told them how they were 'the true masters of Britannia'."
"Tohdoh, do you believe that?" Chiba questioned.
"It doesn't matter if I do or don't," Tohdoh said, "There are just too many unknown factors present at the moment. If we become involved, it could make the situation all the more complicated; I'd prefer to at least know what is going on before charging in blindly. For now, we let things unfold."
All four members of the Holy Swords nodded in understanding, some more reluctantly, as they knew their leader was right. However, it was not just these Autobots and Decepticons that caught Tohdoh's attention, it was also Zero. Though he didn't say it out loud, there was something about the masked individual that felt very familiar.
Stadtfeld Residence
"Mistress Kallen. Mistress Kallen!" the same maid from before called to Kallen as she walked down the stairs towards the main entrance to see Milly walking in with a case in her hands.
"Madam President?" Kallen didn't expect to see her here.
"I just dropped by to give you something."
"Where would you like me to show her to?" the maid asked Kallen, "The parlor perhaps, or maybe…"
"We'll be in my room," Kallen said bluntly.
"As you wish."
"Oh, I heard you had a friend down here."
All eyes we're set upstairs to a middle-aged blonde woman in a noble's dress.
"I was sure it be a boy. Out all night and missing school with those metallic abominations on the prowl, not to mention all your visits to the ghetto. You're lucky you're father's back in the Homeland."
She glared down at the maid.
"No fighting one's blood is there?" the maid backed away slightly.
"You're the one who's enjoying Dad not being around here, aren't you?!" Kallen exclaimed to the noblewoman as she glared down. However, the maid accidentally backed into a pot of flowers, causing her to fall and break on the ground.
"Oh dear… what have I done…?" The maid stuttered.
"What's wrong with you?!" the woman scolded her.
"Forgive me milady. Forgive me." the maid kneeled and attempted to pick up the pieces.
"Can't you do anything right? Besides selling your body that is."
Kallen had led Milly to her room as the two sat at a small table, with Kallen having brought some tea.
"Quite the complicated home life you have, isn't it?" Milly observed.
"So what was it that you wanted to give me?" Kallen got straight to the point.
"Grandfather asked me to pass this on," Milly reached into her case.
"You mean the principal?"
Milly pulled out a piece of paper, "Your transcript since middle school."
Kallen looked in surprise as Milly put it down on the table, "I thought I better give them to you off of school grounds."
"So my secret's out then, isn't it? That I'm an Eleven and Britannian half-breed," Kallen grumbled.
"No, it's just between us," Milly said, surprising Kallen, "I promise you, I'm not a racist or anything, but I've seen how some people at the school can be, so I promise I won't say anything."
Kallen had not expected Milly to be so considerate, "That was my step-mother down there, my real mother was that cloud of a maid who knocked over the vase."
She began to sign off the paperwork.
"And your father, is he the head of the Stadtfeld family?" Milly asked, to which Kallen nodded.
"My mother is such a fool, in the end, she wound up his servant," Kallen said in a low tone, "She doesn't have any real skills, and no matter who's ridiculing her, all she can do is laugh like it's nothing. She didn't have to choose to stay in this house, you know?! She's just clinging to some old lover who's jilted her!"
Milly offered Kallen a sympathetic look, "You hate your mother, don't you?"
"I just find her depressing," Kallen said as she began to pour some tea for Milly.
"Well, this is getting a little heavy," Milly may have been a bit of a drama queen at times, but she didn't expect any of this, "Imagine the wife, the daughter, and the other woman all living together."
"Eh, could be worse. Three square meals and a roof, right?" Kallen said, "I mean, it's not unbearable, most of the time anyway."
"That's good, still… some things in life we can bear on our own. But when you add them all up, they eventually break you," Milly placed her hand on Kallen's, "It wouldn't hurt to open up a bit to others, let some friends in from time to time."
Kallen looked up to Milly as the blonde gave an assuring smile.
"Oh don't worry. I won't lie, I'm always hungry for secrets, but I'd never talk about this."
Ms. Kozuki sat on the bed in her room, which could be the equivalent to a closet with hateful slang written on the walls by the other maids such as "Get Lost", "You Rubbish", "Filthy Eleven", and "We'll Kill You'. She opened the drawer on her desk to reveal several vials and an injector.
Ashford Academy – Student Council Room
"I can't believe you teared up, so embarrassing," Lelouch commented as he sat on the chair and read a magazine while Rai sat across from him eating a sandwich as Suzaku tried to get Arthur out of a box.
"It's called honesty," Suzaku said before he grunted as Arthur bit down onto his hand.
"Well, it's good to know you care," Rai said in a joking tone.
"Of course I care, you're all my friends," Suzaku said.
"I was joking. You could learn to loosen up a bit from time to time," Rai advised.
"I guess," Suzaku grunted as he lifted his arm to reveal Arthur hanging by his teeth onto Suzaku's sleeve.
"See? Like that," he chuckled as he helped pry Arthur off of Suzaku and put the cat on a cat tree.
"Either way, I'm just glad the Black Knights and the Autobots were there to save you guys," Lelouch said.
"That makes two of us," Rai replied as he sat back down to resume his sandwich.
"If they wanted to catch criminals, they could have helped the police force you know. Why don't they, I wonder?" Suzaku said.
"Well, considering Britannia's standings, and the fact the Autobots are more advanced than probably anything else on Earth; I think they're more likely to be dissected and torn apart. Plus didn't they also get into a fight with the Purebloods a while back?" Rai asked.
"Yes, exactly. I'm not sure Britannia would be too happy if beings stronger and more competent than them would try to help them out. Pride is the empire's greatest sin, trust me, I know," Lelouch added.
"Look, I'm not an idiot, I know that the empire is far from perfect right now. But they could evoke change from within the system!" Suzaku argued.
"You sure about that?" Rai asked, "I might have amnesia, but I'm not stupid. You heard what that old bastard said during the pledge a while back. He pretty much mocked every other country in the world saying 'Britannia is the best', and that was supposed to be at his son's funeral, whom he only mentioned once as just a stepping stone toward 'progress' by the way. You think someone like that is willing to give anyone who isn't Britannia a chance to change his empire's ways?"
Lelouch did his best to hide a smile. Rai was right on point there.
"You don't know that, Rai. Do you even know the Emperor?" Suzaku questioned.
"I do," Lelouch stated, "Considering he's my biological father; so I know for a fact that he'd rather make an example of the Autobots than accept any help they'd be willing to offer."
"And yet it doesn't appear that the Autobots are even giving Britannia a chance," Suzaku argued back, "If they don't, then everything they do is just self-righteous posturing!"
"Self-righteous?" Lelouch questioned.
"And what constitutes as 'evil' in their eyes? What standards are they using?" Suzaku questioned, "It's nothing but self-satisfying gratification."
"Oh, so are you saying it was wrong of them to rescue Milly, Shirley, Nina, myself, and all those other hostages? They should have just sat back and done nothing when they had the power to save all those people?!" Rai questioned.
"No! No, that's not what I'm saying!" Suzaku replied, "They had good intentions there, I will grant them that. But why didn't they help the military stationed there?"
"Don't know," Lelouch shrugged, "But what about those other metal titans they were fighting?"
"Zero… and that large Autobot… did mention something called Decepticons, them being the true masters of Britannia, or that's what they said at least," Rai recalled, "You think they were those Decepticons?"
"What do you think Suzaku? You're with the Britannian military, any other giant robots that we should know about?" Lelouch spared him a glance.
Suzaku instantly thought of Dreadwing. That particular Decepticon he could say that he could trust as he worked alongside him to disarm the Purebloods and rogue Decepticon Seekers, as well as the JLF during the Hotel-Jacking. However, those same Seekers; particularly their commander Starscream was his name? They just had this aura that didn't seem very trusting. Then, of course, there was the Decepticon leader, Megatron. For some reason, every time he even thought of that name, he got tense, like just thinking of him made his skin crawl.
However, before Suzaku could collect his thoughts, or even give an answer, the door opened as Shirley walked into the room.
"Oh, it's just you guys?"
"Hey, Shirley," Rai waved.
Suzaku stood up with a smile, "Anyway, I guess I gotta go back to the base pretty soon. See you later Shirley." He waved before walking out.
"He didn't answer," Lelouch said once he was gone.
"Answer what?" Shirley asked.
"Shirley, what do you think? About the Autobots and the Black Knights and what they're doing?" Rai asked.
She was a bit surprised before a smile formed on her face, "I think they're pretty great."
Lelouch looked a bit surprised as she continued, "I mean, aside from the fact the Autobots themselves are pretty extraordinary, and the fact they saved all our lives; what they're doing right now, all those criminals they're catching, it's almost like they're superheroes!"
Lelouch smiled a bit as Rai had a large grin on his face, "Yes! You're right, they are heroes!"
"Well, I'm just glad that they got you guys back, that's all I can say," Lelouch said, causing Shirley to smile and blush slightly.
"Refrain?" Kallen asked as she sat inside Cliffjumper. The two received a communication from Optimus as they were near a small park area in the settlement.
"Yes, it appears to be a psychotropic drug in which the recipient re-experiences pleasant moments from their lives," Optimus told them, "Reports show it is highly addictive, with a growing supply in Japan."
"Well can't say I blame people," Cliffjumper said, "I can also think of a few Bots who'd want the same kind of thing too."
Kallen grimaced a bit as she felt the same sort of way. Who doesn't long for the days before Britannia's occupation?
"This drug is specifically targeted toward the Japanese, and we believe we may have found the dealer's main base of operations, as well as the main supply route into the country," Optimus began to relay instructions, "Kallen, Cliffjumper; you will meet with Zero, Bumblebee, Ohgi, and Arcee later tonight to hit the base. I will lead the rest of the Autobots to destroy the supply route."
"You got it, boss," Cliffjumper said.
"Yeah, see ya tonight," Kallen nodded as the communications cut off. She got out of Cliffjumper to stretch her legs a bit.
"Come on Eleven, say something."
She turned to see a hot-dog vendor, a Japanese youth, getting kicked around by five Britannian punks.
"You are sorry, aren't you?"
"Bowing your head is what you Elevens do best, right?"
Kallen clenched her fists. The disguised Cliffjumper moved his body slightly as if to silently tell Kallen not to get involved. He hated seeing this too, but she could get into trouble if she acted out. But she didn't seem to mind, as she was about to walk forward and beat the crap out of them; that is until a familiar hand grasped her shoulder firmly.
"Lelouch!"
"No, there are five of them," Lelouch said as he spared Cliffjumper a small glance that not even Kallen noticed, "You wouldn't stand a chance at all."
"So you think I should just ignore this?" Kallen questioned.
However, before Lelouch could respond, he and Kallen looked in surprise to see Rai already walking toward the scene, and before either of them could say anything, he spoke to the punks.
"Knock it off!"
They turned their attention to Rai, "You don't like his food, then go somewhere else."
"Hey, why don't you mind your own business, kid!"
"Hey look at his uniform, the guy's a student."
"What, you feeling sorry for this Eleven schoolboy?"
"The hell you even doing out here, kid?"
"Oh see, I'm researching a book I'm writing," Rai told them.
"A book eh?"
"So what's it about? How much Elevens suck?" All the punks laughed, but Rai wasn't amused.
"No, it's about the link between being a Britannian and brain damage," the punks lost their smug grins as Rai continued, "It's a really good book, all your friends would love it. You know, it's got mazes in it, little coloring areas, pop-up pictures, it's a lot of fun."
Kallen stifled a chuckle as even Lelouch smirked.
Cliffjumper was very tempted to laugh but kept his cool, "Burn."
However, the punks were not amused as one grabbed Rai by the collar, "What the hell did you just say?!"
"What, you want me to spell it out for you?" Rai asked, not being intimidated in the least.
"Maybe this guy deserves a bigger beating than this damn Eleven!"
"Leave him alone," Kallen walked forward, along with Lelouch, "Five on one? Seriously?"
"Who are you guys, his friends?"
"Yeah, we are," Lelouch said casually as he activated his Geass, "But maybe you should just go home."
The sigil flew in each of their eyes as red rings formed in all of them.
"You know what? Yeah, let's get out of here."
"Yeah, I'm bored too. Let's go home."
Rai was put down as they all walked away.
"Thanks, guys," Rai told Kallen and Lelouch.
"Sure, you okay?" Kallen asked.
"I'm fine," Rai then walked to the beaten hot-dog man as he kneeled with him along with Kallen, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah…" he grunted a bit until he saw Rai's uniform, "A Britannian Student! What can I get for you!"
"No… nothing I'm not hungry," Rai said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, "Here, take this. Buy yourself something nice."
The hot-dog man looked in honest surprise. A Britannian Student just gave him a hundred dollars! Before he could even ask, Rai had already walked away with Lelouch and Kallen.
"Where'd you even get a hundred dollars anyway?" Kallen asked Rai as all three sat on a bench.
"It's a bit leftover from Lelouch's gambling money," Rai answered.
"You know, that was cool what you did back there," she said with a smile.
"It just sucks so much how people like him are stuck like that."
"It does, doesn't it?" Lelouch began, "Even when Elevens become Honorary Britannians, they can only manage to get minimum wage jobs; you're not even allowed to attend the same school or even eat in the same restaurants, not unless somebody pulls certain strings. I imagine that's how Suzaku got in. And it's not just here, all other Areas in Britannia work the same way too."
Kallen frowned, as did Rai, "So basically, you're either a Britannian by blood, or you're just garbage. That's the world they're trying to create?!"
"Pretty much," Lelouch confirmed.
Kallen noticed his tone of voice, from the sound of it, it seemed like Lelouch also hated the current system, which surprised her a bit. It was rare to find a Britannian citizen who dislikes his empire.
"This world… it feels like it's just… lost its colors, hasn't it?" Rai asked, "It's completely miserable, who'd want to create a world like that?"
"Well, it's not like there's anything we can do about it," Lelouch said, "We're just students."
Maybe they were, but Kallen wasn't. She clenched her fists as she stood up, "I'll see you guys later."
"Yeah, see ya," Rai waved as she walked towards Cliffjumper.
Lelouch eyed the disguised red Autobot who gave a slight nod with his right mirror before driving off.
Cliffjumper drove out of an active portal into the Ark's Groundbridge station as Kallen stepped out and the talkative Autobot transformed.
"Showing up a bit early, don't you think? You know the mission isn't supposed to be for a few hours," Cliff said.
"I just can't stand being the city right now," Kallen said as she walked into the hallway with the red Autobot following her.
"You sure it's okay to be out for so long? Wouldn't hurt to give your mom a call."
"That noble bitch couldn't care less what I do," Kallen scowled as she continued to walk.
"No, I meant your actual mom," Cliff said, causing the red-haired girl to turn around and fix him a glare.
"It's not your damn business!" she exclaimed, "You wanna play guardian or whatever at my house, fine! But stay out of my business! You're not my dad, and you don't know a damn thing about my family so don't talk like you do!"
Cliffjumper looked towards the girl with a sympathetic expression, "Kallen, I know it's rough. I do."
She was mildly confused before looking and walking away, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Naoto."
Kallen stopped in her tracks once she heard that name.
"You're brother, the one who started your group. He wanted to help people, and he ended up getting killed for it."
She kept her back to him as her fists closed tightly, "How'd you know about that?"
"I heard from Ohgi," Cliffjumper began, "Look, I know I talk a lot but just please listen. Every single one of us knows what you're going through. All the other Bots and I lost close friends, brothers and sisters, maybe not by blood, but by battle. We fought together, we bled Energon together. Now they're all gone, even Bumblebee lost his voice, and I know how much it feels like you lose a piece of yourself too. But closing yourself off from feeling, and from others around you, won't help anyone, especially you."
Kallen said nothing and kept her back turned so Cliffjumper couldn't see the pained look on her face before she walked away in silence.
Cliff gave a small sigh once she disappeared from his line of sight, "How much of that did you hear?"
Arcee walked down from another turn and joined her partner, "I heard enough."
"She's a lot like you, you know? Like how you used to be before we met up with Optimus?" Cliffjumper said.
"I know," Arcee nodded.
She didn't have to know Kallen personally to know that when looking at her, it was like looking into a mirror. They were both fierce warriors who fought with a fierce and fiery determination on the battlefield; but deep inside, they had been broken as they lost someone close, watching helplessly as they were executed before their eyes. Kallen lost her brother, and Arcee lost her partner.
"Tailgate."
Ms. Kozuki opened her drawer again, only to have a shocked and desperate facial expression at the sight of all her vials being empty.
Meanwhile; Jeremiah and Villetta, both formerly well-respected soldiers of the Purebloods, now disgraced among the Britannian army, sat in a bar with a wine glass at Villetta's place, and the third drink Jeremiah was currently having.
"So about this Orange thing?" Villetta asked, causing Jeremiah to grimace, "Sorry to bring it up. Is this whole thing true though? That you can't remember anything after the Autobots showed up?"
"I don't expect you to believe me."
"No, it's just that… during the whole Shinjuku incident, I suffered some sort of memory lapse, also."
That caught Jeremiah's attention, "You did?!"
"By the time I regained my senses, my Sutherland had been stolen," Villetta explained, "But right before that entire gap in my memory, I remember running into some high school kid. He had a car with him, and I think it might have also been one of those Autobots."
"You think it was that student? That maybe he's in league with the Autobots somehow? Maybe even Zero?" Jeremiah asked.
"I can't remember his face, but there may still be a way to get to the bottom of this."
The Ark
A portal opened up on the Groundbridge Station as Optimus, Bulkhead, and Ironhide got ready.
"This will be a simultaneous attack," Optimus relayed to the rest of the Autobots and the Black Knights, including Zero, "Ironhide, Bulkhead, and myself will attack the supply route; the rest of you will hit the base."
"Both targets shouldn't provide much trouble, there will hardly be any Knightmares," Ratchet also instructed, "But don't expect it to be easy."
"Of course, be careful out there," Zero said as Optimus nodded before transforming along with Ironhide and Bulkhead before the trio drove into the Groundbridge, which deactivated soon after.
"I have the coordinates of the base itself locked on. Activating Groundbridge now," Fixit said on his station as a second portal opened up. Bumblebee transformed along with Cliffjumper, and Arcee as Zero turned to address the Black Knights, one of which was Kallen sitting in an open cockpit in her Glasgow.
"Remember, we're keeping causalities to a minimum," Zero reminded.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tamaki waved.
"Zero, sorry for asking, but why?" Ohgi asked out of curiosity, "I mean, the police aren't probably going to be so easy on these guys if we turn them in."
"That's not what's important," Zero explained, "The more we do things like this, the more people will rally behind us. They need something to believe in, and we're going to give that to them."
"So this whole thing is just for us to gain support?" Inoue asked.
"We're going to need that support for when we take the fight to the Cons and Britannia," Arcee commented.
"That and it's also the morally right thing to do," Cliffjumper added.
Kallen looked down and spoke in a subtle tone, "Are we in the right though? I don't know anymore."
"Kallen." Ohgi looked at her in concern.
"Is there anything else we need to address?" Zero asked, to which he received no response in confirmation, "Good, then we're moving out."
He entered Bumblebee's driver seat followed by Ohgi, Tamaki, and Minami. Sugiyama and Yoshida entered Cliffjumper along with two other Black Knights from the Yamato Alliance as Inoue mounted Arcee. Kallen started up her Glasgow as all four vehicles drove into the Groundbridge portal.
Boxes of Refrain were being loaded and unloaded by several drug dealers within the compound. They had large amounts of the stuff all boxed and ready.
"Is the shipment for Nagoya ready?"
"I don't know… we've lost contact with the shipment just a few minutes ago!"
Before anyone could dwell on it further; the steel door was quickly broken down as Bumblebee's vehicle mode came in first followed by Arcee and Cliffjumper who transformed immediately just as the armed Black Knights quickly got out.
"Sorry, but you guys are done here!" Cliffjumper said with a cocky tone as the Black Knights fired warning shots at the drug dealers who returned fire with their machine guns.
Bumblebee and Cliffjumper crouched a bit to cover the Black Knights as the bullets bounced right off them; allowing Arcee to return fire with more warning shots with her Energon blasters just as Kallen's Glasgow rolled in to shoot as well.
"A Knightmare and the freaking Autobots! I didn't sign up for this!"
Several of the drug dealers panicked and attempted to run further into the compound while the rest dropped their weapons and surrendered.
"Knights; take care of them," Zero pointed to the surrendered dealers for the Black Knights to handle, "Bumblebee, Cliffjumper; secure the exits! Arcee, Q1, head to the back!"
"Got it!"
"Yes sir!"
As the two larger Autobots ran towards the east and west sides; Arcee ran forward along with Kallen's Glasgow in pursuit of several retreating dealers. They spotted a gate closing, which Arcee was able to halt as she fired Energon blasts to reduce the gate to rubble, letting Kallen enter. However, both she and Arcee couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"What the heck…?!" Arcee questioned in shock.
There were several people, all Japanese, and every single one of them appeared to be in a hallucinatory state. Each one of them had taken Refrain.
"So… this is what Refrain does to people," Arcee commented in disgust. She heard from Lelouch how it was developed by Britannia to keep the number populace in a state of bliss and make it easy to suppress them. Another reason she hated the empire as much as she hated the Decepticons.
Kallen looked around and even spotted the same hot-dog person from earlier, "I'm studying abroad! I can't believe I got in!"
Kallen's own heart ached, not just for these people but for what they lost. Each one of them was revisiting moments in their lives where they were happy and had promising futures ahead of them. But Britannia had taken all that away from them and pushed them towards this sort of life. It was so unbearable.
"When you add them all up, they eventually break you," Milly's words rang through her head.
"That's right, which is why I'm here."
"Careful, it's dangerous to run like that," that voice took Kallen by surprise as she looked to see a familiar woman in the same state as everyone else.
"Mother?!"
Arcee also looked in surprise as Kallen said that out loud.
"That's her mother?"
She remembered what Cliffjumper told her about what he learned when at the Stadtfeld residence, how Kallen's mother was a maid and frequently abused, both physically and emotionally by Kallen's step-mother and the other maids in the household. So she was on Refrain as well it would seem.
Ms. Kozuki tripped and Kallen instinctively caught her in her Glasgow's hands, "Really Naoto, please. I need you to keep an eye on your little sister."
Arcee had a sympathetic expression, but Kallen's was one of frustration, "My God, how weak of a woman are you!? First, you give into Britannia, then a man, and now this! My brother is gone forever! Let him go!"
"Look out!" Arcee pushed Kallen's Glasgow out of the way to avoid some shots fired at her, courtesy of a Britannian police Knightmare.
"The Knightpolice?!"
He opened fire, forcing Kallen to retreat as Arcee returned fire with her Energon blaster, though one shot was able to take out the Knightpolice's arm, the Knightmare maneuvered around a stock shelf for cover and proceeded after Kallen just as Zero, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, and the rest of the Black Knights came in.
"A police unit?" Cliff questioned, "They're in on this?"
"But we didn't hear from Fixit that there'd be any cops involved!" Ohgi stated.
Zero looked in disgust, "Corrupted filth."
He quickly got back to the situation, "Arcee, go after Q1! Everyone else, protect these people!"
Everyone nodded as most of them helped all the people get out of the way as Arcee transformed and drove after the Knightpolice still shooting at Kallen.
Her Glasgow turned as she shot fire with her Knightmare's rifle while circling the Knightpolice who did the same, but his unit's rifle was able to shoot off the Glasgow's arm, forcing Kallen to retreat while still holding her mother in her other Knightmare's arm. There was no way she could fight while still protecting her mother.
"You're in the way!" she was ready to drop her on the ground, which would have probably killed her at the speed she was going, but she couldn't find it in herself to do it. "Damn it! I don't need you! I don't want you!"
"Kallen!" Arcee drove around a corner and shot towards her. "I'll take her!"
She drove up at high speeds and transformed while simultaneously leaping into the air just as Kallen lifted her Glasgow's remaining arm. While flipping over the Knightmare, Arcee was able to grab Ms. Kouzuki and land on the ground just behind the Knightpolice unit.
Arcee leaped around the corner to keep Ms. Kouzuki safe as she held her in her hands, "Kallen… Naoto…"
The Glasgow turned around and opened fire, but the Knightpolice had already shot the Glasgow's leg and knocked it down onto the ground.
"Scrap!" Arcee cursed.
She was about to put Ms. Kouzuki down behind some cover before she spoke, reaching out in the direction of Kallen's Knightmare, almost sensing that her daughter was right there, and giving a warm and loving smile.
"I'm here for you," her voice caught both Arcee and Kallen by surprise, "I'm here for you Kallen. I'm here, as I always have been."
Kallen's eyes were almost completely circular, "That's… that's why you stayed in his house…? You stayed there for me…? You fool! Or maybe… I'm the fool…"
The Knightpolice unit had pulled out a knife and was ready to impale the Glasgow, but it was quickly shot by multiple Energon blasts from behind, courtesy of Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. Within seconds, the entire Knightmare was reduced to a flaming, smoldering, mess, including the pilot inside.
Once it was all done, Arcee set Ms. Kouzuki down just as Kallen got out of her Glasgow and immediately ran to her mother, who was still in her hallucinatory state and on her knees.
"I'm so happy for you… you can finally become a Britannian now, Kallen. Nobody will ever be able to hurt you now darling. And you're free to travel and use the phone any time you want."
Kallen's eyes welled up as she embraced her hallucinatory mother and cried her eyes out, balling into her shoulder. Yet, while still hallucinating from Refrain, her mother was still able to embrace her crying daughter and stroke her back. Arcee kneeled; though she said nothing, she felt both happy and sad for Kallen right now. She simply just let the younger girl have her moment.
"Kallen!" Ohgi and the others were about to run towards her.
"Let them be," Zero told them, "That's her mother right there, they just need a moment. How's the situation?"
Cliffjumper and Bumblebee joined them, "We got all drug dealers stuck in a big loading truck, and all the people are safe right now."
"Good. We'll take the people back to the Ark and let the police handle the rest," Zero instructed.
"[Fixit already sent an anonymous tip and we've gathered the evidence. These guys are going away for a long time,]" Bumblebee informed.
Zero looked towards Kallen still crying and embracing her mother.
"Her mother…" he almost instantly thought of his mother before a sympathetic expression formed on Lelouch's face.
Not long after that; all the people who we're hallucinating had been transported back to the Ark, toward a newly constructed infirmary where all the people laid on dozens of beds, all of them appeared unresponsive, but alive, including Ms. Kozuki whom Kallen was sitting next to.
Fixit was right next to her, "I and Ratchet were able to devise a serum that completely flushes Refrain out of the human's system. They'll be in a comatose state for twenty hours or so. They'll all rest here before we get them to a hospital; after that, they'll wake up with no recollection of what occurred in that warehouse, or being brought here to the Ark."
Kallen nodded, "Can I… please have a moment alone?"
"Of course," Fixit understood as he left, leaving Kallen alone with her unresponsive mother.
"Mother I…" Kallen began as her voice began to choke up, "I… I'm sorry… I'm so, so very sorry…!"
Tears flowed down her face, "Earlier, you asked me if I made any friends… well I did! Really good friends who are helping me right now! We're working to change things! I promise we'll make the world a better place before you know it!"
However, she felt her hand being gripped both gently and tenderly, by her mother.
"Hang in there…" she spoke, almost as if she were in a dream, "Hang in there… Kallen…my little girl…"
"Don't you worry…" Kallen cried with a smile, "I will… I promise you."
Kallen had left the infirmary but was surprised to see a certain masked figure waiting outside for her.
"Zero?"
"That was your mother, wasn't it?"
She was a bit surprised but it faded, "Yes."
However, she didn't expect Zero to hand her a set of keys, "What's this?"
"Keys to your new apartment in the settlement," Zero answered, catching Kallen completely by surprise, "It's a fairly nice place. I've also wired some extra cash into your account, and don't worry about rent; it's all taken care of. Once your mother has recovered, we'll drop off both of you there."
Kallen didn't know what to say, "I… I don't… why would…?"
"Cliffjumper told me about what your home life was like," Zero explained, "I also heard about your brother too, I'm sorry. When I was a child, I lost my mother to Britannia's hands. It's part of the reason why I'm fighting today."
"Part of the reason?" Kallen questioned.
"The rest is to create a better world. I know that sounds rather idealistic, but the world could probably use some of that right now. That's all."
Truth is, Lelouch was already planning on this a couple of days ago once he heard from Cliffjumper what it was like for Kallen. He softened up a bit when he heard about Naoto as well, thinking about the loss of his mother. So he was able to use his Geass on the landlord to make Kallen's stay there completely free. It honesty surprised him what he did after he'd done it. He'd never thought he does anything so generous before he donned his guise as Zero. Guess being around the Autobots changed him a bit.
Right as Zero turned around and began to walk away, he felt a wrapping embrace from behind. It was Kallen as she shed more tears while burying her face into his cape in the back.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Lelouch said nothing as he let Kallen get it out. They stood there alone for a few minutes before she finally let go. Right now, she didn't care if he had a mask; he did all this for her and even opened up a bit about why he was fighting. From now on, he had her complete and unquestioning trust.
It was almost midnight when Lelouch entered the living room in the clubhouse, which was almost pitch black. Though he still had his Zero outfit on, he thought it would be okay since it was so late at night. Sayoko had gone home, while Nunnally and Rai were both probably still asleep by now.
He took off his mask to rub his face and hair a bit before he turned around and looked in honest surprise to see Rai, in his pajamas, with a coffee cup filled with milk in his hands as Rai's jaw dropped before he let go of the cup which shattered on the ground.
"What was that?" Nunnally's voice called from her room.
"Nothing! Nothing!" Lelouch called out to her before turning towards Rai.
"What are you doing?!" he questioned in a subtle whisper.
"You're Zero…? Lelouch… you're… you're Zero?"
"Lelouch?" Nunnally called again.
"Don't say a word!" Lelouch whispered while fixing Rai a glare before running to Nunnally's room. She was already partly up when he quickly came toward her.
"Lelouch, I heard a crash."
"It's fine, it's fine," he quickly said as he calmly and gently wrapped both his hands around hers, having taken his gloves off, "Rai was getting something to drink but he dropped the glass by accident."
"Are you two okay?" Nunnally asked.
"Yeah, we're fine. Don't worry, I'll clean it up," Lelouch told her. Though he didn't lie, he did leave out a few details, "Sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep."
"Okay." Nunnally smiled as she lay back down. Lelouch sighed before walking out and closing her door, only to turn and fix a glare towards Rai again.
"She doesn't know?" Rai whispered.
"Of course she doesn't!" Lelouch whispered back as he pushed Rai away from Nunnally's room so she couldn't hear, "What are you even doing up this late anyway?!"
"Well, you just kinda said I was getting a drink and you weren't wrong but…"
Rai held his head as it looked like he was almost hyperventilating as he sat down on a chair to wrap his mind around all this, "Damn… you're Zero… you're Zero… But now that I think about it… it makes sense. I mean, what your dad did to you… what happened to Nunnally… I can't believe…"
His eyes suddenly widened, "Wait… your car… it's one of the Autobots isn't it?"
Lelouch was honestly surprised just how fast Rai could connect the dots.
"It has yellow and black stripes, just like that one Autobot from the hotel jacking! I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner! Why didn't anyone else figure it out?"
"Probably because he can change his outward appearance slightly to look different," Lelouch said.
"Either that or the Britannian military is just completely incompetent."
They both looked to see C.C. enter the room, catching them by surprise.
"C.C.?!"
"Don't look so shocked Lelouch," she said, "We're all living under the same roof, so it was only a matter of time till he saw me, or figured you out. I'm still a bit surprised it took him so long."
"Who's this?" Rai asked.
"It's complicated," Lelouch said.
"Then explain it to him. You might as well since he's seen you, figured out Bumblebee's right outside, and you used your Geass on him before so it won't work on him again."
"Geass?" Rai asked once more.
Lelouch sighed, "Alright, sit down, I'll tell you everything. But you have to promise you won't tell anyone else."
"I won't say a word, who'd believe me anyway," Rai said, "Actually, this is pretty good. Because I've wanted to talk to you… well to Zero… for some time."
"Really? About what?" Lelouch questioned.
"Well, we both know how horrible Britannia is right now. But Zero's taking a stand, you're taking a stand, fighting for what's right. And I want to be a part of that. I want to join you, I want to join the Autobots and fight for freedom and justice."
What Rai said next, Lelouch could not have anticipated, even C.C. would be slightly stunned as Rai smiled and spoke seven simple words.
"I want to be a Black Knight."
Chapter 11: Scrapheap
Chapter Text
Bumblebee and Bulkhead both trudged through the frigid blizzard winds and snowy grounds within the Arctic. This seemed the last place these two Autobots would be considering they've been focusing on organizing a rebellion in Japan, but the Ark's scanners had picked up an odd reading some time ago. It was Cybertronian, yet they couldn't tell whether it was Autobot or Decepticon, so two of them were sent via Groundbridge to find out.
"[Are we there yet?]" Bumblebee asked, not liking the tundra conditions one bit.
"No, not yet!" Bulkhead replied as they continued to trudge with the biggest Autobot holding a scanner, "But it should be just past this ridge, Bumblebee."
Bulk and Bee both walked toward the ridge before they jumped and slid to the ground below. They looked around and the only thing they saw was more snow and ice.
"I don't get it," Bulkhead looked at his scanner again, "These readings are off the meter."
Bumblebee looked around for a bit when he spotted something.
"[Hey, I think I found it.]"
He caught Bulkhead's attention as they looked down to a frozen patch of water where a large, round, and dark metal canister was completely insulated in the ice underneath.
The two Autobots were able to haul the frozen canister out of the ice and back to the Ark via Groundbridge. Now they were in the infirmary getting checked by the team's medic and his Mini-Con assistant.
"I told you Doc, we're fine," Bulkhead insisted as he tried to pull two cables off his chest connecting to a machine looking like a human's I.V. with Bumblebee hooked up to the same machine, and attempted to stand up until Ratchet stopped him.
"The only way to be certain your fine Bulkhead is to endure the standard defrosting procedure," Ratchet told him, "You know prolonged exposure to sub-zero conditions can cause permanent system damage."
Fixit rolled up with a small scanner in his own hands, "While the procedure itself can be taxing, I am pleased to report that neither you nor Bumblebee appears to have sustained any sort of ambage… grammage… damage!" He glitched a bit.
Optimus walked into the infirmary, "Ratchet, Fixit, have you learned anything more about our Arctic-find?"
"Not yet." Ratchet answered, "The pod can't be opened while it's frozen solid."
"However, it should be thawed out within 24 hours, by then, we should learn more of its origin," Fixit added.
The massive pod was currently being held in one of the Ark's cargo bays; with a large assortment of massive heat-lamps gathered around in an attempt to melt the ice off. Already, about a third of it was thawed out. However, there was some kind of noise coming from the inside. A pounding sound continued until a tiny crack was seen on the pod's surface. The crack exploded as a tiny metallic claw shot out.
The next day; Ratchet opened a portal in the Groundbridge bay as Optimus, Cliffjumper, and Arcee prepared themselves.
"Arcee, Cliffjumper, and I will search for any clue which might explain the origin of our Arctic-find," The Autobot leader said.
"Only until your sensors sound," Ratchet replied as he held a scanner in his hands and aimed the remote settings at his three colleagues. The Autobot logos on all three of them lit with a blue light briefly, "Remember, once your core temperature drops into the blue zone, system failures aren't likely; they're imminent."
"So, no chance of us getting a tan while we're out, huh?" Cliffjumper joked, resulting in Ratchet groaning in annoyance, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't stay too long or else we'll be Botsiciles. Got it."
"Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Ironhide are returning now," Fixit informed, "Along with Zero and several other Black Knights."
With a remote activation, a second Groundbridge portal opened up in the bay as the three Autobots drove out. The second portal closed shortly after as several of the Black Knights and their leader, including their newest member Rai, all got out, and the three Bots transformed into their natural forms.
"Missed us, Doc?" Tamaki joked.
Ratchet looked a bit annoyed, "Don't you all have something to do?"
"You mean talk with all those other rebel groups about joining up with us?" Inoue questioned almost irritably with hands on her hips, "Already done. The old Yamato Alliance guys are finishing everything up with them."
"So yeah, we got nothing else to do," Tamaki added.
"So where are you guys going?" Kallen asked, on the account of the open Groundbridge portal.
"Tag-Team, Kallen," Arcee replied, "Our term for exploration duty."
"Exploration, huh?" Tamaki seemed to like the idea, "Beautiful day. Wouldn't mind riding around in a cool-looking motorcycle, picking up a girl or two, rather than just being stuck here in a sunken ship."
"Arctic exploration duty," Arcee said in a tone similar to a mother disciplining a naughty child.
"In a sunken ship where it's warm!" Tamaki quickly said as he and most of the other Black Knights, including Kallen, followed Bumblebee out of the Groundbridge bay.
"The Arctic? Why go all the way out there?" Ohgi asked as he stood along with Zero and Rai.
"Last night we picked up a Cybertronian pod frozen up there. We brought it back and we're gonna see if we find anything else," Cliffjumper answered.
"What did you find?" Zero asked, with his interest peaked, "Weapons? Energon?"
"Don't know," Cliff shrugged, "We're still waiting for it to thaw out."
"The Arctic, huh?" Rai walked up, "You know… I wouldn't mind seeing some snow. Considering I'm not sure if I ever have once in my life before."
"I would invite you to join, Rai. But the conditions are too extreme, even for us Autobots," Optimus said in a sympathetic tone.
"Oh… Okay. I get it," Rai nodded.
They were about to turn and walk into the portal.
"But, I will bring you back a snowball," Optimus offered.
"That be cool, thanks," Rai said with a smile.
"Yeah, that would be 'cool', wouldn't it?" Cliffjumper joked.
Arcee groaned as she shook her head, even Zero found that joke to be a bit stale as the Autobot trio turned around to walk into the swirling portal. Rai ran to catch up with Bumblebee and the rest of the Black Knights along with Ohgi while Zero stayed with Ironhide, Fixit, Bulkhead, and Ratchet to see the other three Autobots leave just as the portal closed.
"Transport complete," Fixit reported.
However, a second after that, the manual control system for the Groundbridge seemed to short circuit and even slightly explode, catching the attention of the other three Autobots and even Zero himself.
"By the Allspark!" Ratchet exclaimed as the others hurried themselves to Ratchet's position.
"What was that? Ratchet, what happened?" Ironhide exclaimed as Ratchet tried to assess the malfunctioning console, even pulling up-and-down on the manual lever.
"Some sort of short circuit in the Groundbridge controls!" The Autobot medic answered.
"Well, what does that mean for Optimus and the others?" Bulkhead asked with worry, and even Zero gave a slight gasp at the possibility of something bad happening to them.
"I have their life signals isolated," Fixit rolled his way down a diagonal ramp down to the ground with the remote in his servos, "They appear to have made it through just mine… dine… fine!"
"What about bringing them back?" Zero asked.
"That is the problem, isn't it?" Ratchet said, "I need some heavy lifting."
He pointed to the floor, "Remove those floor panels. Chop-chop."
Bulkhead and Ironhide quickly got to work on the floor.
"Is there anything I can do?" Zero asked.
"Your human body can't do much in terms of heavy lifting but see if you can help Fixit find a remote bypass for the Groundbridge system," Ratchet told him.
Underneath his mask, Lelouch narrowed his eyes at the subtle comment about his human features, but he knew Ratchet was right. Not much he can do with manual labor, especially on an Autobot level, so he walked toward Fixit and looked at the remote he was holding.
"Sorry about him," Fixit apologized for Ratchet, "He means no offense, it's just…"
"It's fine, not the worst way I've been insulted or disgraced. Just tell me what to do," Zero told Fixit.
Bumblebee and the eight Black Knights had entered the Ark's bridge, specifically, the living area that was set up as several of the Knights sat down and Tamaki turned on the TV. Rai was among the last to climb up the ladder as he could hardly believe it. It was only a couple of days since he found out Lelouch was Zero and it was by complete accident! Not only that, but he also found out his so-called car was Bumblebee in disguise, and watching over him. He also learned about C.C. and Lelouch's Geass ability. Of course, Rai promised to keep all of that a secret as it was the least, he could do for the former prince considering he gave a place for Rai to live.
He looked at the uniform he was wearing; a standard uniform of the Black Knights, with the Autobot-Black-Knight logo on the shoulder of the suit. He stood among not just rebels fighting for their nation's freedom, but even literal titans and they seemed to treat him like a normal person, even the Autobots seemed alright with it. He remembered when he first met them, the day after he found out about Lelouch being Zero. He, Bumblebee, and C.C. both took Rai to the Ark where he met all the Autobots face-to-face. Being that close to all of them, especially Optimus Prime, no words could describe the amazing feeling he had. After Lelouch told the Autobots what he told Rai, they told him about the Decepticons and how they are Britannia's true masterminds, as well as a bit about the War for Cybertron. Hearing what the Autobots went through just made him all the more eager to fight with them; they lost just as much as the people in the Black Knights all did, if not more. Now here he stood, a Black Knight himself, and he silently vowed to do whatever it takes to help these people and save this world from Britannia and the Decepticons.
"Hey kid, what are you doing all standing around like that. Come on sit down and chill with us," Tamaki urged with a friendly smile.
"Uh yeah… okay," Rai was slightly startled out of his thoughts as he sat down on a couch, on a spot in-between Ohgi and Kallen that they saved for him.
"So, how does it feel to be a Black Knight?" Ohgi asked.
"Pretty amazing," Rai answered honestly.
"If I heard that one of the hostages we saved during the Hotel-Jacking would be so inspired that he'd want to join us, I wouldn't believe it," Ohgi said.
"Kinda like how you're fighting with alien robots that transform into cars?" Rai jokingly asked.
"[You know, I'm standing right here, right?]" Bumblebee told them as he stood behind them.
"Sorry Bee," Rai waved.
"Hey, how come you can understand him?" Tamaki asked.
"Zero gave me a translator," Rai pointed to a small device in his right ear.
"What?!" Tamaki exclaimed, "Why do you get a translator while the rest of us don't?!"
"What are you talking about? I got one." Kallen pointed to her ear device as well.
"Yeah, I got one too." Ohgi showed his.
"Same here," Inoue pointed to hers.
"Yep," Minami also showed.
The others showed off their translators as well, much to Tamaki's surprise, "Well how come I don't have one! How the hell did you guys get yours?!"
"We asked," Kallen said with lowered eyebrows.
Tamaki sat dumbfounded, "That's it?"
"[Yep. You want one, all you gotta do is ask. Fixit can fix one up for you in no time,]" Bumblebee said.
"He said Fixit can make one easy," Yoshida translated for Bumblebee.
Tamaki said nothing slapped his hand against his face.
As Inoue took the remote and began to surf the channels on the television, Rai stood up and began to walk away.
"Hey, Rai where are you going?" Kallen asked.
He shrugged, "Just gonna wonder and explore. If this is our base, I'm gonna see what it's like."
"[Just try not to wander off too far. This place is big, it's easy to get lost if you don't have a map,]" Bumblebee advised.
"Yeah, got it," Rai said as he climbed down the ladder and began to walk out of the bridge, all the while Kallen looked toward him with concern.
Flashback
"Rai?!"
"Uh yeah… Hi Kallen," Rai waved nervously as Zero stood next to him and Kallen looked almost dumbfounded.
"I take it you know him?" Zero asked.
"Yeah… he's my classmate," Kallen stuttered out, still not over her surprise.
"That is what he told me as well," Zero said, although this surprise would be expected. As Lelouch told Rai about his Geass and him being Zero, he also told Rai about Kallen and her true identity among the Black Knights, while that sickly and frail girl at Ashford was just a façade. Of course, Lelouch also told Rai that Kallen doesn't know about him being Zero, so Rai reluctantly agreed not to tell Kallen that.
"Yeah but… why is he here?"
"He stumbled onto me and Bumblebee in the ghetto," Zero explained, "He came to me with the wish to join the Black Knights. He was so insistent I couldn't shoot him down."
"I… I don't… why… Rai why would…?" Kallen still couldn't get over her surprise.
"Because I can't stand the way the world is," Rai began, "A world where people are constantly stepped on just because of what place they're from; a world where bad people can do whatever they want and get away with it, even if it means killing innocent people. I can't live in that sort of world! I wanna do everything I can to change it. Kallen, what you and Zero, and all those Autobots and Black Knights are doing is nothing short of amazing! And I want to be a part of that!"
Kallen felt almost moved by that speech. She knew how Rai felt about Britannia as she's heard him openly voice his disdain towards the Empire before, but at the same time, if he joins the Black Knights, he'd be putting his life in danger, so she was naturally concerned.
"Rai… listen. This isn't like joining some kind of club back at school or anything," Kallen said, "You are joining a rebellion. The choices you make could be matters of life-and-death, which includes your own life. You might have known me only as that frail and sickly Kallen Stadtfelt, but I still see you as a friend. And I don't want you to get hurt, or worse, end up getting killed."
Rai sighed, "Kallen, I know the risks. Believe me, Zero made that quite clear. But I made up my mind. And for the record, I like the real rebellious you a lot more than the frail fake you."
Kallen was a bit surprised that he was so accepting of her. Zero placed a hand on Rai's shoulder as he spoke.
"Don't worry Kallen, I won't have Rai placed in a position that will put his life in danger. Not until he has proper training," The masked revolutionary spoke, "In the meantime, maybe you could help show him the ropes, it would make the process go much more smoothly if he was with a friend, someone he was comfortable with."
"Yeah… I can do that," Kallen smiled as she offered Rai a hand, "Welcome to the Black Knights Rai."
He smiled as he firmly grasped her hand.
End Flashback
"So, he's a friend of yours from school?" Ohgi asked Kallen, bringing her thoughts back to reality.
"Eh… yeah. The one with amnesia I told you about."
"Amnesia huh? Poor kid. Gotta be rough when you don't remember who you are," Inoue said.
"You sure it's a good idea to bring him in?" Sugiyama asked.
"We talked about it with Zero," Kallen replied, "Even some of the Bots seem okay with it."
"[He's a good guy,]" Bumblebee voiced his opinion, "[With the proper training, I think he'll make a good Black Knight.]"
"Hey guys, look!" Tamaki got everyone's attention, "The news is all over us!"
The Black Knights and the yellow Autobot turned their attention to a news report about the recent successes of the Black Knights and the Autobots.
Rai wandered around the halls of the Ark, looking around. He remembered how the Autobots told him this once served as the main exodus ship for leaving Cybertron. So, he naturally expected it to be big, but this seemed very big. He could only wonder what the ship looked like on the outside.
However, the white-haired boy's thoughts were caught by the sound of metal hitting metal. He looked to the right to see a large bolt had fallen onto the ground. He curiously walked over to pick up the bolt when he heard some odd noise that sounded like a scurrying kind of sound, only more metallic. It came from the high ceiling above him, but as he looked around, he didn't see anything.
"Hello? Is someone there?" he tried to speak out, but he didn't get a proper response, just more of that odd sound.
Rai was about to walk around and keep looking when he tripped and fell over something. He groaned a bit as he got up, only to see a small metal creature staring right at him. He got startled a bit as he jumped back on his backside to get a better look at the creature.
It didn't look any bigger than the cat at Ashford, Arthur. It had a large metal head with tiny little metal legs underneath it and big buggy blue eyes. The creature looked at Rai curiously.
"Uh… where did you come from?" Rai stood up a bit, "Lelouch didn't say anything about the Bots having pets."
It looked kinda cute. He smiled as he took out the bolt he picked up, "You play fetch?"
The creature bounced up and down and ran in a circle almost like an excited puppy dog.
"Well, go fetch!" Rai threw the bolt down the hall as the small creature ran to go get it. But it seemed to eat the bolt, much to Rai's shock, "Wait! Don't eat that! You're gonna choke!"
The creature turned towards Rai and seemed alright, "Or… not?"
The creature then scurried back to Rai and cuddled against his leg. Rai smiled, taking a liking to the creature.
"I bet the others would love to meet you. Come on," Rai walked back the way he came with the tiny creature following him. However, Rai didn't seem to notice the hole in the wall behind him with large bite marks all around it, even sparks shooting out from broken circuits.
Back at the Bridge; the Black Knights and Bumblebee were watching the news that showed a press conference with the Britannian knight Guilford at the stand receiving questions.
"Sir Guilford, why is it we still have yet to receive a comment from Princess Cornelia?"
"The viceroy is currently unavailable at the moment, so I'll be taking the questions," Guilford answered, on the account that Cornelia hadn't yet returned from her mission.
"What do you say about the Black Knights?"
"The Black Knights are a terrorist organization being led by the man who murdered Prince Clovis. As of yet, we have been unable to learn of Zero's identity or their location," Guilford responded.
"What about these Autobots? It is rather obvious they aren't Knightmares. Can you make any comments about them?"
"I cannot offer any comments with that," Guilford answered.
"Sir Guilford; you say the Black Knights are terrorists, yet they and the Autobots have been hitting multiple terrorist cells as well as criminal syndicates and even exposed corrupt politics. They have even gone so far as to turn in solid evidence to the police."
"Despite their actions, they do not answer to any law enforcement or governing body. If they aren't terrorists, then they are vigilantes that take the law into their own hands."
Tamaki smirked, "Look at 'em, nice seeing them being grilled for a change."
"Kinda nice to know we're getting this much support, even Britannian civilians are wanting to back us," Ohgi said.
"You say that now but wait till we fight Britannia again," Minami said.
"That's right, once that happens, they can just turn around and go back to Britannia," Sugiyama agreed.
Kallen immediately thought of her friends among the Student Council. They all seemed like very good people, would they support Britannia despite most of them being saved by the Black Knights? Maybe if Britannia's corruption was exposed, more people could side with them.
"[Not if we show that it's the whole empire that's corrupt, and even a puppet to the Decepticons,]" Bumblebee voiced with bleeps, "[We could get plenty of factions in Britannia wanting to join us.]"
Inoue looked a bit skeptical, "Yeah, that be the day."
However, their discussion was cut off as the television flickered on and off, along with all the lights in the Ark's bridge, turning on and off quickly and the TV going to static, much to their confusion.
"What the heck?" Tamaki questioned.
"What's going on?" Yoshida also questioned.
"Some kind of power failure?" Ohgi asked as they all turned their eyes toward Bumblebee who shrugged.
"[Don't look at me, I'm not a mechanic.]"
"We should probably find the other Bots and see what's going on," Kallen suggested.
"Yeah, good idea," Ohgi agreed.
They all quickly got down onto the ground and followed Bumblebee toward the Groundbridge bay where Ratchet probably still was.
The panels on the floor have all been lifted as Ratchet pulled out a motherboard only to find it with several blown-out holes in it.
"We most definitely have a problem," Ratchet groaned, "But what could have caused this?"
Right as Bumblebee and the rest of the Black Knights entered the bay, the lights flickered on and off again, causing they, as well as Zero, Bulkhead, Ironhide, and Fixit to look in concern.
"Or that?" Bulkhead questioned.
"It's happening here too?" Ohgi asked.
"The bridge was going on and off just like over here," Kallen said.
"Even the TV was wiped out," Tamaki grumbled, "Just when it was getting good too."
Inoue gave Tamaki a slight elbow.
"So, what's going on? Some kind of generator failure?" Kallen asked.
"Not sure, but the Groundbridge appears to be the worst of it right now," Zero informed, "We couldn't even get a remote start."
"Didn't you guys say this ship crashed landed?" Yoshida questioned, "Maybe something broke when we landed."
"The Ark crashed years ago, and we haven't had this kind of problem since then," Ironhide said.
"Everything was fully functional for a long time and I even checked all the systems that received the most damage," Fixit added, "This hasn't happened before."
Tamaki looked at the motherboard that Ratchet was still holding, "Hey… call me crazy… but those kinda look like bite-marks."
"Bitemarks?" Kallen and Ohgi questioned at the same time as they all looked toward the motherboard.
"That does look like it was chewed through." Minami noticed.
"But what could have bitten into a large and functioning circuit board and not leave behind some kind of body," Zero guessed.
"Don't be absurd," Ratchet dismissed the idea, "It could be the main grid. Hopefully, it isn't a sub-station malfunction."
"Hey, guys! Look what I found!" Rai declared entered the room.
"We're busy!" Ratchet exclaimed only to scream and looked in horror at the small metal creature he was holding in his arms. Ironhide, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee were immediately on high alert as they frantically pointed their Energon blasters in Rai's direction as Ratchet backed up.
"CODE RED! CODE RED! CODE RED! CODE RED!" Fixit shouted as a siren and alarm popped out of his head and he hid behind the shivering Bulkhead.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Kallen shouted as she and the other Black Knights, even Zero, quickly stood protectively in front of the shocked Rai, "What the hell's gotten into you guys!?"
All of them were shocked to see the Bots like this, even Lelouch's eyes widened at seeing the Autobots this frantic.
"Scraplet! SCRAPLET!" Bulkhead and Fixit both screamed.
"What the heck is a Scraplet?" Rai questioned.
"The most dangerous parasite in Cybertonian history!" Ironhide exclaimed.
The Black Knights all looked to the small metal creature Rai was still holding and only looked skeptical.
"This?" Tamaki questioned with a scoff, "You're kidding, right?"
"You guys are huge!" Ohgi said, "This 'Scraplet' thing here is well… tiny."
The Autobots looked all the more scared.
"You… you have no idea the damage that tiny thing can do!" Bulkhead backed away slowly, keeping his massive gun trained in that direction.
"What damage? It doesn't look any bigger than a chihuahua," Yoshida said as all the Black Knights looked at the Scraplet as it opened its eyes.
"Rai, where did you find this?" Zero asked, though his tone indicated he was on the air of caution.
"Just in the halls," Rai answered.
Tamaki chuckled, "Get a load of their little 'monster'. Heh, monster."
"It looks completely harmless," Kallen said with a small smile.
"You know, it's kinda cute," Inoue smiled a bit herself.
"Yeah, the little guy wouldn't hurt anything," Rai patted its round head.
"That is not a house-pet, it's a fracking parasite!" Ironhide exclaimed.
"Scraplets are even more dangerous than the Decepticons! You must get rid of it!" Fixit also exclaimed, still hiding behind Bulkhead's leg.
Most of the Black Knights didn't seem to pay attention, but Lelouch had a look of uncertainty underneath his mask, "If the Autobots are this afraid of it… but it's so small… why would they be so scared?"
The Scraplet looked past the humans surrounding it and happened to spot the Autobots. The creature's point of view is almost a mix of metal detection and infrared. It saw the living sentient machines and immediately leaped from Rai's grip, surprising him and the Black Knights; its mouth opened to reveal multiple serrated teeth and what looked like the inside of a garbage disposal chute with buzz-saw blades.
It quickly made its way toward the Autobots as Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Bulkhead tried to shoot at it with their Energon blasters, but it was so small they couldn't hit it. It leaped toward Bumblebee who was closer and began chewing on his leg.
All the Black Knights were taken aback by this, even Lelouch's eyes widened in shock underneath his mask. Bumblebee fell back as he tried to grab the Scraplet, but it chewed on his hand and began to move its way up to his arm, only for him to brush it off.
The Scraplet was about to jump back towards him until Rai came in with a crowbar and began to pound it relentlessly. After two hits, it was already dead, but he kept pounding and yelling. At the eighth strike, Zero firmly placed a hand on Rai's shoulder.
"Alright. I think you got it, take it easy," The masked leader said calmly, letting Rai calm down before he immediately ran toward Bumblebee.
None of the Black Knights had the words for this, the only expressions they currently had were round eyes and circular jaws.
"Holy crap. That came out of nowhere," Tamaki voiced with wide eyes.
"Did not see that coming," The shocked Kallen uttered.
"It was so small… and it did… that!" Ohgi stuttered as he gestured toward the injured Bumblebee as Rai and Ratchet were trying to help him.
"Bee, I… I'm sorry! I Had no idea!" Rai quickly apologized.
"[Don't worry about,]" Bumblebee told him.
"He's gonna be okay, right?" Rai asked Ratchet who checked the wound on him.
"Only a mesh wound, he'll live," Ratchet said.
"Now do you believe us!?" Ironhide exclaimed toward the Black Knights.
"All Scraplets do is dismantle machinery and eat anything metal!" Bulkhead exclaimed.
"Especially moving and living metal!" Fixit added, still behind Bulkhead's leg.
"Well… bug's squashed… game over. Right?" Ohgi hopped.
"No!" Ratchet insisted, "When it comes to Scraplets there's never just one."
"You're kidding?! There's more of these things!?" Inoue exclaimed.
"How did they even get in here?" Kallen questioned.
"I think I know," Ironhide had a pretty good idea.
The Autobots and Black Knights all gathered in the cargo bay as they looked into the giant canister that was brought in from the Arctic the previous night, only to find it empty with a gaping hole along the side. All the Black Knights, including Rai and Zero, had rifles in their hands as they and especially the Autobots looked very nervous.
"It's a trap. A Scraplet trap," Ratchet stated.
"Uh… an empty Scraplet trap," Bulkhead shivered with Fixit still hiding behind him.
"The pod was… most likely ejected into space… eons ago… maybe even before the war began judging by the pod's carbon grating… matting… dating!" Fixit stuttered.
"You stuttering from your glitch? Or out of fear?" Yoshida asked.
"Both," Fixit replied.
"It happened landed in the Arctic, perhaps decades maybe even centuries ago, where the sub-zero temperatures kept the Scraplets in stasis," Zero assumed.
"Until we brought it home to thaw out," Ironhide groaned.
"Now they're wide awake and hungry for breakfast," Kallen uttered.
"So… how many are we talking about?" Rai asked.
"Given the size of the first one, and the diameter of this pod, I'd assume probably thousands," Zero guessed.
"Thousands?!" Tamaki, Ohgi, and all the other Black Knights, even Bulkhead, shouted at the same time.
"There'll be more," Ironhide said, "Scraplets are fast multipliers."
Ratchet nodded in agreement, "The power malfunctions and Groundbridge damage are sure signs that their infestation is well underway."
The Arctic
Optimus was scaling down an icy cliff while Arcee and Cliffjumper each searched different parts of the area as well. They'd spent the last few hours searching, but Optimus' attention was caught by his sensor going off, flashing blue light on his logo.
"Arcee, Cliffjumper, what is your status?" Optimus contacted them via the comms.
"My sensors are going off," Arcee contacted back.
"Mine too. Guess we should call for the chauffeur before we become ice sculptures," Cliffjumper said.
Optimus tried to contact the Ark, "Optimus to base, core temperature readings have reached the blue-zone. Prepare to activate Groundbridge."
However, the only response Optimus received was static and unresponsive radio signals, causing him to look in surprise and concern.
The Ark – Bridge
"Ironhide to Optimus, do you read me?!" Ironhide tried to contact his leader from the main station on the bridge, but only received the same static signal, "I can't get through!"
"Hang on, let me try."
Kallen pulled out her cellphone and dialed a number, "Cliffjumper, it's Kallen, are you there?"
She didn't get a response, just the same static, "Cliff, it's Kallen, can you hear me?"
Still nothing.
"That won't work," Zero said.
"We adjusted the Ark's communication frequencies so that your cellular devices would be compatible with it, while also hiding the signal from other parties," Fixit added.
"It's how we're able to hide from the Decepticons and Britannia, otherwise it would be impossible to get a signal down here," Zero explained.
"Huh? I was wondering how I could get five bars here," Sugiyama assumed as he looked at his cellphone.
"I just thought you guys had some kind of fancy alien Wi-Fi or something," Tamaki assumed.
"We'll worry about that later," Ohgi stated, "Why can't we reach Optimus?"
"The Scraplets have gotten into the commlink system, how else?" Ratchet stated, "If we don't eradicate these creatures immediately, they'll reduce the entire Ark to a scrapheap!"
"Well, I saw we bug out of here and let 'em keep it!" Bulkhead exclaimed.
"[I'm all for that! Let's just leave before we become the special of the day!]" Bumblebee agreed.
"No! Not an option!" Ironhide stated firmly, "Besides the intense water pressure outside, if the Groundbridge isn't working soon; Optimus, Arcee, and Cliffjumper will all die."
That took all the Black Knights by surprise.
"They… will…?!" Rai stuttered with fear.
"Seriously, how the hell can a little cold bother you guys!? You're freaking made of metal!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Haven't you even traveled through space?! That's supposed to be so cold you freeze the second you go out there!" Inoue also exclaimed.
"It's not just the cold," Fixit said, "The unique atmospheric elements of your planet combined with sub-zero temperatures can create an effect that is similar to oxidation, which has a drastic effect on Cybertronian biology."
Zero looked at the shocked Black Knights, "I told you before when we first met. These are not Knightmares or even simple machines. The Autobots are sentient machines, they think and feel the same way we do, they even have weaknesses the way we do as well.
"Robots… that can feel…." Kallen uttered in surprise.
"Robots… that can die," Ohgi's eyes widened, a feeling of dread seeping through him that all the other Black Knights felt as well.
Tamaki looked towards the large green Autobot, "Bulkhead, I've seen you charge Knightmares head-on and you always keep saying how you lop fenders with those Con guys, but you're afraid of a bunch of bugs?!"
"Tamaki, you haven't seen a swarm of these things devours a bot! I have." Bulkhead recalled dreadfully, "They pick you apart from the inside out! Going for the small, juicy bits first. Fuse-by-fuse, circuit-by-circuit, till there's nothing left. And I mean nothing! Not even your optics."
"And just imagine what they can do to Mini-Cons!" Fixit shivered, "They are devoured in seconds!"
All the Black Knights looked at each other with worry.
"They're like termites," Rai said.
"Termites? More like piranhas!" Kallen exclaimed.
Ohgi's fists clenched with determination as he stepped forward, "You have to let us help you!"
"We're not made of metal," Inoue said.
"Yeah, those little pests can't eat us," Tamaki smirked.
Before any of the Autobots could voice protests, Zero had spoken up, "With the commlink systems down, we can't call for any reinforcements, and we can't leave either, or we'll be crushed by the water pressure outside. We're just as trapped as all of you, you may as well use all the tools you have at your disposal."
Ratchet sighed, "Typically, I find your fleshiness to be your least engaging quality. But it would appear to provide an advantage underneath these extremes."
"Alright, so we'll divide and conquer," Zero got to work, "First, tell me the most likely locations where the Scraplets would all be concentrated. Ohgi, you and I will watch Ratchet and Fixit as they repair the Groundbridge. Yoshida, Minami, and Sugiyama; you go with Ironhide and watch over our Knightmares, we can't risk them becoming the next entre. The rest of you will pair off: Kallen and Tamaki with Bulkhead, Rai and Inoue with Bumblebee."
Kallen smirked eagerly as she cocked her rifle, "Time to play exterminator."
Bumblebee and Bulkhead both looked towards each other and shivered in horror, even Fixit looked more than a little nervous.
The Arctic
Optimus, Cliffjumper, and Arcee continued to trudge through the blizzardy winds, the cold slowly eating away at them as their leader continued to try and contact their comrades.
"Optimus to Ark, can you read?" Still no response.
"I can't even get through to Kallen," Arcee said as she struggled through the cold. Her attention was caught by her partner who fell on his knees a bit, "Cliff?"
Despite the conditions, Cliffjumper bore his signature grin, "You sure a nice long drive wouldn't help? I hear Northern Britannia is nice this time of year."
"The nearest temperate climate is too distant Cliffjumper," Optimus told him as he and Arcee helped him to stand up, "Attempting to reach it would expend too much energy and hasten the freezing process. Until Ratchet sends for us, and he will, our best option will be to seek shelter and insulate ourselves."
The Ark
Kallen and Tamaki each held a rifle as they led the shivering Bulkhead down a darkened hallway, while he held a large flashlight in one hand and the other converted into his Energon blaster while looking around frantically.
"Heh, we're guarding the Autobots for a change. Never thought I'd see the day," Kallen said.
"I don't see why we don't just use our Knightmares to squash these things," Tamaki said.
"What part of 'they eat metal' did you not understand?" Kallen glared at him, "Besides we still can't make Knightmares off an assembly line like Britannia, we'd just basically be throwing them away!"
Bulkhead shivered, "Rai… said he found the first one here… right?"
The lights suddenly went out, causing Bulkhead to emit a high-pitch scream, which startled Kallen and Tamaki.
The lights came on as they both shot Bulkhead a skeptical look.
"Did you just scream like a little girl?" Tamaki questioned.
"No!" Bulkhead immediately said, "Maybe... uh… can we talk about this later?!"
They both shrugged as they continued their search. As they turned down one corner and proceeded further down the large hallway, neither the two Black Knights nor the one Autobot noticed the scurrying sounds in the ventilation and walls around and above them. The frantic Bulkhead continued to aim his blaster in any direction he thought he heard a Scraplet.
"Take it easy big guy," Kallen tried to console him, "Just stay focused, and above all, try not to panic…"
She didn't get a chance to finish as Bulkhead panicked and blasted a hole in the right wall, followed by the left, before shooting straight up, causing multiple cables and pieces of rubble to fall in him, resulting in him giving a high-pitched scream again.
Tamaki and Kallen turned around immediately, ready to open fire, only to look both in complete panic and confusion, even a bit of embarrassment, at the sight of Bulkhead panicking and screaming as he tried to shove off all the large cables draped over him.
"Okay… that's one image I'm not gonna get out of my head," Tamaki rubbed his hand down his face.
Kallen shook her head.
"Bulkhead! You're fine! It's just a bunch of cables!" she told him, pulling Bulkhead out of his panic mode.
"Oh right," he laughed nervously, "Cables. Heh, heh."
He held one cable, only for it to fall out of the ceiling and for several real Scraplets to begin falling onto the group, resulting in Bulkhead screaming again as Kallen and Tamaki immediately opened fire at the falling robotic vermin.
In a separate hallway; Rai and Inoue, each armed with a flame-thrower and a rifle respectively took point as they turned a corner, followed by Bumblebee as he had both Energon blasters out. They looked in shock at the hallway that had bite-marks and trails all over it, and machinery completely stripped off.
"Jesus Christ, don't these things ever stop eating?!" Inoue questioned.
"They're like living garbage disposals," Rai stated, "I'm just glad they don't eat flesh."
"[Speak for yourself,]" Bumblebee beeped, still trying to maintain his composure as they continued down the hall.
The trio slowly came towards a ventilation port at the far end of the hallway where they thought they heard some scurrying sounds on the other end of the panel. Bumblebee motioned for the two to find cover around the corner, which they did as Bumblebee slowly began to grip the panel. He quickly pried it off as Rai and Inoue aimed their weapons down the port with Bumblebee aiming both his right Energon blaster; only to find it was simply a run-down fan.
However, they heard the real deal coming from a small hole behind them as they turned to hear the noise of metal grinding and running saws coming closer and closer.
"Time for the appetizers," Rai uttered in nervousness.
A group of Scraplets began to pour out of the hole as Inoue immediately shot her rifle; the bullets seem to tear through each Scraplet like tissue paper while Rai used his flamethrower to roast the ones closer. However, it seemed like more were pouring in through that hole as Bumblebee desperately opened fire.
Sugiyama looked into a screen that showed night-vision footage of all the Knightmares they stored inside the large vault door, "Doesn't look like the Scraplets got inside."
"The door is locked; we should be good," Minami pressed a few buttons on a small man-made console on the other side of the massive vault door to keep it sealed.
"It'll take a lot more than that to stop these things," Ironhide commented as he and Yoshida kept their eyes open on the open hallway that was the only way away from the Knightmare docking bay.
"You've taken on those Decepticons for years, now just started wiping the floor with Britannia, why is it so odd that it feels like we're taking a last stand against some alien bugs?" Yoshida questioned.
"Believe me, these bugs can do a whole lot more damage. But as annoying as they are, they're still nothing compared to the Rust Plague." Ironhide said.
"I'm afraid to ask," Minami said.
"Shh, listen. You guys hear that?" Sugiyama shushed them as the group listened closely and they began to hear all sorts of scurrying sounds coming from the hallway they were in front of.
Ironhide readied his Energon cannons, "Lock and load, soldiers! We got company!"
All three Black Knights aimed their rifles in the same direction. The second the small horde of Scraplets came into view along the walls and floors; they all opened fire with explosive results.
Groundbridge Bay
Ratchet worked with the open floor panels as Fixit worked with a built-in Mini-Con-sized station along the side of one of the Groundbridge portals as Zero and Ohgi both kept watch; with Zero wielding his flame-thrower while Ohgi held a rifle in his hands.
"How's it going over there?" Ohgi asked the two Bots.
Ratchet groaned in frustration, "I've repaired the damaged conductors, and rerouted the central conduits, but the Groundbridge still won't receive power!"
"We can't even remote start it?" Zero questioned.
"Negative," Fixit shook his head, "Even if we did get the remote-link reconnected, the Groundbridge itself still needs the power to activate."
"Damn it," Lelouch thought, "Come on think. If all the systems are fixed, why isn't still not receiving power? Could it be something wrong with the power source itself? When this is over, I need to get a better handle on Cybertronian technology."
He spared a glance toward Ohgi, whose face had turned completely pale.
"Ohgi…?"
"Up… there…" Ohgi shakily pointed his hand toward the northern wall toward a ventilation shaft near the ceiling. Zero looked in that direction and gave an audible gasp. There were at least a hundred Scraplets already crawling along the walls.
"Ratchet! Fixit! Find cover! Now!" Zero shouted, getting both their attention as they, themselves turned and looked in shock at all the Scraplets.
The Scraplets themselves spotted the two Cybertronians with their vision before they opened their jaws and leaped off the wall and flew towards their next entre. They flew! All via small rocket propulsions at the bottom of their tiny bodies.
"THEY CAN FLY!?" Ohgi yelled, "YOU NEVER SAID THEY COULD FLY!?"
It didn't matter at that point as a large majority of the Scraplets were already on their way towards Ratchet, him being the biggest piece of 'meat' in the area. Despite Ohgi already shooting a few of them down, they had already swarmed Ratchet and forced him to the ground as they began to devour his outer metal skin first.
"Ratchet!" Ohgi and Zero were already running toward him when Zero spotted Fixit screaming and trying to wheel away from a smaller group of flying Scraplets chasing him.
"Ohgi, help Ratchet! I got Fixit!" Zero ordered as he immediately ran towards the Mini-Con while Ohgi ran and shot with his gun to try and get the Scraplets off the medic-bot.
Fixit appeared to be cornered and held his servos in front of his face to shield himself, but Zero was already there as he shot his flamethrower to destroy the Scraplets that were close to Fixit before Zero himself used his body as a shield while he used his Flamethrower to keep the Scraplets back.
"Find cover Fixit, now!" Zero exclaimed.
"Will do!" Fixit said quickly and fearfully as he moved along the wall with Zero keeping him covered. If Fixit was swarmed by the Scraplets, he'd be devoured in seconds. No way was Lelouch going to let that happen!
Ohgi was around Ratchet, he didn't want to risk damaging him further by shooting so he tried to use his rifle as a blunt weapon to smash the Scraplets one by one. Though he did smash everyone with one or two hits, there were still many already eating through Ratchet's metal skin.
"Ohgi… the fire extinguisher!"
Ohgi pointed to said red tool along the wall, which the Black Knight immediately ran toward, picked up, and used as he sprayed all over Ratchet's body. Direct exposure to the condensed and cooled chemicals inside the extinguisher, the Scraplets immediately froze and stiffened up. Within a single minute, all the Scraplets were off the injured Ratchet, and Zero had already barbecued the rest while helping Fixit find cover underneath a stairwell.
Ratchet rested for a bit as Ohgi took a few deep breaths while Fixit appeared somewhat relieved. Zero looked towards the bodies of the Scraplets they just killed.
"A single Scraplet isn't that hard to kill," Lelouch thought, "It takes one or two hits with a blunt weapon and a single burst of extreme heat or cold. The problem is they always seem to overwhelm their prey with numbers; much like certain insects like scarab beetles, or even piranhas. There has to be a way to neutralize all of them at once."
However, their attention was caught by the noises of more incoming Scraplets as all four of them looked up to see something that made each of their own eyes or optics go circular; right as Bulkhead, Kallen, Tamaki, Bumblebee, Rai, Inoue, Ironhide, Minami, Yoshida, and Sugiyama all came walking into the bay, with the Bots looking a bit worse-for-wear, and even 'bleeding' Energon a bit as well.
"Ratchet, get the patch kit!" Ironhide stated, "We're all leaking Energon like… WHOA!"
Everyone looked up in shock and horror at the swarm of hundreds of Scraplets all flying and gathering around near the ceiling.
"HOLY SHIT!" Tamaki yelled as all the Black Knights, even Kallen and Rai instinctively backed away.
Everyone readied themselves and their respective weapons as all of the flying Scraplets set their sights on the newly arrived Autobots and flew toward them with open jaws. Bumblebee and Ironhide were the first to open fire, with Ironhide's cannons taking out the most, but it didn't seem to even slow down the incoming swarm.
"EAT THIS!" Bulkhead shouted as he used his right-hand mace to smash a large group of Scraplets, only to see some devouring his left hand, resulting in him screaming like a little girl again as more Scraplets began to swarm him.
All the Black Knights immediately opened fire as they ran into the fray, shooting up and hitting every single Scraplet they could, reducing them to scrap metal while Rai and Zero both used their flame-throwers to destroy all the Scraplets that had already begun to swarm Bumblebee and Bulkhead who already fell to the ground and began to scrape off the parasites biting into their bodies. Tamaki even went to butt several of them off Bulkhead with his rifle as Ohgi continued to spray the fire-extinguisher over Ratchet who was still being swarmed himself. Ironhide seemed to be still going at it with his cannons as he yelled like a warrior and continued to fire up at the swarm's main cluster before they all began to overpower him, and he fell as well.
The Arctic
Optimus, Arcee, and Cliffjumper had found something of a small cave to keep themselves covered from the freezing temperatures and snowy winds that continued to blow over them; but it didn't provide too much cover, only enough to barely hold themselves.
Optimus kept his eyes open while Cliffjumper struggled with his own, only closing them for a brief second before suddenly opening them up.
"I'm awake… I'm awake…" he lowered his head, "This is so not cool. Yeah, that was not a good joke."
Optimus paid it no mind as he directed his attention to the other Autobot in their group, "Arcee, wake up."
The blue female Autobot woke up a bit as she rubbed her optics, "Just resting my eyes."
"The longer we remain alert, the longer we remain alive," Optimus said.
"So… what do you think happened back at the Ark? We can't get a Groundbridge or call for any pickup…" Cliffjumper said weakly, "I couldn't even reach Kallen's cell number."
"Our predicament could be the cause of a simple malfunction," Optimus assumed.
"With three brainiacs like Ratchet, Fixit, and Lelouch all gathered there?" Cliffjumper asked, "Nah, I don't think it was a 'simple' malfunction. Something big must have happened."
"Speaking of big, you know something I didn't expect?" Arcee asked, trying to maintain a conversation to keep themselves alive as long as possible, "What Lelouch did for Kallen."
"He used his Geass to provide her and her mother a new place to stay," Optimus said.
"Yeah, she hated that mansion she lived in," Cliffjumper said, "That glitch of a step-mom pretty much made her and her mom miserable there."
He chuckled a bit, "You know when I helped Kallen pack up her and her mom's things, and we were about to head out, her step-mom tried to stop her, and you know what Kallen did? She called her step-mom a 'royal bitch' before delivering a right hook to the face. Haha, kid's got a real fire in her."
Arcee smirked, "I like her, she's a real fighter."
Her smile faded slightly, "But it's not just what Lelouch did for, but he brought that kid in from his school."
"Rai," Cliffjumper said, "Yeah, apparently he found out about Lelouch being Zero by complete accident."
"We're not exactly running a school program right here," Arcee said, "Not sure what good the kid can do right now."
"Rai may be inexperienced at the moment; Kallen's temper and stubbornness can be troublesome, and Lelouch himself has… issues of his own," Optimus began, "However, each of their inner strength is without bounds. Their desires on creating a better world are very real as is their passion for justice. One should not be measured by size or origin alone."
The Ark
The burnt, frozen, and broken bodies of countless Scraplets laid scattered across the floor of the Groundbridge bay while Zero, Ohgi, and Rai used their respective flame-throwers and fire extinguishers to finish off the remains of the Scraplets on the floors while some of the remaining Black Knights, including Tamaki, used their guns as blunt weapons to make sure they stayed down.
The Autobots each looked worse-for-wear as Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Ratchet, and even Ironhide were all covered in bite marks and trails, bleeding Energon all over as they sat against the wall in fatigue. Fixit was pretty much the only Cybertronian who was extremely lucky to not have a scratch on him yet.
"Please tell me we got them all," Kallen said.
In direct response to that, they all heard a very faint but very familiar sound coming from down the halls. The sounds of Scraplets feasting and moving throughout the rest of the Ark.
"Hardly," Ratchet said, "These were just scouts."
"Oh, come on!" Tamaki exclaimed in frustration, "Are you kidding me?!"
"[Primus help us,]" Bumblebee sunk further into the floor.
"So… the… rest of them know we're in here…?" Fixit stuttered as he stuck particularly close to Zero.
"Most likely," Zero responded, "They sent scouts to isolate and corner their prey. That's rather clever."
"Great, so how about you guys use those big brains to find a way to get those things out of here?!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"What do you think we've been doing?" Ironhide stated.
"Well playing exterminator didn't work, we barely made a dent in them," Bulkhead groaned.
"If we allow ourselves to become their next meal; Optimus, Arcee, and Cliffjumper will never make it home," Ratchet said, "We must get the Groundbridge operational."
"We do that, we can use it to send the Scraplets anywhere on Earth," Ohgi said with realization.
"Hey, I got an idea!" Tamaki stated, "Let's drop these things off right at Britannia's doorstep! Let those guys deal with all this!"
"That is a bad idea," Zero contradicted immediately, "Yes, the Scraplets may be able to do some damage to Britannia, but with the Decepticons allied with them and the advanced technology they have at their disposal; they could find a way to trap the Scraplets and potentially weaponize them."
That thought made Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Fixit, and even a few Black Knights shake with fear.
"Weaponized…. Scraplets…" Bulkhead shivered.
"If they possessed something like that, they could destroy and all enemies who stand in their way, including us," Ratchet stated, "Sending to Britannia is out of the question."
"Damn it," Tamaki grumbled while Inoue smacked him upside the head for coming up with that idea.
"Well, why don't we just send them back to the Arctic?" Rai suggested, "I mean, we already know they don't like the cold. Just using a fire extinguisher leaves them to frostbite."
"That… is a really good idea." Kallen voiced.
"Given the body mass of each individual Scraplet, direct exposure to sub-zero temperatures should freeze them within seconds," Zero said.
"Well then, it looks like we have a plan," Ironhide stated, "But all the good that's going to do if we can't get the Groundbridge up."
"But I don't understand why it isn't working," Fixit said, "I checked over all its manual systems, everything in here should be working properly."
Ratchet began to think, "The Groundbridge itself should be working properly, so if it still isn't' receiving power…"
His eyes widened, "There must be a breach in the Energon fuel-line!"
"[Great!... but…. Not very helpful,]" Bumblebee stumbled as he couldn't even stand up properly.
Bulkhead groaned, "If we weren't all breaching, one of us could get back over there and fix it."
"Tell us where to find it," Ohgi stepped forward.
"And how we can fix it," Kallen added.
Ohgi, Kallen, and Rai watched their steps as they tip-toed through a hallway, following a tube that served as the Energon fuel line connecting to the Groundbridge bay with dozens of Scraplets walking along the floor. However, the Scraplets themselves paid the humans no mind as they were organic and didn't serve as any kind of meal for them. Ohgi held a toolbox as he looked back to see how both Rai and even Kallen were a little nervous around the Scraplets and chose to console them.
"It's okay," he told them, "Remember, we're good. We're not made of metal."
Kallen's eyes spotted what they were looking for, "There's the breach!"
She pointed towards an area of the tube where liquid Energon was leaking out of its underside.
The trio quickly ran towards the spot as Ohgi set the toolbox down, "Come on, we need to work fast!"
Groundbridge Bay
Zero and the remaining Black Knights; Tamaki, Inoue, Yoshida, Minami, and Sugiyama all stood guard around the injured Autobots and Fixit, waiting for the go-signal to activate the Groundbridge and the inevitable swarm to come.
"So… if we get the Groundbridge up…" Inoue said.
"When we get the Groundbridge up," Ironhide instead.
"Right, when we get it up; do we send our infestation problem out, or bring our Bots in?" Inoue asked.
"Optimus, Arcee, and Cliffjumper would all be fresh meat," Ratchet said, "We bring them in first and the Scraplets would have no reason to leave."
"You've dealt with Scraplets before, how did you handle them?" Zero asked the Autobots.
Ironhide sighed, "Those things may be killing machines, but they're not all that bright. We could always lure them into special traps."
"It's like how we get rid of rats and things," Minami said, "And we always use some kind of bait."
"Where are we going to get bait?!" Bulkhead exclaimed, "The Scraplets already helped themselves to everything in here!"
"Unless you guys got a large chunk of metal hanging around, I don't see anything we can use as bait," Tamaki stated.
An idea soon popped into Lelouch's head, "Bait."
With nothing said, he immediately turned around and ran towards the exit, much to everyone's surprise.
"Huh… hey! Where in the hell are you going?!" Tamaki questioned.
"I have an idea! Protect the Autobots! I'll be back!" Zero called to them as he already left the bay.
"Did he just ditch us?!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"No! He has a plan! Zero always has a ban… man…. Plan!" Fixit glitched.
"How could he even ditch us anyway?!" Inoue questioned, "Were thousands of feet underwater! He's got nowhere to go!"
Bumblebee looked in the direction Lelouch ran, "There is no way Lelouch would just ditch us all like this. He says he has a plan and I believe him; I just hope he knows what he's doing because we're almost out of time."
Rai and Kallen held a large piece of metal over the breached area of the Energon fuel-line as Ohgi finished using the blow-torch to weld it shut.
"Alright, that should hold," Ohgi said with a sigh of relief.
However, right as he said that all the Scraplets became much more active as they flew into the air and a ventilation shaft into the ceiling.
"Uh oh. Guess it's lunchtime," Rai gulped as he, Ohgi, and Kallen looked in worry.
Pretty much every Scraplet had burst out of all the ventilation shafts in the Groundbridge Bay and began to circle in the ceiling as Bulkhead and Bumblebee sunk themselves lower into the ground, with Fixit taking cover underneath a stairwell while all the Black Knights armed themselves with what little ammunition they had left. Even Ironhide and Ratchet looked more than a little worried.
Using a special Mini-Con path that Fixit showed him, Zero was able to quickly get where he needed to go. This path served as a means for Mini-Cons to get to certain areas in the Ark as quickly as possible without running the risk of getting crushed underneath larger Bot feet in the event of an emergency.
Zero quickly came towards a large vault door before running toward a control pad at the side.
"No. This won't end here," he said to himself, "There is no way I'm losing to some oversized metal termites!"
After putting in the necessary code, Zero stepped back as he took off his mask to reveal his face as the vault door began to open. Lelouch smirked once he saw all the untouched Knightmares inside.
"You want bait? I'll give you bait."
The Arctic
This seemed like the end. Their core temperatures had reached an all-time low as Cliffjumper, Arcee, and even the mighty Optimus looked like they were ready to accept their fate as they laid down in the piling snow.
"You know the worst part?" Arcee asked weakly, "After battling Cons all these years and just now starting to fight Britannia; getting smacked down, shot at, blown up… this is how our lights go out?"
"Well… at least we ain't going alone," Cliffjumper said, "If I'm gonna go… I'm at least glad… it's with Bots I know…"
"Arcee… Cliffjumper… this may not be the 'finished' we had planned," Optimus seemed acceptant of his fate. "But if this is indeed the end… if we are to become one with the Allspark…"
He opened his palm as Arcee and Cliffjumper both reached out and grabbed onto it.
"I couldn't have asked for a better partner, thanks for everything Arcee." Cliffjumper smiled weakly at her as he smiled back, "It's been an honor serving with you, Optimus Prime."
Though Optimus was ready to accept this as his fate, there was a small hint of regret in his eyes. Ever since he had met Lelouch, he had hoped he'd be able to mentor and guide the vengeful youth into becoming the hero that this world needs. But he did see that there was goodness in him, all he could do now was hope that he would find happiness one day.
Ohgi, Kallen, and Rai ran as fast as they could into the Groundbridge bay as the Scraplets all began to gather together.
"Guys! All systems go!" Ohgi exclaimed.
"Fire it up!" Kallen shouted.
Fixit quickly took out his remote and saw that everything was indeed ready.
"Activating Groundbridge now!"
He pressed the remote activation as the center-most port opened with a titular green swirling portal.
Optimus looked up once he saw a Groundbridge portal open up a few yards away. There may still be hope for them yet.
"Whoa… that's a lot of bugs…" Rai shivered as he saw all the Scraplets gathering together near the ceiling.
Kallen looked around and saw someone was missing, "Where's Zero?"
"Gone!" Tamaki shouted, "He just ran off!"
"What?!" Ohgi exclaimed as he, Kallen, and especially Rai looked in shock.
"He just… left us?!" Kallen questioned in disbelief.
"No! He… he wouldn't!" Rai stuttered, "He… wouldn't leave us like this!"
His eyes were one of worry, "Lelouch… you wouldn't… would you…?"
Before anyone else could say anything, they heard a rolling noise coming from down the hall as a pair of lights shined into the bay, something was coming.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY! NOW!"
Despite the huge surprise, every Black Knight present ran or dashed out of the way just in time as a black Sutherland rolled onto the scene and came to a stop with the Grounrbridge portal right behind him.
"HEY! OVER HERE!" Lelouch called to the Scraplets, his face being one of determination, as he waved his Knightmare's arms and even flashed a pair of lights to get their attention. They saw the waving machine.
"WHO'S HUNGRY FOR THE MAIN COURSE!?"
All of them opened their jaws as they flew towards their next meal, "COME AND GET IT!"
Lelouch put his Knightmare in reverse and slammed it back to send it rolling backward into the Groundbridge portal with the entire Scraplet swarm following him.
The Black Knights and all the Autobots couldn't believe their eyes. "Hold on… did he just…" Bulkhead stuttered.
"What in the hell does he think he's doing?" Tamaki questioned.
"He's saving our lives! That's what!" Kallen said with a wide grin.
Ohgi smiled along with Rai, the amnesiac youth turning towards Bumblebee, both having knowing looks in their eyes as the yellow Autobot nodded. Even Ironhide gave an impressive smirk.
"Not bad kid. Not bad."
Optimus, Arcee, and Cliffjumper groaned as they weakly trudged towards the open Groundbridge portal in front of them. However, they did not expect a black Sutherland to come rolling out backward.
The Knightmare began to lose its traction once it hit the ice.
"GET DOWN! NOW!" Lelouch called to the three Autobots as he lost control and the Knightmare slammed down onto the ground just as the Scraplet swarm came pouring out of the portal.
The Scraplets all looked confused for a moment before they set their sights on the trio of Autobots in front of them before they opened their jaws and shot towards them. Optimus immediately held his hands back to protect Cliffjumper and Arcee.
Lelouch saw this from the monitor in his cockpit and grunted in frustration gripping the controls, as his face contorted a slight sign of fear, "Come on! Come on! Freeze!"
However, right as the Scraplets began to close in, their bodies completely froze from the sudden exposure to the Arctic's temperature. Their frozen bodies all flew and bounced over Optimus's body, and even a bit on Arcee and Cliffjumper behind them as they all fell and piled along the ground. Within a single minute, every single Scraplet had been frozen solid. The swarm had been exterminated.
The clouds began to clear and reveal bright sunlight as Arcee and Cliffjumper looked in surprise, even Optimus was stunned a bit. The cockpit of the black Sutherland opened as Lelouch came out, the cold breeze brushing against his face with his cape and hair flowing back in the wind slightly.
He smiled as he shook his head, "I'd invite you all in, but the place is a mess."
They all seemed slightly confused that even Cliffjumper had been rendered speechless.
Autobot infirmary
Every single Autobot laid on large pads as they were all hooked up to monitors and I.V.-like devices; all with the exceptions of the undamaged Fixit looking at his hand-held monitor, along with Optimus and Ratchet as they sat on some of the pads themselves. The Black Knights were the ones monitoring the Autobots' status via laptops that hooked up to the machines, even Zero was helping as well, while he still wore his mask, fortunately, no one saw his face.
"Report bio-circuitry status?" Ratchet instructed.
"Levels are rising," Ohgi gave a thumbs up.
"Excellent," Ratchet nodded as he looked toward some of the other Black Knights, "Rai, keep a close watch on Bumblebee's electro-pulse monitor. Kallen, check Bulkhead's interface patch. Inoue, maintain proper Energon flow for Ironhide. Minami, keep watch over Arcee and Cliffjumper's defrosting process."
"It's steady," Rai said.
"Looking good," Kallen told him.
"Flowing very nicely," Inoue said.
"They're both doing very well," Minami reported.
"And I have done a thorough scanning of the entire Ark," Fixit reported, "There is not one Scraplet remaining."
"Excellent news," Zero said, "The Autobots should all make a full and swift recovery."
Suddenly, Tamaki threw his arm around Zero's neck as he had a wide grin.
"Dude! What you just did was awesome!" Tamaki praised, "I gotta admit, I didn't trust you all that much. But with that bad-ass stunt that you just pulled… I'm gonna tell ya right now, I don't care who's underneath that mask. Heck, I don't care if you're a couple of midgets in a bodysuit, I'll follow you all the way buddy!"
"Yeah… that was pretty amazing what you did, Zero," Ohgi said with a smile as the other Black Knights began to praise their leader.
"Why didn't you just tell us what you were doing?" Sugiyama asked.
"I apologize, there wasn't enough time," Zero said.
"Yeah well, still really awesome!" Kallen nudged his arm with a smirk, "But I don't expect any less from you."
As the other Black Knights complemented their leader, Zero spared a glance towards Rai as he smiled and nodded to his friend underneath the mask, while Lelouch smiled back.
Optimus had a small smile as well as he saw this. He was not only impressed with what Lelouch did but how he was able to earn the trust out of his fellow rebels. Perhaps one day, they could see him for who he was, for who laid behind that mask.
"Perhaps you should get some rest yourself old friend," Optimus directed his attention toward Ratchet, "You've saved quite a few lives today."
Ratchet smiled a bit, "It wasn't all my doing."
He spared a glance to the humans who finished praising Zero as their masked leader helped them get back to monitoring the Autobots' status, "We're just fortunate this infestation happened after we formed the Black Knights."
"Our human friends may be small, but they are strong," Optimus stated.
Suddenly, Tamaki gave a high-pitched scream as all the Black Knights were put on high alert.
"Scraplet?!" Kallen exclaimed as they readied themselves for anything.
"SPIDER!" Tamaki exclaimed as everyone looked toward him in disbelief.
"Is it on me! Get it off me!" He tried to brush it off as he ran out of the room while all the Black Knights and recovering Autobots honestly looked either dumbfounded or disappointed, even Optimus and Ratchet looked towards each other in confusion as Kallen smacked her palm into her forehead.
"Did he just scream like a little girl?" Bulkhead questioned.
Chapter 12: Predatory
Chapter Text
From the vast regions of space, a single ship flew through the void. It had flown for quite some time before coming towards a single planet: Earth. The ship had entered the Earth's atmosphere and flown toward the land formerly known as Japan, now Area 11. It flew above the region and crashed somewhere within the massive ecological forested area known as the Taiheiyo Evergreen Forests, leaving a trail of destruction as it landed and skidded to a halt.
It was the afternoon of the following delay as a Groundbridge portal opened up in the same forest, Arcee was the first to walk out, followed by a red Glasgow piloted by a certain red-haired girl.
"Don't you think that's a bit excessive for recon?" Arcee asked her partner for this mission.
"Hey, you never know if we run into Britannia out here," Kallen stated from inside her Knightmare.
"That happens, we call for backup," Arcee commented, "This is only a recon mission; we're not looking for a fight."
"Yeah, I know. Investigate this meteor thing and see if it's anything dangerous before the bad guys get it," Kallen brushed off.
"So, I don't think you'll be needing that," Arcee remarked to her red Knightmare.
Kallen sighed as she knew Arcee had a point. So, she spotted an area where trees had fallen over and piled on top of a set of large rocks. She drove her Knightmare to that spot and kneeled it down so that it could fit before she stepped out.
Once Kallen was on her feet, she was immediately pelted with mosquitoes, "You know, Naoto used to take me and Ohgi out to places like this before the occupation. Never could stand these oversized vampire bats."
She tried to brush the bugs away, "Least you got metal skin."
Arcee smirked, "Maybe, but nothing's worse than Scraplets."
"Okay, got me there," Kallen remarked.
The scanner that Arcee was holding began to go off, "That's odd. Ratchet's satellite scans were accurate, but simple meteors don't give off this kind of surge."
"What do you think it is?" Kallen asked.
"Let's find out," Arcee answered as the two walked deeper into the forest.
As they walked, they came into a clearing to look in surprise as they saw a large pathway made from a crash.
"What happened here?" Kallen asked.
"Crash landing," Arcee got serious, "Stay behind me, low and close."
They moved along the tree-line, following the trail of the crash.
"Still think I shouldn't have brought my Knightmare?" Kallen questioned, keeping her hand trained on her pistol.
"Too much noise," Arcee responded as they followed through the trees, staying out of sight of any possible hostile eyes.
Both of them crouched down as they spotted what they were looking for; a large Cybertronian vessel. It was much smaller than ships like the Ark or the Nemesis, but still pretty large to house a whole squadron.
"Bot or Con?" Kallen questioned.
"Can't tell. Wait here," Arcee ordered as she readied an Energon blaster in her hand and moved in slowly and quietly towards the downed craft.
Kallen watched her partner move closer until she was at the ship. She didn't like the idea of being left behind like this, but Arcee had more experience dealing with Decepticons, while Kallen had none. Honestly, the only real Cybertronian threat she ever directly faced was the Scraplets, but that's it. So, with reluctance, she stayed hidden behind a downed tree and watched as Arcee entered the vessel from the front.
Arcee had her blaster at the ready as she slowly entered the open craft. She entered what appeared to be a hall and gave an audible gasp at what she saw. Severed alien heads, all preserved in cases, almost like what a human hunter would do with pelts and stuffed heads, only this felt much more sadistic.
Kallen looked in surprise to see Arcee stumble out of the ship.
"Arcee?" she ran towards her partner.
Once she was close, she didn't see that Arcee had any injuries and she didn't seem to hear any fights going on; so why did Arcee look so… so… frightened?
Arcee's mind went blank for a second as an unpleasant memory came to her. She remembered the image of a spider-like being, one made out of metal, and razor-sharp claws and teeth.
"Arcee!" Kallen's call brought her back to reality, "Arcee, are you okay? What's going on?"
"I know who this ship belongs to," Arcee grimaced before accessing her comms, "Arcee to Ark, I need a Groundbridge stat!"
"What? Why? Whose ship is this?" Kallen questioned, but Arcee seemed to ignore the question as she couldn't get a response from her commlink.
"Ratchet! Fixit! Anybody! Do you read me?!"
Still no response.
"Scrap! Commlink's dead. Ship's gotta be transmitting a high-frequency scrambler pulse."
Kallen did not like how Arcee was acting, it was starting to worry her a bit, "Hey Arcee, you're starting to freak me out here! What is going on?!"
"Wait here," Arcee told her before glaring into the forest. Arcee walked into the forests, it would appear that she was following some sort of trail; she even noticed some scratches embedded on the trees, too big for any earth-animal to cut. As she tried to find any trail on the ground, her mind suddenly flashed back again.
She remembered herself being captured and held in a darkened chamber, being strung up by electric restraints, with a finger trailing along her face, one with some kind of acidic substance burning into her metal skin.
"Arcee!"
She was brought out of the memory by Kallen again, who was starting to look more impatient than usual. But Arcee didn't give any response as she transformed into her vehicle mode.
"Climb on!"
With that order, Kallen climbed onto the blue motorcycle before Arcee drove off at high speeds. Kallen yelped in surprise but gripped the handles of the motorcycle to keep steady. Kallen was beyond surprised just how fast Arcee was going and gave a scream as Arcee even leaped over a small cliff and continued to drive off. She was driving like a bat out of hell. Kallen could tell that Arcee was scared, and that surprised her. What could be so bad as to make someone like Arcee scared?
She skidded to a halt. Kallen tried to take a few breaths to calm herself from the sudden rush, "Okay, what the hell was all that about?!"
"Arcee to Ark!"
Still no response.
"Use your phone, call for a Groundbridge now!."
"But why?! What is…?!"
"Just do it!" Arcee shouted.
Kallen grumbled as she took out her phone and tried to call for help.
"Ohgi, you there?"
All she got was static, so she tried another number.
"Rai?"
Still nothing.
"Cliffjumper? Anyone?!"
She sighed, "Nothing."
"Wait here. I mean it this time," Arcee insisted.
"No!" Kallen exclaimed, "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on?! Whose ship was that?! Why are you so freaked out?!"
Arcee transformed before answering.
"All you need to know the Con who has that ship is dangerous."
"That's not enough Arcee!" Kallen stated, "I'm not a kid that you have to babysit! I'm a Black Knight, and I can handle myself!"
"No, you can't. Not against her."
Arcee then ran away before transforming back into her motorcycle form and drove off again, leaving Kallen behind.
"Her?" Kallen questioned mentally.
Arcee more than likely knew the Decepticon that ship belonged to, and from the sound of things, Arcee had a history with this 'her'. Well, whatever the case, Kallen wasn't going to just stand around and do nothing. She was no child. With a hard glare, Kallen ran in the direction Arcee went.
Arcee drove off as fast and as far as she could. She probably wouldn't be able to contact the Ark and get reinforcements as long as that ship was emitting the pulse. Her only option was to hunt down the Con herself. A part of her did feel bad leaving Kallen behind like that, and she knew that Kallen wasn't helpless, but the last thing she wanted was for the girl to be anywhere near her. She already suffered enough with the loss of her brother, and what her mother went through.
The blue motorcycle came to a halt before Arcee transformed again and brought out her Energon blaster before going on the hunt. Her target was somewhere within these woods, no question. But she probably didn't know that Arcee was here too, maybe it would be her chance to get the drop on her for once. The hunter would become the hunted. However, as Arcee walked, she heard a strange sound and turned to look in shock, almost horror, at the sight of a tree being melted away by some form of acidic substance.
Flashback
It was the eve of the War for Cybertron. It was a warzone virtually everywhere you looked, yet despite that, Arcee kept a calm and confident stance as she ran past a battlefield as she contacted her squad.
"Arcee to Delta-team, requesting rendezvous points. Do you copy?"
"Arcee, you lost again? Your sense of direction could use some improvement."
Her friend and partner teased her over the comms.
"So does your aim, Tailgate," Arcee teased back, "If you tagged that snipper back at the artillery depot, I wouldn't have to break rank and engage the enemy hand-to-hand."
"From the sound of things, I'm guessing you came out ahead?"
"Try waiting up this time and I'll give you the blow-by-blow," Arcee responded as she appeared to have made it out of the worst of it, "What's your position?"
"About half a click from the depot, due North," Tailgate responded, "Think you can find it, partner?"
"Trust me, Tailgate. My navigation abilities are…"
Arcee didn't get a chance to finish as she was suddenly pinned to a nearby wall by some form of web-like substance. She struggled but couldn't stop another patch of the same stuff from being shot to cover her face.
The next thing Arcee knew, she was strung up by her arms via some form of electric bonds with her ankles webbed together. She struggled in her bonds, but they couldn't budge. She was effectively captured and secured.
But she wasn't alone, someone else was with her. There was a female Decepticon as well; she had a black color scheme with glowing purple eyes and sharp claws on her hands. But what stuck out the most was a pair of spider-leg-like appendages from her back. She walked around her captive, almost as if she was toying with her.
"Piece of advice, make yourself comfortable," The Decepticon told her as she showed off her extra appendages purely for intimidation, "You're going to be here a while."
She slowly traced her finger, which had an acidic substance at the tip, along Arcee's face, causing a burn mark to be etched into her cheek.
Reality
The very same black Decepticon, the one that captured and tortured Arcee for a long time was indeed on Earth, in these very same woods. She spotted what appeared to be a campsite at least twenty clicks away with her Cybertronian optics.
"My first local," She commented with a sinister smile, "Time for humankind to feel my sting."
She sprouted her spider-legs and began to crawl with them along the ground, closer towards her prey. These appendages served as more than just intimidation for her foes, they were a way for her to quietly sneak up on her victim without being noticed, and they were deadly weapons as they were sharp enough to cut through even the strongest of metals.
She was inching ever closer, and the closer she got, the more her urge intensified. She could already feel it: the sensation of organic fluids spilling over the ground as she gutted her prey, the feeling of the skin being removed from the body, the soothing sounds of the agonizing screams of terror, the look of hopelessness in their eyes before their life is snuffed out. No more waiting! She was about to jump towards her first victim when suddenly…
*CRASH!*
Arcee leaped at her enemy from the ground and they both tumbled down a rocky hillside, far away from the unsuspecting victim that didn't appear to hear any commotion whatsoever. They tumbled further onto they came to a stop on the flat ground; Arcee's back smacking against a cliffside and the Decepticon smacking off her and onto the hard ground.
She got up with her spider-legs to see the Autobot warrior who attacked her, "Arcee, small universe."
"Too small, Airachnid!"
"You're still holding a grudge?" the Decepticon named Airachnid teased, "The war's been over for mega-cycles."
"Tell that to the Decepticons!" Arcee stated as she took a combative stance.
"These days I travel solo, in pursuit of my new hobby," Airachnid said as she crawled around Arcee and a bit on the cliffside with her spider-legs.
Arcee's glare intensified, "I got a look at your souvenir case."
She referred to the severed and preserved alien heads in Airachnid's ship.
"You mean my trophies?" Airachnid replied, "I collect endangered species. Of course, they aren't endangered until they meet me. And I have a slot reserved for humans."
"Not gonna happen!"
Arcee attacked. She ran and tackled Airachnid to the ground and was about to punch her, but Airachnid was able to push Arcee off with her spider-legs.
Arcee activated her Energon blasters and opened fire at her hated enemy, but Airachnid avoided all the blasts and leaped in-between a pair of trees, her spider-legs keeping her in the air. She shot some form of webbing from her hands to bind Arcee's hands together and keep her from using her long-ranged weapons. But Arcee was able to pull on the strung webbing hard enough to pull Airachnid down to the ground.
Arcee then used the sharp ends on her knees to sever the webbing as Airachnid stood back up and opened fire again. Airachnid swiftly dodged the attack and opened fire with red Energon blasts from her palms, which Arcee ran to avoid. She ran closer to Airachnid and jumped up, grabbing onto a tree branch and spun herself to avoid more Energon blasts before leaping higher onto another tree, which she jumped off of to fall and land a solid kick on Airachnid's face to knock her down and pin her to the ground. She aimed her Energon blasters at the rogue Decepticon, ready to finish her once and for all.
However, before any move was made, they both heard the sound of rocks sliding as they looked back at the hillside to see Kallen sliding down toward the fight. Arcee gasped at the sight of her companion being here. Why was Kallen here!? Why now?!
Airachnid used this direction to lash one of her sharpened spider-legs at Arcee to knock her back before getting up to shoot some more web and pin Arcee to the wall.
"Arcee!" Kallen was about to run and help.
Airachnid turned to see the human girl and gave a joyous yet sadistic hiss.
Kallen was startled at the appearance of this particular Decepticon, "Whoa!"
Arcee used this brief distraction as she brought out an arm blade to cut some of the webbings off, freeing her right arm, which she converted into an Energon blaster to land a charged and direct hit on Airachnid to blast her back.
Kallen looked to see Airachnid fall before running to help Arcee.
"I told you to wait for me!" she exclaimed to Kallen.
"Yeah, well partners don't ditch partners!" Kallen exclaimed as she tried to use her hands to pry the webbing off Arcee.
"Get this through your thick skull, Kallen! You're not my partner, you're a liability!" Arcee stated.
"No, I don't believe you and you know it's not true!" Kallen stated, "I can see it in your eyes Arcee, you're afraid!"
Arcee's look softened as Kallen continued, "You've charged head-on into warzones, taken on Knightmares and Cons alike without even blinking! I don't know what this… She-Con did to make you so scared, but I'm not gonna sit back and watch you fight this thing alone! That's not what friends do!"
At that particular comment, a horrible memory, perhaps Arcee's worst memory, came back to her.
Flashback
How long had Arcee been here, being tortured by the sadistic and cruel captor known as Airachnid? Hours? Days? Hard to tell, but it was going nowhere. She had endured so much physical trauma, let Arcee didn't say a single word, other than the occasional curse or voice of defiance.
Airachnid seemed impressed by her prisoner's tenacity, "You know, for an Autobot, your reliance is quite impressive."
Arcee offered no response.
"I'm guessing that no matter what I do to you, you'll never crack. Am I right?"
Arcee glared at her captor.
"That's what I thought," Airachnid smiled at that.
But what came next, no one could expect. A pair of Vehicon troopers entered the room, dragging in a certain Autobot that looked like he suffered quite the beating.
Arcee's look of defiance gave way to shock and worry as she recognized this Autobot, "Tailgate?"
Tailgate groaned as the Vehicons dragged him next to Arcee and strung him up by his arms with the same electrical restraints that she was bound with.
"What have you done to him?!" Arcee exclaimed.
"Not much, yet," Airachnid warned, "Just tell me what I want to know, or… well, you're a smart Bot. I think you can imagine what happens to Tailgate, next."
"I don't know the attack coordinates," Arcee stated, causing Airachnid to frown and walk away, "I swear upon the Allspark, it's the truth!"
"We shall see," Airachnid said as she walked closer to Tailgate, her spider-legs reeling back.
"No! Please!" Arcee begged.
But it all fell on deaf ears as Airachnid hissed slashing with one of her legs, butchering her partner right in front of her eyes.
"TAILGATE!"
Reality
Arcee's expression was one of absolute fear, not just from that horrible memory she'd never be able to forget, but the strong possibility of it repeating here and now.
"You're right Kallen! I am afraid! Of losing you!"
That caught the red-haired girl by surprise as she looked at her partner with a shocked expression.
"You sure have trouble hanging onto partners, don't you?" Airachnid taunted Arcee as she got back up. "We both know what happened to Tailgate, but I can't imagine how many more partners or teammates you lost when Cybertron went dark. At some point you have to ask yourself Arcee; is it them? Or is it me?"
"Do you get it now, Kallen?" Arcee told her human partner, "She's not interested in me, she hunts indigenous species, and she's on Earth! That means humans! You! RUN!"
Kallen was shocked beyond belief but looked in even further surprise to see Airachnid web Arcee deeper onto the wall. So, with great reluctance, Kallen took off and ran as fast as she could.
Airachnid chuckled as she walked ever-so-close to Arcee, "And that's why I now prefer to work alone."
She jammed one of her spider-legs into the wall close to Arcee's face as she slowly danced around her. "It's so sad when bad things happen to those closest to you."
She trailed her finger under Arcee's chin and crawled around Arcee, hanging upside down as she continued to taunt her, "But don't get me wrong, I fully intend to snuff out your spark. And believe me, I will make it hurt. But that won't compare to the pain you'll feel knowing I'm adding your little 'Kallen' to my collection."
Kallen had back run up the hillside, she looked back toward Arcee. There was no way she could help her like this. But maybe she could lure this Airachnid away and give Arcee time to escape, and they'd find a way to take her down. She glared at the Decepticon before running into the woods.
Arcee could only look in terror as she saw Airachnid beginning her hunt, "KALLEN!"
Night had now fallen over the forest as Kallen continued to run. She took out her phone again only to see there was still no signal.
"Great. Just great!" she muttered to herself before turning back as she ran to see Airachnid slowly giving chase with her spider-legs.
"That's the spirit, Kallen. Play hard to get," Airachnid teased as Kallen glared at her, wanting nothing more than to wipe that smug look off her face.
Kallen slid underneath a fallen tree and down a hillside. Once she was at the bottom, she quickly hid underneath a large set of rocks and fallen trees. She took a second to catch her breath.
"Okay, okay, stay calm," Kallen tried to calm herself down, "What would Zero do? Or Optimus?"
She knew that either of them look at what tools they had first before making any sort of move. So, what did Kallen have right now? All she had was a pistol, a hand-held knife, and the key to her Glasgow. No way her gun or knife could take down a Decepticon. She had her Knightmare, but in all the craziness, she forgot where she hid it!
"Damn it!" she uttered to herself and held her head back, only for the back of her head to bang against something hard and made of metal.
"OW!" she turned around only to look in surprise to see her Glasgow, right there! This was the same spot where she hid it.
"Huh, I'll be damned," she looked with a wide-eyed and blank expression before a smirk formed on her face.
Airachnid continued to stalk and follow the trail. While she did lose sight of Kallen, her trail was relatively easy to follow so she had a good idea where to find her. Honestly, this was turning out to be a disappointing hunt.
"You're making this too easy Kallen, and I do not enjoy being bored!" Airachnid called out to her 'prey'.
Suddenly though, a flash of light shined brightly onto Airachnid's face, forcing her to cover her eyes; leaving her open for a powerful punch to come in and smash her across her face and send her skidding hard along the ground.
"Well then, let me make it more exciting for you!" Kallen shouted from inside her Glasgow as she drove it straight at Airachnid trying to land another punch, but Airachnid was able to jump back with an extra boost provided by her spider legs.
However, the red Glasgow pulled out its rifle and opened fire on Airachnid, forcing her to leap into the trees and jump further back as Kallen gave chase, a confident smirk forming on the girls' face, "Looks like the hunter has become the hunted."
Airachnid however smirked as well, maybe this hunt might be more interesting after all.
Back with Arcee, she struggled as much as she got to escape the webbing, but no matter how hard she struggled, it wouldn't budge. She had to get out of here quick! Kallen was a capable fighter, sure, but she had no idea what Airachnid was capable of. It was only a matter of time before that butcher cornered her and… just like with Tailgate…
Arcee screamed in emotional agony as another memory resurfaced.
Flashback
Arcee's face had given way from horror to despair as she had just witness Airachnid tear her partner, Tailgate, to literal pieces. His parts and Energon were all skewered over the ground; not even Scraplets were this brutal, and Airachnid smiled the entire time. Now it looked like it was Arcee's turn as Airachnid inched one of her clawed legs close to Arcee's face. There was no way to avoid this.
However, just as she seemed to accept her imminent demise, the door was blown off its hinges. Airachnid growled in frustration before making her escape. Bumblebee quickly slid into the chamber and opened fire with his Energon blasters, quickly killing the two Vehicons before they could even react.
Cliffjumper ran in as well as he quickly came towards Arcee. He was able to free her from her restraints as she fell to her knees, her despair and fear still deep inside her. Bumblebee came over to help as they picked up Arcee and began to carry her out.
"I couldn't save him! I couldn't save my partner!"
Reality
"Kallen… I'm sorry. I should have never look back," Arcee sobbed, "I should have…"
Her eyes winded in realization "...kept driving!"
Arcee used what physical strength she had to push forward, pushing on the webbing, before transforming and putting her vehicle mode into high gear. Now was not the time to get upset about the past! She had to get out and help Kallen as soon as possible! She already lost one partner to that monster; she was not about to lose another!
Airachnid jumped from tree to tree, avoiding the gunfire from Kallen's Glasgow as she rolled after her. Airachnid stopped at the fourth tree and tried to shoot back with her palm-lasers, but Kallen turned her Glasgow so it rolled sideways, using the trees for cover that got shot down from Airachnid's blasts. Kallen then shot her Glasgow's right slash harken at the tree Airachnid was on, causing it to tip over, but Airachnid had jumped off and used her spider-legs to stabilize her landing.
The spider-like Decepticon shot some webbing at the Glasgow's feet to halt its advance, but Kallen wasn't about to give Airachnid any openings as she threw out a chaos mine, previously used on a Sutherland stolen by the Black Knights. Kallen braced herself as the mine opened in the air to blast shrapnel in every direction. Airachnid got hit by several pieces, but nothing too damaging as she jumped back and onto a tree, crawling her way up towards the top just as the chaos mine stopped its attack.
The shrapnel from the mine was able to shred the webbing around the Glasgow's feet. Though there was some damage to its haul, it was still functional. Kallen looked around to see Airachnid had vanished.
"Sneaky bitch," she uttered to herself as she slowly rolled her Knightmare through the woods, keeping her eyes out for the Con who was still somewhere nearby.
Airachnid had found cover within the leaves as she assessed her bleeding cuts. It wasn't anything too serious, but it still hurt. This seemed to anger her a bit, but also, she felt herself somewhat intrigued.
"That's quite the interesting toy you got there," Airachnid called to Kallen, "It's a rare feat to catch me off guard."
"You'll find I'm full of surprises!" Kallen's voice shot through the Glasgow's speakers. "I'm not going to be easy prey for you."
As Kallen looked around, she couldn't find the voice of Airachnid as she continued to speak, "I can see why Arcee likes you, you remind me so much of how she used to be. Such confidence, so much fire in your eyes. Seeing how you two seem so close, did she ever tell you about me?"
"You're a Decepticon, that's all I need to know!" Kallen replied as she continued to search, her Glasgow's weapons at the ready.
She heard an echo of Airachnid's chuckle high in the trees, "Haven't you heard what Arcee said? These days I travel alone. The whole reason I even signed on with Megatron's little crusade was that he allowed me to do things I couldn't do before. I was his chief torturer. Whenever prisoners had valuable information, they were brought to me, and I made sure to squeeze every last drop of intel out of them."
Kallen's teeth gnashed a bit, having a good idea what that meant. She was starting to hate Airachnid now.
"Did she ever tell you about Tailgate?" Airachnid asked, still hiding in the trees, "Arcee was brought to me for my usual round of interrogation. But unlike most other Bots I had the pleasure of dismembering, she kept her mouth shut, no matter what I did to her. I have to admire that kind of resolve. But then I realized her true weakness, the same weakness most other Autobots have: they care about their friends."
Kallen stopped moving for a second as Airachnid continued to speak.
"Arcee's partner Tailgate was brought to me." she continued, "That's when her resolve began to break. She even begged me to stop, but I didn't. And I tore poor Tailgate apart, piece by piece."
Instinctively; Kallen fired her Glasgow's rifle into the treetops, trying to shoot down Airachnid wherever she was hiding. But she couldn't find her. Airachnid however smirked from her vantage point, knowing she got to her prey.
"But you know what I found most interesting?" Airachnid continued, "On my way here, I've picked up some interesting Decepticon radio-chatter about a small group of Autobots recruiting some humans to their side. What was it they were called again? Oh, that's right, the Black Knights."
Kallen was practically seething at this constant chatter, "Can I assume you're one yourself?"
"Damn right I am!" Kallen shouted, "No come out and fight me!"
Kallen shot her Slash Harkens at several trees to knock them down, but she still couldn't find Airachnid.
"My, quite the temper you have," Airachnid continued to taunt, "So, tell me, much like Arcee, can I assume there's someone in your little group your particularly close to?"
Kallen's eyes widened as she instinctively thought of Ohgi; Naoto's best friend, and something of a second older brother to her. She also thought of Rai, a close friend in both school and the Black Knights, who knew her true self and accepted her with open arms. She even thought of Zero, though she didn't know his true identity, he went to such lengths to not only help her and everyone else but even helped her mother when she needed it.
"You're not trying to deny anything, which must mean I'm right," Airachnid said as she slowly lowered herself toward the ground, quietly climbing down a tree behind the Glasgow before silently landing on the ground, "So, good news for you. I won't kill you, I'll keep you alive so that you can tell me everything you know about those closest to you. Only for you to watch…"
Airachnid was directly behind the Glasgow, ready to rip it to pieces. "…as I slowly slice them to pieces."
Kallen's eyes widened as her pupils seared with anger. She put her Knightmare in full reverse and slammed the acceleration; causing it to slam back into Airachnid and catching the Decepticon off-guard. While still moving, Kallen turned the front half of her Glasgow and grabbed Airachnid by her throat, driving into and slamming Airachnid into multiple trees as she yelled and pushed forward.
"YOU WON'T TOUCH ANY OF THEM!" Kallen yelled at the top of her lungs, "DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
After the tenth shattered tree, Kallen's Glasgow tossed Airachnid onto a rock, and the girl slammed her Knightmare onto the Con to pin her to it. She glared hatefully at the Decepticon; there was no way she'd let this monster hurt any of her friends, both in the Black Knights and even those from Ashford, or even her mother.
"I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!"
*SLASH!*
*SLASH!*
Kallen had been so focused on Airachnid, that she failed to notice her spider-like legs that quickly shot from her and sliced off both the Glasgow's arms. Kallen's eyes widened in shock as she instinctively backed her Knightmare up and watched as Airachnid managed to pull herself up.
"Another thing you and Arcee seem to have in common," Airachnid said with a triumphant and evil smirk, "You let your emotions get the better of you."
She shot some web forward to pin the Glasgow's feet to the ground once more.
Getting desperate, Kallen fired off her Knightmare's only weapons, the Slash Harkens, but they both missed as Airachnid jumped with her spider-legs and landed onto the Glasgow, while simultaneously using two of her spider-legs to sever the feet off the Knightmare, where the Decepticon butcher pinned what was left of the Knightmare to the ground.
Kallen gasped in audible fear as Airachnid slowly began to tear the Glasgow apart, she even began to tear the cockpit open and saw Kallen's frightened face.
"So, tell me Kallen, where's that fire now?" Airachnid taunted.
Instinctively, Kallen took out a flare-gun on the cockpit's side, thinking it was a real gun, and shot it in Airachnid's face. The light flashed as the flare exploded, temporarily blinding Airachnid as Kallen pulled on the ejector and what was left of the cockpit shot out from the remains of the Glasgow.
The front end had been torn off and Kallen watched as her pod had flown far away from Airachnid, but it was damaged and quickly fell before skidding hard on the ground. Kallen gasped but kept a firm grip on her seat to keep herself from flying out before the cockpit finally came to a halt.
Kallen took a few deep breaths to collect herself before she undid her seatbelt and climbed out of the cockpit and tried to get even further distance away, still holding onto the flare gun as she ran.
Airachnid groaned and rubbed her face before her vision began to clear. She looked in the direction where the cockpit had shot before resuming her hunt.
Arcee pushed her vehicle mode as fast as it could go, trying to tear through the persistent webbing. It didn't seem like she was making any sort of progress, but some of the strands were already beginning to snap. She had to keep pushing, for Kallen! With one final push, Arcee was able to finally break free. She drove off as fast as she could, hoping beyond hope that she wasn't too late.
Kallen ran as fast as she could. She was sure she made some considerable distance with her ejection, but she didn't want to turn back and see if Airachnid was still waiting. It was no wonder the Autobots told her and the other Black Knights to be cautious against the Decepticons, just one of them tore her Glasgow apart like a cheap toy.
She continued to run, honestly having no idea where she was going. Right now, all the weapons she had were still a simple pistol, a knife, and a flare gun. Why did she even bring that with her? Maybe to signal Arcee? But that would give away her location to Airachnid too!
Kallen had to stop and hide behind a tree to catch her breath. She honestly never felt more scared in her life. She let Airachnid get to her with those words, and she destroyed her most valuable weapon against her. She could tell that Airachnid was enjoying this. While she will say that she was scared right now, she was also eager to get rid of Airachnid. If she found out about her personal life… she shuddered to think what Airachnid would do to her friends on the Student Council at Ashford, or even her mom.
"Oh, Kallen," she heard Airachnid sign in the distance, "Come out, come out, wherever you are."
"Damn it," Kallen thought to herself. What could she do?
As Kallen looked at the symbol on her uniform's shoulder; the emblem that symbolized the union of the Autobots and the Black Knights, her fists clenched as determination soon began to fill in her, "I don't have time to be scared right now. I'm a Black Knight, aren't I?! That means fighting to protect those who can't protect themselves! I didn't give into Britannia, and I'm not about to give up now! I need to find a way to take this bitch out once and for all!"
As Kallen looked around, she spotted on her left the sight of Airachnid's crashed ship. Maybe that had something she could use. So, she made a break for the ship as fast as she could. After sliding down a small slope, she made it down to the front of the ship where she saw Arcee enter before. Airachnid was still some distance away, but Kallen had to move fast as she ran inside.
The minute she ran and entered the halls, she gasped at the sight of all the severed and preserved alien heads decorating the wall. She covered her mouth as she honestly felt like she was about to throw up but swallowed the bile back down. This Con was all kinds of sick. She shook her head to push those thoughts out of her head.
"Okay, what can I use here?" she tried to think, "I still don't know a whole lot about Cybertronian tech, but… wait, this ship crashed didn't it? Maybe something was damaged outside. I could probably use that."
Kallen was about to run out and back down the ramp, but as she looked to her right, she saw the figure of Airachnid in the distance. Kallen quickly hopped over on the other side of the ramp and underneath a mound of dirt, it didn't look like Airachnid spotted her. She saw some rocks by her feet and got an idea.
"Now, where did you scamper off to?" Kallen heard Airachnid muttering to herself, she was almost directly over her.
Kallen quickly picked up a rock and threw it into the open doorway inside the ship. Airachnid turned at the sound of something inside her ship and smirked.
"If you wanted a tour Kallen, all you had to do was ask," Airachnid shifted her lower body to show her natural legs as she walked inside, "Did you spot the space? I hope you'll like it. It's where you'll soon hang your head."
Kallen ran alongside the side of the ship. She smirked as Airachnid fell for it, but it won't take her long to realize she'd been tricked. Kallen had to find something fast. As Kallen ran toward the back, she jumped and slid down a mound of dirt and felt her foot stick into something wet. She looked down to spot a blue puddle at her feet.
"Sakuradite? No… Energon," Kallen remembered how they were the same thing as she turned toward the ship's engines to see some liquid Energon leaking. Guess the engines were damaged.
"Hey, wait a minute."
Energon was highly explosive, wasn't it? She looked towards her flare gun and smirked.
Airachnid looked around the inside of her vessel but couldn't find Kallen.
"Where are you? Kallen?" Airachnid didn't see her anywhere. But if she wasn't in the ship, where was she? Her optics slightly widened, realizing she'd probably been tricked, and ran back outside.
Kallen aimed the flare gun and pulled the trigger. She made a run for it as she turned her head to see the red flare hitting the spot where she needed it, right in a puddle of Energon inside a damaged engine.
Airachnid had made it outside and climbed to the top of her ship to see Kallen running away.
"Hope you're packed for the heat, spider-bitch!" Kallen called to Airachnid.
The spider-like Decepticon looked down in confusion to that statement, only for her optics to widen in horror as she saw the flames spreading through the liquid Energon and into her ship's engines.
"KALLEN!"
*BOOM!*
Kallen was blown away by the shockwave from the explosion that completely obliterated Airachnid's ship. She was blown at least twenty feet and had a rough landing but made it out in one piece.
She got up on her hands and feet and turned around at the sight of the ship's remains burning. She breathed a huge sigh of relief before a smile formed on her face and she even laughed slightly.
"Who's the prey now, huh?" Kallen chuckled before she stood triumphantly, "Don't mess with a Black Knight."
Kallen then got up and began to walk away. She just killed her first Decepticon, she couldn't wait to tell Zero, Ohgi, Rai, and everyone else back at the Ark. But first, she had to find Arcee and…
Kallen suddenly felt something on her foot, sticking her to the ground.
She looked in horror to see it was webbing, "No way!"
"Yes, way!"
Kallen was then webbed to a tree, her arms stuck to her sides and the trunk of the tree as she looked upward, her pupils shrinking at the sight of Airachnid. Half of her body was on fire, and her metal skin did appear damaged, but she was still very much alive, and very angry.
Airachnid climbed down onto the ground and marched her way to Kallen as she tried desperately to free herself from the web, but the sadistic alien was already on top of her. Airachnid smiled evilly as she felt her fingers along Kallen's face. She was going to enjoy every single second of this.
The girl was ready to scream in terror, but a pair of lights shined on them and Kallen's salvation came in the form of Arcee as her vehicle mode came in at high speeds before she transformed, and used the momentum from the speed she built up, to deliver a palm-strike right to Airachnid's face to knock her back several yards.
Arcee wasn't about to give Airachnid even a second to recover as she quickly ran in to deliver a kick to her enemy's chest. Arcee went on the offensive with a punch. Airachnid tried to punch back, but Arcee blocked it and delivered another punch to her chest and a slug across her face before spinning around to deliver a fierce kick to knock Airachnid back more. Arcee then converted both her hands into Energon blasters and charged up a powerful shot before blasting it; hitting Airachnid and sending her flying through dozens of trees, leaving a trail of destruction behind her.
Airachnid fell in defeat; her previous battle with Kallen's Glasgow and getting caught up in the explosion of her ship had already weakened her significantly, but that last attack from Arcee was all that was needed to finish the fight.
With Airachnid disposed of, Arcee quickly ran towards her friend.
"Kallen! Are you okay?!" she pried the webbing off to free Kallen from the binds.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," Kallen said in-between breaths.
All fear was gone now as she looked up to her savior.
"Arcee I… Thank you," She said with an honest smile and gratitude filled in her eyes.
Arcee smiled back, but both their smiles faded as they heard a loud drilling sound from behind. They both quickly ran to see Airachnid's spider-like legs pointed downward as her body spun rapidly like a drill. She was quickly burrowing underground to escape. Arcee tried to shoot her, but by the time she and Kallen got close enough, Airachnid was already too far deep.
"Airachnid!" Arcee growled and called to her hated enemy, but she was long gone.
The blue Autobot gave a deep and regretful sigh, "So much for closure."
"Now she's stuck here on Earth, and in Japan of all places," Kallen said, considering she just blew up Airachnid's ship, "Yeah, that's probably gonna come back and bite us in the ass someday."
"Kallen I… I'm sorry you had to face my demons today," Arcee said honestly.
"Well, you helped me face mine with my mom and refrain and all that so… I'd say we're even," Kallen tried to smirk, but it quickly vanished, "She also told me what she did to Tailgate."
Arcee's face contorted one of grief once that name was spoken, "To have someone you care about being taken from you by someone that… that cruel… that evil. I.. just I…"
"You can't help but think about what happened to Naoto?" Arcee assumed.
"Yeah," Kallen lowered her head, "I even saw it myself. And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think how I could have saved him."
Arcee knew exactly what that felt like. She kneeled and patted her companion on the back, "I feel the same way. But as much as we like, we can't change the past. But you know what I do when I miss my friends who are gone?"
"What?" Kallen slowly glanced towards Arcee as the Autobot smiled.
"I remember all the friends that I still have with me today," she answered, "And that's why I keep fighting, to protect them and make sure nobody else goes through the same thing."
Kallen smiled as she rubbed some mist in her eyes. She felt the same way. She did have many good friends, and family, people she was fighting for. Fighting to make the world a better place for them, "Yeah, I got a lot of friends. And you're one of them."
Arcee stood up with her smile still on her face as she was finally able to contact the Ark again, "Ratchet, requesting Groundbridge."
Kallen smirked, for she was more than ready to go home after this. But an irritated look formed on her face as she spotted a mosquito near her arm, which she promptly squashed with her hand.
"Need to get my partner far away from any oversized insects," Arcee joked.
Kallen looked up to Arcee with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, "Partner, huh?"
"Junior partner. I can still pull rank," Arcee teased just as the sun began to rise and shine upon the two freedom fighters and sisters-in-arms.
Chapter 13: Geass ex Machina
Chapter Text
Rai had just finished packing his schoolbooks as the last class for the day ended. He was about to walk out the door when he heard a few of his friends call him.
"Hey, Rai, where ya going?" Rivalz asked as he was with Shirley and Milly.
"Oh, just wondering around the Settlement. Nowhere in particular," Rai answered.
"You sure it's okay to go off by yourself?" Shirley asked with concern, "I mean with all that's happening with the Black Knights and those Autobots?"
"They're not exactly terrorists, I mean they did save all our lives and everything," Rai pointed out.
"That's true," Milly said, "But still it's not exactly safe to just wander around aimlessly."
"I'll be fine, don't worry," Rai assured.
"Does this have something to do with your memories?" Shirley asked.
Rai stopped for a second before answering, "No, it doesn't."
Shirley suddenly felt a bit guilty, "I'm sorry if I caused you some trouble. I know it's a touchy subject for you."
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Rai assured, "I got you guys on speed-dial if anything comes up though. Trust me, I'll be fine."
"Alright if you say so, buddy," Rivalz seemed to get it.
"Just let us know if there's any trouble and we'll be over there in a heartbeat," Milly said.
"Thanks, guys, that does mean a lot," Rai said before walking out of the classroom.
Rai walked out toward the Ashford parking lot. He felt a little bad lying to his friends like that, but he was a Black Knight and he had to keep that a secret or else risk putting them in danger. Aside from the Autobots and several other Black Knights; the Student Council, Nunnally included, were the only people he truly considered his family and the last thing he wanted was to endanger their lives.
His attention was soon caught by a familiar green SUV pulling into the parking lot with some rock music playing on the radio. He looked a bit surprised to see it was this particular Autobot picking him up but went ahead anyway.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Bulkhead mouthed the heavy guitar sounds on the radio as Rai got into the passenger seat.
"Heh, didn't know you were into heavy metal," Rai commented as he buckled his seatbelt.
"Tamaki got me hooked onto it," Bulkhead answered, "What can I say? I like it."
Rai smirked a bit as the disguised Autobot drove away from the campus, "I'm a bit surprised that you're picking me up, Bulkhead. I was kinda expecting Bumblebee since he's always at Ashford with Lelouch."
"Both of them are already at the Ark so I decided to swing by and get you."
"So, what's everyone been up to?" Rai asked.
"Right now, we're focusing more on recruitment," Bulkhead answered, "We've got lots of resistance groups wanting to sign on with us. Heck, we'll be about as big as the JLF in no time."
"When's the next big mission?" Rai asked.
"Wow slow down there, kid. You haven't even piloted a Knightmare yet, gotta take baby steps first," Bulkhead said as his vehicle mode turned down one alleyway and made its way down toward a nearby ghetto.
"I read the manual and got the feel for the controls on one of our Sutherlands," Rai said.
"Not the same as getting into a fight," the green Autobot remarked as a Groundbridge portal opened in front of them.
Bulkhead drove inside and the portal closed almost immediately.
Bulkhead had driven from the Groundbridge bay to the Ark's bridge where Ratchet was still working at a console as he came to a halt.
"Rai, I get you wanna help us, you got a good heart, but you can't rush headlong into a fight," Bulkhead said as Rai stepped out and Bulkhead transformed.
"I get that. Lelouch already made that clear," Rai said with a bit of irritation. Though he was glad his friends were looking out for him, it was getting a bit annoying with how protective they all were, "I just don't wanna sit around here doing nothing when I can help you guys!"
Bulkhead kneeled, "And you'll get your chance, but you can't rush this. First, you gotta know what you're capable of. Before I was a warrior, I was a laborer, construction. I can build stuff, I can break stuff, and that's it!"
"Both those things are good though," Rai stated, "Breaking the bad guys is kinda obvious, but you can also build shelters and stuff for people who need it. Yeah, it's simple, but that can help a lot of people."
"Yes it can," Bulkhead acknowledged, "But it also means there are things I can't do. We don't even know what you can do either. You can be a soldier if you want, but there are other things you could do. You could be a medic, like Ratchet."
"I don't see myself as a doctor," Rai shrugged, but took note of the Medic-Bot, "No offense."
"None taken," Ratchet waved his hand.
His attention was caught by some sensors going off as he looked up to a screen with a dot blinking on and off on a map, "I'm detecting a fresh Energon pulse from the nation called 'Greece'. An ancient city, quite historic I believe."
"Greece isn't a part of Britannia, is it?" Bulkhead asked, standing up.
"No, it's part of the EU," Ratchet answered, "That being said, we wouldn't be going into danger if we sent a team there. However, I would also urge not to create too much of a commotion."
"Then let's get going," Rai said.
"Rai…" Bulkhead said.
"What? It's just an Energon scouting mission, no fighting. Plus, I don't see anyone else around," Rai put in.
"It's true," Ratchet pointed, "Everyone else is either on patrol or speaking with other resistance cells about recruitment efforts."
Bulkhead didn't see anything wrong with this. As Rai said, it was just a scouting mission, and they weren't going into Britannian territory so, why not?
"Alright kid, time to get your feet wet."
Starscream stood impatiently outside the main base of the Camelot Division in the Settlement. Though he was on military grounds away from civilians, all the nearby soldiers couldn't help but stare at him, much to his irritation.
"What are you all looking at? Get back to work!" Starscream ordered many of the soldiers, causing them to stiffen up and quickly get back to their posts.
He soon saw something enter the facility. Driving through the main gates was a bright red sports car resembling an Aston Martin that drove up to Starscream.
"It's about time, Knock Out," the second in command of the Decepticons stated, "I do not enjoy being kept waiting."
The red car transformed to reveal the red Decepticon that was named Knock Out, "It was a long drive, Starscream. I'm still picking bugs out of my grill."
"Yes, right. You're one of those," Starscream commented.
Knock Out didn't seem to like that tone, "Come again?"
"Never understood why any self-respecting Decepticon would choose an automobile as his vehicle mode when he could have the power of flight," Starscream stated.
"I like the way I look in steel-belted radials," Knock Out answered with a smug grin.
Inside the Special Corps base, while all the personnel was working on the equipment present, Suzaku sat on a chair on a catwalk as he read his textbook for school. Though it appeared he was simply reading, his mind was elsewhere. A lot went through his head, specifically Zero, the Black Knights, and the Autobots. They claimed to fight for justice and many of the criminals they caught or ousted were corrupt and deserved justice, why didn't they help the police? Why are they fighting Britannia when they could try to help change it? But also, he couldn't deny that Britannia was far from perfect, and there was something about the Decepticons that just made him feel a bit unease.
"Suzaku."
He was startled out of his thoughts by Cecile as she looked at him with concern.
"Miss Cecile."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"Don't worry, I was just lost in thought that's all," Suzaku assured as Cecile sat down next to him, "Hey uh, Miss Cecile. What exactly do you think about all this? The Autobots and the Black Knights?"
"Well… truth be told, I don't know what to think," Cecile answered honestly, "But I don't want to outright say they're terrorists. I mean, they did rescue Princess Euphemia and many of your friends back at the hotel jacking, and they have exposed some dangerous criminals. And… if I'm speaking honestly, it's kind of exciting. Alien robots that transform into vehicles. It's almost like something out of a comic book."
Suzaku couldn't help but chuckle at that, "But… what about the Decepticons? I mean, I will say that I trust Dreadwing, he did help during the Hotel Jacking but…"
"They just don't feel right?" Cecile finished as Suzaku looked at her with surprise, "I feel the same way. I mean, Dreadwing himself seems to be sincere so I'm at least comfortable around him, but the others… just make me feel a bit uneasy. Especially their leader."
Suzaku wouldn't admit it out loud, but he shared that feeling. He only met Megatron once, but something about him just makes him shudder.
"Aha, what's gotten you two so worked up about?" Lloyd asked casually as he walked up, "Talking about our big scary new partners."
"Lloyd, can you honestly say that you don't find any of them to be the least bit intimidating?" Cecile asked.
"Not really." he shrugged, "Nothing scares me. Except for the thought of my Lancelot being destroyed, so you better take care of it Suzaku."
"Uh… I'll try," Suzaku said, surprised by how carefree Lloyd was acting.
"You had also best try to respect your superiors."
All three of them and the rest of the Camelot personal looked in surprise to see Starscream and Knock Out walking into the bay. The room was large enough to house several Knightmares, so it was relatively easy for the two Decepticons to walk into.
"St… Starscream!" Cecile stuttered, surprised by his sudden appearance. Though he wasn't nearly as imposing as Megatron, being around such a large being this close did not make her comfortable in the least.
"That's Commander Starscream!" he corrected.
Suzaku however glared slightly at him, Starscream was the one responsible for that mess with the Purebloods in Shinjuku, and it appeared that he also led the attack on the hotel that would have likely killed his friends and Princess Euphemia. He was honestly surprised that he still held any sort of rank.
Starscream himself noticed Suzaku's hardened expression, "What are you looking at, boy?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Suzaku returned his eyes to his book, not even sparing Starscream a glance.
Lloyd noticed the other Decepticon with him, "Aha, and who might this new Transformer be?"
"Knock Out, the Nemesis' chief scientist, also known as the 'Mad Doctor', at your service," the red Decepticon gave a bow, "I do bear that title with pride."
As he looked around, his optics happened to spot the Lancelot, "Whoa. What do we have here?"
Greece
A Groundbridge portal opened up as Bulkhead's vehicle mode drove out onto a large set of ruins within an ancient Greek city. As the portal closed, Rai, now dressed in his Black Knight uniform, got out and looked around with awe as Bulkhead transformed into his natural Cybertronian form.
"Wow, look at this place," Rai looked at his surroundings.
He and Bulkhead appeared to be at the bottom of an amphitheater-like area with curved steps around one end, and another set of stone steps on the other side, leading down to more ruins.
"Looks amazing."
"Yeah, kinda nice isn't it," Bulkhead looked around, taking a liking to the Greek architecture, before taking out his Energon scanner, "Also, kinda nice not to get shot at the second you pop out of a Groundbridge."
Rai took out his cell phone and began to take pictures around the area, no way he wanted to forget any of this. Of course, he couldn't show it to any of his friends without the possibility of revealing his status as a Black Knight, but he couldn't help himself. However, upon seeing Bulkhead look at his scanner, Rai got serious and put his phone away as he walked close to the green Autobot.
"So, what are we looking at here?"
Bulkhead saw the readings on his scanner, "Signal's strong."
He looked towards the ground on the lower field to a sight of bulldozers around a man-made pit, "An excavation site."
"You did construction work? You did say you built stuff," Rai commented.
"Yep, but I was mostly demolitions," Bulkhead answered, "According to my scanner, humans hit Energon veins, and they don't even know it."
"Let's be glad this isn't Britannian territory. They'd probably rip this place up without even giving it a second thought," Rai said with contempt evident in his voice.
"Yeah, probably," Bulkhead seemed to agree as he looked around.
As he looked, his eyes spotted an ancient fresco that depicted several Greek soldiers surrounding an image of Zeus that held a golden orb in his hand. But it wasn't just any ordinary orb.
"Whoa…" the Autobot's eyes widened in surprise, "That's Cybertronian!"
Area 11 – Camelot Division
Knock Out walked around the stationed Lancelot as he observed the white Knightmare with a smirk, "Hmm, nice design. Sleek body, nothing too bulky, allowing more maneuverability. Probably stronger than any other human-made Knightmare made thus far as well."
Lloyd walked up to Knock Out on the ground, "Looks like someone's taken an interest in my achievement. It's a Seventh Generation Knightmare frame, the first of its kind, not counting the prototype known as the Lancelot Club, yet I can promise this baby will deliver better results than those run-of-the-mill Sutherlands."
"I can see that. Nice paint job though," Knock Out complemented, "All those Sutherlands and Gloucesters are like something off an assembly line, there's no variety to them."
Lloyd rolled his eyes, "Tell me about it. But you know soldiers and their pride, they hate to be shown off by someone else."
"I couldn't possibly agree more," Knock Out commented.
As the two talked; Suzaku and Cecile looked towards the conversation with surprise.
"They seem to get along pretty well," Suzaku said.
"I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing though," Cecile voiced.
Starscream rolled his eyes as he stepped up to get both their attention, "Yes, the Lancelot certainly stands out among other human-made weapons, not just for its appearance but also the fact it is the only Knightmare to face an Autobot directly and still be in one piece."
"Really?" Knock Out said with an intrigued smile and a raised eyebrow, "This went up against an Autobot?"
"Yes, the yellow and black one," Lloyd confirmed, "Gotta hand it to Suzaku up there, he's the perfect device to such an incredible machine if I do say so myself."
Knock Out glanced to Suzaku. "Quite the accomplishment, not bad fleshy."
"Eh… thanks…" the Honorary Britannian didn't know what to think.
"That being said…" Starscream got back to the point, "While this was able to hold its own, the Lancelot was put on the defensive, as expected from a human-made device. However, Lord Megatron sees potential in its use, as well as its pilot, so he decided to have an expert provide some modifications so that it can better match the Autobots when we do battle again."
Lloyd seemed quite intrigued, "Oooh, so the big bad Megatron's taking a liking to the Lancelot, has he? Well as its creator, I believe I should also have the final say as to what specific modifications to give it."
Suzaku was quite surprised. Megatron saw potential in him and the Lancelot? So, why did that make him feel very uncomfortable? Cecile felt the same sort of way, she certainly hoped it wouldn't mean they'd have Decepticons around here more frequently.
"I've done plenty of body-work Starscream, but I'm better at breaking them than fixing them," Knock Out said as he transformed his right hand into a drill before it transformed back, "Would help if I had my assistant be a good sparring partner and I might see how the Lancelot works in combat myself."
"I summoned both of you, where is he?" Starscream questioned.
"We were hot on a fresh Energon trail when you called," Knock Out answered, "Breakdown will show when he's through scouting it."
"Breakdown?" Cecile questioned.
"I do not like the sound of that," Suzaku thought to himself.
Greece
"Why would Ancient Greeks paint an Energon Harvester?" Bulkhead wondered out loud as he looked at the fresco.
"You know what that thing is?" Rai asked as he took a picture of it with his cellphone, "I thought you said you only knew construction. You're smarter than you led on."
"But even dumber than he looks."
Both Rai and Bulkhead turned around in surprise to see someone else had arrived.
At the top of the stairs behind them stood a Decepticon that was about as big as Bulkhead, if only slightly bigger by a few feet. His body was very large, almost like a metal bodybuilder, with a blue and silver paint job. He had a red face and glowing yellow eyes.
"Breakdown!" Bulkhead recognized him.
The aforementioned Decepticon chuckled, "Miss me?"
"Like rust in my undercarriage!" Bulkhead glared.
"Whoa, you know this guy?!" Rai voiced in surprise.
"We have history," Bulkhead said as he kept his eyes firmly squared on his rival.
"And you have a pet," Breakdown noticed Rai's presence, "Does it play 'Catch'?"
He was able to pry a large stone pillar from the ground with ease before throwing it toward Rai, "Catch!"
Rai was taken by surprise as he fell backward and looked in shock to see the pillar racing toward him, but Bulkhead blocked it by shielding Rai with his body, his back taking the hit.
"Rai, stay down!" Bulkhead ordered as Rai tried to find cover in the dust cloud that formed.
Right before the dust cleared, however, Breakdown suddenly appeared as he jumped and tackled Bulkhead, sending them both falling toward the ground. They bounced off the impact as Breakdown, while airborne, threw Bulkhead with enough force to send him flying and crashing through the fresco with the image of the Energon Harvester on it.
"Whoa…" Rai breathed in shock. Bulkhead was one of the biggest beings he's ever seen, easily dwarfing any Knightmare ever built, but this Breakdown guy just threw him like a ragdoll. Guess he underestimated the Decepticons.
"Oops. Hope the pretty picture wasn't too important," Breakdown commented as he ran and transformed into a large dark blue military truck before driving off.
Once he was gone, Rai quickly ran down the large steps toward the recovering Autobot, "Bulkhead, you okay?!"
The green Autobot groaned a bit, "I'll be fine."
He looked at the remains of the fresco, "Told you I'm good at breaking things."
"Hey, don't worry, I got your back. Look," Rai took out his cellphone to reveal the picture he took of the fresco, including the Energon Harvester.
The Ark
Once Bulkhead and Rai returned to the ship, they contacted everyone else about what they found. The rest of the Autobots had arrived, along with a few Black Knights; Ohgi, Kallen, Tamaki, even Zero himself were all present. The image that Rai took was now uploaded and displayed on the main screen on the Ark's bridge.
"It is indeed an Energon Harvester," Optimus confirmed, "A powerful tool created by the Ancients, to remove raw Energon from any source."
"What Zeus got the Autobots on speed dial or something?" Tamaki questioned skeptically.
"No. The Ancients often used the art of a given era to conceal messages," Optimus explained, "This fresco was likely a signpost indicating a Harvester's location, hidden somewhere on this planet."
"However, something like this would imply that Cybertronians and humans have interacted with each other before," Zero said, "Ancient Greece stems back long before even Britannia existed, on par with Ancient Egypt."
"But I thought the Bots and Cons were at war for centuries. How could they have been here on Earth before?" Kallen asked.
"The Ark's databanks don't have any data on Cybertronians visiting Earth at any point before," Fixit voiced.
"Maybe that was the point," Ironhide guessed, "This was probably to keep the Cons from getting their hands on the thing."
Ohgi's eyes widened at the possibility of something like that, "Eh… Optimus, if this Harvester thing removes Energon and you guys all have Energon flowing inside you like blood…"
Optimus saw what Ohgi was going for, "In the hands of the Decepticons or Britannia, the Harvester would be a devastating weapon."
Rai chuckled a bit, "Guess it was a good thing Breakdown totaled that painting, right Bulkhead?"
"Rai's not wrong," Cliffjumper agreed, "How are the Cons gonna find the thing without the fresco?"
"With the internet," Zero answered as he accessed Google with the Ark's database, he typed in 'golden orb' and 'Greek god' and got his result. He clicked on the link and the image of a white statue of Zeus holding the Energon Harvester popped up on the bridge's main screen, "Right here. It's located in a small museum in the EU city of Lyon."
Everyone looked at the image.
"That the real deal?" Arcee asked Optimus.
"It is," the Autobot leader confirmed, "We must confiscate the Harvester immediately."
Bumblebee seemed ready, as did the other Autobots.
"Sounds like a plan," Cliffjumper commented.
"Wait, hold on a second," Ohgi voiced, "'Confiscate'? As in…steal it?"
"What's the problem? We've stolen things before," Tamaki stated.
"Yeah, from Britannia!" Ohgi clarified, "But this isn't Britannia, and we're not trying to pick a fight with the EU."
"I can understand your concerns Ohgi," Optimus said, "But once the Decepticons learn of the Harvester's location, they will not hesitate to obtain it by any means necessary."
"But if the Cons are with Britannia, wouldn't that count as an international incident, risking an all-out war?" Kallen asked.
"Not everything they do is flashy, they got special covert units for this sort of thing," Cliffjumper voiced, "They could slip in and out without anyone noticing."
"All the more reason for us to obtain it as soon as possible," Zero pointed out.
"But if we're not actively fighting the EU, why don't we simply ask for their aid?" Fixit asked.
"Too much politics," Zero quickly said, "We're vigilantes, not aligned with any specific country or superpower. I don't know if the EU would openly trust us, not to mention the possibility of other Cybertronian relics hidden on Earth. We could stir up a hornet's nest if we're not careful."
"Yeah, that's a good point," Rai noted.
"Indeed, we must act covertly," Optimus said, "The more we debate, the more time we give the Decepticons."
Area 11 – Camelot Division
Speaking of the Decepticons, their chief intelligence officer, Soundwave was in the building along with Starscream, Knock Out, and Breakdown, as well as the rest of the Camelot Division, including Lloyd, Cecile, and Suzaku. Soundwave had the image of the Harvester and the statue that held it on his visor.
"Hmm, mmm," Breakdown nodded in confirmation, "That's it."
"An 'Energon Harvester' hmm?" Lloyd stroked his chin with an intrigued smile, "Ancient alien technology. You certainly got my attention."
Starscream smirked, "Knock Out, you might have your demonstration after all."
He turned to Lloyd, "Asplund, prepare Kururugi and the Lancelot for launch. It's harvest time."
His evil sneer only seemed to make Suzaku even more uneasy.
Night had fallen over the French city of Lyon. The museum was closed, with no cars in the parking lot, and no visitors. Now was the time. Optimus' vehicle mode drove up to the main parking lot of the museum and in front of the main entrance, followed by Arcee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, Ironhide, and Bumblebee. Cliffjumper and Ironhide split off as they each drove to the far corners of the parking lot.
"Alright, we're in position," Ironhide spoke through the communications line and not aloud.
"Any Cons show up and we'll get the jump on them," Cliffjumper added as they turned off their headlights and remained out of sight.
As Optimus pulled to a stop at the north side of the building; Arcee and Bulkhead drove to the right as Bumblebee drove left.
"Autobots, confirm your positions," he said to his team.
"Westward ho," Arcee came to a stop on the west side of the building.
"[Clear on the east,]" Bumblebee reported.
"Southside covered," Bulkhead confirmed from the back of the museum.
"Zero, report status," Optimus said over the radio.
"Everything's all set here."
Lelouch had already been transported into the building via Groundbridge and made his to the security office. He had his Zero-mask off, but the facemask still covered the lower half of his face as he looked at the security guard that stood in front of him, the red sigil of Geass active in Lelouch's left eye.
"Now, remember to play last night's security footage on a loop over tonight. No one can know what has transpired this night; and no matter what you hear, you cannot leave this room," Lelouch ordered.
"Yes, I understand." The guard confirmed in a monotone voice, red rings appearing in his eyes.
He sat down on his chair and did nothing as Lelouch put on his mask and left the room.
The Ark
"Ohgi, Kallen, Rai, Tamaki; everything's all set," Zero contacted the four Black Knights, each of them had their visors on, who stood on a scissor-lift in the Groundbridge bay, "Optimus will have a clear view of you, once you have the Harvester, Ratchet will bridge you back to base. However, if the Decepticons arrive or something else goes wrong, I'll meet you in the museum's loading dock."
"Roger that," Ohgi responded.
Ratchet pulled down a lever and manually activated a Groundbridge portal, "Now since you'll bypass any points of normal entry, you won't need to worry about setting off the alarm."
"Zero has also made sure the security footage is deactivated and won't record what happens," Fixit informed, "But please try not to make too much of a press… dress… mess!"
"Yeah-yeah, we got it," Tamaki waved off.
Museum
The Groundbridge portal opened as Ohgi drove the scissor lift into the hallway close to the main entrance, the portal closing right after. The four Black Knights remained quiet and looked around. They spotted the statue of Zeus holding the Energon Harvester.
"Bingo," Rai whispered.
They saw Optimus' vehicle form from the window entrance as he flashed his headlights three times to give the signal. Ohgi nodded as he drove the scissor lift towards the statue and began to ascend the platform close to the harvester.
Optimus kept a close watch on the four humans as they quietly did what they were assigned to do. So far, so good. However,…
"Heads up Optimus, you got company," Cliffjumper told him via the comms.
His warning came on time as he spotted through his mirror a certain red car pulling into the parking lot and coming close to his vehicle mode.
Knock Out whistled as he admired Optimus' vehicle form, "Sweet rims. Twenty-four gauge. You're real heavy-duty, just like my friend here."
"Optimus! Incoming!" Ironhide warned as Breakdown's vehicle mode came charging in before it fired a missile from a large cannon on the roof.
Optimus quickly transformed and caught the missile. However, its propulsion pushed Optimus back as he tried to grind his feet into the ground to halt its advance. He pushed back with all he had, just as the missile's top made contact with the glass, causing a large crack to form.
Ohgi, Kallen, Rai, and Tamaki looked in shock at the sound. Optimus briefly glanced back to make sure his human companions were alright, but this left him vulnerable for Knock Out to drive his Energon Prod into Optimus' neck, electrocuting him and knocking him down, where Knock Out pinned him further by zapping his neck with the Prod again.
"Optimus, hang on!"
Cliffjumper and Ironhide drove up to try and help, but Breakdown already transformed, his right hand taking the form of a hammer as he slammed it at Cliffjumper to send him flying across the large parking lot; but Ironhide had already transformed and punched Breakdown across his face to knock him back a bit. Ironhide then punched him again, but as he came in for the third, Breakdown caught Ironhide's fist in his other hand before smirking and delivering an uppercut with his hammer to send him flying high into the air and crashing hard onto the ground.
"Cons!" Kallen shouted as she looked in shock with everyone else.
"They got Optimus, and knocked down Cliff and Ironhide!" Ohgi exclaimed.
However, hope was not lost as Arcee and Bumblebee both drove from the sides of the building. Arcee drove at high speeds and transformed while jumping to land a flying kick at Breakdown's face to knock the large Decepticon back. Bumblebee was planning on jumping in as well, but his vehicle mode was cut off by a large energy blast that sent him flying, and transforming back to normal, before rolling and grinding on the parking lot. He looked to see where the blast came from.
"[Scrap!]"
He saw the Lancelot rolling in with the VARIS rifle in hand and reading to fire again, but the rifle was blasted out of the white Knightmare's hands by a recovered Cliffjumper as he and Arcee both charged in and opened fire, forcing the White Knightmare to retreat on its Landspinner wheels and activate its Blaze Luminous shields on its arms to block the Energon blasts.
Knock Out saw the Knightmare work with interest, "Hmm, not bad."
However, this left him vulnerable as Optimus had recovered and swiped his arm back to knock the red Decepticon off him.
Breakdown had gotten up and was about to charge in on Optimus, but Bulkhead had jumped down from the roof of the building with a mace in his hand and smacked Breakdown back and sent him crashing through two lampposts and on the other side of the parking lot. Breakdown however was quick to get back up as he smirked at the glaring Bulkhead.
"Hammer time."
Kallen and Rai had rolled the Harvester onto the scissor lift as Ohgi looked with surprise at the fight unfolding outside.
"Well, so much for covert," Tamaki commented.
"Zero, do you read me?! We got Cons!" Ohgi reported to their leader, who remained by the entrance to the cargo hold, "And that same white Knightmare from before too."
Lelouch's eyes widened underneath his mask. A part of him expected the Cons to be here, but he didn't anticipate that Knightmare to show up.
"Get the Harvester to the Cargo hold now!" Zero ordered, "Don't worry about the enemy, let the Autobots handle them! Our priority is to secure the Harvester!"
"Roger, we're on our way," Ohgi responded.
Lelouch clenched his fists, "Damn it Suzaku, why are you here of all places?!"
Suzaku gritted his teeth as he maintained his defense, rolling back to avoid the constant laser fire from both Arcee and Cliffjumper; however, this appeared to have left him open for Bumblebee to come in from the back and deliver a roundhouse kick to knock the Knightmare down on the ground.
The Lancelot however was able to pull itself up as Suzaku wiped some of the blood coming from his mouth, "I had trouble with just one Autobot, but three of them might be too much for even the Lancelot. Still, I'm not about to give up!"
The white Knightmare drew both its MVS blades before it shot right to Bumblebee who limboed underneath one horizontal swing, but the Lancelot was able to kick him in his side to knock Bumblebee down, he then swung at Arcee who blocked it with both her arm-blades; the MVS scratched but didn't cut through.
Suzaku grunted, "Looks like even the MVS can't cut through Cybertronian metal."
Arcee jumped over the Lancelot and swiped her feet to knock it down, but it shot a slash harken from its right arm to catch her by surprise before swinging the blade at Arcee, though it didn't cut, it sent her flying back a few feet and landing hard on the ground.
The Lancelot then sped to the incoming Cliffjumper and tried to swing both blades down on him, but he was able to catch the Knightmare by its arms as he smirked right at its face.
"I'll give you credit, you really know what you're doing, don't ya?" Cliff chatted casually, "Sucks you're with the Cons though, otherwise I wouldn't have to beat you up."
He quickly grabbed the Lancelot's right arm with both his hands and flipped him over his shoulder, slamming the Lancelot onto the pavement.
Knock Out tried to get in close with his Energon Prod to avoid getting blasted by one of Ironhide's cannons, but as he did, the older Autobot tried to punch him, only for the smaller Decepticon to swerve out of the way before striking his Prod into Ironhide's neck to electrocute him. But Ironhide stood his ground as he shot a random blast on the ground from his cannon to blast back Knock Out, while consequently blasting himself back as well.
Bulkhead swung his club at Breakdown, only for him to strain and catch it with his hand right as Breakdown swung his hammer at Bulkhead who caught it with his other hand. The two wrestled each other and glared.
"So, where's that human pet of yours, Bulk?" Breakdown taunted, "'Rai' was it? How about once I'm done here, I'll visit him."
This only seemed to anger Bulkhead as he tried to press forward with a roar, but his anger made him sloppy, letting Breakdown slide and slam his hammer at Bulkhead's side to knock him down. He raised his hammer to strike down on him, but before he swung, someone else caught it. He looked in surprise to see Optimus glaring down at him. Breakdown laughed nervously before he was punched right into the face and sent flying.
Meanwhile, inside the museum, Zero waited by the entrance to the cargo hold as he saw the Black Knights in the scissor lift with the Energon Harvester. He immediately pressed the button on the side to open the gate to the cargo bay in the back of the museum. With all the commotion, they were lucky nothing in the museum was damaged.
"Ratchet, we have the Harvester. Prepare for an immediate Groundbridge to our coordinates!" Zero ordered through his comms just as he ran into the cargo bay, with his fellow Black Knights right behind him with their precious cargo.
They looked ahead to a partially open gate that led outside to the back of the building where they saw some large metal legs walking toward them, though they couldn't see the face, it looked similar to a Bot they knew.
"Arcee!" Kallen called, thinking it was her partner.
"Kallen… wait!" Ohgi tried to stop her, but it was too late. The mysterious Cybertronian used his hand to pull open the gate and reveal his presence; his face or lack-of-thereof made the Black Knights, even Zero backpedal in fear.
"Soundwave!" Zero exclaimed.
Tamaki instinctively pulled out his rifle and opened fire on the silent Decepticon. The bullets didn't affect him as his scanners looked onto all five of them and he detached something from his back which morphed and transformed when it landed behind him, taking the shape of a large metal jungle cat. It roared as it jumped under Soundwave and opened fire with purple Energon blasts from its mouth, forcing the five Black Knights to run and hide either behind the corner near the Harvester where Zero, Kallen, and Rai hid; or behind a forklift where Tamaki and Ohgi hid.
Ravage kept shooting in their direction as Kallen or Tamaki tried to shoot back behind cover, forcing Ravage to bounce on his feet and avoid the bullets as he shot back at them in response.
While Ravage kept the Black Knights occupied, Soundwave extended one of his tentacles from his side that moved along the left wall and turned the corner, aiming towards the Harvester.
"Look out!" Rai exclaimed, causing Zero and Kallen to look in shock as the tentacle lashed out toward them. Ohgi and Tamaki tried to help, but Ravage's laser fire kept them pinned behind the forklift.
As Kallen and Zero tried to find some kind of cover, Rai spotted an emergency ax along the wall and quickly ran to grab it. He gave a yell as he tried to chop the tentacle, only for it to move and knock Rai back and into Zero and Kallen, knocking them all done. They could only watch in shock as Soundwave's tentacle grabbed the Harvester and pulled it back towards Soundwave himself.
With the Energon Harvester in hand, Ravage ceased fire and returned to its master just as Soundwave transformed and flew off.
Back in the front parking lot; the Autobots' battle against Knock Out, Breakdown, and the Lancelot came to a halt as they all spotted Soundwave's vehicle mode fly off. Knock Out smirked knowing they had what they needed.
"Hmm, that would be game," he transformed and drove off, along with Breakdown. Suzaku glanced towards the Autobots before he turned the Lancelot around and followed the two Decepticons towards an open Groundbridge portal Soundwave provided that closed shortly after.
"So, did we win?" Cliffjumper asked.
"What do you think?" Arcee remarked.
"Optimus, Soundwave has the Harvester. We've lost this fight," Zero contacted Optimus, causing him to look with a serious expression.
In record time, the Autobots and their Black Knight companions had returned to the Ark where Zero and Optimus had called an alert for several of their more experienced soldiers to return to the Ark immediately. Optimus informed them of their mission as several teams of Black Knights, each with one of the Autobots, were being dispersed via Groundbridge to find and locate the Energon Harvester as soon as possible.
"In all likelihood, the Decepticons will use the Harvester to gather as much Energon as quickly as they can, from the planet's otherwise unmineable Energon deposits," Optimus instructed.
"Be warned, many of you are traveling to areas that are under Britannian control," Zero informed, "While the locations of these deposits may not have any military or civilian occupation near them, keep in mind to avoid any possible detection. We cannot risk bringing in other parties into our battles yet."
"Approach with extreme caution," Optimus gave the final warning, "If you spot the Harvester, contact the Ark immediately and we'll all rendezvous and battle the enemy together, the Decepticons won't hesitate to turn the Harvester on any one of us, even Knightmares will be rendered useless."
All the teams were then dispersed. Bumblebee had Ohgi, Inoue, and two other Black Knights; Kallen rode with Arcee; Cliffjumper went with Tamaki, Sugiyama, and two others; and Ironhide rode with Minami, Yoshida, and two female Black Knights. Optimus was the last and would be deployed with Zero and three others.
Fixit prepared the Groundbridge remotely as Optimus turned to the only remaining Autobot, "Bulkhead, you should remain here to assist Fixit and Ratchet."
"Rai, you'll be here for the same reason," Zero told his white-haired friend.
"Wait… what?! No way! I helped lose that thing, I wanna help find it!" Rai protested.
"You didn't lose it; we were unprepared for Soundwave," Zero replied, "You have no real battle experience, and the incident with the Scraplets doesn't count. I'm not putting your life in danger when the enemy has a dangerous weapon."
"Zero is correct," Optimus agreed, "Bulkhead, we will contact you for battle if we find the Harvester."
"Yeah, I'm just too big a target, right?" Bulkhead commented.
Optimus had a small sympathetic expression before transforming as Zero got in with his team and they drove off into the Groundbridge; leaving Rai and Bulkhead alone with Fixit and Ratchet. The latter is working at a small station with some hand-held Cybertronian tools.
"Transportation complete," Fixit reported, "All teams are at their respective destinations."
"Well, at least I'm not the only one stuck here," Rai commented to Bulkhead.
The large green Autobot wasn't exactly pleased, though he knew he was right; he wasn't the stealthiest Bot, even Ironhide was more cautious than him, he'd be a perfect target for the Harvester, and he hated feeling useless. With an angry growl, Bulkhead frustratingly slammed his fist onto Ratchet's table, smashing a tool he was using.
"Bulkhead, I needed that!" Ratchet exclaimed.
"I'm certain you two aren't useless, Optimus and Zero are just trying to find the best way your skills can be best applied," Fixit tried to calm them down.
"Speaking of which, I know Zero said he took care of the security footage back at the museum, but with the Harvester gone, how are we gonna risk not starting an international mess with the EU?" Rai questioned.
"By returning this replica to the museum," Ratchet answered, showing a partially completed replica of the Energon Harvester, "The construction of which, would be going a whole lot faster if Bulkhead hadn't just mangled my frame-welder!"
"We're already rebels and thieves, why not add forgery to the list," Rai groaned, also not liking the idea of being 'useless'.
Bulkhead groaned, "First I wreck the fresco now I…"
His eyes widened in realization, "The painting of the Harvester wasn't the only thing we found at those ruins!"
Rai caught on, "You're right!"
"I'm sorry but what are you talking about?" Fixit asked.
"There's this whole thing of Energon back at Greece!" Rai exclaimed, "At those same ruins! Why would the Cons go for all the hard-to-find stuff when you got a supply of Energon ready to order right there?"
"Which would be a perfect testing ground for the Harvester!" Ratchet realized, "I will alert the others."
"Wait, we don't know for sure if the enemy is there," Fixit reported.
"So, we'll go and scout it out to make sure," Rai said.
All three Autobots turned to Rai with surprise.
"We?" Bulkhead questioned.
"Yeah, I'm going to!" Rai stated.
"No way!" Bulkhead exclaimed.
"I agree," Ratchet added, "Did you not hear Zero advising against your involvement, Rai? It's for your safety."
"I'm not talking about charging head-on in a fight," Rai explained, "Every other Bot left here with a partner or a team, why shouldn't Bulkhead? I'll watch his back. We'll contact you guys the second we spot the Harvester. I'll even take a Knightmare if things go south, like I said, I'm not charging head-on into a fight, it's just to be prepared, that's all! Look, you guys were able to accept me into the Black Knights, right? Well, let me prove myself! Let me show you that I can help you guys, that I'm not just dead weight. Please."
Ratchet and Fixit were both lost for words as they looked at one another while Bulkhead couldn't help but be impressed; he knew how that felt. For most of his life, Bulkhead was only known for muscle and power, building stuff and breaking stuff, but that was all. He wanted to prove that there was more to him than just that, so he knew where Rai was coming from. He smirked at his friend.
"Alright partner, get yourself a Knightmare," Bulkhead said to Rai, causing him to smile.
Greece
Night had fallen over the same set of ruins that Bulkhead and Breakdown squared off before. Starscream was present along with Knock Out and Breakdown, and three other Vehicon soldiers. It wasn't just him of course, Suzaku was there inside the Lancelot, with both Lloyd and Cecile on the side, observing, though the young woman was more nervous if anything else.
"Why move mountains now, when we have a motherload of Energon right here for the taking!" Starscream stated as he looked down into an Energon vein, one that wasn't too difficult to dig up and expose, "Courtesy of this gift from ancient Autobots!"
Starscream held the Energon Harvester and was more than ready to put it to use.
"Well then, let us see what those 'ancient Autobots' were capable of," Lloyd rubbed his hands together eagerly, "It normally takes months or even years to fully extract a deposit of Sakuradite, or Energon as you call it, but if this thing can do it quicker, I can only wait to see what you Cybertronians have in store!"
Stars filled Lloyd's eyes, causing Starscream to roll his eyes in annoyance while Cecile looked with concern.
"Commander Starscream," Cecile approached with caution, "I feel it's safe to point out that we're not in Britannian territory. Greece is a country that is under the control of the EU. Without the proper clearance, we're essentially trespassing into foreign territory."
Starscream scoffed, "Tell me how this is any different from when your empire invades and conquers any other nation."
Cecile didn't know how to respond to that, but Suzaku rolled up in the Lancelot to face Starscream, "But she's right. If we're not careful, this could cumulate into a conflict with another superpower that rivals even Britannia. Viceroy Cornelia wouldn't…."
"She has no authority here!" Starscream stated, facing the Lancelot directly, "The ASEEC is an irregular unit that operates outside the Britannian chain-of-command. You are only called upon when you are needed, and as I have chosen this unit for this mission, you now report directly to me! Are we clear?"
"Crystal… crystal clear," Cecile stuttered in a frightened tone.
"Keep giving me a front-row seat to all your little toys and I'm good," Lloyd smiled casually.
Starscream turned his attention toward Suzaku who had yet to respond. Though no one could see inside the Lancelot cockpit, Suzaku glared at Starscream before he sighed, "I understand, Commander Starscream."
The Decepticon smirked arrogantly as he mockingly patted the Lancelot's head, "That's better."
"Speaking of the higher-ups, Starscream," Knock Out got his attention as he stood with Breakdown, "Have you informed Lord Megatron about this? You know how he is when you don't communicate with him."
"That is why we are here, to properly test the Harvester and see to it works efficiently," Starscream answered, "I wouldn't want to raise our master's hopes on a defective tool, would I?"
He pointed the Harvester directly at the Decepticon pair, causing them to wince and back away.
"Wait… what are you…?" Suzaku questioned, but Starscream activated the Harvester already.
The hand-held device shot a beam of energy that shot past Knock Out and Breakdown and directly hit a Vehicon on guard. The second it hit the Vehicon, trails of Energon flew out of his body and traveled along the beam directly into the Harvester. Both Breakdown and Knock Out looked in shock at the process as Starscream sucked the Energon out of his own soldier's body, even the remaining two Vehicons were caught off-guard. Suzaku gave an audible gasp as he saw it as well, his own eyes wavering. Cecile covered her mouth with both her hands as she looked in horror, even Lloyd was partially frightened. Though he would normally be ecstatic at seeing something like this, there was something about what Starscream did that put him slightly on edge. Starscream himself merely smirked evilly as he sucked out the last drop of Energon from the Vehicon, who fell to the ground in a lifeless husk just as the beam retracted and the Harvester deactivated.
"All that Energon, in such a tiny vessel," Starscream looked in awe at his little 'toy'.
Knock Out laughed nervously, "Those ancient Autobots never missed a trick, Commander Starscream."
"That was certainly… quite the show…" Lloyd gave an uneasy chuckle himself as Cecile still looked on in fright.
"How could you do that to him?!" Suzaku exclaimed to Starscream, "He was your soldier! How could you just kill him like that?!"
Starscream glared at the Lancelot, "Vehicon troopers are expendable, even they know that! They're prepared to die for their cause; just as that one sacrificed himself to see to it the Harvester works. There is no greater honor than to die for your cause, wouldn't you agree, Kururugi?"
Suzaku could only glare back through the Lancelot.
Starscream then turned his attention back to an exposed Energon crystal. He immediately pointed the Harvester at it and began to extract the Energon. The crystal was connected to all the others in the Energon vein and he would have the entire supply of energy soon.
Knock Out, Breakdown, Suzaku from the Lancelot, Lloyd, and Cecile continued to watch along with the other two Vehicons; as they did, they were completely unaware of both Bulkhead and Rai, piloting a black Sutherland, on a cliffside watching the whole thing as well.
"Whoa… so that's how it works," Rai voiced in awe and surprise.
"Yeah, looks like you were right," Bulkhead commented, "Contact Ratchet and let him know we found them. I'll see if I can slow them down a bit."
"Wha… Bulkhead," Rai tried to protest, but Bulkhead had already leaped down, but also accidentally stepped onto a pot, creating a loud breaking noise that drew all the Britannians' and Decepticons' attention to him, and the black Sutherland.
"Scrap," Rai and Bulkhead cursed at the same time.
"Well, look who's back for seconds!" Breakdown brought out his hammer as Knock Out took out his Energon Prod, while the two Vehicons also opened fire.
Without thinking, Rai shot his black Sutherland forward, rolling down the hill and shooting past Bulkhead. He tried to protest but was hit by a few Energon blasts from the Vehicons, forcing him to retaliate with his own Energon cannons.
Lloyd and Cecile both took cover behind some ruins as the fighting started, "Talk about a clash of titans! And I mean that considering we're in Ancient Greece and all."
"Lloyd?! Now?!" Cecile complained.
Rai shot his black Sutherland straight for the Decepticon pair who only looked in amusement.
"Well someone's got guts," Knock Out complemented.
"Yeah, let's see 'em!" Breakdown ran forward with his partner; both Decepticons running around the young Black Knight. Knock Out spun his Energon Prod like an expert as Breakdown readied his massive hammer.
For a brief second, time stopped for Rai. Suddenly, he knew exactly what to do. Despite this being the first time, he would use a Knightmare for combat, everything about fighting just suddenly felt natural to him, like he'd been doing this entire life. He wouldn't know it, but in his left eye, a familiar sigil resembling a red bird in mid-flight formed; the sigil of a Geass.
Right as the two Decepticons closed in with their weapons, Rai pulled the levers on his Knightmare's controls, causing it to limbo and swerve just as Breakdown swung his hammer and accidentally slammed Knock Out in the face, and sent him flying. Breakdown was completely caught off-guard by that. Using this distraction, Rai used his Sutherland to reach out and grab the Energon Prod that was still mid-air and jammed it into Breakdown's neck. He left the prod jammed into his neck as the large Decepticon fell flat on the ground, still being electrocuted.
Rai could only look in shock at what he just did, his Geass still active in his eye, "Did… did I just…"
He was brought back to reality as he suddenly and instinctively shot his Sutherland backward to avoid the slash-harkens shot at him by the Lancelot. Suzaku shot his more advanced Knightmare forward after the retreating Sutherland; neither of the pilots realized their enemy was their friend from school.
Instinct alone would only get Rai so far as he backed is Sutherland into a literal corner between a cliffside and a wall of ruins, giving the Lancelot an opening to jump and deliver a spinning kick to knock the Sutherland through the wall and crashing on the ground. Suzaku was ready to deliver a hand chop with his white Knightmare to disable the enemy Sutherland and not harm the pilot, but his hand was caught by Bulkhead, having already dealt with the remaining Vehicons.
"Why don't you pick on someone your size!" Bulkhead challenged before he delivered a punch to knock the Sutherland back.
He readied his Energon cannon and fired a charged shot that scored a direct hit on the Lancelot, despite the Blaze Luminous shields activating, the force of the blast was powerful enough to send the Lancelot flying and crashing through several ruins; causing Lloyd to shriek as he held his hands to his head dramatically.
Bulkhead's victory was short-lived however as Starscream had turned the Harvester on him and began to suck out the Energon from his body. Bulkhead struggled and tried to push himself forward, but he was already being weakened and fell to the ground.
"You're a big one, this could take a while," Starscream observed with an evil smirk.
"Heads up Con!"
That warning came from Rai in his black Sutherland as he had already recovered and grabbed Knock Out's Energon Prod. Before Starscream could even react, Rai, with a shout and his Geass flaring in his eye, used his Sutherland to jam the Prod into the Harvester…
*BOOM!*
The Energon Harvester exploded in a massive and glorious flash of blue light that sent Rai's black Sutherland and Starscream flying in separate directions. Lloyd and Cecile both took cover and covered their heads and faces as the explosion shook the whole area. When it was over, the two dared to look up to see a massive scorch mark on the ground with small blue fires everywhere.
Starscream groaned as he got up but gasped as he looked in shock to find his right arm having been blown off completely. He directed his attention towards the downed black Sutherland that looked damaged beyond repair; its legs and right arm were gone, all that was left was the central cockpit in the chest and the head unit with the left arm. Rai himself was still alive, but barely conscious as he felt some blood trickle down his face.
"You… insolent… worthless… human!" Starscream roared as he got up, "You dare make a mockery of the great and mighty Starscream?!"
"A lot of people are known to do that," Knock Out cracked as he walked forward with the recovering Breakdown, resulting in him scowling at both of them.
Lloyd and Cecile both still looked at the destruction from the explosion in shock and awe but were slightly surprised to see the Lancelot roll up toward them.
"Lloyd, Miss Cecile, are you two okay?"
"Still in one piece," Lloyd commented.
"What about you Suzaku? Are you alright?" Cecile asked with concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine," the Honorary Britannian assured.
Lloyd looked towards the nearly destroyed black Sutherland, "Gotta hand it to the Black Knights, that pilot was good enough to neutralize two Decepticons at once and even destroy the Energon Harvester."
Suzaku rolled up closer, more towards the Decepticons that looked toward the heavily damaged Knightmare. The Lancelot's systems still picked up a life-reading from the mech, "I'm getting a reading. Looks like the pilot's still alive inside."
"Not for long," Breakdown sneered as he readied his hammer, "I'll squash the little bug!"
"No!" Starscream contradicted, "Suzaku will do it."
That took Suzaku by surprise, even Cecile was shocked at that proclamation, though Lloyd looked more intrigued than anything else. During his time in the Lancelot, Suzaku hasn't killed anyone if he couldn't, only disabled their weapons and nothing more. This would be his first execution.
"Me…?! But why would…?" Suzaku stuttered.
"This is the moment where you prove your worth Kururugi!" Starscream stated, "This is a Black Knight, an enemy to not only your empire of Britannia but to the Decepticons as well. He is the reason this mission is a failure, and as your commanding officer I am ordering you to execute this Black Knight now!"
Suzaku looked towards the downed Knightmare, the one that still had a person inside. He was completely helpless; he could not defend himself whatsoever.
"But…" Suzaku stuttered, "But I…"
"Do you plan on joining their ranks anytime soon?! No?! Then be done with it already!" Starscream exclaimed.
Suzaku was a complete loss for words. He didn't have any intention to join the Black Knights, and he didn't agree with the approach they and the Autobots had, but to kill them when they are completely defenseless like this. Could he do it?
"I don't think so!"
Before Suzaku could even react, Bulkhead quickly showed up and slammed his club right into the Lancelot's chest, rocking Suzaku in his seat, as he sent the Lancelot flying straight up into the air and back down several feet away from the scene. Knock Out and Starscream may have been caught off guard, but Breakdown was it. He tried to swing his hammer at him, but Bulkhead was able to move out of the way and slam his club into Breakdown's back to knock him down.
"You ain't touching my partner!" Bulkhead exclaimed.
This caused Rai to stir slightly as his eyes peeked open.
"…Bulk… head…?"
The large green Autobot grabbed the downed Breakdown by his feet.
"Hammer Time!" he shouted as he spun his rival's body around and let him go to send him flying into Starscream and Knock Out; causing all three to crash near the downed Lancelot.
Bulkhead stood protectively in front of Rai's downed Knightmare.
"Come on! I'll scrap all of you!" he formed his cannon in his right hand and a club in his left, ready for anything.
Breakdown and Knock Out were the first to get up, followed by Starscream as they glared and were ready to fight back when a Groundbridge portal opened up from the hilltop right above them.
Optimus, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, and Ironhide drove out immediately before transforming and opening fire with their Energon blasters.
Realizing the fight was lost, Starscream ordered a retreat, "Soundwave! I need a Groundbridge to my coordinates now!"
A second Groundbridge portal opened up close to him as Starscream was the first to run in. Knock Out transformed into his vehicle mode and drove up to Lloyd and Cecile with an open door.
"Come on!"
"But what about Suzaku?!" Cecile questioned.
"Breakdown's got him!" Knock Out stated as he saw his partner carry the Lancelot over his shoulder, and consequently Suzaku inside, and run into the portal, "Now unless you wanna be scrapped, get in!"
With nothing else needing to be said, Lloyd and Cecile both got into Knock Out and he drove into the Groundbridge portal before it closed off. The Autobots lowered their weapons as they regrouped with Bulkhead.
"You okay, soldier?" Ironhide asked him.
"Forget about me, we gotta help Rai!" Bulkhead exclaimed as he turned around, only to see the cockpit open just barely as Rai climbed out; the only real injures he had besides the bleeding cut on his head was a sprained arm and a possible minor concussion.
"Heh… hey guys…" Rai groaned with a strained smile as he felt his side.
"Rai? But how did you…?" Arcee stuttered.
"I'm telling ya, this kid knows what he's doing," Bulkhead complemented, "Took down Breakdown and Knock Out! Plus, he destroyed the Harvester!"
"Seriously?!" Ironhide questioned in shock as he, Arcee, Bumblebee, and even Optimus were quite surprised.
"Yep, I'd say he's about as good as Kallen," Bulkhead complimented as he glanced at Rai with a smile, who gave a strained smile back.
Cliffjumper looked quite impressed, "Heh, didn't know he had it in 'em."
Optimus walked forward, "Bulkhead, Rai, engaging the enemy on your own was a foolish decision."
The two looked down slightly.
"However, your actions have prevented the Energon Harvester from falling into Megatron's hands, this is a clear victory and you two are responsible for it."
Bulkhead chuckled, "Guess I'm not the only one good at breaking things."
"Guess not…" Rai chuckled slightly.
"[Let's get you guys back to the Ark,]" Bumblebee said, "[You need to tell Lelouch about this and I promise he's not gonna like that.]"
Both Rai and Bulkhead looked towards each other with nervous expressions.
The Ark – The Bridge
Ratchet and Fixit were able to finish the replica of the Energon Harvester. Currently, Ohgi led a team of Black Knights to place it in the museum before it opened to the public. If everything went well, no one would notice the difference, and there would be no evidence of the Black Knights or the Autobots being there. However, that did not deter Lelouch as he is less than pleased with Rai and Bulkhead's actions.
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Lelouch exclaimed, still in his Zero suit, just without his mask.
The other Autobots were present but said nothing as the leader of the Black Knights shouted towards Bulkhead and Rai, the human boy having his arm in a cast with some bandages on his head.
"I told you that you weren't ready for real combat!" Lelouch continued, "Okay, going to those ruins was a good idea, but you weren't supposed to fight! You even said it wasn't meant to be a fight! You should have reported it to us immediately!"
"Eh… to be fair, I'm not exactly the stealthiest Bot, so I was the one who gave us away," Bulkhead pointed out, "It wasn't all his fault."
"No, but it still was your fault for bringing him in the first place," Lelouch pointed out.
"That one's on me!" Rai stated, "I asked him to take me along, it wasn't just Bulkhead. Lelouch, look I know you're angry and you have every right to be but please just hear me out. I know I've got some work to do before I'm ready, but I want to do everything I can to help. I may not know who I was before, but one thing I know is certain; Britannia is wrong, the Decepticons are wrong, I can't let them get away with all they've done! I don't want to be a burden for all of you, I want to help! This world is my home too! When I fight, I think about you, Nunnally, Suzaku, Kallen, Shirley, and everyone else at school, I also think about Ohgi and the others in the Black Knights; you guys are not only my friends but the only thing that I know. I have no idea what my family was like or if I even had a family! You're all I got, so… so please… let me fight with you. I know I can do more for all of you, please! Lelouch, please."
Lelouch honestly had no idea what to say. Instinctively, he glanced towards both Bumblebee and Optimus, wondering what they had to say. Bumblebee's optics lowered slightly as he gave a nod, Optimus did as well. Lelouch sighed before he spoke.
"Alright, you got your wish," He said, causing Rai to look in surprise, "Bulkhead, you say he took down two Decepticons and destroyed the Harvester?"
"Yep," Bulkhead nodded.
"Then I'll let you be a pilot," Lelouch told Rai, causing him to look with a smile.
"Seriously?!"
"On two conditions," Lelouch wanted to make this as clear as he could, "First, you get proper training. I'll have Kallen help you out with hand-to-hand combat, and I'll leave it to Ironhide for Knightmare training. Can I trust you with that?"
"Trust me, training rookies is what I do best," Ironhide assured with a nod, "When I'm done with the kid, he'll be a force to be reckoned with."
"What's the second condition?" Rai asked.
"You don't do anything too reckless," Lelouch answered, "You have a lot of potential, and I promise you'll be placed on real missions. But I don't want you to do anything stupid or too dangerous. If something happened to you, Nunnally would be heartbroken. And… I wouldn't be too happy about it either."
Rai looked a bit concerned but gave an assuring smile, "Alright, I promise I won't jump the gun."
"Don't worry Lelouch, I got his back. It's what partners do, right?" Bulkhead assured as he looked toward Rai.
"Right," Rai nodded and gave a thumbs up.
"Alright, I'm trusting both of you, just don't make me regret it," Lelouch had a bit of a joking smile.
Cliffjumper snickered, "Did you just make a joke? The big bad Zero's got a sense of humor, who knew?"
"I certainly didn't," Arcee remarked;
Some of the Autobots chuckled along with Rai, while Lelouch smiled but shook his head. However, he still spared Optimus a glance as they both were thinking the same thing.
According to what Rai said, he knew exactly what to do in that fight, almost on instinct. They both doubted it wasn't natural talent or anything like that. They remembered when Lelouch and Kallen found him at Ashford, he had a straitjacket just like the one C.C. had. Did he come from the same place? Maybe physical enhancements or some other experiments? It certainly wasn't anything that Britannia had done publicly. Although Lelouch did truly consider Rai a trustworthy friend, he would still be keeping a close eye on him.
Camelot Base
Suzaku sat on a chair on a platform as he glanced up at the Lancelot. He still had quite a lot on his mind, although it seemed he had more going on than before, if anything he seemed more confused than ever. His attention was caught by Cecile as she handed him a bottle of water while sitting down next to him.
"Thanks," He took the water and began to drink.
"Are you alright, Suzaku?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly as he looked at his hands, "Was it right?"
She looked at him with concern as he continued, "I know the Black Knights are criminals… but that one pilot… he was completely helpless. There was no way he could have protected himself yet… Starscream was so dead-set on executing him right then and there. So, was trying to kill him the right thing to do?"
Cecile didn't respond for a few seconds before she finally spoke, "I can't say. I'm not a soldier, so I wouldn't have an answer. If I were in your position, however, I would not have done it. I find the whole concept of killing to be wrong. But, it's not my call to make."
Suzaku would have offered a response, but someone else beat him to it.
"I wouldn't overthink it," they both looked in surprise to see Knock Out walking into the base, "You wanna kill or not, you go with whatever you want, I don't care. Oh, and don't worry about Starscream, the guy's bolts are tightened a little too tight, I'd just ignore him."
"Kn… Knock Out!" Suzaku stuttered.
"That's my name, don't wear it out."
"Well, look who's back," Lloyd noticed the red Decepticon with a smile, "So where is the mighty Starscream anyway?"
"In a meeting with Lord Megatron, a disciplinary meeting," Knock Out said with a smug grin, "He's in big trouble. Should have kept the big guy in the loop."
"So, what are you doing back here?" Cecile asked.
"Well like I said when I first came here, I wanted to see the Lancelot in action for myself," Knock Out answered, "And I have to say, I am very impressed. For a human-made machine, it is quite the devastating weapon; not to mention it has quite the lustrous finish."
"Finally!" Lloyd exclaimed joyously, "Someone who appreciates art around here!"
"That being said, I'm looking forward to giving the Lancelot some serious upgrades and modifications," Knock Out said, "Don't worry, I won't make any major changes, yet. I wouldn't want to overwhelm that little organic brain, Suzaku, but you can expect to be a better match for the Autobots and their human partners soon enough. So, you better get used to seeing me, I plan to spend quite a bit of time here."
"Oh, I can hardly wait!" Lloyd rubbed his hands in anticipation.
"Well… that makes one of us," Cecile laughed nervously, "Great, now there's two of them."
Suzaku wasn't exactly comfortable with this. It didn't seem like Knock Out was terrible; he didn't have that same intimidating presence like Megatron or even Starscream, but he didn't seem all that trusting either like Dreadwing. All he could do now was hope for the best.
Elsewhere, Emperor Charles Zi Britannia still stood in the same mysterious altar as before, gazing towards the cloudy sky. It seemed almost deathly silent in this unusual and mysterious place, yet that silence was broken by the sound of footsteps that Charles recognized immediately.
"Big brother."
"Hello, Charles," V.V. greeted as he walked up and joined his brother to gaze at the unnatural sky.
"Was there a reason you wanted to speak with me?" Charles asked, not taking his eyes off the clouds.
"Yes, something interesting has happened. It seems that Kaizaren is alive," V.V. reported.
Charles looked toward his brother with a surprised expression, a very rare look on his face, "Are you certain?"
"I am. I felt his Geass activate," V.V. responded, "But… it seemed repressed. As if it wasn't fully activated. Very strange."
"Well, that is to be expected, after spending so much time in the Thought Elevator, who knows what's happened to his mind," Charles replied.
"Speaking of which, it seems as though he doesn't remember his past," V.V. informed, causing Charles to look at his brother with a raised eyebrow, "And even more so, he's now allied with Lelouch and the Autobots."
"Well now, that is interesting," Charles noted, "Do you intend to go to Area 11 yourself?"
"I don't see a need for it," V.V. answered, "His memories are gone and his Geass has somehow been repressed, so there's no cause for concern yet."
"I trust you know what you are doing, big brother," Charles noted, "His ability is arguably the most dangerous one you or C.C. have ever granted."
"If he becomes a problem, he'll be dealt with," V.V. said, "So, how is progress here?"
"Slow but steady," Charles noted, "Between running an empire, and the complications of our project, not to mention making sure Megatron doesn't find us, we can't afford any missteps."
"Understandable," V.V. nodded, "I'll leave you to it."
He turned around and was about to walk away, "Charles, you remember our promise. Our contract?"
"Of course, big brother," Charles said. "To kill the gods and smash this world of lies."
V.V. smiled before leaving as his brother and the tyrannical emperor gazed up once more at the clouds, "Soon, I promise, the world will be as it should be. Soon."
Chapter 14: Con Job
Chapter Text
Bulkhead walked onto the Ark's bridge with his partner, Rai, sitting on the large Autobot's shoulder. They had just finished with a round of Knightmare training and Rai was already improving since their scuffle against Breakdown and Knock Out for the Energon Harvester; it was safe to assume the kid was a natural.
"Okay, training's done. What do you wanna do next?" Rai asked, "It's been kinda boring without any major missions lately."
"Not like we can just out for a drive," Bulkhead commented, "But… we could have a movie marathon."
Their attention was caught however by Ratchet who worked at the bridge's main console, "Optimus, I'm receiving a signal on a restricted ban."
The medic-Bot informed Optimus, as well as Lelouch, Ironhide, and Bumblebee, who were also on the Ark's bridge.
"It appears to be coming from a starship inside this solar system," Ratchet brought the readings on a holographic screen to show an Autobot insignia on an image of the Solar System, "It's an Autobot identification beacon!"
"There are other Autobots out there?" Lelouch asked, intrigued, "I thought the Ark was the last vessel."
"The masses scattered across the galaxy when Cybertron went dark," Ironhide responded.
"[Not to mention pretty much all the Autobot soldiers on the Ark were scattered when the ship passed through the Portal during our fight with the Nemesis,]" Bumblebee added, "[Some didn't make it, others were scattered across the galaxy.]"
"But still, could be a trap," Ironhide wasn't getting his hopes up, "Wouldn't be the first time the Cons pulled a stunt with false beacons."
Optimus wanted to be certain as well, so they hailed the incoming vessel.
"Unknown vessel, this is Autobot Outpost Omega-1."
Best to use a code instead of revealing their hideout was the sacred and derelict Ark, "Identify yourself."
"I've had warmer welcomes from Decepticon combat brigades."
Bulkhead recognized the voice in that response.
"Wheeljack?!" he exclaimed, almost shaking Rai off his shoulder before a large smile formed on his face, "You old Con-Crusher, what are you doing out here?!"
"Bulkhead? That's you? What's with all the security?" the Autobot identified as Wheeljack asked, his tone filled with surprise with a hint of excitement.
"The rock we're on is crawling with Cons," Bulkhead answered, "How soon can you get here and even the odds?"
"Sometime tomorrow. If I put pedal-to-the-metal."
"Another Autobot is coming? Sounds awesome!" Rai voiced excitedly.
"'Wheeljack?' I know of him by reputation only," Optimus said before turning to Bulkhead, "Can you verify his voiceprint?"
"He is one-thousand-percent the real deal, Optimus!" Bulkhead confirmed.
"We will send landing coordinates, Wheeljack. Safe journey," Optimus contacted the Autobot.
"See you soon buddy, I'll make sure you get a proper welcome!" Bulkhead told his old friend before Ratchet cut off communications.
Lelouch smirked, "I take this Autobot is a friend of yours?"
Bulkhead chuckled, "I and Jacky go way back. We were part of the same war unit: the Wreckers!"
He smashed his fists together for emphasis, "Which means the Cons are gonna wish he never found us."
"Wreckers, huh? I'm liking the guy already!" Rai smirked, eager to meet a potential new friend and teammate.
The Nemesis
The Ark wasn't the only vessel to get a reading on the incoming Autobot vessel; the Decepticon warship, still stationed on Earth's moon also picked up the transmission courtesy of Soundwave on the bridge of the ship. Though he was unable to track the signal back to the Autobot's hideout, he could identify the Autobot on his way to Earth right now.
"Wheeljack?! What are you doing out here?!"
"Bulkhead? That's you? What's with all the security?"
Soundwave was able to find a match to Wheeljack's voiceprint as a three-dimensional image of his physical form appeared on the screen of Soundwave's visor, something that pleased his lord and master.
"Wheeljack; the Autobot who has a proclivity for explosive devices," Megatron knew Wheeljack only by his 'flashy' reputation and never met him face-to-face, but that was bound to change, "But perhaps this could serve as an opportunity."
He accessed the Nemesis' communications, "Makeshift, report to the bridge immediately."
Within just two minutes, a new Decepticon had walked onto the bridge. He was a darkish purple sort of color, somewhat bland with the titular red eyes of most other Decepticons, spikey armor along his back and shoulders, and of course, the insignia of the Decepticon cause on his chest-plate.
"I am at your command, Lord Megatron," he bowed to his master bravely before rising.
"I have some use for your particular talent, Makeshift. And if you can successfully pull it off, you may have the honor of dealing the final defeat to Optimus Prime," Megatron sneered.
Makeshift smirked evilly, "I'm the best at what I do, so consider it done."
Megatron nodded to Soundwave as he continued to play the intercepted communications between the Autobots and Wheeljack before extending one of his tentacles towards Makeshift. Once it made contact, and Wheeljack's appearance began to download, Makeshift's whole body began to shift and change.
"Sometime tomorrow. If I put pedal-to-the-metal."
"See you soon buddy, I'll make sure you get a proper welcome!"
Megatron gave a small chuckle, "I too, know how to prepare a 'proper welcome'."
The Next Day – The Bridge of the Ark
All the Autobots and many Black Knights; including Ohgi, Kallen, Rai, Tamaki, and even the masked Zero, were all gathered to prepare the welcome for a potential new member of the team.
"Wheeljack's ship is approaching the landing zone," Arcee reported as she worked at a console.
"Excellent," Zero said.
"Got that right!" Tamaki pumped his fist, "New Autobot means more trouble for Brits and the Cons!"
Ratchet held a hand-held device, "Groundbridge is cycling up."
However, he got an alarming beep from the device he was holding, "That's odd… some sort of error in the remote control."
"Oh!" Fixit realized, "I just remembered! I forgot to mention that the sub-systems have been coming on and off. Some sort of glitch with the kid… did… grid!"
"That's not the only thing glitching," Kallen muttered.
Ratchet looked less than pleases, "Again?! Blasted Scraplets! Equipment hasn't been the same since the infestation. May have to open manually from the Groundbridge bay."
"But I thought everything was fixed already," Ohgi said, "I mean, during that whole mess with the Harvester, everything worked fine."
"Yeah, but there are still a few glitches in the cracks," Cliffjumper said, "We've been trying to patch it up as best we can. Can't have our most reliable tool go malfunctioning on us."
Ohgi looked at the screen that highlighted Wheeljack's current position, "Why is this Wheeljack-guy landing in Africa though? Why not just come straight here?"
"We cannot risk revealing the Ark's location," Optimus explained, "Just in case Britannia or the Decepticons are tracking his ship."
Rai looked off to the side to notice Bulkhead pacing back and forth, but it wasn't out of nervousness, but rather eagerness and excitement.
"Well, someone looks eager," he said with a smirk.
"Oh, you are gonna love Wheeljack! We were like brothers! And tonight, we are gonna party!" Bulkhead exclaimed excitedly.
"You said he was part of this group called the Wreckers, right?" Kallen asked.
"Yes, a combat unit that operated outside the normal chain of command," Optimus informed, "They accepted missions no one else would."
"I tagged along on a couple of those missions myself," Ironhide added, "I was never an official Wrecker, just had to make sure they didn't make too much of a mess. Many of them were real loose cannons, but they get the job done, often in the form of large explosions."
"It would also seem Wheeljack takes this method to spark," Fixit informed as he looked up his dossier via his hand-held device, "With his craft, the Jackhammer, along with a personal talent for marksmanship, close-quarters combat, and expertise for demolition-tactics, he was widely considered one of the most 'explosive' Wreckers ever to be online."
"Awesome!" Tamaki exclaimed with a wide grin, "I'm liking this guy already!"
Lelouch said nothing but smiled underneath his mask. From what he heard, this Wheeljack was a real warrior and a good one at that. With how outnumbered the Black Knights and Autobots all were, they could use some additional firepower. However, all smiles faded when alarms sounded throughout the Ark's bridge.
"What's going on?!" Ohgi asked in alarm.
"Bogeys!" Arcee stated as she looked towards the screen where multiple Decepticon signals appeared close to Wheeljack's signal, "Closing fast on Wheeljack's position!"
"Con scum!" Bulkhead snarled.
Wheeljack was prepared to land his vessel, the Jackhammer, in the Sahara Desert far away from any Britannian settlements when the craft was suddenly ambushed by six Vehicon troopers, each taking the form of alien jets as they shot multiple Energon blasts at the ship. Wheeljack was able to avoid most of the blasts as he tried to shake them, but one lucky shot hit his right engine, forcing the Autobot inside to make a crash landing on the desert sand.
All six Vehicons flew down toward the trail the Jackhammer left when it crashed before transforming and reading their Energon blasters as they approached the downed ship. However, the front most Vehicon was suddenly killed by an Energon blast that shot out of the smoke.
Wheeljack revealed himself. A primarily white Autobot with minor red and green decals on his arms and feet and a grey helmet built onto his head, as well as the titular Autobot logo on his chest plate.
"If you're trying to ruin my day, you're gonna have to try harder," his faceplate closed over his mouth as he engaged the Vehicons.
They tried to shoot him, but he quickly ran out of the way before jumping and landing hard on the Vehicon in the center of the group. One tried to punch him, but he quickly caught his fist and flipped him over his back and toward the side. Wheeljack delivered a kick behind him to knock a second Vehicon down before jumping back to avoid a punch from another Vehicon, before jumping over and landing behind the same trooper. He grabbed his arm and severed it with a slice with his hand, before kicking the Vehicon back and using the severed arm as a makeshift weapon to slam against another incoming Vehicon before sending him flying high and far with an uppercut.
"You Cons have gone soft on me," Wheeljack reached behind to pull a pair of dual swords from his back, resembling some form of katana before rushing forward.
The Nemesis – The Bridge
Megatron was witnessing the fight from a screen on his warship before turning to Soundwave.
"Do it, before the Autobots arrive," The Leader of the Decepticons ordered.
The Ark – Groundbridge Bay
"Open the bridge, Ratchet! We're missing all the action!" Bulkhead exclaimed as he, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Arcee all gathered in front of a portal that Ratchet had to activate manually.
"I'll prepare sick-bay!" Ratchet opened the Groundbridge portal.
Bulkhead chuckled, "Who for? The Cons? This is Wheeljack we're talking about!"
He was the first to run in, followed by the rest of his team.
Sahara Desert
The Groundbridge portal opened as the five Autobots ran out with the Energon blasters at the ready, but that proved to be unnecessary as Wheeljack impaled the last Vehicon with one of his blades.
"Nice," Cliffjumper smirked.
"Heh, heh, I taught him that," Bulkhead said.
Wheeljack put his blades away as he approached the Autobots, "Ever think I might need a hand here?"
"What? And spoil the show?" Bulkhead joked.
"You missed one."
Arcee pointed to one Vehicon that was still barely alive, only for Wheeljack to shoot him dead without even looking in his direction. Once he approached the group, his faceplate withdrew as he smirked.
"If this is all you got, the planet's in bigger trouble than I thought."
Bulkhead then quickly ran over and embraced his best friend, lifting him into the air.
"Jacky!" he laughed as all the other Bots, and even Ironhide smiled. Nothing like two old friends reuniting.
Wheeljack chuckled, "Watch the finish you old wrecking ball."
The Ark
All six of the Autobots, including Wheeljack, ran through the open Groundbridge portal and back into their base where everyone else was awaiting them. However, the Groundbridge circuited out, as well as the console that Ratchet was working on, causing him to groan in frustration.
Despite the malfunction, however, it did not deter the good mood everyone else was feeling, "Jacky come here! Meet my other best buddies; Rai and Tamaki! These two can wreck with the best, Rai especially!"
"Hi there." Rai gave a friendly wave.
"What's up?" Tamaki gave a finger-salute.
"You two keeping Bulkhead out of trouble?" Wheeljack gave a greeting joke.
"Well I try, but trouble finds us anyway," Rai replied.
"Which he get out of by blowing stuff up," Tamaki added.
Wheeljack smirked at his friend, "We're gonna get along just fine."
He turned around to the approaching leader of the Autobots, "Optimus Prime, it's a privilege."
"Likewise, soldier," Optimus replied, "What have you to report from your long journey?"
"Been bouncing from rock-to-rock," Wheeljack replied, "Searching for signs of friend or foe, now I find both."
"We are few, but strong," Optimus said, "We have suffered losses… but we have grown."
He glanced towards Zero and the Black Knights present, "And we would relish welcoming a new member into our fold."
"I would be honored," Wheeljack accepted.
"Then let's get this party started!" Bulkhead gave a friendly slam on Wheeljack's back before the two slammed their chest-plates together.
"Hell yeah! Party time!" Tamaki cheered.
"Oh joy," Ratchet muttered sarcastically.
The Nemesis
Megatron walked through the halls with Soundwave by his side, "Once Makeshift passed through their Groundbridge, we lost his signal. No doubt Optimus has his base shielded, but it does not matter. Makeshift is our best infiltrator for a reason."
The two of them reached a large door where two Vehicon guards stood straight for their superiors as the door opened automatically.
The real Wheeljack was held up by his arms with energy restraints. The Wrecker glared at the leader of the Decepticons but held a defiant smirk on his face.
"So, the big bad Megatron. Honestly, I thought you'd be taller."
Megatron chuckled slightly, "A pleasure to make the acquaintance of an Autobot war hero."
"You're fragged in the head if you think Bulkhead won't sniff out an imposter," Wheeljack stated.
"Makeshift has deceived many and all enemies in his day," Megatron stated.
"Yeah? Well, why are you keeping me online?" Wheeljack stated, "Why not let me down so I can knock that arrogant smirk off your face. I'd love to tango with the infamous Gladiator of Kaon."
"A tempting offer, but not quite yet," Megatron said, "Let's wait till you have something to avenge. Even if your friend manages to see through Makeshift's disguise, he need only fool the Autobots long enough to open their Groundbridge from within, so that I and my forces will stain the ground with the spilled Energon of Optimus Prime."
Meanwhile; on the uppermost deck of the Nemesis, which was still stationed on Earth's moon, Thundercracker and Skywarp had already assembled at least three dozen Vehicon troopers, all of them armed and ready and awaiting the signal to kill every Autobot and Black Knight in their path.
The Ark – Bridge
Tamaki had rock music blaring out a large set of speakers in the living quarters near the TV on the Bridge as everyone present took the time to either party or just relax.
"Come on Jacky, show me what ya got!" Bulkhead cheered as 'Wheeljack' threw a large ball made of clumped metal to Bulkhead who caught it but slid back from the force. He laughed, "Nice lob!"
"Hey Bulk, I'm open!" Cliffjumper called from the other end.
Bulkhead threw the ball towards him and Cliffjumper was able to catch it, but he slid back almost the wall from the force. But he laughed all the same, clearly enjoying himself.
"Back to you Wheeljack!" Cliffjumper lobbed the ball towards the unknowing imposter, who was able to catch it and keep up his act.
"So, you guys play catch or what?" Kallen asked as she sat on a stack of boxes next to Arcee, referring to Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, and Wheeljack's game.
"It's called Lobbing," Arcee explained, "The favorite pass-time on Cybertron, especially among the warrior-class."
As the music and Lobbing continued; Ohgi and Rai both sat down with some sodas near Bumblebee. Tamaki previously offered beer, but Rai and Kallen were still underage.
"Come on guys, this is a party!" Tamaki exclaimed, "Let's see some moves!"
"I don't dance Tamaki, you know that," Ohgi said, perfectly fine with sitting on the couch with some root beer.
"What about you kid? You wanna show some moves?" Tamaki offered to Rai.
The amnesiac-youth shrugged, "Oh, what the hell?"
He stood up and began to perform a popular dance move that seemed rather obvious for the current situation.
"Of course, the robot," Ohgi chuckled slightly.
Rai made all the typical moves with his arms as he continued to dance 'the robot'. Tamaki even changed the station to blast out some technical music to go with the theme. Fixit himself rolled in and began to perform similar moves.
"I believe this is what you humans call… 'Bring It Down'?" Fixit said as he did his interpretation of the robot.
"Something like that," Ohgi said.
As both Rai and Fixit performed the robot, Bumblebee decided to join in, mimicking Rai's moves. Kallen shook her head with an amused smile as she noticed some Autobots and one person were missing.
"Hey; where's Zero? Or Optimus or Ironhide?"
"Zero's in his room right now," Arcee answered, "Optimus and Ironhide went to speak with some recruits. They're not much party-people."
"They went to Japan?" Kallen asked, "But I thought the Groundbridge was down while Ratchet's fixing it."
"They both drove outside," Arcee responded, causing Kallen to look in surprise, "We can handle being underwater, we don't need to breathe."
Bulkhead caught a lob from Cliffjumper.
"Coming at ya!"
He threw the ball at 'Wheeljack', but he failed to catch it as it slipped from his fingers and smashed hard into the wall; causing all music and dancing to stop as everyone looked in surprise.
"Do you mind?!" Ratchet exclaimed over the Ark's communications via the Teletraan-1 link, "I am attempting to perform sensitive calibrations here! I can hear you from the Groundbridge bay, so please keep it down!"
"Sorry, Doc." Cliffjumper contacted back, "We'll keep it down."
He looked towards 'Wheeljack', "He's a good bot, a bit tightly wound."
"I can see that," 'Wheeljack' responded before picking up the lob and passed by Fixit who wheeled his way closer towards him.
"If I may, Wheeljack, it's an absolute privilege to have you here!" Fixit stated, "Having two Wreckers is going to be instrumental in our future kettles… Chattels… Battles!"
"It's no problem," 'Wheeljack' responded, "So, you and Ratchet built that Groundbridge from scratch?"
"Not exactly," Fixit answered, "It's our Spacebridge system, but the Ark's systems were damaged in the crash, so we had to downgrade to conserve power."
"So… would the Spacebridge still be working?" 'Wheeljack' asked.
"Possibly," Fixit said, "However, it would need an excessive amount of Energon to reach the capacity of a Spacebridge, which we do not have. So, we cannot go back to Cybertron."
"Just out of curiosity, how far can you go? Like, say… the Earth's moon?" 'Wheeljack' asked.
Fixit placed his servos on his chin, "Maybe. It is still pretty far and will need a large amount of Energon but… I suppose it is possible, just not right now."
"Something wrong?" 'Wheeljack' asked.
"We had… a pest issue a while back," Fixit answered, "Ratchet is doing one final checkup to make sure there are no problems."
"What if you need to use it?" 'Wheeljack' wondered.
"We can't yet. It's going through the defrag process, and if we were to interrupt that process, it could cause irreparable system damage," Fixit explained.
"So… how long will the defrag take?" 'Wheeljack' asked, his tone being weary.
"Shouldn't be too long. A few hours, possibly," Fixit replied.
'Wheeljack' walked away, doing his best not to look annoyed.
Makeshift was one to usually work quickly and efficiently, he didn't like staying incognito too long, but it seemed he didn't have much choice. Looks like he may need to have a backup plan, just in case.
However, Makeshift didn't notice Zero in the shadows just outside his quarters. Lelouch had been there to call Nunnally to tell her that he would be arriving late tonight and she should just have dinner without him. However, as he left he heard 'Wheeljack's' conversation with Fixit and something felt off about it. Why was he so interested in the Groundbridge? Naturally, anyone would want to know about their means of transportation, but Lelouch noticed something in his tone that contained a hint of urgency. Was he in a particular hurry? Why mention the moon? One thing was sure, something wasn't right.
The Nemesis.
"We still didn't get any word from Makeshift?!" Skywarp questioned as he and Thundercracker stood with the many Vehicons on the deck of the Nemesis, "It's been hours since he went with the Autobots!"
"Maybe there is an issue with the base," Thundercracker assumed, "Perhaps their Groundbridge malfunctioned."
"He should at least transmit the coordinates so we can bomb the place!" Skywarp exclaimed, "I'm so pumped I can't stand it!"
"We wait for Lord Megatron's orders Skywarp," Thundercracker told his fellow Seeker, "We're already on thin ice with him given the stunts Starscream pulled with us."
"But that's Starscream's fault, not ours!" Thundercracker complained.
"That may indeed be true."
The two turned around in surprise to see Megatron himself walking onto the deck with Soundwave by his side. Both the Seekers and all the Vehicons stood at attention for their master.
"Starscream may indeed bear more responsibility for his blunders, but you two didn't even seek to inform me. There is no command but mine; is that clear?"
"Yes, Lord Megatron," Thundercracker and Skywarp both said simultaneously as they bowed.
"Though you are right in worrying for Makeshift," Megatron acknowledged, "His disguise may be flawless, but he won't fool the Autobots forever."
The Ark – the Bridge
"So, there we were…" Bulkhead told the story to Ohgi, Kallen, Tamaki, Rai, and Fixit. Even Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Bumblebee were listening from the side, "No communication, low on Energon, surrounded by Cons… so what does Wheeljack do?"
He excitedly asks the Black Knights as they looked in excitement as well. "Tell 'em, Jackie!"
"What I do best," he gave a thumbs up.
"He chucks his only grenade smack into the primary heat exchanger!" Bulkhead exclaimed in excitement.
"Yeah, seemed like a good idea at the time," 'Wheeljack' acknowledged.
"The joint went supernova!" Bulkhead shot his arms in the air for emphasis.
"Holy crap! Sounds awesome!" Tamaki shouted.
"I wish I could have seen that myself!" Rai stated.
"I can see why you guys are called the Wreckers," Ohgi smiled in amassment.
"Damn, talk about going out with a bang," Kallen commented with a smirk.
"Yes," Fixit said with his tone of excitement, "I have seen the records of that battle myself, but to hear the situation being described in such detail… makes me wish I had seen it first hand."
"Yeah, I'm still picking shrapnel out of my backside," Bulkhead commented.
"Not surprised; given the size of your backside," Arcee commented; resulted in Cliffjumper and Bumblebee both laughing, the latter through bleeps of course.
"Your backside also doubles as a pretty good shield there, Bulk," Cliffjumper joked.
"I sure as hell can't wait to sick this guy on Britannia!" Tamaki gestured his thumb towards 'Wheeljack', "He's gonna wipe the floor with them!"
The aforementioned, and disguised, Cybertronian glanced towards the entrance of the bridge as Ratchet walked in. Fixit noticed him and rolled over to him quickly.
"Ratchet, how goes the Groundbridge repairs?" Fixit asked.
"Manual systems all seem to check out," Ratchet informed, "Now I just need to check the remote signals from the bridge just to see there is nothing overlooked this time."
He glanced towards Fixit who gave a nervous chuckle.
Makeshift was a patient Decepticon, but he was starting to get a bit uncomfortable given his current situation. He was in a derelict ship with only a few ways out that he knew off hand. There was also the fact that he hadn't seen Zero around who was still lurking somewhere on the ship. Though he may be human, he was able to outmaneuver Stascream's plan back at the Hotel-Jacking, so it would be best not to underestimate him.
"There it is, Jackie's signature," Bulkhead continued to tell his friends, "One grenade, one shot."
He glanced at his 'friend' for a moment in concern, "Hey, you alright?"
"What?" 'Wheeljack' questioned.
"You don't seem like yourself," Bulkhead said.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know you seem… quiet," Bulkhead explained.
"Ah, I've been stuck in a can too long," 'Wheeljack' replied, "I should go top-side before I get stir-crazy."
"Sorry pal, but we're underwater," Bulkhead said, "Not much to explore down here."
"Water doesn't bug me. I could probably use a swim," 'Wheeljack' said.
"And break up the party? Come on, the gang loves you! You gotta tell 'em about the Battle of Darkmount Pass!" Bulkhead got excited again.
"You tell 'em, you're better at it," he turned towards the humans, "How about Tamaki here shows me the rest of your base?"
"Eh… yeah sure Jackie. Go right ahead," Bulkhead was starting to get this weird vibe.
"Ah what the hell?" Tamaki shrugged, "Follow me, I'll give you the grand tour."
"So, how many Cons you smashed huh?" Tamaki asked as he led 'Wheeljack' out of the bridge.
Bulkhead had an odd expression on his face as he looked in the direction they left.
"Hey Bulk, you okay buddy?" Rai asked upon noticing his expression.
"Yeah… just out of sorts I guess."
"Don't tell me you're jealous." Arcee teased.
"That Wheeljack's getting his partner? Come on," Bulkhead laughed off the idea, "But something's…. something's just doesn't feel right about him."
"Well, it's been years since you've last seen him, he's been jumping from one galaxy to the next," Cliffjumper said, "He could just be rocket-lagged. And… some Bots do change you know."
"Not Jackie," Bulkhead replied.
"Very interesting."
Zero suddenly appeared behind the three Black Knights startling them slightly.
"Ah!" Kallen practically jumped in surprise, "Geeze don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
The masked revolutionary appeared to ignore her and looked towards the large Autobot, "Bulkhead, how exactly would you describe Wheeljack's personality."
"Well, he can be reckless, but he's also very dependable," Bulkhead began, "He's also a generally friendly Bot and he's quite talkative; not as much as Cliffjumper though."
"Haha," Cliffjumper voiced sarcastically, but Bulkhead wasn't joking.
"Interesting," Zero noted, "He also seemed particularly interested in the Groundbridge."
"Well… it is the only way out of here unless you wanna swim back to Japan," Ohgi said.
Zero wasn't convinced, however, "Can you think of any reason why he'd want to go to the moon?"
"The moon?" Rai questioned.
"Why do you ask?" Bulkhead also questioned.
"He asked Fixit if it was possible for the Groundbridge to reach the moon. It's like there was something there he wanted to reach… or to bring here," Zero theorized. That got the other Bots' and Black Knights' attention, "I might not know Wheeljack, but I can't help but get this feeling about him. And in my experiences, I've learned to trust my instincts."
"Yeah… so have I," Bulkhead said with a serious expression.
The Nemesis
The real Wheeljack struggled in his restraints as he was still being held in the cell. His vocal noises were starting to get on the nerves of the Vehicon guarding him. He aimed his Energon blaster at his face to shut him up.
"You're not going anywhere, Autobot!" he told him. However, Wheeljack smirked as he had him right where he wanted him. He suddenly wrapped his legs around the guard's head as the Vehicon instinctively fired his Energon blaster randomly.
"Blah-blah-blah," Wheeljack said as he motioned for the Vehicon's blaster to shoot the console at the end of the room, shutting off his restraints just as Wheeljack used his legs to snap the neck of the Vehicon, killing him and setting himself free simultaneously.
The newly freed Wrecker ran out of his cell; he had to work fast to save his friend and get some payback while he was at it.
The Ark
Meanwhile, Tamaki continued to give the tour to the Decepticon infiltrator that fooled him.
"Yep, that's pretty much it. A med bay, Energon storage room, Knightmare vault, power chamber. Kinda boring, but it's all we got since most of this dang ship is flooded."
"So, where exactly is this ship located anyway?" 'Wheeljack' asked.
"If I told you, I'd have to rip out your spark-chamber," Tamaki said to him, causing 'Wheeljack' to look with a serious expression before Tamaki laughed, "Ha! I'm kidding! We're in the Pacific Ocean, several miles off the coast of Japan. And I mean Japan, not Area 11 like those damn Britannians are calling it."
"Eh, you must hate those guys."
"Can't think of any reason not to hate 'em." Tamaki said as he continued to lead 'Wheeljack', "But I think I might end up hating those Con guys even more since they're pulling the strings. What I wouldn't give to beat the metal crap out of those guys! I'm sure you know what I mean, being a Wrecker and all."
"Yeah… yeah, I know what you're talking about," 'Wheeljack' said as something of a sneer formed on his face.
The Bridge.
Ratchet continued to work along with Fixit on the remote control for the Groundbridge as they made their final checkup.
"Everything seems to be working nicely," Fixit reported as he looked at his hand-held device.
"Yes, the Groundbridge should be functioning normally from this point forward," Ratchet relayed.
However, the two seemed oblivious to the seriousness that fell on the group consisting of Bulkhead, Zero, Rai, Arcee, Kallen, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, and Ohgi.
"Look, I know Wheeljack better than anyone," Bulkhead said.
"Uh… Bulk…" Rai glanced behind him and pointed to the entrance on the Bridge to where Tamaki and 'Wheeljack' came back.
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" 'Wheeljack' asked.
"About you," Zero said, "You're quite the competent warrior Wheeljack, you've faced off with more than your fair share of Decepticons, so it's safe to assume that you must have a fearful reputation amongst them."
"Well, of course, I'm a Wrecker."
"So, it would seem a little odd that they only sent a hand-full to intercept you when you arrived here on Earth," Zero began, causing 'Wheeljack' to look at him suspiciously, "One would think they wouldn't have underestimated you."
"Yeah… Bulkhead said, kinda like you and me at the Battle of Darkmount Pass, right Jackie?" Bulkhead asked in the same sort of suspicious tone Zero had.
"That's a heck of a story," 'Wheeljack' said.
"Yep, tell it," Bulkhead practically demanded as he glared suspiciously at the so-called 'Autobot'.
"Eh, who wants another story?" Tamaki brushed off, "I say we find the nearest Britannian military base and blow it up!"
Kallen put a hand on Tamaki's arm as she shot him a serious look. It didn't tell him to shut up, but it was something that caught Tamaki by surprise. That sort of look on Kallen's face told him that something was wrong.
"I'm not sure I…"
"Tell it!" Bulkhead exclaimed.
'Wheeljack' glared slightly, "Fine, you wanna live in the past, Bulkhead?"
He began to tell the story with everyone listening, "The Wreckers were trapped between a Decepticon patrol and a smelting pit. The Cons were vicious, bearing down on us with everything they had. I and Bulkhead engaged the enemy, left them for scrap. Then I made us a way out, using their backsides as steppingstones to cross the molten metal. Isn't' that how it happened?"
"Yeah, that's exactly how it happened," Bulkhead said, "Except for one little thing…"
He glared at the imposter, "I wasn't there."
That got both Ratchet and Fixit's attention as they looked toward the situation in surprise; even the Black Knights and other Autobots were shocked, completely caught off guard, except for Zero as he glared underneath his mask.
"I knew it!"
"I had already left the Wreckers to join up with Optimus. But you wouldn't know that if all you did was access Wheeljack's public service record," Bulkhead stated.
"So why are you so interested in our Groundbridge?" Zero questioned, "Want to reunite with your Master? Or maybe you're bringing him here… Decepticon!"
"Wait hold on!" Tamaki exclaimed, "This guy is a…!"
Kallen however pushed him out of the way just as Makeshift reached down and ended up grabbing Kallen instead and quickly backed away just as Arcee, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Bulkhead pointed their Energon blasters at him.
"Kallen!" Ohgi exclaimed in shock as Zero made a gesture with his arm for him, Rai, and Tamaki to stay back and not do anything stupid.
"Stay back!" Makeshift ordered, now exposed, "Or I'll squeeze her into a pulp!"
He held Kallen tightly in his hand as everyone glared heavily at him; even Lelouch snarled underneath his mask. He can't say he didn't expect this, but it didn't make him any less angry. Seeing no further need for his disguise, Makeshift transformed into his natural form, revealing the Decepticon emblem still on his chest.
"Let her go! Now!" Arcee exclaimed.
"You try and anything with her Con, and you're scrap!" Cliffjumper warned.
"Don't fret, plenty of fighting to come," Makeshift sneered, "It was as you suspected Zero, I am to bring Lord Megatron here, but he'll also be bringing with him an entire brigade of Vehicon troopers. Your precious Ark will be in ruins by the time we're done."
"So, is there a real Wheeljack?!" Rai questioned, glaring at the Con who took his friend hostage.
"Oh indeed," Makeshift confirmed, "And I expect Lord Megatron to be making sport of him."
Bulkhead glared even further at the Con impersonating his friend, "Now, let's take a little walk to the Groundbridge bay. If you value this child's life, then don't try anything."
He slowly walked back towards the exit of the bridge as the Autobots kept their weapons trained on him, with Ratchet and Fixit still following close behind as well as Zero, Rai, Ohgi, and Tamaki.
Nemesis
Megatron was starting to become impatient as he stood with Soundwave, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the rest of his brigade on the deck of his ship.
"Soundwave, you are certain you supplied our coordinates to Makeshift?" Megatron asked his silent subordinate who nodded in confirmation.
"Then what the scrap is taking him so long!?" Skywarp exclaimed in fury.
"Maybe they gave your boy such a hero's welcome."
They all turned around to see Wheeljack having walked onto the deck facing all the Decepticons present.
"He got the warm and fuzzies and decided to switch sides," he glared as his faceplate came up.
"He escaped!" Thundercracker exclaimed as he, Skywarp, and the front-most Vehicons pointed their Energon blasters at him, but Megatron looked more amused than anything.
"Well, it would seem your reputation for recklessness wasn't as far-fetched after all," Megatron mused, "A single Autobot stands before not only the leader of the Decepticons but three of his top soldiers and an entire brigade of enemy troopers. Do you honestly believe you can defeat us all?"
"I thought you would have liked the chance to take out the best of the Wreckers with your own two hands," Wheeljack stated as he drew both his swords, "Unless the infamous Gladiator of Kaon has gone all soft."
Megatron glared slightly, "Very well, if you wish to be extinguished by my blade, then I shall."
He extended his arm-blade below his massive Energon cannon before charging at Wheeljack who responded in kind.
Wheeljack took advantage of the moon's low gravity and jumped high above Megatron and brought his blades down onto him, but Megatron blocked and parried with his blade just as Wheeljack landed behind him, but Megatron was able to deliver a kick backward to knock Wheeljack far to the wall. He rolled out of the way to avoid blasts from Megatron's fusion cannon and charged at Megatron again, moving faster than what the Decepticon leader anticipated. He was able to get a few successful slashes in with his swords to knock Megatron back a bit before delivering a cartwheel kick to his jaw to knock him into the air.
However, Megatron quickly transformed to fly up higher than Wheeljack could reach before flying back down and used the momentum he gained as he transformed to fall at incredible speeds and slash at the ground, shaking the area slightly from the impact; but Wheeljack dodged it just in time, however, the shockwave knocked him back towards the wall before he landed on his hands and knees.
"Okay… guess he hasn't gone soft," Wheeljack said to himself before getting back up and reengaging Megatron.
The Ark
Makeshift kept a firm grip on Kallen as he backed his way into the Groundbridge bay and toward the manual controls with the Autobots keeping their weapons still trained on him as the Black Knights followed closely.
"Damn it," Lelouch thought to himself, "If only I could use my Geass… but since it doesn't work on Cybertronians. But even if it did… I'd still have to explain it to everyone else."
He tried his best to remain calm and think of a plan, but he couldn't think of anything without putting Kallen in danger, "How could I have been so stupid?! How could I have led an enemy infiltrator into our base?!"
"You know, if I was in a Knightmare, I'd kick your metal ass right now!" Kallen snarled defiantly at Makeshift.
"Be quiet," he said as he put the coordinates Megatron gave him into the computers and saw the Groundbridge was fully operational. He had to divert extra Energon in so that the Groundbridge had enough power to reach Earth's moon, but he was successful.
"About time."
He pulled down on a lever and activated a portal.
Nemesis
Wheeljack was on the defensive, using his blades to parry Megatron's blows while rolling out of the way to avoid his fists. He was able to get behind Megatron and deliver a roundhouse kick to knock him back slightly. Wheeljack then jumped and spun his body, while pointing his blades forward, and managed to scratch Megatron a bit and knock him back further. However, before Wheeljack could press the advantage, he saw some incoming Energon blasts from the reflection in his sword and rolled out of the way to avoid getting shot at by Thundercracker, Skywarp, and several Vehicons.
Wheeljack was again put on defense as he used his blades to slice and block all the Energon blasts shot at him just as Megatron recovered. However, he wouldn't have to worry about that for much longer as he glanced behind him to see an open Spacebridge portal.
"Well, well."
The Ark
Makeshift backed towards the open portal as Kallen continued to struggle in his grip as he faced the glaring Autobots and Black Knights with a mocking sneer.
"Let's get this party started!"
Suddenly, the one true Wheeljack appeared out of the portal and delivered a flying kick to Makeshift's back, knocking him down and forcing him to let Kallen go. Cliffjumper was quick to catch Kallen with his hand as Makeshift was knocked back to the other side of the bay.
Ohgi and Rai helped Kallen to her feet as Cliffjumper set her down as everyone, even Zero, looked in surprise at the appearance of the real Wheeljack.
"I'd shut that hole before the stink comes through."
The Nemesis.
"Enter the portal! NOW!" Megatron ordered his brigade.
Skywarp and Thundercracker were the first to try and run toward it, but the portal closed before they could reach it.
"What?!" Thundercracker exclaimed while Megatron just grunted in frustration and disappointment.
The Ark – Groundbridge Bay
Makeshift was quick to transform back into his Wheeljack disguise as he drew both his swords while the real Wheeljack had his swords. They both circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Bulkhead looked more than ready to pummel the imposter, but Wheeljack stopped him.
"Ugly's mine."
They both clashed their swords at each other; parrying and blocking each strike, at first appearing to be evenly matched. Everyone kept their eyes on the battle while trying to make sure which one was the real deal.
"Well, which one is the real Wheeljack?" Ohgi asked.
"I… I can't tell! I lost track!" Rai exclaimed.
"I haven't," Zero said.
He hadn't lost track of which one was the real Wheeljack, and which one was the imposter. He knew Makeshift changed back into Wheeljack to try and confuse the Autobots and Black Knights, and if he won, he could make it look like the real Wheeljack was the imposter and distract them long enough to open the Spacebridge portal again and let the Decepticons inside.
Wheeljack had his doppelganger backed into a corner as he lashed his right blade at him, which Makeshift blocked, but Wheeljack gave a vertical slash with his left blade as Makeshift was able to block that one as well. However, the imposter swerved around Wheeljack and lashed his blade to knock the right one out of his hand, but Wheeljack returned the favor before grabbing his imposter's hand and pulling his face into a knee-strike, while catching the blade Makeshift instinctively let go, allowing Wheeljack to deal the finishing blow with a mix between a punch and sword-strike to knock Makeshift down. Wheeljack stood in victory, pointing his sword at the imposter's face.
"That's my Jackie," Bulkhead confirmed.
"You sure about that? Like really sure?" Kallen wanted to be certain.
"Indeed," Zero said, "The victor is indeed the one-true Wheeljack."
But to be certain, the real Wheeljack impaled his blade into Makeshift's side, causing him to grunt in pain and force him to transform back into his real Decepticon appearance for absolute confirmation.
"Yep, no confusing those two now," Cliffjumper smirked.
"Ah damn it!" Tamaki slapped his hand on his face.
"What is it?" Rai asked in alarm.
"I told him where this place was!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Oh, that's an easy fix," Arcee pointed her Energon blaster at Makeshift's face.
"Wait," Wheeljack held out his hand.
"I got a better idea," he smirked at Makeshift's fallen form.
The Nemesis
"I can't believe it!" Skywarp ranted, "We were so close! So close! How could we lose?!"
Megatron would have slapped him silly just to shut him up, but before he could a Spacebridge portal opened in the same spot, causing him to look in surprise and suspicion. Did Makeshift manage to pull it off? Or was it something else?
"What are all of you waiting for?! Go!" Thundercracker ordered the brigade before Megatron could say anything.
"No, wait!" Megatron tried to order his troops to stop, but several had already entered the portal.
The Ark
Bulkhead picked up Makeshift's body and with several twirls, he chucked the Decepticon into the open portal.
The Vehicon troopers in the portal all looked in shock before turning around only to get smacked down and knocked out of the portal just as Megatron himself looked in surprise to see Makeshift come flying out and landing right on top of him.
Ratchet closed the Spacebridge portal once he was certain Makeshift made it all the way through. Wheeljack smirked at the sight.
"Nice lob."
The Nemesis
Megatron groaned in annoyance as he stood right as the portal closed. "Did you at the very least learn the location of their base?"
"Indeed, Lord Megatron." Makeshift confirmed.
However, there was a beeping sound coming from his side, "It's in the Ark, just outside…"
Megatron looked in surprise to see an active bomb attached to Makeshift's side. Thundercracker and Skywarp noticed as well.
"Scrap!" Thundercracker exclaimed, "Everyone back! Now!"
Both he and Skywarp transformed and flew away. Megatron would have demanded Makeshift reveal the location quickly, but it was too late. The countdown had already hit zero, so he had to transform and get some distance right as Makeshift finally noticed the bomb.
"Oh no."
*Boom!*
A large blue explosion erupted; killing pretty much all the Vehicons in the assembled Brigade. Fortunately, Megatron, Soundwave, Thundercracker, and Skywarp were able to escape the blast and landed on the moon's surface a bit away from the Nemesis.
"Makeshift… you idiot!" Skywarp complained, "We were so close! So close!"
However, despite this great disappointment, Megatron wasn't enraged. He may have lost his top infiltrator, but he did learn one thing. The Autobots were stationed in the Ark, and for a vessel that large to remain outside the eyes of humans, it would have to be hidden somewhere vast that could cover something as big as the Autobot main exodus transport. But, finding it would still take time; however, he and Soundwave alone still knew of Zero's true identity so he still had that trump card up his sleeve that he would keep close for the time being. The only thing to do next is waiting for the Autobots and Black Knights to make their next move against Britannia, and this time, Megatron will be ready for them.
The Ark – The Next Day
Optimus and Ironhide had returned from their mission to meet Wheeljack where Ratchet, Zero, and the other Autobots informed them about Makeshift and made certain that no one else would know the Ark's location. Soon after, the Autobots had managed to bring Wheeljack's craft, the Jackhammer, into the Ark via Groundbridge. It was currently in an empty docking bay and would undergo repairs soon.
As the Autobots talked with Wheeljack about the situation on Earth regarding Britannia and the Decepticons; Zero sat in the living area alongside Ohgi, Tamaki, Kallen, and Rai.
"A shapeshifting Decepticon," Rai said to himself, "You know, we really should have seen that coming."
"Well, we're at least lucky they don't know where the Ark is, right?" Ohgi tried to find the bright side.
"Still, the fact that Megatron had someone like that at his command is an intimidating thought, to say the least," Zero said with a cautious tone in his voice, "I wonder if there are any others at his disposal."
"I would not worry," Fixit rolled up with his device and showed the dossier of the Decepticon they just defeated, "Makeshift is a Shifter, a very rare breed of Cybertronian that can take any form comparative to their normal size and mass, making them efficient at blending in with the environment and even taking the appearances of other Cybertronians. It makes them the idea fries… cries… spies!"
"So, you can guarantee there aren't any more Cons like those?" Kallen asked.
"It is very unlikely," Fixit confirmed, "As I said, they are very rare. The odds of another showing up are approximately one million, three hundred and sixty-seven thousand, four hundred and ninety-three to one."
"That's a relief," Ohgi breathed a huge sigh.
Optimus, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack walked up toward the humans and the Mini-Con present.
"So, the Black Knights huh? Very catchy."
"Thanks, man," Tamaki gave a finger salute.
"We have spoken with Wheeljack and informed him of the situation," Optimus explained.
"And it looks like you guys could use some help, so you can count me on board," Wheeljack smirked.
That took most of the Black Knights by surprise.
"Wait? So, you're in?!" Rai asked excitedly.
"I'm in," Wheeljack nodded, "Britannia ain't gonna know what hit him."
"Awesome!" Kallen stood up with a smirk.
"Hell yeah! Look out Brits, the Wreckers are gonna wreck ya!" Tamaki exclaimed with a wide grin.
"Welcome aboard Wheeljack," Ohgi greeted in a friendly tone.
Wheeljack nodded as he looked towards a certain Black Knight, "So, Rai is it? Bulkhead says you're a natural fighter. I'd like to see some of that myself."
Rai had a smirk that mirrors Wheeljack's.
"Well, let me show you."
He quickly climbed down and was about to lead Wheeljack to the Knightmare vault, but the Wrecker had already transformed into his vehicle mode; a white, red, and green sportscar resembling a Lancia Stratos, something that Rai was amazed at.
"Whoa, you got a vehicle mode already?"
"Yep. So, what'd you think kid?" Wheeljack asked as he opened his door.
Rai laughed as he got into the driver's seat.
"I think you have great taste, Wheeljack! And I also think we're gonna get along just okay," he said as Wheeljack drove off while Bulkhead smiled at the thought of his two buddies already hitting it off.
"Hey Zero, you got a minute?" Bulkhead asked the masked revolutionary.
"Of course," he nodded as he walked along a catwalk to the side, far away from where the Black Knights could hear their conversation, "So, how does it feel to have an old friend back?"
"It feels great," Bulkhead said, "He's not only a kick-ass fighter, but he's also a dependable guy. Sure, he can act like the loner sometimes, but whenever you need him, he'll be there in a heartbeat."
"I'm counting on it, and I'm happy for you Bulkhead, I am," Lelouch spoke the truth.
He knew what it felt like to reunite with an old friend from the past, thinking about Suzaku. Though he was still a bit upset that his friend was a pawn of Britannia and the Decepticons, he still hoped he could find a way to change his mind, but Suzaku was nothing if not stubborn.
"Hey, also, and don't take this too hard but I kinda told him about you," Bulkhead said, causing Zero to look at him in surprise, eyes widened underneath his mask.
Bulkhead leaned in close so that the Black Knights couldn't hear, "I told him who you were, what happened to you and your sister, and about your Geass too."
"I see," Zero said.
"Look, I know how you feel about all that, but Jackie's my buddy, I'm not keeping secrets from him," Bulkhead stated.
"I understand. Thought I wish you would have run this by me first," Zero said with a sigh.
"Yeah sorry about that," Bulkhead chuckled slightly.
"So… how'd he take it?"
"He was a bit surprised at first," the large Autobot explained, "But he understands; he doesn't care who you are or where you come from, if anything he's sorry for what happened. Like the others said before, the Wreckers took the most dangerous missions, but not all of us came back; and to be honest, I haven't seen any in years till now. I don't even know if there are any Wreckers left."
Lelouch had a serious yet sympathetic expression underneath his mask.
"Wheeljack and I know what it's like to lose someone close, and how it feels to be under the thumb of someone bad; so, he gets it. He promised to keep his mouth shut too, so your secret's still safe."
"Alright," Zero nodded, "I appreciate that."
"And hey listen, kid," Bulkhead had one last thing to say, "You're a good person, and I mean that. It wouldn't hurt to open up a bit with some of your teammates, if you explain it to them, I'm sure they'd get it. They're all good people."
It was true, despite their flaws; Kallen, Ohgi, and Tamaki, and several other Black Knights he met were all good people and proved to be dependable allies. So maybe he could trust them a bit more, but not right now.
"Alright, and Bulkhead…" Zero took off his mask. Fortunately, no one else could see him past Bulkhead's frame as Lelouch smiled honestly at the large Autobot, "…Thanks."
Bulkhead smiled as he offered his large fist for a fist bump, Lelouch put his mask back on and returned the gesture with his hand.
Chapter 15: Dance of Metal and Fire
Chapter Text
Lelouch sat on top of a large steel container in a vacant spot inside the Ark; it appeared to be a half-flooded cargo hold along the side of the submerged and inoperable vessel. He wasn't alone however as C.C. herself just happened to be swimming in the ocean water near him, and even Bumblebee was present as Lelouch looked over the applicant requests of people wishing to join the Black Knights. However, the yellow Autobot's optics widened slightly at the applicant file of a man named Diethard Ried.
"[A Britannian, huh?]" Bumblebee beeped in surprise, "[I'd hoped a few would sign on with us, but I didn't think it'd be this immediate.]"
"Well, I wouldn't worry," Lelouch voiced, "He looks too confident to be a spy."
"[Even so, I'll have Fixit look this guy up just to be sure. Better safe than sorry,]" Bumblebee answered as he sat down next to Lelouch's spot as the teenaged revolutionary was on equal height with the Autobot's chin from his vantage point.
"Isn't it wonderful how the number of recruits keeps growing?" C.C. said in an emotionless tone.
"[Glad to see you're so overjoyed,]" Bumblebee rolled his optics as he tried to voice his sarcasm.
"You know, this translator I have makes it easy to understand you, but I have no idea if you're being sarcastic or not," Lelouch said in a humorous tone towards Bumblebee who choose to ignore that statement, "But still, this turned out to be much simpler than I thought."
"[Well given all that's happened in Japan these last few years; people are looking for a hero,]" Bumblebee said, "[Let's just hope we're able to deliver]"
"I'm sure we can," Lelouch replied, "People expect results and we'll deliver results."
"[But is that all you're trying to get? Results? Not too worried about how you get them]"? Bumblebee asked, causing Lelouch to look at him somewhat suspiciously, "[I trust you Lelouch, but I don't want this all getting to your head. Remember the last time you let your ego take control?]"
Before Lelouch could answer, C.C. already voiced her opinion as she stepped out of the water, "You ended up walking right into Cornelia's trap. And if it weren't for Optimus, you'd probably be dead right now."
Lelouch gave an annoyed sigh, "Don't remind me. Don't worry, I learn from my mistakes and it won't happen again."
"[Let's hope not,]" Bumblebee beeped, "[And the same goes for all the Black Knights. They've scored a few good victories against Britannia, but the Cons are a completely different story.]"
"You make a good point," Lelouch replied, "Aside from Kallen and Arcee's encounter with that Spider-Con they told us about, or that mess with the Energon Harvester, we've never really had a full-scale battle against the Decepticons."
"To be fair; it seems like a few of the Black Knights can hold their own," C.C. pointed out, "Kallen's no slouch, and even Rai has a few surprises up his sleeve."
"[But not everyone in the BKs is an expert fighter,]" Bumblebee said, "[And even if we got Wheeljack now, we only have a hand-full of Autobots against who-knows how many Decepticons.]"
"Well then, we'll just have to take the necessary steps to make sure we're ready," Lelouch said as he closed his laptop and stood up, "Some group called Kyoto is sending us some Knightmares. We can have Ratchet and Fixit tweak them a bit so they can handle the Decepticons"
C.C. gave something of an amused chuckle, "All the preparations in the world can only do so much when you finally come face-to-face with the real thing."
"[That is a very good point.]" Bumblebee responded.
"Yes, I was demoted from my position, in very much the same way you were," Diethard said towards Jeremiah as the soldier's eyes narrowed at him, being bitterly reminded of becoming a pariah amongst his soldiers. Diethard was once a respected head of television, now he's stuck in an office that's only slightly bigger than a walk-in closet. However, Villetta kept a calm persona in play.
"We have no intention of letting the situation end this way," the female soldier said, "And we have the sneaking suspicion that you don't either."
"That so? Well, who can say?" Diethard replied.
"We have a lead that may help us find Zero!" Jeremiah stated, getting Diethard's attention.
"You're familiar with Ashford Private Academy?" Villetta asked, "I want to investigate a male student attending there. I think he may be working with Zero, possibly those Autobots too."
Diethard typed the words 'Ashford Academy' but had a doubtful look on his face, "Are you sure that's the best option? If this proves to be true, you may come face-to-face with the same metallic titans that defeated even Princess Cornelia."
"How did you know about that!?" Jeremiah questioned.
"You'd be surprised how quickly word spreads through the grapevine, even among soldiers supposedly loyal to the Royal Family," Diethard replied, causing the two to narrow their eyes, "But what do I know? I'm no soldier. However, I do suppose it is fortunate that you yourselves seem to have your titans to assist you, correct?"
Jeremiah scowled at the thought of the Decepticons and even Villetta had a distrustful look in her eyes. There was something about those Decepticons that rubbed them the wrong way, "I assure you; we don't need their assistance in this matter."
"Villetta and I are going to be shipping out with the military soon for duty," Jeremiah got back to the original point. "And we'll be stationed in the Narita mountains. Therefore…"
"Narita? Isn't that where the Japan Liberation Front headquarters are rumored to be located?" Diethard asked.
Jeremiah put a suspicious eye on Diethard, "You may be a bit too clever for your good."
Diethard carried an innocent-looking smile, "You overestimate me."
The Nemesis
Megatron stood with Soundwave on the bridge of his ship as the rotating image of the Earth presented itself to the pair.
"Makeshift may have failed in his mission, but we have indeed learned that the Autobots are based in the derelict Ark," Megatron began, "This could narrow our search quite a bit, though even then it may take some time to locate them."
Soundwave turned to Megatron as his visor shifted to show the image of Lelouch.
"You need not worry, Soundwave," Megatron replied, "Lelouch has proven himself to be quite the strategist, but he is still green and has much to learn."
He turned to Soundwave as the silent Decepticon looked towards his master.
"You wonder why I seem so interested in him?"
Soundwave nodded.
"Call it curiosity. I can see quite a bit of myself in that boy, and Optimus has no doubt saw it as well, which is likely why he has taken the boy under his wing; to try and 'steer him toward the path of good' as Optimus would likely have put it. However, I feel that maybe they both don't realize is that I have my little bird to guide as well."
The door opened to reveal Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp as they entered the bridge.
"Lord Megatron, we have received word that Cornelia's forces are moving to Narita in a few short days," Thundercracker informed.
"Well yes, I already suspected that location was home to the Japan Liberation Front," Starscream boasted.
"You weren't the least bit interested in them, not until you screwed up at that Hotel-Jacking," Skywarp teased.
"Shut up!" Starscream exclaimed, causing Skywarp to snicker.
"I'm already aware of this," Megatron said, getting the attention of the three Seekers, "Soundwave is more than competent in surveillance. So, what is your point?"
"Yes well, Dreadwing has requested that he and the Camelot Division be transported to Narita as well," Starscream said.
"I see," Megatron glanced back slightly, "Very well, tell Dreadwing that his request has been granted."
This surprised Starscream significantly.
"Forgive me, one true master, while I can understand sending Dreadwing, I fail to see the point in sending humans along with him. Especially that human," Starscream grumbled; out of all the humans that annoyed him, Suzaku Kururugi is by far, the worst.
"I would also like to ask myself," Thundercracker put his two cents in, "You even had Knock Out provide some modifications to that Lancelot so that it can better match the Autobots in a fight."
"Yeah what's the deal with that? He's a human," Skywarp pointed out, "If anything he'd make a good 'sacrificial lamb' as the humans say."
"I'm not sure you're using that phrase correctly," Thundercracker said bluntly.
Megatron chuckled slightly, surprising them, "I feel that perhaps, you are underestimating Kururugi."
Soundwave attached his tentacles to the control console on the bridge as he played footage of the Lancelot's fight with Bumblebee in Shinjuku, as well as the encounters with the Autobots at the Museum and Ancient Greece.
"Most of the Britannian pilots that have battled the Autobots have all fallen, all save for him. His skills as a warrior are certainly nothing to scoff at. However, that's not the only reason."
"Master?" Starscream asked.
"I see a bit of Optimus in him," Megatron revealed, surprising the trio of seekers significantly, "Well, to be more accurate, I see traits similar to Orion Pax in young Kururugi."
"If I recall, you and Pax were once friends before the War for Cybertron began," Thundercracker said.
"Indeed," Megatron confirmed.
"Augh, don't tell me you're getting all nostalgic on us. It doesn't suit you, Lord Megatron," Skywarp said.
"Of course not," the Lord of the Decepticons replied instantly, "Despite their similarities; there is one clear-cut difference between Optimus and Kururugi. Optimus isn't as naïve, not anymore. Once the war began, he tried many times to convince me to stop and change my ways and failed each time. However, he learned from his failures and even admitted as such during the Exodus. He knew he couldn't change my ways and even tried to snuff out my spark. Kururugi however has not yet learned that harsh lesson of reality; he joined the Britannian military because he hopes to change the entire empire from within."
Starscream scoffed, "Good luck with that. Britannia has been on a path of destruction for years, even before we had a hand in their ascension, they've even resorted to killing each other to get what they want. If they are more than willing to sacrifice their kind, just how are they going to listen to an insignificant Eleven about changing for the 'greater good'?"
"That Euphemia girl seems to be getting close to him, and she's a part of the Royal Family," Skywarp pointed out.
"Even so, I doubt the higher-ups are gonna let anything happen. They'll probably just disown that girl like they did those two brats they sent here to Japan and even killed when they invaded," Thundercracker said.
"It doesn't matter," Megatron voiced as he grew a sinister smile, "It doesn't matter whether Kururugi can change Britannia or not, his naivety makes him that easier to guide and mentor. Britannia may discard and brush him off for being Japanese, but I see him having greater potential… as the first human Decepticon."
The Ark
A day later; a Groundbridge portal opened in the bay as Ratchet, Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Fixit, and nearly every Black Knight watched as Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Wheeljack all drove out, each of them towing a massive trailer-like container behind their respective vehicle modes before the portal closed and the Bots all transformed back.
"Well?" Ratchet asked.
Wheeljack smirked, "See for yourself."
He pressed a button on the trailer behind him, as did the other Bots with him. The doors on the sides opened to reveal multiple black Knightmares that caused each of the Black Knights to look in excited grins.
"Wow! It's amazing!"
"These are Glasgows, right?" One Black Knight asked.
"Nope," Bulkhead shook his head, "Burais, a Japanese modification. These can keep up with Sutherlands, at least according to the informants."
As the recruits in the BKs looked in awe at these new Knightmares, Ironhide walked towards Bumblebee as the Yellow Autobot meet the former Kozuki Resistance group, the original Black Knights.
"You guys think those are interesting, check these two out," he smirked as Bumblebee opened his trailer to show two unique Knightmares.
One was a primarily blue Knightmare with a cyclops-like head, a single orange eye unit. It had a gun built onto its right arm with what appeared to be a large sheathed katana on its right side. Its left arm stuck out as being primarily silver with a red claw-like device at the end. The other Knightmare was a vibrant red color that bore an appearance to a knight with a silver face and blue eyes. It had a gun built onto its left arm with its right arm being silver and a five-fingered clawed hand at the end.
"Whoa, look at these two," Rai voiced with wide eyes as he, Kallen, Ohgi, Inoue, Tamaki, Sugiyama, Yoshida, and Minami looked in awe and surprise.
"The red one's called the Guren MK II," Ironhide explained, "The blue one is a prototype called the Gekka."
"They sure look pretty badass don't they?" Tamaki smirked.
"[You wanna know the best part?]" Bumblebee voiced, "[They're completely made here in Japan. No Britannian resources whatsoever.]"
"You're serious?! These Japanese?" Ohgi voiced.
"According to those Kyoto guys, yeah," Ironhide responded.
"No freaking way," Inoue looked with wide eyes and a smile.
"Uh, what's with their arms?" Rai asked concerning the silver arms on each of the Japanese Knightmares.
"Those are Radiant Wave Surgers," Fixit explained as he rolled up to the group, "At least according to the data we've obtained. It can generate extreme heat into anything it makes contact with before exploding from the inside out."
That took them all by surprise before Tamaki smirked, "Like I said, badass."
"Kyoto…" Kallen voiced in amazement, "They recognize us… We have their approval."
"Not yet."
The group turned towards the entrance to the bay to see Optimus and Zero enter the room just as Ironhide began to help Bulkhead and the other Bots haul the Burais off towards the Knightmare bay where Ratchet would begin to work on modifications.
"This isn't a sign of approval," Zero continued, "It's a test."
"What do you mean a test?" Ohgi asked.
"Kyoto wishes to know if we are worthy of their assistance, so they are sending us some Knightmares in the hopes of assessing our skills and potential, at least as far as the Black Knight pilots are capable of," Optimus explained.
"Uh, shouldn't they already recognize us considering we got giant robots with us?" Tamaki asked skeptically referring to both the Autobot leader and Bumblebee who remained with the group.
"One would think," Zero granted, "However, they're being cautious. And considering that we are facing not only an empire that comprises one-third of the whole planet, but also a faction of giant alien robots that are on par with the Autobots, I'd say they have the right mind track."
"Agreed," Optimus nodded, "In addition, while these new Knightmares may indeed prove beneficial against Britannia, they may fall short regarding the Decepticons."
That took the Black Knights by surprise.
"Don't act so surprised," Zero said, "You all remember Shinjuku? Standardize Sutherland rounds could barely even scratch Cybertronian armor; if we are to stand against the Decepticons, we need to improve our firepower."
"And how do we do that?" Kallen asked.
"Our outer shell may be durable, but it is far from indestructible," Optimus explained, "Our skin is susceptible to extreme heat for example."
"So wouldn't these Radiant Wave Surgers do some damage then?" Ohgi asked, "Maybe we can do something with that."
"[They use a considerable amount of energy,]" Bumblebee answered, "[At least according to Kyoto. We'll need something a bit more reliable.]"
"Like what?" Inoue asked.
"I've been thinking about that for some time now," Zero explained as he took out a small manual and opened it to show his subordinates, "We'll use magnesium for our ammunition. It burns at a temperature of four thousand degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to penetrate Cybertronian armor, don't ask what it does to Knightmares."
"Magnesium? Isn't that dangerous though?" Rai asked.
"Forget dangerous, it should be downright impossible," Kallen voiced.
"For humans," Fixit pointed out, "But not for us. Between Ratchet and myself, we could have solidified, super-heated magnesium rounds loaded into all our Knightmares in no prime… grime… time!"
Tamaki smirked, "Huh, I like the way you think little bot."
"Thank you," Fixit smiled.
Ohgi turned towards the Autobot leader, "Hey Optimus, you got a minute?"
"Of course," Optimus nodded as he walked away with Ohgi following behind.
"Kallen, Rai, I'd like to speak with the two of you as well," Zero requested.
"Uh sure… no problem," Kallen nodded as she and Rai followed their leader around the Knightmare trailer; much to the confusion of the other Black Knights.
"Okay, when did they get so chummy?" Tamaki questioned.
"Aw, don't tell me you're jealous Tamaki," Inoue smirked along with the other Black Knights.
"What?! No way! What would I be jealous of anyway!?"
"Well, Kallen is our best pilot," Yoshida pointed out, "That Rai kid is no pushover either."
"Where'd you guys find him again?" Sugiyama asked Bumblebee.
"[At Kallen's school with amnesia. Other than that, he has no memory of anything before]"
"Yeah well, I think the kid's got what it takes," Tamaki voiced, "He's one of us now, ain't he?"
All the other Black Knights present and Bumblebee couldn't help but nod in agreement. Rai has more than proven himself worthy of bearing the title.
At the same time; Zero was talking with Kallen and Rai in private, "How's is Rai's training coming along?"
"Oh great!" Kallen voiced, "He's about as good as I am."
"Eh, I don't know if I'm that good," Rai rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Don't sell yourself so short, Rai," Kallen playfully nudged his arm before turning to Zero, "Honestly, he's a natural at this. It's almost like he's been a pilot his whole life."
"I don't know about that, but I don't know anything…" Rai looked down slightly, "It's almost like… like my instincts take over… I don't think I just… I just move on my own."
"Either way, it's all I need to hear," Zero said before handing Kallen a key resembling a red feather with white tips at the end, and Rai a key of similar style with a dark blue color scheme, "Kallen, the Guren MK II is yours. And Rai, you'll be using the Gekka Pre-Production."
"Wait… us?!" Kallen voiced in surprise as Rai looked shocked himself, "But what about you?"
"Yeah, you're our leader, shouldn't you use one of them?" Rai asked as well.
"No, I'm a commander, I'll be using a Burai," Zero replied, "But you two are warriors, it only makes sense to give our best pilots our best weapons; besides that, you each have a reason to fight, correct?"
Kallen and Rai exchanged glances as they each thought about that. Kallen thought about her mother, her deceased brother, Ohgi, and all her friends in the Black Knights, as well as Arcee and Cliffjumper, and even her friends among the Ashford Student Council. Rai thought of Nunnally, Lelouch, Suzaku, and everyone else at Ashford as well as Bulkhead, and the other Black Knights he's befriended. They both had determined expressions as they nodded to their leader.
"We won't let you down," Kallen stated.
"I know you won't," Zero nodded before he received a communication from inside his mask.
"Zero, we need you on the bridge," Optimus contacted him. The way Optimus addressed Lelouch as Zero over the line made it clear that some Black Knights were meeting there as well, so he wasn't going to be taking off his mask yet.
"On my way," he responded before turning to his two ace pilots, "Come with me."
Zero, Kallen, and Rai met with Optimus, Ohgi, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Wheeljack on the bridge of the ship. On the main screen, there was a projection of what appeared to be a large mountain.
"What's going on?" Zero asked.
"We got some intel from a Britannian who wants to join up with us," Ohgi answered.
This got Lelouch's attention as both Kallen and Rai looked at each other in surprise.
"From what we've gathered, it seems Cornelia has managed to locate the base of the Japan Liberation Front in the Narita mountains," Ratchet explained.
"Could be a trap to draw us out," Ironhide voiced.
"Doubtful," Zero responded, "Was this leak from a man named Diethard Ried?"
That took Ohgi by surprise, "Yes… how did you…"
"I saw his application and I had Fixit look into it," Zero explained, "He's an important figure in the Britannian media, though according to his profile, he doesn't appear to have any connections to the military."
"Yeah, the guy's face doesn't spell 'spy'," Wheeljack pointed out.
"You can tell that by looking at someone's face?" Rai asked the Wrecker.
"When you've been in war as long as us, you learn how to spot snitches," Wheeljack pointed out.
"So, what exactly are we going to do?" Kallen asked.
"This information is something that we cannot ignore," Optimus explained, "The Japan Liberation Front is the largest resistance group in this country with a great deal of support behind it, including Kyoto. If it falls, then all other resistance in Japan will as well."
"Not if we have anything to say about it," Zero said, "Because we'll be rescuing the JLF."
That caught everyone's attention.
"Rescue the JLF!?" Kallen repeated in shock.
"You sure you wanna do that? After that mess at the Hotel-Jacking?" Ironhide reminded.
"Optimus himself said the JLF is the biggest resistance group in this nation, and if we can save them, we may not only gain their support…"
"…But the support of virtually every other resistance in Japan! We'd have the whole nation on our side!" Ohgi exclaimed in realization.
"Exactly," Zero nodded.
"While this result would indeed be beneficial, we are still missing one crucial piece of information," Ratchet pointed out, "How? As in how we are going to pull this off."
"Ratchet's got a point," Ironhide assumed, "If this is Japan's biggest resistance, you can bet Cornelia is going to bring everything she has to destroy them."
"In addition, there is still the strong possibility of the Decepticons taking part in this battle as well," Optimus added.
While everyone else was trying to think of a plan, as even Zero knew this wouldn't be easy, Wheeljack took a look at the three-dimensional hologram of the mountain on the screen and found something near its summit.
"Hey, what's that?" he pointed to a spot at the top that appeared to be hallow.
"Water, from an underground reserve at the top of the mountain," Ratchet answered.
"Does it leak off anywhere?" Wheeljack asked.
"No, why?" Ratchet replied.
Wheeljack smirked as an idea came to mind, "A situation like this calls for an old Wrecker trick."
That got everyone's attention.
"Would you care to elaborate, Wheeljack?" Optimus asked.
"All that water up there has gotta be pressurized right?" Wheeljack began to explain, "There's no leak, it doesn't flow anywhere. So, all we gotta do is squeeze it a bit more and add to that pressure. We keep squeezing and squeezing until… it pops. Kaboom!"
That took everyone by surprise, even Optimus looked stunned for a moment.
"Wait.. are you saying we should BLOW UP THE MOUNTAIN!?" Rai almost screamed.
"No, not the whole mountain," Wheeljack toned down, "I mean just the top. We cause enough of an explosion to create a landslide; it should take out more than half the enemy before they even realize what's happening. Wreckers and I tried that same trick back on Cybertron before, took out five whole battalions of Cons."
"A landslide," Zero mused.
"You know, that might be brilliant, Wheeljack. I can see where the Wreckers got their reputation," he congratulated, causing the aforementioned Wrecker to smirk.
"But what about the Japan Liberation Front?" Ohgi asked.
"Or what about the city in Narita down below?" Kallen also asked, "I thought we don't endanger civilians."
"And we won't," Optimus voiced, "We can send a message to the JLF and inform them to keep themselves inside. Their base appears to be built deep enough in the mountains that the landslide should have minimal effect on them. We can also hack into the local police and military base and see to it all civilian occupied areas are evacuated before the battle starts."
"You're already on board with this Optimus?" Ironhide asked, "You're not one to indulge in massive destruction."
"Perhaps, however, even with all the support our alliance has gained; we are still significantly outnumbered," Optimus replied, "We must be willing to adapt, and that goes for you as well Wheeljack."
He turned to the Wrecker, "While I acknowledge your skills as a warrior and your experience, we must take care to avoid civilian casualties."
"Yeah, got it," Wheeljack gave a finger salute. He may be a bit insubordinate and reckless, but he wasn't about to endanger helpless beings. That's what the Decepticons would do.
"Alright, so it looks like we have a plan," Zero explained, "We need to start modifying our Knightmares immediately; Kallen, Rai, familiarize yourselves with your new weapons."
The two nodded to his order.
"We'll use the Groundbridge to teleport ourselves to Wheeljack's intended position just before the battle begins. I'll inform our plan the others."
Rai smirked, "Well, looks like we're going hiking this weekend."
Though his attempt at humor didn't do well to levy the tense situation that most of them were experiencing, particularly Ohgi who still looked nervous as he glanced towards Optimus.
The Next Morning – Ashford Clubhouse
Nunnally sat up in her bed just as Sayoko walked into the room with a change of clothes, "Sayoko, we won't be needing any breakfast for Lelouch and Rai this morning."
"Oh? Are they going out somewhere?" the maid asked.
"Lelouch said that he and Rai were leaving on a three-day trip starting today," Nunnally answered.
Sayoko smiled, "Those two seem to be spending quite a lot of time together. Let's hope he doesn't make you jealous."
Nunnally laughed, "I'm not jealous at all. I'm glad Lelouch is making so many friends. Maybe he's going somewhere to help Rai get some of his memories back."
"Maybe," Sayoko nodded as she helped Nunnally to get dressed.
Narita
During the previous nights; Arcee, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper had been using the Groundbridge to arrive in the Narita mountains and scout the area to familiarize themselves with the terrain. This particular trio of Autobots excelled when it came to scouting and recon; they were able to identify all the outposts under the JLF command and even the main entrance to their hideout. They've even scouted the spot that Wheeljack wanted to dig so they could get closer to the groundwater underneath the summit of the mountain. In two days, the Autobots had a complete layout of the environment and had avoided all detection by the Japan Liberation Front.
In addition, the night before, Ratchet was able to hack into the military database and deliver an order that made it look as though Cornelia had ordered the city of Narita to be evacuated; which had already been done. Now it was the day of the battle, and it would seem that everything was going according to plan so far.
Two JLF soldiers sat in a small lodge close towards the summit of the mountain.
"Sector 5, nothing to report," one soldier gave the timely report to the headquarters, "Right, the next scheduled report will be in two hours."
"Of course, there's nothing to report," the second soldier said as the pair resumed their game of Gomoku, "This area is controlled by the Japan Liberation Front. No one is just gonna stroll in and…"
The front door was suddenly opened as Zero himself just walked into the lodge with Bumblebee and Zero's own Commander-type Burai right outside. The soldiers immediately stood up with their guns.
"Zero!"
"Relax, I only came to talk," he took off his mask just as he activated his Geass, "I want you to ignore any unusual activity during your watch."
The sigil flew into both their eyes and they immediately went back to their game.
"Sure, no problem."
"Come on, it's your turn."
"What's the rush? We're just on regular duty you know."
Lelouch then turned around to Bumblebee and nodded. The yellow Autobot then made contact with the rest of the team.
"[Bumblebee to base. The outpost is secure, move in now.]"
"Understood," Optimus relayed back.
At the very summit of the mountain; a large Groundbridge portal opened up as the vehicle modes of Optimus, Ironhide, Bulkhead, Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Wheeljack all drove out along with multiple Burais and even some leftover black Sutherlands, all owned by the Black Knights, including the Guren MK II and Gekka Pre-Production, both being piloted by Kallen and Rai respectively. All the Knightmares had undergone some modifications, including the newer ones they acquired from Kyoto. Their standardized ammunition had all been replaced with weaponized magnesium that would super-heat once it was shot and could make short work out of any enemy, Knightmare or Decepticon. All the Knightmares in addition had been given a silver metallic emblem etched into the shoulder areas; the emblem was that of the Autobot-Black-Knight alliance. The blue Gekka's Radiant Wave Surger had also been modified and looked identical to the one the Guren currently had with long silver claws as opposed to a prong.
Optimus and Ironhide's respective vehicle modes both had trailers hitched on the back; and once the Groundbridge portal closed; several Black Knights, including Inoue, all stepped out of the Autobots' vehicle modes before the Autobots themselves transformed.
"Alright, this is a good spot," Wheeljack pointed out.
"Then let's start digging," Cliffjumper said, "Not much time till little Cornelia shows up."
"You heard 'em, let's move soldiers!" Ironhide took command as the trailers all opened to reveal large excavators, which several Autobots and a few Knightmares took as they began to dig.
"I will send a message to the Japan Liberation Front," Optimus informed everyone as they got to work, "Lelouch, I understand your motives, and your heart is in the right place, I just hope that you have your priorities straight as well."
Lelouch sat in the lounge with the two JLF soldiers, still under the effect of his Geass, playing their game and ignoring him as Lelouch took one last glimpse over the map of the entire mountain area.
"The day I've waited for has finally come, Cornelia," he said aloud before he heard a tap on the window and looked to see Bumblebee pointing behind him to reveal C.C. was also there, much to Lelouch's surprise.
JLF Headquarters
"General Katase, sir!" One soldier alerted the leader of the Japan Liberation Front.
"What is it?"
"We… we're receiving a message. It… it appears to be from those Autobots!"
"What?!" Katase exclaimed in surprise, along with every other JLF soldier in the room.
The soldier that alerted Katase pressed a few commands on his console and the message began to play.
"Attention soldiers of the Japan Liberation Front. My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. We have reason to believe that your base will soon come under attack by the Britannian military, led personally by Princess Cornelia. However, you will not face them alone. The Autobots, along with the Black Knights, will assist you in repelling them. However, once the attack begins, I urge you to keep your forces inside your base. If you have any automated defenses, then use those, but refrain from using any soldiers, even your Knightmares. Once we begin our counterattack; then you may either choose to join us in the battle or use the time to evacuate. The choice is yours."
The message cut off as the soldiers looked to General Katase for a reply as his face was mixed with shock, surprise, and concern. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to this.
Meanwhile; near the base of the mountain, Cornelia's mobile base was making its way through the evacuated city of Narita. Cornelia herself sat on her throne as her soldiers; including Guilford, Darlton, and even the most elite Glaston Knights were all present. These elite Glaston Knights were none other than Darlton's adoptive sons; Alfred, Bart, Claudio, David, and Edgar; all of whom looked as though they were in their early twenties. Even Euphemia was present as well.
"We're certain that the Japan Liberation Front's headquarters are in this area," Darlton informed, "We've already split four battalions into seven units and hidden them within the vicinity. We've only to wait for the viceroy's signal then we'll surround them in one-fell swoop and wipe them out."
"Sorry Dad, but this seems a bit overkill," Alfred spoke to his adoptive father, "I mean, all of us against those measly Elevens?"
"Don't underestimate them Alfred, the same goes for the rest of you," Darlton told his sons, "There's a reason they're the largest terrorist group in Area 11."
"Still, I'm a little surprised you asked us to help you out," David said.
"That wasn't my decision, it was the Viceroy's," Darlton turned to Cornelia.
"Viceroy, if I may," Claudio spoke in a polite tone, "Why did you ask for all of us to assist you? I don't recall you've ever requested assistance before."
"I'm honored to get a chance to fight alongside you, Princess Cornelia," Edgar pointed out.
"Save the pleasantries," Cornelia raised her hand, "I asked you here because you're the best of the Glaston Knights. While the Japan Liberation Front is indeed a problem, I feel that your assistance will be best needed with our other problem."
"Viceroy, are you by any chance referring to Zero and the Autobots?" Euphemia asked out of curiosity.
"Indeed," Cornelia nodded.
"Oh, now you're talking," Alfred smirked, "A chance to square off against those robots, sounds like fun!"
"Viceroy, can you be certain the Autobots and Zero will indeed show up?" Guilford asked.
"I have little reason to doubt," Cornelia answered, "They do have a habit of showing up unexpectedly. But if they do arrive, this mountain will be their grave. You are to kill every single Autobot in your sight, that is an order!"
"Yes, you're majesty!" All seven Glaston Knights saluted their princess.
"However," Cornelia added, "If you spot the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, do not engage him."
They looked in surprise to see a dark look in Cornelia's eyes.
"I will kill him myself."
Ashford Academy
"What?!" Milly exclaimed in surprise as she sat on a table in front of Nina who was reading a magazine article on Euphemia, "You want to meet her?! Are you kidding?! Do you know who you're talking about?! She's a princess and you're just a citizen! What do you have in common aside from that hotel jacking?!"
"Yes but… as for Princess Euphemia…" Nina stuttered, "I never got a chance to thank her for helping me."
Milly's look softened somewhat, but she still had a doubtful expression on her face, "Hmm, there was a time when my family name influenced to arrange that."
However, that time was long gone, "So tell me, Nina, do you know what the social status is on a principal's granddaughter?"
"Um… not a very high one…?" Nina guessed.
"Correct, not very," Milly confirmed.
Narita
"C.C.," Lelouch got her attention as he and Bumblebee walked toward the mysterious woman, "What are you doing here?"
"I said I'd protect you, didn't I?"
"[Um, that's kinda my job,]" Bumblebee pointed out, "[How are you supposed to protect him from Knightmares and Decepticons?]"
C.C. chose to ignore that question, "I've been wondering something, Lelouch. Why are you, Lelouch?"
"[You got any idea what she's talking about?]" Bumblebee asked Lelouch.
"No clue,"
"You changed your family surname to Lamperouge, but you kept Lelouch, the name that was given to you at birth," C.C. said, "How sentimental, you can't let go of the past."
Lelouch glared slightly as even Bumblebee had a questionable look, "[You're not exactly one to talk; we got no idea who you are, and if you wanna talk about names, C.C. isn't exactly normal. Sounds like a name of a machine, not even a Cybertronian at that.]"
C.C. shot a look towards the Autobot, "Tell me something, Bumblebee, do you know why snow is white?"
The scout didn't know how to answer that question.
"Snow is white because it's forgotten what color it's supposed to be."
Bumblebee was about to give a response when Ironhide contacted him, "Bumblebee, we need you and Zero here now. We're just about ready to start."
"[On our way,]" Bumblebee then transformed, "[Lelouch, it's time.]"
The revolutionary nodded as he put on his mask and made his way over to his Burai. He turned back to C.C.
"You coming or what?"
"I think I'll stay here and just watch the show," C.C. said before turning around to look down the landscape.
Zero shook his head in exhaustion as he climbed into his Burai and followed Bumblebee towards the summit of the mountain.
The Nemesis
Soundwave was easily able to hack into Cornelia's military communications channel and had broadcasted everything to the Decepticons gathered together on the bridge as a three-dimensional hologram of the Narita mountain was shown on the main screen; with several lights indicating the signals of all Cornelia's Knightmares. The Decepticons gathered included Megatron himself, along with Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Knock Out, and Breakdown.
"All units are in position."
"Understood," Cornelia responded, "Euphemia will provide logistical support from G1 as planned. Have her command the medical group."
"Yes, you're highness."
"What's with everyone waiting?" Breakdown questioned, "Let's just start smashing some engine blocks already!"
"Yeah, what he said!" Skywarp agreed.
"Patience, we wait!" Megatron ordered his subordinates.
"For what, Lord Megatron?" Starscream questioned, "If you are suspicious of the Autobots being there, then send in our forces to flatten the mountain! We'll destroy everything in our path!"
"Without knowing the enemy's strategy or how to counter it?" Megatron turned to his second-in-command, "Such a tactic is a fool's errand."
"A fool's errand is the perfect way to describe virtually all of Starscream's plans," Knock Out mocked, causing Breakdown and Skywarp to smirk while Starscream himself grumbled in annoyance.
"Master, is Dreadwing still with the Lancelot?" Thundercracker asked.
"Indeed," Megatron confirmed as Soundwave zoomed on a single signal to indicate the Lancelot's position as well as Dreadwing's life signal right next to it.
"Why not send them in with Cornelia's forces?" Thundercracker asked once more.
"I wouldn't want to waste such talent by sending them in blindly," Megatron informed.
Knock Out smirked, "Oh, I get it. Cornelia and her pals are all expendable; send them in first and we'll move in to finish them off once the enemy play's their hand."
"That is indeed correct," Megatron concluded with a sinister sneer, "After all, in chess, the pawns go first."
Narita – Summit
The excavators have all dug very deep into the ground. With the aid of the Autobots, they were just slightly over the water pocket. All that remained was plugging in the electrodes that the Guren's Radiant Wave Surger would use and waiting for the right moment.
All the Autobots and Black Knights stood at the ready, just waiting for the right signal. But the wait was killer, one could almost cut through the tension with a knife.
Rai looked among the most nervous as he sat in his Gekka's cockpit, gripping the controls hard as sweat poured down his face.
"You nervous, kid?" Wheeljack asked as he and Bulkhead walked up.
"A little," Rai breathed, "First big battle; I was kind of excited at first, but now that I'm here…"
"Hey, it's cool," Bulkhead assured, "That's how it always is. But what do you got to be nervous about? I've seen ya, you can hold your own in a fight."
"Not to mention this Gekka thing you got seems pretty strong too." Wheeljack commented, "I'm looking forward to seeing ya in action. If what Bulkhead's told me about you is any indication, you're a Wrecker in the making."
That took Rai by surprise, "You… you think I'm Wrecker material?"
"Takes one to know one," Wheeljack smirked.
"And don't worry, we got your back," Bulkhead assured, "You're not fighting alone."
Rai couldn't help but smile at this. These Autobots told him he had the potential to be one of the best and would be fighting by his side the entire time. "Thanks, guys."
Meanwhile; Arcee and Cliffjumper made their way towards Kallen as she did one last skim through the manual in the Guren.
"So, you all set and ready Kallen?" Cliffjumper asked the girl.
"Yeah, I think so," Kallen confirmed, "I got a feel for the controls, and I've read every inch of this manual. I think I'm ready."
"You sure look ready to," Cliffjumper commented, "I mean this thing looks cool, especially the color."
Kallen chuckled while Arcee shook her head with an amused smirk.
"When the fighting starts, stick with us," Arcee told the girl.
"I can handle myself, Arcee," Kallen replied.
"I know," Arcee said, "But better to work as a team, don't hog all the fun for yourself. Partner."
She offered her fist towards the cockpit for a fist bump, which Cliffjumper also offered. Kallen smiled as she exchanged a fist bump with them both.
Ohgi saw and heard the exchanges with Rai, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, as well as Kallen, Arcee, and Cliffjumper and smiled slightly as he found himself walking towards Ironhide as he oversaw final preparations.
"Looks like everyone's ready," he said to the veteran Autobot.
"Then why do you look so nervous?" Ironhide asked, taking Ohgi by surprise.
"That obvious, huh?" he looked away slightly.
"Yeah. But that's alright," Ironhide said as Ohgi looked towards him, "It's okay to be scared. It shows you're human. But I'm not, so I can't say anything there."
"You ever been scared before?"
"Of course, many times," Ironhide responded, "But you gotta push past that fear; otherwise it'll rule you for the rest of your life."
Ohgi looked down, "I don't know if I can. I mean, no offense, but you guys are just so big and strong; Zero's pretty much the ultimate strategist from what we've seen so far, even Kallen and Rai are better pilots than I am. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm really good for anything."
Ironhide sighed, "You remember Naoto, right? Your best friend? The one who died helping the weak?"
"Of course, I do!" Ohgi quickly said.
"Right after that, you took up arms and made a stand against Britannia," Ironhide continued, "You could have gone the easy route to becoming an Honorary Britannian, but you instead chose to fight. That alone speaks volumes, and you don't need to be an expert strategist or a natural pilot for that. Just being able to stand up alone means you are strong."
Ohgi looked with a wide-eyed expression of awe at Ironhide as he continued.
"If we felt you didn't cut it, you wouldn't be in the Black Knights. But you are, meaning, we know you can hold your own," the Veteran Autobot told him, "So prove us right."
That was all Ohgi needed to hear. The fact that this veteran Autobot said that he knew Ohgi could pull through was enough to motivate him to continue fighting.
"I won't let you down!"
Meanwhile; Zero himself stood on top of the tallest point in the area, almost half the height of Optimus Prime as he stood alongside Bumblebee.
"All preparations are complete," he spoke to the Autobot leader, "Now all we need to do is wait."
"Zero, you indeed have taken the necessary steps," Optimus told him, "However, you must also be willing to adapt should things go wrong."
"I can't imagine if things would go wrong," Zero said, "Our opponent is Cornelia. Though she is undoubtedly one of the best warriors Britannia has to offer, she's no strategist. If this works, we'll cut down more than half her forces."
"[Yeah, Cornelia, but what about the Decepticons?]" Bumblebee questioned.
"I trust you are more than capable of handling them," Zero responded.
Optimus gave something of a sigh, "Zero; no one is questioning your talent when it comes to strategy; however, no matter how thorough your plans may be or what contingencies you have planned, there are still some factors that remain outside your control. There is still a possibility that things can go wrong, and you must be willing to adapt when that happens."
"[Yeah, no offense Lelouch, but you don't have the best track record when it comes to that,]" Bumblebee pointed out.
Lelouch's own eyes narrowed slightly, but a part of him knew that they made a valid point. More than once, he allowed his ego to get in the way, and something he didn't foresee derailed his whole strategy; like when Suzaku arrived in the Lancelot in Shinjuku, or when he allowed himself to almost being captured by Cornelia's forces.
"It is easy to believe you are in control if you view this as a chess game," Optimus continued, "You control all the pieces on your side of the board, and you can see where your opponent's pieces are positioned. However, in this scenario, you are not the chess player, but rather one of the pieces. Every one of us has a role to play here, including you. I don't feel I need to remind you that this is not a game."
"I'm aware," Zero nodded.
"[So, keep your eyes focused on the battle,]" Bumblebee advised, "[We won't abandon you; I can promise you that. But you have to be willing to keep an open mind and be flexible; don't panic and don't let your ego get the better of you. Keep a cool head and you should be fine]"
Lelouch smiled slightly underneath his mask, "Thank you for your advice."
"Viceroy, it's time," Darlton communicated as Cornelia's fingers practically itched. She was more than ready to begin.
"Right, commence operation!" she smirked almost evilly as all seven units around the mountain began their advance.
Dozens upon dozens of Knightmares all launched from Cornelia's mobile base; from several cargo trains around the area; throughout the evacuated city; and even those that were dropped from airplanes above and into the forests below.
"You the Japan Liberation Front… you who time has left behind..." Cornelia sneered, "...you who have forgotten basic human decency… you and your dream of a bygone golden age shall fall and rot to nothingness."
JLF Headquarters
Alarms blared from all over the control room as they saw multiple enemy signals completely encircle them from the radar screen.
"We're under enemy attack?!" Katase exclaimed.
"Yes sir! The Britannian forces have completely encircled the Narita mountains! We calculate over a hundred units!"
"Just like the Autobots told us…" Katase muttered to himself.
Summit of Narita
"So, it begins," Optimus said as all the Autobots and Black Knights saw the aircraft circling the area, "Ratchet, have any Decepticons arrived yet?"
"Not yet Optimus," Ratchet responded from the Ark, "All enemy signals are Britannian units; however, I estimate over one hundred individual units in total."
"Understood," Optimus responded.
Wheeljack gave an impressive whistle, "This Cornelia sure doesn't play around, does she?"
"Hey, more fun for us, right?" Cliffjumper smirked.
"Huh, you gotta be freaking kidding me?!" Tamaki exclaimed, "You see how many of those guys are down there?! There's no way we can fight them off!"
"You all know the plan!" Ironhide reminded, "We don't have to fight them all! Just wait and we'll be fine!"
"Indeed, our only chance at victory here is to fight," Zero announced to everyone present.
"Now you're talking my language," Bulkhead slammed his fists together, more than ready for a brawl.
Many Black Knights present however didn't seem the least bit enthusiastic; most even seem rather frightened.
"We're talking about Cornelia here! You expect us to fight a hundred of these guys head-on and win?!" Tamaki questioned.
"In case you all forgotten, we've beaten Cornelia before," Arcee reminded, "Optimus could beat her alone in single-combat; she's not invincible."
This resulted in several mumbles of agreement among many Black Knights.
"It's not just you guys fighting here," Cliffjumper also said, "We're fighting with you; so you're not doing this alone."
"The keyword being 'with'," Ironhide pointed out, "We can't fight all your battles for you; you want Japan to be able to stand on its own two feet, then you need to fight on your own without becoming too reliant on us."
"You all knew something like this was going to happen the minute you signed on with us," Arcee reminded, "Are you willing to back out now?"
"Easy for you all to say, you guys are bulletproof! We're not!" Tamaki exclaimed, "The price could be our lives!"
"That's enough!"
All eyes were set on Ohgi of all people as he stood in front of Zero and Optimus, the former looking a bit surprised underneath his mask as well.
"Look, you guys are scared, heck I'm scared too!" Ohgi began, "But, look at everything the Autobots and Zero have all done for us! They gave us a chance to fight back, a chance to stand up against Britannia! If it weren't for them, we'd all probably be six feet under back in Shinjuku right now!"
He glanced back towards Zero and Optimus with a slight smile, and even towards Ironhide who nodded slightly, "If you guys wanna leave, that's fine. I won't hold it against you, but I'm staying! I'm going to stay and fight for the freedom of Japan!"
"Damn right, I'm staying too!" Kallen voiced as she stood up in the Guren's cockpit, "I'm just as much involved in all of this as they are! No way am I backing out now!"
"That goes double for me!" Rai also stood up from the Gekka's cockpit, "Britannia's been doing what they want and getting away with it for far too long! Well, it's time that we start pushing back!"
All the Black Knights presented looked stunned at how Ohgi, Kallen, and Rai were willing to stand up and fight alongside the Autobots and Zero, despite the overwhelming odds. All the Autobots; Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, Wheeljack, and Ironhide all walked and stood alongside Optimus, with Kallen and Rai right alongside them, and even Ohgi and Zero right below.
"Ever since you've joined us, you knew something like this would be coming," Zero stated, "You knew that we'd be facing the full force of Britannia and it would not be an easy fight."
"However, if you wish to leave, then you may," Optimus nodded, "We can have a Groundbridge open right now so that you may leave without engaging in battle. However, if you choose to stay, then know that you are not facing this enemy alone. We will stand by you every step of the way."
The Black Knights, even those from the original Kozuki Resistance Group, all exchanged glances at this. Despite being literal aliens from another world, the Autobots stood firm in their word that they would not abandon them and fight their common enemy together.
"The choice is yours," Zero stated, "You either leave and live a life of complacency, or stay and fight to protect not only this nation but the entire planet!"
JLF Headquarters
"We're surrounded, and all our underground reserve forces were captured all at once!"
"General Katase, we've received a message from Cornelia's forces demanding our surrender!"
"Imbecile!" Katase himself exclaimed, "If we fall here, then we've lost and the whole resistance movement falls with us!"
"Then General do we engage the enemy in battle? Or do we dig in?" One soldier asked.
"What about Tohdoh? Where is he?" Katase asked.
"He's gone to Kyoto, to get the custom Burais. The Four Holy Swords are traveling with him too. If they're on schedule, they should be returning soon but…"
"Tohdoh won't make it in time," Katase said with a feeling of dread building up inside him.
"So, what do we do sir?"
Katase was silent for a moment; he thought about the message he received from Optimus. He had seen the Autobots' work firsthand as they made short work of the Purist Faction, eliminated the treasonous Kusakabe without killing a single civilian, and even rumors spread of the Autobot leader defeating Cornelia. There was no denying that the Autobots and their Black Knight allies have gotten results; and if they were there to help…
"Ready all the automated turrets and traps," Katase ordered, "But don't send out any of our soldiers, not even the Burais!"
That took his subordinates by surprise, "Sir?"
"You heard me! Dig in for now!" Katase exclaimed.
"Yes sir."
As the soldiers got to work to ready their automated defenses, Katase clenched his fists. He was talking a big gamble right here; but if the Autobots and Zero could provide their help then, they might just have a chance at survival.
G1 Base
"We believe that the enemy's main base is located in the mountains here," one officer reported to Euphemia on a digital map, "But we haven't pinpointed it yet. However, until we obtain a list of their collaborators, we can't burn down everything with our aerial bombing."
"The enemy will try to engage our encirclement and penetrate at some point," Another officer reported, "From there, we will be able to ascertain where their base is."
"Our forces are divided into three main fronts," The first officer reported, "The units led by General Dalton here, along with Alfred and David; General Alex with Claudio and Bart here; and Viceroy Cornelia with Guilford and Edgar here. As for our flanking forces…"
The screen was suddenly cut off by static and electric interference, surprising Euphemia.
"It's enemy ECM," One officer revealed.
Along one side of the mountain; Darlton, Alfred, and David led a unit of Gloucester Knightmares up the slopes.
"The enemy force should be coming out any time now," Darlton told his men, "We're switching to ECCM mode. Link up on channel Alpha-4."
"Everyone, be on the lookout for… uh, what were those things called again?" David questioned.
"Burais. Faux Glasgows," Alfred said in a mocking sort of tone.
"Either way, watch out for them," Darlton told his men and sons.
"Yes, my lord," All the soldiers replied in unison.
Meanwhile; Cornelia led her group up another area as several trees parted ways to reveal several large turrets coming out of the ground.
"How clever, they've turned this whole mountain into a fortress," Cornelia mused.
"Your highness, please fall back," Guilford advised.
"Guilford, don't treat me as though I'm another one of your women," Cornelia said as she sped her Knightmare right into the turrets as they opened fire.
"Princess Cornelia!" Guilford exclaimed, but his worry was unfounded as the Princess' Gloucester swiftly avoided all the gunfire.
She swiped her lance forward to slice down one turret before impaling the second and swerving it around to cut through the third and final one in the area.
"Right, well then I'll cover you from the rear," Guilford said, being reminded of just how strong she was.
"Trying to get in good with the Princess, eh?" Edgar teased Guilford over a private line so that Cornelia couldn't hear, "Can't blame you, she is pretty hot."
"That is the second Princess of Britannia you are speaking of!" Guilford exclaimed with his cheeks turning slightly pink, "Besides, I'm her Knight, I'm supposed to protect her. It's nothing like what you are suggesting."
"Whatever you say," Edgar teased once more.
As Cornelia used her Knightmare's Slash Harkens to dispatch another turret, she received a communication from General Alex, "Viceroy, we have engaged the enemy. However, all resistance appears to be automated. There are no Knightmares so far."
Cornelia looked momentarily surprised as Darlton reported the same thing, "It is the same over here Viceroy. We've only encountered unmanned turrets so far."
"They're only using automated?" Cornelia wondered aloud, "Are these fools too cowardly to even face me?!"
She announced through her Knightmare's speakers as her Gloucester stood proudly with an air of arrogance surrounding her and her men.
"Well, Cornelia is here! Is there no one who will challenge me?!"
Narita Summit
"Well, what is your choice?" Zero asked the Black Knights once more as he, Optimus, Bumblebee, Ohgi, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Kallen, Ironhide, Bulkhead, Rai, and Wheeljack all stood together, "Run or fight?"
No one responded for a minute until Inoue stepped up. She briefly made eye contact with Ohgi and Kallen before speaking, "It's thanks to all of you that we're even here. You've given us no reason to doubt you. So, I'm staying."
Several other Black Knights followed suit as well.
"Yeah, I'm staying too!"
"So am I!"
Even Tamaki seemed to be a bit onboard, although somewhat reluctantly, "Alright, alright, do what you guys want."
"Thanks. Glad to know you're all on board," Cliffjumper smiled as the other Autobots relaxed and went to make one final check to see if everything was ready.
Optimus contacted the Ark once more, "Ratchet, what is the situation?"
The Ark – the Bridge
"The Britannian forces are on the attack," Ratchet reported as he and Fixit watched the signals representing Britannian Knightmares advance up the mountain, "They appear to be engaging in combat, but we haven't seen any movement from the JLF headquarters. They don't seem to be sending out their soldiers."
"It would seem that they have headed our warning," Optimus responded, "Any Decepticon signals?"
"Not yet, but that is bound to change," Ratchet informed.
Fixit received a communication from Zero on a private line, "Fixit, any sign of that white Knightmare? The one that Suzaku pilots?"
"Nothing yet," Fixit reported, "But we haven't been able to isolate any unique id signal from that particular Knightmare yet, so it could be here, but it hasn't engaged yet"
"Alright; let us know immediately if you see it," Zero informed.
As Suzaku sat inside the cockpit of the Lancelot, he glanced back to see Lloyd and Cecile talking about the modifications made to the Lancelot by Knock Out recently. There wasn't any significant change made to the Knightmare yet, but the red Decepticon did promise that it would be much more maneuverable. However, it didn't make him any less nervous than not knowing what was going on. Suzaku got word from Cecile that the attack had begun, but their unit hadn't been called in yet.
Suzaku opened a link on his communications device to speak to the Decepticon standing outside the transport.
"Dreadwing, are you there?"
"I am here," Dreadwing responded from outside as he stood dutifully, looking up the mountain.
"Can you tell me what's going on with the battle?"
Dreadwing's optics zoomed in around the area where he could see multiple explosions. It was pretty far and high, so he couldn't make out any details, but he had a basic idea.
"It would seem that Cornelia's forces have the enemy overwhelmed," Dreadwing informed, "Unless something extraordinary happens, this battle may be over soon."
"Oh, I see."
The Decepticon noticed the tone in the youth's voice, "You sound disappointed."
"Well, it's just… I want to be able to help more," Suzaku said honestly, "I can understand why they don't allow numbers to pilot their Knightmares but…"
"That is a Britannian policy. You may not need to concern yourself with that much longer," Dreadwing informed.
"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked.
"As the ASEEC is an irregular unit, it doesn't fall under the normal Britannian military chain of command," Dreadwing explained, "However, that also means it is available to be taken under Decepticon command. For this particular battle, we are actually under the command of Lord Megatron."
Suzaku's eyes widened, "Megatron is in charge?"
"Indeed," Dreadwing confirmed, "He has recognized your talent and skill. If you perform well, I can guarantee he'll place you in positions that will enable you to fight, as opposed to remaining solely on the sidelines."
Suzaku however didn't respond as this didn't feel like good news, "Is that not what you wanted?"
"Well, not exactly I…" Suzaku began, "It's just… can I tell you something personal Dreadwing?"
"Of course," Dreadwing responded with a sincere tone, indicating he'd be willing to listen.
"I joined the Britannian military because I hope I can change the Empire from within," Suzaku said, "But if I'm in the Decepticon ranks, I don't know if I'll be able to…"
"I can understand your hesitance in this situation." Dreadwing began, "However, you must be willing to understand that the current Britannian system is rather discriminatory towards the so-called Elevens, despite your skills. So it seems unlikely they would put you in a position that will enable you to accomplish your goals."
"But I…" Suzaku stuttered, but Dreadwing wasn't finished.
"However, the Decepticons bare no such discriminatory thoughts. And the more we work alongside Britannia, the more they are willing to listen to us. Therefore, if you are placed in a higher position of power among our ranks, the more of an effect you will have on our associates in Britannia."
Suzaku did see some logic in Dreadwing's way of thinking. "
Young Suzaku, I promise, your goals will not go unnoticed by my master. We will provide you with the means of changing the Britannian Empire, far quicker than what would be if you simply follow their system."
Suzaku thought about this for a moment. If the Decepticons could help him in changing this country, then maybe they could also help him make a better world for Lelouch and Nunnally where they don't have to live in hiding anymore.
Maybe, they really can help.
Narita City
The entire populated area had been completely evacuated. All homes and businesses were empty. There wasn't a single civilian around. However, that didn't mean that no human was still in the city. For in a secret underground laboratory several men in lab coats were discussing the situation.
"Why did they choose this place? If the military should find the experimental data on Code R, then it's all over!"
"Oh my, being inside the terrorist's area, we thought it would be difficult for them to discover us."
"This was all General Bartley's decision, so there is no use in complaining about it."
As these three scientists continued to speak, there was a fourth man, a middle-aged Britannian man with brown hair, over in the next room, contemplating the situation. There was no way he and his cohorts could escape if they made a run for it now; the military would spot them for sure. So the best thing to do was bunker down in this underground bunker and hope they aren't found.
The man took out a locket in his lab coat and opened it to glance at a picture of his wife, and his daughter. He had a remorseful look on his face.
"Shirley… I hope you can forgive me."
Nemesis
Megatron watched in amusement as they saw Cornelia's forces sweep through all defenses the JLF had up against them. It would seem like the entire base would be overrun in moments.
"So, wonder what's taking the Autobots so long?" Knock Out wondered aloud.
"Maybe they didn't show," Thundercracker voiced, "They could just not be here after all."
"Yeah, it's not like they and the JLF are pals, given that mess that Starscream set up back at Lake Kawaguchi," Skywarp mocked.
"Shut up!" Starscream exclaimed, not wanting to be reminded of that failure.
"Not like the Bots to run from a fight, though," Breakdown put his two cents in, "They could just be waiting."
"For what exactly?" Starscream questioned, "Even if they are Britannian, our pawns outnumber the Autobots a hundred to one! Even if they have those measly Black Knights to assist, they're only human."
"Viceroy Cornelia, we appear to have found the entrance to the enemy base!" Darlton's message was intercepted by Soundwave, as was the response.
"Copy, we'll be securing our position here," Cornelia responded.
"Are you certain, Viceroy?" Guilford asked.
"I don't need to steal achievements from my subordinates," Cornelia responded.
This received amused responses from the eavesdropping Decepticons.
"Send the reserve forces to back up Darlton. Looks like he'll be getting another medal."
"Well, isn't that just generous," Knock Out mocked.
Megatron didn't respond but still found it amusing. This was a simple, yet effective strategy. One that was easy to read, however. If Optimus and Zero were present here, then they are likely waiting for an ideal opportunity to strike. But what was this opportunity? All he could do was wait to find out.
However, at the bottom of the mountain; Jeremiah, Villetta, and what was left of the Pureblood faction appeared to be at the very rear of all the action. And Jeremiah wasn't happy about it one bit.
"I thought the reserve units were supposed to be assigned to General Dalton!" Jeremiah slammed his fist onto his Sutherland in frustration.
"That's right, they were," Villetta said, "But our line has to secure the rear line of Princess Cornelia."
"You mean this is the rear line?! You can't get any farther away from the battlefield!" Jeremiah exclaimed, "How am I going to redeem my reputation out here if I'm not even near the fighting?!"
JLF Headquarters
Katase saw on the radar how quickly the Britannian forces were advancing. They were only using automated defenses and landmines they'd set up. But this did little to slow the enemy down. However, if they launched their Knightmares now, they wouldn't have much of a chance to fight back as they were still outnumbered. They were trapped, and the outcome looked all the bleaker. He was now starting to regret listening to the Autobots. Where was this counterattack they told him about?!
"Where is Tohdoh?" he asked himself, "If only he were here the divine wind would blow! We'd have another Miracle of Itsukushima!"
Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords drove two large trucks through the roadblocks set up by the military as fast as they could. However, they were still over eighty kilometers away. They couldn't afford to play it safe right now; their whole group was in danger of being completely wiped out.
"Sir, don't you think this is a little extreme?" Asahina asked Tohdoh.
"Asahina, Chiba, prep the custom Burais, ASAP!" Tohdoh ordered the two Knightmare pilots in the truck with him, "Tell Urabe and Senba behind us to do the same! Traffic is blocked off all around Narita, and they've already begun to attack! I just pray that we're in time!"
"Now is the time!" Optimus ordered all the Black Knights and Autobots on the summit of the mountain, "All Black Knights and Autobots, be prepared to roll out!"
With that order, all Black Knights loaded into their respective Knightmares as Zero himself sat in his Commander-Type Burai, taking off his mask in the process. Kallen and Rai readied their respective Guren and Gekka as well.
"Alright, about time!" Cliffjumper smirked as the Autobots readied their respective weapons or Energon blasters.
"Yeah! Let's do this!" one Black Knight cheered, "With the Autobots and Zero by our side, there's no way we can lose!"
"Time to send these wannabe Cons packing!" Bulkhead exclaimed as he readied his mace weapon.
"Everyone listen up," Zero relayed to all the Autobots and Black Knights from his Knightmare, "We are going to launch a surprise attack from the summit of the mountain. This attack should wipe out more than half the enemy force in an instant. Once that is done, we'll smash through all that remains of the Britannian forces. The primary objective of this operation is to ensure the survival of the Japan Liberation Front. The secondary objective, if at all possible, is to capture Princess Cornelia Li Britannia."
"Okay kid, you ready to do the honors?" Wheeljack motioned to an electrode that was pierced into the ground at the epicenter of the crater they dug up.
"You got it," Rai nodded as his Gekka Pre-Production rolled its way over to the electrode and placed its Radiant Wave Surger onto the top.
"Make the Wreckers proud, kid!" Wheeljack smirked.
Rai took a deep breath, "Activating gauntlet now!"
He pressed a button on a switch. This activated the Radiant Wave Surger and shot a powerful surge of thermal energy through the electrode and deep into the underground water supply. An empty cartridge was then ejected from the gauntlet as Rai could only wait.
"Nothing's happening," Arcee looked around to see nothing had changed.
"Wait for it…" Wheeljack said.
Just two seconds later; the whole ground began to rumble.
Rai smiled excitedly, "It worked!"
The entire ground around the summit of the mountain began to shake and explode out from the outside. Though the Autobots and Black Knights on the top were safe; a massive landslide had begun as it appeared the inside of the mountain had fallen in on itself. C.C. watched from her safe vantage point as what appeared to be a massive sea of rocks, boulders, dirt, and land all fell down the mountain to destroy and bury everything in its path; this included virtually half the entire Britannian military force in the operation.
The entire JLF headquarters was also shaken, but the interior remained intact, as did all the soldiers inside. The Britannian military on the outside however wasn't so lucky.
G1 Base
"What's happening!?" Euphemia exclaimed out of shock as she and the officers saw on the radar half their forces had been buried.
"Impossible! How could a landslide come out of nowhere!?"
The Nemesis
"What?!" Starscream yelped in surprise as he and the other Decepticons present all gawked in surprise. Even Megatron was slightly caught off guard, as they saw the landslide engulf more than half the Britannian units.
"What in the Allspark just happened?!" Skywarp questioned.
"Some sort of geo-quake?" Thundercracker guessed.
"At such a large scale? And incidentally when the Britannian forces were about to wipe out the JLF? Highly doubtful," Knock Out stated.
"So wait… someone caused that on purpose?!" Breakdown questioned.
Megatron looked with an expression that showed how seriously he took the situation while also being impressed at the same time.
"The Autobots, and their Black Knight companions."
The Decepticons looked to their master in surprise.
"Well, they certainly are creative, I'll grant them that much."
Narita
"Climb! Climb! Get to higher ground!" Darlton used his Slash Harkens to pull his Gloucester out of the rockslide, where he was helped by the identical Knightmares of his two sons that were with him.
"Father, are you alright?!" David asked urgently.
"What in the hell just happened?!" Alfred questioned, "A landslide at a time like this!?"
"Status report! Now!" Cornelia barked as she and her units beside her, including Guilford and Edgar, watched in shock and borderline horror as they saw many of their Knightmares consumed and wiped out by the landslide.
"Alex and his unit have been completely wiped out!" Claudio reported, "It's just me and Bart left!"
"Same here!" David reported, "Just me, Dad, and Alfred!"
"Your highness pull back! You're in danger there!" Guilford told her as she was dangerously close to the landslide.
"I don't care! Forget about me, where are the rest of our forces!?" Cornelia exclaimed.
"In the name of Cybertron..."
Dreadwing's optics widened to see the landslide make its way to the evacuated city; burying and crushing countless buildings and any soldiers stationed there.
"Oh my, it's already made its way to the bottom," Lloyd looked more amused if anything else as he saw the landslide's readings on his computer.
"These heat readings are abnormal!" Cecile exclaimed, "Do you believe a hydro-volcanic eruption was artificially induced?!"
"Impossible, unless of course, someone used Rakshata's Radiant Wave Surger," Lloyd said causally, "Then again, I suppose an alien device could have been employed in this use."
"Has something happened?" Suzaku asked the pair from his open cockpit in the Lancelot.
"But it has nothing to do with us, so just relax and continue waiting," Lloyd told him.
Suzaku didn't like that answer so he switched on his communication, "Dreadwing, what's happening out there?"
"A massive landslide has just swept down the mountain, wiping out an estimated half of Cornelia's forces!" Dreadwing reported.
"A what?!" Suzaku stood up from his chair in shock.
The Ark – The Bridge
"The landslide appears to have stopped!" Fixit reported as he and Ratchet saw the readings on the image of the mountain. "More than half of Cornelia's forces are destroyed, and it seems the city is almost completely buried!"
Fixit wiped the top of his head, "It's a good thing we had the city evacuated band… grand… beforehand!"
Ratchet nodded slightly but kept his shocked optics on the image of the mountain as he saw the wave that illustrated the landslide encompass nearly everything in its path before finally coming to a halt.
"By the Allspark," he uttered, "I've never seen anything so destructive."
Lelouch himself had to grimace slightly, "Okay, maybe that was a little overboard. Though we did succeed in evening the odds and isolating Cornelia, we could have toned it down a bit."
He happened to glance towards Optimus as he saw the face of the Autobot leader on his screen. Optimus didn't look impressed nor disappointed. The Autobot leader had hoped this wouldn't be so destructive, but he was still glad that they at least at the city evacuated the night before, so there was little to no chance of any civilian casualties.
However, Optimus' faceplate activated as he gave his orders, "Autobots, Black Knights,… Roll Out!"
Cornelia was still in shock over what had just happened when she received a communication from one of her soldiers.
"New enemy force confirmed moving in from the summit. Carious' unit is moving in to engage them."
"Hoping to take advantage of all the confusion, are they?" Cornelia mused, thinking this was a trick of the Japan Liberation Front.
"Emergency call from Carious Unit!"
"What's wrong!?"
"It's not the Japan Liberation Front… it's… it's the Black Knights and the Autobots! Both of them!"
"What?! Then it's…"
"Zero!" Jeremiah exclaimed as he immediately sped his Sutherland up the mountain, "How dare he and those accursed Autobots show up here!"
"Lord Jeremiah you can't just abandon your post!" Villetta tried to stop him, but he wasn't listening.
"This recalls drastic measures!" Jeremiah exclaimed, "If you want glory in life, then follow me!"
All the Autobots and Black Knights were divided into several groups as the Knightmares rode alongside the vehicle modes of the Transformers, driving down the mountain to smash their way through what limited reinforcements Cornelia had at her disposal. Between the new magnesium ammunition and the Autobots' Energon blasters, this would be simple for them.
Arcee took the lead in her group as she drove in her motorcycle form toward a group of Sutherlands. She sped past several of their gunshots and up a small mound of rock before using it as a ramp and jumping. She transformed and delivered a powerful kick straight to the head of one Sutherland to completely decapitate the Knightmare before landing behind two more. She drew her arm-blades as she sliced off the legs of the one on her right, causing it to fall toward her, where she leaped to cut its head clean off. She then dashed to slice off the gun-arm off the third Sutherland before slicing at its 'face' to render the Knightmare inoperable before it fell.
Three more Sutherlands looked as if they might get the drop on her, but the vehicle form of Cliffjumper drove at high speeds to completely obliterate the one in the middle before transforming right in front of the remaining two Sutherlands and opening fire and rendering them into a burning pile of scrap.
"Way to jump the gun," Cliffjumper joked to his partner and friend, "Save some for the rest of us Arcee."
"Maybe you should try moving a bit faster," Arcee joked back to him.
But their attention was caught as another Sutherland appeared in front of them and shot at them; forcing them to cover themselves with their arms as the Knightmare's ammunition only scratched them slightly.
"You two!" Jeremiah shouted, "Vile abominations, where is Zero?! I demand that you bring him here to face me! Face Jeremiah Gottwald!"
"Jeremiah… Oh, right you're that guy from Suzaku's court-martial," Cliffjumper recognized as he put on a friendly smile, "Long time no see; I'm surprised you're still in the military after that little fiasco. How ya been?"
"Zero's not here," Arcee said to Jeremiah, "He's got bigger fish to fry than clowns like you."
"And we're on a bit of a time-table too," Cliffjumper smirked, "So, we'll have to chat and catch up some other time… Orange boy."
There it was. That name made him a pariah among his fellow soldiers. Bad enough these two Autobots didn't even acknowledge him as an adversary, but they brought up that name?! Before he knew it, Jeremiah saw only red as he glared at the two Autobots that carried taunting smirks.
"Orange?! DIE!"
Before he could even make a move, however, the Guren MK II suddenly appeared in front of him. It quickly drew a knife-like weapon to knock the rifle out of the Sutherland's hands. Jeremiah's Knightmare drew a pair of tonfas on its arms as it readied itself for battle.
"Lord Jeremiah!" Villetta exclaimed, having caught up to him in her own Sutherland.
"Stay out of this!" Jeremiah shouted, "This is my duel!"
"But look at it… I've never seen a Knightmare like that before!" Villetta told him, "Is it possible that the Elevens…"
"You think the Elevens are capable of such technology?!" Jeremiah questioned.
"Oh, you better damn well believe it!" Kallen challenged from inside her Knightmare, "It's not just the Autobots fighting Britannia anymore! We can finally go up against you head-on and win! You're about to have your ass handed to you by this baby the Guren MK II!"
She turned to Arcee and Cliffjumper, "I got this, guys!"
"Have at it," Arcee nodded.
"Yep, he's all yours, partner," Cliffjumper said as well.
Jeremiah was the first to attack with his tonfas, but Kallen was able to block it with the Guren's silver claw. It spun around the Sutherland as Jeremiah tried to attack her, only for Kallen to nimbly jump higher than any other Knightmare could jump before.
"It's fast!" Jeremiah exclaimed as he was barely able to roll back in time to avoid a downward ax kick as the Guren landed. Kallen went on the offensive as she drove her Knightmare's knife straight at the Sutherland which was barely able to block with the tonfas it held. She then readied its claw.
"Oh hell, there's something in its right hand!" Jeremiah noticed, "But if I keep my distance…" He tried to back away.
"Don't think so," Cliffjumper taunted as Kallen activated the extender on the claw, enabling it to reach out and grab the Sutherland's head. It tried to pull back, but the Guren's grip was far too strong.
"Sorry," Kallen muttered before she activated her Radiant Wave Surger. It shot a massive surge of thermal energy throughout the Sutherland; causing it to melt and explode throughout its insides. The entire Knightmare looked as if it was about to pop like a bag of popcorn. Jeremiah himself could feel the intense heat from the cockpit.
"What… what the hell is happening?!" he exclaimed as all his systems were overloading.
"Lord Jeremiah eject!" Villetta warned him.
"I can't!" Jeremiah shouted with bloodshot eyes, "I have two of those god-forsaken Autobots right in front of me!"
He saw how both Arcee and Cliffjumper just stood there. Arcee had a hand on her hip while Cliffjumper just waved his hand, basically saying 'goodbye'. He saw his Knightmare was about to eject him automatically.
"The auto-eject… Don't you DARE activate!" Jeremiah practically screamed as his whole body began to cook from the intense heat. His nose bleeds significantly and his whole Sutherland was ready to pop.
"I CAN STILL GET THEM! I KNOW IT! I KNOW I CAN STILL GET THEM…!"
Right before he lost consciousness, the auto-eject activated as his cockpit was shot far into the distance before the Sutherland exploded and the Guren MK II stood dramatically in front of the fire.
"I won't lose!" Kallen declared, "Not with this! Not with the Guren MK II."
Arcee had a proud smile on her face as she nodded while Cliffjumper laughed, "That's our girl."
Villetta was in a state of complete shock, "She defeated Lord Jeremiah… The Autobots are strong on their own but… the Black Knights. Are they just as strong? How… how can we… defeat them…?"
The Nemesis
Soundwave had intercepted multiple radio transmissions which all but confirmed the Autobots were indeed present, along with the Black Knights.
"So that was their plan," Thundercracker mused, "They let Cornelia come in close and they sprung a trap that wiped out most of her forces, leaving her vulnerable for them to come in and take the win."
"Hmm, not a half-bad strategy," Knock Out pointed out, "This Zero certainly has a flair for the dramatics. I like him."
Breakdown scoffed, "This whole thing just reeks of Wrecker-stench."
"So, we gonna go down there and smash some steel?" Skywarp asked.
"Indeed, Lord Megatron," Starscream proposed, "Perhaps it's time for us to play our hand."
Megatron himself chuckled darkly, "Let the slaughter begin."
Chapter 16: Battle for Narita
Chapter Text
"What are our losses?" Darlton questioned over the radio just as he regrouped with what was left of his squad, including Alfred and David.
"I can only locate about twenty percent of our forces, Dad," David responded.
"Twenty percent?!" Darlton exclaimed, "Our command structure cannot sustain this!"
"How could a landslide have come out of nowhere?!" Suzaku questioned from the Camelot unit as the top opened up so he could speak with Dreadwing directly.
"At a time like this, with such devastating effects, I doubt this was a natural phenomenon," Dreadwing assumed.
"That would make sense, considering we're getting so many unconfirmed reports about the Autobots and the Black Knights have appeared," Lloyd said casually.
"Zero…" Suzaku muttered as Dreadwing's optics narrowed.
"Well, well, this looks like it's our chance!" Lloyd exclaimed.
"You're so rash!" Cecile scolded him.
"Why's that?"
Cecile gave something of a mocking smile, "Would you like a detailed explanation?"
Lloyd's grin formed into an annoyed frown, "Uh… no I'll pass."
"We are not doing anything without Lord Megatron's orders," Dreadwing stated firmly.
"But Dreadwing…" Suzaku tried to reason.
"I understand your concerns, Suzaku, however for this operation, we act directly under my master. We cannot rush in without knowing the full situation, that is simply asking for trouble. Once our superiors have full knowledge of the situation, they will give us our orders."
Suzaku didn't respond, though he knew Dreadwing had a point, he didn't like having to sit by and do nothing at a time like this.
G1 Headquarters
"Is the viceroy safe?"
"Yes, she was outside the mudflow. But most of the units guarding her flank are lost, that means she's isolated!"
"What the hell are those Purebloods doing?!"
Lord Kewell opened fire at the incoming Arcee in her vehicle mode, but she was able to avoid all the bullets shot at her before she transformed directly underneath the enemy Sutherland and used the momentum combined with her arm-blades to vertically slice the entire Knightmare in half, killing the pilot in the process.
"Lord Kewell!" Villetta exclaimed in horror.
Multiple enemy Sutherlands tried to shoot her down, but both Cliffjumper, in his vehicle mode, and the Guren MK II soared right towards the enemy. Cliffjumper transformed and delivered a punch that completely wrecked the cockpit of one Sutherland before opening fire with his Energon blasters to obliterate a second. The Guren swerved in from behind him to slash its knife and decapitate one Sutherland before attaching her Radiant Wave Surger onto the cockpit of another before Kallen activated it and the Sutherland exploded shortly after.
"Arcee, Cliffjumper, Kallen, we've isolated the unit being led by General Darlton a few clicks from your current position," Ratchet informed as Kallen's Knightmare received the data and brought it up on her screen, "Intercept them before they can regroup with Cornelia."
"Right," Kallen nodded as she drove her Sutherland to follow the coordinates just as Arcee and Cliffjumper transformed to follow her.
"They're getting away!" one Pureblood exclaimed as there were only three left, including Villetta, "Go after them!"
"Negative!" Villetta stated, "Our priority is protecting the Viceroy! We must regroup with her immediately!"
Meanwhile in another part of the mountains; multiple enemy Sutherlands faced an incoming group of Bots and BKs consisting of Zero, Ohgi, and Tamaki in their respective Burais alongside the vehicle modes of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Ironhide as they drove down the slope. The enemy units opened fire.
"All units, cover Optimus!" Zero ordered, "Let him and the Autobots take the lead. We'll handle all the stragglers!"
"Understood," Ohgi replied just as the three Autobots took the lead.
Optimus was the first to attack as he barreled himself directly towards seven Sutherlands. He ramming and ran over two of them in his vehicle mode before transforming and grabbing a third by its head and throwing it at least a hundred feet away from the area. His right arm converted into a blade as the Autobot leader slashed downward to vertically cut a Sutherland in half before his left arm transformed into an Energon blaster that he shot and blew out the cockpit of the fifth Sutherland. Optimus then decapitated the sixth Sutherland before punching down to obliterate the seventh with a single punch.
Ironhide was next as he transformed to face four Sutherlands. They opened fire, but he was already on the attack as he simply blasted his Energon cannons to reduce all four enemy Knightmares to scrap metal in one large blast. Bumblebee gave him back up as he drove up a hillside and flew off it like a ramp towards three incoming Sutherlands; he crashed into and destroyed the middle one before transforming as he landed to sweep both his feet and knock both of them down to the ground in one fell swoop. He shot with both his Energon blasters at the heads to disable the Knightmares.
Ohgi saw the three Autobots' work and was beyond amazed. Though he'd seen them in action before, it was still a sight to behold. Especially Optimus as he took down more than half a dozen Knightmares in an instant.
"Come on Ohgi! You heard Zero, let's back 'em up!" Tamaki stated.
"Right."
Ohgi got back to reality as both their Burais came to a halt in front of a group of five Sutherlands. They immediately opened fire on the enemy, but due to their high-heat magnesium ammunition, the bullets not only shot through the enemy Knightmares like swiss-cheese, they even melted in certain areas due to the intense heat, a few even exploded.
"Hot damn! This magnesium stuff is awesome! How come we never tried this before?!" Tamaki exclaimed with a grin as Ohgi was just as amazed himself.
"Don't get too cocky, soldiers," Ironhide instructed, "We're not done yet."
"Ironhide is correct, we must maintain our guard," Optimus agreed as he accessed his comms, "Ratchet, any sign of the Decepticons?"
"Not yet, but that's bound to change any minute," Ratchet replied.
"However, we are detecting multiple Knightmare signals emerging from the mountains," Fixit reported, "They don't appear to match any Sutherland or any other Britannian frequencies; they could be the JLF."
"Looks like they headed our warning, that's good," Ohgi assumed, "So, are they on our side?"
"We can't know for sure," Zero informed, "Keep your focus on the Britannian forces, but also keep an eye out. The JLF could be our allies, or they could just be trying to escape. Either way, do not engage unless they engage us first."
"Yes sir," Ohgi responded.
"If we manage to pull this off, we can score a huge victory over Britannia," Lelouch thought to himself, "Even so…"
Meanwhile, just outside the mountain, two familiar trucks were well within range, but no one was driving. They had handles on the steering wheels and gas pedals to keep them going as five particular pilots mounted their Knightmares.
"All units, are you ready?" Tohdoh questioned.
"Yes sir," four voices replied at the same time.
"Alright, deploy the Custom Burais!" Tohdoh ordered.
"Deploying!"
Five Burais were brought up to the top of the moving trucks. Four were dark grey, while the one at the lead had a beige color to it. Each of them had some kind of katana-like weapon attached to it. These were known as Burai Kai.
"Listen up," Tohdoh began to instruct, "It seems like the Autobots and their Black Knight allies have the same goal as us, which should allow us to hit Cornelia from behind. Capture Cornelia now! Assist the Autobots and the Black Knights! Take revenge for what happened seven years ago!"
"Yes sir! By the honor of the Four Holy Swords!"
"What?!" Cornelia exclaimed as one of her Gloucesters exploded, and out of the smoke came Rai in his Gekka Pre-Production, alongside Bulkhead and Wheeljack in their vehicle modes.
The two Autobots transformed as Bulkhead used the momentum, driving his fist up as it converted into his mace and he completely crushed one Sutherland entirely just as Wheeljack opened fire with both his Energon blasters to destroy the heads off two Sutherlands. The two Autobots, along with Rai in his Knightmare, came face-to-face with Cornelia, Guilford, Edgar, along with Bart and Claudio having to all manage to regroup in their Gloucesters along with a few other Sutherlands.
"The Autobots?!" Guilford shouted.
"Wait… what's that blue Knightmare?!" Edgar questioned.
"Hold on… who's that white Autobot? I've never seen that one in the reports before!" Bart stated.
Wheeljack smirked as he drew both his swords and pointed one towards Cornelia's Gloucester, "You in the cape? You're that royal lady Cornelia?"
Cornelia narrowed her eyes at being addressed so casually by an enemy, "And just who are you, Autobot?"
"Name's Wheeljack. And you're now face-to-face with the Wreckers!"
He, Bulkhead, and Rai's Gekka all stood firmly facing the enemy.
"Wreckers?" Guilford questioned in thought, "What is that? Some sort of special Autobot unit? They might be more organized than we thought."
"Protect her highness!" Guilford exclaimed as he and the three other Glaston Knights surrounded their Princess and ten Sutherlands in total zoomed towards the three Wreckers.
"Let's do this, guys!" Rai stated, as a Geass sigil formed in his left eye.
He soared towards the enemy as his Gekka drew its katana. One Sutherland tried to impale him with a lance, but Rai swung the katana down to slice through the lance-like butter before slicing the Sutherland's arm and cockpit in a single swing. Rai launched his Gekka's Radiant Wave Surger at a second incoming Sutherland; which grabbed the cockpit before he activated it. Just like with Kallen's, the enemy Knightmare melted and popped from the inside before it completely exploded.
Three Sutherlands charged towards Bulkhead with their lances; the front most one tried to pierce him, but he stood firm and the lance didn't even penetrate the metal skin on Bulkhead as it was crushed against him. Bulkhead delivered an upward swing with his mace to obliterate the front-half of the Sutherland, cockpit-and-all. He converted his left hand into his Energon cannon to shoot and obliterate the second enemy just as the third was about to charge him, but Bulkhead caught the Sutherland's lance with both hands with no effort before spinning his body to spin the lance and enemy Knightmare before letting go to send the Sutherland flying to parts unknown.
Four Sutherlands shot at Wheeljack as they rolled towards him, but he swung his swords to block each bullet that was coming his way before the enemy got close enough for Wheeljack to go on the offensive; he sliced vertically to cut one Sutherland in half before impaling the second in the cockpit with his blade. He then jumped up above a third and brought his blades down to decapitate the Sutherland before spinning his blades back and driving them backward into the fourth and final Sutherland.
Cornelia herself growled at how easily those two Autobots and that single Black Knight obliterated a dozen Sutherlands like they were nothing. She would have given the order for the ones guarding her rear to attack if it weren't for Guilford's alert.
"Your highness! Enemies coming from behind!"
"What!?"
The five Burai Kais piloted by the Four Holy Swords suddenly appeared out of the forest, each one drawing a katana blade near identical to the one Rai was using and attacked immediately. Tohdoh took the lead as he used his Knightmare's katana to cut one Sutherland in half from behind before zooming to slice a second one incoming.
"Surround them!" Tohdoh ordered as his four companions came in from behind.
"Who are these guys?" Wheeljack asked.
"Those are Burais, I think, but they're not ours," Rai identified.
"They gotta be JLF," Bulkhead assumed.
"So, they're on our side?" Wheeljack wondered.
Just as Tohdoh zoomed in to slash and destroy another Sutherland, he addressed the Wrecker Trio.
"Autobots, Black Knights, I understand that our groups have not been on the best of terms in the past. But for now, we have a common goal. We'll assist you in defeating Britannia, while you assist us in evacuating our forces!"
"That would be a yes," Rai answered Wheeljack's previous question.
"Sounds like a deal," Bulkhead spoke to Tohdoh directly as he and Wheeljack ran while Rai piloted his Sutherland to assist their new allies in destroying the last of the Sutherlands.
"This reminds me of seven years ago," Asahina said.
"But it's different now," Chiba stated, "This time not only do we have Knightmares, but allies of our own."
"I think it's time to finally put Britannia in their place!" Urabe said with an excited grin.
Guilford, Claudio, Bart, Edgar, and the other Glaston Knights present spread out to engage the Autobots, Rai, Tohdoh, and the Four Holy Swords and protect their princess.
"Your highness, leave them to us! Please, you have to withdraw for now!" Guilford told his princess as he used his Gloucester's lance to block Wheeljack's swords.
Cornelia knew that Guilford could handle this, she had faith in her knight. But above all, she also knew that if the Autobots were here, then their leader wouldn't be far behind, "Very well, I know a way to turn this around. Guilford, after you drive them back, meet me at Point-9."
"Point-9? I understand," Guilford nodded as he broke away from Wheeljack.
"Cornelia!" Senba exclaimed as he and Urabe drove their Burai Kais straight for the Princess but had to use their katanas to block both Slash Harkens her Gloucester shot at them.
"You weaklings!" Cornelia thrust her lance at Senba's Burai Kai, but the weapon was batted away by a slash from the blue Gekka's sword.
"Don't think so, lady!" Rai exclaimed as he tried to lash his Surger Claw at her, but she swerved her Gloucester under it and drove away from the scene.
"At last… Optimus Prime! For the humiliation that you dealt me, I shall finally destroy you!" Cornelia thought to herself with an evil smirk as she drove towards her intended destination.
"After her!" Senba was about to pursue her, but Rai raised his Knightmare's silver claw to halt their advance.
"No! Let her go!"
"What? You're letting her get away?!" Urabe questioned.
"Just trust us!" Rai stated before accessing his comms, "Zero, Optimus; Cornelia took the bait! She's left her royal guard and heading for your position now!"
"Understood. Well done Rai," Optimus congratulated.
"Oh, by the way, we got some back-up," Rai informed, "Some Burais being used by the JLF are helping us fight off Cornelia's royal guard. They seem to be holding their own."
"Good, now demolish the Britannian Knightmares! Don't let a single one of them help Cornelia!" Zero ordered.
"You got it," Rai smirked, his Geass flashing even brighter as he, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Tohdoh, and the Four Holy Swords regrouped to face the Glaston Knights.
"We will not allow you to pass!" Guilford stated firmly as he readied his Gloucester, "Autobots, Black Knights, JLF, this mountain will be the end of all of you!"
"Big talk, how about you put those words into action," Bulkhead challenged.
Wheeljack smirked, "This should be fun."
JLF Headquarters
Tohdoh's face appeared on the screen of the control room, which was more-or-less functional despite the massive tremor that shook up the entire mountain.
"I'm sorry for the late arrival, General."
General Katase couldn't contain his relieved smile, "Tohdoh! We've been waiting!"
"General, we're assisting the Autobots and the Black Knights as we speak. We have the same goal, and I believe that we can accomplish it by working together. How many more units do we have?"
"Almost all of them!" Katase stated, "The Autobot leader gave us a warning of Cornelia's attack and had us dig ourselves in to avoid getting swept up in the landslide. We've sent our forces out to assist them."
"Good. This is our chance to turn the whole war around!"
It was happening all over the mountain; JLF Burais made contact with the modified black Burais and Sutherlands all owned by the Black Knights and quickly overwhelmed what was left of Cornelia's forces. In addition to being heavily outnumbered, all the enemy Knightmares were melted by the Black Knights' custom magnesium ammunition as if they were made of butter. Needless to say, it was a losing battle for Britannia. Even Darlton and his squad were forced back enemy fire from the mountain.
"Fall back!" Darlton ordered as he and his unit fired their rocket launchers to stave off the enemy, "We have to find a way to link up with Viceroy Cornelia!"
"You don't have that kind of time!"
Darlton turned around in surprise to see Cliffjumper arrive on the scene in his vehicle mode before he transformed and punched down one Gloucester. He jumped back to avoid a rocket shot at him by Darlton as he, Alfred, David, and the rest of their squad aimed their heavy artillery weapons at him. But they didn't get a chance to fire as Arcee sped up as a motorcycle off of an incline over them before transforming and opening fire with her Energon blasters as she fell. With multiple precise hits, all the enemy's heavy weapons had been destroyed.
"You, filthy alien!" Alfred was just about to charge in at Arcee, but the Guren landed in front to halt his path as Kallen lashed out her Radiant Wave Surger claw to grab onto the cockpit of Alfred's Sutherland before she activated the deadly device.
Alfred looked in surprise as he saw his entire cockpit beginning to overheat as his Knightmare began to explode.
"What… no! I can't lose! Not to a damn Eleven…!"
Those were the last words he ever said before his entire Knightmare exploded.
"ALFRED!" David exclaimed in shock at seeing his adoptive brother die and even Darlton was rendered speechless.
"Not so fun watching your friends die right in front of you, is it?" Kallen growled. A part of her did feel bad for killing some of these people. A few of them could just be following orders and had families, but she knew that there was no getting through to Britannia. The only way to survive was to fight and beat them; and with the Guren in her possession, as well as her friends the Autobots by her side, she was determined to do just that.
"Destroy them all!" Darlton ordered as he and his squad charged forward.
Kallen drew her Guren's knife as she got to work to destroy two Gloucesters while Arcee drew her arm-blades to block and slash at the slash harkens launched by David's Knightmare.
Cliffjumper ran directly towards Darlton's charging Knightmare before the Britannian knight lashed out a punch, but Cliff swerved around it to deliver a punch of his own to knock him back. Cliff then swept his feet to knock Darlton's Gloucester onto the ground. He aimed his Energon blaster at the Knightmare's head to disable it, but Darlton launched his slash harkens upwards to force Cliffjumper back as they managed to scratch his face slightly.
The red Autobot felt a trickle of Energon coming down his mouth and smirked as he saw Darlton stand back up in his Knightmare, "Looks like someone knows how to fight."
G1 Headquarters
"Sub Viceroy Euphemia, you must act now to prevent a disaster!" one officer stated to the young Princess, "Send the in the G1!"
"No!" the Princess replied.
"But both Commanders Guilford and Darlton have been completely pinned down!" another officer told her, "Even the most elite of the Glaston Knights are stuck! Viceroy Cornelia's life is at stake here!"
"We can't!" Euphemia exclaimed. She was beyond worried for her elder sister's safety, but she couldn't risk the lives of those that were here with her, "There's a field hospital here, and civilians!"
However, this wasn't completely correct as the Autobots and Black Knights already arranged to have the city evacuated the night before, "Besides, the G1 base is our command center! The Viceroy ordered me not to move it no matter what! I just can't…"
"That won't be necessary, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia."
Euphemia and the Officers looked up in surprise to see the main screen turn to static before it began to clear to reveal the face of Megatron. Seeing his red eyes was enough to make Euphie's heart skip a beat; but even more surprising was another screen popping up right next to it with the faces of Suzaku, Lloyd, and Cecile on it. Even Dreadwing's face appeared on a smaller third screen.
"Me… Megatron!?" Euphemia stuttered.
The Nemesis
Soundwave was easily able to access the G1's communications link and was able to connect it to that of the Avalon as well as Dreadwing's communication as the Lord of the Decepticons addressed all those he contacted from the bridge.
"All incoming reports have indicated that the Black Knights and the Autobots have arrived onto the scene, and even the Japan Liberation Front is providing their assistance in this battle," Megatron informed, "With Cornelia's forces already reduced to less than ten percent, it is clear she is incapable of handling this overwhelming enemy, as such, I am now assuming command of this operation."
"What?!"
"You will do no such thing!"
While the Britannian officers exclaimed their frustrations, Lloyd looked more than a little intrigued.
"Aha, so the high and mighty leader of the Decepticons is coming out to play, is he?" Lloyd mused, though Megatron shot him a small glare, which was enough to frighten Asplund, and even Cecile, as they stumbled back.
"In addition, I am also ordering the deployment of the Lancelot and its pilot, Suzaku Kururugi," Megatron continued, "Dreadwing, I trust you to stay by Kururugi's side. Though he is a formidable pilot, it has been noted that he still has trouble dealing with the Autobots."
"As you wish, Lord Megatron," Dreadwing nodded.
"I'm being deployed too?" Suzaku voiced in surprise.
"Of course, it is what you wanted, is it not?" Megatron reminded, "To be on the battlefield as a soldier as opposed to being forced on the sidelines and simply watch?"
Though Suzaku offered no response, he silently agreed that he wanted to get out there and help. He hated not being able to do anything.
"You cannot be serious!" One Britannian officer stated.
"The ASEEC is an irregular unit with an Eleven for a pilot! They cannot…"
"The ASEEC is under my command, as it is an irregular unit as you say, but that also means it can be integrated into whatever unit that chooses it," Megatron said calmly yet firmly, "I have taken ownership of the unit and placed it in my command; and seeing how your precious Viceroy Cornelia is on the verge of being captured or killed, with her forces overwhelmed, I would say the only way to avert a disaster is for me to take the reins. And in case you are wondering, this is not a request."
Megatron's glare was enough to silence and startle Euphemia, as well as the Officers present.
The Decepticon leader turned to the Camelot unit and Dreadwing, "Do you all find these terms to be acceptable?"
"I do, master," Dreadwing bowed his head.
"Oh absolutely!" Lloyd exclaimed joyously, "I've been wanting to test the upgrades Knock Out gave to my Lancelot, and what better way to see them in action than in a real battle?!"
"Young Kururugi?" Megatron asked the only person who didn't respond yet.
Though Suzaku wouldn't openly say that he fully trusted Megatron, he knew that having his permission here would mean that he'd be deployed into the battle, which was what he needed.
"Yes, send me into the battle!"
"Very well," Megatron smiled, doing his best to hide the malevolent expression within in it.
"Suzaku!" Euphemia spoke to the young Honorary Britannian directly, "Save my sister! Please!"
Suzaku was slightly startled as Euphemia spoke to him on a personal level but maintained a professional persona, "Right, I won't fail."
Megatron noticed the observation with interest. It would seem that Suzaku and Euphemia are becoming closer. Perhaps this relationship could be of use to him if properly manipulated.
Narita
Guilford clashed his lance against Wheeljack's swords, but the Autobot was able to drive a powerful kick to send the Gloucester skidding back. Guilford threw a chaos mine into the air, but before it could deploy, Wheeljack threw his own grenade up to meet it, causing both to explode in the air. Before Guilford could even respond to that, Wheeljack was already on him, swinging his swords at him; which Guilford was barely able to block with his lance as he backed away.
"Is that all you got?" Wheeljack taunted.
"Damn it," Guilford muttered to himself, "The Autobot is much stronger than we thought."
It wasn't just Guilford that was having trouble; Claudio thrust his Gloucester's lance against the katana wielded by Rai's Gekka which he blocked and parried. Claudio backed away as he launched his slash harkens at Rai, but the young Black Knight instinctively threw up his silver claw and activated the Radiant Wave Surger just as the harkens made contact; causing them to melt and rending them useless.
"Damn Eleven," Claudio grunted.
"May wanna take a look behind you, pal," Rai told him; causing Claudio to look in surprise as Tohdoh's own Burai Kai came in with his katana.
Claudio couldn't react in time as Tohdoh slashed down diagonally at the cockpit, killing the pilot inside.
"Claudio!" Bart exclaimed, seeing his brother die; but he didn't even get a chance to react as Bulkhead already ran towards him to attack.
Bart panicked and instinctively threw out his lance towards Bulkhead, but the green Autobot was able to block and crush it with a swing of his mace weapon before forming his Energon cannon in his other arm and shooting at it with a close-ranged and point-blank shot. Bart and his whole Knightmare were utterly destroyed.
Senba zoomed in to cut down one Gloucester while Asahina provided back-up as well to cut down a Gloucester coming to ambush them. With Bulkhead, Rai, and Wheeljack, even Tohdoh, facing off against the most elite Glaston Knights, the rest seemed pretty insignificant compared to them.
Edgar, the only remaining elite among the Glaston Knights present, save for Guilford was stuck on the defensive from Chiba and Urabe's Burai Kais. But, fortunately, backup quickly came as multiple bullets were shot down from a trio of Sutherlands, the remnants of the Purebloods being led by Villetta as they joined Guilford.
"Lord Guilford! We're here to help!" Villetta stated as she rolled up right next to Guilford's Gloucester.
"What about Zero?! Where is he?! And that lead Autobot, Optimus Prime?!" Guilford questioned.
"I don't know! We haven't seen either of them yet!"
Wheeljack chuckled, getting both their attention, "You haven't figured it out yet? Don't you think it's odd? You guys are up against the Wreckers and the JLF's best soldiers right now, and your forces here have been cut in half. Don't you think it's odd that we're all still here and none of us have gone after your little Princess?"
"What are you getting at, Autobot?!" Villetta questioned out of anger.
"You've been wondering where our leaders are? Maybe you should take a look where your leader is right now," Wheeljack said with a knowing smirk.
Guilford's eyes widened as he had realized that they have been played. He looked for the signal of Cornelia's Knightmare and found it heading right for a group of enemy units that would surround her in minutes.
"PRINCESS CORNELIA!"
Cornelia's Gloucester had made its way towards a massive trench and found her way barded by both Bumblebee and Ironhide.
"I got the message, Guilford."
Suzaku placed his ignition key within the Lancelot and got it primed and ready for launch. The white Knightmare stood at the ready as Dreadwing stood by his side.
"Stay beside me, Suzaku," Dreadwing told him, "Do not go off on your own. Consider that an order."
"I understand, Dreadwing."
Megatron contacted Suzaku again as his face appeared on the cockpit's monitor.
"Suzaku Kururugi, you have the coordinates; though we have reason to believe the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, is there as well."
Suzaku's eyes widened slightly as he remembered the Autobot leader and how he and Zero saved him from being executed, as well as saving all his friends from the terrorists at the hotel jacking, so he had mixed feelings about going against him.
"However, you are ordered not to engage him! Battle whatever Autobots or Black Knights are nearby, and secure Cornelia if you desire, but do not engage Optimus. I shall deal with him myself."
Suzaku looked in surprise, "You're coming here?"
"But of course," Megatron replied as though it were obvious, "I am the leader of the Decepticons, and an effective leader must set the best example for his troops. Wouldn't you agree?"
That caught Suzaku off-guard. "An effective leader must set the best example for his troops". That phrase sounded almost exactly like Lelouch when the two played chess in their childhood. He remembered Lelouch always started with the King piece, and when Suzaku asked why, Lelouch would respond with "If the King doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?". The words were different, but Lelouch's saying was nearly identical to Megatron's, and it made him feel quite uncomfortable.
"There is one thing however that I must ask, Suzaku," Megatron told him, "From what Dreadwing has told me of you, you do not like it when someone's life is taken, and yet you are in the military where death is not just likely, it is guaranteed. Why is that?"
Suzaku straightened himself, "I'm in the military to stop people from dying."
Megatron raised an eyebrow, "Quite contradictory, and you may soon find that life is not so simple. But, why don't we see if your actions merit the same results as your words? Be ready to be deployed."
"As you command…" Suzaku struggled to say the last part, mostly because of how he still doesn't completely trust Megatron, but he still said it as he was his commander for this operation.
"… Lord Megatron."
The Nemesis – the Bridge
Megatron couldn't contain his sneer as he knew that Suzaku was almost completely within his grasp. He contacted all his subordinates via Soundwave as the Decepticon surveillance chief prepared to open multiple Groundbridges at once.
"All units, launch immediately!"
Narita
"What are you waiting for, kid?!" Ironhide challenged Cornelia, "Come and get us!"
"Filthy abominations!"
Cornelia thrust her lance towards the Autobot duo, though Bumblebee jumped up to the wall and propelled off it to land behind Cornelia. Ironhide used the blunt side of his cannon to block and parry Cornelia's lance before delivering a punch to send the Gloucester reeling backward, right towards Bumblebee who punched the Knightmare's face himself and send it crashing into the side of the trench.
Cornelia launched her Slash Harkens upwards towards the other trench wall to fly over both Autobots and shoot down at them with her rifle, but they managed to maneuver out of the way and avoid getting shot at. However, just as her Gloucester hung from the wall, the wall itself was shot by multiple magnesium bullets and several Energon blasts, causing it to collapse and Cornelia to fall. She glanced back to see the ones responsible.
"Prime… Zero…" she practically gnashed her teeth.
"This is checkmate, Cornelia," Zero spoke from his Burai, with Optimus, Ohgi, and Tamaki right beside him, "Your move was beyond predictable. Ever since Optimus defeated you in Saitama, you've just been dying for a rematch. Your pride blinded you, and in vengeance, you fell right into your trap."
"Oh, and in case you're wondering, your army is all but finished," Ironhide addressed Cornelia directly, "You've got maybe half a dozen soldiers left, so I'd say you've lost."
"Princess Cornelia," Optimus began, "Despite your hostile intent towards the innocent, I can see that you are at least compassionate towards your soldiers and civilians."
"Is there a point to your bluster, Prime?" Cornelia questioned.
"Only that Megatron knows nothing of that. He lives solely for destruction and conquest," Optimus continued, "But there is another path. Surrender now, and I guarantee your life will be spared, as will the lives of your remaining soldiers."
Unfortunately, Cornelia appeared to have lost all sense of reason.
"You're a fool, Prime! I will never surrender, especially to you of all people!"
She aimed her rifle directly at Optimus, but before she could shoot, it was blasted out of her hands by Bumblebee with his Energon blaster.
Cornelia roared as she thrust her lance at the yellow Autobot, but Bumblebee swerved around it and delivered a punch to the side of the Gloucester. The Autobot scout formed a boxing stance and laid multiple punches across the Knightmare, forcing it to stumble backward. Cornelia was about to go on the attack again, but Ironhide grabbed the Knightmare's cape from behind.
"Piece of advice, you may want to rethink the cape. It doesn't help you in a fight," Ironhide said with a knowing smirk before pulling on the cape, pulling in Cornelia's Knightmare, which Ironhide grabbed to lift over his whole body and slam it down hard onto the ground. Cornelia grunted as she felt her whole body rock, but she was able to pull it back up, albeit a bit shakily.
However, Zero opened fire with his Burai's rifle's magnesium ammunition was able to blast off and practically melt the Gloucester's right arm, as well as the rifle attached to it.
"Coward!" she spat to Zero, "Attacking from behind!"
"If I recall correctly, you tried to massacre the entire Saitama ghetto in an attempt to drive us into the open," Lelouch said with a glare in his eyes, "Someone willing to slaughter defenseless children has no right to call anyone a coward."
Darlton groaned as his Gloucester was punched back and slammed against the wall by an attack from Cliffjumper. David's own Gloucester was also knocked back, though it was missing its right arm, curtsey of Arcee. The two Autobots as well as Kallen in the Guren MK II faced and cornered the only two Britannian Knightmares remaining in the area.
"I can't believe it…" David uttered, fear lingering in his voice, "Is this… how we're gonna go out…?"
"The Autobots…. Black Knights…" Darlton thought as glanced fearfully at the trio facing him, "I never… never imagined they'd be this strong."
Senba sliced down one Sutherland as Urabe did the same for the second in their Burai Kais. Villetta desperately tried to use her Knightmare's tonfas, but Rai was able to destroy them easily with a slice of his Gekka's katana. He moved in to grab her Sutherland's head with his Surger claw, but Villetta, the last surviving remember of the Purebloods, was forced to eject to save her own life.
Asahina parried his Burai Kai's katana against a Gloucester's lance, but the Britannian Knightmare was cut down from behind by Chiba. Bulkhead caught the lance from Edgar's Gloucester before he grabbed and completely tore off the arm of the Knightmare. He then crushed the head unit with a clap of his massive hands to disable it, though Edgar himself was alive.
Guilford was locked in a stalemate against Tohdoh. His Gloucester's lance against the Burai Kai's katana, but Wheeljack had jumped into the air above the duel and sliced both his swords to completely sever both arms of the Gloucester before finishing it off with a kick to knock it down.
With all the Britannian forces in the area dealt with; Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Rai, Tohdoh, and the Four Holy Swords came together to look down expectantly at the Britannian knight, expecting him to be smart and surrender.
The defeated Knight's own eyes shook with terror, but not for himself, "If this keeps up… Princess Cornelia will be…"
"Guilford…"
His eyes widened as he heard his Princess contact him and speak in a tone that indicated this would be the last time that she'd be speaking to him.
"Guilford… my Knight… Thank you for everything, I couldn't have asked for a better Knight, nor can I think of anyone else to take care of Euphie. I will not surrender! As a Britannian Princess, I will fight to the last!"
"PRINCESS CORNELIA!"
Before any of the Autobots or Black Knights could move on the vulnerable Cornelia, they and all other Bots and BKs in the area got an emergency call from Ratchet and Fixit.
"Emergency! Emergency!" Fixit shouted, "Multiple Decepticon units incoming! Repeat, multiple Decepticons incoming!"
"The entire mountain is surrounded! I'm counting over a hundred Decepticon signals closing in!" Ratchet reported.
True to his word, a large Groundbridge portal opened up in the air high above the group as several Vehicons in their jet-vehicle modes flew out, being led by a large silver Cybertronian aircraft. However, they weren't the only ones as they were also joined in by a large blue jet, which was the vehicle mode of Dreadwing, and right behind him came a large explosion from the side of the trench, with the Lancelot itself coming out of the dust.
Bumblebee and Ironhide had immediately leaped out of the way and up above the trench as the Lancelot emerged.
"Oh, you gotta be freaking kidding!" Ironhide grunted.
"All units! Open fire now!" Optimus ordered as he Ohgi, Zero, Bumblebee, Tamaki, and Ironhide shot up in the air towards the incoming force of Vehicons that responded with their own Energon blasts.
"First that damn white Knightmare from Shinjuku and Lake Kawaguchi now this?!" Tamaki shouted out of frustration as he and the other black Burais attempted to dodge the red Energon blasts while also returning fire.
"[Complain later! Survive now!]" Bumblebee beeped as he did the same.
However, Suzaku wasn't too concerned with the Autobots at the moment as the Lancelot quickly slid in front of the downed Gloucester owned by Cornelia.
"Viceroy, are you alright? I came to help your highness!" Suzaku stated.
"Special corps? Who authorized you?" Cornelia voiced in surprise.
Megatron, the one who authorized the launch, observed Suzaku's approach, "He used the VARIS of his Knightmare to clear a path. Clever. He should make a fine Decepticon."
A few Vehicons were shot down, but at least six of them all transformed and landed in front of the group of Autobots and Black Knights, along with Dreadwing and the Decepticon leader himself.
"Optimus. It has been a long time," the tyrant greeted with an evil smile.
"Megatron," Optimus narrowed his eyes.
A large Groundbridge portal opened up near the location of the Wreckers and Holy Swords, causing the JLF soldiers to look in surprise.
"What is that?" Chiba voiced, never seeing the portal up close before.
"That's not one of ours!" Bulkhead exclaimed with worry, "Get back! Everyone get back now!"
Bulkhead's warning proved to be right as at least a dozen Vehicon troopers all drove out in their vehicle modes, followed by a certain trio of Seekers in their jet-modes, as well as a certain red car and a large blue truck. Just as the portal closed, the Decepticons all transformed to reveal not only the Vehicons present but as well as Knock Out, Breakdown, Thundercracker, Skywarp, even Starscream who sneered evilly at the heroes.
"Scrap!" Rai cursed.
One single Groundbridge portal opened just above the area where Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Kallen all were, and one single reaper drone flew out of it. It flew around the area before transforming and landing in front of the downed Britannian Knightmares owned by Darlton and David, revealing one of the most dangerous Decepticons ever known: Soundwave.
Though Kallen was startled by the appearance of this particular Decepticon, Arcee and Cliffjumper looked in partial fear, knowing just how dangerous of an enemy arrived.
"That's not a good sign," Cliffjumper voiced.
"That's… Megatron?" Ohgi's eyes shook in fear, the first time laying his eyes on the Decepticon leader.
"He's a whole lot bigger than I thought he'd be," Tamaki gulped.
Though Lelouch himself was beyond surprised that Megatron himself came here, and his appearance was intimidating, to say the least, he was even more shocked to see the Lancelot here as it climbed its way out of the trench to join the Decepticons. Lelouch's eyes shook with rage as he not only knew who was piloting it but also see the smile he could practically see on Megatron's face, as though he brought Suzaku into his fold simply out of spite. Knowing that his best friend was being used like this made Lelouch's blood boil.
"Have you nothing to say to me Optimus?" Megatron teased, "We haven't seen each other in years, I would have at least expected a hello."
"I have nothing else to say to you, Megatron," Optimus replied.
This only caused Megatron to look even further amused, "Going right into the conflict, I can see you have changed since our last encounter. Very well."
He addressed his soldiers, "Destroy them all, but Prime is mine."
The Vehicons did as ordered as they opened fire with their Energon blasters and charged forward.
"Scatter! Now!" Ironhide exclaimed as he and Bumblebee rolled out of the way and returned fire with their own Energon blasters, while Zero, Tamaki, and Ohgi in their Burais rolled back and returned fire themselves.
The three front-most Vehicons were blown away by Ironhide's cannons as the fourth was gunned down by Bumblebee while the remaining two ran after the tree Burais. Zero opened fire and was able to hit one. The high-heat magnesium ammunition did as expected, as the high-temperature metal pierced through the metal skin of the Vehicon trooper, killing it. The second one was about to gun down Zero, but Tamaki rammed his Burai into the Vehicon and pinned it to the wall.
"Looks like you Cons ain't so tough after all!"
Tamaki's Burai threw a punch, but the Vehicon caught it with little-to-no effort. His eyes widened in shock as the Vehicon's strength was easily able to overpower the Knightmare. With a chop from his other arm, the Vehicon severed the arm of Tamaki's Burai, much to his shock as it tripped and fell. The Vehicon then aimed its Energon blaster at Tamaki, but he was later gunned down by both Zero and Ohgi with their Burais.
"Tamaki, you alright?" Ohgi asked as he helped him up.
"Yeah… I think so."
"I expected the Decepticons to be strong," Lelouch thought to himself, "But one trooper was still able to overpower a Knightmare? I've underestimated them."
"Look out!"
Ironhide suddenly appeared in front of the trio of Burais to block an incoming Slash Harken from the Lancelot. Ironhide grabbed the Harken itself and used his strength to try and pull the white Knightmare towards himself, but Suzaku swung a kick to Ironhide, which the veteran Autobot saw coming and caught it with his other hand before grabbing the foot with both his hands and throwing him away.
"Hmmph, rookie," Ironhide commented even as he saw the Lancelot land gracefully, "Kid's got some moves, but he still has a lot to learn."
Dreadwing also appeared at the top of a cliffside with a large hand-held cannon. He aimed it at Ironhide and the Black Knights, ready to blow them away, but several Energon blasts hit his side, forcing him to shoot away from the group as Bumblebee ran along the side and shoot at him. Dreadwing aimed at the scout and shot at him, though Bumblebee was able to roll out of the way, each cannon shot caused a large explosion that almost shook the whole cliffside.
Ironhide saw the position they were in and knew the BKs were at a disadvantage, especially with Megatron this close. Plus with the rest of their forces spread so thin and so many Decepticons in the area, they had to regroup as soon as possible.
"Zero, you and the others try and regroup! We gotta get out of here!" Ironhide told the leader of the Black Knights.
"Ironhide!" Lelouch tried to protest.
"No time to argue! Just go!" Ironhide exclaimed, "Bumblebee go with him and watch out for the Lancelot! I'll handle Dreadwing!"
"[You got it,]" Bumblebee nodded as he transformed and began to drive away with Zero, Ohgi, and Tamaki right behind him in their Burais. Even though Zero disagreed with Ironhide often, he knew he was right here, they had to regroup, possibly retreat, as he saw on his Burai's screen just how many Decepticon signals were in the area. Needless to say, they were heavily outnumbered.
The Lancelot, as expected pursued after them. Dreadwing was about to transform and follow as well, but a blast from Ironhide's cannon caught his attention.
"Pay attention! I'm the one you're fighting!"
Ironhide stated as he opened fire, Dreadwing returned fire with his larger cannon. The blasts hit the ground and sent Ironhide back, close towards the edge, but the veteran Autobot wasn't done yet as he charged a powerful blast in his right cannon and shot at the ledge underneath Dreadwing, causing the portion of the cliffside he stood on to collapse, and sending Dreadwing sliding and skidding down it and landing at even level with Ironhide.
"I know your type, Dreadwing," Ironhide began as he saw the Decepticon stand up, "You like to do your dirty work from a distance with bombs and guns, right? Well, do you have the ball-bearings to fight with your fists?"
Dreadwing however didn't feel insulted, but rather intrigued, "Well, in this particular case, Autobot, I will be all-too-happy to make an exception."
They both gave warriors yells as they charged at one another.
Meanwhile, despite the battles occurring around them, Optimus and Megatron had yet to move from their spots. Optimus trusted Lelouch enough to make the right judgment and trusted Bumblebee to watch out for him. So, he kept his focus squarely on his old enemy.
"Your fellow Autobots and even your newfound allies are wise, Optimus," Megatron told him, "They know when to retreat."
"As I've said Megatron, I have nothing else to say to you," Optimus repeated.
"Very well then. Let me see if you have gotten rusty during our time apart, old friend."
Megatron sneered as the two enemies ran towards each other to engage in brutal combat.
Meanwhile, Soundwave faced Arcee, the Guren MK II, and Cliffjumper alone, or so it seemed as he deployed four units from his side. From his chest, he produced Laserbeak. Ravage ejected from his back. From his right side, a blue Mini-Con Decepticon with large pile-drivers for arms; this was Rumble. From his left side, an equally tall, red, Mini-Con Decepticon was deployed; this was Frenzy.
"What the heck…?!" Kallen voiced in surprise.
"Get ready to crumble, before Rumble!"
Rumble drove his pile-drivers into the ground, creating a small tremor that collapsed the portion of the cliffside Arcee, Cliffjumper, and the Guren were standing on. They all tumbled and fell; though Arcee and Cliffjumper fell twenty or thirty feet, they landed on stable ground; while Kallen drove her Knightmare's knife into the cliffside, just above the ridge, before she could fall with them.
Soundwave then pointed over the ridge, ordering his Mini-Cons to face the Autobots.
"Ah yeah, time to dance!" Frenzy said excitedly as he, Ravage and Rumble ran to jump over the ridge, while Laserbeak flew down. Soundwave meanwhile turned to face the two surviving Britannian Knightmares and pointed away from the battle.
Darlton looked in surprise, "Is he… telling us to retreat?"
It would seem that was the case as Darlton contacted his son, "David, let's get out of here."
"No need to tell me twice!" David agreed as he and his adoptive father drove their heavily damaged Knightmares away, just as Kallen leaped her Guren into the air and landed on the ground, facing Soundwave.
"Nice trick with those little mini-bots," she challenged, "But do you know how to fight yourself?"
Kallen readied her knife as well as her claw. In direct response, Soundwave took a combative stance himself, his arms extended almost like blades.
With a roar, Kallen shot her Guren straight for Soundwave and lashed out both her claw and knife, but Soundwave dodged each attack almost gracefully, even with the knife just barely grazing his visor. Kallen skidded past Soundwave and jumped upwards, flipping in the air to try and land a drop-kick on Soundwave, but the faceless Decepticon leaped back to avoid it. Kallen growled, not having gotten a single hit in as she zoomed at Soundwave again lashing her knife, but Soundwave blocked the attack with his arm. Kallen threw out her Radiant Wave Surger, but Soundwave crossed his arms in an x-formation to block and lock it in place. Before Kallen could activate it, Soundwave quickly produced a tentacle from his side and snapped it at Kallen to send her skidding back.
Soundwave noticed how different the silver claw appendage was from the rest of the red Knightmare and did a quick scan. The design of the Radiant Wave Surger appeared on his visor and he saw just how dangerous it was, making a silent note to avoid it.
Kallen meanwhile had taken a few deep breaths. She expected the Decepticons to be tough, but not getting a single hit in, even with the Guren MK II, really made her angry. Kallen charged again, but Soundwave took advantage of her anger and was able to slip past her strike with the Radiant Wave Surger. While he was on her side, he launched one of his tentacles again which managed to grab and attach itself to the Knightmare. Soundwave lifted it into the air before spinning and slamming the Guren down onto the ground hard in front of him. Kallen yelled as she felt the rock and even spat out some blood before Soundwave dragged the Guren along the ground and sent it skidding near the cliff on its backside.
Before Kallen could even regain her bearings and pull her Knightmare back up, Soundwave shot one of its tentacles to pin the Surger claw onto the ground by its palm, seemingly rendering it useless as Soundwave produced another tentacle, the tip of it spinning like a drill as it aimed itself right for the cockpit. But Kallen instinctively used her Guren's remaining hand to grab the tentacle and try and keep it back. However, Soundwave appeared to be stronger as the drilling tentacle was inching ever closer to the cockpit. Kallen glanced back and saw how pinned her Surger Claw was. She might not be able to use it on the Con's face, she had to get out of this predicament quickly. So, with some desperation, Kallen activated the Radiant Wave Surger. This sent a wave of heat energy surging through the tentacle and right into Soundwave, which managed to shake up his internal systems, but nothing too damaging, and get himself off. Using this, Kallen quickly pulled herself up and shot her claw at him, its fingers curved in like a fist, and landed a solid punch right on Soundwave's face.
Soundwave stumbled back slightly but didn't falter. He looked at the Guren as a large crack formed on his visor.
Kallen smirked, "Looks like I can hurt you."
Meanwhile; down on the cliffside below; Arcee and Cliffjumper both heard the commotion going on above them.
"Is she seriously picking a fight with Soundwave?!" Cliff voiced with concern.
"We gotta get up there now!" Arcee exclaimed.
"Worry about yourselves first, Bots!"
Frenzy launched himself into the air with jet-boosters on his feet as he fired Energon blasters from his hands at the pair, forcing them to separate. Rumble activated his pile-drivers to create a tremor and bring down Cliffjumper just as Laserbeak flew down toward him and shot several Energon lasers at him. But Cliff rolled out of the way and opened fire with his right arm at Laserbeak, and his left at Rumble, but the ground-Mini-Con used his pile-drivers to propel himself into the air and avoid the attack.
Arcee meanwhile ran and jumped to avoid Frenzy's assault as she returned fire with her own Energon blasters, but she didn't get too many shots in as Ravage pounced on her back and bit down onto her shoulder, causing her to yell in pain. But she was able to grab Ravage and throw him off her. Arcee then came back-to-back with her partner as the four Mini-Cons circled them.
"I forgot how much I hate these guys," Cliffjumper commented.
Rai lashed out his Surger claw at a Vehicon and grabbed his head.
"Let's see how this thing works on Cons."
Rai activated his Gekka's Radiant Wave Surger. Just like with the Knightmares before, the Vehicon's body began to explode and pop from the inside until the whole Decepticon exploded. Rai didn't have much time to celebrate as he was forced to dodge laser fire from two more Vehicons. Though he was quick enough with his Gekka to avoid all the shots and zoom towards them with his katana to cut them down.
Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords were forced to keep their distance as a group of seven Vehicons shot at them; though the Cons were unable to hit any of their Burai Kais, the Four Holy Swords couldn't find any openings to get in close.
"These things aren't like Britannian Knightmares!" Chiba stated, "Are these those Decepticons we've heard about?"
"Sure, seems like it," Senba uttered as he tried to keep his distance himself.
"How do we take these things down?!" Asahina questioned.
"Go for the joints!" Bulkhead told them as he smashed a Vehicon with his mace, "Sever their arms and legs but move in fast!"
Bulkhead was immediately tackled by Breakdown and sent tumbling through several trees.
Tohdoh seemed to get it, "You heard him! Go for their joints! Switch to Spinning-Life-or-Death formation!"
"Right!"
All Four Holy Swords said at the same time as all five Burai Kais followed Tohdoh's lead and began to circle the seven Vehicons so fast that they couldn't get a lock on them. Several tried to lash out with their Energon blasters, but as they did, the Burais threw Katanas outward to sever their arms. They then moved in closer and began to cut away at the Vehicons' arms and legs, before getting to their heads. By the time they were done, all the Vehicons had been reduced to a literal pile of scrap. However, they didn't have time to celebrate as a missile blast hit the ground, sending their Knightmares skidding away.
"So, this is the Japan Liberation Front's best," Starscream mused, having fired a missile at them as he stood with Thundercracker and Skywarp, "The Four Holy Swords."
"Funny, I count five of them," Skywarp said, "And they don't look so 'holy' to me."
"They seem to function best as a single unit," Thundercracker observed.
"Then separate them and pick them off!" Starscream ordered, "But their leader is mine."
Just as the Holy Swords were able to recover, Thundercracker and Skywarp already flew towards them with boosters on their feet as they each managed to engage two at a time. Thundercracker took on Chiba and Asahina while Skywarp engaged Urabe and Senba. Tohdoh's Burai Kai got up only to come face-to-face with the smirking Starscream.
Wheeljack thrust his sword forward to impale the last Vehicon in the area but had to move out of the way to avoid an incoming buzz-saw strike from Knock Out.
"Time for painful little procedure I like to call the 'nip and tuck'!"
Knock Out swung his buzz-saw at Wheeljack which he blocked and parried with one of his swords but Knock Out came up with a drill in his other hand, which Wheeljack was also able to block with his other sword. He jumped back to get some distance from the Mad Doctor of the Decepticons.
"Sorry Doc, but I think you're the one who's gonna need surgery," Wheeljack remarked as he re-engaged the enemy.
Bulkhead threw a mace-strike at Breakdown's face, who retorted with a hammer to Bulkhead's face. Breakdown then lifted his hammer high and tried to swing down on Bulkhead, but he caught it with both his hands and tried to press against Breakdown, only for the bulky Decepticon to aim his shoulder-mounted rocket and blast Bulkhead, point-blank, sending him flying through multiple trees and into the woods.
Breakdown chuckled as he was ready to go in and finish the job, but gave a sudden holler in pain as Rai's Gekka Pre-Production zoomed past Breakdown, slashing at his chest with his sword before coming to a halt in front of Breakdown.
"Oops, did I do that?" Rai taunted as Breakdown saw the large bleeding cut on his chest. Though it wasn't anything too damaging, it did catch him by surprise. However, it was the voice from the Knightmare that caught his attention. He heard it before.
"Wait a minute, you're that one pilot from Greece," Breakdown recognized him, "The same one who blew up the Harvester."
"Yeah, that was me alright! But this time, I'm ready for you!"
Rai's Gekka twirled his sword and showed off his shiny Surger Claw, "Why don't you show me what you got big guy?"
Breakdown smirked evilly, "Bring it, you little meat bag."
He formed his hammer again as he ran to try and smash down on him, but Rai's Gekka swerved out of the way easily as he lashed at Breakdown's side with his sword, causing him to grunt in pain as Breakdown swung his hammer at him again, but Rai backed away quickly as Breakdown ran after him.
"I know I talked big, but this guy can throw Bulkhead around like a rag doll!" Rai thought to himself, "If he hits me with that thing I'm done!"
He looked at this Surger claw and got an idea. Even though he hadn't grabbed onto anything, he activated his Radiant Wave Surger and charged right at Breakdown just as the red energy already pulsated through the palm of his device. Breakdown roared as he swung his hammer down at the Gekka, but Rai thrust his active Surger claw right at the hammer, the second it made contact, it created a large explosion of red energy that sent both Rai's Gekka and Breakdown flying back away from each other. However, they were both quick to get back up as they glared at each other once more.
It was pretty much the same all over the mountain. While the Autobots and a certain select few of Black Knights engaged their respective opposing Decepticon squads, many more Vehicons, at least a hundred total, landed all over the mountain and engaged the combined JLF and Black Knight forces in their Knightmares. Though the BKs were able to get a few kills in with their high-heat ammunition in their customized Burais, the JLF Knightmares didn't have as much luck as the Vehicons seemed to lay waste to a vast majority of them. Even with the combined forces of both resistant groups; the deceptions had them all on the run as their Energon blasters rendered the Knightmares to smoking piles of molten scrap in seconds.
The Ark – The Bridge
Ratchet and Fixit watched the warzone unfold on the large screen, and needless to say, both of them were very worried, especially the orange Mini-Con.
"Oh, sweet Primus…" Fixit muttered, "This is a blaster… master… disaster!"
"We suspected the Decepticons would be too much for the Black Knights alone to handle. But to be overwhelmed like this..." Ratchet knew the only way for the Black Knights and his fellow Autobots to survive was to retreat, especially considering Megatron himself was on the battlefield. He immediately contacted everyone.
"All Black Knights, prepare for immediate withdrawal!" Ratchet relayed to everyone, "I am sending you the coordinates where the extractions will be taking place! Get to whichever point is closer immediately! Help each other if you can but disengage from any Decepticon forces immediately! Do not face them! Repeat! Do not face them!"
He turned to the Mini-Con, "Fixit, prepare for multiple emergency Groundbridge extractions immediately!"
"Right!"
Fixit pulled out his Groundbridge remote and put in the necessary data to begin the retreat.
Narita
Optimus and Megatron each laid a powerful punch to the face, forcing them to slide back, though Optimus was quick to recover and get back into the fight. Megatron fired with his fusion cannon, but Optimus batted it away as he opened fire with his Energon blaster, which Megatron also batted out of the way. They repeated the process as Optimus tried to shoot Megatron, but the tyrant batted the blaster away, forcing Optimus to misfire, while Optimus batted away Megatron's fusion cannon for the same result. Optimus however was quick to deliver a roundhouse to Megatron's face and shoot him, but Megatron recovered quickly to bat the blaster away again. They batted their guns away two more times before both Energon blaster and fusion cannon met and blasted at each other. The combined force from the colliding blasts was enough to send Optimus and Megatron flying and crashing through multiple trees.
Optimus was the first to get back up, but Megatron wasn't far behind. However, before either of them could get back into the fight, Megatron was pelted by multiple magnesium ammunition and bullets. He glanced upwards to see at least a dozen combined Black Knight and JLF Burais charging down the hill at him.
"Open fire! Show that oversized tin can what Japan can do!" Inoue exclaimed as she led the charge with the Black Knights and JLF members giving warrior calls as they charged the Decepticon leader.
Optimus' eyes widened in surprise and dread, "No! Fall back! Fall back now!"
Megatron sneered as he drew extended his blade from his arm and ran at them at a speed impossible for something of his size. The front-most Burais were quickly cut down before they could even blink. Megatron then opened fire with his Fusion cannon, just a few shots were able to wipe out more than half the squad as Megatron went on the offensive with blade-strikes, punches, and kicks, rendering the Knightmares to scrap, the pilots inside screaming out of fear and agony as they met a painful end.
Inoue herself looked in absolute terror. A dozen Knightmares were wiped out by one being in less than a minute.
"My God…" she uttered to herself, "What… what in the world… is he….?"
She was about to be cut down next by Megatron's blade, but Optimus was quick to save her with a punch to Megatron's face before drawing both his Energon blasters for a charged shot to blast Megatron back at least a hundred yards away.
"Retreat now!" Optimus ordered the still-shocked Inoue, "Ratchet has already provided coordinates for the extraction! Rendezvous with whatever our forces are near here and meet at one of those points! Go now!"
Inoue was still shocked, but she was able to shake her head and regain her bearings, "I... yes… yes sir!"
She turned her Burai around and gunned it toward the nearest extraction point as Optimus turned to face the recovering Megatron who opened fire with his Fusion cannon.
Optimus drew his blade to slice and deflect the blast as he ran towards Megatron. The Decepticon leader continued to shoot at his enemy, but Optimus deflected every strike before jumping high once he was close enough, Megatron drew his blade once more and met Optimus as he landed. Optimus glared at his foe as they pressed each other's strength against one another.
"Why so angry Optimus?" Megatron teased, "You've done the same thing to my soldiers, and even to Britannians. How is what I do anything different from what you've already done?"
"You know perfectly well," Optimus responded, "I may have killed, but I take no joy in it. While you relish in it."
Megatron only responded with an evil smirk, all but confirming Optimus' statement, "You do know me all too well."
They pulled back their blades before clashing metal against metal. Optimus slashed downward, which Megatron blocked before ducking under another slice from Optimus and responding with a horizontal slice, which Optimus collided with a vertical slice of his own.
Ironhide threw a punch towards Dreadwing, who blocked it with an arm-parry and responded with a punch towards Ironhide's jaw, but the veteran Autobot was quick to recover with an uppercut to Dreadwing's chin, causing him to stagger back. Ironhide ran forward with another punch that Dreadwing was able to parry and swerved behind Ironhide where he slapped one of his titular bombs on his back, which Ironhide didn't seem to notice. Ironhide threw out another punch that Dreadwing jumped backward to avoid only to raise both his fists and bring them down onto Ironhide's shoulders.
However, the Autobot wasn't done yet as he grabbed Dreadwing and tackled him through several trees, and pinned him hard to a nearby cliffside. Dreadwing groaned as he tried to wrench himself free from Ironhide's grip, but he wouldn't budge, that is until Dreadwing drove a knee into Ironhide's abs, forcing him to let go of Dreadwing, giving the Decepticon an opening to deliver a roundhouse kick to Ironhide's face, sending him skidding back several feet. But Ironhide was quick to get back on his feet and charged back in at Dreadwing where he landed a powerful slug to Dreadwing's face before delivering another to Dreadwing's abs before firing a charged shot from both his Energon cannons at Dreadwing's torso, the blast sending him flying backward through multiple trees and crashing through a large rock.
Ironhide groaned slightly as he rubbed some of the spilled Energon from his mouth as he saw Dreadwing got back up.
"An admirable effort. However, it seems you have forgotten just how resourceful I can be," Dreadwing said as he pulled out his remote detonator to begin his bomb's countdown, but Ironhide wasn't worried at all.
"I don't forget anything."
Dreadwing's eyes widened as he realized the active bomb was attached to his back! He struggled to take it off, but the second he did, he threw it just as the bomb exploded. Though it was far enough away that it couldn't kill him, the explosion was powerful enough to send him flying and tumbling down a large cliffside.
Ironhide grunted, "I may be old, but I still know a few tricks."
He then transformed to meet up with whatever Black Knights were available at the nearest extraction point.
The Lancelot continued its pursuit of Zero, Bumblebee, Ohgi, and Tamaki. Suzaku aimed and fired the VARIS around them; he didn't intend to hit any of them, but he had hoped the demonstration of such a powerful weapon would be enough to get them to surrender, but this only made them drive away faster.
"Damn! Doesn't this guy ever quit?!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Tamaki, Ohgi, get the nearest extraction point!" Zero ordered through the private communications so the Lancelot couldn't hear their plan, "Bumblebee and I will try to lead the Knightmare away, so we don't endanger our comrades!"
"Wait, Zero are you sure?" Ohgi asked.
"I'm sure! Now go! That's an order!" Zero exclaimed.
Ohgi sighed, but knew his leader had a point, "Alright, we'll meet you guys back at the Ark. Tamaki, let's go!"
"Right," Tamaki voiced with great reluctance, hating the idea of retreating as he and Ohgi veered off to the nearest extraction point. But the Lancelot turned and aimed its VARIS to block off their path of escape.
"I won't let you…" Suzaku didn't get a chance to fire as Bumblebee had already turned around and drove under the Lancelot, transforming as he did, while simultaneously grabbing the VARIS out of the Lancelot's hands and throwing it off to the side. Suzaku was take off-guard by such an action, which left him open for Bumblebee to come in and score a punch to the Lancelot, knocking it back.
Bumblebee tried to press the attack, but the Lancelot was quick to duck underneath the Autobot and sweep his feet to knock Bumblebee down when the Lancelot tried to punch the downed Autobot, Bumblebee was quick to grab the arm with both his hands and catapult Suzaku off him. However, the Lancelot twirled in the air and drew both its MVS blades to swing down at Bumblebee who barely rolled out of the way.
"That thing is way faster than before. The Cons must have given it some upgrades."
The Lancelot was about to go on the attack but was forced to activate its Blaze Luminous shield to block the fire from Zero's Burai's rifle, "If I can disable the Knightmare, we can leave without hurting Suzaku. Damn it, why the hell did you have to be here?! And why in the hell are you with the Decepticons?!"
Suzaku grunted as he used his Lancelot to jump and soar straight for Zero's Burai, but it backed up before it could swing its MVS blades at him, however as he landed, Bumblebee grabbed the Lancelot's right hand and was able to drive an elbow into it with his other arm, forcing the Lancelot to let go of the MVS sword in that hand, which Bumblebee took to swing at Suzaku, who blocked it with his remaining MVS.
Bumblebee backed closer towards Zero's Burai as he held the MVS and faced the Lancelot.
"[I hope the others are having better luck than we are,]" Bumblebee spoke to Zero through his bleeps.
Chiba and Asahina shot their Burai Kais straight for Thundercracker who produced his arm-blades to block the katana strikes from both Holy Sword members. Thundercracker's feet boosters ignited to give him a boost and avoid the sword strikes. While airborne, he shot himself downward at the pair, forcing them to retreat and get some distance.
Urabe and Senba rolled their Knightmares to avoid the Energon blasts shot at them by the airborne Skywarp.
"Come on, is that all you measly humans got? I thought you were supposed to be tough!" Skywarp mocked.
"Oh, we are plenty tough, pal."
Urabe rolled his Burai Kai straight towards a flat rock and used it as a ramp to propel himself straight up at the surprised Skywarp. He cut him along his side to knock him down onto the ground as Urabe landed gracefully. Senba pressed the attack with his own Burai Kai, but Skywarp picked up a large rock to use as a blunt shield and block the attack, allowing him to run backward and gain some distance with the two Holy Swords in pursuit.
Starscream meanwhile lashed out his claws at Tohdoh's Burai Kai, and laughed evilly the whole time, though Tohdoh blocked each strike with his Knightmare's katana. He ducked under another strike to slice at Starscream's side and knock him back as Tohdoh readied himself to face the recovering Decepticon.
"You're much tougher than the average human, which isn't saying much," Starscream began, "Seeing as you lead this group, the Four Holy Swords, am I correct to assume you're the legendary Kyoshiro Tohdoh, the Tohdoh of Miracles?"
Tohdoh himself narrowed his eyes as Starscream continued, "You may hold your own against those annoying Britannians, but I am in a league far above the rest. I am the mighty Starscream! Second in Command of the Decepticons!"
He launched another wrist missile at Tohdoh, who was able to swerve out of the way in his Burai Kai, "Your puny Knightmare is nothing to the likes of me! I am invincible…"
Before Starscream could continue, Tohdoh's Burai Kai suddenly shot out from the smoke and sliced at Starscream's chest; giving a large cut before delivering a roundhouse kick to Starscream's face and sending him soaring into the forest, crashing through several trees in the process.
"You talk too much," Tohdoh commented.
Wheeljack meanwhile blocked and parried Knock Out's repeated drill and buzz-saw strikes with his swords before swerving around a vertical buzz-saw and delivering a kick to his side. Taking advantage of Knock Out's brief disorientation, Wheeljack sliced at his chest to send him flying towards a large rock. Wheeljack tried to press the advantage as he leaped with both his blades, but Knock Out caught him by the arms. However, Wheeljack was still able to headbutt Knock Out before delivering another kick to his side.
Knock Out gasped, upon seeing the massive scratch on his paint job from Wheeljack's sword strike, "Hey watch the paint!"
Knock Out tried to thrust his drill at Wheeljack who threw down his swords to catch Knock Out by the wrist and haul him over his shoulder before leaping and delivering a punch to the Mad Doctor's face and knock him unconscious.
Wheeljack however smirked mischievously as he picked up his swords, "You don't like scratches huh?"
He purposely dragged the tip of his blade down Knock Out's chest to give him a large scratch on his paint job, "Try buffing that out."
Rai was meanwhile stuck on the defensive, barely able to avoid each strike from Breakdown as he knew that one good strike could probably total his Gekka. He tried to lay in whatever attack he could get with his katana, but all it did was scratch him and barely slow him down. When Rai tried to lash out his katana again, Breakdown caught the Gekka by the wrist and lifted the Knightmare off his feet.
"Hope this thing's got cushions inside," Breakdown said with an evil grin as he was ready to completely obliterate the Knightmare.
Getting desperate, Rai lunged his Surger claw towards Breakdown's face. Upon seeing the incoming claw, Breakdown instinctively let go of the Knightmare, causing it to fall and miss grabbing onto his face; however, the middle claw was still able to extend and pierce into Breakdown's right eye and completely pull it out as the Gekka landed and Rai instinctively pulled back just as Breakdown yelled in pain and held his face.
Rai looked in surprise as he saw the pierced Cybertronian eye on his claw, "Ugh gross!"
He shook the claw to shake off the damaged eye, "Guess this is what they mean when they say sharp things can poke your eye out huh?"
Humor that Breakdown didn't share as he roared both in pain and rage and charged straight at Rai.
"Uh oh," the young amnesiac Black Knight couldn't react in time as Breakdown swiped his arm to send the Gekka Pre-Production flying and crashing into several trees. Breakdown was about to go in for the kill with a hammer strike, but his attack was caught by a certain green Autobot.
"Why don't you pick on somebody your size?" Bulkhead glared before punching his mace weapon into Breakdown's face and then proceeded to deliver multiple punches, both his fists converted into maces. He didn't even give Breakdown time to recover as he laid one punch after another. After maybe the tenth attack, Bulkhead gave an uppercut to Breakdown's chin to send him crashing to the ground. He then picked up Breakdown by the feet and twirled his massive body before letting go and sending him flying, crashing right into Thundercracker and Skywarp that were still engaging the Four Holy Swords.
All three Cons crashed at least a hundred feet away into the woods while the Four Holy Swords, including Tohdoh, looked to Bulkhead in surprise.
"Nice throw," Urabe commented.
Bulkhead was able to get to the Gekka to see if his friend was okay, "Rai, are you alright in there?"
Rai groaned as he shakily pulled up his blue Knightmare, "Yeah… I'll live. Nice lob."
Wheeljack rejoined them as they received a communication from Fixit.
"Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Rai, most of our forces have been extracted. A Groundbridge portal is opening now at your location. I would advise entering it as quickly as possible," the orange Mini-Con recommended.
Right on cue, the Groundbridge portal opened up behind them.
"Don't worry, this one's ours!" Wheeljack told Tohdoh and his comrades.
"Come on, let's go!" Bulkhead waved for the JLF members to follow them.
"No, you go ahead," Tohdoh replied.
"What?! But what about you guys?!" Rai questioned.
"We have to secure our forces," Chiba informed, "Thanks for your help, but we're not one of you."
"You guys can't take on the Cons and win though! You're not ready!" Bulkhead tried to reason with them.
"We're not fighting anyone," Asahina said, "Our General contacted us and informed us that our surviving forces are already being evacuated. We have to help them."
"You guys go, but don't worry, I got a feeling we'll be seeing each other again," Senba commented.
Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Rai each exchanged glances with one another.
"You won't abandon your friends," Wheeljack said with a nod, "Okay, I respect that."
"Thank you for your help," Tohdoh said sincerely, "Perhaps one day we can return to favor. Oh, before you go through, give a message to Zero for me. Tell him, Kyoshiro Tohdoh sends his regards and hopes to see him… again."
As Tohdoh led the Four Holy Swords away from the field, the three Wreckers looked in surprise.
"Did he just say… 'again'?" Bulkhead questioned.
"Does that mean… he knows about Lelouch?" Rai voiced in worry.
"We can talk about it with the kid once we get out of here. Come on, let's go," Wheeljack said as he and his partners both turned to enter the Groundbridge before it closed.
Meanwhile; Kallen gave a roar as she lashed out her Surger claw straight for Soundwave who leaped back as he lashed out his tentacles straight at the Guren, but the red Knightmare drew its knife and used it and her claw to try and bat away the tentacles before jumping upward to try and deliver a kick to Soundwave; but he reached out his elongated arm to catch the Guren by the throat and hang it up in the air. Kallen tried using the extender to increase the length of her Surger claw, gunning straight for Soundwave's face, but both his tentacles came up to ensnare and begin crushing the claw, damaging the Radiant Wave Surger inside.
Soundwave then threw Kallen hard towards a cliffside; causing it to crash and several rocks to fall over the Guren. Kallen groaned as she was able to pull the Guren MK II up, albeit shakily to face Soundwave.
"Looks like I can hurt you" Soundwave replayed Kallen's voice if only to taunt her, something that made her look in fear as the face-less Decepticon began to approach her.
However, Soundwave didn't get a chance to attack as Cliffjumper suddenly appeared behind him and leaped onto his back, grabbing and pulling back on both of Soundwave's arms.
"Surprise! Didn't forget about us, did you?" Cliff taunted as Soundwave tried to shake him off, but this left him vulnerable for Arcee to slide down below Soundwave and swipe her feet to trip him before Cliff jumped off and both Autobots landed protectively in front of the Guren.
"Guys!" Kallen voiced in surprise and relief.
"Picking a fight with Soundwave huh?" Cliffjumper joked, "You got guts kid, but it's gonna take more than that to beat him."
"How'd you get away from all those Mini-Cons he had?" Kallen asked.
"We didn't," Arcee scowled as Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage had leaped or climbed up the cliffside with Laserbeak hovering above them just as Soundwave picked himself up.
"Awe, why'd you run away, the fun was just getting started," Frenzy taunted.
Soundwave stood as tall as ever as Frenzy, Ravage, and Laserbeak readied their Energon blasters and aimed them at Arcee, Cliffjumper, and the Guren with Rumble readying his pile-drivers.
"Any last words, chumps?" Rumble smirked as Arcee and Cliffjumper readied their weapons and even Kallen's Guren gripped her knife in a battle-stance.
However, the fight didn't occur as Soundwave's cracked visor suddenly came to life as a signal was picked up on the Decepticon communication line. But it wasn't coming from any Decepticons in the area, or even from the Nemesis. No, this signal was coming…from Cybertron? Soundwave looked upwards and east-bound; causing the two Autobots and the Guren's pilot to look in surprise. Soundwave then turned down to his Mini-Cons and silently ordered them to return.
"What? But boss, we can get them!" Frenzy protested, but Soundwave kept his silent expression focused on them, indicating this wasn't up for debate.
"Alright, fine," Rumble grumbled before turning to the trio, "This ain't over Autobots!"
He, Frenzy, Ravage, and Laserbeak all returned to Soundwave, who transformed into his reaper-drone vehicle mode and flew away, much to the surprise of the trio.
"Hey, guys… what just happened?" Kallen asked in confusion.
"No idea," Cliffjumper responded, "He had us right where he wanted us, why run away?"
"We can worry about that later," Arcee said, "Right now, we need to get out of here."
She accessed her comm, "Fixit, we need a Groundbridge."
Less than a second later, a Groundbridge portal opened up behind them. Arcee and Cliffjumper immediately ran into it with Kallen driving her Guren in right after them before it closed.
Bumblebee hacked and slashed his newly acquired MVS blade against the one the Lancelot used, though as Bumblebee had never used a sword like this before, the Lancelot appeared to have the advantage as it blocked another strike and delivered a fierce kick to Bumblebee's chest and send the yellow Autobot rolling across the forest. The Lancelot activated its Blaze Luminous shield once more to block the fire from Zero's Burai. Suzaku quickly noticed the VARIS rifle was near his position and shot a slash harken at the Burai, severing its gun arm before making a break for the VARIS.
"Scrap!" Lelouch cursed as he saw the Lancelot pick up the weapon.
Suzaku aimed and shot the VARIS at the ground below Zero's Burai. The ground exploded, destroying the bottom half of the black Knightmare just as Lelouch put on his mask and activated the eject to shoot his cockpit out of the destroyed Knightmare. It flew and slid to a halt on the ground.
Just as Zero pulled himself out and stood on the ejected cockpit, the Lancelot had already arrived, but Bumblebee had arrived onto the scene as well, standing protectively in front of Zero and holding the stolen MVS blade tightly just as the Lancelot aimed its VARIS at the Autobot.
It was a stand-off as neither dared to make a move or even speak. Bumblebee kept his optics solely focused on the Lancelot. He knew who piloted it. Even though he didn't know Suzaku personally, he could tell that the young man inside was a good person. He saved Lelouch and Nunnally during the invasion of Japan and helped protected their identity, even know he valued the former Prince as his friend, not knowing that Lelouch and Zero were the same. But right now, it would seem that he was being used by the Decepticons. Bumblebee wished he still had his voice if only he could speak and try to reason with Suzaku.
Suzaku looked with a concerned yet serious expression at both the scout and masked Revolutionary, "Zero… I owe you and the Autobots, you saved my life; you've saved my friends' lives and so many other people. I know there are lots of Elevens supporting you from the shadows… however… your methods are… very wrong."
Lelouch's eyes shook underneath his mask, as his best friend had a large weapon pointed right at him. How did it come to this? How did one of his closest friends become such a deadly enemy? It was all the Decepticons! Who knows what lies Megatron has told him; he was practically brainwashed! Lelouch considered taking off his mask to show his face, just so he could talk to Suzaku. He wanted his friend to understand, and he would never use his Geass to force him to join him. However, before anyone made a move, someone else had walked onto the scene; someone that neither Lelouch, Bumblebee, nor Suzaku had expected to see.
"[C.C.!?]" Bumblebee voiced in bleeps as the green-haired girl walked in front of the Lancelot, much to Suzaku's surprise as he recognized her instantly.
"That's….! That's the girl from the capsule in Shinjuku!"
"Stop now!" C.C. exclaimed, facing the Lancelot directly, "Don't even think about hurting them!"
"C.C…" Zero muttered.
"[What are you doing?!]" Bumblebee questioned.
"She's working…. With Zero…?" Suzaku wondered in confusion.
The mysterious woman had walked right up to the Lancelot and she placed her hand directly onto the white Knightmare's left leg.
"Wait… are you challenging a Knightmare?!" Zero exclaimed.
"It's a problem if you die..." C.C. began as her hair began to wave in the wind; as it did, it revealed a red marking on her forehead that resembled the sigil of a Geass, "…it'll be indirect contact but it's worth a try."
Her mark began to glow as she activated her powers.
Suzaku's eyes widened as he was suddenly pulled into a tunnel of colored lights, much like what Lelouch had seen when he formed his contract with C.C. Suzaku's whole body turned white as he was bombarded with a series of visions. He saw two worlds facing each other; one resembling Earth, the other being a world made entirely out of metal that he couldn't identify. He also saw two large beings; one surrounded by blue energy like a divine being, the other being surrounded by more chaotic purple energy like something of demonic nature. He saw multiple ancient people in white robes with Geass marks on their foreheads, all praying before falling deeper into the tunnel of lights and colors.
When he reached the end, Suzaku found himself in a white void, the only sound being that of a ticking broken clock. But he wasn't the sole occupant of this void, someone else was there; someone that caused his pupils to shrink. A middle-aged large man wearing a military uniform turned to him and looked at him with a glare.
"Father…. You're dead….! That's impossible…!"
Genbu Kururugi walked closer to his shocked son, which only caused him to look in shock even further.
"No… I didn't mean to… No, I… I… just…"
Back in reality; the whole Lancelot began to shake as Suzaku was still in a state of shock, something that caused Lelouch and Bumblebee to look in concern.
"[What are you doing? Are you using Geass?]" Bumblebee questioned as Zero walked closer to the mysterious woman.
"I'm just feeding him some shock-images," C.C. replied, "I can't tell what he's seeing. Anyway, you've got time to get away now."
"What about you?" Zero asked, "We'll call a Groundbridge and you can…"
"I can't move yet. Don't worry about me." C.C. replied, "The longer you stay, the more it is likely the Decepticons will arrive to capture or kill you two. Get going now."
"Don't be foolish, I can't keep owing you favors."
Zero put a hand on her shoulder, but the second he did, C.C.'s eyes widened in fear.
"No! Not now!" C.C. exclaimed as her Geass mark began to glow even further, and visions began to flash in Lelouch's mind as well.
Bumblebee looked in alarm and tried to make a move to grab both Zero and C.C., but when his own hands made contact, his optics widened as he began to see visions himself.
Lelouch and Bumblebee both saw a familiar tunnel, familiar to Lelouch anyway. But at the end, they both saw a memory of what appeared to be a mob attacking a church, throwing rocks at it, but this church had the emblem of Geass etched into its stone wall.
"What… this is different…?" Lelouch thought.
"What is this…. Geass or… what?" Bumblebee had similar thoughts himself as the visions continued to play in their mind. They saw a nun praying, with a Geass emblem glowing on her forehead. They saw the Kururugi shrine, which led straight towards the Aries Villa before seeing C.C. herself with a look of despair on her face as she laid naked in a pond, a scar shaped like a Geass mark on her body.
"St… Stop it!" they heard C.C.'s voice echoing throughout the visions, "Stay out… of my… mind!"
Both Bumblebee and Lelouch heard screams as they saw chaos, war, and bloodshed, even a little girl crying with a Geass mark in her eyes.
"Stop…" C.C.'s voice cracked, tears flowing down her eyes as these images all played in her mind as well. All these unpleasant memories that she had buried away deep inside her soul over the centuries that she's lived were now coming back to her in a flashflood, "You're… unveiling me…"
She as well as Lelouch, Bumblebee, and Suzaku all saw and heard the same thing now: people screaming as silhouettes of black people walked aimlessly through a white void. A cloud full of skulls and agonized arches before they all began to vanish and reveal a face: a face appearing to be made entirely out of stone with long curved horns and glowing dark purple eyes that just seemed to radiate evil.
"UGH! I HAD TO DO IT!" Suzaku's voice screamed from the Lancelot as he couldn't take it anymore.
The Lancelot pulled away. As C.C. lost contact with the Lancelot, she, Bumblebee, and Lelouch were pulled back into reality, but Suzaku still appeared to be seeing these images as he aimlessly shot the VARIS in every direction. Bumblebee instinctively tried to cover the pair, but a blast from the VARIS not only knocked him back but shot shrapnel of rock from the ground, one large piece managed to pierce C.C.'s chest.
"C.C.!" Zero exclaimed in shock.
Bumblebee immediately got back up and ran towards the Lancelot; he pulled the VARIS out of its hands before delivering a powerful punch to the face and send it crashing to the ground, apparently knocking Suzaku out as the Lancelot didn't seem to move right after.
The yellow Autobot then transformed back into his vehicle mode and drove up to Zero as he picked up the gravely injured C.C. bridal style.
"[Get in!]"
No need to be told twice, Zero brought C.C. into the car and it drove off just as Bumblebee contacted the Ark.
"[Ratchet! Groundbridge! Now!]"
A portal opened up right in front of the yellow car before it drove straight in, with Lelouch and C.C. safely inside, just before the portal closed.
Optimus grunted as he sliced down at Megatron who blocked it with his blade. Optimus pressed forward with another slice, but Megatron parried the attack and drove a fist right into Optimus' face before delivering a fierce kick to knock Optimus back several yards. The last of the Primes quickly got back up however and transformed into his vehicle mode and gunned it straight for Megatron; ramming into him and sending him crashing throughout the forest behind them. Optimus kept driving and pushing, knocking Megatron back against multiple trees, rocks, and other obstructions before slamming Megatron hard into a large cliffside.
Megatron however was able to grab the front of Optimus' truck before using his strength to throw it far to the left, sending the vehicle mode crashing through several more trees before Optimus transformed back and landed on his feet. Megatron rushed towards Optimus who was able to give a solid uppercut to his face, but Megatron countered with a kick to Optimus' abs to force him back. Optimus would have continued the fight if Ratchet hadn't contacted him.
"Optimus, all our forces, including Zero, have been evacuated! I'm opening a Groundbridge at your location now!"
A single Groundbridge portal opened behind Optimus who brought up his Energon blasters to shoot at Megatron and give himself some cover before running into the portal which closed shortly after.
Megatron chuckled slightly as he wiped some of the spilled Energon from his mouth, "You're as strong as ever, Optimus. Good, I wouldn't want you anything less as I snuff out your spark."
"Lord Megatron, all the surviving Black Knights have fled the area," Starscream contacted him, "And the JLF appears to be evacuated as well. Shall we give pursuit?"
"Negative," Megatron contradicted, "The Japan Liberation Front is not our concern. Have all units return to the Nemesis, our job here is done. And have Dreadwing escort Suzaku back to the Special corps and inform me of his progress."
"Yes, master, Starscream cut off before Megatron transformed and flew into the sky.
The Ark
All Black Knights had returned to the Ark as their Knightmares were brought into the bay for any repairs and modifications they may lead. Several of them seemed to celebrate their victory over Britannia, however, their celebration was cut off as a few had lost their friends to the Decepticons. Among the groups talking were Cliffjumper, Tamaki, Ohgi, Arcee, Inoue, Kallen, Rai, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack.
"Man, can you believe it?" Tamaki voiced, "We were whooping Britannia's ass, then the Cons come in and ruin our party!"
"I knew they were strong, but I didn't expect them to be so… powerful," Ohgi voiced.
"Welcome to our world," Arcee said, "There's a reason the Cons are still around."
"Well, I believe you. We even had trouble against their foot soldiers, Ohgi pointed out.
"Vehicon troopers," Wheeljack explained, "Standard Decepticon infantry. Yeah, they can be tough in large groups, but the more you fight them, the more you can understand how they fight."
"Yeah, I'd recommend fighting them from a distance, avoid close combat," Bulkhead told them, "At least we know that magnesium stuff works."
"The Radiant Wave Surger seems to have the same kind of effect on them as it does Knightmares," Rai recalled.
"But… will it be enough," Inoue voiced, getting everyone's attention. Her eyes were still shaky as she remembered Megatron decimating a dozen Knightmares in an instant, "I saw their leader… tear apart a whole unit of Knightmares like they were nothing!"
"Megatron," Arcee almost growled as she narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah, he's pretty much the strongest Con out there," Bulkhead said, "I'd recommend letting Optimus handle him."
"No argument here," Kallen agreed, "I was barely able to hold my own against one Decepticon with the Guren and I thought that thing was unstoppable."
"That wasn't just any Decepticon, Kallen. That was Soundwave," Arcee told her.
"He's the Con surveillance chief, and arguably the most dangerous Decepticon right next to their leader. He's right up there in the top 3. Especially with those Mini-Cons," Cliffjumper explained.
As tension fell on most of the Black Knights and a few of the Autobots, Tamaki of all people chose to look at the bright side.
"But hey, don't forget we totaled an entire army of Britannian Knightmares! We thought we couldn't fight them before, but now we got them on the run! Who's to say we can't do the same for the Cons?"
"Hey, that's right," Ohgi seemed to smile slightly, "We almost destroyed Cornelia's entire army. Maybe with more training, we might be able to fight back against the Cons."
"Well, I'd say you guys got the potential for it," Wheeljack pointed out with a sincere smile, "But don't get too cocky, that's my job."
This erected a laugh from every Knight and Bot present, even Arcee smiled slightly as Bulkhead patted his best friend's back. Rai noticed however a few people missing.
"Hey where's Zero and Bumblebee? I thought they came back," Rai asked.
"Bee went to speak with Optimus, Ratchet, and Ironhide," Bulkhead answered, "Zero is in the med-bay."
"Med-bay?! Is he hurt?!" Kallen asked with concern.
"No, he's fine," Bulkhead replied, "But someone else got hurt, so he and Fixit are tending to her right now."
"Her?" Rai voiced as he instantly thought of C.C. and wondered why she would need medical attention.
The Bridge
Bumblebee had spoken with Optimus, Ratchet, and Ironhide, on the Bridge of their ship/base privately to discuss the visions he saw when he and Lelouch made physical contact with C.C. Needless to say, they were all so surprised that even Optimus' optics widened.
"You saw Cybertron?!" Ironhide exclaimed.
"[I think so…]" Bumblebee beeped, "[Briefly, but it looked like the planet was right next to Earth]"
"That's impossible," Ratchet voiced, "Aside from the fact that Cybertron is lightyears away from this planet, it's physically impossible for two planets to be within any close proximity to one another."
"Bumblebee, did you say you also saw C.C. in the past?" Optimus asked.
"[Yeah]" Bumblebee began, "[They were all just images, like multiple pictures flipping in and out. I think there may have been other people in the past that have had Geass, and maybe…. C.C. might be older than we think. Because I saw things that looked like what Earth did centuries ago!]"
"Centuries?!" Ironhide voiced in surprise, "Has that girl really lived for that long?!"
"I cannot understand how that is even possible," Ratchet voiced, "Human biology permits a being to last a hundred years at the very most. The idea that she's lived multiple lifetimes and maintains her youth is beyond any form of reasonable explanation!"
"Lelouch has told us that he has seen C.C. fatally shot, just before he received his Geass ability from her," Optimus recalled, "Perhaps the ability that allows her to grant Geass to others, is also what has kept her alive all this time."
"I'm a bit more concerned by what Bumblebee said about other people with Geass," Ironhide said, "Does this mean she's given it to others before? Could there still be some alive today?"
Ratchet began to think, "We seem to have more questions than we do answers. Even more surprising is Bumblebee seeing these visions himself. We've seen that Lelouch's Geass does not affect us, due to the energy it radiates being weaker than that of our Sparks. So why could this affect you, Bumblebee?"
"[Maybe her power is stronger than Lelouch's?]"
"One thing remains certain, however," Optimus spoke, "We must keep a close watch on C.C."
"[Optimus, when I saw those visions, I could hear her crying,]" Bumblebee began, causing Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet to look at him in surprise, "[Those were her memories, and none of them were good ones. She's lived for hundreds of years and has seen all kinds of wars. She's lived through hell, the same kind of hell that we lived through during the War for Cybertron. I don't really know C.C., but I do know this. She needs help, she needs… a friend.]"
The Medical Center
Lelouch had his mask and cape off as he and Fixit watched over C.C. as she laid on a bed unconscious.
"She doesn't appear to have suffered any sort of physical damage," Fixit said, "Her ability to heal rapidly from even the most fatal of injuries is responsible…. Invisible… phenomenal!"
"I don't think she's human, it's not possible," Lelouch said as he brushed away her hair to reveal the Geass emblem on her forehead.
"All her DNA samples seem to indicate she shares the same physical traits as a human," Fixit pointed out.
"Yes, but I've seen her suffer fatal wounds and heal from them almost instantly. Not to mention there's her ability to grant Geass," Lelouch recalled.
As they both contemplated, they heard a knock on the door.
"Zero, it's Rai. Can I come in?"
"Yes," Lelouch answered.
The door opened and Rai walked into the medical center and was greeted by Fixit.
"Hello Rai, how is everyone else doing?"
"Pretty good, considering what just happened," Rai answered, "A lot of our own forces got totaled by the Cons; and even our most elite were put on the defensive. They're a lot stronger than I thought they'd be."
"As expected, we are dealing with the most dangerous beings in the known universe after all," Fixit responded.
Rai then turned his attention to Lelouch and the unconscious C.C., "How's she doing?"
"Physically, she seems to be fine. Otherwise, I have no idea. I have no idea who she even is," Lelouch began, "Clovis confined her for his private experiments, so she's not connected to Britannia."
Before anyone could respond, all three of them heard a slight groan from C.C., who appeared to be talking in her sleep. But what she said, nobody could have expected.
"Cera…" she smiled in her sleep, "You finally called me… by my real name."
G1 Base
Cornelia and what was left of her forces were brought back to their mobile base that was already on its way away from Narita. And needless to say, no one in the Britannian military present was happy with the outcome.
"Zero and the Autobots escaped again," Cornelia muttered.
"The Japan Liberation Front appeared to have escaped as well," Guilford reported, "They used the confusion ensued by the Decepticons' attack to slip away."
Cornelia's fists clenched with rage, "My entire army was all but wiped out! We even lost half of the Glaston Knights' elite! I lost to them again! I lost to him again, and he didn't even face me himself!"
Guilford knew Cornelia was referring to Optimus Prime, but choose not to say anything as he feared anything, he said wouldn't make her feel any better.
"And I had to be rescued…. By not just those Decepticons… but an Eleven as well," Cornelia muttered angrily.
The Nemesis – the Bridge
"Well, that went well," Skywarp voiced as he, Thundercracker, and Starscream reported directly to Megatron.
"The enemy escaped. How can that be categorized as 'went well'?" Thundercracker questioned.
"Not all of them escaped," Starscream pointed out, "Quite a few Black Knights met their demise, and even most of the Liberation Front was wiped out."
"But not a single Autobot was terminated," Thundercracker argued, "And the Black Knights have shown that even their Knightmares can damage our own forces."
"Yes, the Black Knights have proven more capable than we thought," Megatron mused, "But now, we seem to have a full grasp of their forces; even though we didn't destroy them this time, we'll try again. I'm more concerned with Kururugi at the moment."
Starscream rolled his eyes, "Still thinking about that measly human?"
"This battle was a test to see whether or not the boy was worthy, and he passed with flying colors," Megatron said, "He'll be inducted within our ranks as soon as possible. Suzaku Kururugi is one of us now."
"Forgive me, Lord Megatron, but I don't think he's mentally prepared for that, given what just happened recently," Thundercracker pointed out.
"Oh?" Megatron raised an eyebrow.
"Kururugi encountered the Autobot named Bumblebee and Zero. Afterward, he spiraled into a frenzy but was quickly brought down," Thundercracker reported.
"Maybe a seizure or a spas attack or whatever it is humans call it," Skywarp brushed off.
"Where is he now?" Megatron asked.
"With Dreadwing and the Special Corps unit," Starscream answered.
Though Dreadwing himself was incapable of standing inside the large truck that served as the base for the Lancelot and its pilot, he expressed concern for his comrade as glanced towards it. While inside; Suzaku was placed on a bed as his whole body was shaking and he muttered nonsense like a machine gun. Though Lloyd had his usual smile, both Cecile and Euphemia looked towards him with great concern.
The Ark – Medical Center
C.C. had woken up as Fixit reported her physical status, "Your wounds have completely healed, so you should be back to normal."
"Tending to me wasn't necessary," C.C. said pointedly.
"Gee, way to say thank you," Rai rolled his eyes, but Lelouch merely smiled as he said one single word.
"Cera."
The woman's eyes widened with an audible gasp as she heard that name.
"That's your name, isn't it?" Lelouch asked as the woman apparently named Cera glared at him.
"You have a bad habit of eavesdropping."
"Hard not to when you talk in your sleep," Rai pointed out, "And I like 'Cera'. It's a pretty name. C.C. sounds like the name you'd give a machine. No offense, Fixit."
"None taken. I like 'Cera' too. It's charming," Fixit added.
"Oh, that's a joke! Who wants to be more human!" the woman said scornfully before her voice began to crack, causing the three around her to look with surprise and concern. "After all I… I… I've forgotten everything. Every single thing… so what's the use of it…"
Tears were already flowing down her eyes, "A name? But why? Cera…? Do I even deserve something like that?"
Rai immediately came up to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It's okay. If there's someone who gets it, it's me. I forgot my past and I don't know if I'll ever remember it. But… I think I might be okay with it. Because, I've got a life here, and friends to help me through it; Lelouch, everyone at Ashford, even the Autobots, and the Black Knights. And you can have that too if you'd open up a bit to others and not close yourself off to everyone."
Cera's eyes widened as tears continued to flow. For the first time in her life, she didn't have a response to give.
Some of Rai's words even impacted Lelouch a bit. It wasn't too long ago that he closed himself off from everyone excluding his own sister. But since he started this whole journey, he too began to crawl out of his shell. All the Autobots knew him for who he is and accepted him regardless, even Rai knows. He'd be lying to say if he wasn't grateful for all they've done for him.
"Hey, listen," he spoke to C.C. directly, "I never got a chance to thank you for helping me… way back in Shinjuku, and for helping me today. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead, and I would have never met the Autobots. So… thank you."
Rai and Fixit were surprised at first by Lelouch's honesty before they smiled at him, but Cera appeared to be the most touched by it.
"No one's ever… thanked me before…" Cera stuttered as tears of joy began to flow down her eyes, and Rai kept a comforting hand on her shoulder, "So, can you show your appreciation? Say my name again, as you did before. Just this once with tenderness like you treasure it in your heart."
"Whoa there, kinda rushing it don't you think?" Rai joked, and even C.C. laughed slightly.
"Alright… Cera," Lelouch said her name, trying to sound as sincere as possible, "How was that?"
"It was terrible," Cera replied bluntly, "There was nothing tender or warm about it at all."
"Someone's picky," Rai voiced, "Let me try… Cera. That better?"
"Well, if nothing else, you at least sound like you're trying to be sincere about it."
"Cera," Fixit said, only to end up glitching and repeating the name over and over, "Cera. Cera. Cera. Cera. Cera. Cera…"
Lelouch gave a smack to Fixit's back to get him to stop, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"Great, now my name's a glitch," Cera muttered.
"Okay, well craziness aside, I'm glad we're finally getting to know you, Cera," Rai smiled, and even C.C. smiled as well.
There was a knock on the door, "Hello? Zero are you in there? I heard Rai was looking for you, is everything okay?"
"Oh, Kallen…we uh…" Rai tried to come up with an excuse, but Lelouch put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Maybe it was time he started to expand his circle of trust a little bit more.
"Kallen, you can come in," Lelouch said.
"Are you sure?" Fixit asked.
"I'm sure," Lelouch nodded just as the door opened.
"Zero, sorry to bother you I just…"
Kallen stopped in her tracks as her eyes set on Lelouch's face, clad in his suit with the Zero mask and cape aside on a table. Though the appearance of C.C. was a surprise, including the looks on Rai and Fixit's faces, nothing could prepare her for the true face of Zero to appear before her.
"Hello, Kallen," Lelouch greeted.
Narita
The sun was setting as a large truck began to drive out of the city. This truck was driven by scientists' part of the secret research group known as Code R as they carried two familiar capsules in the back.
"Come on, the military is gone. Now is our chance to get out of this city!" one scientist said to the driver.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" the driver replied.
On the passenger seat sat the man named Joseph Fenette, who remained silent as he glanced at the pictures of his wife and daughter in his locket. However, the truck would soon come to a halt as a certain reaper drone passed by them before it transformed to reveal Soundwave as he landed right in front of the truck.
The truck came to a stop as it slammed into Soundwave's legs. All the scientists on-board looked up in terror at the sight of the faceless Cybertronian. Soundwave glanced down towards the vehicle that was no longer operable, but he wasn't here for them. His cracked visor lit up as the same signal reached him again. Soundwave reconfigured the Spacebridge systems that were built into his body before he opened a small Space Bridge portal in front of him and the disabled truck.
At first, nothing exited through the portal, but soon there was the sound of large and pounding footsteps coming out of it before a single being exited. He was a Cybertronian, clearly a Decepticon, but he was among the feared Decepticons in the entire ranks, even alongside Soundwave and Megatron himself. This Decepticon had purple metallic skin with a large bulky frame and a large cannon for his left arm. But what stood out was the single red eye that served as his whole head.
This was the dreaded Decepticon scientist known as Shockwave.
"Soundwave," Shockwave greeted in a cold and straight-forward tone as he stepped out of the portal before it closed, "You have received my transmission."
Soundwave nodded in confirmation.
Shockwave then began to observe his newfound surroundings, even catching the attention of the truck behind Soundwave and the terrified scientists still inside it. However, both Decepticons found themselves gazing down toward the street as they saw a single Britannian pilot, one who was grievously injured, stumbled deliriously in front of them.
"I swear I'm not Orange… ZERO!" Jeremiah uttered before collapsing at the feet of the two Decepticons.
Chapter 17: Messenger from Kyoto
Chapter Text
"Lord Megatron," Shockwave bowed to his head to his master as he stood on the bridge of the Nemesis, along with Soundwave and the stunned trio of Seekers.
"Shockwave! This quite an unexpected turn!" Megatron was quite surprised and excited to see his most prized scientist alive, "I thought you had perished on Cybertron."
He glared back at Starscream as he was the one who told Megatron that piece of false information.
"Yes… yes… as did we all," the nervous Starscream quickly said as Thundercracker's eyes were still widened with surprise and even Skywarp's jaw had dropped.
"Reports of my demise were greatly premature," Shockwave began to explain, "A pair of Autobots infiltrated my facility on Cybertron, sabotaging my Spacebridge. I gave chase but failed to accurately calculate the outcome. I awoke in the rubble, blinded, it soon became clear that I was marooned on our dead planet with no means of communication. In time, I repaired my wounds and resumed my research on Spacebridge technology. I had sent out a signal with the intent of a Decepticon party of locating me many cycles ago, only for it to be intercepted by Soundwave who allowed me to travel to this planet. Leaving one unanswered question…"
He looked directly at Starscream, as did Megatron and Soundwave with Thundercracker and Skywarp backing away.
"Why was I left for scrap? Abandoned?" he walked closer to Starscream and gazed at him with his singular red eye, "Why?"
Starscream's face was filled with visible horror as he, for one of the few moments in his life, gave an honest answer, "The… the… the explosion! It… it collapsed the power core chamber! The last thing anyone witnessed was you charging into the Spacebridge portal! No one saw you come back out!"
Shockwave continued to glare at him, "I find your reply to be… logical."
Starscream breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"But… I'd like to point out that those same Autobots that messed with your Spacebridge, Arcee and Cliffjumper, are here on this planet!" Skywarp quickly said, "So, you might get a chance for some payback huh?"
"Noted," Shockwave simply said.
"Welcome back to the fold, Shockwave," Thundercracker spoke professionally, "You have a lot of information to catch up."
"Indeed, we do," Megatron confirmed, "Soundwave, please fill Shockwave in on recent events."
The silent Decepticon nodded as Megatron turned to his second-in-command, "Starscream, come with me, we have a meeting to attend to."
"As you wish, master," Starscream followed Megatron off the bridge, leaving Thundercracker and Skywarp alone with Soundwave and Shockwave.
"So… I'd better go check on the soldiers," Thundercracker voiced, wanting an excuse to get away from Shockwave.
"Yeah, I'll help you out with that," Skywarp said in agreement as the two hurried off the bridge, leaving the two emotionless Decepticons alone for Soundwave to fill Shockwave in what's been happening on Earth since the Decepticons' arrival.
Area 11 – Britannian Palace
Cornelia sat in a large meeting room alongside her knights, Guilford and Darlton, along with Euphemia, and several other bureaucrats. However, they were still waiting for the last attendants of their meeting to arrive. Most of the bureaucrats, as well as Euphemia, were slightly startled by the appearance of Laserbeak as the drone flew in from a skylight and hovered in the air on the other side of the room before shinning two lights down to reveal three-dimensional holograms of Megatron and Starscream, both of them standing approximately twelve feet tall.
Even though it was just a hologram, Euphemia could barely contain her jitters as she glanced down at her personal computer that she brought into the meeting to avoid making eye contact with the Decepticon leader.
"Apologies for keeping you waiting, Viceroy Cornelia," Megatron said in a seemingly humble tone.
Cornelia paid it no mind and nodded, allowing the meeting to begin.
"The Japan Liberation Front was nearly wiped out by your Narita operation, Viceroy," one bureaucrat began, "Now we're hunting down the survivors one-by-one."
"Is that some kind of joke?!" Cornelia exclaimed, "Do you have any idea how much of a disaster that was?! We lost more than ninety percent of our forces in that assault!"
"Ninety-two percent, Viceroy," Starscream pointed out, "It pays to be accurate."
Cornelia ignored him and continued her rant, "The Purebloods are all but wiped out and we've lost more than half the Glaston Knights' entire ranks! Even three of its most elite pilots lost their lives!"
Euphemia glanced at Darlton, offering a sympathetic look as those elite pilots were his adoptive sons, though the older soldier kept a stoic face for the meeting, his fists clenched with anger.
"Well I… you see…" the same politician tried to think of an excuse, but Guilford spoke up.
"The occupation government is responsible for this! They've done nothing about Area 11's subways and mining railways! And the ghettos, they falsify the registrations and property deeds, as the rebellion spreads unchallenged!"
"Um… the subway tunnels stretch over the whole country. We can't just fill them all in! We don't have the budget."
"The Autobots and terrorists are using them as their strike bases and escape routes!" Guilford exclaimed.
"Incorrect," Megatron countered, "The Autobots and their allies are using a Groundbridge as their means of transportation."
"A Groundbridge?" Darlton questioned.
"A portal system that enables them to travel anywhere on the planet," Megatron explained, "Meaning, their base may not even be in this country."
Cornelia scoffed, "So, what you're saying is that they could be virtually anywhere on Earth?"
"Indeed," Starscream nodded, "Perhaps even in the Homeland? Under Pendragon's basement perhaps?"
"Impossible! The Emperor would surely have discovered them if that was the case!" Guilford quickly exclaimed.
"Perhaps your precious Emperor isn't as strong or competent as you believe him to be," Starscream mused, resulting in glares from Cornelia and her soldiers.
"Enough," Megatron said calmly, glancing at Starscream, "While the location of the enemy base remains a mystery, I believe the real reason the Autobots and the Black Knights have been as successful as they have is that Britannia has gravely underestimated them."
The Britannian soldiers and politicians looked at Megatron as he continued.
"The Autobots are experienced soldiers, having done battle against my Decepticons for eons, even Optimus defeated you in single combat, Cornelia. As you view the population of this nation as mere 'Elevens', you simply believe they aren't strong enough to challenge you while this has proven false. They've produced advanced Knightmares of their own and have proven to be formidable warriors as well, not only rivaling but surpassing the skills of even your elite soldiers."
"He may have a point, your highness," Darlton voiced, causing Cornelia to look at him in surprise but still allowed her knight to speak, "While most of the Black Knights had modified Burais, there were two Knightmares that we've never seen before, and their pilots are beyond skilled, I've seen one of them for myself."
"There is one other factor you need to take into account, my dear Britannians," Starscream began, "The support our enemies have gained. While most of that stems from the Eleven population, it would seem that even Britannians are voicing their support as well."
That took all of them by surprise.
"What!?" Cornelia exclaimed, almost standing out of her seat.
"That makes no sense at all!" Guilford stated, "Why would subjects of the Empire support our enemies!?"
"I can think of two reasons," Starscream explained, "The first, Clovis' little massacre in Shinjuku, as well as the Purebloods taking full advantage of that. Some of your subjects are sympathetic towards the Elevens and don't like how they've been treated. The second reason is the Hotel-Jacking. Zero and the Autobots were the ones to save those hostages, not you. That being said, it seems your people are doubtful that you are capable of protecting them at all."
"So, what would you have us do then?" Cornelia narrowed her eyes at the Decepticon first lieutenant.
"Personally, if it were up to me, I'd exercise my authority and scorch the entire Area 11 population. Both Elevens and Britannians," Starscream revealed.
All the Britannians present, be it royal, soldier or politician, looked at Starscream in either disgust or horror.
"You… what?" Euphemia muttered.
"Are you suggesting we massacre our people?!" Cornelia almost screamed.
"Why not?" Starscream shrugged, "You had no qualms with attempting to massacre the people of Saitama to draw out Zero and the Autobots. And, let's be honest, if it weren't for little Euphie here, you would have killed all those Britannian hostages"
"No! We would never…" Guilford exclaimed.
"That's enough!" Megatron barked, silencing all, "This bickering is getting us nowhere. Our enemies are the Autobots and the Black Knights; we must deal with them first before we deal with the fallout."
Even though there was discourse among the two parties; all of them silently agreed with Megatron, fighting amongst each other will only help their mutual enemy in the long run.
"Vice Minister," Darlton spoke to one of the politicians, "Internal Affairs has appointed a special group of Elevens to self-govern this area, isn't that right? A group who are called the N.A.C."
The politicians looked in surprise while Starscream rolled his eyes, "You decimate against the Elevens, yet you still managed to appoint some into governing this Britannian occupied area? You do realize that you managed to give your enemies an advantage in doing so, you may as well be farming a rebellion that way."
"Apart from Starscream's tone, I agree," Darlton voiced, "When we stormed Narita, we looked for evidence of the N.A.C.'s conspiracies, but it was buried in the landslide."
"Yet you are still suspicious of them," Megaron noted, "Then simply remove them from the equation."
"Wait!" the Vice Minister stood up, "Please! These are just rumors! There's no evidence of that at all! If you suppress them then the Eleven's economy will certainly collapse. That means no tax revenue to send to the homeland! Also, it's a prime directive that Numbers should take care of their kind!"
"A directive that gives the Numbers more room to rebel," Starscream points out, "Your Empire is quite contradictory, it's no wonder so many have rebelled against you."
Cornelia had enough of this. First, the Decepticons save her and destroy her pride, now they're criticizing and insulting the Empire itself?!
"Oh, well tell me then, Starscream. What have you and your 'superior' Decepticons have done to find Prime and Zero?!"
Starscream was about to retort, but Megatron spoke in a calmer tone, "Unfortunately, due to their means of transportation, as well as their ability to mask their signals, we've yet to discover the location of their base. Optimus and Zero are far more competent than you give them credit for; which is why I am assuming command."
Cornelia looked in shock as Megatron continued, "As it stands, you are incapable of handling the Autobots or their Black Knight allies. That is not an insult, but a fact. If it weren't for my intervention in Narita, you would undoubtedly be a prisoner of the enemy by now. And before you attempt to disagree with me on this, I already spoke with your father on the matter."
That caught everyone's attention. Megatron spoke to the Emperor about this!? Before anyone could say anything else; Laserbeak displayed another hologram, replaying a recorded message of Charles Zi Britannia himself.
"Cornelia, as of this moment, I am assigning all military operations in Area 11 under Megatron's control. He has more experience than the Autobots, so it is the most logical choice. You do not have any say in this; you will work with Megatron. That is my final word."
The message ended as all the Britannians were left in silence as Megatron spoke again.
"So, allow me then to clarify the new chain of command: you remain the Viceroy of Area 11 and will deal with all political matters as usual. However, in terms of the military, especially when dealing with the Autobots and the Black Knights, I am in command. Simply put, you bear equal status to Starscream; your soldiers will still answer to you, but you now answer directly to me."
Starscream didn't like the idea of being of equal ranking to a human but wasn't about to question Megatron and receive a beating from him.
"You can't be serious!" Cornelia voiced, feeling as though she had been, for a lack of a better term, demoted, "I won't…"
"Conflicting agendas will only result in chaos and failure!" Megatron stated, "You would be wise to remember that Cornelia. You are under my command now, as such, you will follow my lead."
Cornelia said nothing as she sat back down, her fists clenching in anger and frustration. Euphemia silently offered her sister a sympathetic look before taking a look at the report on her computer. Her eyes set upon the Lancelot as her own eyes silently wavered, thinking about Suzaku.
Five elderly Japanese men had gathered together in a darkened room, the only light being a single fireplace in the center of their circle as they spoke.
"So, the Britannian viceroy has gone this far already."
"With the Liberation Front scattered, the last embers of Japan have died away."
"No! He may be on the run, but Tohdoh is still strong! Still fighting! Even Katase is still alive! They can still rebuild!"
"Even if they do, what can they do against these beings, these Decepticons? They're a far graver threat than Britannia. I fear there may be no hope for our country."
"No, there is still hope," a voice belonging to a young girl from behind a screen. This girl had long black hair and green eyes
"The Black Knights and those Autobots? You've been infatuated with Zero since he rescued Suzaku Kururugi. We even sent him the Guren MK II and the Gekka Pre-Production."
"They have used those Knightmares with better results than we originally thought. And those Autobots have proven strong enough to make Knightmares look like cheap toys."
"I heard even one bested Cornelia in single combat."
Ashford Academy
Shirley hadn't been paying much attention to the lecture her teacher was giving her. As she pretended to read her textbook, she opened up a letter sent to her by her father, revealing a pair of tickets for an opera.
"Thanks, Daddy…" Shirley whispered to herself with a smile. But of course, since she had an extra ticket, she could also bring a friend with her. But who?
She glanced to the spot where Lelouch would normally sit, only to find he wasn't there. Neither was Kallen. That caused an odd feeling to build up inside her chest.
As the day continued and Shirley went through the rest of her classes, and her practice in the Swim Club, she couldn't get her mind off that odd feeling, even in the Student Council room. Milly noticed the odd expression on her friend's face.
"Okay, what's got you so worried? Constipated? Your monthly?"
"That's not it!" Shirley quickly said.
"Ah, you're lonely because Lelouch is gone, aren't you?" Milly teased.
Shirley was stunned, and while she didn't deny it, there was something else on her mind as well, "It's more like… Kallen's absent the same day he is. Again."
"Oh, so care-free," Milly said, "While the rest of the world's still grappling with giant living transforming robots; you still can't help but think about little things like this. Suzaku's been absent for two days because of all that too, and so has Rai."
"I know that!" Shirley exclaimed, "But Lulu and Kallen have gone on the same day together?! That's serious!"
Milly giggled, "I envy you, Shirley. That's what I love about you."
That particular choice of words got the attention of Nina, who had been silent as she typed away at her computer and glanced towards the pair of girls.
"Don't make fun of me!" Shirley exclaimed.
"Then just tell him already," Milly stood up, "Three little words: I like you."
Shirley's cheeks turned red, "I couldn't! I just couldn't! I mean… what if…"
"'What if he rejects me? It could ruin our great friendship!'" Milly teased and laughed a bit.
Shirley sunk a bit, "You don't have to laugh… that hard you know."
Milly didn't intend to hurt Shirley's feelings a bit and offered the girl a sympathetic expression, "Sorry. But it's comfortable, you know? With everything that's been happening, with all of us here together, it's almost like everything in the world just doesn't matter when we're like this. But then again, anything can happen. For all we know, the whole world could undergo a drastic change any day and we'd never see it coming. We may not even go back to the way things were."
"You make it sound as though something awful is about to happen," Shirley said.
"Oh forget it, please don't take me too seriously," Milly tried to brush it off like it were some kind of joke, "If it's bothering you, why not just ask him the next chance you get." She turned to the doorway as a certain someone walked in. "So how do you feel about it on your side?"
Shirley looked in confusion, which turned into shock to see as Lelouch himself had entered the room, "Lulu! I thought you were absent!"
"Nunnally had a little fever this morning, and Sayoko was busy, so I stayed home to help," Lelouch explained.
"Oh really… you don't say…" Shirley stuttered slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed about her fantastic thoughts of Lelouch and Kallen doing some naughty things together, "So is Nunna feeling better now?"
"A bit," Lelouch answered before turning to Milly, "Madam President, those papers?"
"Oh right. Make sure you organize them by year and class, okay?"
"Yeah, I will," Lelouch picked up the pile of papers, and accidentally Shirley's envelope as well, "You have a talent for ordering people around."
"And you're a great subordinate," Milly teased.
"Subordinate?" Lelouch thought to himself as he left the room, "Like to see her take that attitude with Ratchet or Ironhide."
After Lelouch was gone, Shirley flashed a glare in Milly's direction, "Ugh! Madam President, you nearly gave me a heart attack doing that!"
She quickly noticed her envelope was missing.
"Where're my tickets?" her eyes widened realizing Lelouch accidentally took them and practically screamed as she ran out the door after Lelouch.
"Lulu!"
Lelouch had gone outside and turned around to see Shirley running after him, "What is it?"
"Um… is my dad's letter mixed up with that paperwork?"
"Hmm?" Lelouch looked and saw the envelope he accidentally took, "Oh, sorry."
He handed it back to her but saw an odd look on her face, "What's wrong?"
He was right in front of her, and she did have an extra ticket, so there would be any time to ask him, now would be it.
"Listen uh… Lulu, my dad works a long way from here. But he likes to send me stuff like this to keep my spirits up, you know?"
She took out a pair of tickets, "He even got me two tickets for an opera in a couple of days. I haven't thought of anyone to ask to come with me, so I was just wondering..."
She handed Lelouch one of the tickets, "...if you're not busy."
Lelouch looked at the ticket for a moment, he wasn't doing anything in particular at that date, "Sure, why not?"
"Wha… really?!" Shirley could barely contain her excited smile.
"Yeah, I've been pretty busy lately so this might be a nice break," Lelouch had an honest smile, "So yeah, I'll come. Sounds like fun."
Shirley looked like she was ready to squeal out of joy but kept her cool as to not embarrass herself, "So, I'll see you then."
"Yeah, sure," Lelouch nodded as Shirley walked off.
"[Looks like you got yourself a date.]"
Lelouch turned towards the parking lot, towards Bumblebee's vehicle form, though he couldn't see his face, the exiled prince probably guessed the Autobot scout was smirking underneath the hood.
"It's not a date, we're just going to the opera," Lelouch said as he walked towards the yellow Autobot in his vehicle mode.
"[Sounds like a date to me,]" Bumblebee teased as Lelouch got in.
"Shut up," Lelouch grumbled as they drove off.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched a certain green-haired girl sitting in Lelouch's room and eating a pizza, having seen the exchange occur between Lelouch and Shirley.
C.C. had a curious look on her face but quickly turned into annoyance.
"Stop being so suspicious," she said to a voice that only she could hear, "That's hardly the case, to me he's nothing but a self-righteous jerk."
Meanwhile, Shirley had stopped as she stood behind the building and couldn't contain her excitement anymore.
"I did it! I asked him! And he said yes!" she almost squealed, "But…"
She shook her head, "He's just coming with me to a little concert! So, it's no big thing… but still, it's a chance."
She looked at her ticket with a smile, "Thank you, Daddy."
She soon felt her phone ring.
As Shirley answered her phone, however, she failed to notice someone else was watching her from the rooftop. A man wearing a white jacket with silver-white hair. He wore a visor over his eyes with a pair of headphones over his ears as he smiled sinisterly at not just Shirley, but the glance of the C.C. he saw in the window.
The Nemesis – The Bridge
"Lord Megatron," Shockwave has entered the bridge along with Soundwave as their leader was the only other occupant in the room, "Soundwave has informed me of all that has transpired here on this planet, such as our control over the Britannian Empire, the Black Knights, as well as Zero and his true identity."
"I see," Megatron noticed, a bit surprised that Soundwave revealed Lelouch's identity to Shockwave, but then again, Shockwave's loyalty to Megatron was absolute, on par with even Soundwave's, so it made sense.
"And I must ask; what is the purpose of keeping his identity a secret?" Shockwave asked, "Surely, as the Black Knights are mostly consisting of Elevens, they would logically abandon their leader as he is the prince of the same Empire they despise so much."
"But we cannot say whether they know it or not," Megatron said, "They may be aware and follow him willingly. And it is not just our dear Lelouch, Optimus himself has proven to be quite the charismatic leader, so I wouldn't be surprised if they are in the Black Knights out of respect for him. That being said Shockwave, you are now the only other Decepticon aside from myself and Soundwave that know of this secret, and I would encourage you to keep it to yourself. This information could prove useful to us if we manipulate it the right way."
"Your reasoning is logical, Lord Megatron," Shockwave nodded, "And I have new information of myself to give."
"Oh?" Megatron was intrigued.
"Upon my arrival to Earth, Soundwave and I have discovered a small group of Earthlings attempting to flee the city of Narita," Shockwave began, "They refer to themselves as 'Code R' and have been studying something rather... interesting."
Soundwave extended his tentacles and attached them to the main console on the bridge, he then began to offload the information he previously downloaded into the Nemesis database.
"Soundwave was easily able to access their data from their primitive computers," Shockwave began to explain as Megatron saw all the information now under his control, "Though their technology is crude and primitive, what they were studying was something… unexpected: immortality."
That got Megatron's attention, "Immortality?"
The screen shifted to reveal multiple pictures and videos of C.C. being experimented on by the research team, "Apparently, this human female possesses an uncanny ability to heal from virtually any form of injury, including those that should be fatal. Unfortunately, the information regarding her is limited. It was meant to be kept in secrecy as the data suggests this project was spearheaded by the deceased Britannian Prince Clovis, even from the rest of the Britannian empire. And there is one other odd piece of information we've discovered… Geass."
Megatron raised an eyebrow, "And… what exactly is Geass?"
"Unknown," Shockwave replied, "Very little information from this Code R has been given, and I am unfamiliar with the term."
Megatron stroked his chin, "Interesting."
This 'Geass' was amusing enough, but an Earthling with immortality? Not even Cybertronians are immortal. This could prove to be useful.
"Where are these humans now, Shockwave?"
"They are detained within a special cell aboard the Nemesis," Shockwave answered, "As well as an injured Britannian soldier that was nearby, he was taken as well to avoid any witnesses."
"Very well then, keep them all alive," Megatron instructed, "Find out all you can about this Code R, as well as this Geass. And be sure to sever any ties these humans have with their homes, no loose ends."
"Why such precautions?" Shockwave asked.
"Though Clovis intended to keep such a secret, it makes me wonder what else this world has hidden beneath its surface. And who else may be aware of them," Megatron replied as his eyes narrowed, "Charles, you wouldn't happen to be keeping any secrets from me, would you?"
The Ark
Several Black Knights had gathered in the bridge along with all the Autobots to discuss what happened in Narita. Most of the Black Knights present, including their masked leader, all sat or stood in the living-quarters-based installation on the side of the massive chamber as they talked with the Autobots.
"From what the police reports have said, there were no civilian casualties and all of Narita had been evacuated before the battle took place. I thought that was good news," Ohgi said.
"That is good news," Bulkhead said, "We're not like Britannia or the Cons as we're not gonna drag innocent people into this."
"Which in turn, will help increase our reputation and support," Fixit voiced, "Maybe even bring in some recruits."
"Good, we got more rookies to train," Ironhide said.
"Yeah, but… now we know what the Decepticons are capable of," Kallen said, "And… they're a lot stronger than I thought."
"No joke," Rai agreed, "We had Britannia on the run, but we have stuck on defense the rest of that fight."
"Don't beat yourselves up about it," Cliffjumper said, "You guys managed to kill off more than a few Cons; so you've proven yourself quite a bit. We'll just need to change our strategy going forward."
"But that also means you can't rush straight into a fight," Arcee pointed out.
"Yeah, let the Autobots handle the Con's heavy-hitters," Wheeljack added.
"No argument here," Kallen said, "The Guren and I barely stood a chance against Soundwave."
"I managed to poke out one of Breakdown's eyes," Rai pointed out, "Right before he sent me flying with that massive hammer of his."
"Breakdown's about as strong as me, and Soundwave is Megatron's right-hand bot," Bulkhead pointed out, "Of course, you guys are gonna have trouble with them."
"Speaking of Megatron… I never expected him to be so strong," Ohgi said, his eyes wavering having seen his battle with Optimus, "I mean… I had an idea but… even Optimus couldn't…"
"It was a tie! A tie!" Tamaki exclaimed, "The big O's still standing, right? Bet he could wipe the smirk off Buckethead's face if he wanted!"
"[I wouldn't be so cocky, Tamaki,]" Bumblebee beeped, "[Optimus and Megatron have been duking it out since the war began; Optimus won a few of them, Megatron won others; but in all honestly… those two are evenly matched.]"
Most of the Black Knights looked in surprise. They had all seen Optimus in action before and could easily say he was an absolute force to be reckoned with. But hearing that Megatron could not only take him but also beat him?! Just thinking about that was almost terrifying.
"Megatron is indeed a formidable foe," Optimus began, "A powerful warrior as well as a commanding leader and competent strategist. However, he is not invincible as he has suffered defeat before. But you are correct to exercise caution; while our modified Knightmares have proven to be capable of defeating the Decepticons; I would advise against any confrontations with Megatron or even some of his top brass without an Autobot to aid you."
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Rai agreed.
As they all talked, Zero remained silent though he had listened to every word. However, it wasn't just the strength of the Decepticons that was on his mind. He thought back to Shirley. He was glad that she invited him to go to a concert; with everything that's happened recently, including revealing and explaining his identity to Kallen, he needed a break to take his mind off things. He already told Optimus before everyone else arrived and even agreed it was for the best. Zero was taken out of his thoughts as Ohgi handed him a letter.
"Oh Zero, this is for you."
"Hmm, what's this?" Zero took the letter.
"A love letter," Ohgi answered.
Lelouch smirked underneath his mask, "I'm sorry Ohgi, but I'm not really into men."
Rai, Tamaki, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, and a few other Black Knights burst out laughing while Kallen, Arcee, and even Ironhide smirked slightly.
"And they say you got no sense of humor!" Tamaki chuckled.
"You laugh too much," Ratchet commented, rather annoyed.
Fixit looked quite intrigued, "Oh, I was not aware that human males could mate with each other."
Ohgi's face turned red with embarrassment as he shook it away, "That's not what I meant. It's a letter from Kyoto, they urgently request a meeting. In fact, it's for you to Optimus."
He spoke to the Autobot leader, "They want to meet with you and Zero. They praised us for how well we used the Guren MK II and the Gekka Pre-Production, and, seeing how you defeated Cornelia by yourself back in Saitama…"
"They wish to speak with the group that has gained the most results," Optimus finished, "This makes sense."
"Is this necessary, however?" Ratchet questioned.
"Necessary?! It's Kyoto!" Kallen exclaimed.
"If they accept us, it means even more funding and support," Ohgi said with an eager smile, "It could solve our financial crisis."
That got Zero's attention, "Crisis? What crisis?"
Ohgi was surprised to hear that Zero hadn't heard about this, "There shouldn't be any trouble. Ratchet and I created the budget plan ourselves."
Ironhide glanced at the Wreckers, much to their confusion.
"Something up Old-Timer?" Wheeljack asked.
"Oh, not much, except I've seen you guys take some of our recruits to monster truck rallies," the Autobot veteran said.
"Hey, I pay for that with my own money!" Rai quickly exclaimed.
"Yeah, besides those are fun!" Bulkhead added.
"Well if it's not you guys…" Arcee glanced at Tamaki.
"Hey, it's not my fault! We're turning into a big organization now! That means new expenses, you know!" Tamaki argued.
"You mean like all those fancy restaurants you take all those new recruits?" Arcee questioned with a knowing grin, "I've seen where you've been taking them. Looks way too expensive for you to buy on your own."
Tamaki's face became one of comic shock, "You know about that?!"
Zero sighed, "Ohgi, you and Fixit are in charge of the budget for now."
"Hold it right there!" Tamaki stood up, "I'm the one that's in charge of the cash! That's my job!"
"Dude, you just admitted you used our money to go to fancy restaurants and show off to the recruits," Rai pointed out.
"You got potential as a Wrecker, Tamaki; but in terms of finance… not so much," Wheeljack pointed out.
"Agreed, if you want our trust with such an important position, we need to see positive results," Zero pointed out.
"Did you seriously just say the word 'trust'? Trust a guy who hides his face from his partners?!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Oh scrap," Bulkhead muttered as several Black Knights looked at Zero with similar expressions as Rai looked nervous.
"How about it Zero, huh?! And what about you guys?!" Tamaki looked to the rest of the Autobots; Fixit looked the most nervous while the others had serious expressions on their faces, "You've been with him longer than we have! Have you seen his face?! Why not let the rest of us in on it!"
"Tamaki…" Optimus was about to speak, but Kallen already stood up to defend him.
"Zero's not the problem here!" the red-headed girl spoke to Tamaki, "Who cares who he is?! He saved all our lives in Shinjuku, and he's given us all so much! The same goes for the Autobots! You've seen what the Decepticons are like Tamaki, you think we would have stood even the slightest chance without them?!"
Tamaki grumbled a bit before sitting down and crossing his arms. He wouldn't admit it, but he knew she was right. The Black Knights on their own wouldn't stand a chance against the Decepticons; it's thanks to the Autobots that the Black Knights even exist at all.
Zero looked up at Kallen as he said nothing, but his eyes did waver a bit, feeling a tad bad to put Kallen in this position; Rai felt similarly as they both remember what happened after she learned about his identity shortly after Narita.
Flashback
Once all the Black Knights had recovered from their ordeal in Narita; each of them returned home to get some rest and recover; save for Kallen, Rai, and their unmasked leader who stood in the bridge of the Ark; alongside all nine Autobots, and even C.C. They told Kallen everything; Zero's real identity as not only her classmate Lelouch, but also the exiled prince Lelouch Vi Britannia, long thought to be dead. He also told her about Nunnally's status as the presumably deceased princess, and even the incident that cost her eyes and legs, and the life of their mother. Lelouch also told her about his Geass and how he got it from C.C. and even revealed her real name to her, much to the immortal's chagrin. Once it was all done, everyone looked at Kallen as she remained silent and held her head down.
"Hey… you still with us Kallen?" Rai asked.
"Yeah… It's just a lot," the red-haired girl said, not quite knowing what to feel.
However, she looked up to the Autobots, "You guys all knew about this? Even you two?"
Arcee and Cliffjumper exchanged looks of guilt, "Sorry Kallen, but we just had to be sure."
"Lelouch has got every reason to hate Britannia as much as you do, and given how we've seen some certain extremists handle Britannians…" Cliffjumper winced slightly.
"But you guys know I'm not like that!" Kallen exclaimed, "I'm not a god damn terrorist!"
"Kallen, do not blame any of them. I asked them not to tell anyone my identity," Lelouch told her, "I couldn't risk dragging Nunnally into any of this. I already lost my mother and the rest of my family couldn't care less… she was pretty much all I had left."
Kallen's look softened as she can at least understand what it's like to lose a loved one, a family member in particular.
She glanced at Rai, "When did you find out?"
"By complete accident, believe it or not," Rai said, "I was getting some milk late at night and he just walked in assuming I was asleep."
"Really? That's it?" Kallen asked in honest surprise.
"That's it," Rai confirmed.
"So… who else knows?"
"Only those gathered here right now," Fixit answered, "Though, according to the Wrecker's report from Naritia, we may suspect that Kyoshiro Tohdoh may be aware as well."
"Not surprised," Lelouch said. "He was one of those who looked after me and my sister when we were sent to Japan. That man is a true warrior and an absolute genius."
Optimus Prime then spoke himself, "Kallen, I deeply apologize for our deception, but as said before, Lelouch's reason for standing against Britannia and the Decepticons is very real."
"Even you know, Wheeljack? The newest recruit to our little mix-matched army?" Kallen questioned the white Wrecker, but Bulkhead spoke first.
"That one's on me. I told him. Lelouch didn't ask me to do it," Bulkhead quickly said.
"And to be fair, if he approached you guys on the street the way he first did before as Lelouch vi Britannia, would you have willingly followed him the way you do now?" Wheeljack asked.
Kallen didn't say anything at first, realizing that Lelouch hid his identity for a good reason. Honestly, if she had known the first time, she'd met him, she'd probably stab him the first chance she'd get. It was for that same reason that she understood why the Autobots, even her partners Arcee and Cliffjumper, kept his identity a secret.
"Kid, we get how you feel," Ironhide began, "When we first met the kid, we were skeptical for the same reason. But… he's proven himself, even with his Geass thing. He's got plenty of issues, but he's a decent human being."
He ignored the look Lelouch gave him, but the exiled prince was a tad grateful that he's earned the respect of the Autobot veteran.
"So… your Geass… lets you control people?" she asked Lelouch directly.
"It only works on humans, not Cybertronians," Lelouch explained, "I need direct eye-contact for it to work and it can only work on an individual once."
"How do I know you're not using it on me right now?" Kallen asked skeptically.
"Because I already did," Lelouch answered, causing Kallen to look in surprise, "Remember back at Ashford when I told you not to tell anyone about Shinjuku? I'd used it on you previously because I needed to know if you were the same pilot in the Glasgow."
"That's all? You didn't enslave me or anything?" Kallen asked.
"No. I may be an exiled Britannian prince, but I'm not my father. I won't do anything like that to anyone," Lelouch confirmed.
Kallen had a serious expression on her face before a certain memory came up, causing her to look in confusion, "Hold on, what about in the bathroom? You were right there when Zero called and…"
"Glad to see you still alive, Q-1"
The red-haired girl looked to Bumblebee in surprise as he replayed the message on his radio. The yellow Autobot simply shrugged, "[When you can't talk, and not everyone understands bleep, you find other ways of communicating.]"
"As I said before, I didn't want to drag my sister into any of this," Lelouch continued, "I'm sorry I lied like that."
Kallen then glanced at C.C., "So, you're immortal? And you can grant superpowers to anyone?"
"In order, yes, and I wouldn't necessarily call Geass a 'superpower'," C.C. explained, "Each one manifests differently depending on the person I form the contract with, based on their desires. No one Geass is the same. So, if you were to form a contract with me, you probably wouldn't have the same power Lelouch has."
"I see," Kallen said.
"And there's still limited information on the power itself," Ratchet said, "Given how little information a certain someone has relayed to us."
"If something crucially important were to come up, I will tell you," the immortal said.
Ratchet rolled his eyes along with Ironhide.
"That girl's a real mixed bag," The veteran Autobot commented.
"She always like this?" Kallen asked Rai.
"Oh yeah," The amnesiac nodded.
"Kallen, I probably have no right to ask this of you but… please don't tell the others, not even Ohgi," Lelouch told her, "I'm not sure if they're ready… and I don't know if I am either. You're one of the few people I have chosen to trust with all of this because I've seen who you are through your actions: you are a strong, dependable, and capable warrior; and… much like myself… I think you understand how it feels when your world crumbles around you… and how hard it is to find people to trust. But I know I can trust you. I trust every one of the Autobots with my life and my sisters with this secret. I trust Rai with it, and now… I'm choosing to place that trust in you. But… if you can't and you don't feel like you can follow me anymore… I won't stop you from leaving but… I need you. We need you. Kallen… please."
Lelouch bowed his head to her, almost as if he were begging her, which in fact, he was.
Kallen had no idea how to respond to this. A Britannian… a child of the Emperor no less, is begging her, an Eleven, for help! She would never once think anything like this would even be possible and yet, he still told her everything about himself and even admitted some of his weaknesses. She happened to glance towards Rai, who had a similar look on his face, and even Fixit offered one as he rolled up to Rai. Her gaze set upon all the Autobots, though Ratchet had a neutral expression, the rest of them, even Optimus had expressions silently telling them they needed her, she was one of their best pilots, their ace. Upon seeing the looks of her partners; Cliffjumper and Arcee, their looks silently told her that they were hopping beyond hope that she'd stay. She'd be lying to say she didn't develop a strong bond with them, a bond they both mutually felt towards her.
So, with a deep sigh, Kallen spoke.
"Alright."
Lelouch looked up at her.
"I won't tell anyone. You saved my life many times. You even helped me and my mom get out of that god-forsaken mansion. You… all of you in fact… you brought me here, you made the Black Knights and gave me a purpose, a real reason to fight. I get why you had to hide your face but… Britannian prince or not, you gave me a reason to hope. So please, don't make me lose that hope. Zero, Lelouch, whatever the hell you wanna call yourself, I'll follow you every step of the way, even through Hell itself. The same goes with the rest of you," she glanced at all the Autobots as she smiled, "Thank you for everything, I'll do everything in my power to repay you in any way I can. You have all chosen to trust me, well I'm choosing to trust you."
All the Autobots, even Ratchet, as well as Rai and even C.C. all smiled.
"We thank you, Kallen," Optimus Prime nodded.
"Welcome to the circle of trust," Cliffjumper told her with a smirk.
Lelouch got up and smiled honestly at Kallen…only for it to fade into a look of shock and pain as Kallen suddenly punched him in the gut.
"That's for seeing me naked in the bathroom you pervert," she stated with a smirk, glad she got that out of her system.
Lelouch felt his knees and coughed up a storm as Rai, Fixit, and Bumblebee looked in shock, while C.C., Arcee, Bulkhead, Ironhide, Cliffjumper, and Wheeljack chuckled. Ratchet merely rolled his eyes once more as Optimus had something of a small nod in understanding.
"In retrospect Lelouch, you kinda had that coming," Arcee commented.
"Yeah… I did…" Lelouch coughed slightly as he chuckled himself.
"Nice hook," Wheeljack told the girl with a smirk.
"Thanks," Kallen smirked back.
End Flashback
Once Lelouch and Rai returned to the Clubhouse for the night; Lelouch took the moment to enter his sister's room to check in on her.
"Lelouch?" Nunnally sat up from her bed.
"Looks like your fever's gone," he noticed as he walked in and stood right by his sister's bed.
"Maybe I was just a little moody," Nunnally said.
"Moody?"
Nunnally laid back down, "It just seems to me lately, that you've become a little distant, like you have other things weighing on your mind."
Lelouch gave a small gasp, but it faded as Nunnally had a small playful smirk on her face, "Perhaps my body just did this on your own to get your attention."
Despite the small humor, Lelouch had a serious and concerned expression as he kneeled down and gently grasped his sister's hand.
"Maybe you're right," he admitted, "I've had some things on my mind lately."
Nunnally's smile faded, "You know… you can tell me if you want to. I don't want to seem like a burden to you."
"You're not a burden Nunnally. Don't think for one second that you are," Lelouch told her, "While there have been things on my mind, I've had friends to help me through it, I'm not alone I promise."
Nunnally smiled, "I'm glad to hear you're making friends. I'd like to meet them someday."
"Yeah… someday maybe."
Lelouch had something of a sad smile. He wanted to tell her about him being Zero as well as the Autobots, but that would mean he'd also have to tell her about the Decepticons, and he didn't want to make her worry. But with everything that's been happening recently, he may have no choice but to tell her someday.
"So then, can I be a little selfish now?" Nunnally asked, "Please stay with me a little bit longer. If I fall asleep alone, I'm afraid I'll have that dream again."
Lelouch held her hand a bit tighter, "Nunnally… I promise that no matter what, I'll always be here for you. I'm not going anywhere."
The Next Day - The Ark
"Thanks to the information you've provided, we've obtained a potential list of Kyoto's leaders," Ratchet told Lelouch over the communications as he and the other Autobots, minus Bumblebee, looked at the list of elderly Japanese businessmen and politicians on the Ark's screen.
"But we can't know for sure whether any of them are with Kyoto for sure," Fixit added.
"Of course," Lelouch said, "If it were easy to identity them, Britannia would have snuffed them out a long time ago."
"Gotta give these guys credit," Wheeljack complemented, "Pretending to be with those higher-crust wannabe-Cons while supplying resistant groups. I like 'em."
"You would," Ironhide commented to the Wrecker.
"I'll meet you at the Ark shortly. Only a handful of Black Knights will accompany me and Optimus," Lelouch said.
"You don't need the rest of us?" Bulkhead asked.
"This is a meeting; we're not going into battle," Lelouch replied.
"I agree with Lelouch," Optimus spoke, "If we are to establish a formidable opposition to Britannia and the Decepticons, we'll need allies. With Kyoto's connections and resources combined with the information we can provide, we'll be able to strengthen our arms."
"Even so, this is a bit of a risk considering we don't know who we're supposed to meet," Arcee commented.
"Well it does make sense. These guys gotta hide their identity too, and for good reasons," Cliffjumper said.
"Either way, we need to meet with them. I'll be at the Ark shortly. See you soon."
Lelouch hung up as he sat in Bumblebee's driver seat, as his vehicle mode was still in the Ashford parking lot.
"[So, you know any of these guys?]" Bumblebee asked.
"Out of all the potential collaborators, there really is only one that I know personally," Lelouch answered, "And I'm hopping it's him we're meeting with."
"[And if it's not?]" Bumblebee asked.
"Then we'll just have to hope they listen to us. It pains me to admit it, but we need Kyoto's help," Lelouch said.
"[Yeah, I see you're point. Oh, by the way, you forgot something.]"
Bumblebee's CD-drive opened as a small claw handed Lelouch his ticket for the opera that Shirley gave him, reminding Lelouch that the opera is tonight, around the same time he's supposed to meet with her.
"I didn't forget," Lelouch slightly scowled, "I was going to call and cancel."
"[You know that girl's gonna be disappointed. She seemed happy that you actually said yes,]" Bumblebee pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. But this takes priority," Lelouch said, feeling a bit disappointed himself as he was actually looking forward to a nice quiet night.
"[Hey Lelouch, can I ask you something?]"
"What is it?"
"[What exactly does that girl mean to you?]" Bumblebee asked, taking Lelouch by surprise as he clearly did not expect that sort of question, "[It's obvious she cares about you a lot, but do you feel the same way towards her?]"
Lelouch looked out the window and didn't answer right away, "She's a good person. She's been really nice to Nunnally and I appreciate that."
"[Do you see her as a friend?]"
"Yeah… I guess I do."
"[But she doesn't know about you. She doesn't know you're an exiled prince, or that you're Zero,]" Bumblebee pointed out.
"What do you want me to say, Bumblebee?" Lelouch questioned, "Hey Shirley, guess what, I'm not only the prince of Britannia, an empire that I hate with every fiber of my being, but I'm also the masked leader of a rebellion working alongside alien robots and fighting a war!"
"[Well no, maybe don't lead with that…]"
"I can't tell her," Lelouch said honestly, "I don't want her, or anyone else from Ashford getting dragged into this. I can't imagine what Britannia, or the Cons might do to them."
"[Okay, I see what you mean. But Rai knows, and we've even let Kallen into our little social circle,]" Bumblebee pointed out.
"That's different and you know it," Lelouch stated, "They're both warriors, they can fight. Shirley's anything but a fighter."
Before their conversation could continue, Lelouch felt his phone ring and looked on the Caller-ID to see it was Shirley calling him. He answered it without a second thought, "Shirley? I was going to call and…"
"Listen, Lulu… I know I made a date with you, but I may be late. Sorry, but anyway, I'm sure it'll be fine, really."
"It's alright," Lelouch told her, "I might be late myself, so don't worry."
"Okay… well, see you tonight."
"Yeah…" Lelouch replied before hanging up.
"[You didn't cancel,]" Bumblebee said, "[You said you were going to be late. That's not canceling.]"
Lelouch sighed, "Let's just go."
If Bumblebee's face was exposed, it would have a serious yet concerned expression as he drove off with Lelouch inside.
Narita
Multiple Sutherlands had gathered around the rubble of the landslide to dig out the remains of their fallen soldiers. Despite being no civilian casualties, deaths among the military were rather extreme. Their bodies, or what remained of them, were brought to multiple tents at the bottom of the mountain where the families of the soldiers could identify them.
Suzaku was present underneath one tent as he saw this morbid scene play out, and yet his mind couldn't help but think of his encounter with Zero, the yellow Autobot, and that one green-haired girl.
"Was it really her? Did I see her there…? And then…?"
A familiar and painful memory replayed in his mind, which he was quick to squash down as he poured some of his bottled water over his head.
"Just forget it, she doesn't show up in any of the data."
"Dug enough bodies up yet?"
Suzaku looked in surprise to see the vehicle mode of Knock Out as the door on the driver's side was opened, prompting Suzaku to step inside, the door closed as Suzaku could speak to the Decepticon in private without civilians noticing.
"What do you want, Knock Out?"
"To congratulate you," the red Decepticon answered, "You actually helped put the Autobots in the defensive back in that battle despite your little… episode near the end."
Suzaku grimaced, as he knew what Knock Out was referring to.
"But regardless, Megatron has recognized your talents and has made it official."
The CD drive opened to reveal a small hand-held object, which Suzaku took. It was a purple badge with the emblem of the Decepticons.
"You passed the test with flying colors and you're one of us now. The first-ever human Decepticon: Suzaku Kururugi. So, let me be the first to officially welcome you to the winning team." Suzaku looked at the Decepticon insignia he held in his hand and wasn't quite sure what to feel about that. "Don't get too excited about me." Knock Out said sarcastically.
"Knock Out… you've fought the Autobots before, right?" Suzaku asked.
"Yeah. What of it?"
"Well, what is it they're trying to do?" Suzaku continued, "And Zero and the Black Knights; what are they all trying to do?"
"The Bots say 'freedom is the right of all sentient beings' and the Black Knights are 'knights for justice' whatever," Knock Out answered.
"Justice and freedom?" Suzaku angrily clenched his fists, "That's what they call this?!"
"This is called war, kid," Knock Out said, "Like it or not, death is a consequence of war. Everybody on both sides kills. It's not just the Bots and the BKs; your side kills too. I'm sure you must have killed before, right?"
Suzaku's eyes widened in shock, instinctively thinking back to a memory he is trying so hard to forget; one he almost did succeed in forgetting until his encounter with that girl.
"Kid, let me give you the best advice I can give," Knock Out said, "Just do whatever the heck you want. That's one of the benefits of being a Decepticon. You can do whatever you want and get away with it. Anything you want; good or bad, name it."
"Whatever… I want…?" Suzaku muttered.
"I'm the wrong bot to talk about this sort of thing. You wanna get into all that philosophy stuff, talk to Dreadwing seeing how you're all buddy-buddy with him," Knock Out said.
Suzaku happened to glance out the side window and looked in surprise to see Shirley walking through the area as she and her mother were led by Villetta to a tent. Suzaku rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing anything, but when he did, she was gone. He sighed.
"I'm gonna continue with recovery operations," he said as he got out of Knock Out's vehicle mode.
"Go for it. Like I said, you can do whatever you want and get away with it. You're one of us now," Knock Out said as he drove off.
Meanwhile; Cecile was replacing the energy-filler on the Lancelot when she looked upon both its shoulders to see the Decepticon emblem etched onto it. Knock Out had already done that before the recovery operations in Narita began, and she couldn't help but feel rather uncomfortable about it.
"Cecile."
She was slightly startled as Lloyd walked up to her with his casual smile. But she got right to business and began to tell him what she had learned.
"I checked the units, including the Glaston Knights and Purebloods. Even Knock Out provided me with some data on a few Vehicon remains."
"And I was right, wasn't I?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes, a Radiant Surger," Cecile confirmed, "And from what witnesses have reported; two Knightmares each have a Radiant Wave Surger. And even the energy-output seems to be different, unlike anything we've seen before."
"Rakshata. I never thought she would work with our enemies," Lloyd said, "Guess the temptation to work with giant alien robots was too much for even her."
"It's not just the Surgers however," Cecile said, "Some of the Knightmares appear to have melted. The ammunition the Black Knights are using is completely different than anything we have."
"Well, seeing how Cybertronian metal skin basically makes Knightmares look like tissue paper, it's no surprise the Black Knights have to make some upgrades to stay face against the Cons," Lloyd surmised.
"The Black Knight pilots are extremely skilled; and we've seen how competent the Autobots are in combat," Cecile pointed out, "Suzaku's mental state is so unstable now that if we have to face them again…"
"Hold on. I can understand the Autobots, but you don't think any of the Black Knights' units can actually beat my dear Lancelot?" Lloyd questioned as Cecile seemed more concerned with Suzaku himself than the Knightmare he was piloting.
Meanwhile; Villetta had led Shirley and her mother into a tent where there were other bodies in bags that family members had to identify; but they didn't stop in there. There was a smaller tent inside that one that they were led to, with a table of belongings including a lab-coat with a familiar name written on it.
Villetta opened Shirley's phone to see her photo-ID and name, but she caught a picture that fell out, "Yes, the spelling of 'Fenette' matches this one. I'm afraid this is… this is all we could recover. I'm sorry you had to find out like this."
"It's alright…" Mrs. Fenette muttered.
However, Villetta's eyes slightly widened as she saw the picture of Lelouch that was on Shirley's phone. His face looked very familiar.
Optimus' vehicle mode followed a black car through a tunnel. Inside Optimus' truck sat Zero, Ohgi, Kallen, Rai, and Tamaki. However, per the request of those they were meeting; Optimus had to darken his windows so the Black Knights couldn't see where they were going, and it annoyed Tamaki to no end.
"This is taking too long, when do we get there?" Tamaki honked the horn on Optimus' steering wheel, "Hey! Where are we going?!"
He tried to shout to the car they were following before honking two more times.
"Tamaki, is that really necessary?" Optimus questioned.
"Come on big guy, can't you tell us where we're going?" Tamaki asked the leader of the Autobots.
"I am unaware," Optimus answered, "We've been traveling through this tunnel for quite some time."
"Geeze, take a chill pill will ya?" Rai told Tamaki.
"Yeah, you're embarrassing us," Kallen agreed.
"Sorry if I'm more than a little impatient," Tamaki said in obvious sarcasm.
"You'll have to exercise patience, Tamaki," Zero told him, "Kyoto has their reasons and we have to go along with it if we want their support."
Suddenly, Optimus came to a halt as his vehicle mode began to ascend up some form of elevator fit for vehicles. The Black Knights could feel the change in their ride.
"Hey Optimus, what's going on?" Ohgi asked.
"We appear to be ascending some form of elevation," Optimus answered.
"We're going up?" Kallen voiced in confusion.
"These guys have an elevator?" Rai voiced just as the elevation stopped.
Optimus then followed the black car a little more before stopping. The driver got out of the car, revealing to be a man in a suit and sunglasses as he waved for Optimus to let his riders out.
"I believe we have arrived at our destination," Optimus said as the doors opened, allowing Zero and his four Black Knights to step out.
Once they did, they saw a massive window and were beyond surprised at what they saw beyond it. Even Tamaki and Rai ran up to the window to get a closer look to make sure they weren't imagining things.
"What…is this…?" Rai breathed.
"This is… the Fuji mines?!" Ohgi voiced in utter awe as everyone saw Mount Fuji, as well as the large metal plating that appeared to cover at least one-third of it.
Even Optimus was partly amazed at this site but was also saddened at the thought of Britannia, and indirectly the Decepticons, using it for their own purposes.
"That is not possible!" Tamaki exclaimed, "There is no way we can be here!"
"It has to be Mount Fuji!" Kallen exclaimed as well, even though she was stunned by everyone else, "There's only one mountain like this!"
"But I thought… Britannia controlled all the Energon that comes in and out of this place!" Rai stuttered.
"You know what they do to intruders here? Execute them!" Tamaki stated.
"Their power reaches all the way out to here…? The Kyoto group is amazing…" Ohgi breathed.
"It's repulsive."
The lights suddenly dimmed, and the windows went dark as all eyes set upon two veiled seats; on the right sat an elderly man with a cane, while the one on the left sat a young girl, with guards on either side. Lelouch's eyes widened underneath the mask; though he recognized the voice of the man and was glad to be meeting with him, he was surprised to see the girl as he recognized her as well, despite not seeing her face. She was so young that it was hard to believe she's the head of Kyoto. But this was someone that can actually be helpful to him and his allies.
"Mount Fuji, a sacred mountain once known for its clear water and quiet beauty, now it is bent the Empire's will. A place of the hideous violation; a reflection of what Japan has become. It pains me so."
The young girl then spoke in a calm yet authoritative tone, "Can I assume this truck you traveled in is one of the Autobots?"
The truck then transformed to reveal Optimus Prime. The guards instinctively stepped back as being in the presence of this particular being was intimidating enough.
"My name is Optimus Prime, I lead the Autobots, and I work alongside Zero who leads the Black Knights as well."
"A pleasure to meet you, Optimus Prime," the man spoke, "It's an honor to meet the one who dealt the supposed Goddess of Victory's first defeat; and who saved the Japan Liberation Front from total annihilation."
"You and Zero must please forgive us for not showing our faces," the girl said, "For one of you is hiding your face as well."
"Indeed. We cannot accept this," the man continued, "If you wish for our trust, we must know who you are; therefore, you will show us your face."
Once he said that; four Burais rolled out from the shadows and pointed their guns specifically at Optimus who continued to remain calm. Though the four Black Knights were more than a little surprised by this sudden show of force.
"Whoa, hold on! We're not your enemies!" Rai stated as he, Ohgi, and Tamaki threw up their hands to show they mean no harm.
"Please wait!" Kallen stood protectively in front of Zero, "Zero and Optimus have given us power and victory! You cannot…"
"Kallen, it's okay," Zero put a hand on her shoulder.
"But…" she tried to protest.
"I said it's fine," Zero insisted, causing her to reluctantly stand aside.
"Which of you is Ohgi?" the man asked.
Ohgi stood straight, "That's me."
"You will remove Zero's mask."
Before Ohgi could make even a move or a protest, Zero spoke, "That won't be necessary… Lord Taizo Kirihara, Lady Kaguya Sumeragi."
Both the identified heads of the House of Kyoto had their eyes widened in shock as the guards and Knightmares immediately pointed their guns at Zero. The Black Knights looked in shock at how Zero was able to know their names without seeing their faces; however, Optimus was able to step protectively in front of Lelouch.
"We bare no ill-will towards you Lord Kirihara, Lady Kaguya, please stand down and hear us out," Optimus said.
The guards and Knightmares didn't appear to listen until the man identified as Kirihara shouted, "Enough! Stand down!"
"But… they know your name! Both your names! They cannot…" one guard protested.
"I said stand down!" Kirihara exclaimed.
"If Optimus Prime is strong enough to defeat even Cornelia, what hope can we have to defeat him with simple Burais?" Kaguya spoke
The guards then did as request as they lowered their pistols and the Burais backed away.
"Zero, Optimus Prime, how do you know of us?" Kirihara questioned.
Zero chuckled slightly as he stepped forward from behind Optimus, "It would be hard for me to forget the two of you, for I have yet to repay my debt to you for taking care of me all those years ago."
He placed his hand on his mask as it retracted.
"Me… and my sister."
He removed it completely so that everyone can see his face.
Both Kirihara's and Kaguya's eyes widened as their pupils shook, "You…"
Lord Kirihara couldn't believe it as Kaguya's face instinctively contorted into a small smile.
Kallen and Rai were surprised to see Lelouch openly reveal his face like this. Ohgi's own eyes were so wide they were almost circular as his mouth formed into a perfect O, while Tamaki looked with a hanging jaw. Their masked and mysterious leader was a kid! A kid who looked as though he was in high school! And a Britannian no-less.
Optimus had a look of understanding on his face; he was glad to see Lelouch already expanding his circle, and even more so that he was acquainted with these particular people. Lelouch had already told Optimus about his and Nunnally's time under the Kururugi family's watch and all the people they've met there, so there was something heartwarming about Lelouch meeting with people that he has a great deal of respect towards.
Immediately; the young girl named Kaguya dashed out from behind her veil and nearly rammed Lelouch off his feet as she wrapped her arms around his frame. Optimus was mildly stunned while Rai and Ohgi were more than a little shocked; Tamaki's jaw hit the floor while Kallen's eyebrow twitched, for some reason, she didn't feel comfortable with this girl being so clingy to Lelouch.
"Oh my gosh… Lelouch! I can't believe it!" Kaguya beamed so excitedly, "It's been so long! You've gotten so much taller! And you're Zero! This is amazing!"
Lelouch had an honest laugh, "And you haven't changed a bit, have you?"
Kirihara stepped out from his own veil as all four Black Knights straightened themselves out in his presence as he had a grin on his face, "It's been eight years since that family received you as a hostage."
"I do appreciate everything you've done for me back then, Lord Kirihara," Lelouch said honestly.
"If it hadn't been me or Kaguya you met tonight, would you have taken a messenger as a hostage?" Kirihara asked.
"Not at all. We came here because we need your help, nothing more," Lelouch replied, "Please."
"You actually said 'please'. You've changed quite a bit, haven't you?" the elderly head of Kyoto gave a booming laugh, "Ohgi!"
"Yes sir!" Ohgi stood in attendance.
"This man is a true mortal enemy of Britannia; he may have hidden his face from you but for vital reasons," Kirihara told him, "Should the enemy be aware of his identity, his loved ones could be placed in danger; the same can be said for the rest of you. I urge you to follow Zero, even these Autobots. If you do, we'll assist you generously; with intelligence, and strategic support."
Kallen and Rai exchanged wide smiles and even Tamaki looked more than a little happy with Ohgi barley containing his smile.
"We're grateful and we thank you!"
Kirihara nodded before looking up to Optimus, "I can understand Zero's reasoning, but what reason do you have for fighting Britannia, Optimus Prime? What is it the Autobots seek?"
"The Autobots firmly believe that freedom is the right of all sentient beings," Optimus began, "What Britannia is doing is atrocious and they must be stopped. We will do everything in our power to ensure that happens. However, Britannia is not the only threat this planet faces."
Kaguya finally let go of Lelouch as she had a serious look on her face, "I trust you are referring to these Decepticons?"
"Indeed," Optimus confirmed.
The Autobot leader then began to explain what the Decepticons are, as well as the details regarding the War for Cybertron and the horrifying fate of the planet. Optimus also explained how Britannia appears to be a puppet state for the Decepticons as the Sakuradite they are hunting is really Energon; the fuel and lifeblood of all Cybertronians. Optimus also said how he theorizes that the Britannian Emperor may have been directly mentored by the Decepticon leader, Megatron. Though Optimus couldn't confirm this, it was still a strong possibility.
"I see," Kirihara had a gravely serious look on his face, "It would appear these Decepticons are an even graver threat than we initially thought."
"Yes, suffice to say that the fate of the entire Earth, not just Japan, hangs in the balance," Optimus stated, "Just as you have said you will provide support for us, we, in turn, will provide you with all knowledge regarding the Decepticons we possess: their membership, strategies, tactics, and weaponry, as well as any new information we may learn in the future."
"The bargain is acceptable," Kirihara nodded.
Lelouch smiled as he looked towards Kaguya, "Looks like we have to go."
Kaguya put on a pouty face, "Awww, do you have to? You just got here."
He patted her head, "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll see each other again."
Optimus transformed back into his vehicle mode as Kallen, Rai, Ohgi, and Tamaki stepped inside.
"Are you embarking on the path of blood, Lelouch?" Kirihara asked him with a grin.
Lelouch turned back with his grin, "If I have to, yes."
He put his Zero mask back on as he got into Optimus and they left.
Later that evening, Optimus returned to the Ark to tell the rest of the Autobots and Black Knights the good news. In the meantime; Lelouch had changed into some casual clothes as Bumblebee drove through the rain near an opera house.
"[Looks like it already started,]" Bumblebee observed, "[Told you it would be too late]"
"Yeah, you were right," Lelouch sighed, "I'll just make up some excuse next time I see her. But things are looking bright for us; we have Kyoto's support now."
"[That is good news,]" Bumblebee agreed, "[Rai even told me you know two of their heads. One of which happens to be a cute girl.]"
Lelouch rolled his eyes, "Why do I have a feeling you enjoy teasing me like this?"
"[Because you make it so easy,]" Bumblebee replied before his vehicle mode came to a stop, "[Uh… Lelouch…?]"
"What is it?" He looked out the passenger's window and was stunned to see Shirley standing there, without an umbrella and completely drenched in rain.
He quickly got out of the car and came over to her, "Shirley, what are you doing out here?"
She didn't appear to answer as her hair covered her face, "Come on, let's get you out of the rain."
Lelouch put Shirley in Bumblebee's passenger seat as he sat down in the driver's seat next to her.
"I'm really sorry I was late. Something urgent came up and I couldn't ignore it. I thought you'd already been back home by now," he said but noticed how red Shirley's face was with something coming down her cheeks. It wasn't just rainwater… wait… was she… crying?
"Shirley…? What's wrong?"
"Lulu… tell me. Zero… he fights for the weak, doesn't he?"
Lelouch looked a bit confused, "Well… yeah I mean, that's what he said."
"Then why did he kill my father?"
Lelouch's eyes widened, as would have Bumblebee's optics if his face had been visible.
Shirley lifted her face to reveal tears streaming down her red and puffy eyes, "You know my father… was so gentle…! He never hurt me! He didn't do anything wrong! But… he was killed… There wasn't even a body! Why?! Why did my father have to die?! I… don't want this… Nooo!"
She completely lost control as she leaped over to Lelouch, wrapping her arms around him as she buried her face into her chest, crying up a storm.
"Please… Lulu… Help me!" she pressed her lips against his before continuing to cry into him.
While Lelouch instinctively wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. He couldn't help but feel as though a knife just pierced his spirit. Even Bumblebee… if one could look outside, one could see rainwater dripping down from his headlights, almost like tears in rain.
Chapter 18: What is Justice?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
To say the mood was depressing would be an understatement. Though that is what one would expect from a funeral as an empty coffin was being buried at the headstone of one Joseph Fenette. Many people had gathered, not just Shirley and her mother, but several friends of the family, including the Ashford Student Council who hung in the back.
"He was a pure soul," the priest began, "Who always looked to god in his life, and was a friend to us all. To his wife, he was a devoted husband. To his child, a loving father."
A single tear fell from Shirley's eyes, 'Daddy…'
"May he rest in peace, forever cradled in the bosom of our Lord," the priest made his final remarks as the empty coffin was soon buried, during which, a certain memory of Shirley's childhood came to mind.
Flashback
"Guess what, Papa? Someday when I grow up, I'm gonna be your wife!" A five-year-old Shirley told her father.
"Oh, that's very sweet of you honey," Joseph said to his daughter as he kneeled to her level, "But your teacher told you, didn't she?"
"Huh?"
"Someday, you'll meet the man you love."
"More than I do you?" Shirley didn't quite understand.
"Hmm, it's hard to explain. Well, if you truly love that person, and he cares for you just as much, it would make me the happiest father on earth."
End Flashback
Everyone began to disperse, as even Shirley's sobbing mother was helped away. Though Shirley stayed behind a few more minutes before turning around to meet her friends from school, all of them gave her apologetic and remorseful expressions; though Lelouch's face was obscured behind his hair.
"Shirley… I'm so sorry this happened…" Kallen said sincerely, though she had tried to keep up her façade as the sickly schoolgirl, she truly meant what she said.
"Your father I… I'm so sorry Shirley I…" Rai stuttered, feeling responsible as he, unknown to most of his friends present, was the one who triggered the landslide in Narita.
"Oh stop, what do you guys have to apologize for, it's not your fault," Shirley told them with a sad smile, not noticing the guilty looks Rai and Kallen shared with each other.
"We feel awful!" Rivalz stated, "It's just… when we were all watching the hotel-jacking on TV… I thought that the Black Knights and the Autobots were heroes. I mean… they saved you and everyone else… and who else doesn't get excited about giant transforming robots? I even posted some stuff online and…"
He bowed his head to her, "Forgive me."
"Come on, don't be silly," Shirley told him as she walked toward her friends, "That has absolutely nothing to do with this at all. I mean, even I thought those guys were cool and…"
"Shirley, stop," Milly put both her hands on her friend's shoulders, "Seriously, I'm starting to worry about you here. Have you cried yet? If you simply hold it in, it's only going to be harder for you later on."
"You don't have to worry…" Shirley looked down, "Really… I'm fine. I've cried a lot."
She remembered how she cried up a storm the previous night into Lelouch's shoulder.
"Cowards!" Suzaku spat in disgust as a scornful look fell on his face, "Zero… the Autobots… those Black Knights… their methods are just cowardly! They talk about justice and this is their end result?!"
"Suzaku, really, you're talking about this now?!" Rai questioned angrily as he pulled on his shoulder.
"But it's the truth!"
"Suzaku, this is a funeral!" Rai exclaimed, "You're entitled to your opinion, but now is not the time to express it!"
"Opinion?!" Suzaku questioned in anger and disbelief, "It almost sounds like you're actually defending them, Rai!"
"That's got nothing to do with this!" Rai argued.
"Guys stop, no fighting!" Shirley got in between them, "I… I don't want to see my friends like this, please."
Rai and Suzaku both looked away at that, while Kallen paid a concerning glance to Lelouch who had yet to even speak or make a move.
Milly sighed to the others, "Well, I think it's time we head back everyone."
She offered Shirley a friendly and welcoming smile, "Shirley, we'll be waiting for you. Back in the old student council room, same as ever."
Shirley was truly grateful for the support her friends offered.
She smiled back and nodded as Milly turned back to everyone else, "Come on guys, let's go."
"Hey uh… Lelouch," Rivalz tried to speak to him, but Milly pushed him away, "What? What I do?"
As everyone else began to walk away, Kallen noticed something fall out of Suzaku's pocket and went to pick it up.
"Hey Suzaku, you dropped your…"
Her pupils shrank as she saw what it was: a badge with the Decepticon insignia on it.
Suzaku quickly took the badge from her hand and put it in his pocket before quickly walking away.
"Suzaku… what was that?" Kallen questioned.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it," he replied as he walked away, not noticing the subtle expression of disbelief she had on her face.
Meanwhile; Shirley was left alone with Lelouch as the rain began to fall over them. He wanted to say something to her, as he knew exactly what it was like to lose a loving parent, but he couldn't find the strength or courage to do so. What would he say to her? He was responsible for the death of her father, for causing her so much pain. Did he really have the right to express his sympathy toward her?
"Lulu…" Shirley spoke up, "Forgive me."
"What?" Lelouch did not expect her to say that.
"It wasn't fair… kissing you like that," she stuttered, tears welling up in both of her eyes, "It wasn't fair of me at all. It was just… something I did! Forget about it, okay?! I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that! I'm sorry, it was totally stupid of me! I mean… you finally kissed me… and I can't even be happy!"
She ran away.
"Wha… Shirley!"
He wanted to go after her, but his feet wouldn't move. Realizing he didn't know what to say to her, he turned around and walked away.
Lelouch walked until he made it to the parked vehicle mode of Bumblebee before getting into the driver's seat.
"[Hey, Lelouch are you okay?]" Bumblebee asked in concern.
"Take me to the Ark," Lelouch said immediately.
"[Are you sure?]"
"Just drive."
Before Bumblebee could drive away, however, there was a knock on the passenger window. It was lowered and Lelouch could only look in surprise at seeing Kallen and Rai outside the vehicle mode of the Autobot scout with concerned expressions. Lelouch only nodded as Bumblebee opened his backdoor, allowing the two young Black Knights to step in before Bumblebee left with his passengers.
Meanwhile; after saying goodbye to everyone else, Suzaku hung underneath a tree as it continued to rain. He looked at the Decepticon badge in his hand with a serious expression before he pressed a button at the top, allowing it to open up and expand almost like a cell phone.
"Knock Out, are you there?" he spoke into it.
"Ah, if it isn't our newest recruit. What can I do you for?" Knock Out responded over the line.
"I want to meet with Megatron. Right now."
The Ark
Lelouch sat alone on the bridge of the derelict Autobot ship as he gazed up at the window and watched aimlessly as the fish passed by in the ocean just outside. Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Ratchet looked at the boy with concern. Bumblebee had already told the rest of the Autobots what had happened with Shirley's father and his supposed death. Needless to say, it wasn't hard for them to understand what Lelouch was feeling, they've all felt the same way more than once.
Fixit rolled up to Lelouch as he sat on the floor of a catwalk, "Can I get you anything, Lelouch? Some hot cocoa or something?"
"Do you even know how to make it?" Lelouch asked autonomously, with no emotion in his voice whatsoever.
"Well, as we are housing our ever-growing Black Knight army, we've taken the liberty of acquiring human food," Fixit told him.
"That's good," Lelouch replied, not taking his eyes off the ocean.
"So, do you want any?" Fixit asked.
"I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine," Ironhide sighed as he was the first to walk up, "Kid, look. As hard as it is to accept, this thing happens in war. You can't change that."
"I know that," Lelouch responded with a grunt.
"Are you planning on stopping?" Ratchet questioned as he walked up, "If you're going to fall apart when this happens…"
"Do you have any room to talk, Ratchet?!" Lelouch questioned as he angrily turned around, "You're a doctor, not a soldier! You got no idea what it's like!"
Ratchet slammed his fist down hard on a console, surprising Lelouch.
"Just because I'm a medic doesn't mean I don't know what death is!" the white and red Autobot yelled, "I've seen more than my fair share of patients die on my operating table! I've been on the battlefield too! I've seen fresh carnage with my own optics! I couldn't even repair Bumblebee's voice box!"
Lelouch looked in honest surprise as he glanced at Bumblebee himself who gave a nod in confirmation as Lelouch instantly regretted what he said.
"It is the external wounds that heal the quickest," Optimus said as he walked up as well, closer to Lelouch than any other Autobot at the moment.
"I'm not the one who needs healing though." Lelouch hung his head down briefly before he glanced up at the Autobot leader, "Optimus, has this ever happened to you? Were you ever responsible for… hurting someone you care about?"
Optimus had a sympathetic yet serious expression as he gave his answer, "Yes, it has."
Lelouch looked at Optimus in surprise as he continued.
"I have commanded many battles in Cybertron, and in nearly everyone, I have had comrades meet the end of their lives. Autobots who were particularly close to them, those who fought with them as brothers and sisters in arms, seemed hurt the most. Even I have lost those I have cared about. However, that is all the more reason for us to stand and continue. Oftentimes, people need a symbol, something to ignite a spark of hope in the hearts of those who lost it."
"Spark of hope?" Lelouch looked down in remorse again, "Yet I'm the one who caused my friend pain."
"Wisdom cannot be granted Lelouch, it must be earned. Sometimes, at a cost," Optimus told him.
"[Lelouch, ask yourself something,]" Bumblebee also said, "[Did you tell Shirley's father to be in Narita? Did you even know he'd be there? Did you shoot him yourself?]"
"No…" Lelouch muttered, "But… we evacuated the city! There shouldn't have been any civilian casualties! Even the police reports…!"
"Kid, one of the hardest things we must accept in life, is that there are things that always remain outside our control," Ironhide told him, "It's easy not to think about that when you're playing a game of chess, but… I'm sure you already know that this isn't a game."
"I know," Lelouch said.
"So, what are you going to do?" Fixit asked.
"I'm still Zero. I have every intention of continuing this, and that will never change!" Lelouch sighed before standing up, "But… what about…."
"[Do you care about her?]" Bumblebee asked.
"Of course, I do," Lelouch said honestly.
"[Then be there for her]" Bumblebee told him, "[Help her]"
"How can I when I'm the one who hurt her?!" Lelouch questioned.
"[Zero is the one who hurt her,]" Bumblebee said, "[But… Lelouch is still her friend, a friend who understands the kind of pain she's going through. So, be a friend to her; I'm sure she needs that right now]"
Lelouch was surprised at first, but he seemed to understand that. He may not have any romantic feelings toward Shirley, but he still cared about her a great deal. The best he could do was to give her support as Lelouch Lamperouge, maybe it could help to keep her away from all this war and bloodshed. He looked to the Autobots with a grateful smile.
"Thank you. And Ratchet… I'm sorry for what I said earlier."
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Ratchet waved off.
Meanwhile; Rai was having a similar discussion with Bulkhead and Wheeljack in a wrecked hangar of the Ark that housed Wheeljack's ship, the Jackhammer. Rai had told them what had happened with Shirley's father, but Bulkhead already knew from Bumblebee and he told Wheeljack himself.
"You doing okay, kid?" Wheeljack asked.
"No, not really," Rai voiced as he sat on a pile of boxes to be on equal height with the two Bots, with tears almost gathering in his eyes. "I'm the one who started that whole landslide, remember? Shirley's father…. She lost her dad because of me…!"
"Kid no, don't do that to yourself," Wheeljack told him, "If anyone's to blame, it's me. That whole landslide was my idea."
"Collateral damage," Rai muttered, "I mean, I always knew something like that would happen with us but…"
"You just never expected it would happen with a friend?" Bulkhead asked as Rai could only look down with a nod, "Look, Rai, these things… they just happen. There's usually no ulterior motive or anything like that… it just happens. And there really isn't a whole lot we can do about it."
"Has it ever happened to you guys?" Rai asked.
"Yeah, it has," Wheeljack nodded, "There's a price to pay for being a Wrecker. We might be able to duke it out with the toughest Cons out there, but we can't win 'em all."
"Roadbuster, Pyro, Impactor, Rotorstorm, I can name 'em all," Bulkhead commented, "Wreckers or Autobots, there just aren't that many of us left."
"You should have heard what Suzaku said about us though," Rai told them, "Called us cowards… like… like we're Decepticons."
"But we're not!" Wheeljack exclaimed, "We're not the ones who kill and destroy innocent people for fun! We don't destroy planets! You ask me, this Suzaku-guy has a real self-righteous complex!"
"But he's a good guy though, he's my friend," Rai said, "I just… I didn't like the way he talked about you guys."
"Not everyone has to like us," Bulkhead commented, "We got an army of Cons who hates us."
"This is different," Rai said.
"Rai… listen," Bulkhead began, "There are things that we just can't control. That's just how things are, and we can't change that. But what we can do, is protect and save all the people that we can. That's the difference between us and the Cons: protection. They couldn't care less about all the people who get hurt, but we do. Even if we can't save everyone, we don't stop trying."
Rai had a small smile.
"That's right," he thought to himself while glancing at the two Wreckers, "We protect everyone we can. I couldn't help your father, Shirley. But I will protect you, that's a promise. Thanks, guys."
"Don't mention it." Wheeljack gave a finger salute.
Kallen meanwhile, sat alone in the open cockpit of her Guren as she looked at the photograph of herself, Ohgi, and her deceased brother. She could understand Shirley's pain all too well, as she herself was still hurt from the loss of Naoto. But the fact that she may have been responsible for that pain… made her wonder if she was in the right.
"Kallen?"
She looked in surprise to see Arcee and Cliffjumper walking toward her.
"How are you doing?" the blue Autobot asked.
"Not sure," Kallen replied.
"We heard about Shirley's dad from Bumblebee," Cliffjumper said.
Kallen looked at the picture again, "I know I said… I hate Britannia. And… what they're doing is wrong but…"
"Shirley's not like that, is she?" Arcee guessed.
"No," Kallen muttered, "No one from the Student Council is. They seem like good people, heck, one of our leaders is a Britannian prince for crying out loud. I'm not too closed-minded to think all Britannians are bad."
"And that's what separates you from those who are real terrorists," Cliffjumper told her, "You know the difference between right and wrong. Even after all the crap Britannia put you through, you haven't lost sight of yourself."
Kallen however didn't seem to smile, "I knew from the beginning we'd be killing. I've even killed plenty long before I met you guys. But… I kept telling myself, it was for the right cause, and that our goal is justice. The only reason I kept fighting was that I felt it was the right thing to do, so I could live with the killing. But now… tell me, is this real?!"
She looked up to the two Autobots with an emotional expression, "Is what we're doing really going to change the world for the better?!"
"It will," Arcee said, "Because if we stop, all those who died will have died in vain. We're facing an enemy that is beyond ruthless, not just Britannia, but the Decepticons. And I can personally guarantee, they are not going to show any sympathy, considering Megatron had no qualms with destroying Cybertron."
Kallen looked in surprise.
"He… what…?"
"Megatron poisoned Cybertron's core," Cliffjumper said, "He felt he could control it, but all he did was doom our home. Now thanks to him, Cybertron is basically a graveyard, and he doesn't even seem sorry for it. You think someone who's alright with destroying his own planet is going to have any regrets for what he does to Earth?"
To say Kallen was surprised was an understatement. She knew the Decepticons were bad, she even believed they were evil if the likes of Airachnid were any indication. But to hear that someone would willingly destroy their own home and even be willing to repeat the process on other planets was beyond bone-chilling. Not even Britannia would stoop that low.
"That's why we have to fight," Arcee said, "To make sure what happened to Cybertron doesn't happen again. And yes… people are going to get hurt, even those we don't want to. We got no control over that, but what's important is that we learn from it, and even pay our respects, otherwise, we're no different from Britannia or the Cons. But Kallen, if you really wanna turn back… we won't stop you."
The red-haired girl looked at the two Autobots in sympathy and realization. She hadn't fully understood till now that they know exactly what they were talking about, not just them, but all the other Autobots she worked alongside. They went through the same kind of hell she did, if not more. The Decepticons and Britannia aren't going to stop, the only way to beat them is to fight them, and that's exactly what she was going to do.
"I've already made my choice," Kallen stood up in her cockpit, "I'll follow you guys to the very end."
"I think you mean, ride with us to the very end," Cliffjumper said with a smirk, "We're your partners, not your superiors."
"Right," Kallen smiled as she offered her fist up for a fist bump, which both the smiling Cliffjumper and Arcee returned with their own metallic fists.
The Nemesis – The Bridge
Megatron had walked onto the command deck of his personal warship with the human Suzaku walking beside him. He had arrived there via one of Soundwave's space bridge portals after he contacted Knock Out after the funeral. He followed the Decepticon leader as he looked around the interior of the warship with interest, honestly feeling like a mouse walking into the lion's den, given how small he was compared to everything around him, even some of the Vehicons at their stations.
"I must say Suzaku, I was surprised to hear you wanted to meet with me," Megatron told him, "But I am glad that you did. You should feel honored, the first human to ever step foot inside the Decepticon warship."
"Where exactly is this ship located?" Suzaku asked.
"It lies on the surface of your moon," Megatron answered as the main screen on the bridge turned into a window to show the surface of Earth's moon just outside.
"The… the moon? I… I don't believe it…"
"Must be a sight to behold, given how your planet hasn't invented interstellar travel," Megatron mused.
"But if we're on the moon… how am I able to breathe?!" Suzaku gripped his throat.
"We were able to repair our vessel's life-support systems to allow oxygen to flow through this ship," Megatron answered, "However, that is among the few repairs we have achieved given our ship was damaged during the exodus from our home world."
"Exodus…" Suzaku muttered. He remembered when he was rescued by Optimus and Zero from the trial of the Purebloods and they told him about their home being destroyed, but he honestly found it difficult to believe. How can a whole planet be destroyed?
"I trust you find it hard to accept the concept of a planet being destroyed," Megatron said, reading Suzaku's contemplating expression as the young boy looked up in shock at how spot-on Megatron was, "Well I assure you Suzaku, such a concept is very possible and very real."
He pressed a few key commands on the console, causing the window to shift into a screen to reveal the now-dead planet of Cybertron.
The moment Suzaku's eyes set upon the lifeless husk of a planet, he gave an audible gasp as his eyes were completely round, "Is… is that…?"
"Cybertron, or what's left of it," Megatron showed Suzaku more images of the planet, and to say they were horrifying would be an understatement. He saw wrecked cities, corpses, and broken remains of Autobots and Decepticons alike, "What was once a powerful empire now lies lifeless in the void; the Well of Allsparks, from which Energon, our very lifeblood, once flowed… is now run dry."
"And… the Autobots… did this…?" Suzaku stuttered, "How can anyone…?"
"Perhaps not intentionally," Megatron began to explain, "Before the war, our planet was very similar to the state of Earth, specifically the Britannian empire. There was a caste system, composed of Cybertronians who stood at the top and gained all the power, while those at the bottom were stuck fighting over scraps. I was a mere gladiator, and though I started from the bottom, I vowed to change my planet, to see to it all Cybertronians were treated as equals. I even worked directly with Optimus."
"Optimus Prime?" Suzaku exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, we were once close friends," Megatron continued, "However, a rift formed between us. I proposed to the High Council, the current rulers of Cybertron and their 'puppet-ruler' Zeta Prime, how to change our planet. But they refused to grant me the power to do so. Optimus proposed a more peaceful approach, however, and while I respected his opinion, such an approach cannot stop those that will do whatever it takes to maintain their power. So, I gathered those closest to me and formed my army."
"And you started a war?" Suzaku questioned, his eyes narrowing at him.
"No," Megatron told him, "I gathered my friends and allies, to show the High Council just how many wanted Cybertron to change, I never wanted a war. Unfortunately, that is exactly what they declared on us. They refused to give up their power and attacked! They forced our hand! And that is what started the war."
"So… who destroyed Cybertron…?"
Megatron shook his head with a sigh, "Suzaku, I mean no offense, but you seem to have a naïve mindset."
Suzaku looked in surprise as Megatron continued, "You view things in black-and-white, that there is one side that is just, and one side that is evil; unfortunately, the universe is far more complicated. You asked who destroyed our planet? No one was directly responsible for it. I truly tried to save it and return it to glory, and I believed Optimus fought for the same reason."
"So why didn't you try to work with him again? If you wanted the same thing…?" Suzaku tried to ask.
"We may have desired the same result, but our approaches were different," Megatron explained, "I tried indeed to reach out to him and repair the rift in our friendship, but he refused. He viewed me as his enemy and so we became as such. The Autobots saw us as monsters, and even called us 'Decepticons' to demonize us, but instead, we choose to wear it as a badge of honor; for if telling the truth is deception, then we are gladly guilty."
Suzaku didn't respond as he just looked at Megatron with a serious expression, "Is that why you're here? To fight the Autobots?"
"That is part of the reason, yes," Megatron told him, "However, my main drive… the drive of all my friends and comrades is to protect this planet. When I first arrived, I saw how similar Britannia was to how the High Council's approach on Cybertron; I fear that if no one intervenes, Earth may suffer the same tragic fate as Cybertron."
"That can't happen! It won't!" Suzaku exclaimed, "I… I won't let it!"
"And how do you plan to accomplish this, Suzaku?" Megatron asked, "You desire to change Britannia from within, but do you have a plan on how to do that?"
"No… I don't but… but if I stop trying… then it's all for nothing!"
"Your resolve is iron-clad, young Kururugi," Megatron told him, "However, if you do not have a plan or a means to accomplish your goals, then your ideal will remain just that; an ideal. And ideals can only get you so far."
Suzaku grimaced and looked away.
"But… I can help you," Megatron said, getting his attention, "You joined the military to change Britannia, however, I fear that those in power will do everything they can to prevent you from making a difference. Those with power often do not want to let it go. But, once the Autobots and Black Knights have been defeated, my Decepticons and I can use our advances to stabilize Britannia, and show them an alternative course to their destructive quest for power."
"How would you do that though?" Suzaku asked.
"The Emperor has already granted me control of all military operations within Area 11," Megatron explained, surprising Suzaku, "Viceroy Cornelia herself answers directly to me now, and she may answer to you as well."
That last statement completely caught Suzaku off-guard. A member of the Britannian royal family, answering to him!?
"I will show Britannia just what the Decepticons are capable of, and the harmony that we can bring to this divided world," Megatron continued, "Once we defeat their greatest enemies, they'll follow us as their heroes. And, if you were to be by my side Suzaku, you will have the power you need to change Britannia. As they are now, they're perfectly content with you maintaining a low-ranking position, or even sending you on a suicide mission. But as one of my soldiers, you'll have the opportunity to not just serve Britannia, but to lead it. And together, we can show the world the peaceful future that it is capable of having."
Suzaku took out the Decepticon badge once more and looked at it. Megatron was offering him a position that would enable him to change Britannia. The truth is, he was aware that Britannia put him in a position where he'd likely die, and he was acceptant of that. But, he has seen what the Decepticons were capable of and they easily made Britannia look weak by comparison, and if they could resolve all the war and destruction on Earth and show everyone that there could be peace… then maybe it would be worth it. But a future won't be possible with someone like Zero or even the Autobots constantly fighting. So, he clenched the badge in his hand and told Megatron his choice.
"I accept!" Suzaku told him, "Megatron, please accept me as one of your own. I'll do everything in my power to stop the Black Knights and the Autobots and save this world! I won't let this planet die like Cybertron! I swear to you with every fiber of my being!"
Megatron smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Suzaku. Welcome to the fold."
Suzaku then made his way off the bridge to head back to Earth, leaving Megatron alone to smile evilly. Suzaku was now one of his soldiers. He had the incredible skill to rival the Autobots, and if manipulated the right way, could become a true harbinger of death and destruction.
Earth – the next day -Ashford Academy
Classes went along pretty normally, though Milly and given the rest of the Student Council the day off, mostly for Shirley's sake, and nobody was going to complain. Shirley had just walked outside the main school's building when she heard someone call her.
"Hey, Shirley."
She turned around in surprise to see Lelouch standing there, "Lulu!"
"Can we talk?" he asked.
Shirley was a bit surprised by that request but didn't see anything wrong with it, "Uh… sure."
Lelouch had led her around the corner of the building where they can speak in private.
"So, what did you want to talk about? If it's about that kiss…"
"No, it's not that," Lelouch told her, "I… I just never got to the chance to tell you… how sorry I am for your loss."
That caught Shirley off-guard, but she tried to give him a smile, "Thank you, Lulu,… but it's okay, really."
"No, it's not okay," Lelouch said immediately before taking a deep breath, "I know what that's like. When I was… only ten… I watched my own mother die right in front of me."
Shirley's eyes widened as she did not expect to hear something like that.
"In fact… it was that exact same incident that cost Nunnally her eyes and legs," Lelouch continued.
"How… I… How did that…?" Shirley could only stutter
"She was shot and murdered," Lelouch explained, his voice becoming ragged as he recalled that very unpleasant memory, "She died protecting Nunnally, but her legs were also shot… and blindness caused by trauma…"
He took another deep breath before he continued, "I know how much you're hurting Shirley, and what the kind of pain feels like…. And I am so sorry that you have to feel it. But I know what you're going through and…. If you need someone… I'm here. I know I haven't been the best person in the past but… I want to be. Shirley, if… if you need me, even if it's just a shoulder to lean on… I'm here. I promise."
Shirley had seen in his eyes that Lelouch met every word and had nothing but utter sympathy for him; she heard that he lost his parents but didn't know the details. To hear Lelouch confess something so deep and personal… also caused her own pained feelings to bubble up inside her as she let herself feel the pain again; it may have hurt, but it also felt good; even as she wrapped both her arms around Lelouch and buried her face into her chest and cried her eyes out, almost exactly like before when she told him the news. Lelouch wasted no time in embracing her back as she cried, giving her the comfort that she needed.
As she continued to cry, Lelouch made a silent vow to protect her. She was a good person, one of the best he'd ever met, and he'd be damned if he ever let her come to harm. He did indeed hurt her, but that only strengthened her resolve to keep her from being hurt again.
'I will protect you Shirley. I promise.'
After parting ways with Lelouch, Shirley was about to walk off campus. It felt a little good to get some of that pain off her chest, as well as let go of that kiss she forced on him a couple of days ago. She could tell that he was serious about what he said, and she did offer him a great deal of sympathy after knowing the details about his mother's death and how Nunnally ended up the way she did, she was only slightly confused why Lelouch never mentioned his father. Didn't he die when Japan was invaded too?
However, her thoughts came to a halt as she saw a black car roll up to the Ashford gateway, and the window on the driver's seat rolled down revealing Villetta. Shirley's eyes widened as she recognized her, this was the same soldier who told her of her father's death.
"Miss Fenette, we need to talk."
Shirley hesitated for a moment but got in the passenger seat as Villetta spoke.
"First, you have my condolences for your father."
"Thank you," Shirley nodded.
"Listen, I realize this may be difficult, but I need to ask you something."
Villetta took out a photograph of Lelouch, "Do you know this boy?"
Shirley's eyes widened at the sight of it, "There is a strong possibility this boy is linked to the Black Knights, and possibly those Autobots as well."
Shirley's hands shook as she dropped the picture, "No… no that can't be true! He can't be with Zero! It's not possible!"
Villetta saw how emotionally shaken the schoolgirl was, probably still reeling from her father's death, but maintained a stoic look as she spoke to her.
"Listen very carefully, because what I'm about to tell you is considered military business and you're not to tell anyone else."
Villetta began as she took out photographs of a port area, "The military has seemed to track the Japan Liberation Front to Port Yokosuka, however there may also be a strong possibility the Black Knights and the Autobots will be there as well. If you're certain of this boy's innocence, then check his residency. We'll be attacking tonight. If he's still at his house and Zero shows up, then he's clear. If he's not there, however… we'll have to assume that he is indeed involved with terrorism."
She opened the passenger door to allow the still-shocked Shirley to step outside before Villetta drove away. Shirley couldn't believe it, there was no way someone as kind as Lelouch would be involved with something like this. It just wasn't possible! Was it?
Camelot Division
Suzaku gazed up at Lancelot as he wore his own white pilot uniform, as well as had the Decepticon badge/communicator pinned to his suit. He glanced up at the Decepticon insignia that was etched into the Knightmare's right shoulder and was deep in thought before a certain sociopath walked up to him.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" Lloyd excitedly asked as Suzaku turned to him, "Are you actually bearing the Decepticon insignia on your military uniform?!"
"Yes… I am," Suzaku answered, "I've accepted Megatron's offer, and now I'm officially part of his ranks."
Lloyd actually laughed at that, "Wonderful! I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that! So does this mean we'll be working more with beautiful Cybertronian technology as well?"
Knock Out walked onto the scene.
"Oh, you better believe it," he announced before teasing Suzaku, "But of course, we'll take it slow. Wouldn't want to overwhelm our little rookie right here."
"Knock Out? Why are you here?" Suzaku asked, not expecting to see him so soon.
"Lord Megatron has a mission for you, kiddo," Knock Out answered with his usual grin.
"A mission hmm? So, does that mean we'll get to see the Autobots in action?" Lloyd asked.
"Probably, assuming that arrogant little girl Cornelia can keep in line," Knock Out said with a grin.
Lloyd laughed, "Oh, that's rich! I never thought I'd hear someone insult a Britannian princess, much less that princess like that."
"It wasn't an insult; it was a fact," Knock Out joked with Lloyd.
"Oh, Knock Out," Cecile called to him as she walked up to the group with a tray of rice balls, "Would you care for a lesson in social etiquette? I'm sure you and Lloyd could use one."
"No thanks, I'll pass," Knock Out wasn't the least bit interested.
"Yeah, same here," Lloyd agreed before turning back to the red Decepticon, "Now what sort of mission does Megatron have in mind for us?"
The Ark
All nine Autobots and virtually a dozen different Black Knights, including Ohgi, Tamaki, Kallen, and Rai had gathered together on the bridge of the Ark as Optimus stood at the helm, with Zero on a catwalk right beside him to put him on equal height with the Autobot leader. What stood out, however, was the presence of Diethard Ried at the far-left end of the catwalk, with two Black Knights keeping their guns trained on him if he had any surprises.
"Zero, are you sure about this?" Fixit asked as he wheeled up to their leader, "This man was on the applicant list, but…"
"You checked him over, haven't you Fixit?" Zero asked, "No tracking or listening devices?"
"No, no trace of any spy-tear… spy-bear.. spyware!" Fixit glitched.
"And you're the one who brought us this information, Diethard wasn't it?" Zero asked the Britannian man directly.
"That's right, it is an honor to finally meet you, Zero, you as well as your Autobot companions," Diethard honestly felt more excited than he had been in his life. He was finally in the presence of not just Zero, but the Autobots themselves! Giant sentient robots that have all but shaken Britannia to its core! It took everything he had to maintain a straight face. Though a few of the Autobots, particularly Ironhide, didn't quite trust him. He didn't seem like the type to spy on them, but something felt rather… off about him.
"How do we know this Britannian pretty boy is on the up and up?" Tamaki questioned, "What if he's just trying to bait us?"
"Because we've made contact with Kyoto and they have indeed confirmed this information," Optimus answered, "Cornelia intends to completely obliterate the Japan Liberation Front as they attempt to flee the country."
"So, why don't we work with the JLF as we did in Narita?" Ohgi asked.
"Who says we're not?" Zero questioned, much to the confusion of Ohgi and several other Black Knights, "Isn't that right, General Katase?"
Though the Autobots weren't surprised, the Black Knights all looked in shock at the image of General Katase appearing on the Ark's main screen as they had already made contact with him.
"Zero… Optimus Prime… I… It's an honor to finally meet you, all of you," Katase greeted in a humble tone.
Kallen and Rai exchanged glances but quickly smiled. Of course, Lelouch and Optimus would think that far ahead and contact Katase. With the entire JLF being at stake, it only made sense.
"So, the information you have provided us is true? Cornelia has learned our location and intends to destroy us?" Katase asked.
"I'm afraid so," Optimus confirmed with a nod.
Katase looked in distress, "Then it seems our time is at an end."
"Whoa, you always this pessimistic?" Cliffjumper smirked, causing Katase to look in surprise, "What makes you think we're just gonna sit by and let this happen."
"Yeah considering we've totaled Cornelia twice already; it only makes sense we can do it a third time," Bulkhead added.
"What about the Decepticons though?" Ohgi asked, "Won't they show up to?"
"That is our conundrum," Ratchet said, "So far, we've received no indication that the Decepticons will make an appearance."
"But given what happened in Narita, the odds of them showing up again are actually pretty high," Ironhide added.
Zero glanced up at the image of Katase, "Tell me General, you and your forces are attempting to smuggle yourselves out of Japan with a tanker filled with liquid Energon?"
"Energon?" Katase didn't quite know what that meant.
"Sakuradite," Arcee clarified.
"Well, yes indeed. Over two hundred tons of it," Katase confirmed.
"How many Knightmares do you possess?" Optimus asked.
"Only seven Burais. Not enough to mount a full defense," Katase responded.
"But perhaps enough for a decoy?" Zero mused, much to Katase's confusion. He then turned to a certain Wrecker, "Wheeljack, I believe this may call for another Wrecker approach, wouldn't you agree?"
Wheeljack could only smirk as he took out one of his trusty grenades, "Read my mind."
"Autobots, Black Knights, this is our strategy," Optimus began, "Using the Groundbridge, we'll extract all JLF soldiers from the tanker, while Wheeljack uses a separate Groundbridge to attach an explosive to the haul of the tanker underneath the water. The Burais will remain on the vessel as decoys, in order to convince Cornelia and the Decepticons the enemy is still present on the ship."
"Oh, I see," Cliffjumper smirked, "And when the Cons and Brits attack…"
"We blow the whole thing sky high!" Tamaki exclaimed as virtually all Black Knights erupted in a loud cheer and an uproar, even Kallen and Rai exchanged excited glances. This gained smiles and nods of approval from most of the Autobots.
"And with the enemy in disarray, we'll launch a full-scale counter-attack of our own!" Zero announced, "Tonight, we pay back the Decepticons what they took from us back in Narita! We'll show them that even without the Autobots, the Black Knights are not to be trifled with!"
More cheers echoed throughout the entire Ark from the Black Knights as even Katase was beyond impressed with such an effective strategy. Ever since he lost contact with Tohdoh, they've had to resort to retreat, and it seemed like that was the only option. But now, it would seem his salvation has come. Perhaps these Black Knights and Autobots may be able to succeed where he failed and truly save Japan.
"General Katase, prepare your soldiers for extraction," Optimus told him as the smiling general nodded and ended communication before the Autobot leader turned to his soldiers, "Ratchet, Fixit, prepare two Groundbridge portals immediately. Wheeljack, get into position. All Black Knights, ready your Knightmares; Autobots, prepare for battle."
Everyone nodded and smiled as they walked away, even Diethard was escorted away though kept under close guard. Though he could hardly contain his excited smile
"So that's their plan," he thought to himself, "This way, not only will the entire JLF survive, but they'll completely decimate what's left of Cornelia's royal guard! And it seems that maybe the JLF will even join them! Zero, Optimus Prime, you are truly things of wonder! Show me more! Show me what you and these Decepticons are truly capable of!"
As everyone else left, Kallen remained behind.
"Hey uh, Zero, Optimus you got a minute?" she got the attention of both leaders, "I need to speak with you two in private. Uh, Rai, you too."
"Uh sure?" Rai was a bit confused but nodded anyway. Even Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Ratchet remained behind while Fixit went to the Groundbridge station and the other Autobots went to prepare for the coming battle.
Port Yokosuka
Starscream, Dreadwing, and Suzaku had gathered to meet with Cornelia, Darlton, and Guilford inside a large warehouse to discuss their strategy.
"Are you certain of this?" Cornelia asked upon seeing Suzaku, "Letting the son of the former Prime Minister serve as backup for this operation?"
Suzaku didn't offer a response, but Starscream already had one to give, "I'm afraid it's the other way around, my drear Cornelia. You see, Lord Megatron is in command, and for this operation, Suzaku will be among those leading the charge against the enemy alongside our fellow Decepticons. You will be the one to provide backup should the need arise."
Cornelia looked in surprise before her expression became one of pure ire, "I'm the backup!?"
"Considering your track record against the Autobots, it only makes sense that you allow more competent soldiers the opportunity to vanquish such a deadly adversary," Starscream voiced with a sneer.
"Why you…"
Before Cornelia could react, however, Guilford rationally spoke up.
"What do you mean by 'the Autobots'? This operation is to put an end to the Japan Liberation Front."
"Given how the Autobots and their Black Knight allies have a tendency to arrive unexpectedly so, it is reasonable to believe they will be here to potentially rescue the Japan Liberation Front," Dreadwing explained logically.
"Viceroy, he does have a point," Darlton spoke to Cornelia, "Not just for the likelihood of Zero and the Autobots showing up, but that it may be wiser to let the Decepticons lead this mission. As much as I hate to admit it, we don't stand a chance against the Autobots in close combat."
Cornelia made no argument as she looked away with a scowl, refusing to admit that he was right. She lost against the Autobots twice already, but that didn't mean she was willing to let go of her pride or her grudge.
"Now then, shall we begin with the strategy?" Starscream began.
"Commander Starscream, by any chance, will Megatron be joining us?" Suzaku finally spoke up.
"It is Lord Megatron to you," Starscream clarified, "Know your place. But to answer your question, he will not."
Suzaku looked in surprise as Starscream gave his answer, "Our master is otherwise engaged. Therefore, I am in command of this operation."
"Oh? And what's so important that the 'mighty Megatron' would not grace us with his presence?" Cornelia asked out of spite.
"None of your concern!" Starscream told her, "Now then, onto our strategy. The leader of the Japan Liberation Front, General Katase, is stationed onboard a highly volatile transportation that could cause quite an explosion if ruptured. Therefore, we will use a more surgical approach as opposed to the use of a blunt instrument like what… some people may use."
Starscream cast a glance in Cornelia's direction, causing her to scowl as he continued.
"Kururugi and Dreadwing, along with Thundercracker, Skywarp, Knock Out, and Breakdown will await on standby as several Vehicon troopers and Britannian foot soldiers enter the ship. They are ordered to bring the humans out alive. If all goes as planned, Kururugi will have the honor of executing them."
That took Suzaku by surprise, "Execute?"
"Don't think I've forgotten about what happened in Greece, Kururugi," Starscream told him, "You may have avoided causing any fatalities before, but that ends now, and I will not hear any excuses. You are a Decepticon now, and now is the time where you prove your worth and value to our cause! Lord Megatron may see potential, but you won't be getting my approval until you start showing results! Are we clear?"
Suzaku didn't answer right away as he glanced downward, "Yes, Commander Starscream."
"Now then. Everyone, get in position," Starscream told everyone else as he walked outside, while Cornelia, Guilford, and Darlton walked to meet up with the rest of their unit.
Dreadwing however remained behind as he looked down to see the conflicting look on Suzaku's face.
"Kururugi."
Suzaku looked up at Dreadwing as he spoke, "I understand this must be difficult for you, but regardless, you are a soldier, not just of Britannia but of the Decepticon cause. And the duty of any soldier is to see his mission through, no matter what. I am sorry, but you cannot avoid this forever. The first kills are always the hardest, but it is a necessary evil."
"I understand…" Suzaku muttered as Dreadwing offered a nod of understanding before walking away, 'First kills… Hmm, if only he knew.'
Night had fallen over Port Yokosuka as Shirley entered the area. She had checked over at the Ashford Clubhouse to see if Lelouch was there, but Nunnally and Sayoko told her that he went out with friends. Though she wanted to believe it was just that, she couldn't help but think about what that woman in the military had told her earlier today.
"No Lulu… It can't be true," she muttered to herself, "You… you wouldn't get tangled up with someone like that…"
She remembered how he told her about his mother's death and how sorry he was for what happened to her father, and she saw in his eyes that he truly meant every word. So why? Why was she having these thoughts about him?
"It's a lie… it has to be a lie…" she continued to mutter, desperately trying to convince herself it wasn't true, "Lulu… I'm so sorry to be doubting you like this… but please! I want to believe in you!"
As she continued to walk and look for him, she failed to notice Villetta following her from the shadows. There was a part of her that hated to potentially put a schoolgirl in the crossfire like this, but right now, her own ambitions and vendetta outweighed any sense of morality she may have had.
'Damn it… where is he?' Villetta thought, 'I should have grabbed him when I had the chance back in Shinjuku, or I could have just gone to Ashford and grabbed him then. No, he would have been protected by those abominable machines! But I need proof! If he talks to her, I can learn his role in all this… maybe even find a weakness the Autobots might have."
An ambitious look formed in her eyes, "I won't have to die, stripped of my position and honor, like Jeremiah. Hell, this is my chance to move back up again. So, I have to find a link to Zero! It has to be me!'
The Ark
"Are you sure?!" Lelouch questioned in shock as he, Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee, Rai, Bulkhead, and Ratchet looked in shock, "A Decepticon symbol?!"
"Yeah, a badge, I guess. He had it in his pocket, and I don't think it's an accessory," Kallen muttered as her eyes narrowed.
"Why on Earth would Suzaku have something like that?!" Rai questioned, "And why would the Cons want him in the first place?! It's not like he can actually do anything for them!"
"[Actually… he can,]" Bumblebee pointed out, causing the two to look in surprise as he glanced at Lelouch who nodded, "[You guys know that… white Knightmare we've seen right?]"
"Yeah, what about it?" Kallen replied.
"It's called the Lancelot, and its pilot… is Suzaku," Lelouch revealed, causing Rai and Kallen to look in shock.
"What…?" Rai almost didn't believe it.
"Are you… are you serious right now?!" Kallen exclaimed angrily before galcing towards the Autobots in anger, "You knew and you didn't tell us?! Did you guys know!? I thought we weren't keeping secrets anymore!"
"I'm sorry Kallen," Arcee apologized sincerely.
"It's my fault, don't blame them," Lelouch said, "I asked them not to tell anyone because I didn't want any crazy rumors spreading not just through our ranks but through the rest of Japan as well."
"How'd you even figure this out?" Rai asked skeptically.
"I had left to pay my respects for what happened in Shinjuku," Optimus began to explain, "I discovered a skirmish occurring between the Purebloods and the Decepticon Seekers, one which Suzaku promptly put to an end with the Lancelot. And I believe that is where Megatron had taken an interest in him."
"But why would Megatron even want Suzaku on his side? It makes no sense!" Kallen exclaimed.
"Suzaku, at his core, is a good person. I have seen that myself," Optimus said.
"It's just he's so damn stubborn!" Lelouch stated out of frustration, "Whenever a problem presents itself, he always insists on doing it the hard way and ignoring any other path! I've known him since we were kids!"
"Suzaku told us before that he believed Britannia can change for the better," Rai commented.
"Yeah, that'll be the day," Kallen said in obvious sarcasm.
"So, if he's riding with the Cons…?" Bulkhead began.
"It's because Megatron is working some kind of voodoo," Arcee finished, "Probably has him thinking that they're the good guys."
"In all likely hood, Megatron will have convinced Suzaku to join him because he'll grant him the position to achieve his goal of changing the Britannian system," Optimus said.
"And given what he said about us at the funeral…" Rai stuttered, "He probably fell for it like bait on a hook."
"Great," Kallen rolled his eyes, "Our classmate is a Decepticon, now."
"Being a Decepticon is a choice, Kallen," Lelouch told her in a somewhat angry tone, "One that I have a hard time believing Suzaku would make if he knew the truth."
"So why don't we just tell him?" Rai asked.
"It is not that simple," Ratchet spoke up after remaining quiet for so long, "I have seen how Megatron recruits his followers. Some follow him out of fear, others follow him because they believe in his mission and even worship him. He carries a strong sense of charisma that attracts both the best and worst Cybertron had ever had to offer. How do you think he managed to recruit so many followers?"
"I'm surprised he even has any followers after what he did to Cybertron!" Kallen stated.
"It's because the rest of the Cons are either just as bad as he is or just plain stupid," Arcee said bluntly.
"Or delusional," Lelouch added, "And I'm worried Suzaku might fall under the latter if Megatron really got to him."
"But… if being a Decepticon is a choice, is it possible for someone on that side to walk away and join the Autobots? Has that ever happened before?" Rai asked.
"Believe it or not, it actually has," Bulkhead pointed out, "Some former Cons actually joined our side before Cybertron went dark."
"[And vice-versa to,]" Bumblebee added, "[A few Bots went and joined the dark side]"
"But it is a possibility?" Lelouch asked, specifically toward Optimus with something of a hopeful expression, wanting to believe that his friend can see the light and join the right side.
"Yes, it is possible," Optimus confirmed, causing Lelouch to form a hopeful smile.
"Yeah, possible, but how are we actually gonna do it?" Kallen asked.
"Maybe if we bring Suzaku here and show him what happened?" Rai offered, "Maybe even tell him who we are? I mean, he sees us as his friends, so…"
"I wouldn't consider that," Ratchet voiced, "There is a possibility that Suzaku may be watched, likely by Soundwave, and if you were to reveal your identities to him, the Decepticons would likely learn of it as well."
"So, what do we do then?" Lelouch asked, "If the Cons show up here, Suzaku could be here too."
"Leave Suzaku to me; I will deal with him," Optimus declared.
Before anyone else could offer a response, Fixit contacted them, "Zero, Optimus, everything is ready. Wheeljack has attached the device to the ship's haul, the JLF is now onboard the Ark, and it seems the enemy is ready to back… rack... attack!"
"Thank you, Fixit," Optimus replied before turning back to everyone else, "We will discuss this further, but for now, we have our mission."
Optimus, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead transformed into their respective Vehicle modes, save for Ratchet who remained on the bridge, as Lelouch got inside Bumblebee, Kallen sat on Arcee, and Rai got into Bulkhead right before they all drove out of the bridge and toward the Groundbridge bay.
Meanwhile, C.C. sat at the dining room table with Nunnally at the Ashford Clubhouse as she made origami with the disabled girl, who didn't notice the contemplating look on the immortal's face. She had remembered how welcoming Lelouch and Rai, and even the Autobots, were of her, despite them being distrustful of her at first, and even Kallen. They even addressed her by her real name which she had since forgotten, or rather she tried to forget it. She glanced out the window as a look of frustration formed on her face.
'What am I doing?' she thought to herself so Nunnally couldn't hear, 'I just can't afford to make the same mistake here all over again.'
A man dressed in white with a visor over his eyes and a set of headphones over his ears walked through the park, the same one that had spied on Lelouch and C.C. the other day. He smiled as he had finally found the person he was looking for. But it would be that much more difficult to get to her with someone like Lelouch and even the Autobots always around her. But he was certain that an opportunity would present itself, one he wouldn't hesitate to exploit.
Port Yokosuka
Starscream stood at the center of a group consisting of Thundercracker, Skywarp, Cornelia, Guilford, Darlton, Edgar, and David, with their Knightmares in the warehouse behind them, and a set of aquatic Portland Knightmares right by the area.
"It's time!" Starscream announced, "Begin the operation!"
With that announcement, the Portland Knightmares dove into the water as ten Vehicons, in the form of jets, all flew out from behind the warehouse and shot straight at the tanker that supposedly had the JLF inside, with seven Burais along the deck of the ship, supposedly on standby.
Suzaku watched from the Lancelot as he stood alongside Dreadwing and a set of Sutherlands along one port on the side. Here, they would wait until there was certainty the Autobots and Black Knights would arrive, and once that was confirmed, they would attack.
The Portland Knightmares underwater shot their torpedoes and blew up the underwater wall, allowing them to move towards the moving tanker.
Shirley saw the explosion from a distance and looked in horror, "Oh my god… terrorists!?"
Villetta however kept a close eye on her, if need be, she'd pull the girl out if this got too hairy. However, she still needed her to draw out the student she was looking for.
The airborne Vehicons shot rapid-fire Energon blasts as they flew toward the Tanker. Each blast hit the mark to obliterate the heads of the Burais, causing each one to fall backward onto the ship's deck just as the alien jets hovered above the tanker. Hatches at the bottom opened from the bottom of each airborne craft, allowing two Britannian soldiers from each Vehicon to descend onto the ship, bringing the total to twenty. Once they were all onboard, the ten Vehicons transformed and landed on the ship's deck themselves with Energon blasters at the ready.
"Vessel is secured, Commander Starscream," One Vehicon reported, "No sign of the Autobots or the Black Knights."
"Keep an eye out," Starscream informed them, "They are known for surprise attacks."
"Understood," the Vehicon replied as the Britannian soldiers moved into the ship to secure the rebels they thought were in the vessel.
Meanwhile, Wheeljack hid in-between two large warehouses a few kilometers away and saw the Vehicons land with a smirk before contacting his comrades.
"Yep, the Cons are here. And I've got my finger on the trigger," Wheeljack said as he held the trigger for the grenade he planted on the bottom haul of the ship, just waiting to go off.
"Understood. Blow them up when ready, Wheeljack," Zero told him but also had something to ask, "Any sign of the Lancelot?"
Wheeljack's optics surveyed the area until he spotted the white Knightmare and the Decepticon escorting it, "Got my eyes on it. Looks like Dreadwing's here too."
"When the attack begins Wheeljack, engage Dreadwing. But leave the Lancelot to me," Optimus instructed.
"Got it."
Starscream watched with a chuckle as the Vehicons continued to guard the ship while the Portlands underwater surrounded the tanker completely.
"It would seem, your majesty, that this little excursion is all but over. Guess you weren't needed after all," he chuckled, earning a glare not just from Cornelia herself, but even her Knights present.
However, as the Britannian soldiers continued to search the entirety of the ship, they had yet to encounter the enemy or any human being for that matter. In fact, every room they searched was empty. Even the captain's quarters were empty, save for the running controls that made it look as though the ship had someone at the helm, only for it to be moving on its own.
Even as the Vehicons pried open the cockpits on the Burais, there were no pilots inside, much to their confusion.
"Commander Starscream, the Knightmares are all empty! There are no pilots inside!"
"Viceroy Cornelia!" One Britannian soldier reported, "There is nobody on the ship! It's completely empty!"
"Empty?!" Starscream exclaimed.
"Empty!?" Cornelia, Thundercracker, Guilford, Darlton, Skywarp, Edgar, and David voiced in complete shock.
Even Suzaku looked in surprise as he heard the report, "It's empty…?! Why? A decoy?"
"No," Dreadwing thought, "It can't be a decoy. The Autobots and Black Knights wouldn't leave without even putting up a fight first. Wait… what's in that vessel again…?"
Dreadwing's optics widened in horror as he contacted his comrades, "GET OUT OF THERE! NOW!"
"And… boom!"
Wheeljack pressed the button on the trigger.
*BOOM!*
The entire tanker lit up in a massive and gargantuan explosion of bright blue light that not only killed all ten Vehicons and twenty Britannian soldiers on the ship, including the Portland Knightmares that surrounded it but sent a massive shockwave that rocked the entire area.
"What…?! What happened!?" Starscream shouted as he, Thundercracker, and Skywarp braced themselves while Cornelia and her Knights were slightly blown back from the shockwave.
Even Dreadwing had to stick his feet into the ground to avoid being blown away as he held the Lancelot's shoulder firmly to keep Suzaku from being blown back, though a few Knightmares around them were blasted away by either the shockwave or the debris that came toward them as they were closer to the ship.
Immediately, a Groundbridge portal opened up at the port in front of multiple Sutherlands. The Britannian pilots inside couldn't react in time as the vehicle modes of Ironhide and Bulkhead led the charge, ramming down multiple Knightmares with Arcee, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper right behind them, alongside Kallen in her Guren MK II, Rai in the Gekka Pre-Production, Zero in his Commander Type-Burai, and a squadron of at least twenty Black Knights in their black Burais all rolled out and attacked immediately.
"What… what happened…? Was the ship just a decoy?" Suzaku thought as the surviving three Sutherlands pulled themselves up.
"Kururugi, watch out!" Dreadwing warned in time as Wheeljack in his vehicle mode drove up from the side before it slammed into the feet of the three Sutherlands and swerved to knock them down into the water before Wheeljack transformed and jumped to land a flying kick right into Dreadwing's chest and tackling him underwater.
"Dreadwing!" Suzaku exclaimed and was about to go after him, but a Groundbridge portal opened up right in front of him. Before he could even react, Optimus drove out before transforming, grabbing the Lancelot by the head, and throwing it into the area filled with all large containers before Optimus ran in pursuit.
"All units, enemy attack!" Starscream exclaimed as he, Thundercracker, and Skywarp readied themselves while the Britannians tried to mount their Knightmares
"Mount up and form a defensive line!" Darlton ordered as well as he, Guilford, Edgar, and David mounted their respective Gloucesters.
"How did they know we were here?!" Cornelia questioned as she tried to get into her own Gloucester as well.
However, the enemy had already arrived at the area.
"Attack! Go! All Autobots, engage the Decepticons! Destroy them quickly! Black Knights provide covering fire!" Zero ordered, "Bumblebee with me!"
Cliffjumper drove and transformed before tackling Skywarp and crashing into him in a warehouse as Kallen in her Guren engaged Thundercracker, driving him back as she rolled forward. Ironhide also drove directly toward Starscream and transformed to deliver a punch right into Starscream's face and send him falling and crashing into the water as he, Bulkhead, and all the surrounding Black Knights opened fire with Energon blasters and their magnesium rifles on the surrounding Britannian Knightmares.
Cornelia had already gotten into her Knightmare and was ready to power it up.
"Your highness, we can handle this!" Guilford contacted her.
"Quiet!" she snapped, "Saitama, Narita, now this?! How many times do you think I'll allow them to mock me!?"
However, she didn't even get a chance to get up as Zero rolled his Burai straight into Cornelia's Gloucester and sent it crashing into the wall and out of the warehouse, with Bumblebee driving right behind him.
Just as Zero aimed his rifle, Cornelia shot her slash harken which cut off the Burai's right arm.
"Do you think you can best me in Knightmare combat?!" Cornelia exclaimed as she pulled out her rifle, but Bumblebee had already transformed to shoot his Energon blaster and obliterate the weapon.
"I might not, but I know he can," Zero said, smirking under his mask as Bumblebee picked up Cornelia's Gloucester by the shoulders before throwing it away.
"Your highness!" Guilford and Darlton were about to roll in after her, but Ironhide drove up and blocked their path before transforming.
"I don't think so! You punks are gonna have to go through me first!" The veteran Autobot declared.
Darlton narrowed his eyes, "Don't think you can take us both on, Autobot!"
"Then show me what you got!" Ironhide challenged as he opened fire with his Energon cannons.
Arcee had transformed and leaped onto a stack of containers as she opened fire with her Energon blasters to destroy two Sutherlands, but could barely back away in time to avoid a slash harken, which was revealed to belong to the Gloucester piloted by David as he had his Knightmare jump up to stand on the same elevation as Arcee.
"Don't think I forgot what happened in Narita, you transforming freak! I'll pay you back for what happened to my brothers!" David angrily exclaimed as he brandished his Knightmare's lance.
"Bring it on," Arcee drew her arm blades before clashing her weapons against his.
Bulkhead meanwhile used his mace to crush a single Sutherland but didn't appear to notice Edgar's Gloucester trying to come in and impale him with his Knightmare's lance from behind. However, with him so focused on Bulkhead, it left him open for Rai to come in his Gekka and use his Knightmare's katana to bat the lance out of the way. Taking advantage of his surprise, Rai, whose Geass had already activated, had lashed out his silver claw and grabbed the cockpit of Edgar's Gloucester.
Rai hesitated for a second before activating the Radiant Wave Surger.
"Sorry…"
The entire Gloucester expanded and imploded on the inside before it exploded, killing Edgar in the process.
"Thanks for the save, partner," Bulkhead thanked.
Rai gave a small smile, "No problem."
Before they could continue, however, several cargo containers were knocked out of the way to reveal a charging Breakdown with his hammer in his toe. He gunned straight for Rai, but he rolled out of the way and let Bulkhead grab the hammer strike, allowing Bulkhead to kick Breakdown in the abs and send him sliding back, right next to Knock Out who drove up and transformed next to his own partner.
"Thanks," Rai told Bulkhead.
"We're even," the green Autobot smiled back.
"Awe isn't that cute, you're partners. I'm gonna enjoy turning you two to scrap," Breakdown mocked before pointing at the blue Knightmare, "You especially. I owe you for this!"
He pointed to his face to show the metallic eye patch over his right eye.
"You ask me, I think it suits you Breakdown," Bulkhead cracked, earning a growl from Breakdown who didn't hesitate to charge in as Bulkhead charged back and they grappled with each other.
Rai would have ridden in with his Gekka to assist but Knock Out had already appeared in front of him and lashed out his buzz-saw to keep him back.
"Sorry, but it looks like I'm your dance partner, blue boy," Knock Out challenged.
"Then let's tango, Con," Rai accepted as he slashed his katana at the red Decepticon.
Dreadwing flew out of the water in his jet mode with Wheeljack hanging on. The Decepticon flew in the air erratically in an attempt to shake the Wrecker off, but he hung on tight. Seeing how this wasn't getting anywhere, Dreadwing shot back down toward the ground at the far side of the port before transforming and knocking Wheeljack off just before he landed. Wheeljack landed on his feet to face Dreadwing.
"Can I assume the tanker was another one of your, Wrecker-tricks?" Dreadwing mused.
"So, you've gone up against us before? Not many Cons can walk away from a meeting with a Wrecker," Wheeljack mused back.
"And you will not be the last."
Dreadwing stated as he drew a large sword from his back. Wheeljack, in return, drew his dual swords before they ran at each other and clashed swords.
Suzaku grunted as he pulled the Lancelot up from a broken pile of cargo containers and looked in surprise to see the Autobot leader approaching him. "Optimus…?"
"Suzaku Kururugi… I know you are the pilot of that Knightmare."
The young Honorary Britannian's eyes widened.
"He knows…? But how…?"
"Is your answer still the same?" Optimus asked, causing Suzaku to look in confusion, "Do you truly believe Britannia can change for the better, now that you've worked more with their military?"
Suzaku had completely pulled the Lancelot up.
"Yes, I do. But it can't change if people are always fighting them!"
"Have you considered the reason why they are fighting? Perhaps it's self-defense," Optimus said, "Do you truly believe that Britannia is right in what it does? That the Emperor's philosophy is correct?"
Suzaku glared, "Britannia isn't perfect, I admit that, but it has to change! Otherwise… Earth will become the same as Cybertron!"
Optimus' optics widened slightly.
"Megatron told me what happened! Optimus, I don't believe you would want to destroy your own home… but maybe you and the Autobots could have worked with the Decepticons to find a solution! You didn't have to fight them!"
Optimus' own optics closed slightly. Megatron must have told Suzaku that he intended to save Cybertron, but he couldn't be further from the truth.
"Megatron only lives for conquest, he cares little for anyone else," Optimus said, "I have tried to reason with him, to change his mind, but he refused. When someone cannot listen to reason, the only option left is to fight."
"Fight… Fight?!"
Suzaku went on the attack. The Lancelot leaped into the air to deliver a spinning kick, which Optimus blocked by crossing his arms. The Autobot leader stood his ground and threw his arms outward just as the Lancelot flipped over and landed behind him before shooting directly at him with one of its MVS, but Optimus quickly turned around to block the sword strike with one of his own blades.
"You don't understand! Your fighting breads nothing but harm! It's nothing more than senseless violence!"
Suzaku tried to press against Optimus, but Optimus stood his ground and was fast enough to swerve to the side and deliver an uppercut punch to the Lancelot's side and send it flying, but the Lancelot flipped in the air and used its slash harkens to stabilize itself and land on a pile of cargo containers to face the Autobot leader.
Meanwhile, Cornelia's Gloucester was slammed back against several cargo containers, but before it even got a chance to get back up, Bumblebee grabbed the unit by its head to slam the whole Knightmare face-down on the ground and keep it pinned.
"Drag her out, Bumblebee!" Zero ordered as his single-armed Burai kept its rifle trained on her.
However, before any move could be made, the Knightmare's systems picked up a life-signal close by. The screen zoomed in on the source to reveal a certain schoolgirl whom Lelouch did not expect to see.
'Shirley?!'
An explosion erupted from the ground behind Zero, causing his Knightmare to go flying in the direction Shirley was in. She screamed as she ducked and covered her head right as the Knightmare crashed at least ten feet away from her.
Bumblebee heard the scream and his optics widened as he not only saw Shirley but also who shot the missile at Zero.
"You arrogant… worthless human!" Starscream exclaimed as he stood on the roof of the warehouse behind them, "It's long past time you learn your place, Zero! And it's under the heel of the mighty Starscream!"
He opened fire with his Energon blaster. Zero however was able to pick his Knightmare back up and grabbed Shirley with its only arm and drove away with Starscream transforming and flying in pursuit.
"[Lelouch!]" Bumblebee was about to go after him, but Cornelia was already back on her feet, having used her Gloucester's slash harkens to suddenly push herself back up before turning around and driving her lance towards Bumblebee, which he could barely catch in time.
"You're not going anywhere, vile machine!" Cornelia exclaimed as she continued to press on Bumblebee who tried to push back as well.
Meanwhile, Shirley held on for dear life in the Burai's hand as Zero drove into the maze of cargo containers to avoid the pursuit of the relentless Starscream who continued to shoot at him with bullets and missiles alike.
'Damn it, Shirley! What the hell are you even doing here?!' Lelouch practically screamed inside his mind as he continued to avoid Starscream's attacks.
"I need backup! NOW!" he tried to contact anyone who might be listening.
"Sorry, we're all kind of busy right now!" Bulkhead said as Lelouch heard a grunt on the other side of the line, indicating he was still fighting.
Lelouch could only curse himself as he drove his Burai to get Shirley as far away from the fight as possible.
Rai lashed his silver claw out at Knock Out who swerved out of the way as he pulled out his Energon prong as he stuck it into the wrist of the Radiant Wave Surger and grabbed the Gekka by the face to pin it to the ground.
"Nice little accessory you got there," Knock Out smirked as he transformed one hand into a buzz-saw, "I think I'll take it."
Before he could even begin to try cutting it off, however, he was pelted from behind by several magnesium bullets, and even on the side as Ohgi and Tamaki rolled up in their Burais, forcing Knock Out to release the Gekka in order to get some distance.
"Hell Yeah! Eat it, Con!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Rai, you okay?" Ohgi asked with concern as the Gekka Pre-Production picked itself up.
"Yeah, thanks for the save guys," Rai thanked.
Knock Out recovered and gasped upon seeing the holes and melted points in his paint job, "Oh you're gonna pay for that!"
His right arm turned into a drill and his left turned into a buzz-saw as he charged at all three of them.
Bulkhead slammed his mace across Breakdowns' face, who delivered the same sort of attack with his hammer to Bulkhead's face and send him crashing into a warehouse. However, Bulkhead ran out of the smoke pile as he yelled at Breakdown, who charged as well. They slammed their weapons together with all their might. The second the mace and hammer made contact; it sent a shockwave to rock the whole area as a vertical line actually cut through the concrete in between them from the shockwave itself.
Kallen rolled backward out of a warehouse as Thundercracker pursued her in his vehicle mode, shooting Energon blasts from his bottom side. Kallen however was quick enough to avoid it as she didn't appear to notice she was backing away on the docks and closer to the water, just as Thundercracker wanted.
"Not so smart, are you, human?" he thought, smirking inside.
Kallen however, knew what she was doing. Right before she made it to the edge, she got a little creative and plunged her extended silver claw into the ground behind her and activated her Radiant Wave Surger, creating an explosion that propelled the Guren into the air, much to Thundercracker's shock.
"What?!" he uttered, not seeing it coming.
Using his surprise, Kallen roared as she delivered her own spinning kick, something she'd seen the Lancelot do, while airborne and land a good contact on Thundercracker's side causing him to go crashing down hard onto the ground. Kallen fell but used her Knightmare's slash harkens as a grappling hook on a warehouse, pulling herself down closer to the roof where she landed and dropped down onto the ground unharmed.
"Looks like I can fly too, huh?" Kallen taunted.
However, she looked in surprise to see Cliffjumper roll out of the dust of a collapsed warehouse with Skywarp running after him with extended claws, similar to Starscream. However, as he lashed out, Cliffjumper caught Skywarp by the wrist and punched him in the face before flipping him over his head and sending him flying. While airborne, Cliff activated his Energon blasters to shoot and send Skywarp flying further before crashing into the water near the area.
Cliff blew the smoke from his Energon blasters like a cowboy, "Cool off, Con."
"Not bad," Kallen said as she rolled up next to him, "That take-down was cool. But your quip could use some work."
"Right, like you're the mistress of finishing move quips," Cliffjumper joked as he high-fived her with her own Radiant Wave Surger.
Meanwhile, Wheeljack continued to clash his swords against Dreadwing's own blade. Though Dreadwing's was much larger, the fact Wheeljack had two blades only seemed to make the duel even between the two. Wheeljack jumped up into the air and yelled as he brought both his blades down toward his enemy, but Dreadwing was able to block the attack with his own sword before kicking Wheeljack while he was in the air sending him reeling back. However, Wheeljack landed on his feet and skidded to a halt before glaring at his enemy.
"Not bad, Con. At least you can make it a challenge for me."
"It seems you've underestimated me, Autobot," Dreadwing replied, "I've dueled even the likes of Optimus Prime!"
He twirled his sword to show off some of his skills. But this only seemed to make Wheeljack even more excited.
"Oh well then, Mr. Fancy-swordsman, come and get me!" Wheeljack challenged as he ran and clashed blades with him again.
Wheeljack swung his right blade, which Dreadwing blocked with his own sword, but this left him vulnerable to Wheeljack's left sword, which cut him along the chest. Wheeljack tried to press the advantage, only for Dreadwing to go on the offense for a change and swing his sword at Wheeljack so fast, he could only block with both his swords.
At the same time, the Lancelot rolled along the tops of the cargo containers as he pursued after running Optimus through this maze and opened fire with his VARIS rifle, forcing Optimus to jump and dodge the massive explosions that erupted on impact. After dodging the third blast, Optimus rolled before pointing his right Energon blaster back and upwards and shooting to blast the VARIS out of the Lancelot's hands.
Suzaku grunted as he shot the Lancelot forward, jumping off the cargo containers and driving a chop towards Optimus, but the Prime was ready for him as he grabbed the attacking arm and the elbow attached to it and flipped the Lancelot over his head to send it crashing through several cargo containers, before skidding to a halt on the ground. Suzaku however was quick to get up with the Lancelot as he rolled it forward and pulled out both his MVS blades and sliced toward Optimus, who was successfully able to block not only the first strike with one of his arm blades but the second sword strike with his other one. Suzaku tried to press forward with the Lancelot, but he wasn't prepared for Optimus to transform into his vehicle mode and ram into the white Knightmare before spinning a doughnut to trip the Lancelot over its trailer attachment.
While the Lancelot was down, Optimus quickly transformed and used his own strength to pull down on a single cargo container underneath a large stack, causing them all to fall down and pile on top of the Lancelot, immobilizing it.
"No!" Suzaku grunted as he tried to free himself, but the weight on the Lancelot was too much.
"This battle is over," Optimus told him as Suzaku only glared at him through his screen, "Suzaku, do you remember what I said before when you returned to your court martial? I asked you, what if you were wrong about Britannia changing for the better? Have you given that any further thought?"
Suzaku's eyes widened as he did not expect Optimus to bring that back up again, "I… I can't be wrong though! I just can't be! Because if I am… then…."
Optimus could see the internal struggle within Suzaku and could only offer him a sympathetic expression.
"As I told you back then, freedom is your right. You are free to choose whatever path you wish; I only hope that you make the right choice. But, please head my advice. Megatron is not to be trusted. At your core, you are a good person, Suzaku Kururugi. Listen to your instincts, and your heart, I'm sure they will guide you down the correct path."
The Autobot leader then turned around to walk away briefly before transforming and leaving the area. Suzaku saw Optimus Prime leave his sight as he let the words play out in his brain.
"Listen… to my heart…?"
Meanwhile, Darlton rolled in his Gloucester and shot his lance at Ironhide, but he caught the weapon in his right hand before slamming down on his left to bend the weapon beyond any hope of repair before slamming his arm into the Gloucester's ab-area to knock it back before blasting his right Energon cannon at the feet of the Knightmare to obliterate it's lower half, but Darlton himself was still alive.
Ironhide didn't get a chance to recuperate however as he was knocked back slightly by a dual-slash-harken attack from Guilford who charged directly at him. Ironhide however was back on his feet and firing with his cannons, but Guilford was fast enough to avoid each blast as he rolled around Ironhide and tried to drive his lance into his side, but Ironhide had already brought down his left arm and used his own cannon to block and parry the lance before he used his right arm to punch the Gloucester in the face, almost crushing it before Ironhide actually picked up the Knightmare and slammed it face-first onto the ground.
Even though it was likely inoperable from that, Ironhide didn't want to take any chances as he grabbed the downed lance and used it to impale the shoulder of Guilford's Gloucester and into the concrete to keep it pinned. Guilford couldn't even open his cockpit as he glared at the Autobot through his screen.
"You're good," Ironhide admitted, "But you still have a lot to learn, kid."
He walked away, leaving Guilford to hang his head in defeat.
Arcee crossed her arm-blades to block the incoming lance strike from David's Gloucester. But she threw her arms out to knock him back, giving her an opening as she opened fire with both her Energon blasters to blast off both the Gloucester's arms, letting Arcee come in with a charge and jump slice with her right arm-blade to completely slice the cockpit in half, including David, before she landed behind the Knightmare as it exploded.
"This is Zero! I'm being pursued by Starscream! I need help! NOW!"
"Hang on Zero, I'm on my way!"
Arcee jumped off the pile of cargo containers and transformed into her motorcycle form and drove off to find and help Zero.
Bumblebee meanwhile rolled out of the way to avoid a charge from Cornelia with her lance. However, he was not in the mood to play around with her, not with Starscream chasing Lelouch, especially with Shirley caught in the middle of all this.
Cornelia roared as she thrust her Gloucester's lance at Bumblebee, but he swerved out of the way and grabbed the Gloucester by the side, and quickly rammed the Knightmare head-first into a stack of cargo containers, causing them all to fall and topple over the Knightmare.
He later transformed and drove after Lelouch.
Zero steered his Burai and turned virtually every corner throughout the maze of cargo containers in an attempt to lose the pursuing Seeker. But since Starscream clearly had the advantage in the sky, losing him was proving to be almost impossible.
'Damn it! He's more persistent than Cornelia!' Lelouch cursed as he glanced at his Burai's only hand and saw he was still holding the terrified Shirley. Just what in the world was she even doing here?! How did she get here?! And why now of all times?!
However, this small train of thought was quickly caught off as Starscream flew over the Burai and transformed to land on a stack of cargo containers.
Lelouch's eyes widened as he saw Starscream aim yet another missile. Acting fast, Zero came to a quick stop and set Shirley down in a small alleyway between two stacks of cargo containers just as Starscream opened fire. Zero was able to eject just in time before the missile hit the Burai, causing it to explode. The shockwave caused the cockpit to spiral and hit the cargo containers hard before skidding to a halt on the ground, banging Zero hard on the inside.
Shirley only just peeked her terrified head out in the open, but her eyes looked in absolute terror at the sight of Starscream as he jumped to the ground and walked to what was left of the Knightmare. Fortunately for her, he hadn't even noticed her.
"Foolish human," Starscream mused with a chuckle, "This is what you deserve for challenging your superiors. Now, Zero, you shall meet a quick and painful…"
Before Starscream could attack however, Arcee suddenly drove out from a corner before transforming and leaping to deliver a palm strike to the side of Starscream's face, sending him crashing and skidding down one path away and away from the ruined Burai, where the female Autobot ran in pursuit to engage Starscream herself.
This however left Shirley alone as she happened to glance in the direction of the damaged cockpit, which opened slightly automatically, revealing the semi-conscious form of the masked revolutionary known as Zero, hanging almost upside down from the damaged cockpit. Shirley, despite her head rattling with fear of being in the middle of a literal warzone, had never once anticipated she'd find Zero himself right in front of her, barely conscious and completely helpless.
When she backed away, her foot happened to come into contact with a stray pistol on the ground.
"Is… is this Zero's…?"
She picked it up and looked at Zero, but while she thought about pointing it at him, she just recalled how he saved her life from that giant robot that could turn into a jet, but also recalled how he was responsible for her father's death. Her hands shook as she frighten and pointed the gun at his barely conscious form.
"With this… I'll repay you…. For my father!"
Zero could hear a voice slightly, but when he tried to move, he slipped into unconsciousness as his head turned and his mask slipped off before falling onto the ground, revealing his face.
Shirley's pupils shrank as she gave an audible gasp. It was Lelouch's face she saw! Despite the face mask covering his mouth, or the blood running down past his eyes, she could recognize his face and raven-black hair a mile away. Her eyes wavered, as did her hands. Lelouch, the boy she had a crush on since her freshman year, the same one who began to open up to her and confess his mother's fate and express his sorrow for her father's death was Zero!
"Is that Zero?!"
Before Shirley could even collect all the chaotic thoughts in her head, she turned around to see Villetta walking past her and toward the cockpit. Despite her emotional state, Shirley recognized her immediately. Had this woman been following her!?
Villetta grabbed him by the hair and got a good look at his face, "Well, well, what a shocker. The student is Zero himself. A Britannian?"
A borderline evil laugh erupted from her mouth, "When I bring him to Viceroy Cornelia, she'll make me a noble! Not just a knight of honor, real nobility!"
She felt his pulse, "And he's still alive, too. What kind of grand execution will they have in store for him?"
"Execution!?" Shirley thought as her heart practically stopped. Was she being used as bait to draw out Zero? To draw out Lelouch?!
"Of course, you'll be rewarded too…!"
Villetta's smirk faded as she looked in surprise to see Shirley pointing the pistol at her.
"Get… get away from him…" she stuttered as her hands shook.
Villetta scowled, "Stupid of me… he's your boyfriend, isn't he?!"
She was about to draw out her own pistol, but Bumblebee suddenly appeared from around the corner and opened fire from his Energon blaster, shooting at the ground just below Villetta, blasting her back toward a cargo constrainer.
Believing he killed her, Bumblebee quickly ran and scoop up the unconscious Lelouch, along with his mask, and frightened Shirley before transforming and driving away. Shirley screamed as she suddenly found herself in the passenger's seat of Bumblebee's vehicle mode with the unconscious Lelouch in the driver's seat.
Fortunately, this was rather far away from all the fighting, so Bumblebee didn't have to drive very far to get to the exit of the port. He opened the passenger door for the still-frightened Shirley, motioning her to get out.
"Go home, kid." he played through the radio, causing her to look in shock at the fact that he just talked to her! A giant transforming robot just talked to her! Seeing how she wasn't moving, Bumblebee roared his engine, startling her and causing the frightened Shirley to get out of the passenger seat before Bumblebee closed the door and drove back toward the battlefield, leaving Shirley alone as she fell to her knees with shaky eyes.
Bumblebee had driven through the maze of cargo containers with the unconscious Lelouch still in his driver's seat and the Zero mask in his glove compartment as he contacted his leader.
"[Optimus, we need fall back! Lelouch is down!]"
"Understood. Contact Ratchet and prepare for multiple Groundbridge extractions," Optimus relayed back.
"[Got it,]" Bumblebee replied but also winced inwardly knowing that Shirley has seen Lelouch's face.
'Yeah, this is gonna be a problem.'
Notes:
PS.
I have recently received permission from Iron117Prime to reupload his fics into the website. So you might expect more of his fics to show up here. That being said, they too will be re-edited, both using Grammarly and by hand but without extremely extensive changes.
All rights reserved.
Chapter 19: What is Evil?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The battle at Port Yokosuka had ended only a few hours ago and it was just barely dawn. All Britannian, Decepticon, Black Knight, and Autobot forces had retreated and there was only rubble everywhere, save for the maze of cargo containers. However, it wasn't completely abandoned as a single ambulance drove quietly through the maze with Ohgi in the driver's seat and Tamaki in the passenger seat.
Tamaki gave a huge yawn, "It's way too early for this, I don't even know why we're here again."
"Come on Tamaki, you heard Zero," Ohgi told him, "Someone might have seen his face, so we're here to find that person."
"From what Bumblebee has described, it was a woman. A Britannian, though he didn't appear to have a clear look at her face," Ratchet informed as he continued to drive.
"Didn't Bee say he shot her though?" Tamaki questioned, "If Knightmares are blown away when Bots shoot them, what are the odds some random Britannian bitch is gonna survive that?"
"We can't afford to leave any loose ends, Tamaki," Ratchet explained, "If there's a possibility this woman learned of Zero's identity we need to understand how, if others are working with her, possibly even the Decepticons, it could have disastrous effects for us in the future."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Tamaki grumbled, "Just wish I had a coffee."
Ohgi looked out the window, he still found it hard to believe: Zero was not only a Britannian but a kid who looked around Kallen's age! It was no wonder he had to hide his face, but he honestly would have never guessed it.
However, whatever the reason he had for fighting Britannia and the Decepticons, he knew it was genuine: he saw the look in his eyes, his rage is real, and someone who understands rage also knows sorrow. Whoever Zero was, Ohgi trusted him, he would even follow him into Hell if he had to. However, there was also something else on Ohgi's mind that he felt he had to ask.
"Hey Ratchet… sorry for asking this but… what exactly happened to Bumblebee's voice?" Ohgi asked.
"Yeah, I've been wondering that myself," Tamaki also said, "You and the other Bots speak just fine, but he only speaks in bleep."
Ratchet paused a moment before answering.
"His voice box was… severely damaged in battle."
"How?" Ohgi asked.
"How do you think? Tragically of course," Ratchet began, "It happened during the War for Cybertron, at Tyger Pax. Our brave scout was captured by Megatron's forces and interrogated, but he refused to provide intel… and paid a grave price for his courage."
Ohgi and even Tamaki winced slightly, having a good idea what Ratchet meant as Ohgi instinctively held his own throat.
"Bumblebee was left for scrap, but Autobot troops found him and evacuated him to a triage facility. I was there, I did all I could to save his life, and while I did I… I couldn't repair his voice box."
Even Tamaki looked rather sympathetic as he had nothing to say. Ohgi however did.
"Well… you still saved his life. It's thanks to you he's still with us today, so… I'd say you did well."
"I… I appreciate that Ohgi, I do," Ratchet acknowledged truthfully, "But… I feel as though… I could have done better."
Before this could continue, Tamaki glanced out the passenger's window and spotted something that caused him to look in surprise.
"Hey Doc-bot, pull over!"
Ratchet did just that, Tamaki was the first to step out of the ambulance, followed by Ohgi before Ratchet transformed into his natural Cybertronian form.
They looked in surprise at the ground as they found the body of Villetta lying flat. There was some blood coming from her back, and one could see even severe burn marks on not just her back, but the back of her legs and even her elbows.
"Think she's who we're looking for?" Ohgi wondered.
"She's a woman and a Britannian, so yeah I'd say so," Tamaki assumed, "Is she dead?"
Ratchet performed a quick scan to measure her vitals, "She's alive, barely."
"Is it possible to save her though?" Ohgi asked.
"Huh, never thought I'd hear those words coming from you Ohgi," Tamaki said in honest surprise.
"Tamaki, you know why. We need to know if she tracked Zero," Ohgi said immediately.
Ratchet transformed back into his ambulance form and opened his backdoor, "Put her inside."
Ohgi and a reluctant Tamaki picked up the barley-living Villetta and pulled her into Ratchet's vehicle form before he drove off.
Ashford Academy
It was still incredibly early, but Shirley hadn't slept at all since she came back from Port Yokosuka. She sat at her desk in her dormitory and appeared to be writing some kind of note, while still having the same pistol she got from Zero - no, the one she got from Lelouch in front of her. Her thoughts were in such a jumble, the only thing she could do was shed tears as she crushed the note in her hand and threw it away.
"Shirley…?"
She gave a small gasp as she quickly hid the gun away as her roommate woke up.
"What are you doing up so early? Is that a letter?"
"It's… uh… oh, it's nothing," Shirley lied as she tried to hold back her tears to not worry her roommate.
"I bet it's a love letter, huh? Something special for Lelouch?" her roommate teased.
Shirley did her best to hide the pained look on her face, "In a way…"
Student Council Room - Later in the Afternoon
"You wanna meet Princess Euphemia?" Suzaku questioned in surprise as he, Rivalz, and Milly sat on the couch while Nunnally was next to them as well as they looked at Nina in surprise.
"To thank her…" Nina stuttered, "I just wanted to thank her…"
"Rai stood up for Nina during the hotel jacking, but when those terrorists were gonna shoot him for it, she stood up and said 'I'm Princess Euphemia!'" Milly explained as Nina had a small blush on her cheeks.
"Really?" Suzaku was a bit surprised.
"I'd want to meet her too!" Rivalz said excitedly.
"Why is that?" Milly questioned.
"She's a real princess! I can marry into royalty!" Rivalz exclaimed with a wide grin, causing Milly to look unimpressed.
"I'm sure you'll never meet her with such impure motives," Nunnally said rather bluntly.
"Impure?!" Rivalz hung his head in disappointment, "That's a little harsh, isn't it Nunnally?"
He immediately turned to Milly. "You're on my side, aren't you Madam Pres…"
He was about to lean his head on her lap, but she pushed his face back with a rolled-up magazine.
"Don't kiss up to me just because Lelouch isn't hanging around," Milly commented, "Nunnally saw right through you and so do I."
Nunnally giggled slightly, "Anyway, I'd like to meet Princess Euphemia too if I could."
That especially caught Suzaku and Milly's attention. They were aware of the fact Euphemia was their half-sister, but at the same time, they knew the danger that could happen if something like that was arranged.
Even though she was blind, Nunnally could almost sense something in Suzaku's mind, "Oh, what's the matter Suzaku?"
Suzaku winced slightly, "Oh it's just… she's a member of the Royal Family and…"
The phone suddenly rang, and Suzaku was the one to answer.
"Hello? Ashford Academy Student Council."
" Suzaku?" Lelouch asked on the other line with some hesitation.
"Lelouch?" Suzaku was happy to hear his voice, which also caught Nunnally's attention.
However, no one appeared to notice Arthur underneath the coffee table reaching his paw out at the phone cord.
" Is… is Shirley there…?"
"Shirley? I… No, she's not," Suzaku answered, "In fact, I haven't seen her at all today like she never even came to class. I haven't even seen Kallen or Rai today either,"
Lelouch didn't respond, something that made Suzaku concerned, "Hey… you still there…?"
" Yeah, I'm still here," Lelouch replied, "Listen, something's going on and I'm going to be home late tonight, if it's not too much trouble, can you stay with Nunnally please?"
"Uh yeah I don't see a problem with it but...Lelouch, you've been cutting classes pretty frequently. If something's wrong I can help."
" Don't worry, I've got plenty of help. And thanks."
"No problem I…"
Suzaku almost lost his grip on the phone as Arthur pulled down on the cord, "Hey, Arthur! Put that down!"
The Ark
Lelouch heard Suzaku's struggles as the line was disconnected, likely the cat causing trouble again. Still clad as Zero, just without the helmet, he hung back against a wall in the hallway of the Ark and sighed.
So, Bumblebee was right, Shirley did see him at Yokosuka. His hand shook for a moment before he calmed himself and put his Zero mask back on. Right now, there was something that needed his immediate attention.
Zero turned a corner and came towards the med bay with Ratchet standing just outside as this specific med bay was for humans and he was too large to fit, they'd probably have to fix that later but that can wait. He glanced up to Ratchet who gave a nod.
He walked into the med bay where Ohgi, Tamaki, and Fixit were waiting. In one bed was Villetta, who was hooked up to machines to measure her heart rate and other vitals, along with an oxygen mask over her mouth.
"This is her?" Zero asked.
"Yeah, we didn't find anyone else at the port," Ohgi answered.
"Her condition has been stable, so she'll live," Fixit reported.
"However, it may be some time before she fakes up… makes up… wakes up!" he glitched.
Tamaki gave a slight scoff, "A human who survived being shot by an Autobot. Well, she's tough, I'll give her that."
"Who is she?" Zero asked.
"I looked up her information," Fixit began as he pulled up her info on his tablet, "Villetta Nu, she's a member of the Pureblood faction. However, given all our recent activities, she may very well be the last of the Purebloods."
Tamaki smirked, "Serves them right."
"Keep monitoring her. The second she wakes up let me know," Zero ordered.
"Right, don't worry we'll keep you informed," Ohgi assured as Zero quickly turned around and left.
The Bridge
Zero walked onto the bridge, taking off his mask as he saw Optimus, Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Bulkhead all waiting for him, while Kallen, C.C., and Rai climbed down onto the floor from the lounge area to meet him.
"Where's everyone else?" he asked.
"Ironhide and Wheeljack are assisting the JLF in delivering more Knightmares from Kyoto to the Ark," Optimus responded.
"Katase seemed quite elated now that the Japan Liberation Front has been integrated into the Black Knights."
" Almost all of them," Bulkhead said, "No sign of that Tohdoh and those Holy-Sword guys yet."
Lelouch said nothing but nodded in response. He would be lying to say if he wasn't worried a bit for Tohdoh; he was one of the few people he had respect for and he would be an excellent addition to the origination. That is if Britannia or the Decepticons didn't find him first.
"So, our suspect has been found?" C.C. asked.
Lelouch nodded, "A Pureblood, the last one. Her condition is stable, but we don't know when she'll wake up."
"But if she's the last one, it's not like she has any partners helping her then," Cliffjumper said.
"What about the Decepticons?" Arcee wondered.
"Doubt it," Kallen stated, "They're called the 'Purebloods' for a reason. They hated pretty much anyone who's not a Britannian."
"The odds that one of them forsakes their pride and seeks alien help is pretty low." Lelouch agreed.
"So, when she wakes up, you'll use your Geass on her right?" Rai asked.
"That's not an option anymore," Lelouch informed, "I already used it on her back in Shinjuku. That's how I was able to get a Sutherland. That might be how she became suspicious of me."
' Huh, I was wondering how you got that,' Kallen thought.
"[It's true. I saw him use it on her back then,]" Bumblebee confirmed.
"So, what do we do with her?" Bulkhead asked.
"I feel that it may be best that we keep her in our custody," Optimus said, "Until we know how she was able to suspect Lelouch, we should keep a very close eye on her."
"Well that solves one of our problems, but what about the other one?" C.C. wondered.
"You mean Shirley?" Lelouch got right to the point.
"So, she did see your face," Kallen said with a serious expression, knowing that this could turn into a big problem if they didn't deal with it soon.
"[Yeah, she did. She might have also found out I'm his car since I transformed when I got her out of there,]" Bumblebee added.
"I just called Suzaku and she wasn't even at school today," Lelouch informed, "We need to find her, as soon as possible."
"Yes, that is obvious. But what are you going to do if you find her?" Arcee questioned, "In her eyes, you're the same person who killed her father, so I don't know if she'd be willing to listen to you. I know I wouldn't."
"Just kill her and be done with it."
Such words bluntly came from C.C., causing every person and Autobot present to look at her in surprise even Optimus was stunned.
"No way!" Rai exclaimed immediately, "We're not gonna do that! We don't kill innocent people!"
"He's right," Bulkhead said with a glare in C.C.'s direction, "Didn't you get the memo? We're not the Cons."
"Well if that's the case, just have Lelouch use his Geass on her and simply make her forget. Problem solved," C.C. pointed out as Lelouch's own eyes widened slightly before he looked away with a conflicted look on his face.
"How about… instead of doing that… maybe we bring her here?" Rai suggested, "And show her that we're not the bad guys…?"
"I don't see a problem with that," Cliffjumper seemed to agree, "I mean, we do have some Britannian citizens voicing their support for us."
"Really?" Arcee questioned unceremoniously, "Bring a traumatized schoolgirl into an alien ship filled with giant alien robots and armed soldiers?"
"Yeah… I'm gonna have to go with Arcee on this," Kallen agreed, "It might be too much for her to handle at once."
"[Especially considering she was literally in a warzone and five feet away from Starscream last night,]" Bumblebee added.
Optimus noticed the conflicted look on Lelouch's face and seemed to understand what he was feeling, "One thing remains certain, we must find this girl, if only to ensure her safety."
This got everyone's attention.
"If she truly was present at our battle last night, there is also a possibility that the Britannian military or even the Decepticons have noticed her as well, and they may potentially target her. Lelouch, you must find her, and I feel Kallen and Rai should accompany you."
"Us?" Kallen asked.
"So far as we know, she doesn't know you two are involved in the Black Knights," Optimus explained, "Therefore, you may help to mentally ease her, and she'd be more willing to listen to Lelouch."
"Yeah, makes sense," Rai seemed to get it.
"Alright, let's go."
Lelouch looked to Bumblebee who gave a nod before transforming into his vehicle mode.
"I'm coming too," C.C. said as she walked to join them.
"Seriously, why do you wanna come? It's not like she knows you," Kallen stated, slightly narrowing her eyes.
"I'm coming to help ensure Lelouch's safety as he is my contractor," C.C. replied.
"That's not necessary. I've got an Autobot with me," Lelouch replied as Bumblebee gave a honk on his horn for emphasis.
"I'm still going with you," C.C. insisted.
Lelouch sighed as Rai spoke next.
"Alright, we don't have time for this, but…"
He glared slightly at C.C., "If you do anything to hurt Shirley, I'll be the first one you answer to."
"Noted," C.C. nodded as all four humans got inside Bumblebee and he drove off.
Arcee shook her head with a sigh, "I'm starting to have second thoughts about C.C. staying here."
"Well I mean it's not like she can do anything that can hurt us," Bulkhead pointed out.
"I'm not so sure about that," she contradicted, "She was able to give Bumblebee visions, so it looks like this Geass stuff can affect Cybertronians."
"Bee also said that girl went through some pretty intense stuff," Cliffjumper said, "She's lived much longer than most humans. If I'd live for so long and go through the same kind of stuff that she went through...I don't know what I'd do."
"I agree that C.C. is a rather… interesting individual," Optimus put it pretty mildly, "But that is all the more reason to keep her with us, so that we may keep a close eye on her."
"I understand that… though I just can't help but get this feeling that she's hiding something," Arcee commented as she glanced in the direction Bumblebee drove off with the other humans, including C.C.
Area 11 – Viceroy Royal Palace
Cornelia sat on her throne with Euphie sitting on a throne right next to her as Darlton and Guilford stood in front to give a report. Dreadwing was also present as the throne room itself was large enough for him to stand in. Though Cornelia wasn't too comfortable with it, she could safely say that Dreadwing was pretty much the only Decepticon that didn't drive her up the wall.
"In this last operation, and also at Narita, the enemy was specifically targeting you, your highness," Darlton spoke to Cornelia.
"Eliminating the enemy leader is a standard tactic," Cornelia responded.
"They also eliminated Prince Clovis," Guilford added.
"Zero is not merely fighting Britannia. He and the Autobots are targeting the Royal Family and they want blood."
"I disagree," Dreadwing said immediately, "If that were the case, Zero would have eliminated Princess Euphemia during the hotel jacking. He would have been smart enough to recognize her back then. Instead of executing her or holding her hostage, he let her go with the other civilians."
Euphie instantly recalled her meeting Zero during that same event. He felt so familiar to her, and yet whenever she even thought about him…a great sadness filled her heart, but it wasn't just because of the fact he killed Clovis.
"What exactly are you saying, Dreadwing?" Cornelia narrowed her eyes slightly in his direction.
"The Autobots are not bloodthirsty warriors, especially not their leader," Dreadwing explained, "Optimus Prime has a very strong code of honor, and while he has taken lives before, he never bears his enemy any malice. I've battled him in the past, and he has never once harbored any grudges toward me or any comrades that I might have known."
"He may be right," Guilford seemed to agree, "Not only did he spare you Viceroy during your duel with him…"
Cornelia narrowed her eyes even further but still allowed Guilford to speak.
"But we also discovered that the Narita population had been completely evacuated the day before the operation, but we weren't the ones to order that evacuation…"
Cornelia looked somewhat confused, "Zero and Prime have made enemies of our empire and yet they continue to spare and save our subjects?"
"Because that is who Optimus Prime is," Dreadwing said, "He may be my enemy, but he would never endanger the weak."
"You sound as though you admire him, Dreadwing," Cornelia looked in his direction with a hint of distrust evident in her eyes.
"I respect him," Dreadwing replied, "And it would seem this Zero character may have the same standards as him. Hence, why they are working together."
Cornelia merely sighed before turning to her younger sister, "Regardless, I don't want you leaving the Settlement until this crisis has been abated."
"Why not assign a knight to her?" Guilford suggested.
"A knight?" Euphemia asked.
"Yes, if we assign one knight as a permanent sentinel, then we can build a complete royal guard unit around him. As Sub-Viceroy, Princess Euphemia has the right to a personal champion."
"While I don't believe Prime would have a reason to specifically target Princess Euphemia, perhaps I can serve as her guard," Dreadwing proposed, surprising both Euphemia and even Cornelia. Darlton and Guilford were a bit surprised themselves.
"Oh? And just why should I allow that Dreadwing? Give Megatron a reason to monitor my sister?" Cornelia questioned almost spitefully.
"Lord Megatron did not suggest this. The idea only came to me just now," Dreadwing replied, "I trust Princess Euphemia enough to know she will select a warrior capable enough to protect her, but until then I can act as a sentinel myself to ensure her safety. That is if you would allow me, Princess Euphemia."
Dreadwing bowed his head toward the younger princess, who still had a surprised expression on her face.
"I don't…" Cornelia was about to protest, but Euphie had already spoken.
"It's fine," the younger sibling said immediately, surprising her older sister and the two knights present, "I don't mind. I would be honored if Dreadwing were to stay by my side. I trust him."
This earned her a smile from him, to whom she returned the favor.
Cornelia could at least admit that Dreadwing was pretty much the only Decepticon she's seen to have something of a code of honor and could see that he didn't have any ulterior motives, unlike Starscream.
"Alright, if you feel he is capable, I trust your judgment," Cornelia gave her sister the approval she needed, causing Euphie to smile as Dreadwing bowed his head to Euphemia as well.
"Viceroy, if I may…" Darlton spoke up.
"Go ahead."
"Speaking of the situation we are facing… forgive me for being blunt but… I feel as though it has gotten out of control. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Autobots and the Black Knights… Area 11's military has suffered substantially. The Purebloods have all been wiped out and… Guilford and I are… the last of the Glaston Knights."
Guilford, Euphemia, even Cornelia, and Dreadwing gave silent yet sympathetic looks towards Darlton as he had lost all five of his adopted sons. He pushed his emotions back as he maintained a professional standing.
"I feel that we may need to contact the homeland to supply reinforcements," Darlton continued, "I mean no offense Dreadwing but… even with the aid of you and the rest of the Decepticons… we should resolve this as soon as possible before other Areas begin to rebel. Perhaps even the Chinese Federation and the E.U. could attack as well."
"No offense taken," Dreadwing assured, "You are correct. Our enemy grows in strength and numbers virtually every day."
"Darlton, are you suggesting we possibly contact Marrybell and her Glinda Knights?" Cornelia asked.
"I believe we may need to look even higher than that," Darlton said, "I think we should request the assistance of the Knights of the Round."
Euphie gave a small gasp as Guilford and even Cornelia was surprised at how drastic Darlton was sounding with a suggestion like that.
"Knights of the Round?" Dreadwing asked in confusion, "Please forgive my ignorance."
"The Knights of the Round are Britannia's best Knightmare pilots, the strongest and most talented soldiers in the entire Empire," Guilford explained, "Even more so than Viceroy Cornelia."
"They are only called in when necessary," Cornelia said, without voicing a disagreement with Guilford's statement, "And… as much as I… hate to admit it… we could use their help. I've lost to our enemy three times already… I'd rather not suffer a fourth humiliation."
"I see," Dreadwing seemed to understand. It seemed like a logical choice.
"Now, is there anything else we need to discuss?" Cornelia asked her knights, as well as Dreadwing.
"No, you're highness," Darlton said, as even Dreadwing shook his head in confirmation.
"Very well," Cornelia said, "I'll contact my father immediately and request the Knights of the Round to join us…"
She stood up and was about to walk out.
"Wait, Sister…" Euphemia cleared her throat, "I mean, Viceroy… There is something I need to discuss with you. Dreadwing, Guilford, Darlton, you too."
"What is it?" Cornelia asked as all four of them gave her their undivided attention.
Euphemia stood up and pulled out a file folder, she had been carrying with her for some time.
"For the past few days… there have been rumors throughout the Settlement… of a monster roaming the ghettos."
"A monster?" Guilford raised an eyebrow.
"At first, I thought it was just a rumor so… I requested for the police in the area to investigate," Euphemia explained as her body began to shake, "They went into the Saitama ghetto first and… and…they found… this…"
Her hands continued to shake as she handed the file folder to her older sister.
Cornelia, confused and concerned, noticed how her younger sister was practically quaking. She took the file from her hands and opened it to see its contents. The second she saw it, her eyes widened, and she gasped. She even let go of the folder and allowed all the photos inside to fall to the ground as she covered her mouth with one hand to prevent herself from throwing up. Darlton and Guilford saw the pictures as well and looked horrified, even Dreadwing zoomed in with his optics and was beyond appalled.
The photos were all of the dismembered bodies. Men, women, even children; all of them had been butchered, gutted, skinned alive, with organs and blood laying everywhere, as well as severed heads and limbs. It was like something out of a gory horror film, but since these were photographs of something that happened, it made it all the more disturbing.
"Those rumors… they're true. Something is in the ghettos…" Euphemia stuttered as she was the most visibly shaken by this, "Something… monstrous… I… I think we should send our forces to see…"
"No," Cornelia said, causing Euphie to look surprised, even shocked at what her sister just said, to the point that even Guilford and Darlton were rather surprised.
"Cornelia…"
"Has any of this been happening in the Settlement or is it only the ghettos?" Cornelia asked.
"Only the ghettos but…" Euphemia answered.
"Then it's not our problem," Cornelia said, causing Euphie to look even further shocked, "I'll admit this is… rather graphic but… our priority is to protect our civilians, not the Numbers."
She turned around and proceeded to leave the throne room, with her knights reluctantly following her, "Besides, since Prime and Zero have such a soft spot for them, I'm sure they can handle it."
"Cornelia!"
Euphie tried to call her, but she had already left the chambers. Euphie just stood there in shock. While she knew that Cornelia held no love for the Numbers, but to let them be butchered like this when she clearly can do something to stop it…
"Princess Euphemia," Dreadwing got her attention, "I will look into this. Whatever is causing this in the ghettos isn't human. It must be dealt with, and I'll be more than happy to see to it personally."
Though the pink-haired Princess was indeed grateful for Dreadwing's support, she didn't feel comfortable with him going alone, "Dreadwing, thank you but… please don't take any offense by this… I know you can handle yourself but… how would you like it if I assigned a partner to join you?"
"Who do you have in mind?"
Camelot Division
"This thing about saving people's lives…" Cecile began as Lloyd worked on the computer in front of the Lancelot, "At first, I thought he was just being… you know, sensitive. But now… with what's happening now… and him joining the Decepticons… it's starting to feel more like an obsession."
Lloyd helped himself to a cup of pudding, "His performance data is still solid, right? Not to mention his allegiance with Megatron might be the best thing that's ever happened to us. I can't wait to get my hands on some Cybertronian goodies."
"You can't just treat him like he's simply one cog in the machine. We have to deal with the human issue first," Cecile told him.
"Human issue? What do you mean?"
Cecile looked in surprise to see Suzaku on the ground, though Lloyd carried his casual smile.
"Aha, Suzaku. We were just talking about you. So, what brings you back here?"
"You tell me," Suzaku replied as Cecile and Lloyd climbed down to meet him, "I got a call from Dreadwing telling me to come here. But… he's not even here?"
"Dreadwing?" Cecile asked in surprise, "It's been a while since I've last seen him."
"It wasn't just Dreadwing, Suzaku."
All three of them looked to see Princess Euphemia enter the hangar, though Suzaku and Cecile were beyond surprised, Lloyd had his usual look on his face.
"Pr… Princess Euphemia!" Cecile stuttered as she and Suzaku quickly bowed.
"Please… don't be so formal with me," Euphie raised her hand and allowed them to rise.
"So, what can we do for the pretty little Sub -Viceroy of Area 11?" Lloyd asked casually.
"Lloyd!" Cecile scolded.
Euphemia ignored them and looked directly at the young man in front of her, "Suzaku, I have a mission for you."
"A mission?" Suzaku asked in surprise as Cecile was also a bit surprised and Lloyd looked intrigued.
"There's… been a string of murders in the ghettos," Euphemia began, "But honestly… calling them 'murders' is putting it mildly."
"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked, "Er… your highness."
Euphemia said nothing as she handed Suzaku the same file folder she handed her sister. He opened the contents as he, Lloyd, and Cecile looked at the same photographs inside. Suzaku's eyes were so wide they were almost circular as his jaw dropped in horror. Cecile gasped as she covered her mouth with both her hand and her eyes shook with terror. Even Lloyd's smile faded as they saw the graphic content inside.
"That's just gross," Lloyd said rather bluntly.
"This has been happening all over the ghettos," Euphemia explained, "There is a monster inside and… I want you to put a stop to it, Suzaku."
"Me?" Suzaku couldn't contain his surprise.
"Aha, so we're beast hunters now," Lloyd mused amusingly.
"Sub-Viceroy Euphemia, shouldn't you try talking to Viceroy Cornelia about this?" Cecile asked.
"I've tried, but she didn't listen to me. She says the ghettos aren't her priority," Euphemia answered as she looked down in grief briefly.
"Makes sense. Discrimination against the Numbers is the Empire's priority," Lloyd said.
"Lloyd, be sensible for once!" Cecile exclaimed, "This… this is… just horrible…"
"That's why I'm here now," Euphemia said as she gained a determined look on her face, "I already spoke with Dreadwing and he agreed to find whatever creature is causing this. I want you to join him, Suzaku. I'm ordering you Suzaku Kururugi… find this monster and stop it."
Suzaku was surprised at first before a serious and determined expression formed on his face as well, "Yes, your majesty."
Ashford Academy – Girl's Dormitories
Shirley's roommate, now under the influence of Lelouch's Geass, continued to stand outside guarding the dorm room as Kallen and C.C. continued to search the room. Both of them wore normal clothes, with Kallen's being more casual, while C.C. dressed rather fancily with a red and black dress, a small hat, and her hair in two large pigtails.
"You know… for someone who has no qualms about killing, he doesn't seem very comfortable with going through a girl's room," C.C. commented as she looked through the dresser.
"Just shut up and keep looking," Kallen grumbled as she wasn't comfortable with invading someone's privacy as well.
"And what exactly are we looking for?" C.C. asked.
"His gun, or something to show us where Shirley is," Kallen answered as she looked through the desk.
C.C. sat down on the bed with Shirley's diary in her hands, "There's no sign of the gun here, and her diary goes up to the fourteenth."
"The same day her father died," Kallen muttered, still feeling a bit guilty about that.
However when she picked up a small box, it slipped from her hands and the contents spilled on the ground, revealing it to be pictures of her and Lelouch; even some photos of just himself. Kallen kneeled to try and pick them up when C.C. smirked.
"Is that a look of jealousy on your face, my dear Kallen?" the immortal teased.
"None of your damn business!" Kallen said immediately as she hid a small blush, "Let's just stay focused, alright?!"
She glanced down and saw a schedule book of the monorail lines in the Tokyo Settlement. She noticed there was a bookmark on a page and opened it, but when she did, she looked in surprise to see one destination highlighted.
"Narita?"
Outside
Lelouch and Rai waited in the parking lot, right by Bumblebee's vehicle mode as Kallen and C.C. both stepped out.
"Well, what did you find?" Lelouch asked.
"The gun wasn't there, but it looks like she's going to Narita," Kallen handed Lelouch the schedule book, causing him to wince slightly as that was where her father passed away.
"Bumblebee, how long will it take for us to drive there?" Rai asked.
"[At my top speed, about an hour,]" Bumblebee answered, "[Problem is, my top speed is way faster than any car here on Earth, so I'd be giving us away. It would be easier if we use a Groundbridge.]"
"Yeah, good idea," Lelouch agreed, but he felt his phone ring and looked in surprise at the Caller ID.
"Suzaku?"
Kallen and Rai looked in surprise, and even Bumblebee was a bit stunned as Lelouch answered it.
"Hello?"
" Hey Lelouch, it's me," Suzaku spoke into the phone, "Listen, I know I said I'd stay with Nunnally tonight, but something came up with work and I can't miss it."
Lelouch's eyes narrowed as he had a good idea what he meant: the Decepticons had another job for him.
"It's fine, I'll handle it, thanks for letting me know."
" No problem. See ya."
"[Lelouch?]" Bumblebee asked.
"Change in plans," Lelouch began, "Kallen, I want you to stay here and stay with Nunnally tonight. Rai, C.C., you come with me and Bumblebee to Narita. I also want you to call in Arcee and Cliffjumper to help you."
"Wait… why me?" Kallen asked.
"Because I still don't know how that Pureblood woman could connect the dots to my identity, or if she's working with anyone," Lelouch explained, "Worst case scenario, I know the three of you are more than capable of protecting her. Kallen, I need you to do this for me, please."
Kallen saw the pleading look in his eyes and understood, "Alright, I'll call them, and we'll stay the night. Let me know what happens with Shirley."
"Will do, and thanks," Lelouch smiled.
"Come on, we need to go!" Rai urged as he and C.C. were already inside Bumblebee.
Lelouch got into the driver's seat as Bumblebee drove off.
Narita
There was still plenty of construction to clear out the landscape and demolished buildings below the mountain. But Shirley wasn't paying attention to any of them. The schoolgirl was at a memorial constructed for all the soldiers who died in the battle, but to her, it served as a memorial for her supposedly deceased father. She carried a bag with her, and in the bag was the same gun that she kept with her.
So many thoughts ran through her head. Lelouch, the boy she had a crush on was secretly the masked terrorist known as Zero; the one who killed her father, but also the one who saved her life at the hotel jacking. Not only that, but his car was one of those Autobots that she saw on the news. But who were those other giant robots they were fighting? Why was Lelouch even fighting in the first place? What in the world is going on?
"Yes, what is going on, anyway?"
Shirley turned around in surprise to see a man in a white coat with a visor over his eyes and a pair of headphones over his head. The same one that had been spying on Lelouch and C.C. the past few days. The man clapped his hands as he had a sinister smile on his face.
"A very fine memorial. Isn't that right, Miss Shirley Fenette?"
The Ark
The Autobots and Black Knights were helping those of the Japan Liberation Front get situated in the alien ship that would serve as their base. More Knightmares had been brought in, up to the point where they had twice as many as before, already the Black Knights alone had become the biggest Anti-Britannian group in Japan, and that's not even counting the potential the Autobots were capable of. Even though they were on different sides before, the JLF seemed to be getting along with some of the BKs, including Tamaki. But even more surprising, a few former JLF soldiers even hit it up with the Autobots; particularly Wheeljack, Bulkhead, and Cliffjumper. Even Ironhide said he'd help them with training so that they can better match the Decepticons.
Katase walked onto a catwalk on the Ark's bridge, now in a Black Knight uniform of his own, where he saw Ohgi on the same catwalk talking with Optimus. He politely waited for them to finish speaking before he got their attention.
"Excuse me, Optimus Prime and… Ohgi was it?"
"Yeah?"
"I… I just wanted to thank you… both of you… for everything you and Zero have done," Katase humbly bowed, "You saved our entire army in Naritia, and even last night at Port Yokosuka. So please allow me to thank you. If it weren't for you, the Japan Liberation Front would probably be dead, and the spirit of Japan with it."
"We only did what was necessary, General," Optimus nodded, "But you are welcome."
"Also, allow me to express my deepest apologies for the actions of Kusakabe," Katase still kept his head bowed.
"But that wasn't your fault," Ohgi tried to tell him, "It wasn't like you guys told him to do that, right?"
"No, we did not authorize his actions back then," Katase confirmed, "I tried to keep the Japan Liberation Front on a path of honor, to keep us from becoming the terrorists that Britannia tried to make us. But… he went against our code… and disgraced us. And as a leader, I have to take responsibility."
"I understand," Optimus did understand as he was a leader himself, "But, we are here now and I can promise that we are careful in who we choose to join our ranks. We will not tolerate terrorism or oppression of any kind, and you are more than welcome to join us, General Katase."
Katase smiled humbly, "And you have the complete support of Kyoto?"
"Indeed, we do," Optimus confirmed.
"Good, because we need to locate Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords as soon as possible," Katase said, "They're our best soldiers, and I know Tohdoh can do more to assist you, even against those Decepticons."
"We spoke with Kyoto and they've got their eyes peeled," Ohgi informed, "The second he's spotted, they'll let us know."
"That's good."
Optimus, Katase, and Ohgi looked to see Diethard walking in on the catwalk in his own Black Knight uniform.
"After all, with the likes of Zero, Optimus Prime, General Katase, and even Tohdoh the Miracle Worker all working together, support for us will go through the roof."
"Who is this?" Katase asked.
"Diethard Ried, he's in intelligence," Ohgi summed up.
"However, I feel that Britannia and these Decepticons might not be too happy about it," Diethard continued, "Given the Empire controls one-third of the world, not to mention the Decepticons possess powers and weapons that make even the most advanced Knightmares seem like cheap toys in comparison, we still have a long road ahead of us."
"We do," Optimus confirmed, "We face a strong enemy, however, the Black Knights and the Autobots are just as strong themselves."
The intelligence journalist had something of a smirk on his face, "And I look forward to seeing you in action again."
He turned and walked away.
Katase narrowed his eyes, "I know you said you're careful with who you bring into your ranks but…"
"You don't have to say it, there's just something about him that gets you on edge. I feel the same way," Ohgi would be lying if he didn't say that he didn't completely trust Diethard.
"I don't believe he has any intentions of sabotaging us, however, I assure you that he is being closely monitored," Optimus could tell that Diethard wasn't a spy for Britannia, but he also had a good feeling that he wasn't just here to bring freedom to the Earth either.
Bumblebee drove out of a Groundbridge portal and onto an empty highway street some distance away from Narita. Lelouch sat in the driver's seat with Rain in the passenger's seat and C.C. in the backseat.
"So, have you thought about what you plan on doing once we find her?" the immortal asked Lelouch.
"Actually yes, I'm going to tell her everything," Lelouch answered, causing Rai and even C.C. to look at him in surprise, "Who I am, why I became Zero, and why I need to fight."
"[What, us and the Cons?]" Bumblebee asked, quite surprised himself, "[Do you also plan to tell her about your Geass?]"
"Yes," Lelouch responded with a serious expression as he looked out the window.
"Don't you think that might be too much to unload on her all at once?" Rai asked.
"That's what you're worried about?" an annoyed C.C. questioned.
"What do you mean?" Rai added.
"Lelouch, you do realize that if you tell her who you are, there is a strong possibility she could go to the police or even the military and tell them of your identity!" C.C. pointed out, "You may not care about your own life all that much, but what about your sister's? You do realize by doing this you're placing her in danger as well, correct?"
"If that's the case, I'll have Nunnally moved to the Ark. I'm certain she'll be safe there."
"[But that would mean you'd have to tell Nunnally about us too,]" Bumblebee pointed out.
"I'm considering that."
"Wait… you're serious?!" Rai questioned, "You wanna tell Shirley and Nunnally?!"
"I'm tired of lying to her like this," Lelouch said honestly, "I swore to Nunnally I'd never lie to her."
"Well, technically you're not saying anything dishonest to her…" Rai began, "You're just… avoiding certain details."
"Still… if things escalate with the Decepticons, I might not have a choice," Lelouch replied, "Regarding Shirley… she's a good person, and I caused her so much pain. Even if she hates me… she deserves to know the truth, but what she does with that truth is completely up to her."
"You do realize you can avoid all this trouble by simply using your Geass on her," C.C. pointed out.
"I won't do that, not to her," Lelouch said. clenching his fists, "Because… that sounds like something my father would do. And I refuse to become anything like him!"
Bumblebee was impressed by this. Lelouch had no intention of removing Shirley's free will with his Geass even if she ended up hating him, showing not just how much he cares about her, but also how much he is beginning to value the freedom of others.
"[You know Lelouch… you're really starting to sound like an Autobot,]"
Lelouch was mildly surprised at first but had a humble and grateful smile, "Thank you… Bee."
C.C., disappointed, shook her head, "If you have someone you don't want to lose, it's always best to keep them at a distance."
"Are you speaking from experience?" Rai asked her with a concerned look in his eyes.
The immoral merely looked out the window. "No, it's a way of life."
"[Yeah? Well speaking from my experience, it's always best to keep those you care about closer to you.]" Bumblebee pointed out.
Narita
"He's a cruel man, isn't he? Lelouch," the man in white said to Shirley, causing her to back away slightly.
Shirley was starting to get a little nervous, "How… how do you know about Lulu?"
"Awe, he deceived you and never told you he's Zero," Shirley gasped as the mysterious man continued, "Zero, the mask-wearing superhero who travels with giant robots and saved you and all your friends from terrorists is also the same man who ordered the death of your father."
Shirley's eyes wavered as she was more than a little scared right now, "Who are you… what do you want…?"
"You're so confused, aren't you?" the man in white continued, "'But he told me how his mother died, and how it cost his little sweet sister her eyes and legs! How can he be a murderer like Zero if he's so kind and honest?!' Well, let me tell you, you really don't know him at all, do you? He's a very bad man, and you like it. Why else would you stop yourself from shooting him back at Port Yokosuka, right?"
"How… how do you… how do you know all this…?"
"I know everything about you, Shirley," he smiled deviously, "Like how you forced yourself on him after daddy died. You used your own father's death for your gain."
Her emotions were in a storm right now, "No… I just… I just..."
"Quite the cunning woman, aren't you? You knew he'd feel sorry for you, so you played it for all it was worth."
"No! You're wrong!"
"Tell me, what do you think is a fitting punishment for him? He killed your father. How about you kill his sister too? It's only fair, don't you think?"
"No! I wouldn't! She had nothing to do with it!"
"How do you know? How do you know sweet little Nunnally isn't in on it? How do you know she's even blind and crippled? It's so sad, you claim to love Lelouch, but you don't know him at all."
"Stop it! Stop it! Just stop it!"
She fell to her knees as she clenched her head.
The man's smile faded slightly, "I see, you don't wanna kill him or his sister… you're that head over heels for him? Fine."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a cloth in one hand and a bottle of chloroform in the other.
"If you love him so much," he poured the substance into the cloth, before smiling malevolently, "I'll be sure you spend all eternity with him…in the afterlife!"
Before Shirley could even respond, the man shoved the cloth in her face and covered her mouth as he held her arms to her sides. She kicked and struggled, but he was too strong, and no one was close enough to hear her muffled screams as the chloroform soaked in.
"Shh, shh, breath it in…. and just relax," he lulled as she felt her body weaken and her eyes felt heavy, "That's it…. Sleepytime…. Ssshhh."
After a few more seconds, Shirley had completely lost consciousness.
The mysterious man sighed in disappointment, "I'd hoped I could manipulate you into killing him, but I guess I'll have to go for a more direct approach."
He unzipped Shirley's bag to see the gun, making his malevolent smile return, "But… that doesn't mean we still can't make it fun."
Shinjuku
The sun was already starting to set over the Shinjuku ghetto as Dreadwing flew over it in his jet mode. His scanners didn't pick up anything as he continued to fly, however.
He soon contacted his partner, "Suzaku, I have yet to detect anything unusual. However, given the pattern and trails of the previous ghettos our 'monster' has attacked, it's reasonable to assume that this ghetto is likely our prey's current residence."
"I understand."
Suzaku rode the Lancelot slowly down an abandoned subway tunnel, the lights from the white Knightmare's shoulders providing illumination in the dark.
"I'll look underground while you keep your eyes on the sky."
" However Suzaku, if you happen to find our monster before I do, contact me immediately and we'll deal with it together. I don't want you acting on your own when we do not know what we are dealing with," Dreadwing instructed.
"Alright, I'll contact you if I find something."
Communications ended and the Lancelot continued its search. As it did, however, Suzaku was left alone with his thoughts as he couldn't believe this was happening. Shinjuku had already been through more than enough with the massacre when he was reunited with Lelouch, but now this?! Just who or what could be responsible for this?! And why?!
However, the Lancelot's systems beeped as it detected something. Suzaku brought the white Knightmare to a slow halt as it turned down toward a tunnel on the right, the second its lights shinned, his eyes widened as Suzaku saw what appeared to be enormous spider webs strung across the walls and ceiling.
"Are… are those… spider webs?" Suzaku questioned before a serious expression on his face formed.
Something told him that whatever he was looking for was down here. He drew one of his Knightmare's MVS blades and slowly proceeded down the tunnel to cut down the web and clear his path.
Suzaku continued along this path for about five minutes, however, he didn't seem to notice that he wasn't alone in this tunnel. Something was crawling on the ceiling above him quietly and keeping a close eye on him with ominous purple eyes.
The Honorary Britannian and first human Decepticon came to a halt in the Lancelot as he saw a wall of webbing, but Suzaku gave an audible gasp as to what was in the webbing.
People! More than a dozen of them, and… they were all dead. No, 'dead' was putting it mildly; they were butchered! Severed limbs laid on the ground as heads were stuck on the webbing, some bodies were cut in half with the upper halves stuck on the web and hanging like trophies while other limbs, the lower halves of the bodies, and even some organs laid on the ground, rotting with flies buzzing all around. While he did already see photographs of the same sort of thing, seeing it in person even through the perspective of a Knightmare was another story altogether.
"My God…" Suzaku covered his mouth to swallow the bile that was building up in his throat.
"Your god had nothing to do with this."
Acting on instinct, Suzaku went into action as the Lancelot swung its MVS at the source of the unknown voice behind him, but the entity leaped back to avoid the slash.
The Lancelot's headlights shined to reveal the monster that was responsible for all these brutal murders: the former Decepticon known as Airachnid.
She gave an amused hiss as she shot red Energon blasts from her palms at the Lancelot, but it was quick to activate its blaze luminous shield before rolling straight at Airachnid at high speeds, but she was able to leap to the tunnel's ceiling and stick to it with her spider legs to avoid the slice from the MVS, she leaped back down the tunnel further to avoid the slash harkens that shot at her as the Lancelot drove in pursuit.
Once Airachnid made it into the open tunnel outside her den, she shot webbing from her palms to hit the right foot of the Lancelot, halting its advance much to Suzaku's shock as Airachnid leaped back onto the ceiling before jumping down and slamming her legs onto the Lancelot to pin onto the ground, while also knocking the single MVS out of the Lancelot's hand before she restrained the white Knightmare even further with more webbing.
Suzaku struggled with the controls but found the Knightmare was just about immobile. He tried to contact his comrades.
"Dreadwing! Lloyd, I found…"
However, Airachnid sliced into the neck-shoulder area of the Lancelot with one of her spider legs to sever the communications.
"Nuh, uh, uh," Airachnid waved her finger, "Can't have you calling for help, now can I?"
Suzaku glared as the serial killer loomed over the Lancelot, her face just inches away from the Knightmare's head. She also noticed the insignia inscribed on the shoulder.
"Well, this is a surprise. I've heard some radio chatter about a human being integrated into the Decepticon ranks, but I never imagined that they would do it."
Suzaku glared further, but his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the same insignia on Airachnid's chest, "You're a Decepticon?!"
" Ex-Con. After Cybertron went dark, I decided to go off on my own, and it was way more fun. Gives me some leeway to pursue my hobby. Call me Airachnid."
"Tell me, 'Airachnid'. Have you been responsible for all the murders in all the other ghettos?!"
"What gave me away?"
"Why?! Why are you doing this? What do you have to gain from all this senseless bloodshed?!"
Airachnid only looked a bit confused, "What do I have to gain? Nothing really, just passing the time."
"What…? Passing the time?"
"Everyone needs a hobby, this is mine."
"A hobby…? A HOBBY!? You butchered dozens of innocent people! Children even! How can you possibly be okay with that?!"
Airachnid smiled in amusement, "Oh look, an idealist. I didn't think the Decepticons had any left, not with what Megatron did to Cybertron."
That caught Suzaku off-guard, "What… what are you talking about? Megatron tried to save Cybertron? The only reason it's now uninhabitable is that the Autobots refused to stop fighting!"
Airachnid laughed in response, "Wow. You are kept in the dark, aren't you?"
However, before Airachnid could continue, a missile shot past her, forcing her off Suzaku as it exploded deeper in the tunnel. She, as well as Suzaku, looked in surprise to see Dreadwing flying down the tunnels in his jet mode before transforming and delivering an airborne punch to Airachnid's face and sending her flying and skidding across the ground.
She tried to pull herself up but was forced to use her spider legs to propel her onto the ceiling as Dreadwing immediately drew his Heavy Energon Cannon and opened fire. She leaped along the ceiling to avoid the blasts before coming to a hole at the top, which she climbed into to avoid the blasts and find cover closer to the surface.
Dreadwing then put his cannon away as he drew his blade to cut the webbing off the Lancelot, allowing Suzaku to stand up.
"Kururugi, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Dreadwing, how did you find me? She severed my communications?"
"I heard your call before it was severed. Asplund was able to track your Knightmare's signal and I came as soon as I could."
He looked toward the hole where their prey escaped, "I knew that our quarry was likely an entity not of this world, but I never imagined that it would be Airachnid."
"You know her?" Suzaku asked in surprise.
"Not personally, but I knew of her. This was the first time I'd seen her with my optics."
"So… she is a Decepticon," Suzaku somberly remarked. How could Megatron accept someone like her into a noble cause?
" Former Decepticon. Now she is a rogue, and as such, she must be dealt with. We will capture her and bring her to Lord Megatron where he will undoubtedly deliver the proper punishment. Let's go."
Dreadwing proceeded to run down the tunnel in pursuit of Airachnid, but Suzaku hesitated for a second. However, he followed Dreadwing nonetheless while his head was still in a jumble after what Airachnid had just told him.
Ashford Academy – Student Council building.
"There, what do you think?" Nunnally smiled as she held an origami crane in her hands.
"Well… it's better than mine," Kallen chuckled nervously as she held what could only be described as a crunched-up ball of paper, "Sorry, but origami was never my strong suit."
Nunnally giggled slightly, "You know, I'm a little surprised that you decided to visit."
"Well… Lelouch asked me to," Kallen began, "You… heard what happened with Shirley's father?"
A saddened frown fell on the younger girl's face, "Yes… it's so sad."
"Well… that's kind of the reason he's out. Lelouch and Rai are… trying to help Shirley adjust."
"Oh," Nunnally wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Kallen sighed, "Nunnally listen… I… I know about you and Lelouch. I know the two of you are a former prince and princess of Britannia and I know what happened to your mother."
Nunnally gave a small gasp at that revelation.
"Lelouch told me… but I promise I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets."
"It's okay… I believe I just… didn't expect Lelouch to open up like this. He's always so secretive, I even feel like he's distancing himself from people a bit."
"Well… it's the opposite. He and I, and a couple of our friends, we've met some other people, and… they're helping us to open up and see things through a different perspective," a small smile fell on the redhead's face, "They're truly good people."
"Lelouch told me how he's made some friends recently," Nunnally said, "I'd like to meet them sometime."
"Well, you'd certainly get a kick out of them, that's for sure. But seriously, I'm sorry for what happened to you two and… for what happened to your mother. I know what it's like. Recently my brother passed away."
Nunnally gasped, "Oh my gosh... Kallen, I'm so sorry."
"It's alright."
"It's… it's so sad… how much loss people are going through," Nunnally was on the verge of crying, "Why can't the world be a gentler place?"
Kallen sighed, "Truth is, there are just bad people out there. But… that doesn't mean there's still good in the world. I may have lost my brother, but I've gained so many other friends, I'm not alone and…"
She held Nunnally's hand, "You're not alone, and neither is Lelouch. I promise I'll be here for both of you, whenever you need me."
Nunnally smiled as she put her other hand on top of Kallen's, "Thank you, Kallen."
Narita
After arriving at the ruined city, the group decided to split up and find Shirley. Lelouch went in one direction, Rai in another. Bumblebee would drive the perimeter of the area with C.C. The Black Knights' leader walked through a path in between some ruined buildings; he winced slightly as he saw them knowing he was directly responsible for that. However, while he did arrange for the city to be evacuated, some things remained outside his control, including Shirley's father. Regardless, he still promised himself he'd protect her and had every intention of keeping his word.
His thoughts were interrupted as his phone rang. He gasped and saw that the Caller ID was from Shirley's phone.
He immediately answered, "Shirley, I'm here. Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Shirley can't come to the phone right now. She's a bit tied up."
Lelouch gasped at the response. Not only was there someone else on the other line, but the voice was also coming from behind him. He turned around to see the same man in white who kidnapped Shirley before his arrival.
"Who are you!?" Lelouch demanded.
The man said nothing as he threw Shirley's phone toward Lelouch's feet, which only made him even angrier.
"You scum! What have you done with Shirley?!"
The man clapped his hands once more, "Oooh, I like it! The scary face. The face of a man whose woman was taken away from him."
"What the hell did you do with her?!"
"You want to know, then you'll have to accept my challenge. First, drop the phone, I don't want any of your Autobot pals crashing this little game of ours… Zero."
Lelouch's pupils shrunk. How could this man know about him and the Autobots?!
"Drop the phone, now."
Seeing how he had few options, and knew next to nothing about this man, especially with Shirley's life potentially at stake, he did just that and dropped his phone on the ground.
"Follow me. Oh, and if you're looking for a name, it's Mao."
The man named Mao turned around and Lelouch reluctantly followed with a hardened glare. The two walked in silence for a couple of minutes as Lelouch tried to figure out who this guy is.
' He's Chinese, so I don't think he's a spy for Britannia, and he doesn't seem like he's involved with the Chinese Federation either. But how could he have known about me? How does he know about the Autobots? Is he involved with Decepticons? But if that's the case… do they know about me as well?'
After about ten minutes, Mao had brought Lelouch to a railcar near a forested hill.
"You know, I'm really glad that everyone's so busy with construction right now," Mao explained, "This railcar was a pretty popular place for tourists until that war between you, your Bots, your big sister, and the Cons. But now it's closed, which means we got no one to disturb our privacy. Oh, and if you're wondering, I'm not involved with Megatron. I've never even met a Cybertronian face-to-face."
"Then who are you?" Lelouch questioned as Mao opened the door.
Lelouch gasped as he saw Shirley inside. Her hands were tied behind her back, with rope to bind her arms to her upper body. Her ankles were also tied together, and she had a strip of duct tape over her mouth.
"Shirley!"
She gave a muffled scream as she saw Lelouch, but before he could even think about helping her, Mao pulled out a pistol, the same pistol that Lelouch previously had that Shirley took back at Port Yokosuka and pointed it right at Shirley, causing her to look in terror.
"I'm the one who holds the life of someone you care so dearly about in my hands," the enigma sneered evilly as Lelouch practically gnashed his teeth at her, "Tell you what though, you specialize at this, right?"
Mao revealed a chess board in between two seats with the pieces already arranged, "Beat me, and I'll let her go. But if I win, her life is entirely in my hands. Not that you have a choice anyway."
Bumblebee continued to drive through the area with C.C. in his backseat, being careful not to run into any construction workers.
"It doesn't look like she's here," C.C. commented, "Maybe she went home."
Bumblebee tried to contact Lelouch, "[Hey, we've searched the entire perimeter, but we can't find her.]"
There was no response, however, much to Bee's confusion, "[Uh.. hello? Lelouch, are you there?]"
Even C.C. was somewhat surprised.
"[Something's wrong, he always picks up.]"
C.C. turned out the window and noticed something with a railcar, "Why is that railcar running?"
The disguised Autobot scout zoomed in with his optics, but he caught sight of Lelouch as well as Shirley tied up, and even Mao, whom he didn't recognize, "[They're in trouble! Someone has kidnapped Shirley and he has Lelouch with him!]"
C.C. looked through Bumblebee's dashboard as a screen brought up what Bumblebee was seeing through his optics. Her heart skipped as she saw the man Lelouch was with.
"It can't be… no… not him…"
"[Wait, you know that guy?!]"
C.C. immediately climbed into the driver's seat and pulled out her phone to call their other associate, "Rai! Rai, are you there?!"
" C.C.? What's going on?" Rai asked on the other line.
"Where are you!?"
" I'm… close to that moving railcar why…?"
"Listen! Lelouch and Shirley are in trouble! Someone bad is holding Shirley hostage there and Lelouch needs help, now! Get there as soon as you can!" C.C. exclaimed.
" What?! Okay, I'll be there soon!"
Rai hung up, and all the while Bumblebee did not like the tone in C.C.'s voice. She sounded afraid, and he's never heard her sound like that before.
"[C.C. what is going on?!]"
"Just drive! Get over there now!" C.C. urgently told him, "Lelouch can't beat him! He just can't…!"
All Bumblebee needed to know was that Lelouch was in trouble, so he put the pedal to the metal and drove to where the railcar would stop at the top of the hill as fast as he could.
Mao sat in one seat, with his arm held around the bound Shirley, who was so terrified tears were already pouring down her face. Lelouch gave her an assuring look in his eyes, silently telling her she was going to be alright. At the same time, as he was forced to play this game of chess, he tried to put the pieces together regarding this Mao character.
' He knows my identity, even knows about the conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons, and yet… he said he's not aligned with Megatron. I don't think he was lying, but how did he know about them?' Lelouch moved one piece on the board, "What I do know, is he's trying to lure me to an isolated place. Shirley was the bait, and he's trying to get me away from Bumblebee and the others, and I don't have any means to contact Optimus. Guess I'm on my own here.'
"You know, I've never actually played this game before, don't you?" Mao teased as he still kept a firm grip on Shirley while moving one of his pieces.
' So long as he has those sunglasses, I can't use my Geass on him. But… I haven't even contacted Bumblebee yet so…'
"… You think your precious yellow scout will get worried and come to your rescue?"
That took Lelouch off-guard.
"Bee's pretty fast, I'll grant him that. But Narita is huge, and the odds of him finding us out here are pretty slim," Mao used one of his pieces to eliminate the Knight on Lelouch's side.
"You liar, you have played this game before."
"Tell me something, what exactly was it that made you change your mind? You became Zero to completely obliterate Britannia, right? But something about you has changed since then. Was it how you ordered the death of poor Shirley's father?"
He rubbed her hair as Shirley only gave a frightened squeak underneath her gag, "No… it started sooner than that; when you met the Autobots in their precious Ark."
Mao moved another piece, catching Lelouch off-guard. Not only has Mao completely turned the chess game on him, but he was catching onto his motives.
By the time the railcar reached the top of the hill, the game was over, and Mao had removed Lelouch's king from the board.
"Checkmate."
Lelouch was beyond stunned, 'How could he predict every move I made?! Who in the world is he?!'
"Didn't C.C. tell you about me?"
That caught Lelouch's attention.
Mao clapped his hands in response, "Well done, in one lightning-fast moment, you came up with fourteen possible identities for me. And one of them is precisely correct."
He lowered his visor to reveal a familiar, birdlike red emblem in both his eyes.
' He has Geass too?!'
Lelouch instinctively activated his own and tried to use it, but Mao already put his visor back on.
"Let's see now, for your Geass you have to look directly into someone's eyes. But for some reason, it can't affect Cybertronians," Mao deduced with a confident grin. "Oh, I know all the rules for your little gift."
Lelouch finally understood how Mao knew who he was and his connection to the Autobots, as well as how he could predict Lelouch's moves.
"You can read minds!"
"You could call my Geass mind reading, and before you ask, I have no idea if I can read Cybertronian minds myself."
Lelouch looked ready to jump Mao, but he already pulled out his gun and placed it at the side of Shirley's, causing her to scream and cry underneath her gag.
"Aw, poor little Shirley. She has no idea what's going on."
"Let her go! Now!"
"Nope, I won the game."
Mao smiled as he grabbed the bound Shirley and pulled her up just as the door behind them opened, "And that means, her life is entirely in my hands."
Shinjuku
A hole had been blasted out of the ground as Dreadwing climbed up out of it, with the Lancelot not too far behind. The two had entered a large, empty, and ruined building that looked as if it was on the verge of collapsing, but there was no mistaking that their quarry was there.
"Airachnid! Show yourself, deserter!" Dreadwing exclaimed.
There was no response as Suzaku looked around on his Knightmare's radar.
"Dreadwing… why… why would Megatron even allow someone like her into his ranks?"
Before Dreadwing could offer a response, they heard Airachnid's voice echo throughout the building, "Because he took an interest in my skills. Do you know what was, I did during the war?"
The two looked around but couldn't find the source, "I specialized in 'information gathering' and by that, I mean… the torture and dismemberment of enemy Autobots."
Suzaku practically gnashed his teeth as Dreadwing stayed firm.
"Kururugi, remain calm," the Seeker told him.
"Kururugi? As in 'Suzaku Kururugi'?"
A faint laugh echoed throughout the building.
"That explains why you're here. Oh yes, I know all about you. The infamous son of the late Genbu Kururugi, who defected to Britannia."
"How do you know about that?!" the Honorary Britannian demanded.
"You'd be surprised what kind of rumors echoes through these ghettos. But I can't imagine why an Eleven would join Megatron's ranks, let alone one with idealism. Was it bribery? Or a promise for power?"
"No! It's nothing like that!"
"Suzaku, do not let her get to you."
"You asked me why I do what I do?" the spider-con continued, "I already told you it was my hobby. I kill, I butcher, I dismember, I skin alive, that's just who I am."
Suzaku clenched the controls of his Lancelot as Airachnid continued to taunt, "But there is a reason why I choose to hunt in the ghettos. It's because Britannia doesn't care . There are plenty of serial killers and terrorists hiding in these ruins beside myself, and yet, the globe-spanning superpower doesn't do anything to stop them."
Airachnid began to descend on some webbing from the very center of the ceiling, close towards Dreadwing and the Lancelot as they remained back-to-back, but neither of them appeared to look up.
"You're quite the idealist, aren't you, Suzaku?" Airachnid lowered herself even closer, "Unfortunately, you're on a side that thrives on killing idealism."
She was just above their heads, with her spider legs ready to decapitate both, "Quite the contradictory, don't you think?"
However, Dreadwing had already noticed her as he grabbed her by the throat and pulled her down, getting Suzaku's attention. Though in a flash, Airachnid was able to spray some webbing in Dreadwing's face and kick him off before jumping to avoid a punch from the Lancelot. She landed on a damaged floor a story above as she quickly shot more webbing to pin Dreadwing to a pillar on the ground.
The Lancelot leaped into the air to try and deliver a spinning kick to Airachnid on the next floor of the building, but she had already jumped into the air toward the third floor as she shot her palm lasers while airborne at the Lancelot. But Suzaku had already activated his Blaze Luminous shield to block the blasts. Her spider legs caught onto the floor of the third story and she pulled herself up and out of the way just as the Lancelot shot its Slash Harken toward her, which he used to pull himself up onto the same level as Airachnid. He pulled out one MVS blade as he shot right at her, but she ducked out of the way as he sliced a pillar, which began to tip over and fall.
Airachnid had leaped onto the side of the large pillar as it fell, but the other end caught onto the other side of the massive gap, acting as a bridge connecting the two broken sides of the third floor. The Lancelot ended up on the makeshift bridge as well as it drew its second MVS blades. She merely smirked as she brandished her spider arms.
The spider-con was the first to attack as she lashed out her spider-arms at the white Knightmare, but Suzaku blocked the attack with one MVS blade before striking at Airachnid with the other, which she avoided by jumping back. Suzaku tried to press the attack, but she blocked the repeated blade strikes with her bladed appendages before she jumped over and behind the Lancelot, but the pilot was fast enough to move the Knightmare's arm to knock Airachnid off the pillar. But she didn't fall very far as she spun some webbing to catch her before swinging up and over the pillar to land both her feet onto the Lancelot and kick it off the makeshift bridge.
However, like Airachnid, the Lancelot deployed one Slash Harken from its arm to catch onto the ceiling and pull himself straight up towards Airachnid. Suzaku was already getting so sick of Airachnid, that seeing her taunting smirk was enough for him to make him draw his VARIS rifle and shoot at her. She dodged the blast but looked in surprise to see the blast blow a massive hole in the wall.
Dreadwing tried to wrench himself free, but he felt the building vibrate and realized what Suzaku was using, "Kururugi! Do not use the VARIS! This structure is unstable!"
Airachnid happened to hear Dreadwing's claim and an evil smirk fell on her face as an idea came to mind. She quickly rushed the Lancelot and climbed onto its back as she stabbed its right arm, the one that held the VARIS, with two of her spider legs while grabbing the arm with her own hands. With the right wires pulled, she forced the Lancelot to aim the VARIS at the supporting pillars down at the ground and opened fire, multiple times.
The building soon began to collapse, and Airachnid used this opportunity to push the Lancelot off the top floor, sending it crashing onto the ground just as the ceiling gave in. In less than a minute, the entire building had collapsed into a pile of rubble. It was a rather small building, only six stories high, so it didn't cause further damage to the area as it collapsed. Airachnid was the first to pull herself out of the rubble, as she was the closest to the ceiling and she could escape it with little damage as she was now outside.
"Well, a bit noisier than I thought, but it gets the job done," she remarked.
Just as she was about to walk away, she heard some rubble shift in two different areas. She looked the furthest away to see Dreadwing digging himself out of the rubble, however before he was completely out, Airachnid shot more web at him to trap him even further.
"I'll deal with you later, but first things first…"
She turned to see the heaving damaged Lancelot, slowly trying to pull itself out. Only its left arm was the most functional. Suzaku saw multiple red screens inside his cockpit, seeing how the Lancelot was pretty much inoperable right now. But he wasn't about to give up.
"Come on… Come on…"
However, the back of his cockpit was torn open, by none other than Airachnid who reached in to grab Suzaku himself, yank him out, and pin him to a piece of rubble with her webbing.
"Do you know what it is I hate most about Knightmares, Suzaku?" the spiderlike rogue lurched dangerously over him, "They don't have any real faces. That's what I always loved the most about what I do… to see the looks on their faces as I snuff them out. I skin and butcher in different ways, just to experiment and see what kind of expressions I get. Having a pelt or a stuffed head is nice and all, but nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing the final expression of fear and despair in someone's eyes as their life is snuffed out."
Realizing he couldn't get out of this. Suzaku merely closed his eyes in acceptance.
'This isn't how I thought I would die… but… I guess this is it.'
But this was not the end, however, as Airachnid groaned in pain when multiple bullets struck her from behind. She looked in surprise to see two Gloucester Knightmares quickly rolling toward her, along with three Britannian military helicopters flying in behind them as well.
"All units, open fire!" Guilford ordered as he and Darlton opened fire with their Knightmare rifles, and even the helicopters opened fire with their guns.
Airachnid scowled as she leaped back to avoid the shots. She jumped towards a separate building and began to climb its outer wall with the hovering helicopters continuing to shoot at her. As the helicopters were in pursuit, Darlton's Knightmare rolled over to Dreadwing as he used his Gloucester's lance to try and pry the webbing off as Guilford came over to Suzaku.
"Warrant Officer Kururugi, are you alright?" Guilford asked as his Gloucester kneeled to peel the webbing off Suzaku.
"Lord Guilford…? But I thought Princess Cornelia…"
"Princess Cornelia didn't explicitly say we couldn't assist," Darlton said as he helped Dreadwing out of the rubble.
"And while it's true we serve as Viceroy Cornelia's knights, it doesn't mean we just ignore other members of the Royal Family," Guilford added as his Knightmare turned to the approaching vehicle that served as a mobile base owned by the Camelot Division with Lloyd, Cecile, and even Princess Euphemia inside.
The three of them saw footage of Airachnid climbing to the top of the building with the helicopters continuing to shoot at her.
"So, this is our little boogeyman from the ghettos, eh?" Lloyd mused, "An insectoid Transformer. How interesting."
Euphemia and Cecile said nothing as they found the appearance of this particular Cybertronian to be more than a little disturbing.
Airachnid meanwhile had made it to the top but was quickly surrounded in the air by the three helicopters above her that had their guns trained on her. Airachnid scowled, knowing that she couldn't win this fight. So, her eyes briefly glowed green as a beam shot from her optics to scan one of the helicopters. Once she had the necessary schematics, she transformed into a sleek, black helicopter before she opened fire with red Energon blasts to knock the three helicopters out of the sky before flying away herself.
"No!" Suzaku exclaimed as he, Guilford, Darlton, and even Dreadwing watched helplessly as Airachnid flew outside their reach and into the setting sun.
Euphemia and Cecile also looked in surprise while Lloyd looked excited, "Aha, so that's how they do it! Ingenious!"
Now that the enemy was gone, Euphemia wasted no time stepping down and running out of the large vehicle.
"Princess Euphemia!" Cecile tried to call her.
"Suzaku!"
He heard his name being called and looked in surprise to see Euphie running towards him, but was completely caught off guard when she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest.
"Euphie… Your… your highness!" Suzaku stuttered as he did not know what to make of this. Even Guilford and Darlton saw this from their Knightmares and were beyond stunned.
"I'm sorry Suzaku," Euphie apologized as she let him go, "I'm sorry you had to face something like that. You could have been killed and it would have been my fault…"
She bowed her head in apology, "I apologize, please forgive me."
Suzaku tried to put on assuring smile, before bowing midway, "You have nothing to apologize for, your highness. I was doing my duty as a soldier, that's my job."
Euphemia didn't like how quickly he brushed off just how close he was to be killed by that monster. However, right now she was just glad he was alright.
The princess looked to the approaching Seeker, "Dreadwing, thank you for accompanying him."
"Of course, it was my pleasure," he nodded.
However, Dreadwing scowled as he looked toward the sky. Even Euphie, Suzaku, as well as Guilford and Darlton in their Knightmares all knew that Airachnid was still out there, an even greater threat now that she was mobile.
Amidst the aftermath, Suzaku looked at the Decepticon badge that was still on his uniform as Airachnid's words continued to replay in his head.
"Unfortunately, you're on a side that thrives on killing idealism."
"It's because Britannia doesn't care . There are plenty of serial killers and terrorists hiding in these ruins beside myself, and yet, the globe-spanning superpower doesn't do anything to stop them."
Narita
The bound and gagged Shirley was forced on her knees outside the railcar as Mao kept the gun pressed against the back of her head. Lelouch had a scowl as well as a terrified look in his eyes.
"'Oh, what can I do?'" Mao mocked as he continued to read his mind, "'What would Optimus do?' I had no idea you admired the Autobots so much, with him in particular."
As Lelouch glared at Mao, the madman clapped his hands, "Oh, you don't just admire him, do you? He's like a father to you, isn't he?"
Lelouch gave a stunned gasp, realizing what Mao just pulled out of his mind, "Can't say I blame you, seeing how your real dad is such a douchebag."
"Let her go," Lelouch growled.
"Why? Are you that afraid of losing her? Is she your friend? How can she be your friend when all you've done is lie and hurt her?"
He raised Shirley's teary and terrified face and forced her to look at Lelouch.
"Look at him, Shirley. Look at the man who lied to you, killed your father, and broke your heart in two. I can only imagine just how much he's hurt you."
"I said let her go!"
"Wow, your head is so mixed up right now. Under normal circumstances, you're a near-perfect strategist, one you intend to model yourself after Optimus, right? But when someone else is in control of the situation, and someone you hold so dear can die any second… you lose all control and all sense of thought, right? You told your friends that it's fine if she hates you, but deep down you want her forgiveness."
Lelouch's face became one of fear as Mao's finger was just an inch away from the trigger.
"Well, let me tell you right now. Since I've read her mind too… she'll never forgive you."
Mao sneered evilly, causing the look in Lelouch's eyes to turn into one of shock and fear, "How can she? You're a terrorist who betrayed her country, you murdered her father in cold blood. Do you think you're a hero, like Daddy Optimus Prime? You're a sinner, you'll never be like the Autobots and you know it. Even now… as you watch your precious Shirley die!"
Shirley screamed through her gag as Mao was about to pull the trigger. Lelouch was about to scream himself...
...but neither of them noticed Rai arrive on the scene from behind Lelouch, having run as fast as he could. He happened to hear most of the conversation, but when it looked like Shirley was about to die right in front of him, something inside him snapped.
It was as if time stopped all around the amnesiac youth as an image came to his memory. He stood in the middle of a rainstorm, having fallen on his knees as he saw two bodies in a puddle of blood; both female. The older woman had brown hair and was of Japanese descent, while the other was a girl just a year younger than him with the same kind of white hair as his. Both were dead and his face was of complete and total horror.
Rai had that same face as it looked like Shirley was about to die right in front of him. He didn't know what that image was, but it caused something inside him to explode in flames as a Geass sigil manifested in both his eyes.
" GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" Rai shouted at the top of his lungs.
Lelouch turned around with a gasp as his own eyes widened to see Rai, and even more so that he saw the Geass sigil in his eyes. Mao himself was shocked to finally notice Rai's presence, but even more so as the second he heard Rai's voice enter his ears, something compelled him to drop Shirley and the gun before he even got the chance to fire.
There was a red ring in Mao's eyes as he backed away, but it quickly faded as a look of pure shock formed on his face.
"What… you… you have a Geass too?!"
Before anyone could even move, a pair of headlights shined from the forest on the side as Bumblebee drove out from the trees before transforming and delivering a back-hand slap to Mao's body which sent him off the platform and crashing into the forest the Autobot came out of.
Lelouch and Rai quickly ran over to Shirley and covered her with their bodies as Bumblebee stood in front of them. Mao tried to pick himself up but had to run into the forest to avoid the Energon blasts from Bumblebee.
' I don't understand!' Mao thought as he hid behind several trees for cover, he felt his side and could tell that most of his ribs were broken, as was his right arm, 'I didn't even hear him coming! Lelouch's Geass doesn't let him control Bots, guess I can't read their minds either.'
"Mao."
He turned around, gasping at that familiar voice, and saw the green-haired immortal looking at him with an expression mixing sadness and sympathy.
"C.C.!" an excited look fell on his face, "Is it you!? It's been so long…!"
He was cut off by more Energon blasts in his direction, scowling briefly knowing he couldn't get to her with an Autobot looming over him.
"I'll come back for you C.C.!" he said as he ran into the forest to vanish completely, "I promise!"
Bumblebee withdrew his blaster as he walked towards C.C. who merely looked in the direction her former contractor vanished.
"Mao, I never felt you would come out among all people."
The yellow Autobot had some questions for the immortal, but that could wait. He simply turned around and took a few steps back as Lelouch and Rai worked to untie Shirley.
"It's alright. He's gone, " Lelouch consoled her.
"Lulu… Rai…"
She latched onto Lelouch as she cried into his chest, "I was so scared!"
Lelouch wasted no time in embracing her and Rai was quick to do the same.
"It's okay, it's okay, we've got you. Your safe," Rai consoled her as well.
Shirley continued to cry as she held them tighter.
"Shirley… I am so sorry," Lelouch said as his voice began to crack, "I caused you so much pain. But I promise… I'll tell you everything. No more secrets, no more lies."
Lelouch and Rai held and comforted Shirley for a couple more minutes before they explained to her the whole story.
Lelouch told her who he was before, as Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, as well as his sister the former Princess Nunnally vi Britannia. He told her how their mother died, which he had previously told her before, and how it cost Nunnally her sight and legs, and that incident was what led his father, the Emperor, to banish them to Japan right before he declared war on the country and likely signing their death warrants. He and Nunnally had been taken in by Suzaku's family, but after Japan fell, they were taken in by the Ashfords and it's thanks to Milly and her family they even have a place to stay. After that, he explained what happened in Shinjuku, how he met C.C. and his Geass which led to him meeting the Autobots and taking the mantle of Zero. However, he didn't go into details yet in regards to the Autobots' conflict with the Decepticons as this was already more than enough for her to process.
The sun had set and night had fallen over Naritia as the three students sat on the same steps, never having moved from the spot. Shirley remained silent as she had an unreadable expression on her face.
"Hey, Shirley, you're still with us?" Rai asked.
"Yeah…" she nodded, "It's… it's just a lot to take in. First, Lulu is a prince, then he's Zero, and Rai… you're a Black Knight?"
"Yeah, I am," Rai nodded, "In fact, the one who… caused that landslide here in Narita… was me. I am… so, so, so sorry !"
It's as if he was about to cry himself, expecting Shirley to have a sympathetic expression to give.
"We both are," Lelouch added, "Shirley, I never meant to hurt you. I even tried to see that Narita was evacuated before the battle. I didn't want innocent people caught in the crossfire but… there are some things… that are just outside our control."
"I… I think I understand," Shirley seemed to get it, "But Lulu, Rai, why you? Why are you even fighting? I mean, I understand why with your father… and your mother… and Nunnally but… what if something happened to you? What if you were hurt...or worse?"
The rebel leader had an understanding expression as he answered, "That's why I have the Black Knights, and why I work with the Autobots. We're all a team, we protect each other, help each other get better, and become stronger. I became Zero because I couldn't stand the way the world was now; where the weak are always trampled by the strong and are never given a second thought. I refuse to live in that world, so I'm going to tear it down and try to make it into something better. I'm up against an enemy that is beyond ruthless, and it's not just Britannia. Someone has to take a stand… and fight for what's right. I couldn't wait for someone else so… I did it myself."
His expression became more sorrowful, "But the last thing I wanted was for you to be put in danger because of me, or for you to lose someone you love. I'm sorry, you have every right to hate me."
Shirley sighed, a small smile forming on her face.
"Lulu… I could never hate you."
Lelouch and even Rai were taken by surprise as she looked at the raven-haired boy with a genuine smile.
"At first, I didn't like you when we first met in our freshman year but…" Shirley began, "After that whole thing with the elderly couple and their car, I wanted to get to know you… to see what went on in your head… and now, I think I understand. Lelouch, your… far from perfect but… I know that you're a good person. You're so kind and gentle, wanting to protect people, and desiring to make the world a better place. I loved my dad very much and I'll always miss him but… I don't blame you for that. It was an accident and… as you said, some things are just beyond our control. Lelouch… I forgive you."
Lelouch did not expect those words to come from Shirley's mouth, neither did Rai as she smiled at him too.
"Rai, I forgive you too."
"Shirley… I…"
"You've been hanging this guilt over your head for so long, but you said yourself that you never wanted something bad like that to happen. It was an accident," the schoolgirl smiled at him as she put a hand on his shoulder.
Tears formed in the amnesiac boy's eyes, "I'm so sorry Shirley. You're one of the best people I've met and… I hurt you…"
"No, you didn't," she pulled him into a warm embrace, "I know you would never hurt me. You're a good person, Rai."
Rai smiled and nodded, wiping the tears away after she let him go before, she turned to the other boy next to her.
"Lelouch I… I had no idea you went through so much. First, you lost your mother, then your sister loses her eyes and legs, and then your father kicks you out for no reason, and… you two almost died… I can't imagine. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. There's so much right now that I don't know but I do know one thing: whether you're Lelouch Vi Britannia, Lelouch Lamperouge, or even Zero, I know I can trust you. You're not a terrorist, you're not a monster… You're a hero. You're my hero. You saved me, twice. Thank you."
Now it was Lelouch's turn to cry. A part of him had expected she'd hate him, but there was another part that desperately wanted her to forgive him. She was one of the kindest and most noble people he met in his life and he took her for granted before. Even after all that's happened, she chose to forgive him. He continued to cry as she pulled him into a comforting embrace.
They pulled away as C.C. walked towards them.
"So… this is the one who… gave you your Geass-thing?" Shirley asked.
"Yeah, that's her," Lelouch confirmed.
"Call me C.C."
"C.C., thank you for helping Lulu," Shirley smiled.
The immortal was slightly caught off-guard by the show of gratitude but nodded in acknowledgment.
Bumblebee walked closer to them. Shirley was somewhat startled by his sudden appearance, but she could tell that he harbored no ill intent.
"And… this is…"
Lelouch smiled slightly, "Shirley, meet Bumblebee. He's my car, guardian, Autobot… friend."
The Autobot scout kneeled to be on equal eye level with her. Shirley looked into his eyes and saw immediately that this was a gentle giant, and if Lelouch trusted him and considered him a friend, then she would too.
"Thank you, Bumblebee."
"[You're welcome,]" he bleeped, causing her to look in slight confusion.
"He says, your welcome," Rai translated for her.
Lelouch smiled at the girl that he knew he could trust completely and consider a true friend, "Hey, I think it's time you met the rest of our little 'social circle'."
Bumblebee in his vehicle mode drove out of a Groundbridge portal and into the hallways of the Ark. Lelouch sat in the driver's seat with Shirley in the passenger seat as she looked out the window in wonder at the inside of the alien vessel, with Rai and C.C. in the backseat. The Autobot scout had contacted Optimus and informed him of what they were doing, so there were no Black Knights currently on the Ark's bridge as Bumblebee entered.
As Bumblebee came to a stop, the doors opened as the four humans stepped out, Shirley looked around in wonder at the sight of the Autobots that stood around her, from Fixit to Wheeljack, Bulkhead, Ironhide, and even Ratchet. As for either Arcee or Cliffjumper, both were still watching over Ashford with Kallen staying with Nunnally for the night. But her eyes widened in pure amazement at the sight of the Autobot leader that stood tall above the rest: Optimus Prime himself.
Lelouch and Rai stood next to her with C.C. right behind them.
"Shirley, meet our science fiction club," Rai introduced to her.
The schoolgirl had an awkward smile as she gave a small wave.
"Uh… hi."
Notes:
I was planning to upload this on Saturday, but unfortunately, I have a beach trip that day. However, I am still working on the rest and will update the work next week.
The rest of the previous chapters I uploaded before I restarted this set of edits (Prologue - Chapter 17) will also be thoroughly re-examined and edited since I was busy quickly uploading as fast as possible until I decided to re-upload Iron117Prime's fics here (as I mentioned, I do have permission).
- Lesley Black Velvet
Chapter 20: Cheering Mao
Chapter Text
After Shirley was introduced to the Autobots, she was briefly told about the conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons. The schoolgirl also met Kallen at the Ark and learned of her being in the Black Knights. Lelouch and Rai were the ones to explain the situation regarding the Autobots, Decepticons, and Cybertron, but they didn't go into any specific details; just that the Decepticons helped bring Britannia to where they are now and have the potential to destroy the entire world, which is why Lelouch and the Black Knights were working with the Autobots.
Shirley promised that she wouldn't say anything to anyone. So Lelouch, Rai, and Bumblebee helped Shirley home before the two returned to the Ark.
There, the other Autobots, Kallen, and C.C. were all waiting to discuss the current problem they were all facing.
"Someone else has Geass?!" Ratchet exclaimed.
"[Yeah. T'was some guy named Mao, but his ability is very different from Lelouch's,]" Bumblebee recounted.
"Mao said he could read minds, which is how he was able to learn about my identity," Lelouch added.
Most of the Autobots, particularly Ironhide, Arcee, Ratchet, and even Lelouch and Kallen glanced at the only person who could give them an explanation.
"Alright, start talking," Ironhide demanded the immortal, "Where'd this guy come from?"
"He's from the Chinese Federation, though he's not aligned with any military branches or organizations," C.C. explained, "He's not exactly social."
"And you didn't tell us this before. Why?" Arcee questioned.
"I honestly thought he was dead. I hadn't seen Mao in years,"
"I don't get it," Bulkhead began to reiterate, "Lelouch's Geass lets him control people, so why is this Mao-guy a mind reader?"
"The way Geass manifests is different for each person. If Mao concentrates, he can hear thoughts up to five hundred meters away. He can read very deep into your subconscious if he wants to. For someone like Lelouch who fights with his head, he's his worst possible enemy."
"You said Geass manifests differently. Does that mean you've given it to others before? Not just Lelouch and this Mao guy?" Kallen questioned.
"Yes."
"How many?" Lelouch questioned.
"I don't know. I've made so many contractors in the past to the point that I've lost count. But so far as I know, you and Mao are the only ones currently alive."
"Well, we kinda guessed that might have been the case," Cliffjumper said, "Given you're a whole lot older than you look."
"So, what kind of Geass would I get if I made a contract with you?" Kallen asked.
"I don't know. I have no control over that, it depends on the innermost desires of the person I form a contract with."
"C.C., was there a specific reason you choose to form a contract with Mao?" Optimus asked.
"I felt he could meet my criteria. But he couldn't, so I left."
"And you just left him out to dry?" Wheeljack questioned, "Kinda harsh don't ya think?"
"This coming from an Autobot who's typically a solo player."
"Least I don't abandon my friends!"
"Okay, okay. How about instead of arguing, we focus on the problem we're facing right now," Cliffjumper tried to get everyone back on track.
"Is it possible for Mao to retain the information from the mind he has read?" Optimus added.
"Yes."
"Meaning, he likely knows everything I do," Lelouch assumed with a grave expression, "He knows who I am, both as a former prince, as Zero, and everything about you and the Decepticons, down to the Ark's location."
"It's not like he can get to us though considering how deep we are underwater right now," Rai put in.
"That is correct," Fixit added, "Given the water pressure at this depth, no human could survive the attempt to swim down here."
"I highly doubt he's gonna come here all alone, though," Ironhide guessed.
"You think he could go to Britannia? Tell Cornelia or the empire's bigwigs where we are?" Arcee asked the veteran.
"Well, it's certainly something I would do," Cliffjumper seemed to agree.
"What makes you think the psycho-boy's gonna stop with just Britannia?" Wheeljack questioned, "Why not go even higher?"
"You mean Megatron?" Bulkhead asked.
Ratchet scoffed, "How would Mao even know where to find the Decepticons? Lelouch doesn't know their whereabouts. And even if he did, I highly doubt Megatron would entertain such an idea."
"Why not?" Kallen questioned, "The human-Bot-alliance works for us, plus he's already got Suzaku on his strings."
"Mao is after me ," C.C. reminded, "He's not seeking to destroy the Black Knights or the Autobots."
"I could have guessed that," Lelouch said, "He could have gone to Cornelia or Megatron before and told them my identity as well as the Ark's location. But instead, he went after Shirley."
"Why Shirley though?" Cliffjumper asked, "I mean it's not like she had anything to do with us."
"[Well, she was in Port Yokosuka,]" Bumblebee put in.
"But she's not connected to us. At least she wasn't before until Lelouch brought her onto the Ark," Ratchet said in a tone indicating he still didn't approve of it completely.
"Or perhaps Shirley was targeted because of close she was to Lelouch, not to Zero, but to Lelouch," Optimus assumed.
"What are you saying, Optimus?" Lelouch asked.
"This is merely speculation, but I believe that Mao may have been watching you for some time, enough so that he could read into your mind and discover your weaknesses. C.C. told us that she is Mao's target, and he likely saw you as his primary obstacle because you are currently contracted with her. Given the circumstances surrounding you and Shirley at the time, he likely saw her as a target to draw you in and isolate you away from us."
"He did try to get Lelouch on a rail car away from me, Bee, and C.C.," Rai put in, seeming to agree with Lelouch.
"So, he tried to kill Shirley right in front of Lelouch then?" Kallen questioned, "Why her?"
"Because he was trying to make me suffer," Lelouch said, "He said… things that I never really wanted to hear."
Most of the Autobots had disturbed or disgusted looks on their faces.
"Well, looks like he'd fit right in with the Cons," Wheeljack voiced in contempt.
"Yeah, he seems every bit as sadistic as they are," Arcee agreed.
"So, we got a mind-reading psychopath out there that knows most of our secrets," Cliffjumper composed, "Yeah, this could be bad."
"Are there limits to his powers?" Ratchet interrogated C.C. once more, "Like how Lelouch's Geass has limits?"
"Mao's Geass is very potent. He can use it as many times as he wants, even without direct eye contact."
"What about weaknesses?" Ironhide questioned.
"If you press me, I guess it's that he can't turn his power off."
"Say what?" Rai questioned.
"So, he can't stop reading minds even if he wanted to?" Bulkhead questioned.
"No. In a crowd, he hears all the minds rolling and writhing around him, whether he wants to or not."
"So, if he walked into a library, even if everyone's quiet, it's like he's what, listening to five hundred conversations at once?" Kallen inquired.
"Yes."
"Yeeeesh," Cliffjumper winced, "I know I like to talk a lot, but I'm not sure even I could handle listening to people talk non-stop twenty-four-seven."
"Coming from you, that says a lot," Arcee added.
"And there's another weakness," Lelouch added, "Much like with my Geass, he can't read Cybertronian minds. Bumblebee showed up and Mao looked beyond shocked."
"[Yeah, with that whole five-hundred-meter thing, he would have heard me coming a mile away. But he didn't,]" the yellow scout confirmed.
"Okay, so that gives us something of an advantage," Ironhide noted.
"Guess we can get the jump on the mind-reader and he'd never see us coming," Wheeljack grinned.
"Japan is a rather large country," Ratchet said, "The odds of us finding one human out of such a vast population will prove incredibly difficult."
"Even if we use Kyoto and the other Black Knights, Mao can probably read their minds too and he'd see them coming," Arcee put in.
"Regardless, we must find Mao as soon as possible," Optimus instructed, "He has sensitive information, and it is clear that he will stoop to any means necessary to acquire what he wants. He may not be sided with Britannia or Megatron at the moment, but that could still change."
All the other Autobots, as well as Lelouch, Rai, and Kallen, knew Optimus was right. They had to find Mao as quickly as possible. However, there was still one thing Lelouch had to say before they got started.
"C.C., you said Mao and I are your only remaining contractors alive. Does that mean Rai got his Geass from someone else?"
That earned a gasp from Kallen as well as a shocked expression from all the Autobots present, even Optimus was more than a little surprised.
"Rai, you have a Geass?!" Bulkhead questioned his partner, who only looked a bit confused.
"Eh… yeah. Apparently," the amnesiac wasn't sure, "I had no idea… I swear!"
"It's okay, we believe you," Wheeljack told him sincerely, "Probably got before your amnesia."
"Lelouch, are you certain Rai possesses a Geass?" Optimus asked.
"I saw it myself. Rai had ordered Mao to release Shirley right before he could pull the trigger, and he did just that."
"But I thought C.C. said that you and Mao are her only remaining contractors," Fixit stated.
"I did not give Rai his Geass," the green-haired immortal affirmed.
"So, if you didn't, who did?" Cliffjumper asked.
"This would also imply that there are other people out there who can grant a Geass," Ratchet assumed as he and Ironhide glanced at C.C. once more.
"Again, something you left out," Ironhide reinforced his already-distrustful tone towards the immortal.
"How many of you are there?" Kallen questioned in the same sort of tone as well.
"Aside from myself, there is only one other. He goes by the name V.V., and he has the appearance of a young boy. As I didn't give Rai his Geass, I would assume it came from V.V."
"C.C. and V.V.? Do you all go by that?" Cliffjumper asked, "What? Is there an A.A., B.B., R.R., or a D.D.?"
"Really? You're making jokes now?" Arcee questioned her partner.
"A young boy…" Rai muttered as he felt his head slightly, "Does he have… long blonde hair… and dark pink eyes…"
C.C. cast a look of surprise in Rai's direction, "That sounds like him…"
"I… I think I starting to remember." the amnesiac said, getting everyone's attention.
"You remember something, partner?" Bulkhead asked.
"You got your memories back?" Kallen asked as well.
"Well… no, not exactly," Rai tried to describe it, "Just… images. I do remember a boy with blonde hair so long, it stretched past his legs. And… someone else… a woman and a girl… both dead. But… that's it."
As the Autobots shared concerned expressions, Lelouch had something else to say.
"There's one more thing to note," he activated his Geass, knowing it wouldn't affect anyone present, "As you can see, my Geass only forms in my left eye. But when I saw Mao, there was a Geass in both his eyes, same goes for Rai."
This got everyone's attention as Lelouch looked at C.C., "Is there a specific reason for that? C.C., could I end up like Mao, unable to turn off my Geass?!"
"Lelouch…" Optimus tried to speak.
"It is a possibility," she revealed, much to the surprise of the Autobots, as well as Kallen and Rai, "The more you use your Geass, the more powerful it becomes."
"Yet another detail you choose to omit," Ratchet suspected, "Any other secrets you care to reveal?"
"Are you saying you know something like this can happen, and you still offer these kinds of contracts to Lelouch?! And to Mao?!" Kallen also seemed a bit angry, "You don't even warn them?!"
"It's possible, but it's also just as possible to control the power. Mao ended up the way he did because he couldn't, and it ultimately consumed him."
"All the good it's gonna do if you don't tell them that!" Ironhide berated, "Whenever you involve yourself with someone, you always tell them the risks! Otherwise, it's all gonna fall apart on you! It's no wonder this Mao guy lost his mind!"
"Ironhide's right. You should have at least settled things with Mao, like take his power back, or try to help him instead of just leaving things half-finished!" Arcee exclaimed.
"And now he's out there with the information that can put all our lives at risk!" Lelouch yelled though C.C.'s expression remained unchanged.
"[Okay! Yeah, I can see where C.C. screwed up! But is yelling at her gonna solve anything?]" Bumblebee quickly retorted.
"Why are you even defending her Bumblebee?" Ratchet asked.
"[Because she's been through plenty of crazy stuff in her life! You've seen it too, right Lelouch?!]"
The raven-haired leader said nothing in reply.
"Wait… what do you mean you saw it?" Kallen asked.
Lelouch sighed, "Back in Narita, when Suzaku had corned Bumblebee and me, C.C. arrived. She fed Suzaku some kind of shock image. We tried to stop her, but when we touched, I guess we saw her memories or part of it."
"You know, now that I think about it, if Bee here saw C.C.'s memories, does that mean Geass-powers can affect Cybertronians?" Wheeljack questioned.
"Hey, that's right," Bulkhead put in, "When we first looked at Lelouch's, we saw his Geass was puny compared to the Cybertronian spark, which is why it didn't affect us. But if it gets stronger…"
"Then there remains a possibility that Geass can affect us." Optimus finished.
"Yeah, maybe we should focus more on that instead of accusing each other," Cliffjumper seemed to agree.
"We're not accusing each other. We're accusing her of leaving out important details." Arcee put in.
"Cliffjumper is indeed correct," Optimus reminded, "Arguing amongst ourselves is not going to change the situation. Before we deal with Mao, we should see how much stronger Lelouch's Geass has become, as well as the potency of Rai's Geass."
"Yeah, that's something I'd like to know, too," the white-haired boy raised his hand.
Lelouch was understandably angry at C.C., and it wasn't just him. Kallen, Ratchet, Arcee, and Ironhide had quickly begun to grow suspicious of C.C. But they knew their allies had a point. They should focus more on what they can do right now, instead of arguing over what hadn't been done in the past.
The Black Knight leader, once again, activated his Geass, which manifested in his left eye. Rai had to take a deep breath and concentrate before he activated his Geass, which manifested in both of his own eyes. They stood together as Ratchet scanned them both with his arm scanner. Once they had the data necessary, Fixit began to press some commands on his handheld device as a screen popped up on the Ark's window, with a pulsating blue line above a pulsating red line.
"Now then, this is our initial scan of Lelouch's Geass before we officially formed the Black Knights," Fixit began, "As you can all see, his power is minuscule compared to the energy output of the average spark."
Fixit had put up a second screen, and the red pulse was a bit bigger than before, "Now, this is our newer scan. According to our scan, Lelouch's Geass has indeed gotten more powerful, but not by much. It appears to be only a 7.98% increase. It is still not powerful enough to affect Cybertronians."
"I see," Lelouch reacted, but that didn't exactly help though as they had no data to compare to a Geass like Mao's that ultimately consumed his mind.
"And this..." Fixit said as he brought up a third screen with a pulsating red line, only this one seemed more active, as it would constantly shift from being high and potent to low and docile, almost randomly, "...is the reading of Rai's Geass. Oh, this is unexpected."
Rai didn't like the sound of that, "Good 'unexpected' or bad 'unexpected?'"
"With our kind of luck, unexpected typically means bad," Wheeljack commented.
"Hmm. From what we can tell, it would seem that Rai's Geass is more… erratic," Ratchet tried to explain, "When active, it would seem to bounce in-between states of power or docility. I can't say for certain if this can affect Cybertronians, but this isn't something to be taken lightly."
"Could it maybe have something to do with his amnesia?" Kallen wondered, "I mean, from what we've seen, all Geass-stuff comes from the mind, right? Just like amnesia."
"So maybe Rai's amnesia screwed up his powers?" Bulkhead guessed.
"Well, that doesn't help much," Rai seemed more than a bit nervous, not liking the idea of having a power that he could not control, "But... I think I can still turn it on and off just fine."
"This will require further testing," Optimus said, "But Rai, I would strongly encourage you not to use your Geass unless necessary, at least until we can determine its strengths and weaknesses."
"No argument here," Rai said.
"Okay, that's one problem solved," Cliffjumper said for the sake of positivity.
"What about our other one?" Arcee questioned.
Lelouch already seemed to have an idea, "We need to find Mao, everything else has to take a back seat until he's been dealt with. Bumblebee, I want you to stay with me at Ashford in case he tries to go after Nunnally or anyone else there. Rai, I want you there with me too."
"[Got it,]" Bumblebee nodded.
"Sure thing," Rai nodded as well.
"Everyone else, search the entire country if you have to," Lelouch told Kallen and the other Autobots, "Get the Black Knights and Kyoto on this but don't tell them about his Geass powers. The second you find him, let me be the first to know."
"There is no need for all of that," C.C. pointed out.
"Oh, and why is that?" Arcee questioned as she, Ratchet, Kallen, and Ironhide glared at the immortal once more.
"I already told all of you, I'm Mao's target. Just use me as bait."
"Do you have any idea where to find him though?" Ironhide questioned.
"What do you want us to do? Hang a giant neon sign up that says 'free-immortal women right here' or what?" Kallen questioned incredulously.
C.C. rolled her eyes before walking toward the exit of the bridge.
"And where are you going?" Ratchet questioned.
"To find Mao."
"Do you even have a plan?" Wheeljack questioned.
"You all have your way of handling things, I have mine."
C.C. left the bridge, leaving the Autobots and human teenagers present either confused or frustrated.
"I do not get her. Like, at all," Bulkhead said.
Optimus was the first to get everyone back on track, "We all know what we must do. Mao has become a dangerous threat. Even if he is specifically targeting C.C., I fear that he will go to extreme lengths to get what he wants. We cannot let that happen."
The Next Morning
Mao was nearing a migraine point. He wandered throughout the settlement, hearing thousands upon thousands of different thoughts in his head. It was like listening to hundreds of endless conversations all at once. This is why he hated cities, too much noise. There was only one solace for him in a place like this: turning up the volume of the headset he was wearing, which began to play C.C.'s recorded voice in his ears on a loop.
" Do you understand, Mao? Don't worry Mao, I'm not going to die. Mao? Mao! Are you awake, Mao? Oh Mao, how silly."
An obsessed smile formed on Mao's face, "C.C., I can't live without you. Wait for me, I'll find you soon."
As long as Lelouch and the Autobots were around her, he'd never get to C.C. Fortunately, he knew a way he could have all of his obstacles removed for him.
Mao found himself at his destination, just outside the gate toward the ASEEC base, the base where Suzaku was with the Lancelot, but he wasn't here for any of them.
After reading Lelouch's mind, the mind reader had already learned all he needed to: the location of the Ark, the details regarding all the Autobots and some of his friends in the Black Knights as well as Ashford Academy, but more importantly, he knew everything Lelouch knows about the Decepticons.
The gate opened and Mao saw a certain red sports car begin to pull out, but it didn't get very far until Mao approached it. Though Mao couldn't read the mind of the one truly behind the wheel, he knew from Lelouch's mind who this supposed car was.
"That's a nice paint job you got there," Mao observed, "But I suppose you can get any kind of paint job you want, right? Just scan the car you like and bing, bang, boom. Must be one of the perks of being a Decepticon and all. Right...Knock Out?"
The Decepticon medic's door suddenly opened as the seatbelts outstretched to ensnare Mao and quickly pull him into the driver's seat before Knock Out sped far from the base. It wasn't long before the disguised Decepticon pulled into a long alleyway, far away from any pedestrians that he transformed and held Mao in his grip.
"Who are you?" Knock Out questioned, "You're not a Britannian, and you certainly don't look like a Black Knight."
"I'm neither, but I'm honestly surprised a Decepticon could tell the difference. You usually kill people left and right regardless of their nationality. Not that I care or anything like that." Mao maintained his rather sick smile.
"You didn't answer my question. Who are you?"
"There lies a bit of a tale that won't be nearly as interesting to Megatron as this ."
Using a free hand, Mao lowered his sunglasses to reveal the Geass emblem in both his eyes, "So, take me to your leader."
Knock Out could only respond with a confused, yet intrigued expression on his face.
Ashford Academy
As Kallen, Rai, Ohgi, and the other Black Knights worked with the Autobots to locate Mao, Bumblebee remained in vehicle mode in the Clubhouse parking lot, his scanners keeping an eye out for him. So far, so good. And while Bumblebee was close outside, Lelouch sat inside with his sister having some tea with Nunnally, while at the same time, he had hidden cameras installed throughout the building as he looked through his laptop.9
"It's been a long time since we spent time by ourselves, huh?" Nunnally asked.
"Well, it's the weekend, even Sayoko needs a little time off now and again," Lelouch said as he continued to look at his laptop for any sign of Mao in the building. He was confident in Bumblebee, but he needed to be sure.
"You know, I was surprised you spilled our little secret to Kallen," Nunnally said, teasing, yet honest, "I mean, I understand Rai since he lives with us but…"
"Well, Kallen and I have been spending some time with a… group of friends… who've helped me to see things differently," Lelouch said.
"Do they know our secret too?" Nunnally asked.
"Yes, they do. But you don't need to worry, Nunnally. I promise they're good people."
The blind girl smiled, "Don't worry big brother, if you say they're good people, I believe you. And if they're helping you, then I'd love to meet them."
"You will, I promise. I'm sure you'd love them."
Nemesis
Mao followed Knock Out through the halls of the Decepticon warship. He would see different Vehicons throughout the base, but he couldn't read any of their minds. This whole ship was completely quiet to him, and he couldn't be any happier. He even turned off the recording of C.C. in his headset, though he couldn't get enough of her voice, it was nice to think clearly and not have any intruding thoughts in his head.
This place was perfect! Though he did hear a few thoughts earlier when entering the Nemesis, guess Megatron had a few human prisoners here, one of which was even Shirley's father, so he was alive after all. But he honestly didn't care, he wasn't here for any of them.
Mao was brought to the bridge of the Nemesis, with only two other Decepticons occupying it. He could already identify them after reading Lelouch's mind: Soundwave and Megatron. And while the leader of the Decepticons was intimidating to normally anyone, Mao wasn't the least bit nervous, not when he had some important cards in his hand that he knew the Decepticon warlord couldn't resist.
Megatron turned to see Knock Out enter the bridge but was surprised to see a human with him. He didn't seem Britannian.
"Knock Out, who is this human and why have you brought him here?" the leader questioned.
"Forgive me, Lord Megatron, but he knows about us. He knows… quite a bit." Knock Out confessed.
Mao introduced with a confident bow, "Call me Mao, and I have a very interesting proposal for you, Megatron. Tell me, you've been around Earth for quite some time. But have you ever seen a human who has… this?"
The obsessive psychic took off his visor to reveal his Geass.
Megatron had a raised eyebrow. It was certainly something he hadn't seen before, but not exactly something note-worthy, but allowed Mao to continue.
"It's called a Geass, and it lets people have special powers. My Geass allows me to read minds."
"Oh really?" Knock Out questioned skeptically, "What am I thinking right now?"
"No idea."
"You just said at this moment…"
"I can only read human minds, Doc. For some reason, I can't read Cybertronian minds. So, tell me, Megatron, have you known anyone who can read minds before? Even among your Decepticons?"
Megatron did not answer that question, but he had never seen that kind of ability before. However, what got his attention was the word 'Geass'. The term entered his mindset when Shockwave brought him those human scientists after Soundwave downloaded the information from that Code-R laboratory, though the information they had was limited.
"Tell me about this Geass. Are you the only human who possesses it?" Megatron questioned, "And how is obtained? Were you born with this ability?"
"Nope, it was given to me," Mao grinned, thinking he had Megatron's attention, "And I'm not the only one who has it, so far as I know, only two others have it, one of which… happens to be Zero."
That got the Decepticons' attention.
"So, you're saying Zero can read minds too?" Knock Out inquired.
"No, each person has a different Geass-power. That's just how it works," Mao said.
"You said the ability was given to you. By whom?" Megatron questioned.
"She calls herself C.C. and she's no ordinary human," Mao said.
Megatron had heard that name before as he turned to Soundwave with a nod. The silent Decepticon's faceplate showed the image of C.C. acquired from Code-R. An excited smile formed on Mao's face the minute he saw her picture.
"Yes! That's her!"
"And she can grant this 'Geass' to others as well, and has even granted one to Zero?" Megatron mused.
"Oh yes, and I would be willing to help you remove that common thorn from both our sides," Mao offered.
"And just how do you plan to do that?" Knock Out questioned further.
"Because I know who Zero is," Mao revealed, surprising Knock Out, and even making Megatron raise an eyebrow, "I also know a few things about Optimus that I'm sure you'll find useful, something that not even Britannia can give you."
"And what is it you wish in return for this information?" the Decepticon leader suspected Mao had an ulterior motive behind him.
"I want C.C.," Mao triumphantly smirked, "And I want a place here, far away from Earth. So, do we have a deal?"
Camelot Division – Later that evening
"A medical check-up?" Suzaku asked as he put his school uniform back on.
"Just regulations," Cecile told him, "It's required for all Knightmare pilots."
"I understand."
"Good. Tomorrow then, after your school gets out."
Truth is, Cecile had hoped this would help him to ease his consciousness a bit as he was becoming a bit obsessive, especially since joining the Decepticons.
"Right, thanks," Suzaku said, "Oh, Miss Cecile, do you know of any way I could get in to see Princess Euphemia?"
"You know, you could have spoken with her already given she helped us with our last 'monster hunt'," Lloyd told Suzaku, before raising his eyebrow in intrigue, "Speaking of which, who was that spider-con anyway? Did the big, bad Megatron tell you about it?"
Suzaku was surprised a bit by that question, but Cecile look more so annoyed, "Lloyd are you asking that now?! After what that monster did in the ghettos?!"
"Pardon me, but I've never seen a Cybertronian with insect-like features, so it caught my interest."
"Her name's Airachnid," the pilot said with a sense of unease in his voice, fists clenching as he recounted what she did in the ghettos, "From what Dreadwing has said, she used to be a Decepticon, but now she's gone rogue. Though I will bring her in!"
Cecile looked at Suzaku in concern, while Lloyd just looked more intrigued, "Well, when you do, let me know. I'd love to get a good look at her."
"So, about Princess Euphemia?" Suzaku considered changing the subject.
"Forget it, you have to at least be a knight of honor to get an audience with her," Lloyd said.
"But an earl could arrange it if he wanted to," Cecile told him.
"Who, me?"
"Yes."
Suzaku honestly did not see that coming, "Lloyd, you're an earl? You never told me that!"
Lloyd laughed, "Oh, I'm so embarrassed."
"The prodigal son of nobles. He really can't separate work from play," Cecile explained.
Suzaku was still in comic shock.
"Wow."
Ashford Academy – The Next Day
"Increased security?" Milly asked in surprise.
"I think it would at least help the rest of the academy feel safer," Lelouch explained. "What with what's going on between these giant transforming robots and all the military activity."
"Well, I could talk to my grandfather about it but…" her eyes widened slightly, "Did somebody find out you're a prince?"
"Hopefully that secret's still safe, only the Ashford family knows about me and Nunnally," Lelouch looked down slightly, "Milly, listen to me… I never really did thank you for that. It's because of you and your family that we even have a roof over our heads, you may have very well saved our lives. So, thank you."
Milly was genuinely surprised by what Lelouch said, but a small smile formed on her face, "Lelouch, no matter what, I'm your friend, and if there's anything you need me for, I promise I'll help."
"I truly appreciate that," Lelouch said honestly.
The blonde chuckled slightly, "You know how you could repay me, by finding a way to get me out of this blind date my parents have set up for me."
That earned a chuckle from Lelouch.
"You know, you've changed, haven't you? I can't explain it, but ever since Rai and Suzaku came here, you've been very different. You used to just go through the motions like you didn't care about anything. But now… It's different."
Lelouch had a small smile, "I met someone, who helped me to understand a few things about myself, and what I can do to change."
Before Milly could ask what it was that he meant, she heard a familiar voice call her. The voice source walked onto the scene.
"Madame President!"
"Oh, hey Shirley. You doing okay?" Milly asked.
"Yeah, just fine."
"Are you sure?" Lelouch asked, "After… everything."
Shirley knew what Lelouch meant by that, and there was a part of her that was still trying to process everything that happened, but after a couple of days, she seemed to relax.
"Don't worry Lulu, I'm fine."
Milly seemed confused at first before a teasing grin formed on her face, "Oh, is there something special going on between you two?"
Shirley's face blushed, "What? No! Milly, it's not anything like that!"
"She knows," Lelouch said right away, "She knows about me and Nunnally, I told her."
That completely caught Milly by surprise.
"I met up with her in Shinjuku and it just… slipped out. But she knows."
"I promise I'm not going to tell anyone! Who'd believe me, anyway?" Shirley tried to laugh nervously, more so to Milly.
"I understand. I believe you, Shirley, I just… didn't quite expect Lelouch to…"
"I know what it's like to lose someone you love, and also… I haven't realized till then, how much I've been taking my friends for granted. But that's about to change," Lelouch said with a straight-forward face.
Shirley had something of a sympathetic and understanding expression on her face as she put a hand on Lelouch's shoulder. Even Milly had a similar expression before she genuinely smiled.
"As I've said, you've changed Lelouch," the blonde said, "Just be careful since not everyone is so considerate."
Lelouch grimaced, "Trust me, I know."
Milly had no idea just how true that was.
"Hey, you seen a guy named Mao around?" Tamaki questioned a few people in the ghettos as he sat in the vehicle mode of Wheeljack.
This was happening all over as a few Bots and Black Knights were searching through the ghettos across Japan for any sign of Mao. Kallen rolled with Arcee; Rai, Inoue, and a few others rode with Bulkhead; Sugiyama, Minami, and Yoshida rode with Ironhide; even Cliffjumper drove around with some Black Knights himself. Though the Black Knights weren't told about Mao's Geass, they were told that he knows about Zero's identity as well as critical information regarding the Autobots. Despite some vagueness, the Black Knights knew they could trust Zero and the Autobots, so they would continue to look.
But they weren't the only ones searching. C.C. had pressed a man by his throat with her foot to the wall in an alleyway.
"I'm not looking for a Refrain dealer! I said a Chinese guy named Mao! Did you hear me?" C.C. interrogated.
"Believe me, I have no idea the only Chinese around here are the drug pushers or gang laborers. Go ask the cops or something."
"I don't like cops," she pressed her foot even harder.
"Then ask the Black Knights about him! They're all over the underground! They're wired into the settlement and the ghettos!"
"Everyone tells me the same thing."
"Coz it's obvious!"
Ashford Academy
Shirley had just walked out of the school and was about to head home when she saw a blue motorcycle pull up with a certain someone.
"Hey Shirley," Kallen greeted as she wore a red leather suit with a red biker's helmet.
"Ka… Kallen!" Shirley didn't expect to see her, "And um… Ar… Three right?"
"Arcee," the blue fem-bot corrected.
"Right. Sorry."
"You doing alright?" Kallen asked.
"Eh… yeah. Do… Do you need something?" Shirley asked.
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place and… maybe just talk and hang out?"
"Really?"
"Yeah… We haven't known each other at all, and I'd like to change that a bit. I'd like for you to get to know the real me."
Shirley had already known Kallen was a Black Knight after Lelouch took her to the Ark after their encounter with Mao, but she still wasn't quite used to it. This was a bit of a surprise to her.
"Plus, we haven't located Mao yet so, just in case he thought about coming after you again, I think you'd be better off with us for now," Arcee also added.
"O… okay. You still haven't found him, yet?" Shirley asked.
"He's good at hiding," Arcee annoyingly sighed.
"Don't worry, we'll find him, and if you're with us, we won't let him hurt you again. I promise," Kallen smiled honestly as she offered Shirley a hand.
Shirley hesitated for a second, not that she distrusted Kallen, but she wasn't completely used to all this yet. But after a second or two, she accepted Kallen's hand. The redhead handed Shirley an extra helmet as she got onto Arcee.
"I've never ridden a motorcycle before so…"
"Just hang on tight," Kallen told her as Shirley wrapped her arms around her friend as Arcee drove off.
Suzaku had just left the hospital with Cecile. The check-up went just fine. Physically he was completely healthy and carried the positive traits of an active soldier. So, it didn't seem like there was a whole lot to worry about.
"Well, that went well," Suzaku commented.
"Yes, but… if it's alright with you Suzaku, I think it's best you take a break from your duties. Just to give your mind time to recover," Cecile told him.
"Umm… sure…" he was a bit unsure of how to appropriately respond to that.
"Suzaku."
Both he and Cecile were caught by surprise as a certain pink-haired royal met with them, along with a pair of bodyguards. But she didn't wear any of her royal attire; just some casual clothes consisting of an orange sweater, a white mini skirt with heels, and a hat with a pair of glasses.
"Princess Euphemia?" Suzaku addressed, and even Cecile was caught off-guard.
"Sssh!" Euphie put a finger over her mouth, "I don't want to make a fuss. You wouldn't believe all the trouble I'd get with paparazzi."
"Eh… sorry," Suzaku apologized, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"I was wondering if, you wanted to… just come with me."
"Is there a mission?"
"No… no missions. No military duties or anything, just you and me… maybe walking around the settlement, maybe some ice cream too?"
"Really?"
"Like how we… first met?"
"Oh… I'm not sure if…"
Suzaku wasn't entirely sure how to respond to this. A Britannian Princess was asking if he'd like to spend time with her. Not anything military related, but rather just hanging out and maybe even having some fun.
"I think it's a good idea," Cecile quickly proposed.
"Miss Cecile?"
"Suzaku, I think you should go with her. We did talk about you taking some time off to recover."
"Well, yes but I…"
Before Suzaku could say anything, he felt Euphemia gently grip his hand. Though she tried to maintain a straight face, he could see something in her eyes that was almost begging him to come with her. And that was all that was needed to break his resolve.
"You know what? Sure, let's go."
Euphie did her best to contain her excited emotions as she simply smiled, "Then let's go."
She practically pulled Suzaku away as her guards followed them. All the while, Cecile had something of a knowing smile on her face, having a good idea of what was going on between them.
Kyoshiroh Tohdoh, along with Chiba and Asahina were at the rendezvous point: the grave of Former Japanese Prime Minister, Genbu Kururugi.
"Urabe and Senba are late," Chiba commented.
"Well, this sure is an ironic meeting place, isn't it?" Asahina added, "The grave of Prime Minister, Kururugi."
"The traitor who told us to fight to the end, then committed suicide himself," she voiced in contempt.
"Enough," Tohdoh silenced the two, "General Katase also committed suicide and he was a true patriot."
That was the official story of what happened at Port Yokosuka, but he heard rumors of the Black Knights and Autobots being there. After what happened at Narita, he doubted that Katase truly committed suicide, or was even dead at all, that is if Zero was who he thought he was.
' I should have known you'd try to seek revenge,' Something of a small smirk formed on Tohdoh's face, 'I only wish I can see you myself to see if it's you… Lelouch.'
However, unbeknownst to him or either of his comrades, Tohdoh was being watched.
"Fugitive Tohdoh identified. All units, prepare to move in."
The Ark – The Bridge
"We've read through your proposal of reorganizing the Black Knights," Ratchet spoke over the communications, "I have some changes myself I'd like to implement, but overall, this is a good structure. I'll contact you with the final iteration by tomorrow."
" Thanks, I appreciate that," Diethard contacted from the other line.
"We'll work on how to implement the cell-based structures another time. That is all," Ratchet hung up.
"Well, seems as though we were wrong about Diethard," Fixit said as he and Optimus were the only ones on the bridge aside from Ratchet, "He seems quite acquitted… submitted… committed!"
"He may not be a spy… but there's something about him I just don't like," Ratchet admitted.
"Perhaps, although his connections could make him a valuable asset," Optimus replied, "But regardless, we'll be certain to keep an eye on him."
"Good to know something's going smoothly right now."
The three Autobots saw Lelouch enter the bridge.
"Lelouch, when did you get here?" Ratchet asked.
"He recently asked me for a Groundbridge," Fixit answered.
"Bumblebee will remain at the clubhouse to watch over Nunnally in case Mao shows up," Lelouch added, "Speaking of which, still no sign of him."
"I'm afraid not," Optimus confirmed, "Despite our efforts, we still have yet to locate Mao."
This only seemed to make Lelouch more frustrated, "He can't read any of your minds, but all the good that's gonna do if we can't find him. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"I agree," Ratchet seconded, "Having a wild card out in the open like this with such sensitive information is something that we cannot afford right now."
"We will find him," the Autobot leader affirmed, "But we must not afford to lose our heads."
"My head is firmly attached to my body, so I think I'm alright," Fixit said.
"It's an expression, Fixit," Lelouch told the Mini-Con. Even words from Optimus did little to deter his frustration, "I feel like we could put Mao in check right now if we had just one…"
"…Missing piece?"
C.C. stepped onto the bridge, "Seems like we're all on the same page."
"When did you get here?" Ratchet questioned.
"I snuck in through the same Groundbridge portal Lelouch entered," C.C. commented, "We've been unable to find Mao separately, so the logical choice would be for us to work together. Don't you agree?"
"Yes, that may be for the best," Optimus seemed to agree.
Suddenly, Lelouch's cell phone began to ring. He checked the Caller-ID and saw it was an anonymous caller. Having a good idea who it was, he looked up to Optimus who simply nodded. Lelouch then answered it.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Lulu," the obvious voice of the mind reader teased on the other side of the line.
Lelouch need only look to Optimus, Ratchet, and Fixit to confirm who it was on the other line as they all had serious expressions.
"C.C.'s there, isn't she? I want to talk to her alone, put her on."
Lelouch handed the phone to C.C. just as Optimus looked to Ratchet with a nod. The Autobot medic quickly pressed several key commands on the console, bringing up the phone line on the speakers for the bridge, allowing everyone present to hear the conversation.
" It's me, C.C."
"Mao," C.C. acknowledged as she turned away from Lelouch and the Autobots to hide her conflicted expression.
" I'll be at Clovisland, come alone."
C.C. sighed in annoyance, "You're as selfish as ever I see."
" If you don't come, I'll just have to tell Megatron who Lelouch is," Mao told her, much to the surprise of Lelouch, Fixit, and Ratchet, while Optimus just maintained stoicism, "Oh, and just in case the Autobots are listening to this, which they probably are, I haven't told Megatron about the Ark or where it is, yet. I'm keeping those cards close to my chest. But if I see any of you anywhere near Clovisland, I'll tell Megatron. And I'll watch with a bowl of popcorn as he and his army lay waste to your precious Ark."
"I'll be there, and they won't bother you, Mao," C.C. told him.
" You promise ?"
"I promise," the immortal said before hanging up.
"You're not thinking of going there, are you?" Ratchet exclaimed.
"I don't necessarily have a choice in the matter."
"From the way Mao spoke, it seems as though he's made contact with Megatron," Fixit stated.
"We have no way of knowing what he said to him though," Lelouch grimaced. He could think of over a hundred different scenarios right now, all of them having undesirable outcomes.
"However, I do not believe Megatron is aware of your identity, Lelouch. Nor does he know the Ark's location," Optimus assumed.
"Perhaps, otherwise we'd be under attack at the moment," Ratchet seemed to agree.
"That being said, I believe we must also assume that Mao has likely given information to Megatron that he may have found intriguing: perhaps the concept of Geass," the Autobot leader continued to assume.
Fixit gulped, "I can't imagine what he'd do with information like that."
"All the more reason for me to deal with Mao right away," C.C. pointed out.
"Are you seriously handing yourself over to him?" Lelouch yelled, "What if Mao told Megatron about you!? You could be the Decepticons' primary target!"
"I'm not handing myself over," C.C. said, "I said I was going to deal with Mao, and I mean that in a way he can no longer bother us."
It didn't take a genius to figure out what she meant by that statement.
"You mean termination?" Optimus asked.
"Yes," C.C. confirmed, "You were all right. I should not have left things half-finished with Mao, so I intend to fix that."
"A logical choice. He knows far too much," Ratchet concluded.
"But we can't run the risk of Megatron getting his hands on C.C. either," Lelouch argued.
"You need not be concerned for me, I'm plenty good when it comes to hiding. I've lived long enough to know how."
"You're leaving?" Optimus asked.
"It's not like I've contributed to your war," the green-haired girl said, "I'm no soldier, so there isn't any need for me to stay here."
"I can't risk that… we can't risk that," Lelouch said as he activated his Geass, "C.C., stay here, don't go."
Optimus looked to Lelouch with concern, as did Fixit and Ratchet. The medic and Mini-Con were unsure of how Lelouch's Geass would react with C.C. seeing how she granted the ability, though Optimus was more concerned with why Lelouch would resort to using a Geass on C.C. On the surface, it made sense to keep her away from Megatron, but he couldn't help but feel there was some other reason, something more personal.
"Geass does not work on me," C.C. said as Lelouch grunted.
"It seems rather rational," Ratchet put in, "I've theorized that it wouldn't work on her seeing as how she gave you your ability, Lelouch."
"But Geass isn't the only means to stop me. You have two giant robots with you that can so easily crush me underfoot," C.C. put in, "And you don't have to worry, I've survived worse. So, I supposed the real question is… Optimus."
She looked to the Autobot leader directly, "Do you intend to force me to stay here?"
Optimus had a look of understanding, "If you believe you have no place here, then you may leave. You are not a prisoner."
"Optimus!" Lelouch exclaimed, not agreeing with his choice at all.
"This is her choice; we have no right to strip it from her," the Autobot commander told the young revolutionary.
"Thank you. It's been fun, I'll say that at least."
C.C. was about to walk out, "Fixit, I'll need a Groundbridge."
"Um... yes, of course," Fixit pulled out his remote and pressed the necessary buttons, "Alright, the portal should be all set for you."
"Farwell, and good luck with your little war," C.C. gave a final wave as she left the bridge.
"Why are we just letting her go?" Lelouch questioned, looking at the Prime directly, "Optimus, you know Megatron. Do you think he'd pass up an opportunity like this?"
"No, he would not," Optimus confirmed.
"If I were in Megatron's place, I would be quite intrigued with C.C. myself," Ratchet added, "I can only imagine just what he could do with an ability like Geass."
"Just thinking about that makes me feel even more glitchy than normal," Fixit shivered.
"So, you just let C.C. leave with a risk that grave?" Lelouch exclaimed.
"No, because I know you won't," Optimus said, surprising the former prince, "Lelouch, I know you can defeat Mao. He may be able to read your mind, but I also know you're smart enough to find a way to work around it. I understand how you might feel about this. You are taking this risk very seriously and I can respect that. But you cannot allow your emotions to cloud your judgment. Unlike myself, or anyone else in our organization, be they Black Knight or Autobot, you've met Mao face-to-face and have seen how he acts. Use your strategic mind, analyze what you know about Mao, and find a solution. I know you are capable of doing just that. If you need assistance, I will provide you with it. We all will."
Lelouch was rendered completely speechless. Optimus had just told him that he believes in him and what he can do. A part of himself honestly felt truly touched by this. He wouldn't admit this aloud, but Mao was right about one thing, Lelouch had admired Optimus a great deal, up to the point that he considered him a father figure, one far more fitting than the likes of his biological father. He truly admired Optimus for his strength, strategy, experience, and even his ideals, so much so that it was starting to rub off on him. Lelouch smiled inwardly, making a silent promise not to disappoint the Prime that he admired so much.
"Alright, I think I might have an idea," Lelouch began, causing Optimus to smile slightly.
"Should I contact the other Autobots or the Black Knights?" Fixit offered.
"No, if this works, we won't need any of them," Lelouch confirmed, "In fact, the only one I'll need is Ratchet."
"Me?" the Autobot medic questioned.
"Yes, more specifically, your vehicle mode," Lelouch confirmed.
"So, I trust then you have a plan?" Optimus asked, to which Lelouch could only reply with a knowing smirk.
Kallen's Residence
"Here you go, Shirley," Kallen handed the orange-haired schoolgirl some tea, "It's instant tea. I'm not good at making the real thing."
"Thank you," Shirley smiled as she accepted it.
She had spent much of the evening in Kallen's apartment and had taken the chance to get to know the real Kallen, not that sickly façade of a girl she thought she knew.
She even got to meet Kallen's birth mother, who was happy to see Kallen had brought a friend over, though Mrs. Kozuki had to go to sleep rather early. The red-haired girl explained her mother's involvement with Refrain, and while she is recovering and getting the help she needs for rehabilitation, she needs plenty of bed rest. Kallen had also explained what had happened to her brother, and how that was the reason she was even fighting Britannia, to begin with, to which Shirley expressed her utmost sympathy, which Kallen was grateful for.
"You know Kallen, I don't know why you tried so hard to pretend to be sick," Shirley said as the redhead sat down on the couch with her, "I like this active personality of yours, it makes you feel fun."
"Yeah. I hate acting like that too," Kallen smirked, "But I'm glad I can be myself around the other Black Knights and the Autobots."
"They're your friends?"
"Yeah."
The red-haired pilot picked up a framed picture of herself, her brother, and Ohgi, "This guy right here, Ohgi, he's almost like family. He and Naoto were best friends growing up, and I got to know him myself."
"What about your motorcycle, I mean, Arcee?"
"She's my partner…. She's more like an older sister," Kallen confessed, "Protective, but very reliable. She's always there for me, and it's not just her. That red Autobot, Cliffjumper, he's her partner, and by extension, my partner too. And now that I think about it, he's a lot like Naoto; overall friendly, with a sense of humor. The only difference is that Cliff doesn't know when to shut up."
Even Shirley giggled a bit, "When Lelouch had me first meet the Autobots, I was a bit… overwhelmed. I mean, who wouldn't be? But now, after hearing how close you are to them… It.. makes me want to get to know them. They just seem so friendly, and that big one…"
"Optimus."
"Yeah, he's… he's like a superhero. It's… hard to describe."
"I know the feeling, he does give off that sort of impression, doesn't he?"
The meek schoolgirl's smile faded into confusion, however, "But, while they can all talk, I noticed Bumblebee… why does he speak with bleep?"
Kallen grimaced. Ohgi had told her that after he, Tamaki, and Ratchet brought Villetta back from Port Yokosuka.
"There's a reason for that. During the War for Cybertron, the poor guy had his voice box torn out by Megatron, the Decepticon leader."
Shirley gasped, almost instinctively grabbing her own throat, "That's horrible!"
The redhead gave a slight scoff, "You think that's awful, I had the pleasure of meeting a Decepticon face-to-face who was a real monster."
Kallen's fists clenched in anger as she remembered Airachnid, but it wasn't just her.
"I… I honestly never thought I'd meet someone even worse than Britannia. At least with them, I know there are some good people, hell Lelouch and Nunnally are freaking royalty and I thought those guys were the scum of the Earth. But… the Cons… a butcher, a backstabber, an assassin, and so many others who love to kill, who love to destroy… and had no qualms at all about destroying their own home? How can anyone like that exist?"
Shirley was slightly taken aback by Kallen's attitude as she saw the clear emotion in her eyes.
"I am not going to let them get away with any of that. And I won't let them bring that kind of destruction to Earth. It's not just about Japan anymore, it's so much more. Shirley, I am not going to let the Decepticons win, I'll do everything in my power to stop them! I swear it!"
The schoolgirl seemed to understand. When she first heard about Lelouch's identity as the former prince, and what happened to his mother and Nunnally, which was why his father exiled them, she wasn't sure how to respond. But after taking some time to process and think it over, it made sense why he'd become Zero, and why he even has this Geass power; it wasn't just out of revenge, but rather to destroy a world where the weak and helpless are always sacrificed and trampled upon. After learning what happened to Kallen's family, turns out it wasn't just Lelouch who was suffering. Countless people in Japan had lost their homes, families, and even lives to Britannia. Honestly, it was a shame to be a Britannian. Of course, she knew that there were still good people in the empire, such as her mother and her friends on the Student Council. But she can no longer follow that monster of an Emperor. And from everything she's heard, these Decepticons are even worse. They torture and kill, and thoroughly enjoy it, even the destruction of their own home. Shirley's fists soon clenched into determination as she came to a decision.
"I want to help."
Kallen looked at Shirley in surprise, "What?"
"I said I want to help. After learning everything, about the Autobots, Lelouch, you, the Black Knights, Britannia, and these Decepticons...after finally knowing all that, I can't imagine sitting by and doing nothing anymore. I want to help you, all of you."
She clenched both of Kallen's hands into her own with resolve as strong as steel.
"Kallen, I want to join the Black Knights."
Tokyo Settlement
Suzaku had spent about two hours or so with Euphemia. They had no destination in mind as they wandered around the Settlement. Per her orders, Euphemia's guards kept their distance, but still maintained a close eye on her. So far, her disguise appeared to be working as nobody recognized her.
The Honorary Britannian, for the most part, seemed to enjoy her company. It was just like when he first met her before realizing she was a princess, and needless to say, he liked it. There was a part of him that had come to see Euphemia as a friend, and while he did hold a great deal of respect for her, he felt as though he needn't push it to become personal as he was an Eleven soldier and she was Britannian royalty.
The two sat on a nearby park bench to rest their legs after wondering so long.
"This feels nice," Euphemia confessed, "Between all the politics, as well as all the fighting, it feels good not to worry about that, at least for a short amount of time anyway."
"Yeah, I guess it does," Suzaku seemed to agree.
Euphie smiled in his direction. However, her smile faded when she noticed the Decepticon pin still attached to his uniform. Seeing that made her experience a whole new feeling of discomfort. Suzaku noticed the changed expression on her face.
"Prin-… I mean, Euphie, are you alright?"
"Suzaku I… I don't want you working with the Decepticons anymore."
The Honorary Britannian couldn't contain his surprised gasp, "What…?"
"I… I'm not comfortable with you working with them. I… I honestly don't believe they are who they say they are."
"But Dreadwing has…" he tried to speak.
"I trust Dreadwing. I can safely say that I trust him completely, enough so that I've allowed him to act as my bodyguard until I can find my knight. But… he's the only one I can trust. I just… I can't help but get this horrible feeling whenever I'm around them. And… wasn't that monster you fought in the ghettos also a Decepticon?"
"A former Decepticon," he immediately replied, "She's a rogue, acting completely on her own. And I'm going to bring her in even if it's the last thing I do…"
"But it's not just that one. After Narita, Cornelia and I had a meeting with the Decepticons, particularly with Megatron and Starscream, on how to handle the Black Knights and the Autobots. Do you know what Starscream suggested? That we'd destroy this entire country and everyone in it! Britannians and Elevens!"
Suzaku couldn't contain his gasp.
"The fact that Megatron allows someone like him… as his second-in-command, doesn't that... make you feel that he's not who he says he is?"
"But, Megatron didn't allow it, right?" he tried to provide a defense, "Shouldn't that also say something? I'll admit that… I don't agree with Starscream, what he suggested was horrible, but… maybe if Zero and the Autobots stopped fighting, we'd find a solution to all of this together."
The resentful princess looked at him with concern, "Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side?"
"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked with a serious expression.
"I mean, that maybe, the Black Knights and the Autobots are right to stand against us," Euphemia began to voice her personal opinion, "Look all that Britannia has been doing, not just to Japan, but all across the world. We invade nations, destroy their livelihoods and cultures, and try to make another reflection of our own. Japan didn't do anything, we're the ones who declared war on them and attacked in the first place!"
"But Britannia also rebuilt Japan…"
"Not all of it. What about all the ghettos, or the fact that innocent people have to earn their rights back? Rights that… honestly should never have been taken away?"
"Britannia… isn't perfect… I can admit that. But… it can change for the better. It has the potential to do just that. I mean, you're a princess. The fact that you've just said how you don't approve of all this violence shows that Britannia isn't all bad."
Euphemia's expression didn't become brighter, but rather, she grimaced even further, "Suzaku, can I confess something to you? Something… very personal?"
"Of course."
"I hate being a princess."
Suzaku looked at Euphemia as if she had grown a second head. He had never thought he'd ever hear those words come from her mouth.
"I hate being a royal to Britannia… but more than anything… I hate my father even more," Euphemia confessed, "That man… I… I don't think there's even an ounce of humanity in him at all. He has us invade so many countries; taking, stealing, and killing, all for 'progress' and power. So many people die because of him and… he doesn't even care. And it's not just other countries… even his own family! You heard what he said about Clovis during his funeral. He didn't even shed a tear for him, just saying his death - my brother's death - was just another 'march toward progress'. And... you… you've known Lelouch and Nunnally, right? Your family took care of them?"
Suzaku could only respond with a nod as Euphemia continued, her voice becoming more emotional.
"Do you know why they were even sent to Japan? It was because their mother was killed! Lady Marianne… I even loved her, almost like a second mother… and Nunnally… dear sweet Nunnally… lost her eyes and legs because of that. And how did our father respond? He sent Lelouch and Nunnally away, because… he had no use for them…"
She was on the verge of crying, "And.. he even ordered for Japan to be invaded… knowing they would probably die… but he didn't care! He didn't even bother to investigate Lady Marianne's death!"
Tears were already streaming down her eyes, "Whenever I look around at the Settlement… I see Lelouch's face… I see Nunnally's face… and I can… only imagine… how scared they were before… before… I'm a princess, and I couldn't do anything to help them! I hate myself every day for that!"
She pressed her hands against her face as she let her tears flow freely.
Suzaku looked with an expression of surprise and utter sympathy. There was a part of him that considered telling her about Lelouch and Nunnally, that they were alive, and she could see them. But, he didn't want to run the risk of their identities getting leaked to the media, or to someone who could take full advantage of them. He wasn't sure what to say to Euphie that could help comfort her, no matter how much he wanted to. But that's what he ended up doing as he put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked at him with puffy red eyes.
"I… I don't know what to say," Suzaku began, "I… I feel humbled that you chose to confess all of this to me. I am so sorry you feel this way, but don't hate yourself! None of that is your fault! You didn't send them here. You weren't the one who attacked Japan. It all wasn't you. I'm sure they wouldn't want you to blame yourself either. You're a good person, someone who wants to change the world for the better and I want to help in any way I can."
He genuinely smiled going forward, "I promise, if you need me for anything… anything at all, I'll be here for you. I promise, Euphie."
Euphie looked toward Suzaku with an emotional expression. He had just addressed her as 'Euphie' rather than 'Princess or Sub-Viceroy Euphemia' and reached out to her as a friend, not as a soldier to royalty. That was enough for Euphemia to wrap her arms around Suzaku and bury her face into his shoulder as she continued to cry tears of not just sorrow, but of joy as well, as she knew that she had a true friend in Suzaku that she could trust completely.
Suzaku embraced her back, giving her the comfort she needs with a genuine smile. However, as he did, he couldn't help but recall what she said about not just Britannia, but the Decepticons too, as the words of both Starscream and Airachnid continue to play in his mind.
" As your commanding officer, I am ordering you to execute this Black Knight now!"
" Oh look, an idealist. I didn't think the Decepticons had any left."
" Kururugi will have the honor of executing them."
" Unfortunately, you're on a side that thrives off killing idealism."
The more he dwelled on these memories, the more he began to realize that for the first time in his life, there are second thoughts about the path he chose. The words of Optimus Prime surfaced once more.
" What if you go down this path… and you're wrong?"
Clovisland
The amusement park was closed, and even the employees and workers had all gone home for the evening. It was pitch black, with only one single soul in the park all alone.
C.C. had arrived just as she promised Mao, and she didn't bring any Autobots or Black Knights with her. Now all she'd need to do was wait for Mao himself to arrive.
She didn't need to wait very long as lights around the amusement park suddenly came on, starting with the streetlamps, followed by all the rides, such as the Ferris Wheel, or even the merry-go-round which began to run and play lullaby music.
Mao appeared to ride on one of the horses of the merry-go-round as he called to her with a childish smile, "C.C.! Your mind is so quiet! It's the only human mind I can't read!"
"Aside from Cybertronians," C.C. said.
"And that's what makes them so perfect!" he continued to ride the merry-go-round, "I'm a prince on a white stallion, here to rescue his princess and take her back to our castle and live happily ever after!"
He got off the ride as it came to a stop, "Doesn't that make you happy, C.C.?"
"Mao, we talked about this before. I told you that you and I…"
"Those are all lies, lies. C.C. You love me, and this is how I know."
He took off his headphones so that C.C. could hear her recorded voice.
" Thank you, Mao... Mao... Mao."
"Stop it!"
But Mao didn't seem to listen to her, "C.C., you're the only one. The only one I want, forever! Lelouch doesn't matter, the Autobots don't matter either. Just forget them. If you just come with me…"
"I said stop it!" C.C. pulled out a pistol and pointed it directly at Mao, much to his shock, "I should have done this a long-long time ago."
She was just about to pull the trigger when something inside her forced her to stop. Her memories of Mao in his childhood came back to her.
" Since my mind is the only one you can't read, and you can only be happy when you're with me, I will stay with you always. Yes, I'm right here, so you don't need to worry."
No matter how much she tried to deny it, she did love Mao back then. She had developed a genuine bond with him, and even considered him her child.
It was that hesitance, that gave Mao an opening to pull his gun and shoot her in the shoulder. This made her drop her gun and fall to her knees while holding her bleeding bullet wound.
"I knew it! I knew you couldn't pull the trigger! That's because you love me C.C.!" he laughed childishly and maniacally as he clapped his hands.
"You're wrong! I was just using you right from the start!" she desperately said.
This caused Mao's insane smile to vanish, "What are you saying? You shouldn't tell lies like that. You really shouldn't!"
He shot her again in her other shoulder, "Lies are very, very wicked! Wicked lies!"
He shot her multiple times, in her arms, and legs. "Don't worry. I understand."
He finally put the gun down.
"C.C., you must listen. I made a deal with Megatron. He told me he could build us a house on the moon for us, just you and me. Since it's on the moon, there are no people there, so it'll be nice and quiet and perfect for us. But the thing is C.C... Megatron wants a sample of you to study, and he's not exactly someone you can say no to."
C.C. looked fearful as Mao walked off to the side to grab a chainsaw from around the corner.
"So, I'm going to give him a sample!" a crazed smile formed on his face, "Don't worry, I'll just cut off a hand, and not one of your lovely legs! You've been shot before and you can heal, so you can grow your hand back to!"
Mao cut down a sign with the chainsaw, almost for emphasis.
"Is this your revenge… you're punishing me…?" C.C. asked, fear seeping into her voice.
"Oh no," his child-like smile was still present on his face, "I'm not. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not at all! I'm showing you my gratitude…"
" So, Clovisland, huh?"
Both of them directed their attention to the television screens that suddenly turned on and showed the image of the masked revolutionary known as Zero as he spoke, "It makes sense, a place where no one else's thoughts bother you."
"Lelouch," Mao growled as C.C. looked in surprise, more so that Lelouch was dressed as Zero.
" Since your Geass has a total maximum range of five hundred meters, it can't reach me here at the Ark."
Mao laughed and clapped his hands, "That's true, that's very true! But what can you do from over there? Why are you even wearing that dumb costume anyway? Thinking that the Decepticons are watching, and you want to hide your face? I could just say your full name right here and now, you know? How do you know they're not watching? You wanna send in the Autobots to crush me like a bug, seeing how I can't read their minds either?"
Zero didn't seem to respond.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? If you want C.C. then…"
" Mao, think! You don't believe C.C. is her real name, do you? She never even whispers it to anyone."
That caught Mao by surprise as he glanced at C.C.'s fallen form.
"But I know it though, she told me her true name. All the Autobots and even a few of the Black Knights know it."
Mao appeared saddened, almost betrayed by this revelation, "Is that right C.C.? You never told me, ever, ever! But you told it to them ?!"
" You know why?" Zero continued, "Because C.C. is mine. C.C. belongs to me in every possible way."
"No!" Mao, in anger, walked closer to the screens, "She doesn't! She doesn't! She doesn't! She was mine long before she met you!"
" I have gained every single thing from her. Including all of the parts that you have never seen. All of them," Mao stumbled back. It hit where it hurts.
"Lelouch…" he growled as he revved up his chainsaw, "FACE ME!"
He sliced at the screen with his chainsaw like a maniac, "LELOUCH! COME HERE! COME HERE SO I CAN LOOK INTO YOUR MIND! I'LL CUT THAT FANCY MASK OFF YOUR FACE AND DELIVER YOUR HEAD TO MEGATRON! YOU LIAR! LIAR!"
" Mao… you've lost…"
The screens had been cut to pieces as they fell apart right as the transmission ended.
"What are you talking about?! I don't care! I'm gonna be with C.C.!"
Suddenly, multiple thoughts were in his head coming in all at once, all of which were closing in fast, "Is that Lelouch?! But he's too far away! Sounds… everywhere… all those voices!"
"Hold it right there! Drop the weapon and surrender!"
Three police Knightmares rolled onto the scene as at least two dozen SWAT police officers with pistols and riot shields quickly came in to surround the shocked Mao, even a helicopter shined a light on him.
"Remain where you are! Drop your weapon and raise your hands!"
"The Black Knights… no, they're the police! But… but who contacted them…?" Mao was at a complete loss. This should have been impossible!
An ambulance rolled up as well and came to a halt right next to C.C. The backdoors opened as a paramedic got down and picked up the green-haired immortal. However, once she saw his face, her eyes widened in shock.
"Lelouch?! What are you doing here?!"
Mao gasped as he heard C.C. say his name, "It can't be! He was just at the Ark! He can't be here now!"
The paramedic revealed to be Lelouch in disguise, turned to Mao with a knowing smirk. '
'Are you that slow?' Lelouch spoke in thought, all alone, 'That was all a recording I had Fixit set up.'
"That's a lie! You… you were talking to me! Answering me!"
' Your thoughts are simple. Since you read minds, you've never resorted to cunning. Consider it payback for what you did to Shirley.'
"You predicted every one of my answers!?" the mind reader questioned, enraged, "What?! Why not sick Daddy Optimus on me!? Where are your precious Autobots!"
' One's right here,' the Black Knights' leader gestured to the ambulance, 'Ratchet was all I ever needed. Oh, and if you read my mind, you would see why I admire Optimus.'
A trolling grin formed on Lelouch's face, 'Simply put, a spoiled little man-child like you isn't worth his time and effort.'
That grated on Mao's nerves, "You… you little…"
He couldn't even think of a proper response, "Don't think you've won! If the cops arrest me, I'll be out in a heartbeat!"
Mao then heard all the thoughts of the cops all around him, calling him insane, and other private thoughts echoed in Mao's head.
"SHUT UP! JUST STOP TAUNTING ME!"
' For once, I agree with Lelouch,' Ratchet thought to himself, knowing Mao couldn't hear him, 'Someone like this isn't worth Optimus' time.'
Lelouch kept his smirk up, 'C.C. told us that you can't turn off your Geass, and your reach is erratic. If you don't concentrate, your range gets very short.'
"So, you used the monitors to keep me distracted?" Mao realized Lelouch's intent, "Even so, I can still defeat you, I'll have you ruined!"
' The moment you try is the moment you die,' Lelouch walked into Ratchet, still carrying C.C.
"Lelouch, wait! If I talk to him, then I can get through!" C.C. sounded almost desperate as he loaded her into the Autobot disguised as an ambulance.
"You think I'll die?!" Mao questioned, "Listen, cops! Do you know who that guy is? He's the terrorist you want! He's…"
"FIRE!" the head police officer, under the influence of Lelouch's Geass, gave the order.
This signaled all the cops to open fire and fill Mao full of holes until he dropped to the ground.
"Oh no!" that was the last thing C.C. saw before Ratchet's door closed and he drove off.
Mao grunted, face filled with emptiness and despair as he saw the Autobot disguised as an ambulance drive away with C.C., "…Zero."
Unbeknownst to anyone, the entire scenario was being observed by the Decepticon Mini-Con Laserbeak that continued to circle the air.
The Nemesis
Soundwave had projected the footage from Laserbeak, onto the bridge's main screen as Megatron and Knock Out watched it all play out. They could not see Zero's face when he was on the monitor, nor could they hear the name Mao was spouting out.
Megatron sighed as he shook his head, "Disappointing."
"That guy was a few wrenches short of a complete toolbox," Knock Out commented, "Still, we learned a bit more about Geass, so it wasn't a complete loss. But it would have been nice if we learned Zero's true identity."
"Indeed," Megatron responded, all while carrying a knowing expression on his face.
The Ark
Ratchet had returned to the Ark with Lelouch and C.C., where Optimus and Fixit were waiting for them on the bridge.
"I've just informed all Black Knight personnel as well as the other Bots that Mao has been dealt with. Everyone should be returning soon," Fixit informed.
"Thank you, Fixit," Ratchet nodded as he and Optimus looked to Lelouch and C.C. The two stood on the catwalk to be on an equal level with the two Autobots present.
"Mao was only six years old when I made my contract with him," C.C. began as Lelouch, Optimus, Ratchet, and Fixit listened, "He was an orphan, who'd never known the love of a parent. He couldn't read or write, and he knew nothing of good and evil. When I gave the Geass power to Mao, it isolated him. In his mind, I became his only friend and his lover. Though I was still a perfect stranger. I'm the only one he even thought of as human, I was Mao's entire world."
"Then why did you leave him?" Lelouch asked.
"I suppose… I was afraid. I had felt connections with others before him, and I've lost every single one. I didn't want to feel like that again."
"That is a pain and a fear that everyone present has experienced at some point in their lives, including me," Optimus said, "However if you allow yourself to form connections and bonds with others, you could be surprised at what you find. You do not have to be alone, however. If you still wish to leave, we will respect your choice. But if you choose to stay, then know that you are no longer alone."
C.C. wasn't sure what to say. Despite knowing only bits and pieces of her past, as well as some of her mistakes, even those that could harm them, and yet the Autobots and even Lelouch were still willing to accept her.
"Cera, I promise I won't let my Geass destroy me," Lelouch told her, while also surprising her that he addressed her by her real name, "I'll find a way to control it. If I can't do it alone, then know that I have help. Not just with the Autobots, but with you as well. I trust you, and I need you. As Optimus told you, you can leave if you want, but… I'd prefer if you stay."
She turned to Lelouch with a hopeful expression in her eyes, "You… want me to stay?"
"Yes," Lelouch told her without even a hint of hesitation in his voice.
Optimus looked towards Lelouch with a small smile, proud of how honest he was being with himself and how much he was starting to open up to others, even those with a flawed past, and give them a second chance.
Cera had an honest smile on her face, "Very well, I'll stay."
That made Lelouch, Optimus, and Fixit smile, while Ratchet just simply nodded in approval.
"And, seeing as to all the trouble you went to for me, there's something I need to tell you. That other one like me that I mentioned before, the one named V.V. His real name is Victor Zi Britannia, the twin brother of Charles Zi Britannia."
Lelouch couldn't contain his gasp. Even Optimus, Ratchet, and Fixit were beyond stunned.
"He's your uncle, Lelouch."
Pendragon
It was unusual for there to be no one else in the throne room of Charles Zi Britannia, aside from the Emperor himself. Normally there would be nobles or other people of prestigious backgrounds, but it was only the current Emperor of Britannia, along with a pair of bodyguards standing by his side as he sat on his throne. The Emperor looked to the other end of the massive chambers, and as the door opened, four individuals entered the room and began to walk toward the throne.
All four of them wore white clothes with black gloves and boots, but each of them had differently colored robes on their uniforms and were rather young. One was a teenage boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a dark green robe with a golden Britannian crest stitched into it. On his right was a pre-teen girl with an emotionless expression on her face light pink hair and red eyes, and a dark pink robe over her uniform. On her right was a young woman, clearly the oldest present, with light grey hair and blue eyes, with a purple robe over her uniform. Finally, there was a teenage girl with long amber hair and blue eyes, with a light green robe of her own.
"Your majesty," they all said at the same time as they kneeled before the Emperor who began to address them all.
"Gino Weinberg, Knight of Three. Anya Alstreim, Knight of Six. Nonette Enneagram, Knight of Nine. Monica Krushevsky, Knight of Twelve. I trust you are aware of the situation in Area 11?"
"Yeah. Some giant robots are tearing things up down there," Gino said with an excited smile.
"They are causing problems and need to be dealt with as soon as possible," Anya said almost robotically.
"Indeed," Charles Zi Britannia confirmed, "You are to be deployed to Area 11 immediately to assist Cornelia in destroying these vile machines and their Black Knight associates."
"As you wish, your majesty," Monica replied.
' This should be fun,' Gino thought to himself.
"And what of Zero, you're highness? Or these Decepticons we've been told about?" Nonette asked.
"You are to assist the Decepticons as well. They will act as your allies," Charles explained, "In addition, you are being placed under Megatron's direct command."
"Understood," Anya spoke in the same emotionless tone.
"As for Zero, you are to bring him to me alive," Charles instructed, much to the surprise of Monica and Nonette.
"Alive? Your Highness?" Monica wanted to be sure she heard her Emperor correctly.
"Yes, alive."
"Is there a reason you want to bring a famous terrorist alive right to your doorstep?" Gino asked.
"If you needed to know, I would have told you," Charles said with narrowed eyes, indicating this wasn't up for discussion.
All four of the Knights of the Round present bowed their heads in response.
"You are dismissed, except for the Knight of Nine. I must speak with you privately."
Nonette was somewhat surprised but acknowledged his request, "As you wish."
She stood up just as Gino, Anya, and Monica turned around and began to walk away. Once the three were out of the throne room, or at least outside their hearing range, Charles spoke.
"I'll get right to the point, Lady Enneagram. Kaizaren Von Britannia is alive."
Nonette couldn't contain her gasp as her eyes widened and her pupils shook, "He's… wha - alive? A-are you certain, your highness?"
"Indeed, though he may not remember his past. This mission is reserved solely for you, as you served under him as his knight all those years ago. You are to find Kaizaren and bring him to me."
Nonette wasn't over the shock of this news, but she straightened herself out to bow, "As you wish your majesty. Is there anything else?"
"No, you are dismissed."
The Knight of Nine turned around and left. But she did her best to contain a disgusted look on her face, even though she wasn't facing him.
'Why would you want him alive? You didn't even seem to care when you heard he died. I don't know what it is you're planning, but I will find Kaizaren, and I will protect him; from these Autobots, from Zero, and even from you.'
Chapter 21: United We Stand
Chapter Text
Arcee pulled onto the bridge of the Ark in her vehicle mode. This time, however, two passengers with her instead of one. The one up front was, of course, her human partner, Kallen. The other was the newest addition to the Black Knights: Shirley Fenette. She donned her Black Knight uniform, one that seemed a bit unique from the regular uniform for female members.
"You made it," Lelouch, clad as Zero without the mask, commended.
He, Ohgi, and Fixit were waiting for them. The only other occupants on the bridge were Ratchet, who continued to work at his station, and C.C. who just sat on the floor of the catwalk.
"Well it's not like we were on an important mission or anything," Kallen said as Arcee transformed behind the girls.
Kallen looked towards Shirley, "How's the uniform?"
"A little tight… but more comfortable than my school uniform," Shirley said somewhat nervously.
"You must be Shirley. Kallen's told me about you," Ohgi said as he approached the young girl.
"Yeah. And you're Mr. Ohgi, right?" Shirley asked, still feeling a bit nervous.
"Yep. Hey, there's no need to be so nervous around us," Ohgi assured her, "We're not racist or anything. Heck, we even got some support from Britannian citizens. We're not so closed-minded to think all Britannians are bad. Kallen trusts you, and anyone who's a friend of Kallen's is a friend of mine."
Ohgi offered his hand for her to shake.
Shirley shook his hand with a relaxed smile, "I'm glad, and I'm looking forward to working with you, Mr. Ohgi."
Ohgi chuckled, "Just Ohgi, please."
Lelouch had a bit of a smile, glad to see Shirley getting along with the group already. He glanced toward Kallen and Arcee with something of a concerned expression as he thought back to their conversation about Shirley joining.
Flashback – Yesterday
"You want to be a Black Knight?" Lelouch exclaimed in shock as he and Rai looked toward Shirley in surprise.
The white-haired pilot stood along with Kallen and Arcee, the conversation taking place in the Ark's Groundbridge bay.
"Yes, I do," Shirley confirmed.
"I… Shirley…" Rai stuttered, "Look, I'm glad you want to help us. It's just…"
"Under no circumstances!" Lelouch protested immediately before turning to Kallen and Arcee, "Why'd you two even bring her here? Why didn't you try talking her out of it?"
"We tried," Arcee shrugged, "She's a lot more stubborn than she looks."
"She was practically begging us, Lelouch," Kallen confirmed, "We even told her about the Decepticons, and even Airachnid… and what they can do, but she still insisted on it."
"Shirley, look. This isn't like the Student Council." Rai told her. "This is war! Life and death! Y-you're not just my friend… you are one of the few people I have in my life and… when I thought you were going to be killed… by Mao… I almost lost it. I don't want to lose you… none of us want to see you get hurt."
"Rai…" Shirley looked at him with an understanding expression, "That's so sweet you care about me so much but… you're my friend too and I care about you just as much. If anything happened to you, I… I don't know what I would do either."
"It's not just Rai," Lelouch told her in a stern yet understanding tone. "Shirley, you have to understand. Like Rai just said, this is war. If you do this, you'll be essentially a traitor to your own country, and if you get caught… you'll likely be executed for treason. You have no idea how low Britannia will stoop and it's not just them. The Decepticons, I don't know what Kallen and Arcee have already told you… but they are pure evil. You have no idea what they're capable of."
Shirley had listened to everything Lelouch had said and took a deep breath to speak calmly before replying, "Lelouch, I already know what they can do. I know what happened to Cybertron, Arcee's old partner, and even Bumblebee's voice. I know I haven't seen any Decepticons and I… I wouldn't mind not being around them myself. I also know I'm no soldier and I can't fight, but… after hearing what you and Nunnally went through; what the Decepticons and Britannia have done, and what they're capable of, I… I can't sit by anymore while you and our friends risk your lives fighting monsters as evil as that. If there's any way I can help, even just a tiny bit, that's enough for me. Please,"
Shirley bowed her head to him, surprising Lelouch, "Please let me join you. I'm sure there's something I can do. Even if you have to make me a janitor or a cook, that's enough. But I have to do something! Please!"
Lelouch had no idea what to say at first. Shirley was begging to join him, and even saying she was alright if she was put in a small position. He was certain that there was some way she could help and considering some of the recruits the Black Knights have gained were Britannians, he knew that she wouldn't face any discrimination. He could even see that she'd get along with some of the Autobots. She's already getting along with Arcee a bit, up to the point where she and Kallen even brought Shirley here just to speak with them. But he was also quite scared. He almost lost her at Mao's hands, and he wouldn't want to think what Cornelia or his father would do to her, or even V.V. after learning about him from C.C., or worse, what would happen if she was captured by the Decepticons. He cared about her a great deal, and he didn't want to see her hurt. He glanced toward Kallen and Arcee as they nodded to him, seeming to think she'd fit right into their alliance.
"I think she'd fit right in, Lelouch," Rai said to him, causing Lelouch to look in surprise, "I mean, if she's not in danger, I don't see a reason why she can't help. I don't want to run the risk of losing her again either but… it would be nice to have her along."
Lelouch took a deep sigh as he seemed convinced, "I'll have to talk with Optimus about this."
Shirley looked up at Lelouch with a hopeful smile, "You mean…"
"As I said, I have to talk with Optimus about this," the Black Knight leader explained, "We lead this alliance together. His input is just as valuable as mine. But, let me make some things clear Shirley. First off, if you are brought into our ranks, you'll be minimally involved, which means no combat operations! I'll have someone I trust help you to get acclimated. I know Kallen and Rai here want to help, but their soldiers have their place on the battlefield. This person will help you in the field that you'll be assigned, I might even have one of the Autobots help you."
"Alright, what else?" Shirley asked.
"Secondly. You can't tell anyone about my identity. Only the Autobots, Kallen, Rai, C.C., and a few others have seen my face and know my former status as royalty. Even fewer know about my Geass. I plan to tell them eventually, but not right away. So, whenever I have my mask on, you'll address me only as 'Zero.' Is that clear?"
"Yes, I understand. Whatever it is you have me in, I promise I'll do my best."
End Flashback
Despite Lelouch's initial worry, he was glad to see Shirley getting along well with his allies in the Autobots and the rest of the Black Knights. He spoke with Optimus and even agreed she'd be safe with them, on the condition that she'd be placed in non-combative roll, which Lelouch was already set on. Maybe this would turn out just fine after all.
"Hello Shirley, it's good to see you again," Fixit rolled up towards her.
Shirley, in turn, smiled at him, "Nice to see you too, Fixit."
She looked up towards the medic, still working, "Hey Ratchet!"
The medic simply turned and gave a nod in her direction.
"C.C.!" she waved toward her, as C.C. gave a slight wave in response.
"So, where's Rai and everyone else?"
"Optimus and Ironhide are working with Kyoto at the moment," Fixit explained, "Cliffjumper and Bumblebee are on an Energon scouting mission."
"And Bulkhead, Rai, and Wheeljack are working with Katase to try and find the Four Holy Swords," Ohgi also said.
"The Four Holy Swords?" Shirley asked.
"The best pilots in the entire JLF," Kallen explained, "We hadn't seen them since Narita."
"And considering the reputation their leader Tohdoh has, not to mention they're good enough to hold their own against the Cons in Burais, they'd be valuable assets," Arcee added.
To say Shirley was impressed would be an understatement, "They sound amazing! I can't wait to meet them!"
Meanwhile, C.C. walked toward Ratchet while he was still working, "Looks like we got another lively recruit. Are you sure you can handle that?"
"This place already has over a hundred humans in it rather periodically, and the numbers are only growing larger. One additional human won't be an issue," Ratchet said logically.
C.C. smirked slightly, "You might be careful, Lelouch might have her as your new assistant."
Ratchet shuddered slightly. Honestly, he preferred this immortal girl when she was stoic.
"Changing the subject, you are certain there isn't some type of connection between you and V.V."
C.C.'s smile faded at the mention of that name, "We already talked about this. V.V. cannot track me. He might try to contact me and talk to me, but I just ignore him. He doesn't know the Ark's location, and neither does Charles for that matter."
"And you still have no idea what kind of Geass the Emperor has?" Ratchet asked.
"All I know is that Charles does indeed have a Geass. I don't know what type of Geass he has, but he has one. I also know he's been working on something he doesn't want Megatron to find out about."
"And that is also the reason you left their group?" Ratchet added, "And Clovis' experimentations on you weren't connected to the Emperor or the Decepticons?"
"Yes, to your first question. No, to your second."
Ratchet mused his thoughts for a moment. She told him, Optimus, Lelouch, and Fixit about it. They then relayed this information to Arcee, Kallen, Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, Rai, Wheeljack, and Ironhide. All of them found it to be quite disturbing and agreed to keep this quiet from the other Black Knights for the time being. Though Lelouch plans to tell the Black Knights' leadership later, now was not the time.
The Autobot medic's thoughts were interrupted by a small beep on his station, "Hmm, that's odd…"
"What's odd?" C.C. asked.
Ratchet brought up a screen from his station, allowing C.C. to see a three-dimensional landscape with a strange reading in the form of a vortex, "This is an extremely unusual magnetic flux, for any planet."
The Nemesis
Soundwave had picked up the same readings and showed it on his visor toward his lord and master.
"I recognize this magnetic signature, Soundwave," Megatron said, "And it would be unfortunate to have a Decepticon invention such as this used against us."
"I will secure the weapon, Lord Megatron," Breakdown volunteered.
"Breakdown? Hmph," the Decepticon leader scoffed, "Even with our forces to aid you, you've been repeatedly bested by the Autobots and their Black Knight allies. What chance do you have alone?"
"Allow me to redeem myself, master," he pleaded, "What I have lost… is a constant reminder that I must never again fail you. And nobody wants to make the one who did this to me dead any more than I do!"
Megatron raised an eyebrow, mostly for mere amusement. He acknowledged Breakdown as one of the strongest of his soldiers but given how the Autobots and their Black Knight allies virtually never go anywhere alone, perhaps Breakdown should have some assistance of his own.
"Very well," Megatron nodded, "However, you will have a partner for this mission."
"I'll call Knock Out and…"
"No. I'll have you joined by our… newest recruit. He needs to get his feet wet. Having someone ruthless by his side will help flush out his naivety."
Camelot Division
"Bad news Suzaku!" Lloyd said enthusiastically toward the Honorary Britannian as he worked on his homework. "You're lined up for a new mission!"
"A new mission? What is it? The Black Knights and the Autobots?" Suzaku stood up immediately.
"Nope. The Decepticons have found some strange magnetic flux near the base of Mt Fuji. You're to meet Breakdown and investigate it."
"Just Breakdown?"
"Yes. Though we don't expect the BKs and the Bots to make an appearance, it's not unexpected. And since it's an order from your Lord Megatron, you can't say 'no', Can you?"
Suzaku was hesitant for a moment, the thoughts and doubts he experienced since his time with Euphemia a few days ago hadn't faded. However, he had a mission and he would see it through.
"I'll do it."
The Ark
Bulkhead pulled onto the bridge, heavy metal music blaring through his speakers.
Tamaki jumped out of Bulkhead's driver seat, imitating a guitarist, "Bam! Ba! Ba! Bam!"
"Did you have to turn it up so loud?" Rai complained as he felt his sore ears, along with Kaguya.
"What, you gotta problem with my taste in music, kid?" Tamaki questioned.
"You like Heavy Metal, that's fine. But don't blast our ears out!" Rai complained as he looked towards Bulkhead who transformed and turned off the music, causing Tamaki to pout.
"Sorry, Rai," Bulkhead apologized to the amnesiac youth.
"Thanks… and my apologies to you Lady Kaguya," Rai told the youngest member of Kyoto, "Tamaki just… has some self-control issues."
Rai's comment caused Tamaki to pout even further while looking away.
"My ears accept your apology," Kaguya smiled before the group turned around, having finally noticed Lelouch, Kallen, Shirley, Ohgi, and Arcee.
"Remember when the Black Knights weren't a high school club?" Tamaki muttered, only to get elbowed in the side by Rai.
"Hey, Shirley, how are you doing? You know, that uniform looks great on you," Rai complimented her new status as a Black Knight.
"Oh, thank you…" Shirley smiled with a small blush on her cheeks.
"So, you must be Shirley. Rai and Lelouch told me much about you," Kaguya approached.
"Um, I'm sorry but who are you?"
"Shirley, this is Kaguya Sumeragi," Lelouch introduced to her, "She's one of the heads in Kyoto, a personal friend of mine, and Suzaku's cousin."
"His cousin?"
"Yes, Lelouch told me about how you and Suzaku are classmates. Thanks for keeping an eye on him," Kaguya smiled.
"Oh, you're welcome," Shirley smiled back, "Very nice to meet you, Lady Kaguya."
"Bulkhead!" Ratchet called to the large Autobot, "I need you back in the field!"
"What's going on?" Lelouch asked as everyone directed their attention toward Ratchet.
"An unusual magnetic disturbance at the base of Mt. Fuji," Ratchet answered.
"Britannia? Decepticons?" Arcee asked.
"I'm not entirely sure," Rachet replied, "But this could become a serious problem if left unchecked."
"Alright. But take Arcee, Kallen, and Rai too," Lelouch said to Bulkhead, much to the surprise of the others, "If the Decepticons or Britannia become involved in this, it wouldn't hurt to have a backup."
"Makes sense," Kallen shrugged, "We'll just grab our Knightmares real quick."
"Is… is there anything I can do to help?" Shirley asked.
"Sorry Shirley, not for a field mission," Rai said, "Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long."
"Let's get going kids," Bulkhead ordered.
The Wrecker and Arcee both transformed, while Kallen and Rai boarded their respective partners before driving from the bridge toward the Knightmare bay.
"But they just got here," Shirley was a tad upset some of her friends were leaving before they even had a chance to talk.
"It's the price of being in this group. You never know when something's gonna come up," Ohgi assured.
"Shirley, during this time you'll be working with Lady Kaguya," Lelouch told her, "I've assigned you to the intelligence unit, Kaguya will help you get acclimated in that field."
"Really?" Shirley asked in surprise, though it was a good once since Lelouch had already figured out a way where she can help.
"Yep, you and I are going to be spending quite a lot of time together Shirley," Kaguya told as she held both the older girl's hands, "But right now, time for some girl talk."
"Wha… wait hold on!" Kaguya pulled the confused Shirley away, not sure what she meant by 'girl talk'.
Lelouch winced inwardly, though he knew Kaguya was a good person and would help Shirley, as she was one of the few people he trusted around Nunnally during their stay at the Kururugi residence before the invasion, it didn't mean she can't she a bit… eccentric to say the least. God, he could only pray that Kaguya and Milly never meet.
"Looks like your girlfriends are getting along just fine?" Tamaki teased Lelouch.
"I don't have a harem, Tamaki," Lelouch's eyelids lowered in annoyance. He then got serious before addressing Tamaki again, "So, where's Wheeljack? I thought he was with you and Bulkhead."
"Met up with O.P. and the big guns in Kyoto looking for the Holy Swords," Tamaki answered.
"You still haven't found them?" Lelouch asked.
"I'm pretty sure we're not going to find the legendary Kyoshiro Tohdoh unless he wants us to find him," Ohgi replied.
Lelouch looked downward slightly. He had nothing but respect for the 'Miracle-Worker of Itsukushima', and he would be invaluable in their growing conflict with Britannia and the Decepticons.
"Tohdoh's proven strong enough to take care of himself. In addition, he has the Holy Swords with him," Lelouch said, "In the meantime, we have another guest we need to look after."
Lelouch, still clad in his Zero-outfit, along with Tamaki and Ohgi met with Fixit and C.C. just outside the medical center.
"Well?" Lelouch asked the pair.
"Her injuries have fully healed, save for the scars on her back," Fixit answered.
"And you're sure she doesn't remember anything?" Lelouch asked once more.
"C.C. and our medics gave her a series of tests and it seems that's the face… base… case!" Fixit glitched, "She doesn't even know her name."
"She even asked me about my parents, thinking I was a teenager in high school," C.C. commented.
"Well, you do look young," Tamaki pointed out, "How old are you anyway?"
"You tell me," the immortal replied.
"So, what are we going to do with her?" Ohgi asked.
"Has she seen any of the Autobots?" Lelouch asked.
"No, all her medics have been human, and myself," C.C. answered, "She hasn't even seen Fixit yet."
Lelouch began to think until Ohgi spoke, "Hey um, Zero. If it's alright, I can look after her."
That suggestion not only took Lelouch and Tamaki by surprise but even Fixit and C.C.
"Seriously? You wanna look after a damn Pureblood?" Tamaki questioned.
"It's like they've said, she doesn't remember anything," Ohgi responded.
"By why do you want to look after her?" Lelouch asked.
"I don't know…" Ohgi rubbed the back of his head, "I mean, I helped to find her…. So I guess I feel a little responsible."
"I found her to ya know," Tamaki pointed out.
"Yes, but Ohgi seems the least likely of the two of you to do something to her out of spite," C.C. said bluntly, causing Tamaki to scowl at the immortal.
"Alright," Lelouch nodded, "I trust you Ohgi. But she can't stay here."
He turned to Fixit, "Can she be moved?"
"I need to conduct a few more tests before she's ready," Fixit answered, "Human biology is much more complicated to understand than Cybertronian."
"Okay, but Ohgi, if she shows any signs of regaining her memories, let us know immediately," the raven-haired leader made that last point rather clear, "She was able to see my face. I want to know how she connected the dots so that no one else can follow the same trail."
"I understand," Ohgi nodded, "I'll go in and introduce myself to her. Is that alright?"
"She's fully conscious, so that would be alright," Fixit responded.
Ohgi walked into the medical center to get acquainted with the amnesiac Pureblood named Villetta.
Breakdown held his scanner as he walked along the rocky landscape at the base of Mt. Fuji, with the Lancelot slowly rolling by his side, piloted by none other than Suzaku. Breakdown's scanner seemed to pick up the source of the magnetic flux further down a small hill.
"Jackpot," Breakdown walked closer to their target.
As Suzaku trailed behind, he noticed the screens on the Lancelot glitching a little bit, "Breakdown, something's wrong. My systems are slowing down."
"Probably the flux," Breakdown guessed, "That little white nutcracker still working alright?"
"The controls seem to work just fine. So, what exactly are we looking for?"
"Oh, just your typical Decepticon WMD."
"WMD?"
"Weapon of Mass Destruction, idiot."
That took Suzaku by surprise, though Breakdown couldn't see the young Honorary Britannian's face in the Knightmare, he noticed it stopped briefly, "Oh, don't act so surprised. In case you've forgotten kid, you're piloting a WMD right now."
Suzaku grunted. He couldn't deny that was true, the Lancelot was one of the most powerful Knightmares out there and it was capable of an enormous amount of destruction, even though Suzaku would want to avoid something like that.
As he saw Breakdown move near a large pile of rocks, the large Decepticon's hand turned into a hammer as he began to smash and dig away at the boulders toward their intended target.
"Hey, Breakdown. This might be an odd question to ask but…why are you a Decepticon?"
Breakdown looked towards the Lancelot questionably, "Why? Doing a report at school or something?"
"Just please tell me."
The large Decepticon rolled his only optic, "Because of Megatron, one of the few bots I ever lost to."
That caught Suzaku's attention, "What do you mean, 'lost to'?"
"Long story, short. during the War on Cybertron, he and a bunch of Cons took out this dam. I challenged Megatron to a fight, to see if he was tougher than I was. I told him if he beats me, I would join him. I didn't even last a full minute before I was on the ground."
He scoffed slightly, "But I don't expect anything less from the Gladiator of Kaon."
Suzaku's eyes widened slightly before they narrowed, almost accusingly, "You… you joined the Decepticons… just because you lost a fight? I thought you…"
"Kid, I ain't one of those philosophy jargons or whatever. But let me tell you something. You wanna get far in life? You gotta be strong! Cause at the end of the day…"
Breakdown gave a yell as he smashed the pile of boulders with his hammer, to reveal the device he and Suzaku have been looking for, "It's the strongest that gets all the perks."
The robotic Decepticon held an odd-looking hand-held device. Though Suzaku saw the device on the monitors in his cockpit, he was mostly thinking about what Breakdown just said. He pretty much openly admitted he doesn't care about anything else other than fighting and being the strongest. True, one would need strength to get far in life, but it wasn't the only real purpose of life, was it?
Suddenly, there was a small ding on the radar, "Breakdown, something's coming."
Suzaku's warning was right in tune with an odd sound that the large Decepticon heard across the area.
Breakdown was on high alert as he produced his shoulder cannon, "Heads up, kid. We got company."
"The Autobots? Black Knights?" Suzaku wondered as he readied the Lancelot.
"Guess again!"
They both turned to see the rogue spiderlike Decepticon Airachnid perched in-between several large rocks. Just as she chuckled and used her spider legs to launch herself and land a kick in Breakdown's face to knock him down.
"Airachnid!" Suzaku exclaimed in shock.
That shock was the opening she needed to pounce onto the Lancelot with her spider legs and kick it down with her natural legs before scurrying to the downed gauntlet device and picking it up.
"Hello Suzaku," Airachnid greeted casually, yet sadistically, "Led any massacres lately?"
In direct response to that, Suzaku shot the Lancelot straight at Airachnid, launching the Knightmare's slash harkens at her, but she used her spider legs to jump high into the air and avoid the harkens that hit the ground. While airborne, she shot some webbing at its feet, trapping the tires underneath and halting its advance.
"Is that any way to treat a lady?" Airachnid teased as she landed behind the Knightmare, "After spending all that time together?"
"Mind if I cut in?" Breakdown grabbed Airachnid by the shoulder and knocked her back with the swing of his hammer, simultaneously knocking the gauntlet device out of her grip.
Airachnid skidded for a moment but hissed at Breakdown. This also gave Suzaku an opening to draw one of his MVS blades to cut through and burn the webbing at its feet to free it. Suzaku drove behind Airachnid as Breakdown approached from the front, surrounding her.
"So, this is the rogue Con giving you trouble, kid?" Breakdown asked.
"Yes, that's her," Suzaku's eyes narrowed with subtle hate at Airachnid.
"Tell you what. Help me hogtie her and haul her in, and I'm sure the big boss will give you a promotion," Breakdown suggested.
Breakdown and the Lancelot charged forward straight at Airachnid, who curved around both the hammer strike and sword slice from Breakdown and the Lancelot respectively. She leaped back to gain some distance.
"Two on one hardly seems fair. You boys sure know how to play dirty," Airachnid taunted.
"You're saying we fight dirty?" Suzaku retorted in disbelief, "After what you did in the ghettos?"
He shot at Airachnid at high speeds, who simply jumped over him with her spider legs, landed from behind, and stuck to his back before pushing it into a large pile of rocks face-first. She climbs over it towards the top, literally looking down on both Suzaku and Breakdown.
"Still as emotional and naïve as ever I see," Airachnid said before looking at Breakdown, "And it seems like your partner isn't much for much for depth perception anymore, Suzaku."
"Well… not much for looks anymore!" Breakdown retorted with a missile blast from his shoulder cannon, but she simply leaped back to avoid the blast just as Suzaku pulled the Lancelot back up.
"Where'd she go?"
Suzaku's answer came in the form of a drilling noise from underneath him and his Decepticon partner. Before either of them could address what was happening, the entire ground collapsed under them before more dirt and rocks piled on top of them as they sunk even deeper. Within mere moments, both Breakdown and the Lancelot were completely buried.
Airachnid then tunneled her way back to the surface. This was one area in Mt. Fuji that had been already stripped of its Sakuradite, or Energon as the Autobots and Black Knights called it, so not only was it virtually abandoned, but all the mining in the area made it easier for her to tunnel underground and trap anyone who would venture out to find her here.
"It was a lovely burial." Airachnid mused as she picked up the gauntlet device, "Sorry that we have to part ways Suzaku, but I never could stand the naïve type."
She proceeded to walk away where she heard Breakdown's muffled struggles from underground, "Sorry to you as well. I can't quite understand you."
Suddenly, a large explosion shook the entire area as a massive hole was blasted out from the ground. Airachnid looked up in surprise to see the Lancelot in the air, with the VARIS in hand, while also spinning to deliver an airborne kick to Airachnid and send her flying and skidding across the ground. By the time she stopped, the Lancelot was directly over her as it aimed the VARIS rifle at her face.
"You've seen what this weapon can do, remember, Airachnid?" Suzaku reminded her, "Surrender now. I am placing you under arrest."
Airachnid showed her hands, while also smirking, "Under arrest, am I? You still think you're the good guy?"
She suddenly blasted a pair of Energon blasts from her palms to blast the VARIS out of its grip before Airachnid shot up her spider legs to pierce and destroy the weapon, while also shooting herself up to kick it in the face before shooting her extra appendages at it to knock it back to the ground.
However, before Airachnid could press further, Breakdown suddenly appeared over her to deliver an uppercut with his hammer and knock Airachnid back further. She looked up with a glare to see the Knightmare stand back up alongside Breakdown.
"Kid, first rule of war: never give your enemy an opening," Breakdown told Suzaku, "Either you kill or get killed yourself."
He charged at Airachnid, who charged back. Suzaku hesitated for a second as Breakdown's words played in his head, but he ended up driving his Knightmare into the conflict as well.
Arcee and Bulkhead walked along the rocky landscape of the base of Mt. Fuji, along with Kallen and Rai who rolled in their Knightmares, the Guren MK II, and Gekka Pre-Production respectively.
"You sure we should be out here in broad daylight?" Rai asked, "I know Kyoto's influence extends to Mt. Fuji but isn't Britannia also here?"
"This is an abandoned mining area," Arcee explained, "All the Energon in this spot was already extracted, there's nothing left here."
Kallen saw the screens in her cockpit began to glitch up and tried to adjust the settings, "Hey, something's up with the Guren, guys."
"Yeah, the Gekka's screens are glitching up too," Rai reported.
"It's probably the magnetic flux," Bulkhead guessed.
"How are the controls?" Arcee asked, "If you can't work the Knightmares, we might have to send you guys back."
"Controls work just fine," Kallen confirmed, "Don't worry, we can still fight."
"It's good to be prepared for a fight, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful, Kallen," Arcee told her, "This is a recon mission, and a scout should be silent but deadly."
That particular comment earned a snicker from Bulkhead. Arcee even heard a slight giggle from Kallen and Rai from their Knightmare speakers, with Kallen holding a hand over her mouth as she chuckled.
"What?" Arcee questioned in confusion.
"Arcee… 'silent but deadly' means something completely different here on Earth," Rai chuckled before everyone else got to the mission.
The group continued to proceed as Bulkhead carried the scanner, "Hmm, looks like Ratchet's magnetic flux is coming from…"
They looked in surprise as they quickly lowered themselves behind some cover to look down a cliffside to see Airachnid duking it out with both Breakdown and the Lancelot.
Airachnid knocked the Lancelot down with a kick and tried to make her way toward the gauntlet device they were fighting over, only for Breakdown to grab her and pull her up by her spider-legs, but she was still able to deliver a kick to his face to knock him down as well.
"Airachnid," Arcee growled upon seeing her hated nemesis.
"Haven't seen her in a while," Kallen's eyes narrowed as well.
"Breakdown's here too, and Suzaku," Rai noted, "And they're mashing it up."
"Over that." Bulkhead and everyone else saw the gauntlet device they were all fighting over.
"The source of the magnetic disturbance," Arcee deduced.
"So, what's the plan?" Rai asked, "I know we're going to be fighting those two Cons, but what about… Suzaku."
Though he was on the enemy's side, Rai held some great reluctance in fighting his friend, even Kallen felt the same way.
"We'll just break the Lancelot, not blow it up," Bulkhead affirmed.
"We also can't run the risk of Suzaku recognizing you two," Arcee said to Kallen and Rai.
"We'll just address each other by our Knightmares' names," Kallen replied, "As far as Suzaku knows; we're not soldiers so I don't think he'll recognize us unless we step out of our Knightmares."
"Airachnid might," Arcee wasn't comfortable with Kallen facing Airachnid again.
"But she doesn't know me from school like how Suzaku does. Besides," Kallen readied the Radiant Wave Surger claw, "I've been wanting a rematch with the spider-bitch for a long time."
"Alright, let's do this," Bulkhead said as he formed his mace weapon in his right hand, Arcee armed her Energon blasters, while Rai readied his Radiant Wave Surger claw as well, the Geass sigil forming in Rai's left eye.
The scuffle between Airachnid, Breakdown and the Lancelot continued as the gauntlet device slid towards Airachnid, but before she could reach for it, an Energon blast was able to knock it away from her. She looked in the direction of where the blast came from.
"Arcee," she greeted as Suzaku and Breakdown even stopped fighting to see who joined in on the battle, "And look, you brought me even more partners to snuff."
"That would be Bulkhead and two of their Black Knight buddies." Breakdown said.
"Who asked you?" Airachnid questioned.
' So, looks like they're here too.' Suzaku's eyes narrowed at the enemy, completely unaware that the two Knightmare pilots were his classmates.
"Launch me," Arcee said to Bulkhead.
The largest Autobot held out his hand for Arcee to step in, and with a thrust of his hand, he had launched Arcee into the air where she opened fire with her Energon blasters at the three enemies, keeping them at a distance as she landed.
The Lancelot was about to shoot right at Arcee, but Airachnid stepped in Suzaku's way, "No! She's mine!"
"I can't let you…"
Before Suzaku could even stop Airachnid however, Rai in his blue Gekka had leaped down from the ledge as Rai swung his Knightmare's Revolving Blade katana at the Lancelot, which it blocked with its Blaze Luminous shield before taking a step back to face the blue Knightmare.
The breakdown was more than ready to charge at the Gekka, but Bulkhead suddenly appeared to slam his mace across Breakdown's face.
Arcee produced her arm-blades as she parried and blocked the strikes from the lunges of Airachnid's razor-sharp spider legs. Airachnid however soon found herself on the defensive as she just barely avoided the slice from the Guren's knife Kallen tried to reach out with the Radiant Wave Surger claw, but she kept her distance with an extra jump from her spider-legs.
The Gekka's katana locked with the Lancelot's MVS as the two Knightmares pressed against each other. Though Suzaku narrowed his eyes, Rai had a conflicted look on his face.
'Suzaku… I'm sorry. I know you're a good person but… I have to bring you down,' he saw the Decepticon emblem etched onto the Lancelot's shoulder, 'So long as you're with them… I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you again.'
The Gekka rolled back slightly to avoid a slice from the Lancelot's two MVS blades as the Gekka only had one sword of its own. As the Lancelot tried to slice at the Gekka, it leaped into the air to flip and deliver a vertical axe kick, but the Lancelot rolled back to avoid the kick as it hit the ground.
' Even with Knock Out's modifications… that thing's as fast as the Lancelot?' Suzaku thought as he launched the slash harkens from its right hand at the charging Gekka, but Rai activated the Radiant Wave Surger as he raised its claw. The repulsing and heat-endued energy not only blocked but melted and destroyed the harkens. The Gekka was suddenly right in front of the Lancelot with a slash from its katana, forcing the Lancelot on the defensive as it used its Blaze Luminous shield once again to block the strike.
Bulkhead meanwhile blocked the hammer strikes from Breakdown with his arms before Bulkhead tried to deliver a mallet to Breakdown's fade again, only for Breakdown to catch Bulkhead's arm just as Bulkhead himself caught Breakdown's other arm and they pressed their strength against one another. Breakdown growled in anger, but Bulkhead delivered a head-butt, disorienting his enemy long enough for the Wrecker to spin and slam both his arms into Breakdown's side and send him flying into a large pile of rocks.
Meanwhile, Airachnid shot some web out to pin Arcee to a pile of rocks and trap her. However, this left Airachnid open for the Guren MK II to zoom in and lash out its knife, forcing Airachnid to leap back where she tried to ensnare it as well with her webbing, but Kallen raised the Guren's claw and activated its Radiant Wave Surger, using the energy as a shield to completely burn away at the web before zooming forward and delivering a roundhouse kick. With newfound momentum, she lands a solid kick on Airachnid's face and knocks her back.
' I recognize that ferocity,' Airachnid thought as she picked herself back up, "Is that you in there, Kallen?"
"Your damn right, it's me!" Kallen confirmed, "Don't think that this is gonna be anything like last time, Airachnid! This time, I'm ready for you!"
"Is that so? I have to admit, that's a nice toy you got right there. Let's see if it cracks as easily as the last one."
She propelled herself up onto a higher perch and shot a series of Energon blasts from her palms. Kallen however was able to steer and maneuver the Guren so it wouldn't get hit. She was able to jump with the Guren and flip in the air to try and bring an axe kick down from where Airachnid was once perched, but the spider-Con leaped down back to the ground to avoid it, though the Guren leaped after her. The insectoid Decepticon tried to lash out her upper two spider legs at her, but the Guren produced its Surger claw again and activated it, creating a make-shift shield that not only blocked Airachnid's strike but even forced her to pull back her spider legs or else risk them getting blown up. But this left Airachnid open for Kallen to lash out with the Guren's knife and slash Airachnid in the face, creating a long cut underneath her eyes.
"Look who's cracked now, spider-bitch!" Kallen taunted.
This seemed to irritate Airachnid as she hissed at Kallen and was ready to attack again, but this left her open for Arcee, who was free from the webbing to drive straight at her in her motorcycle form before transforming and delivering an uppercut that launched Airachnid into the air.
"Toss me!" Arcee said to Kallen as she leaped into the Guren's Surger claw.
Similar to Bulkhead's previous move, she was able to toss Arcee into the air where she met Airachnid and delivered a powerful airborne kick, gaining momentum from Kallen's throw, and sending Airachnid crashing down into the Lancelot, which was still locked in a duel against the Gekka and sending them both crashing into Breakdown who was just barely recovering.
Arcee landed on the ground where she stood alongside Bulkhead, the Guren MK II, and Gekka, all four warriors looked ready for more; as opposed to the two Decepticons and the white Knightmare that seemed almost beaten. Even though Suzaku's eyes narrowed even further with a glare, refusing to give up.
However, this also happened to knock Breakdown particularly close to the gauntlet device he and Suzaku were sent to retrieve. He picked it up in his hand.
"Thank you." Breakdown pressed a button on the side as the device activated.
A 'gauntlet' of orange lines and energy formed around Breakdown's arm, much to Suzaku's surprise.
"Do you even know that does?! It isn't a toy!" Airachnid exclaimed as she saw a powerful surge of energy forming at the fist of the gauntlet.
Seeing how bad this could be, the spider-con decided to make a run for it, using her spider legs for an extra boost.
"Oh no, you don't!" Suzaku pursued after Airachnid, not letting her get away.
This also prompted Arcee and Kallen to chase after them as Arcee shot at Airachnid with her Energon blasts, and for the Guren to intercept the Lancelot and launch its Surger at the white Knightmare, forcing Suzaku to leap back. Airachnid however tunneled herself underground as Arcee tried to shoot down the hole in a vain attempt to stop Airachnid.
Bulkhead and Rai meanwhile were about to charge Breakdown when he aimed the gauntlet at the two of them, and an unknown force suddenly began to drag both the Wrecker and the Gekka slowly toward their enemy.
"Wha… what the…?!" Rai struggled with the controls as, despite his best efforts, he almost lost complete control of the Gekka.
Arcee also felt herself being pulled in by the same force, and even the Guren was pulled in as well.
"What the hell…?!" Kallen questioned as she too struggled against the gauntlet's magnetic pull.
Suzaku himself was in a similar boat. However, since he was further away, he maintained some control with the Lancelot as he put it in reverse at full speed, but that only seemed to keep the white Knightmare exactly where it was, even though it felt like it was being pulled in two separate directions. Despite his current situation, Suzaku could only look in awe as he saw the two Autobots and the red and blue Knightmares get lifted into the air, almost telekinetically by the device Breakdown was using.
Breakdown chuckled amusingly, "What's this switch do?"
He was practically playing with the gauntlet as he pressed a particular button that sent all four enemies flying and crashing into a pile of rocks.
Now that the magnetic pull was gone, Suzaku was almost reeled back as he still had his Knightmare in reverse, but he quickly brought it to a halt as he could only look in surprise at the display of power he had just witnessed and was almost rendered speechless.
"Megatron's gonna love this," Breakdown smirked, "Time to go, kid."
"But… what about the Autobots and the Black Knights? Or Airachnid? We have to arrest…?" Suzaku tried to protest.
"I said we're leaving! We got what we came for," Breakdown told him, "That's an order."
Suzaku was reluctant, but he knew Breakdown was his superior for this mission and he couldn't disobey an order, "Yes sir."
Breakdown then transformed into his vehicle mode and drove away with the Lancelot following him.
The cockpit in the downed Gekka opened as Rai rubbed his head, while Bulkhead groaned next to him, "Bulk, you okay buddy?"
"I'll live," Bulkhead grunted.
Rai turned to see the Guren right next to the Gekka, "What about you, Kallen? Still in one piece?"
Though the cockpit didn't open, Kallen shook the cobwebs from her head, "Yeah… I'm alright. What about Arcee?"
"I don't see her," Bulkhead looked around.
"I'm right behind you."
"Where?" Bulkhead still looked around but couldn't find her as he was already standing up. The moment he was back on his two legs, however, Rai winced slightly as he looked at where Arcee was.
"Let's just say… she's got your back."
Bulkhead turned around to reveal Arcee was completely stuck to the green Autobot's back. She wasn't tied or webbed to his back, but rather magnetized. Despite Arcee's struggles, she couldn't pull herself free as she simply hung from her current predicament.
Rai felt his Gekka shake up a bit, causing him to hold onto the open cockpit of the blue Knightmare as Kallen pulled the Guren back up. But Rai's eyes widened once he saw their Knightmares were in a similar position.
"Uh, Kallen… our Knightmares are holding hands."
"What?" Kallen voiced in surprise.
The Radiant Wave Surger claw on the Guren was stuck onto the Surger claw attached to the Gekka. She tried to pull away from it, but only ended up dragging the Gekka with her as Rai sat back into the cockpit to avoid being thrown off. He tried to pull in a separate direction, only for both Knightmares to remain where they were; stuck together by their silver claws.
"Scrap!" Kallen cursed.
Meanwhile, Breakdown drove in his vehicle mode, with the Lancelot beside him on an old road leading away from the mountain. The pair passed an old mining operation with several abandoned drills and stations.
"Breakdown, why did you just leave them?" Suzaku questioned, "Two Autobots and two Black Knights were right there! We could have captured them…"
"Our mission was to secure the weapon, and we did," Breakdown replied, "Don't worry. With this baby, pretty much all the Bots and their little Black Knight pets are as good as dead. So just shut up and…"
"Breakdown, look out!" Suzaku warned as a small rockslide rolled down the hillside toward them.
Breakdown attempted to swerve out of the way, as the Lancelot jumped over to try and cut through some of the rocks with an MVS, only for a strand of webbing to catch it by the foot and pull the Lancelot down into Breakdown, sending them both crashing onto the ground where even more webbing was shot down to pin them down.
Even as Breakdown transformed back, it only tangled him and the Knightmare even more in the webbing as they looked up the hillside to see Airachnid smirking down at them.
" You've been magnetized?! Together?!" Ratchet questioned over the communications as Kallen stood on Bulkhead's right shoulder and tried to use a crowbar to give Arcee some leeway and pull herself out.
Rai meanwhile used a crowbar of his own to try and pry the Surger claws of the Guren and Gekka off each other as well.
Despite Kallen's best efforts, the crowbar snapped, much to her frustration as she threw it away, "They're inseparable!"
"Even our Knightmares' Surger claws are stuck together. It's almost like the Gekka and Guren are holding hands," Rai said in exhaustion as he couldn't separate them either.
"And the device that did this is on its way to Megatron," Bulkhead said.
The Ark
"A Polarity Gauntlet," Ratchet deduced, with Lelouch, Ohgi, Fixit, Tamaki, Shirley, C.C., and Kaguya present as well, "A deceptively simple yet diabolical creation."
"So, it's a weaponized magnet?" Ohgi asked.
"Yes, that is one way to describe it," Fixit confirmed, "We had originally thought they were all destroyed during the war."
"One survived," Lelouch commented.
" Just tell me you can unhitch us, Ratchet," Arcee hoped.
"It may simply be a residual magnetic charge providing your current… attraction," Ratchet assumed.
Tamaki snickered, "Hey, did you guys hear that? You're attracted to each other!"
" Can someone please kick Tamaki in the shin for me!" Kallen exclaimed.
C.C. shrugged before kicking Tamaki in the aforementioned shin.
"Ow!" The hothead held his shin in comic pain. "What the hell was that for?!"
"She asked me to," C.C. smirked, causing Tamaki to scowl.
Ratchet briefly rolled his optics at this display before getting back to the topic at hand, "But I'm afraid retrieving the Gauntlet is our surest bet for reversing its effect. Once Megatron gets his hands on the Gauntlet."
"He'll use it for a lot more than attaching notes and family photos to the fridge," Ohgi said as he, Lelouch, Kaguya, and Fixit looked understandably worried.
"Umm...Lelouch… I'm not sure I follow," Shirley confessed embarrassingly.
"Shirley, think about it," Lelouch explained to her, "What do Autobots, Decepticons, and Knightmares all have in common? They're made of metal. And this Polarity Gauntlet is a weaponized magnet."
"Yes, if Megatron can repel us with the flick of a switch, we might never again have another shot at him," Ratchet agreed.
"A nearly impenetrable defense," Kaguya voiced worry.
"Or worse yet… if Megatron and Britannia found a way to mass-produce the Gauntlet… not only could they meld our armies into a scrap pile, they might even be able to twist entire cities like pretzels!" Lelouch stated.
Shirley seemed to get it as a look of terror formed on her face, "Yeah… that does sound bad."
"Well, the good news is that the Polarity Gauntlet is still nearby," Fixit reported as he looked at the readings on the Ark's screen, "In fact, it's no longer in transit. If you move now, you should be able to intercept it."
"You think we should call for help? Send back up?" Ohgi asked.
"No," Lelouch said, "With a weapon like this Polarity Gauntlet, both our Knightmares and any other Autobots we send will only be put in danger. Even with the condition they're in; Kallen, Arcee, Rai, and Bulkhead are our best if not our only option."
"Are you sure, Lelouch?" Shirley asked with concern.
"You don't have to worry, Shirley," Lelouch told her, "Kallen and Rai are the best Knightmare pilots in the entire organization, Bulkhead's a Wrecker, and Arcee is pretty much the equivalent of a kunoichi. If anyone can do it, they can."
"Not to mention the Guren MK II and the Gekka Pre-Production are some of the strongest Knightmares Kyoto have produced thus far," Kaguya added.
" Glad we have your vote of confidence," Arcee commented.
" Maybe if we used the Radiant Wave Surgers…" Rai suggested.
" Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! And blow our Knightmares up?!" Kallen exclaimed.
" No! I mean, what if Kallen and I use both our Surgers at the same time," Rai explained, "Maybe the opposing charges could separate us? Or even affect the magnetic attraction?"
"There is a possibility that could work," Ratchet said, "Or a more likely outcome is that the combined energies from both Surgers could create an explosion that'll destroy both of you!"
" Okay… sorry," Rai apologized.
" We'll get the Gauntlet. Call you guys back when we get it," Bulkhead said before hanging up.
Meanwhile, Airachnid had just finished securing her prisoners. It took quite a bit of effort, but Breakdown and the Lancelot were both pinned underneath a series of large, Knightmare-sized, Sakuradite excavation drills, and even further secured by webbing that kept them all pinned together, and the drills stuck on them. Even the Lancelot's cockpit was webbed shut to prevent Suzaku from getting out.
Airachnid now admired the Polarity Gauntlet she held in her hand, "It fits! You know, a girl could never have too many accessories."
"You were a Decepticon, once. We could bring the prize to Megatron together," Breakdown tried to reason with her.
"You can't be serious!" Suzaku exclaimed, "After everything she's done?! Do you have any idea how many people she butchered in the ghettos?!"
"I think you mean 'Elevens', Suzaku," Airachnid taunted, "As in, people that Britannia would never even lift a finger to save?"
He narrowed his eyes through his cockpit as Airachnid smirked.
"Plus, I already told you that I was made a Decepticon because of what I could do. But I'm not remotely interested in going back to that boys' club."
She looked at the Gauntlet as an idea came to her, "You know, I've been getting a bit bored with hunting in the ghettos. Think I might move onto the Tokyo Settlement next."
"What?!" Suzaku exclaimed.
"Sure, the military might try to give me trouble," the serial killer continued before holding up the Gauntlet, "But this will provide the perfect repellent against Bots, Cons, and Knightmares alike."
Bulkhead, along with Arcee still stuck to his back, led the group toward the abandoned excavation site, with the Guren and Gekka, still 'holding hands', slowly rolling down alongside the green Autobot as he held his scanner.
"Still hanging in there, Arcee?" Kallen chuckled.
"Very funny," the blue fem-bot grunted in annoyance.
"Never had eyes in the back of my head before, or blasters to cover my rear. And you get a built-in shield!" Bulkhead pounded his chest for emphasis.
Rai looked at how his and Kallen's Knightmares Surger claws were still locked together, "This does kinda feel like we're holding hands, doesn't it?"
Kallen sighed, "Rai, you're an awesome guy, and I trust you completely. But you're not my type."
"I know, and you're pretty cool too, but I just see you as a friend too," Rai replied, "So just friends?"
"Just friends," Kallen assured.
"Well, kid's already got eyes on a certain exiled prince turned revolutionary, so I think Kallen's all set," Arcee smirked, causing Kallen to blush. Fortunately, she was still inside her Guren, so nobody saw it.
"Not funny, Arcee."
"Hey, now we're even," Arcee smirked.
Bulkhead and Rai both chuckled slightly until Bulkhead's scanner picked up their target, "The Gauntlet's close."
They stopped as they looked towards the area, they were heading in.
"Doesn't seem like it's going anywhere," the Wrecker said.
"Could be a trap," Kallen voiced.
"Suzaku isn't the type to set up traps, and I doubt Breakdown is smart enough either," Rai pointed out.
"But it does sound like Airachnid," Arcee's optics narrowed.
"And if she has the Gauntlet, then we're in serious trouble," the red-haired lady said.
Bulkhead began to think slightly, "I think I have an idea."
After a brief explanation; Bulkhead, seemingly alone, approached the abandoned mining area, blasters in both hands at the ready. It was quiet, too quiet, as Bulkhead moved past many of the excavation drills. He happened to spot a rather large stack of them and slowly, but surely, moved toward them, with his Energon blasters ready. However, he looked in minor surprise to see Breakdown and the Lancelot at the bottom of the pile, the Decepticon had webbing over his face to keep him silenced as he continued to struggle.
Airachnid revealed herself, crawling down from the top of the pile with the Polarity Gauntlet in her hand.
"I assume Arcee and both your partners aren't far behind."
"You might say that," Bulkhead replied.
"Blaster hands in the air and turn around," Airachnid demanded.
"Whatever you say," Bulkhead's blasters turned back into normal hands as he raised them.
However, he quickly smirked as he suddenly turned around to reveal Arcee, still stuck to his back, as she opened fire with her own Energon blasters, forcing Airachnid back.
"NOW!" Arcee shouted.
This was the signal for the Gekka, with the Guren right behind to suddenly appear. With a yell, Rai steered his Gekka so that as he swung his Surger claw, he swung the Guren as well as Kallen yelled in addition, using the momentum from the swing to land an extremely powerful roundhouse kick that sent Airachnid flying into an abandoned excavation rill, but it also sent the Polarity Gauntlet out of her hands.
The second the device hit the ground, it accidentally activated, generating a perpetual attractive force that slowly began to pull all metals in the area towards it; either functional, non-functional, or living alike.
Airachnid struggled against the pull herself, as did the Guren and Gekka, with Kallen and Rai putting their respective Knightmares in full reverse to try and move against the pull. Bulkhead clung to the ground as Arcee tried to pull herself toward the Gauntlet to pull themselves apart. This, however, worked in favor of Breakdown and Suzaku, as the drills that had been piled on top of the Decepticon and the Lancelot began to fall off and loosen. This gave Suzaku an opening to launch all his remaining slash harkens, two from the Lancelot's left hand and two from its hips in a spiral fashion to tear off all the webbing and break apart all the debris piled on top of him and his comrade, freeing Breakdown from the same predicament. He let himself get pulled toward the Gauntlet, which he grabbed and immediately deactivated.
The remaining momentum from the pull brought both Bulkhead and Arcee, still stuck together, in between Breakdown and Airachnid. While the Guren and Gekka almost sailed backward, both pilots put the brakes on their Knightmares and tried to zoom in to help, only to find their path barred by the Lancelot.
"Still up for a truce, boys?" Airachnid offered Breakdown and Suzaku.
"Only because I hate Bulkhead more than I hate you," the large Decepticon agreed.
"You still have to answer for your crimes, Airachnid," Suzaku told her, "But for now, the Autobots and Black Knights take top priority."
' Is he seriously willing to work with that bitch?!' Kallen thought in disbelief, as any respect she had for Suzaku had just dropped immensely.
However, both she and Rai were quickly put on the defensive as Suzaku attacked.
Breakdown swung his hammer at Bulkhead, who retaliated with a couple of punches to his enemy's face. Arcee tried to block Airachnid's attacks and retaliated with what limited room she had with punches and kicks. With Bulkhead reeling back and forth, duking it out with his nemesis, it was almost impossible for Arcee to land a solid hit on hers, allowing Airachnid to slug her across the face.
"Bulkhead, would you stay still?!" Arcee exclaimed as she used an arm-bladed to block a bladed-spider-leg strike from Airachnid.
"My bad," Bulkhead replied before delivering a powerful enough punch to Breakdown's face and knocking him onto the ground.
He then turned around to face Airachnid himself, "Need a hand?"
"No, she's mine!" Arcee protested.
At the same time, the Guren and Gekka had to roll back as the Lancelot gave pursuit. Suzaku launched the slash harkens from his Knightmare's left arm, but when Kallen tried to block it with her Guren's knife, Rai tried to do the same with his Gekka's katana. Though it did block the harkens, it also caused both the red and blue Knightmares to slam into each other, allowing the white one to deliver a roundhouse kick to knock both of them down.
Kallen grunted as they both hit the ground, "We can't fight like this!"
The Gekka shot back up and pulled away the Guren before Kallen got a chance to stand it up, right on time to avoid an executioner's type strike from the Lancelot's dual MVS blades.
Rai knew Kallen was right and tried to think of a solution, the Geass sigil in his left eye still burning. However, he looked in shock as he saw in the relative distance Breakdown had gotten back up.
"Two bots, one stone," he reactivated the Polarity Gauntlet in his hand and used it to magnetically lift an old, yet large, drill from the ground toward the stuck Autobot pair as Bulkhead punched Airachnid back.
"GUYS! LOOK OUT!" Rai called them.
Unfortunately, the warning came too late as Breakdown had used the Gauntlet to slam the drill into Bulkhead's face, sending Bulkhead toward the ground, while also trapping Arcee under him. She struggled to pull herself up, but Bulkhead was too heavy.
"Bulkhead… get… up!" Arcee struggled, only for one of her hands to be stepped onto by Airachnid who was back on her feet.
"Pinned like a bug. Of course, I can think of one permanent way out of your predicament," the spider-con readied her razor-sharp spider legs with deadly intent.
"I'll take top-side," Breakdown was ready to execute Bulkhead as well.
As the Guren and Gekka continued to back away from the Lancelot, not even giving Suzaku a chance to go onto the attack, a crazy idea came into Rai's head. Call it desperation, or something from his combative instincts drawn out by his Geass, but it might be their only option.
"Guren! We need to use our Surgers on the Gauntlet! Both at the same time!" Rai exclaimed, careful not to reveal Kallen's name or identity to Suzaku.
"We just talked about that!" Kallen shouted back.
Kallen used her knife to block one MVS blade from the Lancelot, but before Suzaku would strike with the other, the Gekka came in with its katana to block the second blade as both Knightmares locked weapons with the enemy unit.
"It's the only way!" Rai shouted, "Our friends and partners need us!"
That last statement took Suzaku by surprise, "…Friends…?"
This however left him open for Rai to spin his Gekka a full three hundred and sixty degrees, spinning the Guren around and allowing Kallen to body-slam her red Knightmare into the Lancelot and knock it back.
Kallen saw Airachnid ready to execute Arcee, and Breakdown with Bulkhead. It was an extremely risky move, but it was their only option.
"On three?" she smirked.
Though Rai couldn't see hers from his Knightmare, he returned with a smirk of his own, "Let's do it!"
Both the conjoined Guren and Gekka shot straight at the two Decepticons, specifically Breakdown who still had the Polarity Gauntlet.
"Breakdown! Incoming!" Suzaku warned as the Lancelot stood back up and rolled after them to try and stop the two Black Knights.
Airachnid looked in surprise to see the two incoming Knightmares at high speeds at first, but Breakdown wasn't the least bit intimidated as he readied the Gauntlet once more.
"One…" Kallen said.
"Two…" Rai continued.
"THREE!" they both shouted.
They simultaneously pressed the buttons to activate their respective Radiant Wave Surgers. A red light shined from both their claws as they each shot an opposing charge of super-heated energy. Ordinarily, each one would fry a Knightmare or even a Cybertronian in an instant, but since both Surgers were giving off an equal amount of energy, neither the Guren nor the Gekka was overloading. All the while, the magnetic attraction kept the Surgers together as the opposing surges began to grow to where the energy output was already more than double for the average Surger.
The intense energy surge shot bolts of energy all around the conjoined claws, surprising Breakdown and leaving him open for both Kallen and Gekka to yell as they shot their improvised attack right at the Gauntlet.
*BOOM!*
The result was a massive explosion that shot out a large circular wave mixed with red and orange energy that sent Breakdown, Airachnid, and even the Lancelot from behind, flying at least a hundred yards away, also sending the Polarity Gauntlet out of Breakdown's grip.
Both the Guren and Gekka were finally separated from each other as they two were sent flying, though their landing was much more stable. While their respective Surger claws were intact, a great deal of smoke came from both of them. The shockwave had also managed to knock Bulkhead off Arcee, waking him up and allowing her to stand.
"I'm free!" Arcee stated as both the Guren and Gekka rolled up, still appearing functional, "How are you guys?"
"Everything still seems to be working just fine," Kallen said, "My Surger is overheated though, and needs to cool off. But it's still good."
"Yeah same here," Rai confirmed.
Bulkhead looked more than a little impressed, "Nice move kids. Real Wrecker material right there."
"Thanks, partner. Now we're all free!" Rai commented.
"Good, now it's a fair fight," Kallen smirked as they saw Breakdown, Airachnid, and even Suzaku standing back up.
"What do you say we, mix things up a little?" Bulkhead offered.
"I'm in," Kallen was on-board.
"Same here," Rai smirked too.
Even Arcee liked the idea, "You got me, but I get the final blow on Airachnid."
"Deal," All three of them said at the same time as they reengaged the enemy.
Arcee and The Guren shot straight for Breakdown who was running toward the downed Gauntlet. She had leaped into the Guren's claw as Kallen launched her right at Breakdown. She stuck her foot out to land a solid kick hard into Breakdown's face to knock him back onto the ground while Kallen used the Guren to kick the Polarity Gauntlet away before engaging Breakdown as well. Arcee backflipped to avoid a crushing strike from Breakdown's hammer, but Kallen zoomed in with the Guren faster than Breakdown could have seen and slashed at him with her Knightmare's knife. He tried to retaliate with a swing of his fist, but the Guren ducked underneath, allowing Arcee to leap off the red Knightmare's shoulder and deliver a roundhouse to Breakdown's face again.
The Lancelot leaped into the air to avoid an Energon blast from Bulkhead as the Wrecker ran towards the descending white Knightmare. Suzaku drew an MVS as he fell and slashed at Bulkhead's chest and landed before trying to spin and land a kick onto Bulkhead, only for the Autobot to grab the Knightmare by the foot.
"Good luck cutting through this with that butter knife," Bulkhead teased as he banged his chest for emphasis as the only thing the MVS did was deliver a minor flesh wound on Bulkhead's mighty hide. He then spun his body, and the Lancelot before letting it go and sending it crashing into an old drill.
Airachnid looked for the Polarity Gauntlet, only to find her path blocked by Rai in the Gekka.
"May I have this dance, milady?" Rai teased as even the Gekka did a mocking bow.
"You're not my type," Airachnid replied before the Gekka shot at her.
She leaped back and opened fire with her Energon palms, though the Gekka swerved around as Rai tried to slash his Knightmare's katana at her. Airachnid caught it with her upper spider legs before using her lower ones to snap and knock the blue Knightmare back, allowing her to go for the Gauntlet.
"Scrap! She's got the Gauntlet!" He warned his friends, but it was too late.
Airachnid activated the Polarity Gauntlet and aimed it at the Guren, "Let's leave the boys to themselves."
Kallen grunted as she felt her Knightmare, specifically the Surger claw, which was still cooling down, being pulled toward Airachnid. The claw was then stuck to the Gauntlet, leaving Kallen alone to face Airachnid.
"Watch closely Arcee. I'm about to send your new partner to join your old one!" Airachnid called out to Arcee.
However, the Guren quickly rolled at high speeds, surprising Airachnid as the red Knightmare drove her into a large old drill.
"Arcee, I got this!" Kallen exclaimed to her partner as she broke away from Breakdown to try and help her, "Just help the others!"
Arcee was surprised at first before she nodded with a smile, "She's all yours."
She then transformed and zoomed straight at the Lancelot, who was still against Bulkhead before she transformed again and landed a flying kick to its side to send it skidding back.
"Tag team!" Arcee said to Bulkhead as the Gekka joined Arcee.
"Mind if I cut in?" Rai smirked.
"Go for it," Bulkhead nodded before he ran to engage Breakdown.
Arcee drew her arm-blades t parry the strikes from the Lancelot's MVS, but when Rai joined in with the Gekka's katana, it put Suzaku on the defensive as he tried to roll back before shooting his slash harkens from both the Lancelot's left arm and hips, forcing the two to split. Arcee opened fire with her Energon blasters, which Suzaku blocked with his Blaze Luminous shields. Rai then rolled around the side and sliced down with his Gekka's katana, which Suzaku blocked with the shield on its right arm, but this left him open for Arcee to slide in and sweep her feet to knock the Lancelot down onto the ground.
Bulkhead and Breakdown roared at each other before the latter punched Bulkhead in the face and his abs, but the green Autobot retaliated with a punch to his enemy's jaw and another to his face. Breakdown then slugged Bulkhead, who returned with his slug before the Decepticon brute landed a punch powerful enough to knock Bulkhead down. However, the Wrecker was able to get back up and charge a powerful enough Energon blast from his right cannon to blast and send Breakdown flying through multiple old drills.
Airachnid had leaped up and lunged all her spider legs at the Guren to knock it onto the ground as she stood on the Knightmare itself in an attempt to keep Kallen pinned.
"One hand tied, five more to play with!" Airachnid tried to slash with her claws on her open hand, but the Guren launched a slash harken from her Knightmare's left arm to knock Airachnid up.
While both their hands were stuck, Kallen pulled her Surger's claw in before using the Guren's other arm to wrap around Airachnid in the form of a bear hug.
"Quality, not quantity, bitch!" Kallen replied before opening her cockpit, as the Polarity Gauntlet was so close.
She was able to reach out with her hand and press the button to deactivate it. Before Airachnid could even respond, Kallen had already sat back down and swept the Guren's feet to not only knock Airachnid down but also kick the Polarity Gauntlet while it was still airborne in one fluid motion toward her Autobot partner.
"Arcee!" Kallen called to her.
The blue Autobot turned around to see the Gauntlet flying in her direction, where she leaped into the air to catch the Gauntlet just as the Guren backed up and came to a stop right by where Arcee had landed as she activated the Gauntlet herself, with both Arcee and the Guren MK II back-to-back.
"Gekka, go help Bulkhead!" Arcee called to Rai, who had leaped his blue Knightmare back to avoid a slash from an MVS.
"Alright!" Rai turned his Knightmare around to assist Bulkhead in his fight against Breakdown.
Suzaku glared at Arcee, seeing no good she could do with the Gauntlet. He shot the Lancelot toward her, just as Airachnid quickly tried to rush Kallen. However, almost as if reading each other's minds, the Guren and Arcee turned around to switch opponents. Kallen used her Guren's knife to block Suzaku's MVS just as Arcee used the Gauntlet to project a magnetic field that repelled Airachnid and sent her flying quite a distance. As the Guren kept the Lancelot at bay, the Black Knight quickly ducked her Knightmare and allowed Arcee to get a surprise attack as she used the same repulsion from the Gauntlet to launch the Lancelot back as well.
"Opposites do not attract," Arcee smirked as Kallen smirked back in her partner's direction.
Bulkhead ran toward Breakdown as the Gekka shot alongside his partner at the enemy Decepticon. As they clashed their respective mace, hammer, and katana, however, a magnetic force sent all three of them sliding back before they even made contact with each other. Breakdown tried to launch a missile from his shoulder cannon at the Gekka, but it bounced away from him by the same repulsing charge, while also accidentally sending it in the direction of the Lancelot.
"Suzaku!" Rai exclaimed.
However, just like with him, the missile bounced away from him and shot into the air before it exploded.
"What…?" Suzaku voiced in surprise.
"We can't touch metal!" Breakdown stated.
"We're polarized! All of us!" Bulkhead deduced.
However, the Polarity Gauntlet was snatched away from Arcee's grip by a stand of webbing, that pulled it into Airachnid's hands. She deactivated the Gauntlet, simultaneously canceling out the polarity effects all five of them were experiencing.
"Always leave on a high note," Airachnid smirked as she transformed into her helicopter mode.
"She's getting away!" Arcee exclaimed.
"Oh no, she's not!" Kallen glared, "Gekka, how's your Surger?"
"Cooled off, but I can't get a big enough charge to…"
Rai's eyes widened before he smirked, getting the message Kallen was sending him, "On three again?"
"You need to ask?" Kallen replied before she and the Gekka shot in the direction of Airachnid's retreating vehicle mode.
The Guren came in from the left as the Gekka came in from the right. They both used their slash harkens on the ground to propel them into the air in the direction Airachnid was heading. Though she tried to fly over them, it was already too late.
"One, two, three!"
They both activated their Surgers simultaneously as the Guren and Gekka slammed them together in the form of an airborne high-five. The shockwave wasn't as powerful as before, but it was strong enough to disorient Airachnid's flight path.
"The Gauntlet's mine!" Suzaku rolled his Lancelot forward as he shot a Slash Harken in the direction of the helicopter, only for it to be caught by Bulkhead as he pulled and used his strength to spin the Lancelot by a make-shift tether and using the gathered momentum to slam the Lancelot into the helicopter mode of Airachnid and send them both crashing into Breakdown.
Arcee picked up the downed Gauntlet as she, Bulkhead, the Guren, and Gekka all joined back up to see the pile of defeated enemies. Breakdown and Airachnid were both unconscious, but very much alive.
"Is… is Suzaku…?" Rai asked with worry, hoping he didn't just kill him.
However, he soon got his response as the Lancelot's cockpit hissed open about halfway and Suzaku attempted to climb out. His right arm was broken, and he probably had a few broken ribs too, with some blood trickling down his face over his left eye.
"Nah, he's alive," Arcee said, causing Rai and Kallen to breathe a sigh of relief.
"We can finish these two Cons right here and now," Bulkhead suggested, referring to Airachnid and Breakdown.
"And risk becoming conjoined twins again? I think I'll pass," Kallen dismissed, "Let's just go home."
"Wait… You can't… you can't take that…" Suzaku was stuck in the half-open cockpit, but it wasn't big enough and he wasn't in any condition to give pursuit.
"Kid, your Knightmare is toast and your only allies are down. You put up a good fight, but you still lost. Just accept it," Bulkhead told him.
"I can't lose… I can't…" Suzaku was sounding almost desperate but looked in surprise as Arcee kneeled close to him.
"Do you want to know why you keep losing?" Arcee began, "Cause we're a team."
She waved to herself and her present allies, "Autobots and Black Knights stand united and fight together. We trust each other. But the side you're on is divided in more ways than one; Britannia, the Decepticons, those guys never stick together."
"Take this murderous freak for example," she referred to the unconscious Airachnid, "And that is why we're going to win this war."
With that, Arcee turned around before transforming into her vehicle mode and driving off, followed by Bulkhead who also transformed. Kallen followed in the Guren, though Rai paid a concerning glance towards Suzaku from inside the Gekka before joining the others, leaving Suzaku to hang his head in defeat, realizing he had no choice but to accept his loss.
The Ark
Arcee handed Ratchet the Polarity Gauntlet.
"Souvenir, but…" Bulkhead began.
"We don't advise indoor use," Arcee finished.
"Well done, all of you," Lelouch walked up with a smile along with Shirley.
"I heard you two even invented a new combo move?" he asked Kallen and Rai.
"Yep, the Surger High Five!" Rai smirked.
"We are not calling it that," Kallen said, though she smirked as well.
"Pretty sure it's better than anything you can come up with," Rai joked as he and Kallen exchanged a fist bump.
"Well, it sounds amazing! I wish I could have seen it myself!" Shirley said with an excited smile.
"It was pretty cool. But Shirley, the battlefield isn't as fun as you think it is," Rai told her.
"I know, I know. You and Lelouch already told me," Shirley assured, "But Kaguya is already getting me up-to-speed on what I need to do. The fact that I'm helping you guys at all is enough for me."
"We're glad to have you with us, Shirley," Kallen offered her a hand to shake, "Welcome aboard."
However, rather than a handshake, the schoolgirl-turned-Black Knight pulled both Rai and Kallen into a hug. Though surprised at first, they were quick to accept it. Lelouch had an honest smile on his face, feeling nice that Shirley was now part of his 'social circle'. While he had no romantic feelings toward her, he valued her company and saw her as a good friend, along with many other good friends he had in the Black Knights and the Autobots. However, his smile faded slightly as he remembered there was still one friend that he wanted in his social circle as well, even if he was working as his enemy.
The red car that was known as Knock Out pulled into the Camelot Division as Suzaku stepped out to allow the Decepticon scientist to transform.
"We're back," Knock Out announced somewhat dramatically.
Suzaku's right arm was in a sling and cast, with a bandage on his forehead. He limped a bit into the room but was quickly helped by Cecile.
"Suzaku, are you alright?" she asked with concern.
"I failed in my mission. I apologize," Suzaku bowed his head.
"Well, normally that would be quite the bummer," Lloyd walked up, "But I say that's a small price to pay considering our new clients who will be joining us as of today."
"New clients?" Suzaku asked in surprise.
"Yo! So you're Suzaku! Nice to meet ya!"
Suzaku couldn't contain his gasp as he saw Gino, Anya, Monica, and Nonette walk toward him. Though he didn't recognize any of their faces, he recognized their uniforms and knew exactly what group these people belonged to.
"And you must be one of those Decepticons we're gonna be working with," Gino waved to Knock Out, "Hi, I'm Gino, nice to meet ya!"
"And who might you be?" the red Decepticon questioned.
"Knock Out, allow me to introduce to you some of the best pilots the mighty Britannian Empire has to offer: The Knights of the Round!" Lloyd announced with feigned dramatics, "Hip, hip, hooray!"
Cecile then gave a proper introduction to the red Decepticon, "This is Sir Gino, the Knight of Weinberg, the Knight of Three; Lady Anya Alstreim, the Knight of Six; Lady Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine; and Monica Krushevsky, the Knight of Twelve."
"Hello," Monica nodded her head.
"Greetings," Anya greeted robotically as she seemed more paid attention to her cell phone than anything else right now.
"A pleasure," Nonette nodded as well, though she was a bit uncomfortable about being around the Decepticons, this one seemed at least relatively friendly.
"The best pilots in Britannia huh? Well if you got the Knightmares for it…" Knock Out said.
"Oh, we do!" Gino stated, "Though they're only prototypes right now; we got our Knightmares all shipped here."
"The Emperor told us that you would be working to provide them with upgrades and modifications that will make them able to better keep up with the Autobots," Monica informed, "Seeing that's what you've been doing with the Lancelot."
That caught Knock Out's attention, "Lloyd my friend, we're gonna be very busy."
"Ooooh, this is gonna be so much fun!" Lloyd rubbed his hands together excitedly, "I can't wait to get started!"
Suzaku still wasn't over his surprise. Four Knights of the Round were joining them!? Well, one can't say this wasn't expected considering his reluctant losing streak against the Autobots and the Black Knights. However, the words Arcee told him have stuck with him, in regards to Britannia and the Decepticons being divided, even amongst each other. He couldn't deny that for Britannia, after hearing how Euphemia feels toward being a Britannian princess.
"Oh, by the way, Suzaku…" Cecile pulled him out of his thoughts, "Where is the Lancelot anyway?"
Suzaku winced before laughing nervously, "Yeah… about that…"
The Nemesis
Breakdown walked onto the bridge, dragging the Lancelot along the ground as its back was magnetized to his right leg. Though Megatron was mildly surprised at seeing the Knightmare like this, he seemed more upset with what Breakdown had failed to retrieve.
"Breakdown, you dare to return empty-handed?!"
"No master."
Breakdown turned around, dragging the Lancelot further along the ground, to reveal Airachnid was magnetized to his back, much like how Arcee was for Bulkhead.
"Airachnid," Megatron greeted in minor surprise, "It has been some time."
"Lord Megatron," Airachnid greeted back, "What can I say? It's good to be back."
Chapter 22: Divided They Fall
Chapter Text
"Hey, everybody! Name's Gino! Nice to meet you!"
These were the words of the Knight of Three, Gino Weinberg. He and his comrades Anya Alstreim and Monica Krushevsky, all clad in their respective uniforms as Ashford Students except for Anya wearing a uniform suited for middle school students, stood in front of the class at Ashford Academy to introduce themselves.
"My name is Monica. It's a pleasure to meet you all," Monica formally bowed to the class after Gino's introduction.
"Anya," the younger girl monotonously uttered, seemingly glued to her cell phone.
The teacher cleared his throat, "Yes. As you've heard, these three will join our classes starting now. Gino Weinberg, Anya Alstreim, and Monica Krushevsky."
It took a few moments for their introductions to sink in as one student quickly stood up, "Wait. As in...the Knights of the Round!? The Knights of Three, Six, and Twelve?!"
"Yep, that's us!" Gino confirmed with a wide grin.
In that instant, nearly every student in the classroom was in an uproar as it seemed like they were meeting a group of celebrities. There were many questions, but it didn't seem like Gino or Monica seemed to mind, with Anya typing away at her cell phone, almost as if everything around her meant nothing to her.
However, not every student felt so excited. Kallen, Rai, and Shirley, each seated at their respective seats, exchanged somewhat nervous glances and shared a concerned look towards Lelouch, who could only take a deep sigh as he pressed his fingers against his forehead in minor frustration.
' Three Knights of the Round. Can't say I didn't see this coming,' Lelouch thought to himself, 'On one side, it would seem my father is getting rather anxious to send three of his top pilots to Japan to deal with us, meaning we have a bigger impact than I initially thought. On the other, it means there are more obstacles to contend with apart from the Decepticons. Well, at least things can't get any worse.'
Student Council Room
' And…. I spoke too soon.'
Lelouch did his best to hide his frustrated expression. Kallen, Rai, and Shirley couldn't contain their surprised looks as they saw their newest classmates in the Student Council room with Milly, Rivalz, Suzaku, Nina, and even Nunnally.
"Hey, guys! Welcome to the club!" Gino waved his hand in a friendly fashion.
"Um… Madame President?" Rai looked toward the blonde hoping for an explanation.
"Yeah, I probably should have told you guys," Milly had an apologetic smile on her face, "But Gino, Monica, and Anya are going to join us on the Student Council today."
' Scrap!' Lelouch, Rai, and Kallen all thought at the same time.
"Hey, you're Lelouch, right?" Gino got straight up to Lelouch's face, surprising him and his friends.
"Yes? What of it?"
"You think maybe you can take me to your chess tournaments? Only the underground ones where you bet."
"What?!"
"I kinda told him how you used to gamble," Rivalz chuckled, slightly nervous.
"Did you tell him that I quit long ago?" the Black Knights' leader groaned in annoyance.
"Aw, why'd you quit? It sounds like it was a lot of fun!" Gino stated.
"Because I already got enough to buy a car. I didn't need anything else," Lelouch replied, his annoyance rising even higher.
"Oh, you mean that sweet-looking yellow car with black racing stripes?" the Knight of Three asked, getting even more excited, "Gotta say that car looks awesome! Mind if I take it for a spin!?"
"Yes, I do mind," Lelouch's eyes narrowed.
Before Gino could even plead, Monica had already gotten up and pulled him away by his ear.
"Sorry about him," Monica smiled apologetically, "He's easily excited."
As Kallen, Rai, and Shirley exchanged awkward looks, they sat at the table save for Lelouch, who was looking toward a certain blonde.
"Madame President, can I please speak with you for a moment?"
Milly's expression turned grave, as she had a good idea of what he wanted to consider, "Sure thing."
She and Lelouch walked out into the empty hallway outside the classroom.
"Would you please explain why three Knights of the Round are joining us today?" Lelouch asked, doing his best to maintain a calm façade.
Milly winced, "Lelouch, I know what you're thinking, but my parents and grandfather insisted on it. I had no choice in the matter."
"Guess I couldn't help it then. But I still don't like it."
"Did you know any of them before being sent to Japan? Personally?"
"No, I didn't."
"So? It's not like they're going to recognize you or anything. Lelouch, look. You know I wouldn't do anything that would put you or Nunnally in any danger."
"I know that. I trust you. I hope the same can apply to your mother. No offense."
"No problem," the Class President assured. Both knew how desperate her mother was trying to reestablish the Ashford family name, to the point of trying to marry Milly off in a loveless marriage. It was a miracle that she hadn't sold out Lelouch or Nunnally. Guess they had Milly's grandfather to thank for that.
"OW!"
They both glanced as they ran back into the room to see Gino hopping on his left foot while holding his right foot painfully.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kallen said in her sickly persona as she reached down to grab her books.
"Um… what just happened?" Lelouch asked.
"Gino tried to flirt with Kallen, and she ' accidentally' dropped her books on his foot," Rai said with a sly smirk, causing Lelouch to smirk as even Shirley did her best to hide her giggles.
"No harm done," Gino said as he set his foot back down, "Man, the first day here is already a ton of fun. Nonette would love this place!"
That caught Lelouch's attention, as well as everyone else's.
"Who?" Rai asked.
"Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine. She's in Area 11 too," Monica answered, surprising everyone in the room, especially Lelouch.
"So, how come we haven't seen her in class?" Shirley asked.
"She's 29 years old. Way too old to be in high school," the Knight of Twelve responded.
"But don't let that fool ya 'coz she's a real looker," Gino said with a smirk, only to get elbowed at his side by Monica.
' The one person Cornelia couldn't defeat?!' Lelouch remembered Nonette. Though he only met her once or twice, everything he heard he heard from either Cornelia herself or Euphemia during his childhood at the Aries Villa as one of the best Knightmare pilots out there, rivaling even his mother. If she was in Japan as well, then they could be problematic.
Lelouch also eyed Nunnally, almost on instinct, and was surprised to see Anya sitting particularly near her, with Arthur sitting comfortably on Nunnally's lap. Though she and Nunnally appear to get along alright despite Anya still being glued to her cell phone, something about the Knight of Six just made the elder vi Britannia on edge. It wasn't just because of how close she was sitting to his sister.
Viceroy's Palace
"Hey Nelly, how have you been?"
Nonette walked into Cornelia's throne room with a friendly smile, the Viceroy herself sitting on her throne, with her younger sister on the throne next to her, as well as her own personal Knights Darlton and Guilford by Cornelia's side, and even Dreadwing standing by Euphemia's side.
"Just fine, thank you," Cornelia said with a twitching eyebrow, 'Out of all the Knights Father could send, it just had to be her.'
"Oh, and Euphie, good to see you again!" the Knight of Nine waved to her.
"Lady Enneagram, it is nice to see you as well," Euphemia nodded, maintaining her professional persona.
"Yeah, yeah. Enough of the formalities. Come over here and hug me!" Nonette exclaimed with open arms, whose sight was all Euphie needed to run over with a smile and exchange a heart-warming embrace with the Knight of Nine.
Dreadwing looked in minor surprise, as did Darlton and Guilford. Cornelia only sighed, not out of annoyance, however. Though there were times when she found Nonette infuriating, she knew the woman was one of the few people she trusted around Euphie as they had become close as well during Nonette's and Cornelia's time in military school and would come over to their residences for frequent visits.
"I've missed you so much!" Euphie stated as she continued to hug Nonette.
"I've missed you too, Euphie. Are you doing okay? Big Sis not giving you a hard time?" Nonette asked almost playfully.
"You do realize I can hear you, correct?" Cornelia twitched her eyebrow in annoyance.
The two broke off their hug as Nonette addressed the remainder of the occupants, "Sir Guilford, Sir Darlton, a pleasure."
"The pleasure is ours, Lady Enneagram," Guilford said as he and Darlton bowed to her out of respect.
She then looked up to the only Decepticon present, "And you must be Dreadwing."
"That is correct," the Seeker nodded, "I am pleased to meet one of Britannia's most elite pilots."
"And I look forward to working alongside you on the battlefield," Nonette replied.
"Lady Enneagram, pardon me, but how many Knights besides yourself have arrived in Area 11?" Guilford asked.
"Including me, there are four in total," Nonette answered, "Gino, Anya, and Monica are all here."
That took Darlton, Guilford, and even Cornelia and Euphemia by surprise. Four?! Typically, only one or two Knights of the Round are sent to a military operation to quell the opposition. If the Emperor sent over half of them to Area 11, he considered Zero, the Black Knights, and the Autobots considerable threats.
"That aside, I'd like to know everything you know about the Autobots and their Black Knight allies," Nonette said, getting serious, "The more we know about them, the better we'll be able to prepare."
"I agree," Dreadwing acknowledged, "We'll all benefit by sharing information."
The older Knight nodded, 'In addition, this might help me find Prince Kaizaren. As much as I love Euphie and trust Cornelia, I can't bring them in on this. Euphie's sweet, but she's also naïve, and I can't run the risk of Cornelia using Kaizaren for personal gain, considering he is half-Japanese. But regardless, I will find him. No matter what.'
The Nemesis
Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp had walked onto the bridge, apparently in the middle of a conversation between Megatron and Airachnid.
"Is this true?" Megatron questioned in surprise.
"Starscream never mentioned it?" Airachnid asked.
"If he and his minions are up to their old tricks, I shall grind them into powder!" the Decepticon clenched his fists.
"Ahem!" Starscream cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Starscream and company," Megatron acknowledged.
"Yeah, we kinda heard you. So you wanna talk about us like we're not even here?" Skywarp commented, not very amused.
"Lord Megatron, I mean no disrespect, but please explain why this deserter is back among our ranks," Thundercracker questioned, referring to Airachnid.
"Airachnid's talents will make her a valuable asset in our growing war against the Autobots and their Black Knight companions," Megatron answered.
Skywarp scoffed slightly, "When we go out without permission, we get a beatdown. But when she deserts us, she gets a slap on the wrist."
"Then maybe you should aim for getting actual results," Airachnid teased, getting close to Skywarp's face, much to his frustration.
"Putting that matter aside, what was it I allegedly failed to mention, Lord Megatron?" Starscream asked.
"The Harbinger," the Decepticon leader answered.
"That old piece of junk? What about it?" the black-colored Seeker asked.
"Eons ago, a Decepticon transport ship crash-landed on this planet," Airachnid responded, bringing up an image of the Harbinger itself on the Nemesis' main screen.
"Oh please, common knowledge," the Seeker commander dismissed, "My Seekers and I used the Harbinger's tracking signal to even get to Earth in the first place."
"Yeah. While you were sitting here comfortably, we had to fly our way here from Cybertron!" Skywarp said, almost sounding like he was complaining.
"Then I assume the three of you recovered the experimental weapon prototype the Harbinger had been transporting?" Airachnid mused.
That caught the three Seekers off guard.
"A weapon? There was nothing about it that we heard of," Thundercracker said.
"I just thought it was transporting Energon," Skywarp added.
"Where is the crash site?" Megatron questioned.
"They somewhat choose not to log it into the Nemesis' database," the spider-con said, causally blaming the three Seekers.
"You failed to record the coordinates of a Decepticon transport!?" the leader was not pleased.
"Hey, don't look at us! Starscream was supposed to have done that!" Skywarp pointed to his supposed commander, who briefly glared at him before returning to Megatron.
"An oversight, master, but I noted its exact location," Starscream revealed.
"It's located in neutral territory that neither Britannia nor any of the other major Earth superpowers have claimed," Thundercracker noted, "No Energon there, no settlements, and no human population. So, we can be in and out quick."
"Very well. Take Airachnid," Megatron instructed, "But I also want you to lead our newest additions: the Knights of the Round."
Starscream scoffed, "Surely we do not need any human pilots for a simple recovery mission."
"Given our enemy's track record, it is highly likely you will encounter the Autobots and the Black Knights during this mission," Megatron said, "And I wish to see what Charles' hand-chosen pilots are capable of myself if they are truly worthy to stand by our side. Consider it a trial of sorts."
"Well then, let's go and meet our new partners," Airachnid mused.
She casually walked past the Seekers, forcing them to step aside as she strode confidently and arrogantly while smirking in Starscream's direction, causing him to scowl.
The Ark
"Knights of the Round?" Arcee questioned as she and the rest of the Autobots met up with Lelouch, Kallen, Shirley, and Rai, all in their respective Black Knight uniforms on the bridge of the Ark.
"Yes, four of them in total," Lelouch confirmed, "Three are even at our school."
"But they don't seem like bad people," Shirley said.
"Could have fooled me," Kallen commented, still frustrated over Gino's frequent attempts to woo her.
"But they could still be bad for us," Ironhide commented, "From what we've heard, the Knights of the Round are pretty much the top pilots in the entire Empire."
Wheeljack smirked slightly, "'Bout time they gave us a real challenge. Since we started our little war, we've only gotten a real fight from the Cons."
"Wheeljack, you would be wise to take this seriously," Ratchet told the Wrecker.
"Lelouch, do you understand what we are dealing with here?" Rai asked.
"To be honest, I'm almost completely in the dark," Lelouch confessed, "The only one I have any real knowledge of is Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine. She and Cornelia attended the same academy together, even surpassing her skills as a Knightmare pilot. I'd even say she rivaled my mother, who too is a Knight of the Round."
"May we know the names of the other Knights that have arrived in Japan?" Optimus asked.
"Gino Weinberg, Anya Alstreim, and Monica Krushevsky," Lelouch said.
Fixit put their names into the Ark's database as he brought up multiple public and service records, including photos of them and their Knightmares, putting them up on the bridge's main screen as he introduced each of them one by one.
"Gino Weinberg, also known as the Knight of Three. Age 16. His Knightmare is the RZA-359 Tristan: a personalized seventh-generation Knightmare."
"[Like the Lancelot?]" Bumblebee asked.
"Apparently," Fixit confirmed as he brought the image of the Tristan up; a very colorful Knightmare that was primarily white and blue, with hints of gold along the shoulders, chest, feet, and shins, with red eyes, "In fact, all the Knightmares the Knights of the Round possess are based off not only the Lancelot but another seventh generation known as the Gawain that Britannia has been studying. Unfortunately, our information on that particular model is very scarce as we've only been able to access public records."
"Gotta admit, that's a pretty cool-looking Knightmare," Cliffjumper commented, earning looks of surprise and even tiny glares from the other Autobots and the four young Black Knights present, "I mean, it's bad news for us since it's with the bad guys, but it still looks pretty cool."
"And the others?" Ratchet asked the orange Mini-Con.
Next up, Fixit brought up the images of Anya and her Knightmare, "Anya Alstreim, the Knight of Six. Age 14. Her Knightmare is known as the RZA-6DG Mordred, also a seventh-generation unit."
"She's fourteen years old?!" Shirley almost exclaimed out of shock, "She's the same age as Nunnally?!"
"How in the name of Primus did a kid end up as a Knight of the Round?!" Ironhide sounded disgusted that Britannia would let someone so young pilot a Knightmare like that.
"And just look at that Knightmare of hers," Bulkhead commented upon seeing the Mordred. It seemed to be just as bulky as Bulkhead himself, if only slightly less. It was primarily a dark magenta color with hints of white and gold with two large shoulder pieces.
"Not much about Anya's time before being a Knight of the Round is known," Fixit continued, "But other soldiers seem to dread her. Although her records say that she seems to suffer from a rare mental disorder that seems similar to a form of short-term memory loss."
"And the other two?" Ratchet asked.
"Next is Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine," Fixit brought up her profile on the bridge's main screen and images of her Knightmare, "Age 29. Her unit is the seventh-generation RPI-29 Galeschin."
"Is it just me, or is that thing a blue Lancelot?" Cliffjumper asked.
"Yeah, it's almost like a twin," Arcee seemed to agree as the Galeschin looked almost identical to the Lancelot. Instead of white and gold, it was white and blue, with a curved horn-like ornament on its forehead.
"Actually, according to these records, the unit was originally called the Lancelot Club. It was a prototype of the unit that Suzaku is currently piloting," Fixit said, "But it was renamed upon Nonette claiming it."
Shirley winced as she looked down at her classmate's name, with Kallen, Rai, and especially Lelouch offering sympathetic expressions. Shortly after she joined the organization, they already told her about Suzaku being a member of the Britannian military as the Lancelot's pilot and his involvement with the Decepticons. As expected, the news did not sit with her very well though her friends were able to calm her down. It still left her deeply worried, silently praying Suzaku would be alright.
"And, the final one?" Lelouch asked, getting back on point.
Fixit brought up the photographs of the last Knight and her Knightmare, "Monica Krushevsky, the Knight of Twelve, age 17. Her unit is the RZX-12TM1 Florence. She also serves as the leader of the Emperor's royal guard."
Though Lelouch's eyes narrowed at that particular description, he didn't let it bother him so much as they all looked at her Knightmare. It was white with hints of gold along the head and shoulders, green arm-blades along its arms, and black shoulders.
"They're all so young," Optimus noted in a grave tone.
"Not young enough for that scumbag of an Emperor to make them his entourage," Kallen stated with a hint of venom.
"And most of them are our classmates," Rai said in a worried tone.
"I don't think we have cause for concern with that," Lelouch said logically, "As I said, Nonette was the only one I knew before my exile, and even then, we only met on the rarest of circumstances. I don't think she'd recognize me as well as Nunnally. And since I've never met the others, we should be safe there."
"That covers you, but what about the rest of us?" Arcee asked.
"Yeah, from what we've heard, these guys aren't going to be like any of the other Britannians we fought," Cliffjumper added.
"Hey, the fact that the old guy sent four of his top soldiers against us shows how scared he is," Wheeljack smirked.
Even Lelouch had to smirk at that. The very idea that he made his father scared brought great satisfaction.
"I feel we should approach the Knights of Round with caution," Optimus explained, "Until we have full knowledge of their skills and their Knightmares' abilities, it may be best to leave them to the Autobots and only our top Black Knight pilots."
"So, just me and Kallen then?" Rai assumed.
"Yes, and even then, you should still watch yourselves," Optimus advised.
"Got it," Kallen nodded.
"I'll contact Kyoto and let them know about this new development," Lelouch said as he stood up.
"I'll let the other Black Knights know to make sure they are careful," Ironhide added.
"Very well. Until then, we remain low until I say otherwise," Optimus instructed all his soldiers, including Lelouch, as they all nodded in understanding.
The Knights of the Round were not to be taken lightly, especially if they would be working alongside the Decepticons.
Camelot Division
The four Knightmares belonging to the Knights of the Round were all docked alongside the Lancelot: the Mordred, the Tristan, the Galeschin, and the Florence were all there. A particular manchild scientist rubbed his hands anxiously.
"Oh, how I've waited for this!" Lloyd said excitedly, "I get a chance to work with not one, not two, not three, but four Knightmares piloted by the Knights of the Round! Add the Lancelot, and that's five total! Oh, this is gotta be the best day of my life!"
"Is he always like this?" Monica asked Cecile.
"You have no idea," the older woman sighed in exhaustion.
' Well, at least he's better company than Bradley,' Monica thought.
Suzaku meanwhile stood on a catwalk just above the exchange in silent thought. It felt slightly overwhelming to know he'd likely be with at least one of the four Knights of the Round per day, not including his time at school. At first, he was a bit nervous for Lelouch and Nunnally's sake, but he and Milly told him they wouldn't recognize him, so their identities were safe. At the same time, this could also serve as a good opportunity. He could convince some of the Knights of the Round to change Britannia's ways, thus making his goal a reality. All this fighting could come to an end.
"You must be Suzaku Kururugi," he looked to his right in surprise to see Nonette walking up to him with Anya by his side, "I am…"
"Lady Enneagram!" Suzaku stood straight, "Yes, I know who you are! Someone told me you were coming by your comrades at school!"
He turned his attention to Anya, "A pleasure to see you again, Lady Alstreim!'
"Yes, you as well," Anya said emotionlessly.
Nonette giggled, "Suzaku, there's no need to be so formal with us. I can assure you that I'm not a racist, and neither are my colleagues. Well, at least not those present with us. But seeing how we're working together for the foreseeable future, I want you to feel more relaxed around us. You don't have to act like we're better than you. I promise," she handed Suzaku a hand to shake.
This gesture took the young Honorary Britannian by surprise. A Knight of the Round, a Britannian soldier the Emperor chose, was offering her hand to shake as an equal! Maybe Suzaku's goal wasn't that far off after all. With a smile, he shook her hand.
"Thank you, and I look forward to working with you as well."
"So, this is where Suzaku's been hanging out, huh?" Gino asked, walking up to Lloyd before looking at the certain Knightmare. "And that's the infamous Lancelot."
"I'm honored to have my prized invention gain the recognition of a Knight of the Round," Lloyd said in obvious sarcasm, bearing no respect for Gino's title but not showing any disrespect.
"Yeah, it does look cool, unlike those lame Sutherlands and Gloucesters. There's no taste to them," Gino commented.
"Ah ha! You have good taste," Lloyd could already tell he would get along with Gino quite well.
"Yeah, but enough about Knightmares. When are we meeting the Decepticons and fighting those Autobot guys?! That sounds cool!" Gino said in an excited child-like tone, "Plus, I hear the Black Knights got some super cool Knightmares of their own!"
"Sooner than you think, Knight."
Suzaku, Lloyd, Cecile, and the Knights turned to see a quartet of Decepticons walk in. Though the Knights looked astounded, or in Gino's case, widely grinning, even Anya stopped typing as her mouth hung open slightly and her eyes wavered. Suzaku stood straight once he saw Starscream give the remark, with Thundercracker and Skywarp as they walked into the bay. However…
Suzaku's pupils shrunk once he saw the smirking Airachnid with them.
She noticed his presence as well, "Hello, Suzaku. Did you miss me?"
"Airachnid!" Suzaku was about to run to his Lancelot when he heard Starscream call him.
"Stand down, Kururugi!" the Decepticon First Lieutenant exclaimed, "Airachnid is with us!"
"What?! You can't be serious!"
"We're very serious," Thundercracker stated.
Nonette placed her hand on Suzaku's shoulder, "I'm assuming you two know each other?"
"She massacred countless innocent people in the ghettos!" Suzaku exclaimed, "She skinned them alive, dismembered them, and even attacked Britannian soldiers!"
Though this surprised many, Lloyd still had an intrigued smile, "Ah ha, so you're the boogeyman of the ghettos or boogeywoman in your case. You seem part of a unique breed of Transformers with such spider-like abilities."
Airachnid leaned close to Lloyd, "And you must be Lloyd Asplund, a Britannian earl having a habit of dismembering machinery."
"I wouldn't quite say that… but I do like to tinker," Lloyd said.
"Tell me, have you ever 'tinkered' with a human? I've always taken a personal enjoyment from ripping people limb from limb. You could probably replace them with cyborg appendages if you want. I might even give a personal demonstration."
Lloyd gulped as he nervously took a few steps back, "I'll have to take a pass on that."
Cecile also looked more than a little nervous as Monica stepped protectively in front of her. Even Gino's smile faded at the sight of Airachnid's demeanor. She reminded them both of a rather blood-thirsty 'vampiric' colleague whom neither of them liked.
Airachnid looked at the humans she did not recognize.
"So, these are the mighty Knights of the Round," she remarked before glancing at their Knightmares, "And these are your Knightmares. Hmm, I've seen better."
She wasn't all that impressed even as she walked toward the Lancelot, "At the very least, they have variety, much like this one…"
She purposely dragged her claws along the chest of the Lancelot, causing a screeching metal sound that made even Gino wince and Nonette cover her ears slightly. Even Lloyd's eyebrow twitched slightly at the sight of his precious Lancelot openly defiled.
"Why are you here, Airachnid?" Suzaku glared.
"Isn't it obvious, Suzaku?" Airachnid asked as she walked to him while he was still on the catwalk, "We're on the same side now. I've rejoined the Decepticons."
"Thought you weren't interested," his eyes narrowed even further.
Airachnid shrugged, "Changed my mind. Listen, you want to blame someone for that? How about a certain Autobot and her Black Knight pet who destroyed my ship and skinned my knee? Especially that pilot in the red Knightmare that gave me this."
Airachnid pointed to a vertical scar underneath her right eye when the Guren cut her with its knife, "I mean to pay them back in kind, both of them. That gives us a common enemy, doesn't it?"
Suzaku didn't offer any response but continued to glare. The tension between these two was so thick that it would take a Knightmare's MVS to cut it.
However, Gino coughed loudly, breaking the tension, "So, what's going on? You guys here for a reason?"
"Yes, we have a mission for the present Knights of the Round," Starscream said, getting everyone's attention, "Thundercracker, Skywarp, Airachnid, and myself are departing for the land you call Australia. The four of you Knights will accompany us. It is neutral territory, so there is no need to worry about diplomacy."
"Viceroy Cornelia will be joining us upon her insistence," Thundercracker added.
"Ooh, Australia," Gino seemed interested, "The only nation not with any superpower. Heard it's got nice beaches."
"Work first, Gino. Play later," Monica told him.
"What's the mission, exactly?" Nonette asked.
"To locate an old Cybertronian ship and bring back something that it's been carrying," Skywarp said.
"Ooh, more Cybertronian technology. Goody!" Lloyd seemed excited, "I missed out on that whole Polarity Gauntlet thing."
"What are we bringing back, exactly?" Suzaku asked in a suspicious tone.
"That information is need-to-know. You don't right now," Airachnid replied, "Especially you, considering you're not joining us, Suzaku."
"What?!" Suzaku exclaimed as he and everyone else looked in surprise.
"Is there a reason you don't want Suzaku to assist?" Cecile questioned.
"Given his track record against the Autobots and the Black Knights, and his inability to kill his enemies, he may be more of a liability than an asset," Starscream sneered, earning a glare from Suzaku.
"So, the Black Knights and the Autobots are gonna show up?!" Gino asked in an excited and hopeful tone.
"We have no confirmation, but it is likely," Thundercracker said, "And it'll give us a chance to see what the Knights of the Round can do against the Autobots."
"Hmmm... makes sense," Anya seemed alright with it, being as emotionless as ever.
"So, get in your Knightmares, you so-called Knights. We're moving out," Starscream ordered.
"If you say so," Nonette narrowed her eyes as she and Anya walked off the catwalk to join Gino and Monica in readying their respective Knightmares.
Skywarp noticed the look of frustration on Suzaku's face, "Kid, you got a problem with it? Take it up with the big boss. It was his decision, not ours."
' Believe me, I will!' Suzaku thought to himself as he was already on his way out the door, but not before catching one final look at Airachnid, merely smirking in his direction, causing him to scowl even further as he left.
Ohgi's Residence
Kaname Ohgi walked back into his house when he heard a familiar voice call to him.
"Welcome back."
"Thanks," Ohgi stuttered a bit, still not used to having a Britannian Pureblood in his house, even if she did have amnesia.
After Zero and Optimus permitted Ohgi to watch over her, they gave her some anesthetics so she would fall asleep as they transported her out of the Ark and to Ohgi's place. She seemed to recover well though she still suffered from permanent scars and lacerations on her back.
"Good timing, the meal's almost ready," the amnesiac Villetta returned to her work at the pot.
"Meal?" Ohgi asked, "You mean… did you go shopping somewhere?"
"No, I just used what you had around," she replied, "Some people here are afraid of Britannians, plus I've heard all these things about giant robots everywhere, so…"
"Well, I wouldn't say they're everywhere. But yeah… probably best to stay indoors for now," Ohgi commented, "So, have you been able to remember anything yet?"
"Sorry, nothing at all yet," her smile faded slightly.
"That's okay," Ohgi said as he went into his room and looked at the recordings from the cameras he hid all over his house via his computer. Though he wasn't the kind of person to take advantage of someone with amnesia, he wasn't naïve enough to think she might try and trick him. So far, they showed that she hadn't done anything suspicious.
"Don't push it. You're still healing. It's alright if it takes time to remember."
That, of course, left a bit of a question in Ohgi's head. If, and when, she regains her memories, what will he do with her?
"Okay, it's ready!" she called to him, "I sure hope you like it!"
Despite the odd situation, Ohgi couldn't help but smile a bit.
Australia
The outback of the independent nation seemed more-or-less a desert only inhabited by wildlife with no human civilization in sight. Therefore, nobody would notice the Groundbridge portal opening up as Starscream, Airachnid, Thundercracker, and Skywarp walk out along with Cornelia's Gloucester and the four Knights of the Round in their respective Knightmares.
"Ugh… I don't feel so good," Gino commented, holding his stomach.
"Well, it sucks to be a meat bag, then," Skywarp smirked.
"Are you here to bicker, or are you here to guide?" Airachnid questioned the group.
"I will reveal the exact location of the Harbinger when you tell me exactly what we're looking for," Starscream stated.
"Just like I told Suzaku, that information is need-to-know, and you don't right now. None of you do, in fact," Airachnid said, resulting in glares from nearly everyone present.
"Watch your tongue, Decepticon," Cornelia glared, "I am Second Princess Cornelia Li Britannia! One of Britannia's top pilots! I am not like a lowly grunt."
"If you're such a top pilot, how come you're not a Knight of the Round?" Airachnid questioned.
"There's a rule that says members of the royal family cannot also become a Knight of the Round," Anya commented from within the massive Mordred.
"Oh?" Thundercracker mused, "If I recall, wasn't one of the Emperor's consorts also a Knight of the Round? What was her name again? Oh right, Marianne Vi Britannia. She was the Knight of Two if I recall."
"Yeah. Well, the Emperor changed it after she died," Gino pointed out.
"Guess that means the supposed 'Goddess of Victory' isn't good enough," Skywarp mocked, resulting in Cornelia growling.
"Goddess of Victory? Where'd you earn that title?" Airachnid taunted as well, "Superiority complex much?"
Suddenly, the Viceroy's Gloucester had pointed its lance at Airachnid's face, "Do not test me, Airachnid! I've laid waste to entire legions of enemies! I brought entire nations to their knees for the empire's sake! I am not to be mocked by machines of your kind!"
"You snuffed out entire nations?" Airachnid mused with feigned surprise and amazement.
"Without even a hint of mercy," Cornelia added.
"Oh? Even Optimus showed you mercy during your little duel in Saitama," Airachnid reminded Cornelia, causing her to grit her teeth even more, "In fact, if I recall correctly, you haven't had one single victory since coming to Japan, haven't you? Though you're no winner, you left somewhat needless destruction in your wake, including your precious Glaston Knights. So, I think a more appropriate title for you would be the Goddess of Mud-Rotten Carcasses."
"Oooooh! Burn!" Skywarp mocked, and even Gino chuckled a bit as Starscream smirked while Nonette and Monica glared at the multi-legged Decepticon.
"I've heard enough!" Cornelia was ready to shoot Airachnid where she stood, but Nonette's Galeschin had come between them to stop a potential quarrel.
"Stop it! We are not enemies!" Nonette said in a very stern tone, "Cornelia, you need to take it easy. Don't let your temper get out of control. And Airachnid, you would do well not to push any of our buttons, or else there will be trouble."
Both of them slightly retreated. Though Cornelia wouldn't admit it, Nonette was one of the few people she regarded as something of a senior and knew better than to question her when she was serious. Airachnid stood down, though the Knight of Nine's tone annoyed her.
"Ahem!" Thundercracker cleared his throat, "The mission?"
Starscream got back on track, "The wreckage lies beneath where we stand. I will need to find a point of entry."
Before anyone could find the said point of entry, Airachnid's lower body converted into a drill as she began to dig straight down, much to everyone's surprise.
"Whoa! She can dig underground?!" Gino voiced, clearly amazed.
"Some spiders are known for dwelling underground," Anya pointed out.
"Show off," Starscream muttered before turning to everyone else, "Airachnid and I will retrieve the item we seek. The rest of you will wait out here and stand guard in case the enemy arrives."
"Makes sense," Monica nodded.
"Sure thing," Skywarp seemed to agree.
Before Starscream could proceed down the hole, Cornelia's Gloucester rolled in, "I'm coming as well."
"I do not recall giving you permission to do so," Starscream glared.
"If I recall correctly, Megatron said you and I bear equal rank. So, I don't need your permission," Cornelia commented as she drove her Knightmare into the hole, splitting its legs like a split kick as she used the wheels on her mech's feet to slow her descent.
Starscream merely sighed in annoyance as he proceeded to climb down himself.
Airachnid and Cornelia proceeded down the halls of the ruined Decepticon vessel, with Starscream casually walking behind them. As Airachnid used her spider legs to crawl on the ceiling, Cornelia turned on her Knightmare's headlights to provide some form of illumination as she looked around.
' So, this is a Cybertronian vessel. Hmm, I expected more.'
"Suit yourselves. Years ago, I thoroughly searched this husk," Starscream said.
The Seeker's leader glimpsed to see Airachnid activating an old console, "What are you doing?!"
"Accessing the cargo manifest," Airachnid answered, "Or didn't you think to do that during your thorough search?"
"Idiot," Starscream glared, "The ship systems haven't activated for eons. The Autobots and the Black Knights could detect its energy signature!"
"Let them come!" Cornelia stated, "I'm not afraid to fight, unlike you."
Before they could even argue, Airachnid found what they needed, "Ah, here it is. Section 23."
The Ark
Just as Starscream predicted, the Autobots got to detect the active energy signature as both Ratchet and Fixit noticed the new signal on the bridge's primary console.
"Optimus, Lelouch, our scanners have detected a Decepticon energy profile," Ratchet got their attention, "But it's ancient."
"The past has a way of catching up with the present, Ratchet," Optimus commented.
"Should I contact the other Black Knights?" Fixit asked.
"Negative," Lelouch countered, "All the Autobots are present, along with Rai and Kallen. If this is another Decepticon weapon, we'll need to hurry, and we need the best for this mission."
Australia
Thundercracker sat casually on a large rock, with Skywarp pacing around the area. At the same time, the Tristan, Mordred, Florence, and Galeschin stood straight while the pilots inside casually waited for something to happen.
Gino gave a loud yawn that echoed from his Knightmare's speakers, "Man, I am bored."
"That makes two of us," Skywarp commented.
"What'd you expect? Us playing volleyball or basketrek to pass the time or something?" Thundercracker questioned in obvious sarcasm.
"I just want something to do, that's all," Gino said, "I hate doing nothing."
"We have our orders to wait," Monica said, "So, we'll wait."
"You think the Autobots and Black Knights are showing up? I really wanna fight them!" Gino hoped.
"Given the record number of Autobot-Black-Knight interference in military operations, the odds seem rather likely," Anya said as she was glued to her cell phone once more, even inside her Knightmare.
"And we should take them seriously," Nonette said, "They've completely demolished both the Purebloods and the Glaston Knights. People are taking notice all over the world. There's a rise in resistance and rebellion in other Areas, not just Area 11."
Skywarp snickered, "Sucks to be you guys."
However, before that could erupt into an argument, a Groundbridge portal opened up, and the Autobots all ran out guns blazing, along with the Guren MK II, the Gekka Pre-Production, and even Zero's Burai. The surprise and rapid Energon blasts forced the Knights of the Round and Seekers to scatter to avoid getting damaged.
"Autobots! And the Black Knights!" Thundercracker exclaimed.
"About damn time! Now we're talking!" Gino exclaimed with joy.
"Optimus, Bumblebee, and Arcee with me!" Zero ordered as he joined the firefight with the Burai's rifle, "Everyone else takes care of the enemy here!"
Zero rolled his Burai as Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Arcee all transformed into their respective vehicle modes and followed him closer to the signal they were detecting.
"So that's Zero, huh? I got him!" Gino rolled his Tristan in pursuit, only for the Knightmare to get derailed and knocked to the side by Cliffjumper in his vehicle mode before he transformed and blocked his path.
"Sorry, Knight-boy. You gotta go through me first!" Cliffjumper stated with a grin.
Gino's grin hadn't faded, "If you say so, Mr. Autobot!"
He rolled his Tristan straight at Cliffjumper as the two clashed.
Thundercracker hovered in the air along with Skywarp as they opened fire with Energon blasts at Ironhide and Wheeljack. But the two quickly maneuvered around them as Ironhide retaliated with his cannon blasts, forcing the jets to separate while Wheeljack jumped as Ironhide kept them distracted. The Wrecker grabbed Skywarp's feet and pulled him out of the air to slam him onto the ground. It distracted Thundercracker long enough for Ironhide to blast him out of the sky and crash hard.
Bulkhead meanwhile charged forward with his mace straight at the Mordred. However, the bulky Knightmare lifted both hands and quickly caught Bulkhead's weapon, much to the Autobot's surprise. And even more so as the massive shoulder armaments opened up and fired two powerful blasts that sent Bulkhead reeling back across the ground.
"Two shoulder-mounted VARIS weapons," Anya observed, "Powerful, yet not deadly enough for an Autobot."
Bulkhead pushed himself back on his feet as he rubbed some spilled Energon from his mouth, 'Hard to believe a kid's piloting that thing. She'd make a pretty decent Wrecker.'
Bulkhead quickly brought both his Energon blasters up just as the Mordred fired its VARIS-shoulder weapons again, right as Bulkhead blasted two powerful Energon blasts. They collided, creating a powerful explosion that seemed to rock the whole area. Anya's eyes widened as she saw Bulkhead quickly run through the smoke to leap and tackle her Knightmare to the ground.
"Hate to do this to ya, kid, but I'm gonna have to knock you out for a while!" Bulkhead lifted his mace weapon, attempting to smash the Knightmare's head and immobilize it while not killing the preteen inside.
However, she shot both the Mordred's fists up into Bulkhead's face and knocked him up slightly before the Mordred let a series of proximity missiles loose, forcing Bulkhead to cover himself as the blasts knocked him back slightly, though he remained on his feet.
Meanwhile, the Gekka charged at the Galeschin and clashed its rotating katana against the opposing MVS blade. They locked for a moment before Rai lashed out his Gekka's Surger claw, only for the Galeschin to jump into the air and flip over to land behind the blue Gekka and lash out an MVS strike. Rai instinctively turned his Knightmare around and blocked the strike with an activated Surger Claw. The opposing energy melted the sword, forcing Nonette to roll her Knightmare back as it drew its own VARIS rifle to open fire, which Rai blocked again using an activated Surger claw that kept the blast back. Though he struggled to do so, he moved aside to let the projectile go past him. That projectile blew up a large chunk of the ground.
' Can't believe I'm going toe-to-toe with a Knight of the Round,' he smiled almost humbly, 'Guess all that experience fighting Decepticons has paid off.'
He shot his Gekka forward, slashing with his katana and Surger Claw, forcing Nonette on the defensive.
The Knight of Nine smirked herself, 'I can see it's not just the Autobots that are a threat. The Black Knights got plenty of talent of their own. Whoever this pilot is, he's good.'
Meanwhile, Kallen roared as she shot her Guren straight at the incoming Florence. She lashed out her Radiant Wave Surger claw, only for Monica to block it with an x-formation of her Florence's retractable MVS shoulder blades. They struggled against each other until the Knight of Twelve forced her Knightmare forward, forcing Kallen back as she brought out her Guren's knife and lashed it out, but the Florence ducked and tried to sweep its feet, only for the Guren to jump over and above and lash out with her Surger claw again. The Florence batted it away before trying to move her Knightmare back and fire a pair of waist-mounted Slash Harkens, only for Kallen to slash at one with her knife and barely dodge the second.
At the same time, Cliffjumper opened fire with his Energon blasts at the incoming Tristan, but Gino proved fast enough in his Knightmare to dodge each of them as the Tristan drew both its MVS blades and slashed at Cliffjumper, who ducked and dodged each swipe before sweeping his feet to knock it down. He focused his Energon blaster on the Knightmare's head, but Gino quickly sliced upward with the right MVS to knock the red Autobot back, allowing it to stand up.
"Gotta say, that's the first time somebody's knocked me off my feet!" Gino commented with a grin, "Fighting you Autobots is an absolute blast!"
He fired a slash harken from his Knightmare's right arm, which Cliffjumper dodged and avoided.
"Same goes for you!" Cliffjumper grinned, "Most of the Britannians I've been fighting act like something crawled up their tailpipe and died."
He charged directly at the Tristan, who tried to slash downward with its MVS blades, only for the Autobot to catch the Knightmare by its arms, "About time someone knows how to have some fun around here!"
He headbutted the Tristan to disorient its pilot before grabbing it by its right arm and hauling it over his shoulder for a throw.
"Tell me about it," Gino commented as he flipped his Knightmare to land on its feet, "Hanging around with a bunch of stiffs is kinda lame. Even a few of my pals in the Knights of the Round are hard to talk to."
Cliffjumper maintained his smirk as he clashed with the Tristan once more. It seemed like this Gino was pretty decent. He still knew he had to take him down, but that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun with him.
At the same time, Airachnid proceeded through the tunnels of the Harbinger with Starscream and Cornelia's Gloucester right behind her, the trio oblivious to the battle occurring outside.
She turned a corner, "Section 23 should be right about…. here?"
She came to a stop as the only thing in front of her was a dead-end of solid rock, "The ship just ends. It must have broken in half during the crash."
Starscream scoffed, "Or in the air. If you performed actual research, you would have learned that an Autobot battalion shot the Harbinger out of the sky."
"You knew this was only part of the ship?" Cornelia questioned, clearly unamused by Starscream's lack of communication.
"How far away is the other half?!" Airachnid demanded.
"I'm afraid that information is… need-to-know," Starscream mocked both of them.
Cornelia and Airachnid growled, but not even the former could contain a surprised expression as the latter shot out some of her webbings to ensnare Starscream and knock him onto the ground.
"What are you…?!"
"You're trying to make me look like a fool before Megatron!" Airachnid accused, "Have me return empty-handed while you locate the weapon yourself!"
"How dare you accuse me!" Starscream exclaimed, "You're nothing but a scavenger! An opportunist!"
"Aren't you one to talk!" Airachnid commented as she leaned closer toward Starscream in a predatory fashion.
Cornelia said nothing as she only observed with a smirk, finding it quite amusing to see the Decepticons bicker amongst themselves, especially the two that drove her up the wall the most.
"Perhaps. But I've changed," Starscream said in a calming yet somewhat deceptive tone, "Seen the error of my ways. I live to serve Megatron now."
"You won't live to serve anyone if you don't tell me where to find the rest of this ship. Now!" Airachnid demanded.
The Seeker commander sighed in annoyance, "Twenty kilometers north of here through a stone arch."
"Thank you," Airachnid stood back up.
"Good, now we can…"
Before Cornelia could move, her Gloucester got suddenly entangled with webbing to the ship's walls. Airachnid wasted no time using her spider legs to sever the hands and feet of the Knightmare and even a slice at the Gloucester's neck to sever its communications.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Cornelia exclaimed, mildly surprising even Starscream.
"You know Cornelia, there has been something I've been meaning to ask you," Airachnid mused, "The motto of Britannia is survival of the fittest, right? As in, the strong survive and the weak die, correct?"
"What of it?" Cornelia narrowed her eyes.
"Why is little Euphemia still around?" Airachnid asked with an amused smirk.
"What?!" Cornelia questioned.
"I did a little research on the Britannian Royal Family, seeing how we're supposed to be working together and all," the spider-con began, "Typically, anyone who isn't a warrior like yourself is usually a strategist or a skillful politician. As it turns out, little Euphemia doesn't fall under any of those categories. It makes me wonder why you're even keeping her around. A better question is, why is dead old daddy keeping her around?"
"It's none of your damn business!" Cornelia glared at the spider-Con that so much as mentioned her younger sister's name.
"If she's as weak as I've heard, why hasn't your precious Emperor thrown her to the curb?" Airachnid taunted, "After all, it's not the first time he's done it. What were their names again? Oh right. Lelouch and Nunnally."
Cornelia's eyes widened as she didn't even come up with a response as Airachnid continued.
"Their mommy died, so their father threw them to the hounds and killed them. Isn't that right?"
"No! The Elevens were responsible for their deaths!"
"I don't think so," Airachnid countered, "The truth is that their lives weren't in danger until Japan got invaded. And who was it that invaded Japan again? Oh, right. It was you. It was Britannia. Seeing how Charles had no qualms over killing his son and daughter like that makes me wonder why he hasn't done the same to useless Euphie."
"If you so much as lay a finger on her…" Cornelia gritted her teeth so much it was a wonder they didn't crack.
"I'm not saying I would do anything," Airachnid replied, "I'm only asking what you would do if daddy tried to kill Euphie like how he killed Lelouch and Nunnally? Would you protect her and betray the empire? Or would you kill her yourself to further cement your position as the 'pride of Britannia'?"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Cornelia tried to move her Knightmare, but it was immobile without its landspinners.
"Ahem!" Starscream got Airachnid's attention, "As entertaining as this is, we have a mission to accomplish. So, release me!"
Airachnid walked away before turning to the immobilized pair with a smirk, "When I have the weapon in hand if I can find my way back without my guide. Oh, and Cornelia, seeing how your Knightmare malfunctioned and you found yourself stranded on this foreign land, I'll take my dearest pleasantries with little Euphie in your stead."
Her eyes shook with a blind rage as Cornelia tried to kick her cockpit open, but with the back of it stuck against the wall, it was almost impossible, so she tried to cut her way out with her sword.
"This is not funny, Airachnid!" Starscream called her out as she walked away, "Come back here right now and cut me loose! Airachnid! That is an order! I am your commanding officer!"
She chuckled as she turned the corner, only to gasp as she spotted Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Zero's Burai, the latter in particular.
"Airachnid!" Arcee exclaimed.
"Surrender!" Optimus ordered.
Airachnid growled as she produced her spider legs and ran back the way she came with the Autobot trio and Zero in close pursuit.
"Airachnid! You traitor!" Starscream exclaimed as she scurried over him and drilled herself back to the surface through the rock wall on the other side, leaving him and Cornelia's Gloucester with Optimus, Bumblebee, and Zero as Arcee proceeded to climb through the tunnel in pursuit of her nemesis.
"Arcee! Wait!" Optimus tried to call her.
Zero immediately contacted the others, "All units! Arcee is in pursuit of Airachnid! Assist immediately!"
" I'm on my way!" Kallen responded.
"[Hey Zero,]" Bumblebee got his attention as the Autobot scout pried the webbed and immobile Gloucester from the wall and pulled open its cockpit to pull out Cornelia in his hand, "[Look who's here.]"
Lelouch's eyes widened as he saw his struggling sister in Bumblebee's grip, 'Cornelia!'
Arcee had made it to the surface not far from the rest of the fighting while hearing noises and Energon fire in the distance. But that wasn't her concern right now. She aimed her Energon blaster but didn't see that her enemy had vanished.
However, the ground under her exploded outward, knocking Arcee back as she turned to see Airachnid greeting her, "Arcee."
"I didn't peg you for re-siding with the Decepticons," Arcee commented as she charged her nemesis.
"A temporary arrangement, Arcee. You know I prefer working alone," Airachnid replied.
The female Decepticon dodged a punch and a flying kick from Arcee, only for Airachnid to grab Arcee's leg with her spider legs and slam her to the ground before throwing her away. But Arcee flipped mid-air and landed on her feet before charging at Airachnid with her arm blades.
However, as Arcee slashed her blade, Airachnid dodged it and placed Arcee in a neck lock, "Speaking of, add any more deceased partners to your list?"
As she taunted, Airachnid was knocked off with a kick to her back, forcing her to let go of Arcee. As Airachnid recovered, she saw her assailant: the Guren.
"Here's one, Spider-bitch!" Kallen exclaimed with a glare.
Airachnid glared slightly, "As much as I'd love to have another play-date with you, Kallen, I'm afraid I don't quite have the time."
She transformed into helicopter mode and flew away with Arcee and the Guren in close pursuit, the former trying to shoot her down.
Airachnid flew over the area where the remaining Seekers and the four Knights of the Round were duking it out with the Autobots and the single Gekka Pre-Production.
"Soundwave, I need a Groundbridge. Twenty kilometers north of my current position," she transformed and landed on the ground as a Groundbridge portal opened, "Come on, everyone! It's time to go!"
"Where's Cornelia?!" Nonette exclaimed.
"Forget her and let's go!" Skywarp stated as he ran to grab the Galeschin by its arm and pull it into the Groundbridge. Thundercracker, Airachnid, and the remaining Knights followed suit. The portal closed right as Arcee and the Guren regrouped with their comrades.
"Did we just send the Knights of the Round running?" Rai asked, "Awesome!"
"Doubt it," Ironhide grimaced, "They probably got what they needed."
"Too bad, that was kinda fun," Cliffjumper said.
"I hear you, Cliff. It's about time Britannia gave us a real challenge," Wheeljack shared a fist bump with the red Autobot.
Kallen shook her head with a smirk as she spared a glance in Arcee's direction, "Hey, you okay, Arcee?"
"No, not until she perishes," Arcee snarled.
The redhead girl looked with concern, "Arcee, you know that I would personally love to put that bitch in her place, but we can't let our emotions cloud our judgment, right?"
"That's kinda ironic coming from you," Cliffjumper said, resulting in Kallen glaring, to which he didn't notice as it was inside her Knightmare, but he turned to Arcee with his serious expression, "But she's right. Revenge isn't bringing back who we lost. You know that."
Arcee merely looked away without any response.
"[Move it!]"
They all turned their attention to see Bumblebee, Optimus, and Zero escorting Starscream and Cornelia, especially remaining in Bumblebee's grip.
"No need to use force!" Starscream stated, still ensnared in Airachnid's webbing, as his captors forced him to his knees.
"Starscream and…" Bulkhead glanced at the Britannian princess in Bumblebee's hand, "Is that Cornelia?!"
"No way, we captured Cornelia?!" Rai exclaimed as even Kallen was stunned.
Cornelia growled at the enemy, "If you think I've accepted this…"
"You don't have a choice, considering your current predicament," Zero reminded, unable to contain his smirk from within his Knightmare.
He finally captured Cornelia, and he'll get answers!
"I'll tell you anything you want to know," Starscream said to the Autobots and Black Knights around him.
"Is that right? Anything in return, Starscream?" Ironhide glared, knowing just how deceptive their prisoner was.
"I want to be on your side," Starscream revealed.
Rai and Kallen were surprised as most of the other Autobots narrowed their eyes untrustingly toward Starscream, though Optimus remained serious, as did Lelouch.
"On our side?!" Bulkhead laughed, "Yeah, right, and I've been lobbing with The Fallen!"
"You wouldn't betray the Decepticons," Zero told him.
"Wouldn't I?!" Starscream questioned, "What have they done for me lately besides humiliate, spy, and demote me? How often do you think Megatron would try extinguishing my spark in cold blood? He is replacing me with that treacherous wretch Airachnid! She abandoned me! Even my Seekers did the same, leaving me for scrap! So why not rat them out?"
While the others suspiciously eyed the Seeker, Wheeljack looked towards Cornelia, "What about you, princess? Your little Knights of the Round abandoned you too? I think that's cause for some payback, right?"
"If you think for one moment that I would betray Britannia, you are sorely mistaken, Autobot!" Cornelia exclaimed, "Unlike this back-stabbing snake, my loyalty will never shake!"
Lelouch narrowed his eyes but offered no response.
"Zero? What do you think?" Kallen asked from her Guren.
He was silent for a minute before looking at Optimus. Though the Autobot leader couldn't see his face, he knew Lelouch was looking at him.
He nodded, knowing his intentions, "Bumblebee, Guren, Gekka, watch our prisoners. The rest of you, we'll discuss this."
Zero slowly rolled his Burai away to meet up with Optimus and the others while Bumblebee kept his grim firm on Cornelia as the Guren and Gekka both rolled toward Starscream, with the latter bringing its katana underneath Starscream's chin and the former keeping its Radiant Wave Surger claw only a few inches away from the back of Starscream's head.
Lelouch put his mask back on as he opened his Knightmare's cockpit to speak with the Autobots around him, "Well? What do the rest of you suggest?"
"No!" Ironhide stated, "I can't tell you how many times Starscream's tried the same thing to Megatron countless times and is doing the same to us!"
"But he was also telling the truth about the number of times Megatron tried to scrap him," Arcee added.
"You're not saying you trust Starscream?" Bulkhead asked.
"Never, not in a million years, but this may be the one time or objectives align," Arcee said.
"The Decepticon first lieutenant has to know all sorts of juicy information," Cliffjumper added, "And considering his soldiers abandoned him, I wouldn't at least say he's itching for payback."
"What about Cornelia? She knows quite a bit too, right?" Wheeljack asked, "But I don't think she'd be willing to talk to us. She doesn't seem like the back-stabbing type."
"Leave her to me, I can get her to talk," Zero said.
The Autobots, and even Optimus, knew what Lelouch was talking about. Given Cornelia's current status, it would make sense for him to use his Geass on her.
"Think maybe your Geass is strong enough to use on Cybertronians yet?" Ironhide asked, "At least that way, we'll know if Starscream is telling the truth."
"No, it's not strong enough," Zero shook his head, "But like Cliffjumper and Arcee have said, our objectives with Starscream align and he should have information that could prove to be invaluable to us."
"Bulkhead, Ironhide, you two are right to be wary," Optimus acknowledged, "But I agree with Zero and the others."
The aforementioned Autobots glanced at each other. They knew their comrades made valued points and they trusted Optimus' judgment, it didn't mean they'd be willing to let their guard down around Starscream.
Twenty kilometers north of the Autobots and Black Knights' position, a single Groundbridge portal opened up, allowing Airachnid, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the four Knights of the Round in their respective Knightmares to arrive at their destination: the remains of the Harbinger. It seemed embedded in the rocks within a large canyon, the back of its outer haul partially visible.
"Ah, there it is," Airachnid smirked.
"Whoa… an alien starship. That is so cool!" Gino exclaimed with a grin.
"What about Cornelia or Starscream? We just left them there!" Monica stated.
"Oh well, tough break for them," Skywarp shrugged.
"You would abandon one of your own?!" Nonette exclaimed in shock.
"What do you expect? If they can't keep up, they get left behind," Thundercracker stated, "That's logical, right?"
"It does make sense," Anya admitted.
However, Gino's smile faded as he honestly stared at the two, "Whoa… that's a little cold, don't you think?"
"It's reality. And it's how your empire operates, right?" Airachnid reminded.
"What are you talking about?" Gino narrowed his eyes.
"Your emperor said it himself," Airachnid began, "Evolution is continuous. Only the strong survive. But here's the thing, Britannia is not the exception. It should apply to you too. After all, that happened to Lelouch, Nunnally, and Clovis, right? They were weak and thus perished. Even their dear daddy didn't shed a tear. Perhaps the same could be said for Cornelia if she died too."
"What…?!" Monica was already becoming quite angry with Airachnid, with Nonette and even Gino not far behind, though Anya remained as emotionless as ever.
"But I don't think the Autobots and their little friends are going to put her to death," Airachnid continued, "After all, they're the Knights for Justice and Freedom, so if you rescue her, you could use that to further your status and gain even more power than you already have. A win-win situation if you ask me, though..."
Nonette brought her Knightmare's MVS to Airachnid's neck, momentarily silencing her. That made Skywarp and Thundercracker aim their arm blasters at the white and blue Knightmare. The Tristan and Florence brought their bladed weapons to the two Seekers. Anya's Mordred readied its proximity missiles.
"Let me make something clear, Airachnid," the Knight of Nine glared at her, "I'm not in this for the glory. And contrary to what you might think, not everyone in Britannia is a ruthless killer like you! If I could save Cornelia, I'll take it regardless of your words. And, if you do anything to threaten her, Euphemia, or anyone else, I will kill you. Am I clear?"
Airachnid glared as she used her fingers to bring down the blade from her neck, "Crystal."
The Galeschin lowered its weapons, prompting Thundercracker and Skywarp to do the same, followed by the other Knights of the Round.
"Now, wait here while I go retrieve the weapon."
"By yourself?" the Knight of Twelve narrowed her eyes.
"Unless your Knightmares can traverse a derelict and structurally unstable warship, I suggest you stay back," Airachnid advised, "Which is even more crucial if our enemies happen to catch up to us."
Nobody offered her a reply as they watched Airachnid use her spider legs to traverse up the vertical incline of the ruins of the Harbinger. The Knights of the Round couldn't help but glare at the devious female Decepticon.
' Hmph, never thought there was someone I hated more than Luciano,' Gino thought.
Airachnid seemed to traverse through the dusty insides of the Harbinger with little issue, making it into Section 23, where she tore open a storage compartment to find what she needed.
"Be still, my beating spark," she pulled out a rod-like device with a trident-like attachment at the end that began to spin around as it emanated a light-blue energy vortex from its tip.
The Autobots, in their vehicle modes, along with Optimus carrying a trailer behind his truck mode, drove along with the Guren, Gekka, and Burai, piloted respectively by Kallen, Rai, and Zero, to their intended destination. They all stopped just before the large stone arch that Starscream described, before the Autobots, minus Bumblebee, all transformed back to their robot modes.
"Looks like he was telling the truth," Kallen noticed.
"Don't let your guard down. It could still be a trap," Arcee advised.
"Starscream's loyalty to Megatron has always been questionable," Optimus commented as he left the trailer behind upon transforming.
"From your descriptions, however, the only one he appears to be truly loyal toward is himself," Zero replied.
"Ironic, considering most of his schemes end up backfiring in his face most explosively," Cliffjumper added.
"Talk about being your own worst enemy," Rai commented.
"But that doesn't mean he's not dangerous," Ironhide said, "In fact, his insecurities are what make him unpredictable, which might arguably make him more dangerous than Megatron."
"That has to be an exaggeration, right?" Kallen asked, "We've all seen Megatron, and that guy is freaking huge! Starscream looks way too slim for such a rank."
"Screamy might not be a gladiator, but he'll stab you in the back the first chance he gets," Bulkhead said.
"If Starscream's tried to back-stab Megatron multiple times, why does he keep him around?" Rai asked.
"I have to agree," Zero said, "If Starscream is in our ranks, I'd have him removed after the first attempted coup."
Wheeljack shrugged, "Don't know, maybe a stress reliever? I mean, beating him up is kinda fun."
"What's the old saying? Keep your friends close but your enemies closer?" Bulkhead mused.
"What do you think, Optimus?" Zero asked.
"As you all have stated, the only one Starscream truly serves is himself," Optimus began, "If he has truly split from the Decepticons, his knowledge of their agendas could make him a valuable ally."
"You're not suggesting that he'd join us? Right?" Rai questioned, "A sleezebag like him?!"
"I gotta agree with the kid, Optimus," Ironhide agreed, "If we keep Starscream around, it's only gonna do more harm than good."
"I understand how many of you feel," Optimus replied, "And I agree that it is improbable that Starscream or any other Decepticon would choose the path of good, even if they possess the potential for change."
"Even bot-killers? Even Airachnid?!" Arcee exclaimed.
"Or Cornelia?! Or that goddamn Emperor?!" Kallen exclaimed as well.
"Without that hope, we may never achieve lasting peace," Optimus said.
Though he knew that there were indeed those incapable of change, there were also those that were. That had Lelouch think for a bit. There was a time when he and Cornelia were close, but after all that she did, the odds of them reforming any bond were unlikely.
"[Hey, speaking of which, can someone get her out of my trunk? She's putting up a fight,]" Bumblebee pointed out as his trunk began to shake slightly.
The Guren and Gekka deactivated as their pilots, wearing visors to hide their identities, lowered themselves from their Knightmares. Kallen and Rai walked to Bumblebee and opened his trunk to reveal Cornelia.
Duct tape wrapped the princess, whose wrists were tapped behind her back, her ankles tapped together, with more wrapping around her to bind her arms to her side. A single strap of it covered her mouth.
"Not so fun now that you're helpless, is it?" Kallen smirked as Cornelia glared and muffled a curse under her gag, even as she and Rai dragged her out of Bumblebee's trunk, allowing him to transform.
"About time we get our other guest out," Ironhide said as Bulkhead walked to and opened the trailer.
"Rise and shine, Screamy!" Bulkhead dragged Starscream out by his feet, hands cuffed in front of him with wings clamped back to prevent him from transforming. He grunted a bit as the Wrecker dragged him out.
"We're here. Where's the ship?" Arcee questioned.
Starscream looked at his surroundings before answering, "It's through the arch, among the stones."
Optimus looked back towards the arch for a brief moment before relaying instructions, "Ironhide, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, and Wheeljack; you're with me. Gekka-pilot, you as well."
"Got it," Rai nodded as he walked away from the bound Cornelia to climb back into his Knightmare.
"Zero, Arcee, Guren-pilot, remain with our prisoners."
"Understood," Zero said from inside his Knightmare as he reached down with the Burai's hand to grab the bound Cornelia, "I'm going to chat with her majesty. See that we're not disturbed."
Kallen nodded as she went back to the Guren.
As the other Autobots and the Gekka began to leave, Arcee tried to plead with her leader, "Optimus, please. For Tailgate."
Though Optimus did understand where she was coming from and knew her spark was in the right place, they had to be careful in this situation.
"Your desire to avenge Tailgate will only continue to cloud your judgment," he said before walking away.
Starscream ached a bit in pain, "Is the clamp necessary?"
That got Arcee and Kallen's attention, "I promise not to fly away. It's giving me a convulsion!"
"We can shove you back in the trailer if you want," Kallen told him, causing Starscream to grumble.
"It's just me and Cornelia in the trailer," Zero said as his Burai, Cornelia literally in hand, were already inside.
After the trailer door was closed behind, Cornelia was set down relatively gently in the far-right corner before the Burai knelt while keeping its lights on for illumination. It deactivated, allowing Zero to step out now that he was sure he could speak with Cornelia privately.
He slowly walked toward a glaring Cornelia. He reached forward and painfully ripped the tape from her mouth, causing her to grunt.
"It's about time we finally met face-to-face," Zero said.
"Zero… If you think for one second that I'm going to beg for mercy, forget it!" she exclaimed.
"No, you're not the type to beg, are you?" Zero acknowledged, "Not like Clovis, who begged for his own life. Even after he so callously ordered the death of countless innocent people! Which you tried to do in Saitama if only to lure me out. Guess this apple truly did not fall far from the tree."
"Who are you to judge me?!" Cornelia exclaimed, "A masked terrorist who claims to fight for justice?!"
"I don't claim to fight for anything! The cause I fight for is real! Which is more than I can say for yours!" Zero shook his head with a sigh, "It pains me to see just how far you've fallen. I truly did admire you."
"What? Are you some admirer of mine?" Cornelia questioned.
"No, but you and I were close…."
Zero took off his mask to reveal his face.
"…Dear sister."
Cornelia gasped as her eyes widened with absolute shock. Any anger on her face had morphed into complete and absolute surprise. "L… L… Lelouch…?!"
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Cornelia?" Lelouch glared at his elder half-sister.
Optimus led the group consisting of Bumblebee, Rai, Ironhide, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Cliffjumper through a narrow path in the canyon-like area. The Autobots had their Energon blasters ready, while Rai's Gekka already had its katana unsheathed.
"Be alert. Airachnid is known to attack from below ground," Optimus advised, "And we still know little of the Knights of the Round's battle strategies. They could attack us at any moment."
"Right," Bulkhead said as everyone else nodded.
They passed the rockiest area before arriving at an open one where they spotted the derelict Harbinger. Optimus raised his hand, causing them to stop before he motioned it again.
Rai, however, noticed some incoming dots on his Gekka's radar screen, "Incoming at three o'clock!"
The group dispersed to avoid multiple blasts shot at them.
The Autobots darted to see the Tristan, Galeschin, Florence, and Mordred all roll down the hillside, each blasting missiles or VARIS at the enemy, forcing the Autobots to find cover and return fire. But it wasn't just the four Knights of the Round on the attack. Skywarp and Thundercracker flew down in their jet modes and opened fire, while the Knights made contact with the ground and engaged the Autobots and the Gekka.
Meanwhile, Airachnid observed with a smirk, seeing this as a perfect opportunity to test her new weapon. She aimed and opened fire on Bulkhead as he knocked the Florence down with his mace. It fired a spiral-like beam, and once it hit Bulkhead, he instantly became frozen and unable to move.
Everyone, Autobot and Decepticon, Black Knight, or Britannian soldier, looked shocked at what happened as Airachnid brandished her new weapon.
"The Immobilizer. True to its name," she said before resuming her 'trial run'.
Meanwhile, back in the trailer, Lelouch's glaring face rendered Cornelia speechless.
"What? No 'hello'? No 'how have you been, Lelouch?' Honestly, I'm hurt!"
"Lelouch… I-I don't… how…" Cornelia stuttered, "How are you…?"
"Alive?" Lelouch questioned, "Do you mean when our father banished me, including Nunnally?! Since you abandoned us?!
The mention of her younger sister's name caught Cornelia's attention, "Nunnally…. i-is she…?"
"She's alive. And she's safe, far away from our father, and far away from you !"
"What…? Why would you want to protect her from me? I would never hurt…" Cornelia was still not over the shock.
"I used to think that," the vi Britannia sibling emphasized his anger, "I used to think that our big sister would always protect us until you weren't there. Until you stood by and watched as our father practically sentenced us to death! And even more despicable… the thought that you would betray our mother…!"
"What?! What does that mean? I would never betray your mother, Lelouch!" Cornelia's eyes widened with realization, "Is… is that why… is that why you're Zero?"
She glared at him, "Is that why you killed Clovis and betrayed your nation?! Your own family?!"
"Britannia betrayed us! Our father betrayed us; You betrayed us! Clovis ordered hundreds of people to die to conceal his schemes! He deserved what he got! Not just him! Countless innocent people are being killed and prejudiced against every day by Britannia! By our father! By you! How many people did you slaughter to get where you are now?!”
Cornelia wasn't sure how to respond, her mind still racing over the fact that not only were her brother and sister alive, but even Lelouch admitted that he'd turn against Britannia.
"I cannot be part of that same world you and that monster you call our father are creating! A world where the weak and helpless are just stepping stones for you! I'll destroy that world myself if I have to!"
"So, you've allied yourself with alien monstrosities…!"
"You have no room to talk! Considering your partnership with Megatron who is even worse than Charles Zi Britannia! Say what you will about me, but I won't let you speak a word of vanity regarding the Autobots, especially Optimus Prime! He's been more of a father to me than Charles ever was!"
"What…?" Cornelia couldn't fathom the idea of the same alien who bested her in battle being a father figure to her brother.
"I already lost one parent at your hands, Cornelia. I'll be damned if I let you take another from me!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about my mother, whose death you were responsible for!" Lelouch shouted in pure ire.
Cornelia's eyes widened, and she looked at Lelouch almost as if he had grown a second head, "You think that… that I would…Lelouch, I did not kill your mother…"
"I asked Clovis about it. His exact words were 'my brother Schneizel and my sister Cornelia, they can tell you'."
"I did not kill your mother, Lelouch! I had nothing but absolute respect for her! I would never even think about hurting her! The fact that you think I would, or that I would even harm Nunnally is nothing short of insulting!"
"It doesn't matter what you think. The truth cannot be hidden from me any longer," Lelouch glared as the Geass sigil manifested in his left eye.
"Starting now, you will tell me everything I want to know!"
The Geass sigil flew into Cornelia's eyes and rewrote her brainwave patterns, where a red ring formed in both her eyes. Her face become almost emotionless as she addressed her brother.
"Of course, what do you wish to know?"
"Did you kill my mother?" Lelouch glared.
"No, I did not," Cornelia revealed, much to Lelouch's surprise.
"Did you have anything to do with it?"
"No."
Lelouch looked in surprise once more, before his look faded into frustration, "What did Clovis mean then when he said you could tell me about it?"
"He was likely referring to my investigations on the incident."
That caught Lelouch off-guard, "You were investigating her murder? Why?"
"Because, as I said, I had nothing but respect for your mother. I would never think about laying a hand against her."
Though Lelouch was shocked by this revelation, he could still use this to get information from her, "Tell me everything you know about the incident."
"I found nothing in my investigation. Though I've theorized that it is likely someone from the royal family, aside from myself, Euphemia, Clovis, and Schneizel."
"Does that include the Emperor?"
"No, though I cannot see a reason why he would, I remain quite suspicious of him."
"Then why don't you do anything about it?"
"Because I have no evidence, and even if I did, I worry he would do something to Euphemia if I went against him."
Lelouch honestly wasn't surprised. She always did doddle over Euphemia, and he wouldn't put it past Charles to use her as leverage against Cornelia, "Is there anything else I should know?"
"Yes, there is. The day before the murder, Lady Marianne asked me personally to shut down security and relieve the guards of their duty for the night."
That took Lelouch by surprise, "What? Why would she do that?"
"I do not know. She didn't say anything other than she was expecting a guest. That was the last I heard from her before her death."
The prince-turned-revolutionary sighed in disappointment. He was honestly no closer to avenging his mother's death as all he did was rule out one single suspect.
"You would never betray my mother?"
"Never."
"You would never betray… Nunnally or myself…?" his voice softening a bit.
"Never."
Lelouch's anger soon faded, as once she said that, he remembered his past with Cornelia; how she and Euphemia would come over to the Aries Villa all the time to play with him and Nunnally. She even used to read bedtime stories to him, Nunnally, and Euphemia as they even slept in the same bed in their toddler years.
"How did you handle the news… of Nunnally and my supposed deaths after Japan fell?"
"Any time I wasn't spent comforting Euphemia, I cried my own eyes out. I even cried myself to sleep for a week," Cornelia revealed, causing Lelouch to look in emotional shock as he felt his own emotions shake.
"If you learned we were alive… what would you do…?"
"I would protect you two, with everything that I have."
"Even from our father… even from Megatron…?"
"Yes."
"Why…?"
"Because I love you."
Lelouch was not prepared for those words, his own eyes began to shake despite his Geass still being active as Cornelia continued.
"Lelouch, I love you and Nunnally as much as I love Euphie. If you need me to protect you from even Britannia itself, I would do so without hesitation. I also do not doubt that Euphemia and even the remainder of the Glaston Knights would as well."
"Why them…?" Lelouch asked, emotion filling his voice.
"Because they've sworn loyalty to me, not to the Emperor," Cornelia answered, "I know them. If they would choose between me or our father, they would choose me."
"Even after I rebelled…?" Tears already forming in his eyes.
"Yes. Your actions for rebelling are understandable."
"Even after… Clovis…"
"Yes."
Though he still kept his Geass active, Lelouch turned away from his sister as he pressed his hand against the walls of the trailer. Tears were ready to fall from his eyes. In his childhood, he truly did love Cornelia and admired her as his big sister. And now, she had honestly said, albeit under the influence of a Geass, that she would walk away from Britannia and even fight the Decepticons for his and Nunnally's sake. There was a part of him that considered using his Geass to order her to do so, but that would make him no different from their father or even Megatron. Besides, would the Black Knights be so acceptant of Cornelia after what she's done? Probably not, but if he revealed his status, it might help them to become more open-minded. Even Optimus said that there were those with the potential to change. However, all this could wait. He still had Cornelia under his Geass' influence and he had a job to do. So, he squashed down his emotions as he faced her once again.
"I want you to tell me everything about Britannia's military operations here in Japan," Lelouch said.
"Of course. Whatever you need," Cornelia replied.
At the same time, Kallen remained in her Guren as Arcee continued to pace in front of Starscream. The redhead glanced in the direction of the trailer, deeply concerned for Lelouch. Though she knew he could handle himself and his Geass would keep Cornelia from hurting him, she could only imagine how difficult this must be for him. Despite everything, Cornelia was still his sister, though Lelouch didn't go into the specifics of their relationship, it must still be hard to feel betrayed by someone you once trusted and loved.
"I'm not so bad, you know," Starscream said, more so to Arcee, while also getting Kallen's attention, "Megatron, he's the evil one."
"Tell it to someone who cares," Arcee replied.
"Like whom? Airachnid? Or Thundercracker and Skywarp?" Starscream scoffed, "What I wouldn't do to get my hands around their wretched throats."
"Hmm, guess we agree on something after all," Kallen commented.
"Oh, you have no idea."
Starscream began his rant, "I've worked with those two for eons! Long before I joined Megatron, I was the air commander of an entire Seeker armada! I worked hard to bring those two up in the ranks. Thundercracker was my top scientist, and though Skywarp was no genius, he had exceptional combat skills. And after all, I've done for them, they still see fit to, as you humans say, throw me under the transport!"
"Bus. The phrase is 'under the bus'. "
"And don't even get me started on Airachnid! She showed up one day after deserting our cause, and the next thing you know she's acting like she runs the place! She whispered lies into Megatron's ear, maneuvered to rob me of my rightful place!"
"Well, she terminated my partner," Arcee looked down as Kallen had her sympathetic expression to give to Arcee, despite nobody seeing it in her Knightmare.
"Oh… well, my apologies," Starscream said.
"Don't act like you're any different!" Arcee exclaimed, getting right up to Starscream's face, "How many times have you back-stabbed someone!? Only to beg for your miserable life and end up doing it again?!"
Starscream stuttered, "I admit… I was not the most honest of 'bots, but I've changed!"
"Have you?" Kallen questioned, "I know a rat when I see one. I know who you are, the Autobots told me and everyone else what you've done 'Screamy'. All the times you tried to usurp Megatron to make yourself leader of the Decepticons, only to crawl right back to his feet begging him to rejoin! Honestly, I'm surprised he's even keeping you around!"
"Oh? And would you rather have him as leader of the Decepticons?!" Starscream questioned, "Did you know he was directly responsible for destroying our world?! I never wanted Cybertron destroyed!"
"No, you just wanted to rule it yourself!" Arcee stated, "Everything you've done has solely been for yourself! You never once changed Starscream! Not once in a million years since the war began! How can any of us trust that you're changing now?!"
"Okay! Okay, it was a mistake! I've made many! Monumental ones! But I swear I've changed!" the treacherous Seeker looked like he was begging. He was even as he bent down on his cuffed hands and knees, "Please! Please reconsider my termination!"
Kallen looked at Starscream with a befuddled expression, "Are… are you serious right now?! Arcee is he serious?!"
Arcee rolled her eyes in annoyance, "I have no idea."
"Wow… you are just pathetic," Kallen commented to the Seeker, "How you could end up as the Con's second-in-command is beyond me."
"Come on, get up we're not gonna kill you," Arcee bent over to bring him up. "What even made you…!"
*SLASH!*
Arcee's optics widened as she felt a gash across her abdomen, stuttering back right into the Guren's grip.
"Arcee…? What happened…?!" she exclaimed upon seeing the bleeding Energon leaking from Arcee's wound. Only to look in even further shock as she heard a similar slash across her own Knightmare's lower abs. She saw her systems begin to flicker on and off as she saw on the screen briefly a smirking Starscream holding important pieces of the Guren's insides in his claws before the Guren fell over on its back.
Starscream snickered as he reached down for the key to his cuffs that Arcee had dropped upon being slashed before he freed himself, "What's the matter, Arcee? After all, you really shouldn't be surprised."
At the same time, the Autobots and Rai were currently on the defensive, doing what they can to avoid the blasts from Airachnid's newly acquired Immobilizer, while also defending themselves from the relentless attacks from Skywarp, Thundercracker, and the Knights of the Round.
Wheeljack rolled back to avoid the continuous missile blasts from the Mordred as he drew his dual swords and rushed the Mordred, avoiding the VARIS blasts shot from its shoulder units. Once he was close enough, he leaped at the Mordred, spinning his blades in front of him like a drill, which Anya tried to block by crossing the Mordred's arms, only for the arms to be torn up. However, as Wheeljack landed on his feet, Anya sped the Mordred forward into Wheeljack, crashing both the Knightmare and the Autobot into a large rock. The sword-wielding Wrecker, however, dug his feet into the ground and tried to press back against the Mordred as the Knight of Six tried to press it forward, spinning the tiers hard until smoke began to shoot out from them.
"That's all… you got… kid…?!" Wheeljack grunted.
However, both the Mordred and Wheeljack were hit with a large beam shot by the Immobilizer, striking them both. Wheeljack completely froze, as did the Mordred, much to the surprise of the remaining three Knights.
"Anya!" Gino exclaimed, unfortunately leaving him open to being decked across the face by Ironhide.
Anya herself was unharmed, but it seems as though her Knightmare's systems have completely shut down.
"Controls unresponsive," she said in a monotone voice, "Communications unresponsive. Manual ejection and override, all unresponsive. I am stuck."
Nonette kept firing her VARIS at Bumblebee, who dodged each of the blasts, while also turning to Airachnid who was at the top of a large rock, "You hit one of our own!"
"She was in the way," Airachnid shrugged, "And I see no reason why she wouldn't be hurt. This weapon only seems to work on Cybertronians. Since she's a human, she should be fine."
Airachnid was caught off guard by a series of slash harkens shot straight up at her as the Gekka Pre-Production leaped at Airachnid and tried to bring an axe kick down on her. But she leaped back off the rock just as the Gekka shattered it with its kick.
"Let's see you try that thing on me!" Rai shot his Gekka straight at Airachnid, hopping to hit her at a speed that she couldn't react in time. Unfortunately, her reaction time was better than he thought as she quickly hit the blue Knightmare with a point-blank attack from the Immobilizer, halting the Gekka in its tracks.
Rai himself was fine, but his Knightmare was completely locked in place, "Scrap!"
"Kid!" Cliffjumper exclaimed, while also backflipping to avoid two waist-mounted Slash Harkens shot by Monica in the Florence as she drove in pursuit of him.
At the same time, Optimus was busy duking it out with both Thundercracker and Skywarp. The largest of the Seekers drew his blade to fly down and clash with Optimus' blades, but the Autobot leader was able to counter and deliver a kick to send Thundercracker flying back. He was however pelted in the back by Energon blasts from Skywarp, but he was unharmed enough to return fire with his own Energon blasters, which Skywarp attempted to avoid as he transformed and flew into the air.
Ironhide meanwhile opened fire with his Energon cannons at Gino's Tristan, which it rolled away to avoid on its Landspinner wheels before driving itself straight towards the veteran Autobot with both its MVS blades. Gino slashed with the right blade, which Ironhide bluntly blocked with his right cannon, and ended up stepping his left foot over the Tristan's feet, causing it to trip up and flip and skid across the ground.
"You're good, kid. But talent or not, you still got a lot to learn," Ironhide granted, clearly having more experience over the Knight of Three.
However, this also left him vulnerable to getting immobilized by Airachnid's new weapon, causing her to smirk.
"And here I thought experience comes with age," Airachnid taunted the frozen veteran Autobot.
"Thanks, Airachnid," Gino said as he stood his Tristan up, "But I could've…"
Gino however did not expect Airachnid to turn the Immobilizer on him and freeze his Knightmare, much to his shock.
"Airachnid!" Nonette stopped fighting with Bumblebee completely as she turned her VARIS on the spider-con, shooting at her, and forcing her to avoid the destructive blasts, "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"
She shot her VARIS again and tried to obliterate Airachnid's cover, only to find she had completely vanished. However, Airachnid tunneled her way back up from behind the Galeschin.
"You're only figuring that out now?" she said as she zapped the Knight of Nine's Knightmare with her Immobilizer to freeze it.
Airachnid was then forced on the defensive once more as both Cliffjumper and the Florence shot Energon blasts and Slash Harkens respectively.
"Quick truce?" the red Autobot offered the Knight of Twelve.
"For now," Monica agreed.
They attempted to double team Airachnid, but much like before she tunneled underground as Cliffjumper tried to shoot her, he ran up alongside the Florence to look down in the hole to see she had vanished.
"Welp, that sucks," Cliffjumper commented, only for the ground underneath them to shake even further, "But not as much as that…!"
Suddenly the ground below exploded, sending both Cliffjumper and Monica skidding in separate directions as Airachnid emerged from the ground, quickly using the Immobilizer to freeze them both before they even got back up, bringing their truce to an end.
At the same time, Bumblebee had come in to provide Optimus some backup as he drove up and transformed to deliver a flying punch to Skywarp's face and send him crashing into Thundercracker, whom Optimus just slammed down into the ground along with the flying Skywarp.
However, Airachnid had also used this as a perfect opportunity to once again, emerge from under the ground beneath the only remaining mobile Autobots.
"Freeze!" she shot the Immobilizer at Optimus, rendering him immobile.
Bumblebee tried to shoot at her, only for Airachnid to leap up onto a series of rocks. Before she shot the scout, she used this opportunity to hit Thundercracker and Skywarp with her weapon, freezing them in a pile before they even had a chance to recover. She then resumed her attack on the only enemy left: Bumblebee.
Lelouch felt the trailer rock as he tried to steady himself, with his Burai almost toppling over as well, "What's going on out there?!"
"It would seem something is impacting the trailer," Cornelia observed, still tied up in duct tape, and under the influence of Lelouch's Geass.
He grunted in frustration as he knew they needed his help right now, but what about Cornelia? He already learned everything he needed to know from her, both personal and military-wise. He wasn't going to force her to join him, even though he wanted her by his side. And now was not the time; if Megatron or Charles ever found out, it would put both Cornelia and Euphemia in danger. Not to mention there was how the rest of the Black Knights would feel. So, for the moment, it probably is best she remained his enemy, if only as protection. Irony at its finest.
Lelouch tore off another piece of duct tape and placed it over Cornelia's mouth as he relayed his final instructions.
"Listen, when I put my mask back on, you are going to forget about this conversation. Everything from the moment I first took it off in front of you. So far as you are concerned, you still do not know Zero's identity. Am I clear?"
She nodded as Lelouch sighed, placing the mask over his face and finally turning off his Geass. The red rings vanished from her eyes as she resumed her venomous glare, muffling all sorts of curses and death threats at Zero under her gag. Lelouch looked at her with sympathy before turning around.
"Stay here," he said as he got into his Burai.
However, what he didn't know was that Cornelia had a knife hidden in her sleeve, which she let slide out to begin cutting the restraints around her bound wrists. She had kept that hidden, ready to stab Zero at a moment's notice, but apparently, he wasn't giving her the time.
Outside, Arcee did her best to block Starscream's relentless claw strikes with a single arm blade as she used her other hand to keep holding the wound, he inflicted on her. After a few more blocks, she delivered a kick to Starscream's face to knock him back.
"You're a tough Autobot, I'll grant you that," Starscream mused, "But how long can you last? You've already lost quite a bit of Energon, haven't you?"
Suddenly, Starscream was punched across the face by Zero's Burai, knocking him down.
"Then why don't you pick on someone your size, you filthy coward?!" He exclaimed as he opened fire with his Burai's rifle.
The magnesium bullets, grazed Starscream as he tried to run away to avoid any series damage before kneeling his Knightmare down to help up Arcee.
"Arcee, are you alright?! What happened?! Where's Kallen?!"
The blue fem-bot grunted, "Let my guard down. The Guren's down, but Kallen is fine."
They faced the recovering Starscream as he growled.
"We'll take him together," Zero said as he glared at the Seeker.
"Sounds like a plan," Arcee agreed as they charged at Starscream.
Meanwhile, Kallen was able to forcibly open Guren's cockpit to try and pull herself out.
"Damn it! Can't believe I let him get the drop on me…"
However, Kallen was pulled out of her thoughts as someone yanked her from her cockpit and forced her to the ground, keeping her hands pinned behind her back. Though Kallen still had her visor on, she glared at Cornelia who had just freed herself as she kept Kallen pinned and the knife close to her neck.
"Don't move, Black Knight," Cornelia practically growled.
Kallen however was far from helpless as she bent her legs and kicked Cornelia in the back, forcing the older woman to loosen her grip and allowing Kallen to free her arms and punch Cornelia off her, allowing the young Black Knight to stand back up and point a pistol at her.
"Same to you," Kallen glared under her visor.
Cornelia practically snarled, "Filthy Eleven, taking the coward's route!"
"Really? And you're not a coward?" Kallen scoffed, "But if you're that prideful…"
She threw her gun away and cracked her knuckles.
Cornelia did the same with her knife before rushing Kallen with her bare hands to try and punch her, but Kallen caught the punch, spun her body around to grab Cornelia's arm, while also spreading her left leg over Cornelia's and hauling the Britannian Princess over her shoulder and flipping her on the ground.
"What's wrong?" Kallen taunted, "Never thought an 'Eleven' could defend herself?"
She made her martial arts stance as Cornelia tried to pull herself back up.
"Let's see how well you fight without your precious Knightmare," Kallen made a hand gesture to 'bring it on', which the angry Cornelia obliged.
"Tell me, bug! Do you think Megatron will enjoy his new trophies?" Airachnid called out to Bumblebee as he continued to hide, "He'll probably use the bulky ones for target practice."
She had not only tipped over immobile Bulkhead but did the same for the frozen Ironhide as well.
"As for the precious Knights of the Round…" she mused aloud, as while their Knightmares were inoperable, they could still hear Airachnid's taunts as their own eyes narrowed, "I'll let their precious Emperor decide their fate for their failure."
She walked over to the frozen Gekka with the glaring Rai still inside, "Though I might throw them a bone and hand them over to one of the Black Knights' top pilots."
She tauntingly tipped over the Gekka, knocking Rai inside.
"Say that to my face, bitch!" Rai shouted, even though Airachnid couldn't hear him.
"Prime is the true prize," Airachnid continued as she crawled on top of his shoulders with her spider legs, "Perhaps he'll adorn the prowl of Megatron's warship."
She then opened fire with her Energon palms at the spot where she glanced at Bumblebee.
However, the scout saw some stray blasts hit the rock in front of him and created a small cloud of dust. This gave him an idea. He opened fire at the same rock with his own Energon blasters, causing the entire rock to collapse and create an even larger dust cloud.
Airachnid saw a few stray blasts coming her way, so she shot her Immobilizer through the dust cloud until it began to clear. When it did, it would appear that she had successfully frozen Bumblebee, stuck in mid-run.
"But you, bug…" Airachnid taunted as she walked closer to him, "I suspect Megatron will simply dismantle you, the Wrecker, and your talkative friend for spare parts."
She then walked over toward the still-frozen Thundercracker and Skywarp, stuck in their pile, "Tell me you two, what do you think? Two of the greatest Seekers in Decepticon history who abandoned their commander for a weapon, only to be dealt with by a former deserter who chooses to turn you in to redeem herself? That sounds like a good deal, doesn't it?"
She then walked over towards Optimus' immobile form, still monologuing, not noticing that Bumblebee was not frozen, and quietly snuck his way closer to the rambling Decepticon.
"I mean, with prizes and results like this… I could earn Megatron's eternal trust."
"[I don't think so.]"
She turned around in surprise to see Bumblebee's fist before it made contact with her face to not only knock her down but also the Immobilizer out of her hands. Before she could even react, Bumblebee had grabbed the device and used it to freeze Airachnid herself.
"[Not so fun, is it?!]" Bumblebee bleeped.
He then looked to Optimus and spoke in bleeps aloud to all his friends so they could hear him, "[Sorry guys! I'll call Ratchet later! I don't wanna take any chances with something like this! But I gotta go check in on Zero and the others! Be back soon!]"
He transformed and drove his way back to the spot where he left his remaining comrades.
Starscream had delivered a knee to the injured Arcee's abs, before driving an elbow into her back to knock her down and later kick her down the hill. However, this also left Starscream open for Zero to open fire on him with his Burai, forcing the Seeker to take cover behind the trailer.
Zero tried to steer around the trailer and shoot Starscream again, but the Seeker had expected this and opened fire with a missile wrist to blast off the legs of the Burai and send the remainder crashing across the ground. Starscream snickered as he walked toward the downed Knightmare.
"You may be a competent strategist, Zero!" Starscream taunted, "But your combat skills still leave a lot to be desired."
Kallen had punched down Cornelia and saw the state her friends were in.
"Arcee! Zero!" she tried to run and help, only for Cornelia to grab her by the shoulder and punch her across the face, almost knocking the visor off.
"Don't you dare turn your back on me!" Cornelia tried to press her attack, only for Kallen to grab her by the shoulders and slam her knee into her abs before headbutting her and knocking her down.
However, Cornelia swept her legs to knock Kallen down and try to put her in a chokehold.
Zero opened his cockpit only to see the smirking Starscream looming over him.
"If you think I'm going to beg for mercy, Starscream, forget it!" he glared from underneath his mask.
Starscream was slightly caught off-guard by Zero's defiance.
"Uh… yes. Begging for mercy would be quite pathetic, wouldn't it?" he kneeled closer to Zero who stood up fully from the remains of his Burai.
"Well, you are much more valuable to me alive. Imagine Megatron's appreciation, when I not only deliver him an invaluable weapon but even the ever-elusive Zero. I think that would restore my stature quite nicely."
However, the Seeker was suddenly blasted in the back, and his shocked expression was the one that would be frozen with the rest of his immobile body for the time being, much to Zero's surprise. He looked past the immobile Seeker to see the one responsible.
"Bumblebee!"
The yellow Autobot was also above Cornelia, pointing his Energon blasters at her, motioning for her to let Kallen go and stand up. With great reluctance, Cornelia raised her hands, knowing she couldn't best an Autobot, leaving her open for Kallen to slug her in the face and knock her unconscious.
"That felt good," Kallen smirked, only for her to look in fear and concern as she, Bee, and Zero heard Arcee's painful grunt.
"Arcee!" Zero exclaimed as he, Kallen, and Bumblebee all ran to help her. "Are you alright?"
"… I'll live…" she grunted as Bumblebee helped her to his feet.
"What the heck happened to everyone else?" Kallen asked Bumblebee.
"[Same thing that happened to him,]" Bumblebee pointed to the frozen Starscream, "[With this.]"
"Let me guess, a Decepticon weapon that can immobilize both Cybertronians and Knightmares," Zero assumed.
"[Yup,]" Bumblebee confirmed.
"Can you reverse it?" Kallen asked.
"[Ratchet might be able to. But we'll need backup to haul everyone back to the Ark,]" Bumblebee answered.
"What… what about her?" the injured Arcee asked, referring to Cornelia, "And the Cons and… and the Knights…?"
"Leave them," Zero said, "I got everything I need from Cornelia. Let the Knights and Decepticons go back to their masters in disgrace."
Bumblebee contacted the Ark, "[Ratchet, we need a Groundbridge. And some extra help, we've got a heavy haul.]"
As Bumblebee tried to explain everything to Rachet back at the Ark, Lelouch paid one final glance to his elder sister, a feeling of remorse filling his entire body.
The Nemesis – One Hour Later
After receiving no response from their forces, Soundwave had located the immobile Decepticon quartet, as well as those in the Knights of the Round, and even Cornelia herself who had regained consciousness. Knock Out was able to effectively reverse the stasis lock on everyone present. The communications officer returned Cornelia and the Knights to Japan, while also transporting Starscream, Airachnid, Thundercracker, and Skywarp to Megatron who was less than pleased over what happened. After Soundwave was told what happened by all the Knights, with Soundwave himself confirming they weren't lying, Megatron knew exactly what happened.
Starscream was thrown against the wall, Airachnid slammed against the ground, while Thundercracker and Skywarp's faces were pounded together before all four of them were on their hands and knees before their enraged master.
"It would seem that deceit is in all your nature…" Megatron muttered.
" I am the victim here!" Starscream protested, "They abounded me! I was only…!"
He was sent flying by a slap from Megatron.
"I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOUR EXCUSES!" the Decepticon leader shouted.
"My Lordship, it was the incompetence of the Knights that cost us the Immobilizer!" Airachnid stated.
"No! You turned it on us !" Thundercracker argued.
"Yeah! This whole mess was your fault!" Skywarp agreed, only for all three of them to be smacked into the recovering Starscream by Megatron.
"I've heard this same excuse multiple times before," Megatron stated as he walked toward all four of them.
He grabs Skywarp and Thundercracker by their throats, while also stepping on Starscream's body and Airachnid's head to squeeze them further.
"'It's not my fault!', 'If only it weren't for them!', 'If only they'd listened to me!' It's just one excuse after another! This is why our enemies continue to best us! Because you are each so busy trying to usurp the others, you allow the enemy to take advantage of our divided nature!"
He slammed both Thundercracker and Skywarp down onto Airachnid and Starscream.
"But I will not tolerate this any longer! Listen to me well, all of you," Megatron told the four of them as they tried to recover, "You will find a way to work together. There will be no further fighting among our ranks! If any of you try this again, you will all perish! Even if the others weren't involved! The fates of you four are now linked together! If even one of you sabotages me, each other, or anyone else in our ranks… I will terminate all of you! Am I understood?!"
All four of them, even Airachnid, looked in fear at the glowing red eyes of the leader of the Decepticons. Prompting them all to bow their heads, on their hands and knees.
"Yes, Lord Megatron. I understand perfectly," Starscream bowed fearfully.
"We live to serve you," Thundercracker bowed as well.
"Yes, your wish is our command," Skywarp also submitted.
Megatron then paid one last glare at Airachnid who had yet to say anything, though she bowed as well, "I… will serve you as well. I submit, to your will… Lord Megatron."
The Ark – The Bridge
Ratchet had finished his work on reversing the effects of the Immobilizer on all the Autobots as well as the Gekka, "There, you are all now fully functional. It was especially helpful that you brought the device back in one piece."
"[Yeah, figured it was best to let you handle it,]" Bumblebee nodded as the rest of the Autobots stretched their limbs.
"How's Arcee?" Cliffjumper asked.
"She'll make a full recovery, don't worry," Ratchet assured.
"That's good," Kallen sighed in relief, "What about the Guren?"
"The damage was extensive," Fixit reported, "But it should be repaired and fully functional again relatively noon… boon… soon!"
"Well, now we got both the Polarity Gauntlet and the Immobilizer!" Rai stated, "Another win for us!"
"Not to mention we took on Britannia's best pilots and sent them running," Wheeljack smirked.
"I think that was mostly because Airachnid stabbed them in the back," Bulkhead commented.
"True, but that's only going to cost the Cons and Brits more trouble," Wheeljack continued, "If they keep fighting each other, it just gives us the advantage."
"Though while the division between Britannia and the Decepticons is indeed beneficial, we cannot rely solely on it," Optimus advised, "The Knights of the Round have proven to be formidable opponents and are not to be underestimated."
"We also can't count on the Cons and Britannia being divided forever," Ironhide added, "We have to be ready for if they truly unite."
As everyone began to discuss this, Lelouch himself stood on the catwalk of the Bridge, something still on his mind that he needed to talk with his fatherly mentor.
"Optimus."
He got the Autobot leader's attention.
"I'd like to speak with you, please."
"Of course," Optimus nodded.
Lelouch had later met with Optimus in an empty cargo bay where he had told him everything about his encounter with Cornelia, including all the military information he gained from her, as well as knowledge regarding his mother's death, and even what Cornelia would do for his and Nunnally's sake.
When it was done, Lelouch sat down on some large cargo containers, being on an equal level with Optimus' abdomen as he hung his head, placing his hands on his forehead as Optimus listened to every word.
"I see," Optimus finally spoke, "This information will prove most beneficial to our cause."
"Do you… do you think I did the right thing?" Lelouch asked, "Erasing her memories of our discussion? Keeping my identity, a secret?"
"Given our current circumstances, I would say that was a wise move. But something else is on your mind. Lelouch, forgive me if this is too personal, but what was your relationship with Cornelia before your exile?"
"I loved her," the exiled prince said honestly as his own eyes began to water, "She was my… big sister. She always coddled me, Nunnally, and Euphie. I admired her skills as a warrior, I even wanted to be like her one day. I looked up to her, the same way I admired my mother. But… after our exile… and after Japan was attacked… I… I just felt so angry! Like she… she and everyone else just abandoned us. Abandoned me. You… you have no idea… how much that hurt…"
"Which was one of the reasons you chose to rebel and become Zero."
"I still firmly believe that we can change this world. I became Zero to destroy Britannia because it would one day destroy everything else. I wanted to make a world where Nunnally could find happiness. But… you're right. I… I wanted revenge. I wanted revenge on my father and… everyone else for abandoning us. For… for following Charles' ways… following Megatron's ways on… on destroying the weak. After seeing what Cornelia did in Saitama… I… I lost all respect for her. I felt… felt she was just our father: cruel and relentless… but I was wrong… she… she still loves me… and Nunnally…"
He was already crying, "Now I… I… I can't bring myself to hate her… I want her… I want her by my side… working with us."
Optimus looked toward Lelouch with nothing but sympathy as he continued to cry.
"I'm not… naïve enough to think the Black Knights would accept her so easily, not after everything she's done. But… I remember how you said… even Decepticons possess the potential for change…. Optimus, please! Is… is it possible for her to change?" he looked up toward Optimus with a pleading expression, "Can my sister change for the better?!"
The Autobot leader didn't hesitate to give an honest answer, "Yes."
Lelouch looked toward Optimus with a hopeful expression as the Prime continued.
"From what you've told me, it would seem that she truly does care for you and your sister. And despite her flaws and shortcomings, I can see she does indeed have a code of honor. As you've said, the Black Knights won't be so easily acceptant of her. But, if she does choose to come to our side of her own accord, and if she truly desires to aid us, she'll have my support."
This caused Lelouch to smile, a truly genuine smile that he never thought he'd give to anyone except for Nunnally and even Suzaku.
"Optimus I… I never did have a chance to… to thank you," Lelouch began, "You… you accepted me into your cause and supported me… despite knowing how… far from perfect I was. You believed in me, and without you, or Bumblebee, or the others… I don't know where I'd be today."
He stood up and bowed his head humbly to the Autobot leader, "Optimus Prime, thank you. I owe you a debt I'll never be able to repay, but I will try. I promise."
Optimus kneeled to be on an equal level with the young revolutionary, "Lelouch, when we first met, I did recognize someone who was driven by revenge, with anger boiling deep inside. But, at the same time, I also saw someone who was suffering, with a longing desire to protect those he cares for. Someone capable of empathy, compassion, and even love. You have many flaws, but I have been impressed by how much you've matured since we first met. You've even opened up your identity to others and expanded your circle of trust, allowing them to trust you as well. Lelouch Vi Britannia, I am honored to be your mentor, your ally, as well as your friend."
Lelouch had felt a weight lift off his heart. The one he admired more than anything just said he was honored to work alongside him! Before he knew it, a single tear of joy fell from Lelouch's face.
"I truly believe that you are destined for greatness," Optimus continued, "And no matter what happens, I will always be by your side."
A warm smile formed on Lelouch's face as he smiled at the Prime, "And I'll be by your side too. No matter what, I'll do my best."
"I know you will," Optimus smiled back.
Chapter 23: Nunnally Held Hostage
Chapter Text
Lelouch hung by the wall in Area 11's international airport as he waited for his partner, while also on the phone with a few other close associates of his.
" The Guren MK II's repairs have proceeded on schedule," Optimus relayed, "Ironhide has also taken the necessary steps towards training our recruits. So far, things appear to be proceeding rather nicely."
"Anything about Rai's Geass?" Lelouch asked.
" Fixit and I have managed to subject Rai to a thorough testing of his neural net," Ratchet responded, "From what we've gathered, it would appear his Geass is nearly identical to yours. Only it seems his ability is more auditory, rather than visual. Simply put, they only need to hear Rai's voice to be affected by his Geass, unlike yours which needs direct eye contact. But the command has to come directly from Rai, and it can't be broadcasted through wired communication or even recorded devices."
"I see," Lelouch nodded, this could be incredibly useful, "What about his potency?"
" It would seem that the energy manifesting his Geass appears to have stabilized somewhat, it's not as erratic as before," Optimus answered, "But the power itself remains strong, and we are advising him to use his power only when necessary."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Lelouch agreed.
" Now, regarding our organization, it would seem Kyoto and the military district of India have come to terms with each other," Ratchet began, "They will be sending their top scientist to us momentarily. And the Black Knights' change over to a cell-based structure is now 92.4% complete. The members have been ranked into fourteen tiers. In addition to all of this, we've managed to infiltrate all Britannian military warehouses thanks to the information you were able to gather from Cornelia."
"Good but tell them not to do anything rash," Lelouch insisted, "If we show our hand too early, Britannia and the Decepticons may suspect a traitor. I'd rather not have a potential ally executed."
Though he spoke in a professional tone, Optimus and Ratchet both understood what Lelouch was saying. He didn't want to put his elder sister, and indirectly Euphemia, in danger.
"Now, what about Tohdoh?"
" Still nothing. It would seem he and the Four Holy Swords have gone underground, even Kyoto has lost contact with them," the Autobot leader informed.
"That doesn't mean they're dead though," Lelouch said. "Pretty sure Britannia would want to make an example out of 'Tohdoh the Miracle Worker', rather than keep it quiet. If you find anything, let me know immediately. Now, what about Ohgi and his 'house guest'?"
" Still nothing." the medic answered, "The woman he's with appears to have completely recovered physically, but her memories still haven't returned."
"Understood. Continue with the work, alright?"
Lelouch then hung up as he saw the disguised C.C. arrive. She wore a dark blue business suit with a dress, black heels, glasses, and a black wig.
"Are you sure you want me to be the messenger?" she asked him, "And why have me take a plane? I could just go there via Groundbridge."
"I'd rather not tip off the Decepticons or my so-called 'Uncle' about you just yet. This is the safest way. And if you look humble, they'll look down on you. That's how it works in the Chinese Federation."
"I don't know about that, but I have some humility," the immortal responded.
"Good, now you can put it to use. How's your passport?"
"Not a bad forgery, I'm all set."
"Be careful out there, alright?"
Both Lelouch and C.C. went their literal separate ways. The young revolutionary left the airport where he saw Bumblebee's vehicle form parked outside. He entered the driver's seat as the yellow scout began to drive off.
"[Well?]"
"She's on her way. With any luck, we might establish some allies in one of the world's major superpowers."
"[From what you've told me though about these 'High Eunuchs', they're not all that different from the Britannian Emperor. Is that going to be a problem?]"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. But if we play our cards right, we might just gain a valuable ally."
"[But we also gotta be aware if things go south right?]"
"Trust me, I know. I've learned that the hard way."
"[Well, what do you know? Looks like you are capable of learning.]"
Even though the translator could only translate the Autobot scout's 'bleeps' into monotone words, Lelouch had been with Bumblebee long enough to know when he was being serious, sarcastic, or just plain teasing.
In that case, Lelouch chuckled at that, "Yeah, guess you're kinda rubbing off on me."
The Nemesis
Meanwhile, Suzaku walked towards the bridge of the Decepticon warship with Dreadwing close behind him, having brought him here after the young soldier requested, or rather demanded, to see their leader.
The door to the bridge opened and they both could see the Decepticon leader with his back turned to them and his hands placed behind his back.
"How could you do it?!" Suzaku exclaimed.
"Suzaku," Megatron acknowledged as he turned around, "And Dreadwing. I don't recall summoning you."
"Young Kururugi had requested for me to bring him aboard to speak with you, Lord Megatron," Dreadwing answered as he bowed, "Actually, I wish to speak with you as well on the same subject."
"And what, in your terms, would that be?" the Decepticon warlord looked directly at Suzaku who narrowed his eyes.
"How could you let Airachnid back into the Decepticons?!" the Honorary Britannian shouted.
"Ah, so you've met with her," Megatron noted.
"Do you have any idea what she's done? What kind of person she is?!" Suzaku exclaimed.
"A sadist, a butcher, a hunter, and an infiltrator. I'm well aware of whom I bring into our ranks. And I'm also aware of her recent activities since coming to Earth."
"So, you know about what she did in the ghettos?" Suzaku questioned, to which Megatron nodded, "Then why did you bring her back?!"
"I must agree with Suzaku, Lord Megatron," Dreadwing calmly and rationally asked, unlike Suzaku, "Airachnid deserted us, and even attacked our soldiers. Yet she has not even received a proper punishment?"
"I assure you that she has been thoroughly punished," Megatron assured, "And I have ensured that she truly gives her all to our cause. I can understand that her return to our ranks may be… difficult, especially for you Suzaku, given how she was once your enemy and her recent… actions against your people. But your cooperation is essential."
"Lord Megatron I…" Suzaku stuttered for a moment before speaking firmly, "I will follow you and carry out your orders, that won't change. But… I don't know if I can work with someone like her."
The Seeker was silent but quite sympathetic in Suzaku's opinion. He'd likely put down Airachnid just to ensure she won't harm an innocent again or try to back-stab them.
Megatron's expression became quite serious, "Suzaku, do you wish to know why our enemies continue to succeed? It is because they stand united."
That got Suzaku's attention as Megatron continued to speak.
"As much as it pains me to admit, Optimus has acknowledged Zero as his equal, and following that, it seems the Autobots and the Black Knights view each other in the same light. Of course, this contrasts heavily with Britannia's current nature as the empire itself is quite divided, even among those in the royal family. You've been made aware of that, haven't you Suzaku? Before Japan's fall, you and your family looked after the late Lelouch Vi Britannia and his younger sister Nunnally upon their exile as their father deemed them to be nothing more than political hostages."
Suzaku looked up in surprise. How could Megatron have known about all that?
Megatron read Suzaku's expression and gave his answer, "I do well to learn the history of those within my cause to see what they can contribute. That includes you. You would do well to remember that. Getting back to the matter at hand, despite the rather unpleasant situation surrounding those children, your family at least made their stay relatively comfortable. That is until the Empire invaded Japan, knowing their prince and princess would likely die, which of course, they tragically did. And yet, Britannia refused to take responsibility, instead choosing to place the blame on your nation, which is why they are so heavily discriminated against. Suzaku, you must admit that any family that sacrifices their own and chooses not to take responsibility is not what one would call 'ideal'."
"I… I admit that it's not perfect, at least right now," Suzaku admitted, "But there are those in the royal family that do want to change their ways! Princess Euphemia herself admitted as such!"
"I can agree. During my time acting as her bodyguard, Princess Euphemia does seek the same reforms," Dreadwing acknowledged.
"The Sub-Viceroy," Megatron stated, "And what of Cornelia, the current Viceroy who holds the most power?"
Suzaku didn't expect that, but while he didn't have an answer to give, Dreadwing however did, "She holds the Empire's discriminatory views as utmost priority."
"And thus, you can see the divided nature of the royal family," the Decepticon leader deduced, "Suzaku if you truly seek to change this world for the better, you must be willing to deliver better results. If the Decepticons are the ones to bring stability to this war-torn planet, more people, including civilians of Britannia, will be more willing to side with us. And if Britannia's people want change, then the Empire will have no choice but to abide by their wishes."
"You sound like we're working against the royal family," Suzaku pointed out with narrowed eyes.
"They are not our enemies," Megatron replied, "Though you could say we are… competing with them of sorts. We may not have the power to change Britannia's ways right now, but that can change if we deliver the necessary results. To do that, however, your cooperation is essential. We Decepticons will be best equipped to be this planet's protectors only if we are united. That means every single one of us."
"Including Airachnid?" Suzaku questioned.
"Yes," Megatron told him.
Both Suzaku and Dreadwing were rendered silent with that declaration. They both saw the logic in Megatron's explanation, but that didn't mean they were alright with it.
"Is there anything else?" the Decepticon leader asked the pair.
"No, my liege," Dreadwing bowed his head.
"Then you may go. I will contact you should I need you," Megatron turned around.
Dreadwing bowed before leaving. Suzaku was right behind him. Once the door closed automatically behind them, the words Megatron told him brought up a certain memory from Suzaku's childhood. It wasn't a pleasant memory, but it wasn't necessarily bad.
Flashback – Seven years ago
The ten-year-old Lelouch and Suzaku, along with the seven-year-old Nunnally whom Lelouch gave a piggyback as she couldn't walk, trekked through a barren wasteland riddled with corpses of men, women, and children.
"Where are we going? Are we getting moved to another place again?" the blind little girl asked as Lelouch carried her.
"It's one of the Kururugis' homes," Lelouch answered, "This time, it's the main house, okay?"
Suzaku stopped for a moment as he saw all the dead bodies around him, his face filled with so many emotions: sorrow, regret, terror, grief, and overall shock.
"Keep on walking, Suzaku," Lelouch told his friend once he noticed his hesitancy.
"But…" Suzaku stuttered.
"Keep walking," Lelouch told him firmly. Truth was, Lelouch did feel bad for all these people, but Nunnally was his priority and he would see to it that she was safe.
"Where are we? It smells really bad here," the blind girl wondered.
"We're going by a garbage dump, right Suzaku?" Lelouch turned around, only to see his friend crying. A sympathetic expression formed on the young exiled prince's face as he walked towards his friend.
"What's wrong, Suzaku?" Nunnally could hear his subtle sobs.
When he didn't have an answer to give, she reached out her hand to caress his face in an attempt to comfort him.
"Nunnally…"
"My mother taught me that a warm touch is good for tears. Do you think it's true?" she asked with a warm smile.
"Suzaku."
He was brought out of his memory with a slight startle as he looked up to see Dreadwing looking toward him with concern.
"Are you alright? You stopped for a moment."
"I'm fine," Suzaku replied, "Just… thinking about an old memory."
"You were rather close with them, weren't you? Lelouch and Nunnally. They were your friends?"
"Yes," Suzaku confirmed with a nod. There was a part of him that wanted to tell Dreadwing, whom he trusted, about Lelouch and Nunnally. But now with Airachnid back among the Decepticons, he didn't want to take any chances.
"I am sorry for your loss. I can understand how that feels. During the War for Cybertron, my brother Skyquake died on the battlefield."
That completely caught Suzaku off guard as he looked at Dreadwing in surprise.
"My twin and I shared a split-spark. Metallic, but two halves of the same life force. Even across our warring planet, we could 'sense' each other, so to speak, and when his spark was no more…"
"I'm sorry," Suzaku said sincerely.
"I understand your origins as well as your ambitions. If you feel that you need to talk to someone, I am here. Both as a fellow soldier, and as a friend."
Suzaku smiled, "Thank you Dreadwing. I appreciate that."
The Next Day – Ashford Academy
Lelouch and Rai walked towards the building about ten minutes before classes started.
"So, what did Ratchet say?" Lelouch asked.
"Oh, just the typical 'I needed that!'," Rai joked but became serious when he saw the look on Lelouch's face, "But, pretty much what you and everyone else are telling me: to not use my Geass unless necessary. Trust me, I know."
"Just making sure, especially considering who you're contracted with," the Black Knights' leader commented, "Speaking of which, you still don't remember that?"
"Sorry, but, I don't," Rai confirmed, "But when I do know, you and everyone else will be the first to know."
Lelouch nodded but soon heard a familiar voice call to them.
"Lelouch! Rai!"
They both turned to see Suzaku running toward them.
"What's up? You know, they're gonna hold you back if you don't start coming to class, Lelouch. I think you've been skipping out too, Rai."
"You're one to talk," Rai commented in a friendly tone, while also hiding a slight hint of resentment, "You've been skipping here and there too."
"I have work to do," Suzaku replied, "It's just the Black Knights and those Autobots have been on the move, lately."
"Hey, I thought you were in engineering," Lelouch said, feeling an expression of ignorance, which Suzaku seemed to buy.
"Um… we're shorthanded, so they move me around," the Honorary Britannian answered.
Both Lelouch and Rai inwardly winced, knowing exactly where Suzaku has been. Lelouch still held out hope that his friend could be saved and redeemed, while Rai was slowly beginning to lose trust in Suzaku, but that didn't mean that he thought that he couldn't be saved.
"Hmm, still, how about dropping by for dinner more often?" Lelouch asked. "Nunnally misses you. Are you free this evening?"
"Yeah, I could come tonight. But are you sure it's okay? I don't wanna cause…"
Suddenly Rivalz pulled up to the three boys in his vehicle, much to their surprise.
"Hey, Lelouch!"
"Geez, you almost ran us over!" Rai exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Lelouch asked Rivalz.
"I heard the president's out doing a blind date thing again!" the student council member exclaimed in distress.
"Yeah, today," Lelouch confirmed.
"Today?! Why didn't you tell me about it!?" Rivalz pulled Lelouch in by the collar.
"Because you would have a spaz attack, kinda like right now?" Lelouch answered as he gently freed himself from his friend's grip.
"I'm NOT having a spaz attack!" Rivalz practically screamed.
"Then what would you call driving in here like a maniac and freaking out like this?" Rai questioned irritably. As much as he liked Rivalz as a friend, he could be quite the drama queen. He would personally consider introducing him to Ironhide or even Ratchet just so they can hammer that out of him.
"It's okay, I didn't know about it either," Suzaku tried to give some form of compassion himself, which Rivalz didn't seem to take.
"Don't give me your emo-routine!"
"Emo?" Suzaku didn't know how to respond to that.
"Guess compassion's not a fashion these days," Rai muttered disapprovingly.
Lelouch sighed at his friend's antics, "Look Rivalz, if it's any consolation, Milly doesn't have much of a choice in this either."
"That doesn't help," Rivalz lowered his head.
The young revolutionary simply shook his head and decided to move past this.
"So anyways, are we on for dinner tonight with Nunnally?" Lelouch asked Suzaku.
"Sure," Suzaku answered but was surprised to see Lelouch running away toward the clubhouse, "What about school?!"
"Don't worry, I'll be right back! I'm just gonna go tell her about it!" Lelouch called back as he ran off.
"I'll go make sure he doesn't forget about his classes," Rai said to Suzaku and Rivalz as he ran to catch up with Lelouch.
While Suzaku seemed to understand, Rivalz fell to the ground in comic despair, "My life is over, and they're worried about dinner."
In the dining room of the clubhouse, Nunnally held an origami crane in her hand with a smile, when she heard the door open.
"My classes don't start till the second period, Sayoko," she said, thinking it was her loyal and loving maid.
However, that was not the case. Nunnally could only look in confusion as she heard a pair of claps.
The man who had just entered the room was none other than Mao. His arms and legs were completely wrapped in bandages, with his right arm in a cast, and the visor over his eyes. He smiled sadistically once he laid eyes on the young and helpless girl.
"Are you surprised?" Lloyd asked the stunned Milly, "Match-making dates are usually in hotels or restaurants."
Earl Lloyd Asplund was the arranged blind date that Milly's parents had set her up for. While she dressed rather nicely, he was in his casual lab attire. And as Lloyd said, they weren't in any nice restaurants or hotels, but rather in the Camelot Division. Of course, Cecile had made sure there were no Decepticons present during Milly's visit. As per Cornelia's instructions, the Decepticons' existence was to be hidden from the public so that it would be Britannian forces that were fighting the Autobots and the Black Knights.
"I suppose that's true, but I'd heard that you were a very unique person Lord Asplund," Milly said.
" Unique . What a delightfully artful way to put it," Lloyd said as he went back to work on his computer.
"I'm surprised you're interested in a girl from the downgraded Ashford Family after it lost its rank."
"Oh, but I couldn't care less for loss of rank."
"Excuse me," Cecile walked over and provided a tray of tea for the pair.
"I'm sorry to trouble you," Milly said to the older woman.
"Not at all, take your time," Cecile replied.
"No need for that. Why must we draw it out? Let's get married," Lloyd said bluntly.
"Huh?! That's it?!" Milly had not expected that at all.
"Getting cold feet?" Lloyd said with his typical indifference.
Ashford Academy – Clubhouse
Lelouch and Rai had entered the building and were walking down the hallways.
"We can't keep this up forever, Lelouch," Rai told him, "You know things might escalate with Britannia and the Cons soon."
"I know," Lelouch acknowledged, "That's why I plan to tell Nunnally tonight after dinner."
"You're going to tell her? I know you said you were planning on it when we brought Shirley in but…"
"Like you said, Rai. Things will likely escalate. Milly's done a great deal many things to keep us safe, but not even she will protect us from the Decepticons. And personally…"
A small smile formed on his face, "I've been waiting to introduce Nunnally to Optimus for a while."
"What about Suzaku?" Rai asked, causing Lelouch's smile to fade, "You know he's going to find out sooner or later."
"We both know that's going to be a lot more complicated."
"That's an understatement. Not only is he a Britannian soldier, but he's been working with the Decepticons too! They even have their symbol engraved in his Knightmare! Who knows what lies Megatron has told him? I know he's your friend and… and I still care about him too. It's just… if we're not careful, he might end up becoming our worst enemy."
Lelouch's face seemed to contemplate deep thought, "I know. But, first things first."
Rai nodded as telling Nunnally first was probably the best idea, they can work things out with Suzaku later, preferably when they talked about it with the Autobots and the other Black Knights as well.
They both entered the dining room.
"Nunnally!" Lelouch called his sister, "Suzaku's gonna…"
However, both he and Rai were surprised to see Nunnally wasn't there. At the edge of the table, they both found a circle of origami cranes surrounding a photograph of her. She was tied to her wheelchair with a strip of tape over her mouth.
Rai's expression was one of shock and even fear, while Lelouch's face contorted anger and terror.
They both heard Lelouch's cell phone ring. He quickly answered, "Yes?"
" Lelouch!" he heard his sister's distressed cry.
"Nunnally! Where are you right now?!" Lelouch exclaimed as he and Rai both exchanged worried looks.
" I don't know, but I can't move!" she grunted a bit as the phone was taken away from her.
"Nunnally!" Lelouch exclaimed.
" It's me, Lulu," a new voice spoke from the phone, one Lelouch never thought he'd hear again as a chill went down his spine.
"Mao…!"
"What?!" Rai practically screamed, "He's alive?!"
Lelouch put the phone on speaker so Rai could hear as Mao spoke, "You and your little Autobot buddies dropped your guard Lelouch. Just because you all thought I was dead."
"Ma, listen. C.C. isn't here right now," Lelouch said.
" That's why I came. Someone immune to my Geass would be troublesome, now," the mindreader replied, "I'll save my encounter with her for a later date, probably with a squad of Vehicon troopers to make sure she doesn't get away from me this time. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I haven't told Megatron anything about you or the Ark's location yet, I'm keeping those cards close to my chest for now. But first things first, I'm gonna pay you back for that little session the other day. Feel free to bring in your amnesiac friend if you want since he's with you."
"So, you're within five hundred meters of us?" Rai asked as that was likely how Mao knew he was with Lelouch at the moment.
" Of course. Wanna try and find me?" Mao challenged in a sadistically playful tone, before laughing sadistically, "You boys have a time limit of five hours. Oh, by the way, since the game is just between the three of us, no calling in any of your Black Knight classmates or the Autobots. I'm not in the mood to get shot up or squashed underfoot. Although Britannian medical science is amazing, you can thank them for my return!"
"You are a sick piece of crap!" Rai exclaimed.
" You might wanna watch your language Mr. Amnesia," Mao warned, "Considering I hold the cards. You guys really should have made sure I was dead, maybe even have my body dumped in a river or something? You left off the finishing touch, and now dear sweet little Nunnally's in a bind! What a quandary, what a dilemma, what a crunch!"
"Nunnally has nothing to do with this!" Lelouch exclaimed just as Mao hung up, leaving the two young Black Knights alone as they silently looked towards each other with worry.
"It's not a very nice way to play a game, you know?" Nunnally said, still tied to her wheelchair, as Mao began to walk away. "If you do something to make my brother or my friend sad, I'll never forgive you!"
Mao laughed once more, "Oh, well aren't you a sweet little angel."
He turned around to walk away, leaving her there. Once she was out of earshot, he took out a separate communication device.
"But, before Lelouch finds you, I've got my call to make."
The Nemesis – The Bridge
Megatron turned around once the main door opened to see Soundwave and Shockwave enter the bridge of the warship.
"Lord Megatron," Shockwave bowed.
"Shockwave, what did you find regarding our guests?" Megatron asked, "Anything further on your study of this mysterious Geass?"
Ever since his arrival on Earth, Megatron had delegated Shockwave to study Geass from the group known as Code R that they've captured after the Battle for Narita, and now it would seem Shockwave had some information to give.
"From what I've learned, it would seem that the information of the human identified as 'Mao' is indeed correct," Shockwave began, "The one known as 'C.C.' can grant Geass to others, as well as the power of immortality. Code R was a project spearheaded by the deceased Prince Clovis and was to be kept secret from the remainder of the Britannian royal family. I am uncertain of what Clovis was trying to achieve, but our captives have said that he has tried to learn the secrets behind C.C.'s immortality, perhaps to provide it for himself, but I cannot say for certain."
"And with Clovis deceased as you said, is there anyone else who can provide us with more information?"
"There is."
Shockwave turned to Soundwave, whose visor showed the image of a certain man who worked directly for Clovis.
"General Bartley Aspirus. He was head of the research team and served directly under Clovis. Currently incarcerated in Temple Tower in Pendragon under suspicion of conspiracy."
"Anyone else in the royal family?"
"Negative."
"Hmm," the Decepticon leader began to ponder, "Just because Clovis intended to keep it secret doesn't mean such a concept was lost to others. Perhaps others are at least aware of the existence of Geass, and not just Code R."
Suddenly, Soundwave's visor shifted to a communication line that bounced up and down, which caught both Megatron's and Shockwave's attention.
"A transmission on the Decepticon communication channel?" Megatron questioned, "Patch it through."
Soundwave immediately walked up toward a console on the side and pressed a few key commands for Megatron to answer the call.
"Who is this?"
" Awe, have you forgotten about me, Megatron?" a familiar voice teased, "And after all that I have done for you."
"Mao," Megatron acknowledged. Though this was a surprise, it wasn't something to be overly excited about, "You're alive. Surprising."
" Guess it seems you've underestimated me," Mao replied, "And I hope this means that our deal is still on the table."
"You mean how you said you could deliver the immortal known as C.C. to me? I seem to recall Zero outwitting you rather easily."
" He caught me off, guard! It won't happen again!"
"And how can you be so certain? Zero has proven to be someone who is not easily disposed of."
" I can get rid of him for you, right here, right now,"
That got Megatron's attention, "Is that so?"
" Unlike you, I know Zero's weakness. I've got someone he loves so dearly, and because of that, he's practically pudding in my hands. I promise that after I play with him for a little bit, I'll deliver his severed head on a platter, along with some information about the Autobots you might find invaluable. And after that, maybe you can help me get C.C.? I promise to give you a sample of her, so long as I keep the rest. Does that sound like a deal?"
"I will allow it, Mao," Megatron told him, "But keep in mind, I don't often give second chances. If you want my help, you must prove yourself able to contribute to the Decepticon cause."
" Trust me, when I'm done, you'll be begging for me to have a place at the table," Mao hung up.
Megatron gave an annoyed scoff. Honestly, Mao was far too arrogant, even more so than Starscream.
"So that was Mao," Shockwave observed.
"Indeed," Megatron confirmed.
"He is far too childish. Lord Megatron, why do you entertain this? You already know Zero's identity. What can Mao possibly contribute?"
"Very little, as it would seem. However, I did not expect him to survive, and it is quite rare to catch me by surprise. Soundwave, I trust you've traced the signal?"
Soundwave nodded as he had the coordinates. He displayed them on his visor: Ashford Academy.
"Good. Deploy Laserbeak," Megatron ordered, "I want to observe what it is he has planned. One way or another, his Geass will serve our cause."
The silent Decepticon opened a small Groundbridge portal in front of him before deploying Laserbeak from his chest, who flew into the portal before closing.
However, this also left Megatron a moment to think. Clovis' project showed that he was aware of the existence of Geass, or at least of one individual who could grant it. But Mao was proof that Code R didn't know everything about Geass. There was more to this mysterious element than meets the eye. From what Mao said, others possessed the Geass ability, including Lelouch. And if that were the case, are there other Geass users out there that he isn't aware of? Or perhaps there are others like C.C. out there that can grant a Geass? There may be little to say about Clovis, but he seemed like a rather crude politician; neither a warrior nor a strategist. He wasn't among the most intelligent of Charles's children, and the Emperor himself was more than a little intelligent. The Decepticon leader trained Charles and knew him as a young boy. The only other person who knew Charles personally was…
"Charles, Victor...you magnificent cowards," Megatron's optics widened slightly in realization before they narrowed, "Soundwave, after this little 'episode' with Mao concludes, I want you to investigate everything regarding Victor Zi Britannia's death and his life up until that point while you are at it."
"The deceased twin brother of Charles Zi Britannia?" Shockwave asked, piquing interest in the matter.
"He was the only one Charles ever truly trusted. However, it only occurred to me till now, that I never really gave much thought concerning young Victor's apparent death, nor have I questioned how he died… if he truly died, that is."
"You believe that he lives and is possibly working with the Emperor in the shadows?"
"Charles may be a coward, but he's no fool," Megatron answered, a hint of anger regarding a possible betrayal lacing in his voice, "He is hiding something from me. And I am not one to keep secrets from."
Ashford Academy – Student Council Room
Nearly everyone was present in the Council Room, aside from Lelouch, Rai, Nunnally, and Milly. While everyone else worked, Kallen and Suzaku appeared to be feeding Arthur as they also engaged in some small talk.
"So, the pres is out for a date, eh?" Gino asked, "Well, whoever the lucky guy is, good for him. I mean, she's practically a bombshell from heaven!"
"Don't remind me!" Rivalz slammed his face onto the table in a depressed state.
"I'm guessing you have a crush on Milly, right?" Monica slightly teased.
For some reason, this got Nina's attention and she blushed slightly.
"That obvious?" Rivalz asked.
"A little," Monica replied.
"You seem to gaze at her every time she's in the same room," Anya said stoically as she was at her phone still, "All signs seem to indicate a form of emotional attachment."
"Emotional attachment?" Rivalz wasn't sure what to make of that.
"Oh, come on, stop teasing him!" Shirley chastised the three Knights of the Round before patting Rivalz on the back, "Don't worry Rivalz. If you just asked out Milly yourself, I'm sure she'd say yes."
"You think so?" Rivalz asked hopefully, as Nina continued to listen, thinking a bit about a certain pink-haired princess. Would Euphemia go with Nina if she simply asked?
"I don't see a reason why she shouldn't," Suzaku put his two cents in, "I mean, you're a decent guy."
"And since when are you the expert on relationships?" Kallen questioned.
"Maybe you can give me some advice Kallen?" Rivalz asked, "I mean, you seem to be hanging out with Lelouch quite a bit."
Gino looked toward Kallen in surprise, "Wait, you and Lelouch?!"
"Don't, okay!?" Kallen looked away, trying to hide her blush, "It's none of your business."
"Huh, you know, now that I think about it, you also spend a bit of time with Rai too," Monica observed.
"Wait, she's in a reverse harem?" Gino asked.
At the moment, Kallen wanted to punch Gino, but Shirley beat him to it as she elbowed the Knight of Three.
"Ow!"
"Gino, you're a nice guy, but there is such a thing as too personal," Shirley told him.
"Sorry," Gino rubbed his arm.
"Don't mind him, guys," Monica apologizes to him, "Gino might be a top-notch Knightmare pilot, but he's got zero social skills."
"Hey, I got some social skills!" Gino defended, "Back me up, Anya!"
"You don't," the emotionless girl bluntly said, "In fact, you don't have much social life outside the Knights of the Round, or the Student Council."
"Gee, thanks a lot guys," Gino sulked into his chair.
"Gah!" Suzaku felt a sharp pain in his hand as Arthur bit down on him, something that forced Kallen to hide her laugh.
However, that laugh came to a stop as Lelouch and Rai both entered the Student Council room, the former had his cell phone to his ear.
"Hey, guys! What's up?" Rivalz greeted.
"Lelouch, Rai, be honest with me, do I have good social skills?" Gino asked, most of the Student Council not noticing the distressed looks on their faces.
"Huh, what?" Lelouch wasn't paying attention.
Shirley did notice something, however, "Lulu, is something wrong?"
"Nothing, just looking for something," Rai said as he and Lelouch were about to leave, "Don't mind us."
"Eh, yeah. Talk to you later about dinner, Suzaku," Lelouch said as he and Rai left.
"Seems those guys have better social skills than you, Gino. Maybe you could take a hint," Monica teased.
"Yeah, I think I will," Gino said.
However, while everyone else seemed to resume their small talk, Suzaku noticed something off with Lelouch. He had known his friend long enough to know that something was wrong, and Rai was giving off the same kind of vibe.
"Hang on guys, I'll be right back," Suzaku left the room.
It wasn't just Suzaku who noticed something was wrong too. Shirley had a bad feeling in her gut, so she exchanged a glance with Kallen. The red-haired girl seemed to get the message as she nodded to her friend before Shirley stood up from her seat.
"Something up, Shirley?" Monica asked.
"I… I just forgot that I have to check on something," Shirley answered before leaving the room as well.
" Lulu, if you and your amnesiac buddy do a handstand while searching for me, I'll extend your time limit by an hour, yes?" Mao mocked through the phone as both Lelouch and Rai were standing on a stairwell. Rai noticed the distressed look on his friend's face.
"Lelouch, you can't let him get to you," Rai tried to get him to calm down.
"I know, but still…" Lelouch looked at the photograph of his tied-up sister, desperation clear in his eyes, "We know he's within five hundred meters of us, so he's still on the campus. But…"
"Lelouch."
Both he and Rai turned around in surprise to see Suzaku coming up the stairs.
"Suzaku! What are you doing here?!" Rai exclaimed with worry. This startle also caused Lelouch to accidentally drop the photo onto the ground, allowing Suzaku to see it.
"That's… I thought so, something's happened to Nunnally."
"Nunnally? What's happened to…" Shirley walked onto the scene, much to everyone else's surprise. However, she gave an audible gasp as she even covered her mouth in horror, "Oh my god!"
"Shirley!" Suzaku exclaimed as Rai tried to think of a good cover-up for Lelouch, "Don't panic! But you have to…"
"She knows," Lelouch revealed with a serious look in his eyes, "Suzaku, she knows about me and Nunnally, and who we were."
Suzaku could not contain his look of surprise, "What…!? How?!"
As he was trying to wrap his head around this particular revelation, Rai quickly walked up to Shirley and whispered in her ear so Suzaku couldn't hear him, " Shirley, don't panic, but it's Mao,"
That caused Shirley to gasp as she remembered that man all too well; the same one who kidnapped her, read her mind, used her as a hostage to get to Lelouch, and nearly killed her. She would have screamed and panicked, until Rai glanced at Suzaku, silently reminding her about his current position in both Britannia and the Decepticons and not to accidentally reveal any sensitive information. This was enough to calm Shirley down a bit, but she was still quite fearful.
"Suzaku, I promise I'll go into the details later," Lelouch told his friend, "But right now, Nunnally needs our help."
"Okay," Suzaku nodded, knowing everything else can wait, "But Lelouch, who did this? It can't be a Britannian or someone from the royal family!"
"No, this has nothing to do with our bloodline," Lelouch answered, "Just a psychopath who wants to keep a girl all to himself."
"But he does know about Lelouch and Nunnally's identities," Rai revealed.
"I see," Suzaku understood, "So, we can't go to the police or the military."
"No, we can't go to any outside help here," Lelouch responded, casting a glance towards Shirley, silently telling her that they can't call the Autobots or the Black Knights for this, something she understood.
"So, we'll have to do it ourselves then," Shirley said, becoming serious.
This took all three boys by surprise. The last thing Lelouch or Rai wanted was for her to be anywhere near Mao again.
"Shirley, no you can't! This is too dangerous!" Suzaku warned.
"I know!" Shirley argued, "B-but I want to help! I know about Nunnally, and I know what she's been through… it's all just so heartbreaking. And now… now she's in the hands of a monster who's ready to do who-knows-what to her?! I can't let that happen! Nunnally's my friend and I want to help! Lulu, Rai, please! You know I can help!"
This caused a great deal of conflict to stir in Lelouch. He could likely find a way she could help, but at the same time, he was terrified of what Mao would do if he got a hold of her again. Rai put a hand on his friend's shoulder however, calming him down and giving him a nod. Lelouch, in turn, nodded back.
"Shirley, you stay with us at all times, okay?" Rai told her, as he gently pats a hand on her shoulder, "Don't go off on your own and listen to everything we tell you. Can you do that?"
The brunette, in turn, nodded with a serious expression, "If there's anything I can do to help Nunnally, I'll do it."
"Lelouch, are… are you sure?" Suzaku asked, still not completely on board with this.
"I'm sure," Lelouch replied seriously.
Suzaku sighed with reluctance, "Okay. But we are going to talk about this once we're done."
Lelouch nodded in understanding.
"So, do we have any leads?"
"Just this photo," Lelouch replied, "And I know that he's somewhere very close by, watching me."
Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization, "And now that I think of it, I heard the sound of running water too!"
"Water…?" Rai snapped his fingers, "He's in the circulation system!"
"The lower levels," Lelouch stated.
"But how do we get down there?" Shirley asked.
"I know a way, come on!" Lelouch quickly ran back down the stairs with Suzaku, Rai, and Shirley following close behind.
"Something's still off, though," Suzaku noted.
"What is it?" Rai asked.
"Lelouch, normally you'd hone right in on that," Suzaku observed.
"Suzaku, my sister's been kidnapped! So, pardon me if I'm under a bit of stress right now!" Lelouch snapped, causing Suzaku to stutter.
"Sorry."
"Guys, please! We can't fight right now!" Shirley tried to stop them from snapping at each other, as Lelouch led the group to an elevator.
"She's right. We can't afford to lose our cool right now," Rai also said.
Lelouch put his student ID into the elevator's console, but it was soon rejected, "What's going on?"
"He changed the codes. We'll have to hack into the system," Lelouch said as he was already in the process of hacking.
"But that's against school rules," Suzaku pointed out.
"It's a life-or-death situation, Suzaku. I think we can afford to bend the rules a little," Rai told him somewhat irritably.
"He does have a point," Shirley also agreed.
Though Suzaku wouldn't admit it, he knew they were right and Nunnally's life was at stake, but that didn't mean he necessarily liked it.
"Don't worry, I'll change it back later," Lelouch answered as he finished and the elevator door opened, allowing the four of them to step inside.
As the elevator began to descend, Suzaku's eyes narrowed slightly, "I see. This is how you've been getting off campus, isn't it? Your little 'escape route'."
"It's what I used to use when I gambled," Lelouch answered, "I haven't used this thing since."
"Well good thing you do know how to use it, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten to Nunnally," Rai said.
"Speaking of which, do you have a plan, Lulu?" Shirley asked.
"Without knowing what our enemy has in store, there's not much I can plan for," Lelouch reluctantly admitted, "So, I guess we'll have to improvise."
"That's a first for you," Suzaku noted, "I've never seen you improvise before."
"You gotta open yourself to learning new things," Lelouch said, "Otherwise, you'll never change."
Shirley and Rai both exchanged silent glances as they likely knew what he was talking about. This was something he learned from his time with the Autobots, probably from Optimus.
However, the elevator soon came to a stop.
"Everyone, hide!" Lelouch stated as he and Shirley went to the left side of the car, with Rai and Suzaku on the right side just as the door to the lower levels opened, "How's it look?"
Suzaku pulled out a mirror to get a look into the hallway without revealing himself.
"There's a machine gun linked to the security camera," Suzaku answered, "The lag on these systems is tight. Point zero-five seconds."
"How do you know that?" Rai asked.
"I've seen this kind of equipment before at work," the Lancelot's pilot answered.
"So, it's military tech," Rai's said disapprovingly, "How the hell did this guy even get it?"
"I think a better question would be, how do we get past it?" Shirley asked.
"We'll have to head back up and disable…"
Before Lelouch could even finish, however, Suzaku already ran out into the hallway.
"Wait!"
"Suzaku!" Shirley yelled with worry as she, Lelouch, and Rai saw him get to work.
The turret opened fire, but Suzaku was fast enough to avoid all the bullets, albeit just barely, before quickly running up the wall to jump and deliver a spinning airborne kick to completely obliterate the gun and the camera.
Shirley was rendered speechless while Rai was simply surprised before a serious look formed on his face, 'Probably learned that trick from the Cons.'
"Of all the reckless moves..." Lelouch wasn't exactly fond of Suzaku pulling a stunt like that, but time was still of the essence.
"Come on, let's go. Nunnally's waiting for us," Suzaku said as he ran deeper into the hallway, with Lelouch, Shirley, and Rai right behind him.
They came to the end of the hall toward a large door that opened almost automatically for the group, revealing the circulation system inside. It was a massive chamber with a 'waterfall' of sewer water at the end. However, at the very end of the chamber was the person they were looking for.
"Nunnally!" All of them exclaimed as they ran into the chamber.
The bound girl was surprised to hear those voices, "Lelouch, Suzaku, Rai, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's us!" Rai told her.
"Nunnally, it's gonna be okay," Shirley also said, surprising the younger girl.
"Shirley? You're here too?" Nunnally asked in worry.
"We're all here," Lelouch assured, "Don't worry, we're gonna get you…"
"Wait! Up there!" Suzaku stopped their advance and pointed to a hanging device that slowly swung back and forth above Nunnally's head.
Lelouch instantly knew what it was, "A bomb."
"What?!" Shirley almost screamed, "How in the hell did he get a bomb?!"
" Oh, you brought Shirley with you," Mao's voice rang through Lelouch's headset, "I'd be happy to see her again. But I'll play along since she and Kururugi came on their own. Can't wait to see how the 'meddling kids' deal with this."
Once he hung up, Lelouch practically snarled wanting nothing more than to wring Mao's neck.
"Hey guys, look up there. Upper right corner," Rai pointed to the group a small camera that was attached to the wall.
"So, he has a camera," Lelouch observed, while also getting Rai's subtle hint, 'Which means we're outside his range. So he won't be able to read our minds down here. But he can still see everything we do.'
"Nunnally, we're going to defuse the bomb," Suzaku smiled sincerely, "It's okay, don't worry. Lelouch and I can do anything together, plus we got two more friends here."
Despite the otherwise terrifying situation she was in, Nunnally had complete faith in her older brother and her friends, "That's right."
"Okay, so what do we know about the bomb?" Rai asked.
Lelouch need only take a glance at it to get an idea of how it functions, "It's motion sensitive. The solenoid inside supplies energy that keeps it constantly moving."
"What does that mean?" Shirley asked.
"If an external force interferes with the motion, then it explodes," Lelouch explained, causing Shirley to look in surprise.
"So, let's just move Nunnally out of the way," she suggested.
"No, it's not just the bomb itself, but the area around it. Moving Nunnally even an inch will trigger it," Suzaku assumed.
"How much damage would this thing do if it were to blow up?" Rai asked.
"It would wipe out everything within five or six hundred meters, minimum," Suzaku answered.
"But that would take out almost the entire school!" Shirley exclaimed.
' He'd not only take out the Black Knights' leader, but his two ace pilots, all my friends, even Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper who are stationed here,' Lelouch thought, 'And since Suzaku's here, I can't call Optimus for backup. Mao probably has the trigger too, and with that camera, he'd see any Autobot or Black Knight that would show up here. With so many innocent people potentially getting caught up in the explosion…'
"How are we gonna diffuse the bomb without stopping it?" Shirley asked.
"We might have to cut the line, but it has to be extremely precise," Rai assumed, "Even one tiny mistake and Ashford Academy will be a smoking crater."
"I think I might at least know which line to cut," Lelouch said as he looked at the bomb again, "He's not a pro, so I could figure out which lines are dummies. But it's too much of a risk. As Rai said, we need to be extremely precise about it. We'd have to cut the line without disrupting the motion."
"So, it's impossible…?" the schoolgirl asked, getting rather fearful that they might not have a way out of this situation.
"No, it's not," Suzaku stated, "I'll do it."
"Now is not the time to show off, Suzaku!" Rai exclaimed.
"I'm not showing off! I can do it!" the young Honorary Britannian replied.
"We don't have enough information to pull it off, though!" Lelouch said, not willing to risk his sister's life.
"There's a time limit here! We can't afford to play it safe!" Suzaku insisted, "As for information, it is staring you right in the face. I'm a soldier, Lelouch. Can you use that information?"
Meanwhile, in a grocery store, Sayoko strolled through the halls, picking up food for Lelouch and Nunnally. However, she felt her cell phone ring and saw that it was Suzaku's phone number on the Caller ID.
Ashford Academy
Mao stood at the far end of the academy's privately owned chapel. Behind him was a massive scale-like device. However, as he stood, he couldn't stop himself from hearing all the random thoughts of every student and teacher in the school, and it was starting to annoy him.
"Stuck up little brats," he scowled, "No wonder I hate schools so much," However, he soon smiled malevolently as he heard the familiar thoughts of his intended target.
' What now? What's he got planned for me next?' Lelouch thought as he walked up to the chapel, 'That camera trained on Nunnally is transmitting to Mao. Is he here? I can't believe he'd still be here at the school. What a whack job. I told Suzaku and Rai to stay with Nunnally, while also telling Shirley to keep the Knights of the Round off my back. I can't call Optimus or the others for help. Guess I'm on my own.'
Lelouch walked into the building, where Mao eagerly waited for him.
"Well, if it isn't the Cassanova!" Mao greeted mockingly as he clapped his hands, "No weapons, no Autobots, no friends, no strategy, you didn't defuse the bomb or even call Daddy Optimus! What's wrong Lulu?"
"I'm not explaining anything to you!" Lelouch glared, "The final game. Is it ready?"
"Let's put an end to this," Mao revealed a fully assembled chessboard, "With your specialty."
Meanwhile, the vehicle modes of Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper continued to sit in the school's parking lot.
"Hey, you guys wanna hear something funny?" Cliffjumper asked.
"You'd tell us anyway even if we said 'no'," Arcee said.
"That Knight of Three guy, Gino? I heard from Rai that he wanted to take Bee street-racing," Cliffjumper said, "I mean, he's got a pretty cool-looking Knightmare, why not race with that?'
"Guy's eccentric," Arcee said, "Reminds me of someone else I know."
" Ah snap!" Bumblebee played a rapper's voice through his radio.
"Ha, ha, very funny," Cliffjumper humored, "You know what else is funny?"
"You not taking a hint about shutting up?" Arcee joked.
"Admit it, you love the company!" Cliffjumper joked back.
"[Hey guys. Shirley's heading this way,]" Bumblebee got their attention as they saw the brunette schoolgirl running toward them, "[She looks upset.]"
"Guys! Guys! Help!" she called to them as she came to a stop to catch her breath right in front of the three disguised Autobots.
"Whoa, kid what's wrong?" Cliffjumper asked with concern.
"Mao's alive!" Shirley exclaimed.
"What?!" Arcee practically shouted.
"That psycho mind-reader?! I thought he kicked the bucket! I'll call Optimus!" Cliffjumper said.
"No! You can't! He has Nunnally!" Shirley quickly said, "And he has her practically tied to a bomb! If any other Autobot or Black Knight shows up, he'll blow up the entire school!"
"[Where's Lelouch?]" Bumblebee questioned.
"Keeping Mao busy. He has a plan," Shirley explained, "I can't go into the details just in case Mao's listening right now. Arcee, Cliffjumper, go outside the chapel. That's where Mao is right now. If something goes wrong, he wants you two on standby."
"What about Nunnally?" Cliffjumper asked.
"Suzaku and Rai are on it," Shirley answered.
"Suzaku?" Arcee questioned, not liking the sound of it.
"Guys, I know many of you might not trust Suzaku right now, but I know he cares about Nunnally and wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Lelouch is counting on that," Shirley said, "Please, just trust him. I do."
Arcee and Cliffjumper theoretically glanced at each other, despite still being in vehicle mode.
"Okay, I might not trust Suzaku right now, but I trust you, Shirley," Arcee said.
"If Lelouch needs us, we'll be there for him," Cliffjumper added.
"[What about me?]" Bumblebee asked, "[I'm Lelouch's guardian.]"
"And that's why he needs you to stay back, Bumblebee," Shirley explained, "If something goes wrong and people see you transform… practically the whole school knows your Lelouch's car and…"
"[It could reveal his identity as Zero,]" the scout understood, "[Alright, I'll stand down.]"
"Thank you so much for understanding. And… for your help," Shirley said sincerely.
"Hey, we're all friends here kid," Cliffjumper assured, "Any time you need us, we'll be here."
"We better get moving," Arcee said as she began to drive off, "I'd love to squash that ego-maniac under my heel myself."
She drove off with Cliffjumper right behind her.
Viceroy Palace
This was one of the few times Cornelia could relax with her younger sister, and not worry about fighting, politics, or anything. She and Euphie both sat on the roof garden of the palace, the elder sister lying down and laying her head on Euphemia's lap.
"It's been a while since we could spend time like this," Cornelia said, in a completely relaxed state, "There have been so many unexpected events since we came here."
The Viceroy playfully grabbed her sister's stomach and tickle her, causing Euphie to laugh, "All of that desk work, it's making you fat."
"Hey, cut that out, it's not funny," Euphie said, despite the laugh she shared with her older sister.
"Sounds like you two are having a good time."
Both royal sisters looked in surprise to see Nonette walking toward them.
"Lady Nonette!" Euphie was about to straighten herself out, but Nonette held out a hand.
"No Euphie, please," she assured, "I was only going to ask if I could join you. I mean, there's nothing else to do, and with Gino and the others at school, it's kinda boring all by myself. If, that's alright with you, anyway."
Cornelia seemed hesitant for a moment, but Euphie was the first to smile, "That would be lovely Nonette. Please."
The Sub-Viceroy motioned for her to sit down next to her, which the Knight of Nine didn't hesitate to accept.
However, Nonette noticed a small look of reluctance in Cornelia's eyes, causing her to frown slightly, "Cornelia, can I ask you something? And I want you to be honest with me."
"Yes?"
"Are you afraid of me?" Nonette asked.
Euphie was surprised, and even Cornelia didn't expect that amidst her reply, "No, I don't fear you. You're a Knight of the Round and I respect you, it's just…"
"Cornelia," Nonette spoke seriously, "It's alright, I'm not going to judge you."
The eldest of the Li Britannian siblings looked down slightly, "Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't find you… somewhat intimidating. But you're no Luciano Bradley and thank God for that."
She put in a tad bit of humor to ease the situation a bit, which caused Nonette to stifle a chuckle before Cornelia continued, "Truth is, I guess I've always been envious of you."
That took both Nonette and Euphemia by surprise.
"You're a far more skilled warrior than I could ever hope to be," Cornelia continued, "Someone recognized by my father and made a Knight of the Round. True, I'm a princess and I've got a pretty good track record myself, at least I had one before coming here…"
Nonette and Euphie looked both serious and sympathetic respectively, knowing what she was talking about, "But… I guess I'm just not in your league."
"Cornelia, don't beat yourself down," Nonette told her, "You think I'm better than you? Well, I don't think that at all. I might be a Knight of the Round, but I only got to where I am because I pushed myself. I didn't do it just to earn the Emperor's approval. I did it because I didn't want to lose to my rival."
Cornelia had not expected those words to come from Nonette's mouth, "You consider me your rival?"
"I always have, since our time in school together," Nonette said with an assuring smile, "You might have lost before, but I know you're capable of so much more. If you need any help, I promise I'll be there. I don't just consider you my rival, Cornelia. I think of you as my friend."
For one of the few times in her life, Cornelia had been rendered speechless. Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine, someone she considered to be her better, had just told her that she considered her to be both her rival and her friend. It was both surprising and relieving at the same time, as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Suddenly, being around Nonette didn't feel so bad.
And just as suddenly, a small frown formed on Nonette's face, "And as your friend, I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. You were captured by the enemy and abandoned by our so-called 'allies'. And I couldn't do anything about it. I hope you can forgive me."
It wasn't just regarding Cornelia's previous predicament she was speaking about, however. A part of her was also speaking concerning Kaizaren, as well as his own family; those she swore to protect but failed and believed to have been dead for seven years. But now he's somewhat alive. She can only hope that he was safe.
Cornelia wasn't quite sure how to respond to this either, but she soon found she wouldn't have to as both she and Nonette were pulled into a hug by the younger princess.
"I'm just glad you're both here, safe and sound," Euphie said honestly, "So, let's just enjoy this moment we have together and… and not worry about the Decepticons, or the Black Knights, or the Autobots, or anything else."
That seemed to have eased the otherwise tense situation as both Cornelia and even Nonette returned the hug before all three of them relaxed to look at the garden that surrounded them.
"Don't you two think this garden looks familiar?" Nonette asked the princesses.
"You're right, it's almost exactly like Lady Marianne's," Euphemia observed. Even Cornelia recognized the resemblance, "I heard Clovis ordered them to build it like this."
"I'm surprised he liked her villa that much," Cornelia said, "Since he was always fighting with Lelouch there."
A sad look formed in Euphie's eyes at the mention of her brother's name, "I suppose he thought of Lelouch as his rival."
"Clovis considered Lelouch his rival? Even though he was barely ten years old?" Nonette asked in a joking tone, "Wow, Clovis needed a hobby. Or a girlfriend."
Though that joke did cause Euphie and Cornelia to laugh slightly, it also became somber for them both as they were reminded of three important people in their lives who were taken away from them.
"We need to stabilize this area, and deal with Zero and the Autobots as soon as possible," Cornelia said with a somber, yet firm resolve in her voice, "To avenge Clovis, as well as Lelouch and Nunnally."
"Honestly, I'm a bit worried that if we're not careful, it won't just be them we'll be avenging," Nonette said.
Cornelia knew exactly what her friendly rival was talking about.
"Euphie, I don't want you anywhere near the Decepticons until this whole mess is over, understood?"
"Trust me, I know," Euphemia already had a bad feeling regarding the Decepticons, "But I can safely say that I trust Dreadwing. He's not like the others we've seen."
"You're right. At least Dreadwing has a code of honor. Which is more than I can say for… pretty much the rest of the Decepticons," Nonette said, "Listen, Euphie, even you Cornelia. If anything happens, or they try anything, I promise I'll be there for both of you. I swear it."
Ashford Academy
"You see, this scale is the bomb's detonator and its cancellation switch," Mao explained to Lelouch as they began their game of chess.
Just like before, Mao's pieces were white with the scale on his end also being white, while Lelouch had black pieces and the scale on his end was black as well.
"The chess pieces we capture will go here," Mao had already captured Lelouch's pawn and placed it on his scale, causing the meter to tip closer toward him, "If the needle swings toward me, the bomb goes off. You and I will be fine, but most of the school, including your precious sister, most of your friends, and even Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper will be a memory. If it swings toward you, however, the bomb will be disarmed. In short, if you win the game, you not only save your sister but all your friends too."
"Your mind is twisted. No wonder C.C. left you," Lelouch scowled.
"Provoking me won't work. I can read your thoughts, so I know what you're trying to do," Mao said.
"If that's the case, then you have to know whatever arrangement you've made with Megatron is a farce," Lelouch told him, "You think he's going to honor his end of any deal you've made with him? There's a reason they're called 'Decepticons'."
"He won't have a choice, considering I've got information that's invaluable to him," Mao replied, "First is your identity. Second is the location of the Ark and Optimus Prime. Third, how about your little conversation with Big Sis Cornelia the other day?"
Lelouch's eyes narrowed.
"You really shouldn't be surprised. You used your Geass on her to not only learn all about Britannia's military operations here in Japan but even that despite everything, she still loves you," a mocking smile formed on his face, "And you love her too. You want to patch things up with her. How sweet. How about after I'm done here, I tell Megatron about this? I can have C.C., Big Sis Cornelia, and even sweet little Euphie all to myself. I can only imagine just how much fun we're going to have, yes?"
Lelouch wished he could strangle Mao right now. But he had no choice but to play his game, so he did.
However, much like in Narita, Mao was able to easily counter all of Lelouch's moves. Already he lost three of his pawns, his bishop, and his knight. The needle was swinging closer to Mao.
"I'm afraid you're not the type of person who can keep your mind empty," Mao continued to read and mock Lelouch, "There's a part of you that's a critic, one that you've modeled after Daddy Optimus, acting as the little angel on your shoulder, making sure you don't do anything morally wrong. And there's another part of you that's an observer, a little devil on your other shoulder, which you view as your real father, who wants to model you after him. You want to be just like Optimus and nothing like your old man. You're that type of person. But I know all your thoughts, so I'm always a step ahead, you can't win."
Mao captured Lelouch's remaining knight and put it on his scale, causing the needle to tip closer toward him. Lelouch scowled, and Mao was able to read what he was thinking.
"Bravo!" Mao clapped as he saw Lelouch move his next piece, "You plan to think of seven things at once to confuse me and trip me up! But you see, if I focus my Geass directly on you, it's easy to tell which one is your true thought."
He captured another of Lelouch's pawns, "Ah, your last plan is failing you as well. You underestimated me, and that's why your sister is…"
He threw the piece onto his scale.
The needle was less than a centimeter away from the red zone, where the bomb would detonate. Now Lelouch was getting more than a little bit nervous. His eyes and body trembled.
"What do I do? Optimus, what would you do? How would you save Nunnally from this madman?"
He took out a coin and purposely dropped it on the ground, just to make Lelouch startle.
"Sorry, sorry, I dropped it," he picked up the coin and clapped once more, "Your turn, better hurry."
He noticed Lelouch's hesitancy, "Looky, looky, time is running out. Your little sister is not gonna make it, and you're gonna lose the rest of your friends too."
Lelouch looked about to move his king.
"Ah, is that the right move? Are you sure you wanna do that?"
Lelouch hung his head down. There was no way he could beat Mao, not with his sister's life, and all his friends' lives, in the balance. He saw there was only one way out.
"Isn't this enough?" Lelouch pleaded, almost out of desperation, "Please stop it, Mao…"
"I can't hear you very well," Mao sang.
"You got everything you wanted! Let Nunnally go!" Lelouch shouted.
"Huh?" Mao mockingly said, wanting Lelouch to say it,
"I admit it… you have beaten me."
That was all the madman needed to hear, which caused him to cackle like a hyena while clapping his hands as if he were a child who had just gotten hold of a toy he always wanted.
"Very well said! You're finally speaking your thoughts from the deepest part of your soul, huh? That feels great! Fantastic! But no."
Mao grabbed his king piece, much to Lelouch's horror as he knew what he was going to do.
"This is… checkmate ."
He spitefully and sadistically put his king onto Lelouch's black king and threw the piece onto the scale.
"NOOOOOO!" Lelouch screamed as the needle moved toward the red, "…Nunnally…"
He fell on his rear, believing he had just lost the most important person in his life.
"Hmm, let me see if she's burst into little pieces," Mao took out his hand-held device to see the live stream, but looked in surprise to see Nunnally was still alive and that the bomb had not gone off.
"What?! Why is she…?!"
Suddenly, the back window broke open, revealing Suzaku and Rai as they both leaped into the building.
"How did you…! You kept me focused on you!" Mao exclaimed.
As Suzaku and Rai that was how they were able to get in close, Mao tried to pull out his gun, but Rai quickly moved to slap the gun out of his hands. This allowed Suzaku to knock him down with a punch to the face, taking the visor off his head.
"I am Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi of the Britannian military, and you are under arrest!" Suzaku stated as Rai helped Lelouch to his feet.
"Suzaku… Rai…" Lelouch muttered.
"You disarmed the bomb?!" Mao questioned in disbelief, "Impossible! You'd have to match your speed to the pendulum!"
Mao looked into Suzaku's mind and saw he did just that before coming here.
"That's right after Lelouch told you which line to cut," Suzaku confirmed.
"Yeah, don't you remember, Lelouch?" Rai asked with a small smirk, his Geass briefly flashing in his eyes, "It was your plan."
Lelouch's eyes each had a red ring briefly formed before they faded, and all of Lelouch's recent recollections came back.
"That's right," he smirked at the madman, "Mao, it would seem this is my checkmate."
Mao's eyes widened in shocking realization, "Lelouch… Don't tell me…"
" Yes," Lelouch communicated to him via his thoughts as he and Rai both smirked, "I gave Suzaku, Rai, and even Shirley their instructions, while also having Rai use his Geass on me to make me forget, so you wouldn't find out."
" Turns out, my Geass is a lot like Lelouch's," Rai communicated with his thoughts as well, "Only I need people to hear me, as opposed to eye contact. But I just found out I can focus it on a specific person if I say their name while I make the command. So even if other people hear it, they won't be affected by my Geass."
" I told Suzaku to cut the line to the bomb, and for him and Rai to come in while I kept you distracted and focused your Geass only on me," Lelouch continued, "I also told Shirley to tell the Autobots, whose minds you still can't read. Arcee and Cliffjumper should just be right outside this building, so you can't worm your way out of this one."
"You… you bet everything on your friends!?" Mao exclaimed as Suzaku grabbed his arm, "What if they failed you?!"
" It's a little something called 'trust' Mao. Something you wouldn't understand," Lelouch replied via thoughts.
" And if you're thinking about revealing our identities to Suzaku, don't," Rai also told him, "He doesn't know anything about Geass, and even if he did, you'd think he'd take the word of a psychopath who kidnapped his childhood friend?"
Suzaku took out his phone and contacted their other associate, "Sayoko, everything's fine now. Right, go ahead."
Back in the circulation system, Sayoko quickly began to untie and free the blind and paralyzed girl.
"Sayoko…?" Nunnally asked, feeling relieved that she was here.
"I'll have you free in a second," the maid assured.
Lelouch smirked in victory as even Rai crossed his arms. But Mao wasn't about to accept defeat yet.
"You think you've beaten me, huh?" he tried to resist Suzaku's grip.
"Stop it!" Suzaku told him.
"Get your hands off me, father-killer !"
Suzaku's pupils shrunk as Rai gasped and even Lelouch was completely surprised.
Mao smirked once he saw Suzaku's horrified face, "You killed your father seven years ago. He called for do-or-die resistance, and you thought stopping him would end the war. What a childish idea. The fact is you're a murderer!"
"That's not true! I just… I…" Suzaku stuttered.
"How lucky for you that no one ever found out," the psychic continued, "All the adults lied to protect you."
"But all the reports said his suicide was a protest against the military actions…" Lelouch did not see this coming.
"A big, fat, lie! All of it!" Mao confirmed.
"Suzaku…" Rai looked at his friend with both shock and utter sympathy.
"I didn't have any choice!" Suzaku said immediately, "If I didn't… Japan would have…"
"That's how you justify it in retrospect? Well, it explains your death wish!" Mao stated, causing Suzaku to gasp again as Mao's evil smirk only grew, "You wanna save people's lives? It's your wretched soul you're trying to save! That's why you're always charging into danger! Placing yourself on the edge of death!"
Suzaku screamed as he fell to his knees.
"You're no hero!" Mao continued to mock, "You're just trying to wash the blood off your hands! A little brat begging to be punished! It's no wonder Megatron recruited you! I don't know if he knows this or not, but there's no way he's stupid enough to not see your little suicidal tendencies! He yanks on the strings of your cheap pride and you dance like a little marionette!"
"Mao!" Lelouch angrily exclaimed, activating his Geass and looking into Mao's exposed eyes, "Never speak again!"
"No!" Mao tried to cover his face, but it was already too late.
Lelouch's Geass flew into his eyes and altered his brainwave patterns. Mao opened his mouth, but he couldn't utter a word. All he could do was just moan and gurgle.
Rai tried to run and tackle him, but Mao grabbed him and threw him at Lelouch, knocking them both down. Mao then quickly ran for a side door, while also pulling out a Knightmare key.
Lelouch and Rai both quickly got up, but they didn't even have time to register what had just happened as the wall exploded outward. Rai was quick to pull the still-shocked Suzaku out of the way and behind some cover with Lelouch.
Both boys looked in shock through the hole to see a Sutherland just outside. Somehow, Mao was able to smuggle a military-grade Knightmare onto campus.
The explosion that had just occurred had alerted the entire campus and even startled those in the Student Council Room.
"What the hell was that?!" Rivalz exclaimed.
"Something appears to be causing a bit of a ruckus," Anya said, still as emotionless as ever, as while Rivalz, Kallen, and Nina were all startled along with Arthur, she, Gino, and Monica were already on their feet.
Mao had read the mind of the pilot he killed to get this Sutherland, so he knew how to operate it. Though he couldn't speak, he glared hatefully with killing intent through his screen as he aimed the Knightmare's rifle right at the trio of boys inside.
However, Cliffjumper's vehicle mode came speeding out of the corner, ramming the Sutherland's legs to trip it up before he drove into its chest to push and drag it across the ground and away from the building.
"Good call with guard duty, Shirley," Cliffjumper commended.
Arcee drove right behind Cliffjumper, "Get him off campus! We can't get anyone hurt!"
"Already on it!" Cliff responded as they were already making their way to the outer perimeter.
Cliffjumper rammed Mao's Sutherland through the wall and onto the streets before both he and Arcee transformed and aimed their Energon blasters at the stolen Knightmare as it quickly stood up.
"You got two options, Mao," Arcee told him, "Surrender or resist."
"Here's hoping you resist," Cliffjumper smirked.
Mao gritted his teeth, 'You damn Autobots! If it weren't for you, C.C. would be mine! Well, I'm gonna make sure you don't get in my way again!'
He fired his Knightmare's rifle, while also shooting a pair of slash harkens, forcing the two Autobots to scatter before they both opened fire with their Energon blasters, already obliterating one of the Knightmare's arms before it rolled back to avoid the laser.
Already, nearly every student at Ashford Academy had gathered outside to look in surprise, shock, and even awe at the fight that was occurring in the streets. Many of them even took out their cell phones to take pictures or even record the brawl.
At the same time, however, Laserbeak continued to hover over the area as it recorded and broadcasted the events occurring back to Soundwave.
The Nemesis – the Bridge
Soundwave's tentacles attached themselves to the main console, allowing Laserbeak's transmission to be brought up on the main screen for Megatron and Shockwave to see. The leader of the Decepticons appeared less-than-pleased.
"I fail to see the logic in these actions," Shockwave commented.
"As do I," Megatron agreed with a growl as he tried to contact Mao directly, "Mao, how difficult is it to exterminate one single human being!?"
No response.
"Mao!"
Ashford Academy
While other students continued to watch the fight play out, Shirley remained inside Bumblebee as they too saw the fight from the parking lot, which wasn't that far from the action.
"[How in the name of Primus did that whack job get a Knightmare?!]" Bumblebee exclaimed.
"What about Lelouch?" Shirley asked with worry as she sat in the driver's seat, "Or Nunnally, Rai, or Suzaku?!"
"[I got a confirming text from Lelouch that they were all okay,]" Bumblebee replied, "[Sayoko also has Nunnally, so she's safe.]"
Shirley breathed a huge sigh of relief, "Oh, thank god. You think Arcee and Cliffjumper can beat him?"
"[You even need to ask?]" Bumblebee responded rhetorically, causing Shirley to smile as they, along with everyone else continued to watch.
Back on the streets, Mao desperately tried to throw a punch out with his Sutherland's only remaining arm, only for Cliff to easily catch the punch before bringing his other arm down to crush and destroy the second arm before delivering a kick to the cockpit to knock the Sutherland back.
Mao could only gasp in shock as he then saw Arcee's leaping kick incoming. The kick was enough to send the Sutherland skidding down the street, and rattling Mao inside the cockpit. Just because he was able to learn how to use a Knightmare after reading its pilot's mind, didn't mean he was a master combatant, as the Autobots were no doubt proving.
" Mao!" Megatron directly contacted him through the Sutherland's communications, "Return to base immediately!"
Not seeing any other way out, Mao pulled on the ejection, shooting the cockpit out from what was left of the Sutherland, just as a Groundbridge portal opened up, allowing the cockpit to fly in right before it closed.
"And don't come back, freak!" Cliffjumper laughed.
"Uh… Cliff…" Arcee pointed to their left, where Cliffjumper's smirk vanished.
"Oh."
Nearly every student at Ashford Academy stared at the Autobots with awe and wonder, including those on the Student Council. Kallen herself was also there, and while she undoubtedly had some questions as to what just happened, she was greatly worried for her partners, especially as she saw the three Knights of the Round present. Gino's jaw had dropped, Anya remained as emotionless as ever, and Monica looked ready to call in the military.
Shirley saw all this from inside Bumblebee too. However, an idea came to her, and she was quick to get outside.
"[Shirley, what are you…?]"
The schoolgirl had made it past the crowd and put on the act of the 'innocent schoolgirl' before speaking, "Oh my god… you… you just saved us!"
Arcee and Cliffjumper looked down at her in surprise. She turned back to her fellow students, "These super cool transforming robots just saved us from a terrorist! Isn't that amazing?!"
Kallen saw what she was doing and quickly joined in, "Yeah… that is amazing! I… I think they're called the Autobots."
"You mean those robots who work with the Black Knights?" One other student asked as the crowd of students began to speak with each other before they soon began to cheer.
"Hell yeah! These guys are awesome!" Rivalz exclaimed, "Oh man, this is so cool!"
As all the other students began to cheer at their saviors, some even took pictures with their cellphones. Monica looked in shock, as Anya's emotionless expression remained unchanged. Though Gino smiled as he tried to wave through the crowd.
"Hey, Cliffjumper right? It's me, Gino! Nice to see you again!" he tried to get the red Autobot's attention, but he didn't seem to notice it amidst the crowd of cheering students.
Arcee smiled as she glanced toward Kallen and Shirley, giving both girls a wink which they returned before smiling at each other.
Cliffjumper smiled as well, "Hey kids, love to stick around for autographs, but we gotta bolt."
He and Arcee both transformed and drove off through the streets as the students continued to watch in awe as they drove off.
Meanwhile; Lelouch and Rai had helped Suzaku out as they made it outside. Though they weren't close enough to be pulled into the crowd, Lelouch and Rai had heard everything as they both exchanged smiles, having a good idea what Shirley just did and knowing just how beneficial this could be for them, the rest of the Black Knights, and even the Autobots in the long run.
However, their looks became serious and sympathetic as they glanced down at Suzaku, who was still in a state of shock over what Mao had revealed, apparently not noticing the presence of the Autobots even after they left.
"I just… I just…"
The Nemesis – The Bridge
"Mao," Megatron addressed the mind-reader as he stood before the Decepticon leader, while Soundwave was right by Megatron's side, "You have earned your place at the table."
The speechless Mao chuckled with an elated smile as he bowed his head, 'Just you wait, C.C. You'll still be mine! And you and I can be together! Forever!'
"Shockwave's dissection table !" Megatron sneered evilly.
Mao's elated smile turned into one of shock as he turned around to see Shockwave at the door to the bridge.
"A logical choice, Lord Megatron," the Decepticon scientist nodded.
Mao turned around to Megatron to try and speak or ask why, but all he could get out of his mouth was a series of gargles and groans.
"You wish to know why?" Megatron began, "Because you've tried not once, but twice to defeat Zero, and you've failed each time. You believe if you read a person's thoughts, you would know everything. While such an ability can be useful, you seem incapable of using it properly. When your opponent outwits you, you lose all sense of self-control and enter a state of blind rage. You're no soldier, you're a child! Now look at yourself, you are incapable of speaking, no doubt a result of Lelouch 's Geass."
That took Mao by surprise as he looked up at Megatron in shock.
"Oh yes, I've been aware of Zero's identity as Lelouch Vi Britannia for quite some time now."
The Decepticon leader continued as his evil smile only grew wider, "I simply acted ignorant to test you and see what you're capable of. I'm not impressed. However, I will admit that your revelation of the existence of Geass, as well as the one known as 'C.C.' has opened my mind to new possibilities. So, rest assured, my dear Mao, you and your Geass will still have much to contribute to the Decepticon cause… a science experiment!"
Mao was struck with a horrible realization. He realized that he had never truly played Megatron, but rather Megatron had played him ! He looked at the leader of the Decepticons' face in pure horror, as though he was looking at the face of the devil himself.
He turned around and desperately tried to run away. However, Soundwave deployed Ravage, which ran and leaped at Mao, pinning him to the ground as Mao screamed in shock at the sight of the mechanical jungle cat that snarled and looked ready to bite down on his throat.
Megatron, Shockwave, and Soundwave all loomed over him.
"He will be a fascinating case for study," Megatron said.
"I will leave nothing unexamined," Shockwave said as he reached down to grab Mao with his only hand before walking away.
Mao desperately struggled in Shockwave's steel grip but was unable to escape.
'No! No! This wasn't supposed to happen! C.C.! Help me! No… No! No! NO! NOOOOOOO!'
He screamed as loud as he could as the doors leading out of the bridge closed behind him and Shockwave.
Meanwhile, on the sidewalk of a city in the Chinese Federation, the disguised C.C. stopped walking as she could feel it. Call it a connection with her Geass, or a gut feeling, but somehow, she knew Mao was truly gone; likely subjected to a fate far worse than death.
She gave a long and sad sigh, 'I'm sorry Mao. I should have never given you your Geass. Forgive me, but I did love you. Wait for me… in C's World.'
However, a scowl formed on C.C.'s face as she heard someone's voice in her head that only she could hear.
"What do you want? Oh, don't worry, he's in far more capable hands right now, though I'm surprised you care."
A look of annoyance formed, "Don't give me that. The only reason I haven't told him about you is that he has such a high opinion of you, and I'd hate to see him crushed if he were to learn the truth. Don't think that means I'm still on your side."
C.C. smirked, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do know where the Autobots are, I'm just not going to tell you. I already told them about V.V., and I plan to tell them about Ragnarok as well. But right now, we've got a more dangerous threat on our hands. I promise that once the Decepticons are out of the way, I'll tell them everything, and you can bet Lelouch, Optimus, and the rest of the Autobots will do everything in their power to destroy your precious project. And I can't wait to watch you, Charles, and V.V. all squirm when that happens!"
"You can yell at me all you want. But this is the last time I'll be speaking to you. Consider our contract null and void… Marianne."
She placed a hand on her forehead, where her Geass mark began to glow briefly before she severed her connection with her other contractor permanently, making it impossible for her to contact the immortal.
C.C. then resumed her walk. There was a part of her that did feel bad for not telling Lelouch the truth about his mother. But given how much he admired her, she hated to see the expression on his face should he learn the truth. He would find out sooner or later, but it would seem he'll find out later. There was a more pressing threat to deal with: the Decepticons.
Chapter 24: TMI
Chapter Text
The Ark
It had been a full day since the incident with Mao at Ashford Academy. At the moment, Lelouch, donning his Zero attire minus the mask, had arranged a meeting with the Autobots and his most trusted inner circle of Black Knights: Kallen, Shirley, Rai, and Kaguya. They were not only there to discuss what happened with Mao, but of what Lelouch and Rai learned from Suzaku that very same day.
"Suzaku did…. What?!" Kallen shouted at the top of her lungs as everyone else around them looked stunned.
"Killed his father? Yeah. He did," Rai confirmed.
The other Autobots and Black Knights present had mixed reactions. Kallen's expression mixed between that shock and anger, Shirley was so stunned she covered her mouth with both her hands. Even Optimus' optics had widened in surprise, as well as Fixit, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Wheeljack. Ratchet and Ironhide exchanged serious and concerned glances as well. Kaguya could only look down slightly as Lelouch couldn't help but recall his brief conversation with Suzaku after the incident.
Flashback
Lelouch and Rai helped the still-shocked Suzaku down onto a chair in the clubhouse. The young Honorary Britannian's eyes continued to shake as if the patricidal act he committed had just occurred all over again.
"Suzaku…" Rai tried to say to him.
He didn't seem to register it at first.
"Suzaku!" Rai shook him by the shoulder to pull him out of his trance, "Are you alright?"
"I… I just… I never…"
"So, you did do it, didn't you?" Lelouch asked, "You did kill your father?"
"Lelouch… Rai… I…" Suzaku continued to stutter.
"Kirihara, I think that was the old man's name," Lelouch began, "He claimed that Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi killed himself to stop all those in his cabinet who called for a do-or-die resistance."
' So, Kyoto knows about this?' the white-haired boy wondered but chose to remain silent.
"The story was a necessary one," Lelouch continued, "For Japan and Britannia."
That seemed to calm Suzaku down a bit, "Thank you for that."
End Flashback
"That good-for-nothing, son of a…"
To say Kallen was angry with Suzaku would be an understatement, "Was he with Britannia the entire time!? Did they pay him to kill his dad?!"
"Kallen!" Lelouch exclaimed, getting her attention, "That's enough!"
Before Kallen was about to speak out in protest, Kaguya had already spoken, "He wasn't with Britannia at the time."
She got everyone's attention, including that of the Autobots.
"Suzaku's father did indeed call for do-or-die resistance. Suzaku tried to stop him, but Genbu… to say he was stubborn would have been an understatement. He refused to surrender, and with how much of an advantage Britannia had during the war…"
"Such an act would have undoubtedly resulted in incalculable losses," Optimus understood, "I would even say that the entire population of Japan would have been exterminated."
"So, Kyoto knows about this?" Ironhide asked Kaguya who nodded in response, "Anyone else?"
"Tohdoh knows," Kaguya replied, "Other than him, only those gathered here."
"Damn… that's really gotta be rough," Bulkhead said in a sympathetic tone, "Killing your dad…"
"Not to mention he's lived with that for years," Cliffjumper added in the same tone, "Can't imagine what something like that is like."
"Is… is there anything we can do?" Shirley asked in a hopeful tone. She was indeed shocked by something like this, but from Lelouch's description, it sounded like Suzaku was torn up completely on the inside, "Is there anything we can do to help him?"
"Not without potentially exposing all of us, including Lelouch's identity, to him," Arcee said, "And given that he's still riding with the Cons, we can't afford that."
"But just because Suzaku is with the Decepticons doesn't mean he's like them!" Shirley exclaimed, "They're evil! But he's not! He's a good person! Lulu, Rai, Kallen, you've all seen him at school!"
"Suzaku is not evil," Lelouch said immediately, "You're right about that Shirley. But, his perception of good and evil is completely skewered and that's the problem right now."
"What do you mean?" Shirley asked.
"Based on all our previous encounters with Suzaku up until this point, he believes that the path he is currently on is the right one and that all other paths are wrong," Optimus added, "He believes he can change the system from within, while also seeking ways to avoid conflict. While such a path is noble, it also leaves him vulnerable to those who might take advantage of his mindset."
"Megatron," Ironhide said.
"So what? King Con knows Suzaku's secret too?" Kallen asked.
"If that's true, maybe he's being blackmailed," Shirley said, sounding as though they might have found a solution, "If we tell him that, and maybe try to help him…"
"[Shirley, you have a good heart, but I don't think it's that simple,]" Bumblebee commented.
"I can't say for certain whether or not Megatron knows what Suzaku has done," the Autobot leader continued, "But I will say that he has noticed Suzaku's stubborn and straightforward mindset. No doubt he is likely manipulating Suzaku into becoming the very thing he claims to fight against."
"Great. He's about halfway to being a Decepticon," Kallen commented.
"But we can still help him, right?" Rai asked, "I mean, you guys did say that some Decepticons ended up switching sides before Cybertron was destroyed."
"That's true," Fixit put in, "There were a considerable many Decepticons who defected after Megatron poisoned Cybertron's core."
"But there was a great deal many more who stayed with him even after that," Ratchet added.
"Ol' Buckethead does have a way of attracting the worst of the worst," Wheeljack put in as many of the Autobots and Black Knights present could at least think of one or two Decepticons that easily fit that category such as Airachnid, Starscream, Breakdown, Soundwave, and even Shockwave.
"We can work out the details with Suzaku later," Ironhide said, "I think we should focus more on the fact that crazy mind reader brought a Knightmare to your school and almost exposed us!"
"I was able to use my Geass to keep Mao from speaking anymore," Lelouch informed, "He'll never be able to tell the Decepticons about us or the Ark."
"Megatron however will no doubt subject Mao to his experimentations," Ratchet said, "Which might give him a better insight towards Geass."
"Nothing we can do about that though," Cliffjumper replied.
"What about C.C.?" Rai asked, "Is she still okay?"
"We have her location," Fixit said as he held his hand-held device, "She's still in the Chinese Federation. And the Ark will be able to detect any Decepticon signals near her, so if the enemy does indeed try to take her, we can bring her back with the Groundbinge… ridge… bridge!"
"Yeah, but still doesn't change the fact that two of our soldiers were spotted near a Britannian school," Ironhide glanced towards Arcee and Cliffjumper.
"Well, what were we supposed to do? He had a Knightmare," Arcee argued, "Just let him kill everyone there?"
"Arcee and Cliffjumper made the right call in acting," Optimus granted, "However, this could also warrant an investigation into Ashford Academy which could potentially expose Lelouch and Nunnally's identities."
"Already had that covered," Lelouch said, getting everyone's attention, "I hacked into the school systems to erase mine, Nunnally, and even Rai's information until the investigation is concluded."
"But you still have three Knights of the Round at your school," Ratchet said, "And I'm pretty sure Cornelia will find it suspicious that two students from the Student Council are missing from the school's records."
"As I said, I already have that covered," Lelouch continued, "I used my Geass on the principal to gather all students and staff in the gymnasium together."
"After that, I used my Geass to alter their memories and make them temporarily forget me, Nunnally, and Lelouch," Rai added, "Once the investigation is over, their memories should still come back."
Most of the Autobots were somewhat surprised at how quickly Lelouch and Rai were able to handle the situation but were quickly reminded that this was Lelouch they were talking about. To say they were impressed with such quick thinking was an understatement, even Ironhide smirked slightly.
"Wow, you think of everything, don't ya?" Bulkhead smirked.
"I'm too modest to boast," Lelouch had his smirk.
"You? Modest? Yeah, I don't think so," Kallen joked, resulting in some laughs and chuckles from most of the group.
"So, where are you guys staying?" Wheeljack asked.
"Nunnally and I are staying at Kallen's for the moment," Lelouch answered.
"After what you did for my mom back with that whole Refrain mess, it was the least I could do," Kallen said with an honest smile, "Besides, my mom is practically gushing over Nunnally right now. It's kinda cute actually."
"Aww, but I would have wanted you to stay with me, Lelouch?" Kaguya put on a pouty face, to which Lelouch responded with a small grin and a head pat.
"Sorry, maybe next time."
"What about you Rai?" Bulkhead asked his partner.
"Shirley's letting me stay with her for right now," Rai answered, shifting his attention to the brunette, "Thanks again for that. To be honest, you didn't have to."
"Are you kidding? What kind of friend would I be if I didn't let you a place to stay?" Shirley said, "I'm just glad I can do something to help around here."
Cliffjumper had a knowing smirk on his face, "So, you boys are staying at girls' houses, eh? Be sure to be on your best behavior and don't get any funny ideas."
All the young Black Knights caught on to Cliffjumper's less-than-subtle joke, resulting in Shirley and Rai blushing, Lelouch rubbed his hand down his face with an annoyed sigh, while Kallen's whole face turned red and she shot Cliffjumper a look of comic anger.
"Arcee, can you punch him for me?!"
"Nah, sorry. Not this time," Arcee joked as Bulkhead and Wheeljack chuckled, Kaguya giggled a bit, and even Ironhide had a small smirk. Bumblebee would have laughed a bit too if he had his voice box. Ratchet simply rolled his eyes, Fixit looked only confused about what Cliffjumper was referring to as human biology and customs alluded him. However, Optimus had a small smile on his face, despite the situation they were all facing, it was nice to see those he cared for, Autobot and human, interact so casually with one another.
"[Hey uh, speaking of helping, you guys seen the internet lately?]" Bumblebee asked, "[A couple of kids recorded Arcee and Cliff's fight with Mao and posted the thing online. 'Autobots save Ashford Academy from a terrorist'. That's really good PR for us.]"
"And considering how social media operates, it'll spread like wildfire, even with the military trying to stop it," Lelouch said, "This will undoubtedly bring us more support, not just from the Japanese population, but even Britannians as well."
"It'll also give the military quite a headache," Wheeljack smirked.
Kallen chuckled, "I know she's your sister and all Lelouch, but what I wouldn't give to see the look on Cornelia's face right now."
Area 11 – Royal Palace
"How in the hell did a terrorist hijack a military-grade Knightmare and use it to attack a Britannian school without anybody noticing?!" Cornelia practically screamed, her face filled with ire and rage as not only were her personal Knights, Guilford, and Darlton, present as well, but even the four Knights of the Round. Even Euphemia sat on her throne next to her enraged sister.
"Your majesty…" Guilford tried to speak as calmly as he could, not wanting to invoke the wrath of the second princess, "I understand how this seems, but you need to remain calm…"
"Calm….? Calm?! CALM!?" Cornelia shouted as she marched off her throne and looked into Guilford's startled eyes, "Not only did a terrorist openly attack a school on Britannian grounds where three Knights of the Round also attend, but the attack was thwarted not by the military, but by those goddamn AUTOBOTS!"
"And they were cool," Gino said with a smile as he took out his phone and began to play the video on it, "I even got the thing recorded. Those guys…"
Cornelia however snatched the phone from Gino's hands and chucked it at the wall, resulting in it shattering.
"My phone!"
Cornelia grabbed Gino by the collar and looked him in the eye, "If you so much as utter one more word of praise to the enemy…. Let's just say facing Luciano Bradley would be merciful! DO YOU UNDERSTAND, WEINBERG!?"
"Yes Ma'am!" Gino muttered in a frightful squeak.
"You do realize that threatening a Knight of the Round is a serious crime, even among royalty, correct?" Anya pointed out in an emotionless tone.
Cornelia was ready to direct her ire towards Anya, but Monica already stood in front of the younger girl protectively as Nonette put a firm hand on Cornelia's shoulder.
"Cornelia, you need to calm down!" the Knight of Nine spoke in a firm tone, "We're all concerned about this but lashing out like this is not going to help!"
"She is correct, your highness," Darlton also spoke up, "This is a very serious situation, and we can't afford to lose our composure. So please, try and calm yourself."
The eldest of the Li Britannian siblings seemed to get the message, and when she glanced up towards Euphemia who looked toward her older sister in grave concern. That was all she needed to see.
Cornelia took a long and deep breath to calm herself before speaking professionally, "What is the damage? How bad is it?"
Guilford winced slightly but answered the question, "As you stated, a terrorist attacked a Britannian school. Although there were no casualties, the ones who ultimately quelled the situation were the Autobots, not the police or the military."
"As a result, protests have spiked all across the area," Darlton added, "And if I'm being honest, there have been many Britannian civilians voicing their contempt towards the royal family ever since the death of Prince Clovis."
"Why is that?" Cornelia questioned.
"When the Autobots and Zero made their appearance, they claimed that Prince Clovis had attempted to massacre the Shinjuku ghetto," Darlton answered, "That and the Purebloods' attempt to frame Suzaku Kururugi for the crime didn't help the situation."
"When we arrived in Area 11, we saw that there were many Britannians who disapproved of the numbers system and wished it to be abolished," Monica added, "Even during our stay at Ashford, we've heard some students stating how sorry they've felt towards the Elevens' impoverished conditions."
"It seems that the actions of Clovis and the Purebloods have stained the Royal Family's reputation, exposing some of their… less-than-stellar traits," Nonette added, "That's not to say I think everyone in the Royal Family is bad, but there are those who might not have… the best intentions."
Cornelia didn't provide an argument as she knew Nonette was right. She had known for a long time that her family was broken, and even those among it that she had nothing but contempt for, including her father for what happened to Lelouch and Nunnally.
The Viceroy sighed before she gave her next orders, "Guilford, Darlton, I want you and the Knights to conduct a thorough investigation with Ashford Academy. Find out exactly how this happened. We need to show our people that their safety is, and always has been our top priority."
"Yes, your majesty," Guilford and Darlton said at the same time as they and even the four Knights of the Round bowed before leaving the throne room.
As Cornelia sunk into her throne, Euphemia stood up and walked toward her sister, "Cornelia, is there anything I can do?"
The Viceroy held out her hand for the pink-haired princess to take, which she did, "Euphie, for now, all I can think of is for you to keep your head down. We're in a very messy situation right now and I don't want you getting swept up in any of it."
Euphemia was somewhat saddened to hear that. While she appreciated Cornelia wanting to protect her, she wished there was more she could do. But sadly, there wasn't anything that could be done right now.
The Ark – The Next Day
While most of the Black Knights and Autobots wandered about the Ark either making small-talk or tinkering with their weapons or Knightmares, Shirley, Rai, Tamaki, and even Fixit sat on the TV to watch a monster truck rally, with Bulkhead and Wheeljack standing behind them also watching it. Though Bulkhead, Tamaki, Wheeljack, and even Fixit seemed to be enjoying it, Shirley and Rai were there because there was nothing else to do.
"Oh yeah! Crunched!" Tamaki exclaimed at seeing a car get crushed by the monster truck.
"Oooh!" Bulkhead also said, while covering his eyes with a smirk.
"Like to see a Vehicon walk away from that," Wheeljack smirked.
"Yeah, we should have some Autobots who turn into monster trucks around here!" Tamaki agreed.
"Well, I can't say for certain whether or not that would be effective in battle…" Fixit commented before a grin formed on his face, "But that would be so much fun to watch!"
"Here I'm surprised you like this kind of stuff, Fixit," Rai commented.
"Yeah, you don't seem like the type who'd be into that," Shirley added.
"I used to watch gladiatorial matches on Cybertron. They were my favorite pastime," Fixit said.
"Seriously!? Cybertron had gladiators?! Awesome!" Tamaki exclaimed.
However, Ratchet continued to work at the communications console on the Ark's bridge, and he was getting rather annoyed with how loud the TV was, "Would you mind lowering the volume?"
"Hey Ratch, check out the monster truck rally Tamaki showed to me and Jacky last week," Bulkhead said.
"Innocent vehicles battling for the pleasure of human spectators?" Ratchet shivered in disgust, "Bloodsport!"
"Yeah!" Wheeljack, Tamaki, Fixit, and Bulkhead exclaimed as the Wreckers exchanged a high-five, and even Fixit and Tamaki shared one.
"Come on kids, you gotta admit this is freaking cool!" Tamaki said to Rai and Shirley.
"Thanks, but I already wreck plenty of stuff with my Gekka," Rai said.
"And monster truck rallies aren't my thing," Shirley said.
"You know, you could be helping Optimus, Zero, and Bumblebee in the field right now," Ratchet said as he went back to work.
"Eh, they don't need a Wrecker's help to search for some ancient educational rod," Wheeljack dismissed.
Ratchet shook his head in minor annoyance, "This 'ancient educational rod' to which you refer happens to be a Cybertronian Data Cylinder."
The medic pressed a button on his console, resulting in the television switching from the monster truck rally to a data-reading of the Data Cylinder, much to most of the group's dismay.
"Hey! What the hell!?" Tamaki exclaimed, "We were watching that!"
"And there is no telling what vast intelligence it may hold," Ratchet said.
"Is this Data Cylinder all that?" Rai asked.
"Are you kidding!?" Fixit exclaimed, "This is nothing short of incredible! The Data Cylinders each contained the total of Cybertronian knowledge on nearly every possible subject you can think of. Stellar cartography, medicine, ancient mythology, you name fit...hit...it!"
"So, these things were like computer hard drives?" Shirley asked.
"Yes, exactly. Well done Shirley," Fixit smiled, resulting in the brunette blushing slightly at the praise.
All the while, Tamaki simply looked bored as Ratchet took over the explanation.
"When war broke out, the cylinders were hidden throughout the galaxies, to keep them as far as possible from Decepticon reach," the Autobot medic explained, "Detecting one signal here , on Earth… is the opportunity of a…"
"Ugh! T.M.I. doc-bot!" Tamaki groaned.
"Switch it back, I wanna see the hoedown-showdown!" Bulkhead also added.
Suddenly, the Bridge received immediate communication from Optimus, with the sounds of battle being heard in the background.
"Ratchet, Decepticon ambush! The cylinder is at risk! We require backup!"
That got everyone's attention. Shirley and Fixit looked worried, Rai got serious, while Tamaki, Wheeljack, and Bulkhead looked more excited.
"Backup is what we're built for," Wheeljack smirked.
"Yeah. Time to bend some fenders," Tamaki also smirked eagerly.
Fixit activated communications as his voice registered throughout the entire Ark, "All available Autobots and Black Knights! Ready your Knightmares and report to the Groundbridge immediately! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!"
Within minutes, a Groundbridge portal opened as Ironhide, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Arcee, and Cliffjumper all gathered together with a squad of Black Knights in their Burais, including Ohgi and Tamaki, along with Kallen and Rai in the Guren MK II and Gekka Pre-Production respectively. The Autobots all transformed and drove directly into the portal with the Knightmares rolling in behind them.
However, nobody appeared to notice Shirley had followed everyone to the bay. She wanted to wish them luck but had already seen them drive off into the swirling vortex. But as she saw the portal was still open, which probably won't be for long, an idea soon came to her. Maybe she could help? After all, she was able to help before when Mao had kidnapped Nunnally and even turned the favor of her friends and classmates at Ashford toward the Autobots after driving Mao back. Maybe she could help here too.
Shirley had leaped out of the Groundbridge vortex just as the portal closed into a canyon-like setting. However, her jaw dropped in shock as she looked in awe at the sight of the Autobots and Black Knights duking it out with several Decepticons and Vehicon troopers. She had just walked into a warzone, evident as Bulkhead had just punched down a Vehicon and it looked as if it was ready to fall on top of her.
Fortunately, Shirley was able to run out of the way just in time as she hid behind a rock for cover. She felt a strong sense of déjà vu hit her as this was almost like in Port Yokosuka where she was caught in the middle of a skirmish between the Black Knights and the Autobots against the Britannian military and the Decepticons. Though she was more than a little scared, she was able to peek out from behind her cover to see the battle that was occurring.
The closest to her was Optimus Prime against Dreadwing, both of them wielding their respective blades as they clashed with one another with a series of rapid swings that they both were able to block. After blocking one slice from Dreadwing, Optimus was able to deliver a fierce kick to knock Dreadwing back.
"Autobots, Black Knights, stand your ground!" Optimus stated to his soldiers, "The artifact must not fall into enemy hands!"
Shirley was able to spot the artifact she could only assume was the Data-Cylinder, and it was a large one indeed. She looked around to see every combatant occupied and unable to retrieve it.
Zero's own Burai rolled around the battlefield as he relayed orders, "Guren, Gekka, support the Autobots! Try and secure the relic! All other Black Knights provide covering fire, but do not engage in close-quarters combat!"
The leader of the Black Knights, as well as the entire squad of Black Knights he brought with him opened fire with their refiles, their magnesium bullets were able to burn through and melt five Vehicon troopers.
Starscream growled as he led the remaining Vehicons, "Return fire!"
He ordered as he and his troopers opened fire with their Energon blasters, forcing the Black Knights to scatter and shoot back as well.
Rai's Gekka shot right for the Data Cylinder, only to be tackled out of the way by Knock Out before he transformed and gunned straight for it.
"Come to papa!" Knock Out said as he transformed and tried to grab the artifact, only to be rammed on the side by the Guren MK II that tried to latch onto Knock Out's face with the Radiant Wave Surger, though Knock Out was able to pull away from it, the pulse was able to blast away the red Decepticon.
"Run to mommy!" Kallen's voice called to Knock Out.
However, Breakdown came in to grab the Guren by its head, "Say 'uncle'! Say it!"
This, however, left him open for Bulkhead to run and tackle the equally large Decepticon. Kallen landed the Guren on its feet and was ready to grab the cylinder, only to be put on the defensive as Thundercracker flew down in his vehicle mode and opened fire with a series of missiles, forcing Kallen to drive the Guren out of the way.
Shirley looked around and saw all the others in a bit of a pickle themselves. Wheeljack was back-to-back with Bumblebee, lashing out with swords and fists respectively against a team of Vehicons; Arcee was in the middle of a fist-fight with Skywarp; Rai had recovered in his Gekka to provide Bulkhead some assistance against Breakdown; Ironhide and Cliffjumper were helping Zero and the Black Knights return fire against Starscream and his Vehicon squadron; and Optimus was still occupied with Dreadwing.
While it seemed like all the Autobots and Black Knights were busy, it also meant all the Decepticons were occupied as well, Shirley thought maybe she'd be able to get the cylinder away without the bad guys noticing. She quickly made a break for the cylinder and was able to hide behind it and nobody appeared to notice her yet. She quickly pulled out her phone and tried to call the Ark.
"Ratchet, Fixit, anybody? Please come in!"
She soon got a response from the Autobot medic, "Shirley? This is an emergency channel, we need to keep it open for the… wait, where are you?"
"I'm with… the… the thing you were talking about!" Shirley stated, "That hard drive thing?"
" Hard drive…?" Fixit was also on the other end, "The Data Cylinder?! Wait… that would mean… why are you on the battlefield!? You're supposed to be in the intelligence unit!"
"I know, yell at me later! But can you use the Groundbridge to get the cylinder thing out of here? Everyone else is busy!" Shirley said.
" I will reactivate arrival coordinates!" Ratchet informed. Less than a second later, a Groundbridge portal opened at the same spot she and everyone else arrived. It was too far for Shirley, however.
"Um, maybe a bit closer please?"
" Supply coordinates!" Ratchet stated.
"Can't you just… track my phone's signal or something?" the schoolgirl asked, starting to get a little impatient out of fear of being in the middle of a warzone.
" There's too much activity and interference!" Fixit replied, "And we don't have the data needed to isolate your phone' signal!"
Deciding to try and roll the cylinder to the open Groundbridge portal herself. She tried to push it with her bare hands, but it was too heavy and wouldn't even budge.
"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed, "Move already!"
Still not budging, she ran a bit away to get some distance before running back to give it a powerful kick, thinking it might get it moving. However, it still didn't move, and she ended up falling on her back.
Once her foot made contact with the device though, it gave off an odd sound as it sounded like it was powering on. The red bulb at the end expanded with flaps around it as it began to glow. Shirley looked with wide eyes, clearly not expecting that.
Optimus had just punched down Dreadwing when he noticed the cylinder's activity himself. Even Zero's Burai caught the signal as his screen zoomed in on it. However, Lelouch's eyes widened once he saw the girl next to it.
"Shirley?!"
Bulkhead continued to wrestle with Breakdown as their scuffle appeared to be the closest to the cylinder and he noticed the girl's presence as well.
"What the… kid!?"
As the red bulb began to glow brighter and brighter, Bulkhead knocked Breakdown away as he tried to run and grab Shirley. However, Breakdown quickly recovered and slammed both his cupped hands onto the back of Bulkhead's head to knock him down right in front of the cylinder.
Right as that happened, a red beam shot out from the cylinder and right into Bulkhead's forehead. Once it stopped, Bulkhead groaned slightly as he appeared to have fainted.
"Bulkhead!" Shirley ran to try and help him, only to look in shock and even fear as Starscream picked up the Cylinder with his hands.
"Excellent work, Bulkhead," the Decepticon second-in-command sneered, "I'm sure Lord Megatron will be most appreciative of your support."
He transformed and flew off with his prize, followed by Thundercracker, Skywarp, and a few surviving Vehicons. At the same time, a Groundbridge portal opened, allowing Breakdown and Knock Out to escape.
All the Autobots and Black Knights ran and drove to their comrade as he pulled himself up, "Bulkhead, are you…?!"
"Fine," Bulkhead assured Optimus, "Didn't even smart."
The Guren rolled up behind the brunette girl that was near him, "Shirley?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
As Shirley glanced around at the Autobots who were giving her some questionable looks, as were likely some of the Black Knights from their Knightmares, she couldn't help but wince and giggle nervously.
"What were you thinking!?" Lelouch exclaimed as he was speaking to Shirley in his private quarters.
She sat in a chair as he expressed his disapproval, "Rushing head-first into a warzone, without even telling anybody?! What on Earth possessed you to do something so reckless and stupid?!"
Shirley winced upon hearing his yells, but she knew she had it coming, "Lelouch I… I'm sorry. I just… I thought I could help."
Lelouch sighed to lower his volume but kept a firm glare on the girl, "I appreciate that you want to help Shirley. But stunts like that will get you killed. I assigned you to intelligence when you joined for a reason. You're not a soldier, and even if you were, you don't run head-first into a fight without even coming up with a plan. You could have died out there."
"I know. I'm sorry," Shirley apologized sincerely, "How's Bulkhead?"
"Ratchet's looking over him now," Lelouch answered before getting back on the subject, "Shirley, I need you to listen to me. You will not pull a stunt like this again. If you do, I might have to kick you out of the Black Knights."
Shirley gave an audible gasp as she heard that.
"I can't tolerate this kind of recklessness. Especially when it's someone I care about. You're my friend, and if something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."
He kneeled to her level and firmly put his hands on her shoulders, "I am grateful that you want to help us, but I've already told you that this is war, life, and death. If you're serious about all of this, I need you to promise me right here and now, that you will not do anything like that again. If you have an idea, ask me, one of the Autobots, or our friends. Can you promise me that?"
Shirley saw both the seriousness and desperation in Lelouch's eyes. The last thing she wanted was to make him worried like that, "Okay, Lulu. I promise."
The next thing she knew, Lelouch had wrapped his arms around her, much to her surprise, "You nearly gave me a heart attack out there. Don't make me worry like that again."
Shirley returned the embrace, "I'm sorry I worried you like that. I promise I won't do it again."
They soon separated.
"Is it okay if I check in on Bulkhead? He was hurt because of me."
"I'm sure it's nothing serious but go ahead. He's in the medical center," Lelouch answered.
Shirley gave a nod as she left.
Lelouch fell back on his chair as he rubbed his hair. There was a part of him that regretted bringing Shirley into the Black Knights. He wasn't certain if she could handle the stress of war. But he also knew that Shirley was capable of learning from her mistakes, so he was certain that she wouldn't pull anything like that again. At the same time, however, he knew that he had to take necessary measures, as he meant it when he said that he'd have to kick her out if she did anything that reckless again.
Shirley had just walked toward the Autobot med bay where Ratchet and Fixit were looking over Bulkhead. She spotted Rai present, who as well noticed her presence.
"Hey, you okay Shirley?" Rai asked her.
"Yeah. How is he?" she asked referring to the large Autobot.
"It's gonna take a lot more than a tiny laser to bring this Wrecker down," Rai smirked, much to Shirley's relief, "But seriously, you scared me with that stunt you pulled."
"I know," Shirley replied, "Lelouch already drove that point home loud and clear. I'm sorry."
"I'm just glad you're okay," Rai smiled as Shirley smiled back.
"I helped lose that thing, I wanna help find it!" Bulkhead's statement toward Ratchet and Fixit got Rai and Shirley's attention as the green Autobot had a wire attached to his head, "I need to get back in the field with Optimus!"
Ratchet however stopped him from leaving, "Ep, ep, you're under my watch now. Optimus' orders. And running a full scan of your neural net would be a wiser use of your time."
"Come on Doc, there's nothing up there to scan," Bulkhead commented as he unplugged the wire from his head.
"I'm not detecting any damage or anything to the brain, and Bulkhead does seem fully functional," Fixit reported, looking at the readings on his device.
"Yeah, he seems fine to me too," Rai added.
Ratchet gave something of an annoyed sigh, "Well if you insist on making yourself useful, you can help Shirley tidy up."
He handed the surprised brunette a mop, "Don't act so surprised. Nobody may have gotten hurt, but your actions have cost us the cylinder, so I'd say this is the appropriate punishment."
Ratchet then walked off as Shirley held the mop and looked down in shame.
"Please Do not take it personally, Shirley," Fixit told her, "Ratchet can be a bit… strict."
"And sometimes mad with power," Rai joked a bit to provide some humor.
Bulkhead chuckled, "Yeah, that's Ratchet. Null-vector-squared alright."
"What?" Rai questioned as he, Fixit, and Shirley looked at the large Autobot in surprise.
Bulkhead looked at the mop Shirley was holding, "Hey, we got any paint around here?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" Fixit asked in response.
The Nemesis
"What do you mean it's empty?" Megatron questioned the group consisting of Starscream, Knock Out, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Breakdown, and Dreadwing in the laboratory as they were analyzing the Data Cylinder they had acquired.
"Lord Megatron, these Cylinders are not unlike batteries," Knock Out began to explain along with Thundercracker, "The data is stored within them as a form of energy."
"When we found it, it scanned fully charged, which was how we were able to locate it in the first place," Thundercracker reported, "But now…"
The scientific Seeker pressed a button on the side, but the red port at the top only expelled some dust and smoke.
"Dead battery," Breakdown commented.
"Did any of you imbeciles drop it?!" Megatron questioned with irritation.
"Hey, don't look at me! Starscream was the one who was holding it!" Skywarp pointed to the commander of the Seekers.
"Do not take that tone with me, Skywarp! This is hardly my fault!" Starscream tried to defend himself.
"The energy was in the cylinder when we located it, that much is certain," Dreadwing recalled, "Something happened during our battle that resulted in the energy being lost."
"Well, I wasn't going to touch it after it put the zap on Bulkhead!" Breakdown stated.
Starscream, Dreadwing, Thundercracker, and Knock Out's optics all widened in realization.
"Do not tell me…" Starscream muttered.
"I know," Megatron realized it as well, "And I must find out what that vessel contained. When it comes to the secrets of the ancients, knowledge can be power."
The Ark – Lelouch's quarters.
The former prince-turned-revolutionary heard a knock on the door followed by a familiar voice.
"Zero, it's me. May I come in?" Shirley asked from the other side.
"Come in," Lelouch said as the door opened to reveal his friend, "Shirley, listen I'm sorry I yelled at you. But you have to understand…"
"No, you were right to be angry with me," Shirley said, "What I did was stupid. But that's not why I'm here. Something's… off with Bulkhead."
Lelouch's eyebrow raised with concern, "Off? What do you mean?"
"Well, maybe you should come to see for yourself," Shirley said as she motioned for him to follow her, which he did.
Lelouch had already followed Shirley onto the bridge, where they were met by Rai and Fixit who were leading Ratchet in the same direction.
"What's going on?" Lelouch asked the three of them.
"Bulkhead is… painting some weird symbols," Rai answered, in a tone indicating he was quite concerned.
"Yes, I'm sure one hasn't truly lived until one has beheld Bulkhead's take on still life with lugnuts," Ratchet said sarcastically.
"I for one find the human concept of art to be quite fascinating," Fixit commented, "I'd be curious as to see what it is Bulkhead has been working on."
The group had made it to the hallway where they saw Bulkhead using the mop Shirley previously had to paint a series of odd symbols along the wall, "The differential of one-third of R cubed is R-D-R-R."
"What in…?" Lelouch was quite perplexed, not just with what Bulkhead was painting, but what he was saying. He sounded almost like when Nina talks aloud when she's working on her work at the computer.
"That is not art… it's science!" Ratchet's optics widened in surprise.
All the Autobots and Black Knights were immediately called back from their mission after being told of Bulkhead's current condition. Team Prime, along with Lelouch, Kallen, Shirley, Rai, Ohgi, and even Tamaki gathered in the Autobot med bay as Ratchet and Fixit performed the necessary tests on the green Wrecker, though they all looked more than a little perplexed at the Cybertronian symbols that Bulkhead had painted on the walls of the med bay.
"This hotspot you see here?" Ratchet showed everyone an image of Bulkhead's neural net on a computer screen with Bulkhead himself lying on a pad and a data tube connected to his head. The medic pointed to a red glowing dot on the image of Bulkhead's neural net, "It's information, data, living energy."
' Not too dissimilar from my Geass,' Lelouch noted to himself.
"Hold on a second," Tamaki questioned, "It's alive… it's on fire… and it's in Bulkhead's brain!?"
"Should we be worried about this?" Rai asked with concern.
"Chill guys, the data is only inhabiting a fraction of my brain," Bulkhead assured, "Infinitesimal by standard neural net densities."
Nearly everyone present, particularly Wheeljack, Rai, Tamaki, and Shirley looked toward Bulkhead as if he had just grown a second head.
"Wha…?" Tamaki sputtered.
"I have no idea what you just said, and it scares me," Rai commented.
"You guys wanna explain to me why this guy sounds like he's Perceptor's assistant?" Cliffjumper asked Ratchet and Fixit.
"Yeah, Bulkhead's many things but a scientist ain't one of them," Wheeljack added, "No offense Bulk."
"No need," Bulkhead replied.
"The data from the Cylinder must have somehow transferred itself from the device straight into Bulkhead's brain," Fixit assumed.
"How is that possible?" Ohgi asked.
"Based on what we witnessed during our skirmish, the living data must have been programmed to eject when it sensed unauthorized access," Optimus theorized.
"A security measure," Lelouch voiced in realization.
"It would have jettisoned heavenward, lost to the stars," Optimus continued.
"Except my fat engine block got in the way," Bulkhead said, knocking on his head for emphasis as he sat up.
"Yeah. Well, you might wanna check on thing's warranty because it's got some pretty lame-ass security," Tamaki said.
"For once Tamaki makes sense," Kallen seemed to agree while sneaking in a jab.
"Hey!" Tamaki protested.
"Every Decepticon there grabbed it, but the cylinder doesn't go off until Shirley touches it?" Kallen continued.
"The cylinders originated from Cybertron's Golden Age, long before the war broke out," Fixit explained, "Before the Autobot and Decepticon factions were created."
"Following that logic, it wouldn't consider any native of Cybertron to be a threat," Lelouch said.
"Only alien lifeforms, such as humans," Ratchet said, referring to Shirley who simply looked away slightly, not sure what to think about all of this.
"[Okay, so we got the data, but what exactly is it?]" Bumblebee asked as they all directed their attention to some of the symbols Bulkhead appeared to have painted.
"It's ancient Cybertronian. But I'm no historian or scientist, so I can't exactly tell what it is," Ironhide also said.
"It appears to be some form of mathematics," Fixit reported as he observed the symbols, "As for what exactly it is, however…"
He began to input the data only for his optics to widen in surprise as he saw the result, "By the Allspark…"
"What? What is it?" Lelouch questioned.
"Come on! Don't pause for suspense! Tell us!" Cliffjumper insisted.
"Ratchet, are you seeing this…?!" Fixit transferred the data from his hand-held device to the console Ratchet was working on, while also comparing that to the symbols he's seen so far.
"I am, and while I do not wish to falsely rally anyone's hopes, these equations appear to be the formula for a form of synthetic Energon," Ratchet revealed.
This revelation hit everyone by surprise, even Optimus had not seen this coming. Lelouch himself was more than a little stunned as well.
" Synthetic Energon?!" Kallen exclaimed.
"No freaking way!" Wheeljack stated.
"Hold on…are you serious?!" Cliffjumper also exclaimed.
"You better not be pulling on our tailpipe, Ratchet!" Ironhide stated.
"I assure you, that I am not," the Autobot medic assured.
"Hot damn! We hit the jackpot!" Tamaki cheered as even Ohgi had a grin.
Bumblebee bleeped a cheer of his own, which also caused Arcee to look in pleasant surprise, "We hit the motherload!"
Rai looked toward the surprised Shirley with an excited look, "Shirley, do you know what this means?!"
"Um… I…" Shirley didn't quite seem to understand.
"Energon is Sakuradite. It's what powers Knightmares," the human Wrecker explained.
"But more than that. For Cybertronians, it's our fuel, ammo, or lifeforce!" Bulkhead also said looking at the pair, "With Britannia in control of most of the natural supply here on Earth, this could solve a whole lot of problems!"
"We would have a ready-made fuel supply, manufacturing all the energy we'll ever need!" Lelouch stated with a grin as this was likely the best news he could hear at the moment.
"This may provide us with the edge we need to turn the tide of this war," Optimus also said, though he kept his emotions in check, he couldn't hide a small smile of his own.
"Or handing us the key to revitalizing Cybertron," Ratchet said with a grin.
Arcee smirked, "We got the goods, and all Megatron got was an empty bucket!"
She said as Bumblebee and Cliffjumper exchanged a high-five.
"Damn right! Suck it, Cons!" Tamaki exclaimed with a wide grin.
"How often do I get to use my noggin to save the day?" Bulkhead asked with his smile.
"You mean other than using it smash Cons? Not that much," Wheeljack cracked.
Kallen threw an arm over Shirley's shoulder, catching her by surprise, "Shirley, you might have just given us the key we need to win this war!"
"Really…? I did that?" Shirley asked in surprise.
"Heck yeah, you did! Great work!" Rai complemented with a smile.
Shirley blushed as she had a smile herself while receiving more praise from some of the other Black Knights and Autobots present. Even Tamaki said, 'good job'. Lelouch smiled as well, he was glad that she had been able to contribute to their cause, even if it wasn't quite the way he intended for her.
From that point forward, Bulkhead continued to paint more equations for the Synthetic Energon formula. Only instead of the walls, he painted on metal boards that the Bots would take for Ratchet and Fixit to log. He had been doing this for hours and showed no signs of slowing down.
"Intersection of atomic coordinates indicate conversion of tertiary structures…." Bulkhead muttered as he painted the next part of the formula.
As he painted, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Wheeljack observed him along with Kallen, Shirley, Rai, and Ohgi.
"I have no idea what he's saying," Cliffjumper said, "And… it's kinda making me nervous."
"Yeah, it's weird seeing Bulkhead in brainiac mode," Arcee agreed.
"He sounds like Nina when she's working," Shirley observed.
"Hey Wheeljack, Bulkhead told me he was in construction before joining the Wreckers, but he's never done anything like this before?" Rai asked the white Wrecker.
"Nope," Wheeljack confirmed, "He might know a few basic physics, like where to throw a grenade to make a tower topple, but nothing like this."
"So how long is he gonna keep this up?" Ohgi asked.
"Best guess? When he finishes the formula," Kallen said.
"But he's been doing this for hours. I'm starting to get a little worried," Rai observed.
"[Yeah well when you're making something that's lifeforce, it's not as simple as two plus two equals four,]" Bumblebee commented.
Bulkhead appeared to be finished with one equation.
Arcee pulled it away as Rai quickly ran to Bulkhead's side, "Hey partner, maybe you could use a break. How about a movie?"
However, Bulkhead relentlessly continued his work, "Energon temperatures and volume proportions on a triangular angle…."
This only caused Rai to look in greater concern. But while the production of the formula for Synthetic Energon could certainly help the Autobot-Black-Knight cause, Ratchet and Fixit had discovered something most disturbing that required the attention of Optimus, Ironhide, and Lelouch as they met the scientific Autobots in their laboratory.
"Lelouch, when you compared the living data inhabiting Bulkhead's brain to your Geass, you might have been more right than you think," Ratchet told the young revolutionary.
"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked as he noticed the tone in Ratchet's voice, indicating that this wasn't good news.
Fixit pressed a few buttons on the Mini-Con console he was at and projected an image of Bulkhead's neural net from before, with the red dot to indicate where the living data was dwelling, "This is Bulkhead's neural scan from earlier. However, this scan was only taken a few moments ago…"
Lelouch, Ironhide, and Optimus looked in concern to see the red energy began to spread throughout the rest of Bulkhead's neural net.
"It is as I feared," the Autobot medic began, "The data seems to be actively, and aggressively, rewriting Bulkhead's neural net. I had hoped he was purging the data, but he seems to be merely transcribing it as it…"
"Consumes his mind," Optimus said with grave realization.
"You're right, this does sound all too familiar," the raven-haired leader commented. This was almost exactly like Mao; his Geass went out of control and consumed his mind. Lelouch had feared the same thing happening to himself as well as Rai, but at the moment, he was more concerned with Bulkhead, "How long until the damage becomes permanent?"
"From all indications... by the time he completes the formula," Fixit reported, "And when that happens, his thoughts and his memories could be wiped clean."
"But if we stop him, goodbye Synthetic Energon," Ironhide pointed out.
"You assume we possess a means of stopping him," Ratchet said, "I don't exactly have instant access to the wisdom of the ancients."
"I will not allow more of our own to be sacrificed, no matter the cost," Optimus stated.
"Agreed," Lelouch said, "If the living data is capable of being transferred, perhaps we can create our device for it to be contained. This way we'd still have access to the information and can complete the formula without endangering our own."
"A good idea in theory, but without knowing how exactly the data was contained, we run the risk of creating a device that can't contain the energy properly and risking its damage," the Mini-Con informed.
"So, we need the original device then," Lelouch commented with narrowed eyes as there was only one way that can be possible.
"How in the heck are we supposed to get it back from the Cons?" Ironhide questioned.
"Megatron will bring it to us," Optimus answered.
Optimus and Lelouch had shared this information with the rest of Team Prime as well as a majority of the Black Knights present, except for Shirley and Rai, as they didn't want those two to worry. Rai is the closest to Bulkhead, and Shirley blames herself for the possibility of Bulkhead losing his mind.
However, telling them might have been a mistake as Bulkhead continued to paint. Shirley helped Rai bring in a speaker and an electric guitar he borrowed from Tamaki, which the hothead knew how to play, but Rai wasn't too concerned about that right now.
"You sure about this?" Shirley asked as they continued to hear Bulkhead mutter more mathematic and scientific terms that they couldn't hope to understand.
"If at the very least, it'll get his attention," Rai said as he plugged the guitar into the speaker.
He turned the volume up to the maximum as he strung the guitar, creating a loud sound that not only forced Shirley to cover her ears but also finally got Bulkhead's attention.
"Ugh! What is that?!" Bulkhead exclaimed in irritation.
"Heavy metal. You and Tamaki like that stuff. Sorry Bulk, but you really could use a break," Rai said.
"Rai's right. You've been at this thing for hours straight. Just a few minutes away from it won't hurt," Shirley added.
"I'm trying to concentrate!" the green Wrecker stated in a tone that Rai didn't like.
"You know, you're starting to sound a lot like Ratchet!" the white-haired youth argued.
"Who?" Bulkhead asked, causing Rai and Shirley to look in surprise, the latter giving a surprised gasp as they looked at each other with worry, even more so as Bulkhead went right back to his equations as if the two humans in front of him weren't even there.
Rai and Shirley both ran into the hallways where they found Ironhide and Wheeljack discussing the plan Lelouch and Optimus came up with.
"Guys, guys, something's wrong with Bulkhead!" Shirley exclaimed as the two looked in surprise, but it wasn't the kind of surprise that the teenagers had expected.
Rai saw the look in their optics and realized that this was something they knew already, "Wait… you guys… you knew?!"
"We didn't want you to worry," Ironhide confessed.
"I'm Bulkhead's damn partner! Of course, I'm gonna be worried!" Rai exclaimed.
"Hey, you're not the only one, you know!" Wheeljack reminded, "Bulkhead's my partner too!"
"What… exactly is happening to Bulkhead…?" Shirley asked with worry.
The two Autobots exchanged glances as they decided it was best to tell them.
"Remember Mao? How he lost his mind when his Geass went wild?" Ironhide reminded, "Well, it's something like that."
Shirley gasped as Rai's own eyes widened.
Wheeljack winced as this reaction wasn't unexpected, though did his best to maintain an optimistic outlook, "But hey, Optimus and Zero got a plan, and you know how good those guys are when it comes to plans."
"Where are they now?" Rai asked.
"They took the rest of the Bots and a small squad of Knights to try and get the Cylinder back from Megatron," the veteran Autobot answered, "We'll figure this out, I promise."
"I trust you guys it's just… just…" Rai stuttered as he couldn't contain his worry.
"It's okay, we get it," Wheeljack assured as he was really worried for his partner as well.
All the while Shirley looked down, thinking to herself, ' I'm the one who put that data into Bulkhead's brain… if something happens to him… is it… is it my fault…?'
The Nemesis
Starscream and Knock Out had just walked onto the bridge where their master continued to stand.
"Lord Megatron, we've detected a familiar energy profile," Knock Out reported.
"The data?" Megatron assumed.
"it would seem the enemy was foolish enough to allow Bulkhead to leave the shielded radius of their base," Starscream said with a cocky grin, "I shall assemble my strike team and…"
"Fail me again?" Megatron finished, turning to the two Decepticons with an irritated look in his eyes.
The Decepticon leader had decided to see to this matter personally as he flew in his vehicle mode alongside Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Dreadwing, and a squad of Vehicon Troopers.
They all transformed and landed on a canyon-like area only to find a large squad of the enemy waiting for them consisting of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper, with Zero in his Burai, Kallen in her Guren MK II, and a small squad of Black Knights as well.
"Optimus, and even the illusive Zero. You two are certainly not who I'd expected to find out here," Megatron acknowledged, "Let me guess, you rigged a transponder to mimic the frequency of the data we seek."
"And you fell for it," Zero's voice rang through his Burai, resulting in a scowl forming on Starscream's face.
"Insolent human! How dare you insult us with such a cheap tactic!" Starscream was ready to open fire.
"Cool your jets. We're not here to fight," Cliffjumper said.
"If this was indeed an ambush, you would already be dead," Zero said.
"If this were an ambush, you'd already be dead," Thundercracker replied.
"Well nobody here is dead, so it's not an ambush," Cliffjumper added.
"Hmm, that… makes sense," Skywarp pointed out.
"Megatron, I have a proposal." Optimus stepped forward, only for all the Decepticons present to point their Energon blasters at him, including Dreadwing with his massive cannon, but Megatron held up his hand to keep his soldiers from doing anything rash.
"I'm listening."
"Surrender the cylinder, and I will return it to you fully restored," Optimus said.
"This trinket right here?" Megatron held the cylinder in his hand, "And pray tell, what trifles did it hold that you are so anxious to give away."
"Accept my terms, and you will find out," Optimus stated. That was all the information he was going to tell Megatron.
Lelouch kept his face hidden behind his Zero mask, even with his Burai. He allowed Optimus to handle this because he knew Megatron better than he did. And while he had the utmost trust in the Autobot leader, it didn't make him any less nervous as a lot was riding on this.
" Hey, Zero," Ohgi contacted him on a restricted frequency that could only allow the Knightmare pilots to speak with each other and not out loud on the speakers, "Are you sure about this? This whole thing feels like we're making a deal with the devil."
"That's because we are," Zero replied, "If we pull this off, we can use the cylinder to create our device that can store the energy while giving a false one to Megatron in the cylinder once we're done."
" But that all depends on Megatron giving us the thing," Kallen communicated.
"I know…" Zero said as the only thing they can do was hope that Megatron accepted Optimus' terms.
T'was a deal with the Devil indeed.
The Ark
Bulkhead continued to paint more equations onto the large metal boards while Fixit, Rai, Shirley, Wheeljack, and Ironhide kept an eye on him.
"Hey, remember when you, me, and Seaspray got lost in the Sea of Rust?" Wheeljack asked Bulkhead in an attempt to jog his memory and hopefully halt the data's process.
"Who?" Bulkhead asked.
"Seaspray. You know, old barnacle butt, has something with this 'Alana' gal?" Wheeljack reminded.
Bulkhead looked only more confused, which only caused the group to look further concerned.
"Do you even know who we are? Who I am?" Rai asked.
"Of course, your…" Bulkhead narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember, which only caused Rai to look hurt before Bulkhead resumed his equations, "…Equivalent to the flattening of oblate spheroid to the nth power."
Rai could only look down, while Shirley looked towards Rai with both concern and shame, feeling responsible for this.
"Hey, you. He's going to be fine," Ironhide said to Rai to try and cheer him up, "You gotta trust Optimus and Zero, they're gonna find a way to save him."
"I trust him it's just… just…"
Rai couldn't express his worry for Bulkhead. He knew all too well what it was like to lose your memories. He had no idea who he was before, aside from the fact he got his Geass from the twin brother of the Britannian Emperor, and that was just from information C.C. provided, and not his memories.
Shirley soon got an idea, "Hey, maybe if we take Bulkhead somewhere that he's been to before. I mean, that has helped people to remember some things before."
"It's true," Fixit added, "Studies have shown that being taken to a place of familiarity has helped to restore calories… batteries… memories!"
"But that could also expose us to the Decepticons!" Ironhide pointed out.
"Yeah well, if they had a Wrecker and an old soldier like us there, I'd say we'd make pretty decent bodyguards," Wheeljack said. Ironhide looked to the white Autobot in surprise at how he seemed on board as well, "Look, I get that the guys in charge have a plan, but if there's even a chance that I can help my friend, I want to take it."
"Look, just a quick in-and-out," the human Wrecker was also on-board, to the point of practically begging, "If it doesn't work, or the Cons show up, we just use a Groundbridge to get back here. No fighting. Ironhide, please!"
Ironhide saw the pleading with both Rai and Shirley, and a look from Wheeljack indicating that they would likely go with or without his permission.
The veteran sighed before he smiled, "Where do you have in mind?"
Meanwhile, the Autobots and Black Knights awaited Megatron's response. The tension was more than a little thick, so much so that one could only cut it with a Cybertronian blade. Even Zero nervously gripped his controls as the Autobots maintained their cool.
"Do you accept my proposal?" Optimus questioned his nemesis.
" Lord Megatron," Knock Out contacted his leader.
"Give me a moment," Megatron said as he turned around and walked to the back of his squadron, while Lelouch narrowed his eyes wondering what the Decepticon leader was planning.
" Did you find what you were looking for?" Knock Out asked.
"It's complicated," Megatron spoke in a hushed tone so that his enemies couldn't hear him.
" Well, Breakdown and I may have located the bogey, fully charged."
"Proceed," Megatron gave them the go-ahead.
" Just one hitch. We don't have the cylinder." Knock Out said.
"Then bring me the head of Bulkhead," Megatron ordered them with an evil sneer.
Using a Groundbridge, Ironhide, and Wheeljack had taken Bulkhead, Rai, and Shirley to a monster-truck arena. Fixit remained behind at the Ark as Ironhide had already told Ratchet what they were doing, while also informing the medic that they would contact him immediately if things were to go wrong. Ratchet wasn't pleased with the idea at first, but Ironhide was able to convince him to let them go, on the condition that if he didn't hear from them soon, he would contact Optimus and Zero.
"Come on Bulk, you loved monster trucks!" Rai told him as the green Autobot continued to paint more equations on the walls of the empty arena, "You, Wheeljack, and Tamaki practically dragged me here. I wouldn't say I hate monster truck rallies, but I like spending time with my friends."
However, Bulkhead was still focused more on his equations, "Mass times the fusion rate squared is constant."
This only made the group more worried.
"You remember how we snuck in here? Practiced some new moves in our vehicle modes?" Wheeljack tried to remind his friend, "Any of that ringing a bell?"
"Bell curve? No, no, no that wouldn't factor in," Bulkhead replied.
"Well, what about me in my Gekka?" Rai tried, "You, me, and Jacky smashing Cons and Knightmares left, and right? Like in Narita? That was cool! Wasn't it?"
However, Bulkhead didn't appear to be listening.
"Alright, alright, forget the past. We'll start over, and make new memories. I mean, look at me, I don't have a clue about my past…!" Rai was now sounding desperate, which only made Ironhide, Wheeljack, and especially Shirley more concerned.
"The cubed-root of the exo-thermic-Energon yield, delta-e-violet's law of Energon conservation…" Bulkhead continued to ramble on as Rai appeared the most emotionally hurt by this.
Ironhide kneeled at the amnesiac Black Knight's level, "Hey, it was a good try."
However, the three of them heard a sob and looked to see it was Shirley, holding a hand over her mouth and tears already forming in her eyes, "Guys I… I am so sorry! This is my fault! If I hadn't kicked that stupid cylinder…!"
"Kid, no don't do that to yourself," Wheeljack said immediately as he also kneeled, "Bulkhead wouldn't have wanted that either. You had no idea what was going to happen, none of us did."
"But I just… I just wanted to help!" Shirley sobbed, "I never meant to… hurt anyone…"
"You didn't…" Rai said as he looked more than a little upset himself, "I don't blame you, Shirley, it's not your fault. It's just… I… I know how it feels to lose your memories, to have no idea who you are or your family or friends from before…"
He slowly walked to the large green Autobot as he continued to paint, "Bulkhead… you and the others… you accepted me without hesitation, even though I had no idea who I was before… and even if you don't remember me… I want you to know right here and now…"
He placed a hand on Bulkhead's foot, "I will never forget you."
Shirley seemed truly touched by how much Rai valued his friendship with Bulkhead, and it almost drove her to tears even more. Even Wheeljack and Ironhide silently offered their sympathies to both Rai and Bulkhead as well. Both of them were part of their family, their band of brothers and sisters, and no matter what, that would never change.
"Boohoo!"
The two Autobots and teenage Black Knights looked in surprise to see the source of the faked wailing: Knock Out and Breakdown at the stands, with the largest Decepticon mocking the sincere moment, "I'm shedding lubricant!"
"Well, can't say we didn't see this coming," Wheeljack said as he already drew his dual swords.
"Ratchet, come in, we need a Groundbridge asap!" Ironhide tried to contact the Ark but only got static, "Ratchet?!"
Still no response.
"Scrap, they're jamming us!" he readied his Energon cannons as he stood alongside Wheeljack, "Rai, Shirley, get Bulkhead out of here! We'll take care of these clowns!"
With no time to argue, Rai spoke to Bulkhead, "Come with us right now or these guys are gonna… steal the formula!"
That successfully got his attention, "My equations!"
Bulkhead wasted no time in following Rai and Shirley as they ran for the exit.
"Not like Bulkhead to run from a fight," Breakdown observed before the ground below them exploded, causing both him and Knock Out to fall and stumble into the arena, where Ironhide pointed his smoking right Energon cannon at them with Wheeljack twirling his swords.
"You losers wanna fight, you got one!" Wheeljack said seriously as his facemask went up.
"Before you get to them, you have to go through us!" Ironhide stated.
Knock Out however smirked as he pulled himself up along with Breakdown, "No, we won't. You Bots are gonna have to go through him ."
He pointed straight upward, directing the Autobot pair's attention toward a flying drone, which transformed to reveal none other than Soundwave himself, who had already deployed Ravage, Frenzy, and Rumble.
"Scrap!" Wheeljack cursed.
"Got that right, Autobots!" Frenzy stated as Rumble already used his pile drivers to cause a small tremor to shake up the ground underneath Ironhide and Wheeljack.
Frenzy and Ravage had already rushed towards Ironhide while they were distracted, with the red Mini-Con already leaping up to Ironhide's chest to deal multiple plasma strikes from his palms as Ravage pelted Ironhide in the back with Energon blasts from his tail.
Wheeljack tried to rush and help Ironhide by swinging his blade toward Ravage, but Soundwave himself immediately appeared in front of him to block Wheeljack's blade with one of his arms before lashing out with one of his tentacles to knock the Wrecker back.
"You fellas get acquainted. We'll help ourselves to the data, and those two little humans while we're at it," Knock Out said as he and Breakdown casually walked past the small battle scene before he contacted his leader, "Lord Megatron, we're good."
"Optimus," Megatron turned back to this arch-enemy and his allies, "Upon careful consideration if you want the cylinder, you'll have to take it."
That was all the Vehicons, along with Seekers, needed for them to open fire with their Energon blasters.
"Take cover!" Zero ordered as the Black Knight Knightmares and Autobots returned fire with their rifles and Energon blasters respectively while also finding cover to hide behind in the form of large rocks.
Starscream spotted Zero's Burai and fired one of his missiles. Fortunately, Kallen shot her Guren out and activated the Radiant Wave Surger right before the missile made contact. Though the missile exploded, the opposing charge from the surge sent the explosive force back toward Starscream to send him flying and crashing back as the firefight continued.
Back at the monster truck arena, Wheeljack hacked and slashed both his swords at Soundwave, who was able to dodge and block each attack with his arms. Soundwave however was able to catch one swing in-between his arm and side before lashing out another tentacle to knock Wheeljack back slightly, forcing him to let go of the same blade while Soundwave held it and took a glance at the weapon before turning back to the Wrecker.
Wheeljack charged forward again as Soundwave threw the blade at him, which Wheeljack batted away with his remaining sword. However, Soundwave caught Wheeljack with both his tentacles and threw him toward the wall.
At the same time, Ironhide was having a rather difficult time dealing with Soundwave's Mini-Con trio. Ravage kept attacking from long-ranged and Frenzy was quick enough to rush up to Ironhide and deal plasma-bladed strikes to his side. Though it didn't cut deep enough to be fatal, it hurt Ironhide quite a bit as he tried to ready his cannons, only for Rumble to shake the ground under him, causing Ironhide to trip and fall.
"Awe, is the mighty Ironhide too old to even stand?" Rumble laughed.
"Bet it's time for you to retire, old bot!" Frenzy mocked as he, Rumble, and Ravage leaped at him, Ravage was the first.
However, Ironhide quickly grabbed Ravage by his tail and used him as a makeshift weapon to smack and knock down Rumble and Frenzy. Ravage bit down on Ironhide's hand to try and get him to let go, but Ironhide chucked him at the two recovering Mini-Cons.
"You twerps need to respect your elders," Ironhide cracked his knuckles as he fired his Energon cannons.
Though Ravage and Frenzy were fast enough to avoid most of the blasts, Rumble used his piledrivers to propel him into the air and avoid the blasts as well. The Autobot veteran then glanced toward the exit as all he could do was hope Rai and Shirley would hold out with Bulkhead long enough for Ratchet to call in backup.
Knock Out and Breakdown had entered the parking lot where all the monster trucks were stored. They couldn't see Bulkhead or the two humans that he was with.
"Oh, are we playing a human game now?" Knock Out called to them, "Because I'd be more than happy to teach you the Decepticon version: Hide-And-Go-Shriek!"
He and Breakdown spread out to find their quarry.
"Come out, come out wherever you are," Knock Out sang, enjoying every minute of this.
Bulkhead had already transformed into his vehicle mode and appeared to blend in with all the monster trucks. Rai and Shirley crouched down by the side of the green SUV; the girl holding onto Rai's arm as she was more than a little scared right now, while Rai was trying to call for backup.
"Damn it," Rai muttered, "The Cons are scrambling the signal."
"If the tri-sector of the polygon is an integral subset…" Bulkhead muttered.
"Ssshh!" Shirley tried to quiet him down, "Rai, what are we gonna do?"
' Of all the times not to bring the Gekka,' Rai thought to himself in frustration.
"I got an idea. stay close to me," he told her as Rai looked out to check if the coast was clear.
Once it was, he grabbed Shirley's hand and made a bolt across to the next line of monster trucks.
As the two Decepticons continued to search, Knock Out peeked underneath a few monster trucks, while Breakdown just casually smacked his hammer alongside the trucks he passed, the latter made Shirley even more nervous as Rai opened the driver's door to one monster truck and quickly pulled Shirley inside.
"Rai, what are you doing?" she asked him in a hushed tone.
"They're gonna find Bulkhead, no question," Rai came to that conclusion as he looked underneath the steering wheel and tore open the bottom to expose some wires, "But there's more than one way to wreck a Con than just with a Knightmare."
He began to hot-wire the truck.
"Since when could you hot-wire?" Shirley asked in surprise.
"Kallen taught me," Rai answered as he tried to press the wires together, "Come on, come on…"
Meanwhile, Breakdown lifted one monster truck and threw it away, "Stupid kids, where'd they go?"
"Breakdown," Knock Out called to him, "Forget the humans. Games are only fun to play…"
He took out his scanner and turned it on, "…When you're winning."
Shirley saw from inside the truck that the Decepticon pair was getting close to Bulkhead, "Rai…"
"Almost got it…" Rai muttered as he pressed two wires together and... managed to start up the monster truck.
However, Knock Out had managed to successfully locate Bulkhead's vehicle mode, evident by his scanner beeping rapidly, "I think I'm warm."
Bulkhead suddenly transformed in front of the surprised Knock Out, "E-N-3 divided by the square root of the propulsion factor equals…"
He used his brush to paint the equation on Knock Out's chest, much to his surprise, and fury.
"You… painted my paint job!" Knock Out exclaimed in anger. "Prepare for surgery!"
Breakdown came charging in before slamming his hammer down onto Bulkhead's face, knocking the green Autobot unconscious as he fell to the ground.
Knock Out produced his buzz-saw in his right hand, "Heads, you lose!"
However, before he or Breakdown knew it, Rai's hotwired monster truck shot at the Decepticon pair. Knock Out was rammed first as he rolled over the fast-moving large vehicle before he turned the steering wheel to swerve the truck and trip the surprised Breakdown, causing him to fall flat on his back. But he wasn't done as he drove straight over Knock Out before he could recover. The white-haired boy pressed on the gas pedal as the right-rear wheel ground against Knock Out's chest before the monster truck drove off and came to a stop before Rhe revved its engines in the form of a challenge against the two recovering Decepticons.
Knock Out gasped as he saw the tread marks on his chest before he scowled at the pair of Black Knights in the monster truck, "Oh… you've just signed your death warrants!"
Breakdown fired a missile from his shoulder cannon. Shirley screamed, but Rai pulled the monster truck back in full reverse. The explosion shook it up, but the vehicle remained mostly intact.
Rai drove around the parking lot to try and divert the Decepticons' attention. However, Breakdown also transformed and drove at a speed twice as fast as Rai's truck and rammed into the side sending the monster truck crashing into several other trucks.
The human Wrecker kicked open the side door as he tried to pull Shirley out, both of them slightly shaken, but otherwise okay. However, both of them looked up in fear as they saw an angry Knock Out and Breakdown standing over them.
"Sorry, but this playground is for big kids only," Breakdown sneered as he readied his hammer. Shirley looked ready to scream as Rai tried to defend her.
However, an explosion suddenly went off from the monster truck arena as Wheeljack and Ironhide's vehicle modes shot out of the dust. Wheeljack drove out faster before transforming and using the momentum he gained to deliver a flying double kick to Breakdown's chest and send him crashing into several other monster trucks, just as Ironhide transformed and delivered a punch to Knock Out's face for a similar result.
"You kids okay?" Ironhide as the two urgently.
"We're fine. Thank you," Rai nodded as Shirley looked beyond happy to see the Autobots come to their rescue.
Knock Out and Breakdown quickly recovered however as Wheeljack and Ironhide ran along with Shirley and Rai to stand protectively around the unconscious Bulkhead.
"How did you escape from Soundwave?!" Knock Out demanded.
"We didn't," Wheeljack replied as Soundwave's reaper drone flew over them before transforming and landing between the two Decepticons his Mini-Con trio consisting of Ravage, Frenzy, and Rumble ran out of the hole the two Autobots made and joined him.
"You two stay behind us and stay close to Bulkhead!" Ironhide ordered the kids as he and Wheeljack opened fire with their Energon blasters and cannons at the enemy.
Meanwhile, thanks to the combined efforts of the Black Knights and the Autobots, all the Vehicon troopers had been dealt with as Dreadwing fell back to protect Megatron, along with Thundercracker and Skywarp. Starscream was also present but was more-so hiding behind the larger Decepticons than anything else.
Megatron scowled at his enemies, "Well, in that case, no one gets it!"
He crushed the Data Cylinder in his hand to render it useless before he transformed and flew away, followed by the four Seekers.
"Hey! Get back here, you yellow-plated cowards!" Kallen exclaimed as they saw them fly off.
"The cylinder is useless. Now what?!" Zero questioned.
However, before anyone could respond, they got an emergency communication from Ratchet, "Optimus; Bulkhead has left the base along with Wheeljack, Ironhide, Rai, and Shirley. I have their Groundbridge coordinates!"
' What?!' Lelouch's eyes widened in terror as he had an idea of what was already happening.
"Bridge us back, immediately!" Optimus ordered.
Wheeljack and Ironhide continued to cover the unconscious Bulkhead, along with Rai and Shirley taking cover behind Bulkhead's massive body. They shot rapid Energon blasts to keep Soundwave, Knock Out, Breakdown, Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage at bay. Though some of them tried to return fire with their Energon blasts, they had to be careful not to damage Bulkhead's head and risk losing the data he still had in his brain.
Shirley kept her head down as she pressed her hands against her head, her face filled with fear as Rai kept a hand on her back to keep her relatively calm despite the stressful and terrifying situation she was experiencing. He glanced at Bulkhead, greatly worried for his partner.
However, as he did, he recalled what had happened when this whole mess started. When Shirley kicked the Data Cylinder, the data was ejected from it because of the 'unauthorized access'.
That gave him an idea, one that might be bad for Bulkhead, but it would also keep the Synthetic Energon formula from falling into Decepticon hands.
Shirley saw Rai walk up to Bulkhead's head and looked in confusion, "Rai…?"
Rai had a conflicted look on his face, but he knew what he had to do, and he also knew that Bulkhead wouldn't hesitate to do it himself if he could.
"Bulkhead…. I'm sorry!" Rai raised both his fists and slammed them as hard as he could onto Bulkhead's head.
The second he did, a familiar sound was heard as Bulkhead's eyes suddenly shot open to blast a pair of red beams from his eyes straight into the sky. This surprised everyone present, all looking in shock.
"Get down!" Ironhide pulled Rai and Shirley away as he and Wheeljack took cover, and the Decepticons stopped their fighting as they glanced at the red beams being shot into the night sky.
Once it stopped, the two Autobots and their Black Knight companions glanced at their unresponsive.
"Bulkhead…?" Wheeljack appeared the most worried next to Rai.
Knock Out took out his scanner and it came up empty, "Dead battery."
"Oh, come on! Are you kidding me?!" Frenzy exclaimed as even Ravage growled in frustration.
"Megatron is gonna peel our paint for losing that data," Rumble glared at the Autobots and the young Black Knights, along with Breakdown, Frenzy, and Knock Out, even Soundwave gave a glance of his own as Ravage gritted his teeth.
"So, we're gonna have to peel you," Breakdown gave a death glare.
"Do your worst, Cons!" Ironhide stated as he and Wheeljack were more than ready to fight back.
However, a Groundbridge suddenly opened in the parking lot as Optimus, Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Kallen in her Guren, Zero in his Burai, and several other Black Knight Knightmares pulled out and opened fire on the Decepticons.
"Or peel out of here," Knock Out said as he and Breakdown broke through the wall and transformed before driving off. Soundwave's Mini-Cons rejoined their master before he also transformed and flew away.
The Autobots and Black Knights halted their fire as they all gathered around the unresponsive Bulkhead.
It took some time, but they were able to transfer Bulkhead back to the Ark and bring him to the Autobot med bay. Ratchet and Fixit conducted a thorough examination of Bulkhead's neural net as the rest of Team Prime gathered around them, along with Lelouch, Kallen, Ohgi, and Tamaki. Rai and Shirley both sat off to the side as they each felt the same amount of guilt for Bulkhead's current condition.
"The data has been completely expelled," Fixit reported brightly.
"But Bulkhead remains completely unresponsive," Ratchet added in a grimmer tone.
"Because the energy took Bulkhead's mind with it… heavenward… lost to the stars…" Rai muttered as he seemed almost completely torn up.
"You don't know that," Kallen tried to say.
"This is all my fault!" Shirley cried into her hands, "I shouldn't have gone off on my own, I shouldn't have taken Bulkhead out of the Ark I…"
"No, we're all to blame for that," Ironhide stated, referring to himself and Wheeljack, "We were supposed to watch over you guys. It's just as much our fault as it is yours."
"Shirley, Rai, both of your actions prevented the formula from falling into the Decepticons' hands," Optimus tried to console them both.
"If anyone would have backed that play, it would be Bulkhead," Wheeljack said. He didn't blame anyone for what had happened, except for maybe himself as he couldn't protect his partner.
"It's too early to tell," Lelouch said as he walked to the pair before hopefully looking up the Ratchet, "Bulkhead could wake up at any moment. He's not gone for good. Right?"
"As you said, it is simply too early to know the extent of his condition," Ratchet replied, "Something as simple as a familiar sight, smell, perhaps even a sound, could trigger Bulkhead's awakening."
That 'sound' suggestion got Rai's attention as he and Shirley looked towards each other almost as if they just had an epiphany.
In the timespan of a few minutes, Tamaki had brought out his electric guitar and amp and plugged them in. He handed it to Rai and silently told him he should do the honors. Shirley put a hopeful hand on his shoulder as Rai strung a single note which seemed to echo throughout the entire med bay.
Everyone present, human and Autobot, waited in silent anticipation for any kind of response from Bulkhead. It didn't appear to work, however, resulting in Wheeljack, Rai, and Shirley looking down in sorrow. Fortunately, their sorrows were ill-founded as Bulkhead's eyes slowly fluttered open.
His groan got everyone's attention.
"Bulkhead…?" Rai's voice echoed hope beginning to form in his chest.
"Gyaauh! Braamm!" Bulkhead motioned as if he was strumming his guitar as he sat up, fully conscious, "I love that song!"
He glanced at the human who strung the guitar with a smile, "Rai!"
Rai couldn't contain his smile, or the tears of joy that fell from his eyes as he saw one of his best friends was alright. Shirley wasted no time hugging Rai with all her might, openly crying tears of joy as well. Bulkhead walked toward the pair as he extended his hand, and both Rai and Shirley ended up hugging his fingers. All the other Autobots and Black Knights present could barely contain their joy as they bid Bulkhead a hearty welcome back.
Though Lelouch was more in control of his emotions than anyone else, he smiled as he glanced up to Optimus who shared a smile of his own.
Meanwhile, in a completely separate location, Charles Zi Britannia stood in the middle of what appeared to be a floating set of ancient ruins when his older twin brother walked onto the scene.
"Charles, you wanted to speak to me?" V.V. asked.
"C.C. has practically declared war on us." Charles got straight to the point.
"What?"
"She intends to tell Lelouch and the Autobots everything regarding the Ragnarok Connection, declaring that they will destroy it," Charles stated as a look of anger and fear filled his eyes, while the rest of his body remained somewhat stoic.
V.V.'s expression was completely stunned before it became deathly serious, "Well, if that's the case, we need to get C.C. back as soon as possible, maybe even eliminate Lelouch. I could send Rolo to Area 11, maybe even take Nunnally with him too, it could help at least keep Cornelia and Euphemia in line."
"No! You will do no such thing."
"Why not? You said it yourself that C.C. intends to tell the Autobots about us. If they learn what we're trying to do, they could destroy everything we've worked so hard on!"
"And if we're not careful, we could alert Megatron to our plan as well!" Charles argued, turning around to fully face his brother, "Anything Lelouch or Optimus Prime could do is child's play compared to what Megatron would do with us! We cannot afford any missteps!"
V.V. scoffed, "So what do you intend to do, then?"
"For now, C.C., Lelouch, and the Autobots seem more so focused on the Decepticons. We need to ensure that their focus remains at least on Megatron until we have an opportunity to capture C.C."
"How do we know she hasn't told them already?"
"The fact that the Thought Elevators have remained undisturbed is proof enough that she hasn't spoken to them yet."
"That could change at any minute though! We should kill Lelouch now and bring in C.C. If we do this immediately, we could begin Ragnarok right now even!"
"We're not ready and you know it! C.C. has to be willing to merge her Code with yours. It cannot be forced! If we act recklessly, we could bring the wrath of both the Autobots and Decepticons upon us! We wouldn't stand a chance!"
V.V. gave another scoff, "Since when have you become a coward, Charles? You weren't afraid to send Lelouch and Nunnally to Japan to draw out C.C. Why should you be afraid now?"
"Have you forgotten what Megatron is capable of? Or what he told us of Optimus Prime? You call me a coward, but I fear that your immortality has made you reckless. Must be easy to act without regard to consequences when you can't die, which is more than I can say for me."
"You know I would never allow that to happen!"
"Do I? Do I, Victor?!"
"That's not my name anymore!"
"It is the name of my big brother! But… maybe he truly did die that day, when he gave his life away to become immortal."
V.V.'s eyes narrowed, "That hurts... for you to think that of me. After everything we've been through together, at the hands of our father, through Megatron's teachings, his constant attempts to pit us against each other just to see which of us is stronger… after all that who was it that stuck by your side? Who was it that helped you when you felt alone?! Who was it that discovered this place?! Me! It was all me! Me! Me! ME! Don't you dare question my contributions to our dream! Our contract!"
"And what of our promise? Our promise to never lie to each other."
"What of it? I haven't lied to you."
Neither of them said anything after that, both brothers glaring at one another, silently daring the other to make the next move.
Finally, after a few uncomfortable moments, Charles spoke, "My decision is final, brother. You will not go to Area 11. You will not send any of your agents to Area 11. You will not make any attempts on Lelouch, Nunnally, or even Kaizaren. You still stay with the Geass Order, and you will remain out of sight. We cannot and will not risk exposure to the Autobots or Decepticons. Promise me you will do that."
V.V. glared at his younger brother for a moment before he spoke, "I promise."
"Good, that is all."
Charles turned around to face the clouds in the sky once more. V.V. then swiftly turned around to leave. Once it appeared, he had gone, Charles heard a familiar voice in his mind, one that he could only hear in this realm.
" Charles, you know how much I have faith in you, but we are on very thin ice here. C.C. has severed her connection with me. I cannot locate her anymore. And if she does indeed decide to tell Lelouch and the Autobots…"
"So long as they are focused on Megatron, we are safe. And he doesn't know the first thing about our plan. I've taken all the necessary precautions. Of course, you know that, Marianne."
" It's not just that. Lelouch is starting to change. I can see it. He's not the same spiteful boy anymore."
"Optimus Prime's influence, no doubt," Charles spoke with a hint of envy in his voice, "That outsider thinks he knows my son. He couldn't be more wrong. He's mine, not his!"
" He's our son, Charles. And that's why you sent me to Japan; to keep an eye on him."
"Have you located Kaizaren as well?"
" He's with Lelouch and Nunnally. But why send Nonette? You know I could bring him here."
"Just as I've told Victor, we can't run the risk of the Autobots or the Decepticons becoming aware of our plans. Nonette will reveal who he is, and that will shatter whatever false confidence Lelouch and the Autobots have placed in him. Once he is an empty shell again, then you will bring him to me."
" Of course. I must go now, remember darling, I love you."
"I love you too, Marianne," Charles replied with a smile.
However, while it was true that Charles and Marianne were alone in that mysterious realm, there was someone else listening to their conversation. V.V. had placed his hand on the wall which had some strange glyphs and ancient markings on it. By focusing his Code through the Thought Elevator, he heard every word that was spoken between the two, and a look of rage formed on his face.
' Charles, you're still thinking about her?!' V.V. practically screamed in his thoughts, 'How dare you Marianne… I was his partner long before you! I may not know where to find you, but I promise to make you ever regret coming near Charles! No matter what it takes!'
Chapter 25: Stronger, Faster, Deadlier!
Chapter Text
Kallen's apartment was relatively small, with a conjoined living area that shared a space with the kitchen, sparing a sofa and a television in the living room area, with only two bedrooms two bathrooms, and a walk-in closet. But it was still welcoming and a nice place for Lelouch and Nunnally to stay while the investigation into Ashford Academy continues. Lelouch would sleep on the couch, which he was used to whenever C.C. stole his bed at the clubhouse, while Nunnally would sleep in Kallen's bed as the redhead herself pulled out a sleeping bag and slept on the floor.
Nunnally was at first concerned and felt like she didn't want to impose on Kallen or her mother, but Kallen insisted that was not the case. Mrs. Kozuki had instantly taken to the younger girl and was there to help whenever she needed it. Lelouch of course was grateful to Kallen and her mother for allowing them to stay.
"Naoto used to take Ohgi and me camping out in the woods," Kallen told Nunnally after Mrs. Kozuki helped them and Lelouch to some tea.
"Camping?" Nunnally asked.
"Yeah, you know, when you go out into a forest or something and spend a couple of nights there? You never did anything like that?"
"No. But a few times, my big brother and I slept outside in the garden with our mother. Does that count?"
"Not exactly. Not when you're ten feet from your house," Kallen beamed a small smile.
"So, what do you do when you go camping?"
"Hike up the mountains, swim in the rivers and lakes, even fish a little bit. We ate around campfires and slept in our tents."
"Sounds like an experience."
Lelouch honestly couldn't help but smile as he saw his sister getting along with Kallen so well. It was especially nice that Kallen could be herself around Nunnally, as well as not having that whole sickly-girl façade that he knew she hated.
However, there was a small crash which surprised the trio.
"What just happened?" Nunnally asked.
It was revealed to be Kallen's mother as she had accidentally dropped the teapot, "Oh, dear… I… I'm sorry."
"Mom, are you okay?" Kallen was already on her feet, helping her mother up.
"Yes… It just slipped," Mrs. Kozuki responded.
"Here, I'll take care of it," Lelouch had already picked up a hand broom and dustpan.
"Oh, you don't have to…" she tried to lightly protest.
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Lelouch said as he began to sweep up the broken teapot.
Kallen saw that Lelouch had this covered, "Mom, why don't you go lie down for a bit."
"Alright," her mother nodded as Kallen helped her to her room.
"Is your mother alright, Kallen?" Nunnally asked as Lelouch had already cleaned up the mess.
"She'll be fine," Kallen answered as she closed the door to her mother's room, "I… Nunnally, can I tell you something? Something I'd prefer you… keep to yourself?"
"What is it?" the blind girl asked though Lelouch winced slightly as he had a good idea what Kallen was about to say.
"After Naoto died, I… wasn't the best daughter to my mother. Because of that, losing Naoto, and… other things… my mom became hooked onto Refrain."
Nunnally gave a small gasp as she had heard of that drug before and what it could do.
"We were able to get her off it, but it's taking some time for her to recover completely."
"We?"
"Me, Lelouch, and a bunch of other friends of ours."
"Lelouch?"
"The situation surrounding it is… complicated, Nunnally," Lelouch tried to explain without going into details, "But we put a stop to it before it got out of hand."
"Remember when I told you about how your brother and I met some other people who helped us see things through a different perspective?" Kallen recalled, "Well, they've been more than helpful with a great many things, including this."
"I was planning on introducing them to you, Nunnally," Lelouch explained, "But after your kidnapping and the resulting investigation into Ashford, I decided to put it on hold for a moment and let things cool down a bit."
"Oh, I see…" Nunnally said, "Well, I trust you, big brother. As much as I'd like to meet these friends of yours, if you think I should wait, I'll wait."
"You are one patient kid, you know that, right?" Kallen said with a smirk, which Nunnally returned with a small tongue sticking out.
While Lelouch himself was more than patient, that incident with Mao made him realize that Ashford may no longer be the safest place for him and Nunnally to stay. If Mao could get in easily, then so could the Decepticons.
Lelouch would tell Nunnally the truth about his identity as Zero, as well as the ongoing conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons, but he knew he also had to step carefully to not reveal his identity to the enemy, which could put Cornelia and Euphemia in danger, as well as his friends in Ashford. So, for the moment, Nunnally's meeting with Optimus Prime would have to wait, but Lelouch was all the more eager to have his sister meet the father figure he saw in Optimus, a much better father than the biological one they shared.
The Next Day – The Ark
Ratchet and Fixit were currently in the laboratory of the Ark, working on an iteration of the Synthetic Energon. Though the formula had remained incomplete due to Bulkhead no longer having the data from the Cylinder, having a reliable fuel source was more than essential to the cause of the Autobots and Black Knights.
"Hmm, surprisingly stable," Ratchet observed upon looking at a sample through his microscope.
"I'm not detecting any irregularities in the energy patterns," Fixit reported, "This might be a suitable batch."
"Ratchet, Fixit," Shirley had walked onto the scene, standing on a small catwalk made for Mini-Cons, over the laboratory table Ratchet was at, "Is that Synthetic Energon?"
"Oh, indeed it is," the Mini-Con confirmed, "Even if the formula is incomplete, that doesn't mean we shouldn't abandon it entirely."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Shirley asked.
"Shirley, while I do appreciate you wanting to assist, I don't see anything you can do," Ratchet said. Upon noticing her somewhat saddened expression, he had something else to say, "However, if you wish to observe, we are preparing to test a sample."
That seemed to raise Shirley's spirits a bit. Though she knew she was no scientist, she had found herself somewhat invested in this, considering it was her actions that allowed the Autobots and Black Knights to possess the formula. But of course, she wasn't about to brag either considering her actions also led to a near loss of Bulkhead. While she chose not to dwell on her past mistakes as everything worked out in the end, she learned from them and was eager to help her friends however she could, while making sure not to do anything reckless again.
Ratchet had a vile of the green liquid that was known as Synthetic Energon and injected it into a test-engine device.
"Commencing trial one of formula seven now," Fixit reported as he was ready to record their findings.
Ratchet, Fixit, and Shirley looked at the engine as if nothing appeared to work at first, that is until the engine sprang to life.
"Trail one of Formula Seven successful!" Fixit observed with a grin.
"It works?!" Shirley exclaimed excitedly, "We gotta tell Lulu and Optimus…!"
"Nuh, uh, uh," the Autobot medic brought the celebration to an end, "This iteration of the formula requires further trial before we can even think about using it for fuel, ammunition, or first aid. Which is rather unfortunate since our own Energon reserves are at an all-time low."
"But I thought Kyoto was helping you to get more Energon," Shirley said.
"It's not that simple, Shirley," Fixit explained, "Kyoto is a double-agent branch within the Britannian government. They have to be careful or risk foreclosure… enclosure… exposure!"
"And the fact that our warriors, both Autobot and Black Knight, are rapidly burning through our stockpile doesn't help either," Ratchet continued, "Meanwhile the combined forces of the Decepticons and Britannia severely outnumber us as they continue to run us ragged and grind us down. Natural Energon is in such short supply on your planet and Megatron, through Britannia, seems to have his oily claws buried deep in nearly all the Earth's deposits."
"Fortunately, though, hope is not lost," Fixit quickly said, "Thanks to you Shirley, we may be close to developing our synthetic fuel, which can more than even the odds with the enemy."
However, an alarm sounded through the lab, getting their attention. Ratchet gently grabbed onto Fixit and Shirley before transforming into his vehicle mode to make his way to the bridge.
By the time the Autobot medic made it to the bridge, he let Shirley and Fixit out, before transforming to see Optimus, Zero, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Kallen, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Rai, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, along with other Black Knights, including Ohgi and Tamaki, already gathered.
"Looks like we got more Energon on the move," Ironhide reported.
Tamaki groaned, "Again? Seriously? That's the fifth time this week!"
Optimus saw the coordinates on the bridge's main screen, "Their recent activity suggests a familiar pattern, the Decepticons are desperately scouting for new deposits to mine."
"I thought they already had enough since they're in control of Britannia," Ohgi assumed.
"Given all our recent activity against them, not to mention the growing resistance across not just Area 11, but other areas across the globe as well, the enemy seems to have their hands full," Zero said.
However, upon noticing some of the smirks on his comrades' faces; particularly Tamaki, Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and more than a few Black Knights, he had to speak before their hopes got up to high, "However, this also means that our own Energon supply is also running low as we have even less than they do."
"So, we're going in?" Cliffjumper asked.
"Correct," Optimus answered, "Autobots, Black Knights…!"
"Optimus," Ratchet saw fit to notify his leader and friend, "If an Autobot comes back wounded this time, well… as Zero has said, our own Energon reserves are nearly depleted."
"Understood," Optimus got the message, "Prepare the Groundbridge."
Ratchet was at the console in the Groundbridge bay when he opened a portal. He stood and watched as he saw the vehicle modes of his teammates, followed by a half dozen Burais, along with the Guren MK II and Gekka Pre-Production, and even Zero's custom Burai, all drive into the portal before it closed.
The Autobot medic sighed, "Sometimes, I wish I could do more."
However, his optics widened slightly as he looked to his side to see an injector as well as a vial of Synthetic Energon still on his person. He must have taken it in the rush.
Without even thinking about the possible consequences, and his noble, but reckless desire to help his friends outweighing any logical choices, Ratchet had injected the Synthetic Energon into his arm. His optics turned from blue to green as he felt his head becoming dizzy before falling flat on his back, dropping the injector and vile on the ground where it shattered.
"Ratchet? Ratchet!" Fixit exclaimed in surprise as he and Shirley walked into the bay just in time to see Ratchet fall over. They quickly made their way to him.
"Is he okay?!" Shirley asked as Fixit took out his device to scan Ratchet.
"I'm not detecting any irregularities or injuries that might have occurred," Fixit reported as Shirley had already climbed on top of Ratchet and made her way toward his face.
"Ratchet!" her cry was enough for his optics to flicker open, "Wake up!"
With a groan, the medic had awoken.
"How is it that such small beings can be so loud?" he questioned as Shirley climbed off him.
"Are you okay?" Shirley asked urgently with Fixit right next to her, "We saw you fall!"
"I'm fine," Ratchet answered as he was back up on his feet. However, something felt different than before, and it felt good. For some reason, he felt stronger, maybe even faster.
" More than fine!"
His arm opened to reveal a scanner, which he applied to himself.
"Energy efficiency is up thirty percent!? Motor functions optimized!?" he laughed triumphantly. However, he looked toward the human girl and Mini-Con with concern, "Any word from the others?"
"No, not yet," Fixit answered as Shirley shook her head as well.
Knock Out and Breakdown were in their vehicle modes, alongside several Vehicons in their car forms while also being chased by the entirety of the Autobot team and half a dozen Black Knights through a large and long canyon.
The Knightmares all opened fire at the retreating enemy, while some Vehicons transformed to return fire. They were quickly gunned down by the Black Knights' magnesium ammunition. Pretty soon, it was just the Decepticons' resident dynamic duo, with the largest having an Energon cube strapped to his top.
"Knock Out, can't we just bridge out of here?!" Breakdown questioned, "This cube's putting some serious drag on me!"
"The more we give the Autobots and their Black Knight buddies a workout, the more fuel they burn! And we win the Energon race!" Knock Out replied, "Besides, here comes air support!"
More than a dozen flying Vehicons all descended from the sky in their jet modes right above the group of Bots and Knights. They immediately opened fire with their missiles, prompting the Bots and Knights to swerve and avoid the shots. While some Burais turned around to return fire at the enemy, they proved far too fast in their jets, while Arcee shot further ahead in her vehicle mode with the Guren right behind her. However, it soon became apparent that the Autobots and Black Knights were not the missiles' intended targets, but the canyon walls.
Once the missiles hit, it immediately created a rockslide from both ends as Knock Out and Breakdown drove past the wall of rocks that quickly began to form. With Arcee and Kallen being the closest, they both decided to gun it. Both the blue motorcycle and red Knightmare rolled up a large rock that served as a ramp to allow them to soar through the air.
Kallen used the Guren's Slash Harkens to swing from falling rock to falling rock, while Arcee transformed and leaped from rock to rock herself. Arcee transformed back into her motorcycle form once she got to the larger rock near the end and used it to give herself a speed boost to shoot further in pursuit of the enemy. Kallen used a similar tactic as she used the Guren's Radiant Wave Surger on the rock her Knightmare was on, causing it to explode and give herself a propulsion that had her land right behind Arcee before speeding her Knightmare alongside her partner.
Their friends however didn't get so lucky as the Autobots were forced to transform with the Black Knights hitting on the breaks in their Knightmares before they could crash into the massive pile of rocks that blocked their path. They saw the Vehicons in their jet modes fly over the pile as well.
"Arcee, Kallen, fall back!" Optimus ordered through the comms, "You're outnumbered!"
"We're always outnumbered!" Arcee replied as she and the Guren were in hot pursuit of Knock Out and Breakdown, "We need that Energon!"
The Guren was already shooting at the Decepticon duo with her Knightmare's left arm-mounted handgun. However, the Decepticon pair was quick enough to avoid the shots.
"You guys know how much I love playing the hero, but we can't afford to be reckless right now!" Even Cliffjumper knew when retreat was best.
Zero immediately contacted the Ark, "Ratchet, lock onto Kallen and Arcee's coordinates and prepare a Groundbridge!"
" I'm locked on!" Ratchet reported, "Arcee, Kallen, decelerate and prepare to return to base!"
"Save it guys. We're too close!" Kallen stated.
"Come on, don't be stupid!" Ironhide tried to tell them.
"Wheeljack, Bulkhead, can't we just plow through this?" Rai asked as he readied his Gekka's Radiant Wave Surger.
"We go the explosive route, we'll cause an even bigger rockslide," Wheeljack stated.
"Looks like we're gonna have to climb up," Bulkhead said as the Autobots were already beginning to climb up the rocks as quickly as they could, while the Black Knights each used their Knightmares' Slash Harkens to traverse the walls on the sides.
Meanwhile, as Arcee and Kallen both sped desperately to get the Energon from Breakdown and Knock Out, the aerial Vehicons above them had already opened fire with their missiles.
"Arcee, incoming!" Kallen exclaimed as she tried to turn the Guren around to open fire, but the missiles had already hit the ground underneath the pair. Despite their best attempts to avoid the blasts, both the Guren and Arcee, forced to transform to normal, were sent flying and skidding across the ground.
The Ark – Groundbridge Bay
"Arcee and Kallen are down!" Fixit exclaimed upon seeing their readings.
"What?! Are they okay?!" Shirley asked with worry evident in her voice.
"They're alive… but surrounded by multiple enemies!" Fixit stated.
A Groundbridge portal suddenly opened, with Ratchet being the one responsible.
"Man the Groundbridge!" he told the pair before transforming and driving into the portal.
Back on the battlefield, the Guren was already back on its feet, while Arcee had a bit more trouble recovering. However, it wasn't long before the pair was surrounded by a total of twelve Vehicon troopers. Kallen immediately readied herself, standing protectively in front of the downed Arcee, as the Guren's Surger claw opened up, and the left hand drew a knife.
"Come on! You Cons wanna go?! Let's go!" Kallen challenged as the Vehicons prepared to open fire.
However, a Groundbridge portal suddenly opened up high in the air, with Rachet's vehicle mode shooting straight out before he transformed and fell straight down. He crashed down hard into one Vehicon before quickly getting back up to throw the Vehicon into another. Before the second one could even react, Ratchet already moved to kick him down. Another tried to shoot him, but both Ratchet's arms immediately converted into blades before he quickly cut off the blaster arm of that Vehicon and kicked him down. A fourth tried to shoot at him from behind, but Ratchet leaped to grab him by the head and lift him in the air before slamming him down hard on the ground.
"Ratchet…?" Arcee looked in amazement as even Kallen's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
The Autobot medic leaped into the air to deliver double airborne roundhouses to kick down two Vehicons at once before leaping onto his hands and propelling himself feet-first into another Vehicon and delivering an airborne spin-kick to knock the Vehicon down as another tried to charge him. However, he rolled out of the way before jumping and flipping while airborne to grab the Vehicon by his head while still in the air and flipped to knock him down onto the ground before he jumped up to deliver a powerful punch to cave the vehicle's face in. Three more tried to charge in and shoot him, but Ratchet drew his blades and worked to cut him down.
"Looks like the Autobots brought in a ringer," Knock Out observed as he and Breakdown remained in vehicle mode.
"Well then, I'll ring his bell!" Breakdown was more than eager to face another worthy opponent.
However, multiple Energon blasts and magnesium shots were shot at them and some of the remaining Vehicons, courtesy of the remaining Autobots and Black Knight Knightmares that had already made it over the pile of boulders.
"It'll have to wait!" Knock Out advised as he and Breakdown drove away with their acquired Energon cube.
Ratchet had just thrown down another Vehicon and quickly moved to kick its head clean off before leaping at another Vehicon with his arm blade to sever his arm before standing on one hand and spinning his feet like a helicopter blade to knock down one approaching Vehicon and cut him down with his blades before rushing at the same Decepticon he just disarmed to finish him off with impalement. What appeared to be the last Vehicon tried to blast him, but Ratchet was already on him to grab him and slam him down on his knee to shatter his back.
Just as the others met up with Arcee and Kallen, Cliffjumper and Bumblebee already helping the fem-bot on her feet. They could only look in surprise at what was left of the Vehicon squadron that Ratchet had just dismembered single-handedly, even Lelouch was stunned.
"Um… what just happened?" Rai muttered.
"Huh, for the first time in my life… I got no idea what to say," Cliffjumper said as they saw Ratchet standing proudly over a deceased Vehicon.
One Vehicon however appeared to remain alive as he tried to get the jump on Ratchet from behind, only for the medic to slam his fist behind him and take down the Vehicon without even turning around.
"Hooah!"
The Ark – Groundbridge Bay
"They're returning!" Fixit stated as he and Shirley saw the Autobots and Black Knight Knightmares return to the Ark via an open Groundbridge portal.
"Guys, wha-what happened out there?" Shirley asked.
"We only saw the gory aftermath, but I hear the Doc was a one-bot wrecking machine!" Bulkhead stated.
"Seriously, makes my handiwork seem like rookie material," Wheeljack added.
Ratchet walked up and suddenly picked up Shirley in his hand, much to her surprise, "Whoa…!"
"Hey, kiddo," Ratchet greeted in an unusually friendly and energetic way before setting her down, with Shirley looking more than a little surprised.
"Alright, what the hell is going on?" Kallen questioned as she got out of her Guren, and the other Black Knights followed with their respective Knightmares, "Since when are you capable of one-shotting a Decepticon attack squad?"
Ratchet smirked as he motioned for everyone to follow him before transforming into his vehicle mode and driving deeper into the Ark. Curious enough, the other Autobots transformed as well and allowed their Black Knight companions to step inside. Zero got inside Optimus along with Fixit, Kallen mounted Arcee, Rai, and Shirley both got into Bulkhead, with Rai and Tamaki inside Ironhide. They, along with Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Wheeljack followed the medic.
Ratchet had led them all to his laboratory before transforming, right as the other Bots arrived and transformed themselves while allowing the Black Knights present to step out.
"You wanna know my secret? Just a little something I liked to call… Synth-En!" the rather strange-acting medic picked up a vial of the green liquid and tossed it to Arcee.
"From the data Bulkhead transcribed?" Arcee questioned, "I thought the formula was…"
"Incomplete?" Ratchet had a triumphant chuckle, "Not anymore."
"Hot damn!" Tamaki said with a grin, "So what we got super Energon now?!"
"Wait, hold on!" Shirley stated, "I thought you said it needed further testing!"
"It's true. We only went through one trial with this iteration of the formula," Fixit added.
"What?" Zero was more than a little surprised before looking at Ratchet directly, "You injected yourself with an experimental formula, after only one test?!"
"Yeah, I gotta agree with Zero on this one Ratch," Ironhide said as well, "That was reckless of you, and you're never reckless."
"Guys, you didn't see Ratchet out there. He was in overdrive!" Arcee said.
"If can make a medic Wrecker-material, I wonder what would happen if we all try this stuff," Wheeljack said with a smirk.
"Well if that's the case, we should plug this Synth-En stuff in our Knightmares!" Tamaki was on board.
"We'd probably give that white Knightmare a run for its money, maybe even take out a few Decepticons too!" Kallen smirked.
"Or give Ratchet more so we can take a vacation!" Bulkhead said.
"Wait, I don't wanna act like a wet blanket or anything, but I think we should at least see if this stuff has any side effects," Ohgi put some thought in.
"I'm with Ohgi on this one," Cliffjumper agreed, "I'd rather check to see if the bandwagon has any holes in it before jumping in."
"Agreed," Zero, Rai, Fixit, and Ironhide said at the same time, with even Bumblebee nodding as well.
When it looked like some of the others were about to protest, Optimus put the final word in, "While I agree the initial results seem promising, I recommend that further testing be confined to machines, not Autobots."
He then spoke to Ratchet directly as he placed a hand on his shoulder, "Outnumbered though we may be, old friend, we need a warrior in the laboratory right now, more than we need another in the field."
However, Lelouch seemed to notice a small flicker of disagreement in Ratchet's optics. There was indeed something about Ratchet right now that felt off.
Mount Haku was one of the more recent mining operations for Sakuradite by Britannia. However, the area had been completely cleared for some unknown reason. The only activity appeared to be a gust of wind from some approaching fighter jets, the lead appeared to be Starscream, alongside Thundercracker and Skywarp in their vehicle modes.
They transformed, followed by a dozen Vehicon troopers who also approached in their jet modes. And it seemed they had one more arrival in the form of Airachnid in her helicopter mode before she transformed and landed with them.
"About time. You're way too slow," Skywarp pointed out.
"For once Skywarp makes sense, your chosen vehicle mode Airachnid lacks thrust," Starscream added.
"Perhaps you'd like to keep your criticism to yourselves," Airachnid replied, "Why are you here again?"
"There was a distress signal sent out by the Britannians that attempted to mine this area for Energon," Thundercracker informed, "Military was sent out. They didn't report back."
"So now we're here to play rescue for the freshies?" the Seeker brute scoffed, "Since when we have been demoted to human babysitters?"
"Since Lord Megatron made it expressly clear that we shouldn't antagonize the humans who so righteously deserve it," Starscream said in a tone indicating he wasn't pleased himself, "But why send us? Why not call his beloved Suzaku? He's always one to opt for rescue missions."
"I suppose we're about to find out," Airachnid said as she appeared to lead the group toward a large hole that led deep into the mountain.
Starscream was quick to make his way toward the front, though he refused to be led by anybody else. That earned a silent glare from Airachnid as Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the Vehicon troopers followed.
The Decepticons continued to make their way down the darkened tunnel through the mines. However, they each noticed something rather odd the deeper they went down. There wasn't a single scrap of Energon to be seen, which was confusing, to say the least. The Britannians must have found something down here. But if it wasn't Energon, then what?
Soon, they appeared to make their way toward a large cavern, though Starscream was the first to step into it, his optics widened in surprise.
"What is this?"
Airachnid, Skywarp, and Thundercracker followed as they too looked in surprise at the sights of multiple Sutherlands, all appearing to be torn apart or broken in some way. There were well over two dozen of them.
The Vehicons each had their Energon blasters out as all the Decepticons entered the cave.
"Looks like a fight broke out here," Thundercracker observed.
"Autobots? Black Knights?" Skywarp assumed.
Airachnid kneeled to one Sutherland to inspect it. She saw that its deceased pilot was missing his bottom half, and his face widened with terror, "Doubt it. The humans were torn apart, something the Autobots and their Black Knight sidekicks aren't known for."
"So, then the question remains. If it wasn't the Autobots that did this? Then who?" Starscream voiced aloud.
One Vehicon trooper found a smaller chamber along the wall he was closest to and decided to inspect it himself. He had to crouch down to peek inside, however, all he seemed to see was nothing more than darkness. That is until a metallic hand suddenly reached out to grab the Vehicon by his throat and pull him in.
The Vehicon's screams caught the attention of every other Decepticon as Thundercracker and another Vehicon ran towards the soldier who appeared stuck halfway and quickly pulled him out, only to look in horror to see the Vehicon's head completely gone.
The thing that was responsible for it, appeared to be a Sutherland that crawled out of the hole to stand on its two legs. Though its cockpit was opened, it appeared to stand completely on its own, much to the shock and surprise of every Decepticon present, even more so as its face-unit opened up to reveal some kind of jaw with teeth on all ends.
It leaped at the Vehicon next to Thundercracker and bit down on his neck. However, Thundercracker was quick to pull the living Sutherland off and throw it back before opening fire with his Energon blaster to blast its head off, along with the cockpit, reducing it to pieces.
"What… what was that…?!" Starscream exclaimed as all the Decepticons present, even Airachnid, had been rendered speechless.
Skywarp heard a familiar sound coming behind them and turned around to look in fear, "Um… Starscream…"
He pointed toward all the Sutherlands around them as he, Starscream, Thundercracker, Airachnid, and the Vehicons looked in shock to see all the Sutherlands standing up on their own, almost like zombies rising from the grave. Even those that were torn in half stood on their arms as all their heads opened up to reveal snarling teeth and jaws.
"What are you waiting for?! Open fire!" Starscream screamed as he, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the Vehicons opened fire at the living Sutherlands that ran at them. Even Airachnid opened fire with her own Energon palms.
However, some of these monstrosities continued to run, despite losing any arms and legs, and were only stopped when their head and/or cockpits were destroyed. But four Vehicons were already pounced on and were ripped apart by the monstrosities' teeth and claws. And that wasn't even the worst of it. Some Knightmare-like monsters trudged on the ceiling above the unsuspecting group of Decepticons.
Thundercracker glanced upward however once he noticed some rocks falling, "Above us!"
The Knightmare monsters leaped from the ceiling down toward the Decepticons.
Skywarp and Thundercracker used their propulsion boosts on their feet to escape, but Starscream and Airachnid themselves ended up pinned to the ground. The two Seekers were ready to help them if they hadn't accidentally backed into a group of Knightmare monsters themselves. Thundercracker drew his blades and prepared to dismember them as Skywarp used his claws and bare hands to tear off the heads and rip apart the cockpits. Starscream struggled to keep the biting face of a Sutherland creature that was on top of him.
"Get off me you, monstrosity!" the Seekers' leader exclaimed as he converted his right arm into an Energon blaster and blew its face out.
Airachnid was having similar trouble herself. Fortunately, she shot her spider arms out to sever its arms first before slicing off its head.
By the time the two got back up and grouped up with Skywarp and Thundercracker, all their Vehicon escorts had been viciously killed before they also rose from the dead and joined more Knightmare monsters that tried to surround the four Decepticons.
"What… what in the name of the Allspark… is going on here?!" Airachnid exclaimed as she, for the first time in her life, began to experience true terror.
"Don't know but I wanna get out of here!" Skywarp was already in panic mode.
"We can't let a single one of these things reach the surface!" Thundercracker stopped them from leaving, "Bring down the cave! Then we'll contact Megatron!"
And while Starscream was a coward, even he knew better than to leave creatures like these alive when they could at least stall them before calling Megatron and letting him deal with it instead.
"Bring down the ceiling!" he ordered as he aimed his missile wrists at the ceiling to open fire with explosive results as Airachnid, Thundercracker, and Skywarp added with Energon blasts and missiles of their own to bring down the ceiling, already starting a cave-in that appeared to crush the monsters before the four Decepticons made a break-for-it back toward the surface.
The Ark
Ratchet was currently inside one of the many cargo holds of the derelict ship, going over the details of his fight against the Vehicons to both Wheeljack and Bulkhead.
"And then, he came right at me! And I…" however, rather than simply tell them, Ratchet felt it was better to show them, "Well come on Bulk, come at me. You too, Wheeljack! Both of you come at me!"
"You kidding? You wanna take us both on?" Wheeljack questioned.
"Yeah… we don't wanna hurt you, Ratch," Bulkhead said, only for both him and Wheeljack to be slapped across the face by the doctor.
"I told you to come at me!" Ratchet challenged as he took a combat stance.
Wheeljack and Bulkhead both shared a look before they nodded to each other. Bulkhead's right arm transformed into a mace as Wheeljack was the first to charge with a punch, which Ratchet caught before spinning him around to throw and slam him to the other side of the cargo hold, crashing into a wall.
Bulkhead was next as he tried to swing his mace at Ratchet, only for the medic to duck underneath it, and pick up Bulkhead with both his hands before throwing him at the surprised Wheeljack; causing them both to crash through the wall and into the hallway.
"Hooah!" Ratchet exclaimed.
"What the hell was that?!" Kallen's voice echoed as she and Rai came running onto the scene, along with Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Arcee. All five of them stopped in their tracks at seeing the downed Wreckers.
"Are… are you guys alright?" Rai asked.
"Peachy…" Wheeljack groaned as Bulkhead pulled himself up first.
Ratchet walked out of the hole, filled with energy as he bounced up and down with his fists at the ready, "Looks like the Wreckers got some competition."
"Wait you did this?!" Cliffjumper questioned.
"But… Bulkhead…. Wheeljack… they're Wreckers… and… I…" Rai stuttered, having no idea what to say.
Even Kallen and Arcee were shocked. Taking down an entire squad of Vehicons single-handedly was one thing, but to take down two Wreckers at once?!
"Yep, I'm a bit stronger than I used to be," Ratchet said proudly, "Also a bit faster!"
He threw his fist out in front of Bumblebee's face, "Think you can take me, muscle car!"
"[No! I'm good!]" Bumblebee bailed immediately.
"Wimp," Ratchet mocked before walking past Arcee and clicking in her direction, "How's it humming."
"Did he just…?" Arcee questioned as they all saw Ratchet walk away with perplexed looks on their faces.
"Stronger, faster, studlier ," Kallen commented, "I know I was excited before, but now I'm not sure I like the new Ratchet."
"Yeah, same here," Bulkhead agreed as they all looked more than a little concerned.
The medical expert appeared to be alone in one of the many empty hallways of the Ark when he came to a stop near a wall, which was revealed to be a hidden storage compartment. Once he opened it, he revealed the contents to be a dosage of Synthetic Energon already inside an injector.
"I need to be at the top of my game," Ratchet said to himself, "Our survival depends upon it."
Without even thinking twice about it, the Autobot medic injected himself with the dosage of the green liquid. However, he didn't appear to notice that someone else was with him. Shirley had peaked around the corner to see what was happening and her eyes widened with shock.
"Ratchet did what?!" Ironhide exclaimed as Shirley immediately told those on the Ark's bridge what she saw. Those present include Optimus, Lelouch, Ohgi, Fixit, and Ironhide.
"He injected himself with more of that Synthetic Energon," Shirley said, "I heard him say that he wants to help us but… I just… I don't like what he's doing."
"Shirley, you were right to tell us this," Optimus told her, "It would seem this iteration of the formula is capable of more harm than good."
"Is it possible he's becoming addicted to this?" Lelouch wondered, "Can Cybertronians get addictions?"
"Not with drugs or chemical concoctions like humans," Fixit explained, "But yes, Cybertronians can become addicted to other things including actions, witnessing something, and even interactions with others."
"What I don't get though is why Ratchet of all bots is doing it," Ohgi said, "I mean, he's always being careful, making sure to account for everything. So, why would he do something so… so…"
"Reckless?" the Black Knights' leader finished.
Ironhide sighed, "He always takes too much responsibility, even when it's not his fault. It's been that way ever since Bumblebee lost his voice. Ratchet blamed himself for that."
"But Megatron was the one who hurt Bumblebee," Shirley said, "I'm sure Ratchet did the best he could!"
"Indeed, he did," Optimus confirmed, "Ratchet did everything in his power. However, as Ironhide said, Ratchet tends to take responsibility too much. While such an action is noble, it also means he may blame himself for actions that remain outside his control."
"So, he's trying to make himself stronger to contribute more to our cause, regardless of the negative impact it's dealing to him," Lelouch followed Optimus' train of thought.
"Well, is there anything that we can do to help him?" Ohgi asked.
However, before anyone could answer, there was a sudden alarm. Lelouch acted quickly to place his Zero mask back on as the other Autobots, followed by several Black Knights, including Kallen, Rai, and Tamaki came in.
"What's going on?" Cliffjumper asked.
"It would seem the Decepticons have located an Energon vein," Fixit reported as he checked the readings.
"Everyone, get ready! We're going in!" Zero stated.
"Hold on a sec. Shouldn't we wait for our 'secret weapon'?" Tamaki offered with a smirk.
"This mission is unlikely to require medical expertise," Optimus replied.
"But you never know if it may require additional firepower," Ratchet revealed himself, leaning confidently against the entranceway, "Fixit can handle Groundbridge duty."
"Um… yes, I can," Fixit confirmed, with Optimus, Zero, Ohgi, Ironhide, and Shirley looking at the medic with concern, "But Ratchet… are you sure you're up for this…?"
"Of course, I am," Ratchet confirmed with a grin, "Time to put some hurt on those Decepticons!"
"Hell yeah! Let's lop some fenders!" Tamaki cheered, while everyone else seemed more than a little concerned with Ratchet's new attitude.
After a quick trip through the Groundbridge to a more deserted area of Mount Fuji, Ratchet was at the lead, running faster than any Knightmare could travel with Optimus, Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Ironhide, and Cliffjumper right behind him, along with Zero in his Burai, Kallen in her Guren, Rai in his Gekka-Pre Production, and other Black Knights in their Burais, including Ohgi and Tamaki.
The normally support-oriented medic was practically bouncing with energy as he didn't just run, but leaped from rock to rock, even flipping like a master acrobat on a tree.
"Look at the Doc-bot, go!" Tamaki smirked, "Can't wait to see what that Synth-En can do with our Knightmares!"
"Don't get too excited, Tamaki," Zero advised, "We need to be sure of the side effects before we do anything else."
The group came to a halt near the bottom of the hillside, splitting off into smaller groups to take cover behind some large rocks, with Ratchet being the closest and looking ready to charge in at a moment's notice. They surveyed the area to see only a small number of Vehicon guards with a single mining drill working its way into a cliffside.
"Why are they hitting this area of Mount Fuji?" Kallen asked, "I thought Britannia already got it all here."
"They missed a spot apparently," Cliffjumper observed.
"Doesn't look like much though," Rai reported on his Knightmare's scanner, "Honestly, seems like only two, maybe three cubes worth of Energon."
"Yeah, they might hit a vein, but they won't find much of an Energon pulse, not out here," Bulkhead agreed.
"Scouting places already mined? I take some comfort in the fact that Megatron seems as desperate to find the stuff as we are," Arcee commented.
"Do you guys always talk this much during these missions?" Ratchet questioned impatiently.
"Hold on, Ratchet. Before we do anything, we need a plan of attack," Ironhide tried to tell him.
"I have a plan," the medic declared, snapping his fingers before transforming and driving downhill straight toward the enemy, "Attack!"
Lelouch sighed with annoyance and concern, "Secure the area!"
He and the other Black Knights and Autobots moved in as well. It wasn't long before the Vehicons spotted them.
"Intruders!" one Vehicon exclaimed, alerting the others as they immediately opened fire.
Ratchet continued to drive as he dodged all the Energon blasts with little effort before ramming straight into the Vehicon in front of him, right as he transformed to pin him to the ground with his feet.
"It's alright, I'm an emergency vehicle!" he said as he drew his blades to kill the enemy.
The remaining Autobots and their Black Knight allies quickly arrived on the scene and opened fire, easily laying waste to the Vehicons as they appeared to be severely outnumbered. However, Ratchet didn't join the fight, rather what caught his interest was the Decepticon miner that had chosen to abandon the sight as he climbed up the cliffside.
Ratchet narrowed his eyes as he ran in pursuit and began to climb the cliffside himself. It wasn't long before he got to the top and saw the miner running as fast as he could. Ratchet simply picked up a large rock with one hand and threw it. It only took about four seconds for the rock to score a bullseye on the miner's head and knock him down.
The miner tried to pick himself up, only to get pinned back down as Ratchet placed his foot on his chest.
"Why the big rush?"
"Just trying to get as far as I can from the Autobot stank!" the miner said spitefully.
"Does your boss know you have a potty mouth? Maybe I should visit him and tell him."
"Get melted, wheel-grinder!" the miner exclaimed.
"Melted? Now there's a concept," Ratchet converted his arm into a blowtorch, "I won't ask you a second time. Where. Is. Megatron?"
Meanwhile, The Autobots and Black Knights had just finished off the last of the Vehicons.
"Zero, Optimus, the area is secure," Ohgi reported.
Cliffjumper looked around however and saw that a certain Bot wasn't with them, "Where's Ratchet?"
Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of someone screaming coming from the top of the cliffside.
"Hold on, was that… screaming?" Wheeljack questioned.
Optimus' eyes narrowed slightly as a part of him had a good idea what was happening, but he hoped he was wrong, "Zero, Ironhide, Kallen, with me. Everyone else, stay here."
The two Autobots and two Black Knights were easily able to climb to the cliffside, especially with Zero's Burai and Kallen's Guren. However, once they got to the top their eyes widened in shock, borderline horror, at what they saw.
"What… what the hell….?" Kallen stuttered.
"That's all I know! Really!" the miner said as Ratchet pulled away his blowtorch.
' Did…. Did he just… torture … him?' Even Lelouch didn't see that coming.
Ratchet pulled away his blowtorch, the miner looking worse-for-wear as the right side of his face seemed completely burnt.
"Now was that so difficult?" Ratchet questioned as he drew his blade ready to execute the miner, but Optimus quickly stopped him.
"Ratchet! What are you doing?!" Optimus questioned as the miner used this opportunity to run away from the scene, but nobody chose to pursue it.
"Getting results!" Ratchet replied.
"And breaking protocol!" the Autobot stated, "That was a Decepticon miner! Servant -class, not warrior class."
"Oh and let me guess, I'm just the medic!" Ratchet practically spat.
"Ratchet, I understand how cruel the Decepticons can be," Zero said as he rolled his Burai around, his cockpit opening and allowing the revolutionary to stand up as he took off his mask, "But there are lines that we cannot cross! That includes torture! Otherwise, we're no different from them!"
The Autobot medic gave a mocking laugh, "Right, this coming from the person who can tell anyone to do whatever they want just by looking at them."
"My Geass is not the same and you know it!" Lelouch stated, "I might extract information from others against their will, but I don't hurt them!"
"Oh really? Well did your Geass happen to discover Megatron's current location? Well, I did!" Ratchet revealed, "And do you happen to know where there's a stockpile of raw Energon ripe for the taking?! I do!"
"That's enough Ratchet!" Ironhide placed a firm hand on his shoulder, "You gotta calm down!"
"Calm is the last thing we need!" Ratchet shrugged Ironhide off. "Calm is what lost us Cybertron! The Cons have a warship, an army, and a human empire that spans one-third of the planet under their control! All this Energon scouting and you think Megatron isn't gearing up for something big ?! We're squandering our resources! Chasing after his crumbs! When we need to be hitting him hard and hitting him now! Precisely, where it hurts!"
"Are you nuts?! We can't go on a full-scale war with the Cons yet!" Kallen exclaimed, "We're not ready and you know it!"
"Kallen is correct," Optimus agreed, "A direct assault on the Decepticons will only provoke retaliation, and lead to incalculable losses. I will not endanger innocent human lives."
"Yet you seem to have no problem endangering our precious Black Knights," Ratchet scoffed, "Just ask Naoto. Oh, I forgot, he already threw his life away!"
That hit Kallen where it hurts the most, "That's it!"
She was about to get back in her Guren's cockpit and teach Ratchet a lesson, but Lelouch rolled his Burai around to halt Kallen's path as Ironhide put his hand firmly on the red Knightmare's shoulder, while also giving Kallen a stern look not to do anything stupid.
"You know your problem, Optimus?" Ratchet spoke to his leader directly, "For such a big, strong, bot, you're soft! You didn't pound Megatron into scrap when you had the chance! Many chances!"
"That is enough!" Lelouch had instinctively activated his Geass out of anger. Not just from Ratchet insulting Optimus like that, but because Ratchet was his friend! He had no right to insult him like that after everything Optimus did for all of them.
"Oh looky-looky, Charles Zi Britannia Jr. is about to take my free will away," Ratchet scoffed at the glaring Lelouch, "Your little 'hypnotic suggestion' won't work on me and you know it. Not unless you wanna end up like that raving lunatic, Mao."
However, Optimus stepped in between the enraged Lelouch and Ratchet. The Autobot leader carried a firm tone, while also keeping his emotions in check as he spoke, "I'm afraid that the Synthetic Energon has impaired your judgment, old friend. I am confining you to base until further notice."
He accessed his comms, "Fixit, bridge us back."
A Groundbridge portal opened in front of the group. Ratchet sighed, "Fine."
He walked right into the portal, though Kallen and even Lelouch glared at the medic as he walked inside.
"Hey, you two okay?" Ironhide asked with concern to the two Black Knights present.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Kallen replied with a hard sigh.
"Been better," Lelouch also said.
Ironhide gave a small nod as he was about to enter the Groundbridge portal next, only for Ratchet to suddenly run out, pick up Ironhide with one hand, and throw him toward Optimus, who caught him as he, Lelouch, and Kallen saw Ratchet transform and immediately drive away at a speed faster than their Knightmares could match.
The Ark
All the Autobots and Black Knights from the mission quickly returned to the ship via the Groundbridge portal and made their way to the bridge where Shirley and Fixit were waiting.
"Fixit, locate Ratchet's signal immediately," Optimus ordered.
"Uh… yes, of course."
Though Fixit was surprised to see Ratchet was no longer with them, he could only assume he was in trouble, likely from the Synthetic Energon, and immediately went to his Mini-Con console to locate the medic.
"What happened? What's going on?" Shirley asked.
"Ratchet's gone AWOL! That's what's going on!" Kallen exclaimed.
"What?!" the brunette exclaimed in shock.
"The Synthetic Energon is messing with his head," Zero explained, "He's going after Megatron!"
"Well, I say we let him!" Tamaki stated as all the Bots and Knights looked toward him in surprise, "What?! I mean if the Doc-bot is turbo-charged, maybe he can take King Con down for good!"
"No! He can't!" Arcee stated, "If it were that easy to take down Megatron, don't you think we would have done that already?!"
"There's a reason Megs hasn't kicked the bucket during the war," Cliffjumper also said, "He's probably the toughest Cybertronian out there next to Optimus. And even he hasn't been able to bring Megatron down yet!"
"Seriously, even I could barely lay a scratch on the guy," Wheeljack added.
"Is he really that strong?" Ohgi asked.
"Megatron used to be a gladiator," Ironhide explained, "He took on all kinds of Cybertronians and even other monsters five times his size! Plus, he's almost 'died' so many times, that we've lost count! He was practically crushed by the biggest Cybertronian in existence, only to come back on his feet a few days later!"
Nearly every Black Knight present, including Ohgi, Rai, Kallen, Shirley, and even Lelouch underneath his mask, were more than a little surprised at this revelation, even Tamaki.
"So… we better find the Doc-bot, then," Tamaki immediately said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Yeah, obviously," Rai told him.
"Um, we have a problem," Fixit said, getting everyone's attention, "I can't pinpoint Ratchet's coordinates!"
"That bogus Energon must be scrambling his signal," Bulkhead deduced.
"Keep trying," Optimus said, "We've got to find Ratchet before he finds Megatron."
The Decepticon mining operation appeared to be in full swing as there was more than enough Energon in this mine to fuel a small army three times over. Not enough to satisfy the insatiable needs of the Britannian empire or the Decepticons, but still enough to mine.
Vehicon miners worked to cut away the Energon crystals, compact them into cubes, and prepare them for transport as dozens of Vehicon troopers patrolled the upper levels, among them was Breakdown chatting with a Vehicon.
"Yeah, she's kind of dumb and erring, and the extra arms are weird, but I find myself intrigued by her," Breakdown chatted.
However, a whistle got his attention as he and the Vehicon looked to see Ratchet entering the mine.
The Vehicon aimed his blaster, but Breakdown stopped him, wanting to take Ratchet on himself, "I was wondering when you might show."
Breakdown however didn't notice the dangerous glint in Ratchet's green optics.
"You call yourself a scientist?!" Megatron questioned the frightened Knock Out, "You were supposed to have located a fresh Energon source, by now!"
"Apologies, Lord Megatron," Knock Out responded, "We got a little distracted by the new Autobot who attacked us."
"Really? And what new Autobot would that be?" Megatron questioned.
However, their conversation was interrupted by a weak and heavily beaten Breakdown who stumbled onto the scene and fell to the ground in unconsciousness to reveal his attacker.
"Hooah!" Ratchet smirked.
"Well…. Uh…" Knock Out pointed to the Autobot intruder.
" That is your fearsome new adversary?" Megatron questioned before chuckling as if he had just been told a bad joke, "He's Optimus Prime's medic!"
"Oh no, Megatron, I am your doctor of doom," Ratchet smirked before leaping and delivering a punch to Megatron's face, which was enough to send him flying and crashing into a wall, much to Knock Out's surprise.
For one of the few moments in his life, Megatron had found himself quite surprised. He even felt a small trickle of Energon run down his mouth.
"Alright then."
"FOR CYBERTRON!"
Megatron easily caught Ratchet's fist and twisted his arm in a way that wasn't meant to be twisted, causing Ratchet to yell in pain.
"Ratchet is rather more spirited than I recollect," Megatron acknowledged.
"Chemical enhancement, perhaps?" Knock Out assumed.
The Decepticon leader then punched his fist right into Ratchet's side, before pulling it out to reveal a gaping hole with leaking Synthetic Energon, mixed with his own natural Energon, before throwing him to the ground where a puddle of the green substance was already forming underneath him.
"There's your laboratory sample, doctor. Find out," Megatron ordered as he began to walk away, literally walking over Ratchet's fallen form, "If a chemical can mangle the mind of Optimus Prime's lap dog into a behemoth of its own…"
He chuckled evilly, "…imagine what it could do for our troops."
" Lord Megatron, come in! This is Commander Starscream!" The Decepticon second-in-command contacted him, "We require your immediate assistance to our location! And you may want to bring back up…"
"Soundwave, I need a Groundbridge," Megatron ordered over the comms.
A Groundbridge portal suddenly opened in front of him, allowing him to step inside, leaving Knock Out to begin his work on the weakened Ratchet, who had finally regained his sense of reason.
"Oh… Optimus… I've been a fool…."
The Ark – The Bridge
An alert flashed on the screen as Ratchet's ID signal suddenly sprang online.
"Ratchet's signal is online!" Fixit reported, getting the attention of all the Black Knights and Autobots present, "And he appears to be in grave danger!"
"Prepare a Groundbridge immediately Fixit," Optimus ordered.
Zero, at the same time, accessed his communications so his voice could be heard throughout the Ark, "All available Black Knights report to the Groundbridge bay immediately! We're about to storm a Decepticon mining operation! We're going in hot!"
Within the heart of the Decepticon mine, a Groundbridge portal opened up as every single Autobot, and a small army of Black Knight Burais, along with the Guren and Gekka Pre-Production, all sped out guns blazing.
"THE BLACK KNIGHTS AND AUTOBOTS HAVE ARRIVED!" Tamaki's voice shot through his Knightmare's speakers as the firefight went underway.
The Autobots and Black Knights immediately make quick work of the Decepticons present.
Meanwhile, Knock Out had successfully acquired a sample of the Synthetic Energon from Ratchet's wounded body.
"Doctor to doctor, I must say. Your contribution to the Decepticon cause is very much appreciated," Knock Out gloated, "I'll be sure to boast of your accomplishment when you're gone."
His hand immediately converted into a buzz-saw, "Putting the brain on the table in three… two…"
He was ready to execute Ratchet right then and there when he heard the sounds of gunfire and battle deeper in the mine.
"Scrap!"
Seeing his opening, Ratchet kicked Knock Out back, forcing the red Decepticon to drop the vile of the green liquid. However, Knock Out was back on his feet as he tried to rush Ratchet with his buzz-saw, pinning him to the wall. Ratchet pushed back Knock Out by the throat with one hand while keeping the buzz-saw from coming any closer with the other.
However, Ratchet had been considerably weakened from the loss of Energon and was quickly losing strength.
The last of the Vehicons were sliced by Rai with his Gekka's katana, "Zero, Optimus, the mine is secure!"
"Understood," Zero replied, "Kallen, Bumblebee, Ironhide, you're with me and Optimus. Everyone else, beginning securing the Energon."
He followed the Autobot leader in his Burai alongside Kallen in her Guren, the Autobot scout, and veteran.
Ratchet couldn't hold Knock Out back any longer as the enemy's buzz-saw grazed his face slightly. However, he gave a surprise headbutt, forcing Knock Out to stumble back a bit. Knock Out quickly recovered however and tried to slice his buzz-saw at Ratchet again, only for him to move out of the way, allowing the buzz-saw to become stuck in the wall, temporarily immobilizing the Decepticon medic as he struggled to pull it out.
The wounded Ratchet stumbled toward the vial of Synthetic Energon that Knock Out had acquired.
Knock Out however gave a mocking laugh, "What are you going to do? Drink it?"
Ratchet considered it for a moment, but he looked at the wound that was inflicted on him by Megatron. He only had himself to blame for that, he knew that this was all his fault, and the last thing he wanted was for Megatron to get his hands on a formula like this. He knew exactly what he had to do.
"I think now!" he threw the vial at the wall, causing it to shatter and spill the contents, which melted into the ground.
Knock Out looked more than a little shocked as he pulled his buzz-saw from the wall, "You idiot! Megatron will have my head!"
That appeared to have exhausted the last of Ratchet's strength as he fell on his backside. Before Knock Out could even think about retaliating, he saw Optimus, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Zero's Burai, and the Guren coming from around the corner.
Not in the mood to get obliterated, the Decepticon medic transformed and drove away from the scene, leaving the five warriors to find Ratchet's unresponsive and wounded body.
The Ark – Autobot Medical Center
Ratchet's optics slowly flickered open, now in their natural blue color. His wound was covered by an IV that flowed in natural Energon. Fixit was present overseeing his recovery, as well as Optimus, Ironhide, Lelouch, Kallen, and even Shirley.
"Ratchet?" Shirley heard his groan and saw his optics open, "Guys, he's awake!"
The group turned to see him attempting to get up.
"Easy, old friend," Optimus placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder as he had a relieved smile on his face, "You've lost a lot of Energon, good and bad."
"I… I'm sorry," Ratchet apologized sincerely, "I… I didn't intend to hurt… anyone. I just… wanted so badly to…"
"Help us? We get it," Ironhide assured, "That's the plus side and the downside of dealing with you, Ratchet. We're glad you wanna do what you can to help us, but you can't help with everything . Even you need help sometimes. That's why you got Fixit right there."
"It's true," Fixit added, "I am your assistant for a reason. That means I can even scold you for acting so accessibly… fecklessly… recklessly!"
Ratchet nodded before turning to some of the humans present, "Kallen, Lelouch, I… I'm so very sorry for the things I've said. I had no right to say any of that. I've made more than my fair share of mistakes and I've lost many friends as well. I hope you can forgive me."
Kallen sighed before she smirked slightly, "Forget it. I mean if you were crazy enough to take on freaking Megatron , we'll just chalk it up to being hooked on that bad stuff. So, don't worry you hophead, we're good."
"As you've said, we all make mistakes Ratchet," Lelouch said honestly, "I've made my fair share too, so I don't hold any grudges."
"However, your actions nearly cost us something irreplaceable," Optimus said to Ratchet, "Our medic, and a most trusted friend."
That previous statement caused Ratchet to smile. Ironhide smirked as well, "While you did screw up big time, you did help us get a much-needed Energon supply. We've got enough to keep us going for some time."
"And for that, we should all be thankful," the Black Knights' leader agreed.
"The Synthetic Energon formula must need refining before it can be tested again," Ratchet said earning either genuine smiles or sarcastic smirks from all those present, "On machines, not Autobots."
"Let us take comfort in the fact that you were able to dispose of the quantity that remained," Optimus said.
Back in the mine, there was however one tiny drop of the green liquid that remained in the broken shards of the vial. A drop that was found by Knock Out who could only grin.
Mt. Haku\
A Groundbridge portal had just opened at the base of the mountain as Megatron and Soundwave stepped outside to see Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Airachnid all sitting along the ground, each of them covered in scratches that were already leaking Energon, even Airachnid was missing a couple of spider-legs.
"Lord… Lord Megatron," Starscream stuttered as he tried to push himself up, "It… it was horrible… it was…!"
"Spare me your rambling Starscream," Megatron interrupted, "What happened?"
"We were inspecting a distress call sent out by the Britannian military after they investigated their distress call in an Energon mining operation at this location," Thundercracker explained.
"And we didn't even find a single scrap of Energon down there," Skywarp added, "Just a bunch of rabid Knightmares that moved on their own and tried to eat us alive!"
"Oh?" the Decepticon leader raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"It sounds crazy, but it's true," even Airachnid admitted it, "Even our Vehicon escorts were mauled before they rose from the dead!"
"We were able to collapse the mine to hopefully stop these creatures from reaching the surface, but I fear not even that may stop them," Starscream said as he and his associates looked fearfully toward the collapsed entranceway.
Megatron then turned to Soundwave, who ran the recordings of the four Decepticons through a lie detector built into his drives and confirmed that they were indeed telling the truth.
"Hmm, you speak true for once," Megatron acknowledged almost mockingly, but the four of them were too weakened to come up with a comeback, "Very well, Soundwave, and I will deal with these 'monsters' as you say. But by all means, please do not trap us down there,"
It sounded sincere, but that was proven false as Soundwave had already deployed Laserbeak which began to hover and circle the four. They weren't even in the mood to argue as they simply sulked and tended to their wounds.
Megatron and Soundwave walked toward the blocked entranceway, where Soundwave deployed Rumble.
"Time to do my thing," the blue Mini-Con said as he leaped and 'punched' with his pile drivers to clear the boulders away, exposing the path to the darkened mine.
"Excellent work, Rumble," Megatron acknowledged.
"No problem, boss," Rumble saluted before returning to Soundwave as the Decepticon pair descended the path.
Megatron, of course, led the way with Soundwave providing some illumination from some built-in lights on his shoulders. It was a long path with the only sounds being Megatron's enormous footsteps drowning out the more lightened footsteps of Soundwave at his side.
The two had made it to what was once the site of the massacre, where a great deal many boulders all lain, all brought down by the Seekers and Airachnid attempting to escape.
"The sight of the battle, I assume," Megatron turned to Soundwave, "Any signs of movement?"
Soundwave did a quick scan of the area before a radar flicked up on his visor, showing that there was indeed something moving within these mines.
"What is its location?" Megatron asked.
Soundwave's visor shifted to reveal a three-dimensional image of the mine, the red dot indicating the unidentified entity dwelling below their current location.
"Below us," Megatron noted.
However, right as that observation was made, the entire ground slowly crumbled before completely collapsed. The two would have fallen had Megatron and Soundwave not transformed into their respective flying vehicle modes. The two of them shot down into the darkened pit that had formed, deep underground. They reached the ground and transformed, beholding the entity Soundwave detected as even Megatron's optics widened at what he saw.
The entity could only be described as a nightmarish version of a Combiner. It stood well over one hundred feet tall, and its body appeared to be made out of a mesh of Britannian excavation equipment, Sutherlands and Glasgows designed for mining, and a few Vehicon parts thrown in there. All of it meshed together to form a large upper body, with the lower body appearing almost serpent-like and sticking out of a hole in the ground with a dark purple glow emanating from it. It had two large arms with a series of metallic tentacles stretching out of its back a head made out of broken machine parts with four glowing dark purple eyes. Its mouth was something akin to four mandibles when it let loose an ear-splitting roar on the Decepticon pair.
Despite the otherwise terrifying appearance of this creature, neither Megatron nor Soundwave seemed remotely intimidated, "Well, this is something new."
The monster lifted both its enormous arms to slam its fists onto the pair, but Megatron and Soundwave had both transformed to avoid it as they flew above. Megatron opened fire with Energon blasts at the creature, but the tentacles shot at him. However, he was able to avoid the lashings as he transformed and drew his blade to sever most of them before falling toward the creature, slashing at its side, before landing on his feet on the ground.
However, Megatron looked in minor surprise to see the wound heal almost immediately. He then ducked to avoid a swing from the monster's fist as he opened fire with his fusion cannon, causing the monster to roar in pain before it opened its mouth to fire a massive beam of dark purple energy. He transformed once again to avoid the devastating beam that carved a hole through the wall.
Soundwave meanwhile had deployed Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage from behind the monster. Ravage and Frenzy ran quickly along the sides to shoot at the beast; Frenzy with a small Energon blaster in his hand, and Ravage with Energon blasts from its tail and mouth. The monster's tentacles shot from its back at the pair of Mini-Cons but they proved far too quickly and were able to avoid them. Rumble, meanwhile, had made his way closer toward the monster, and almost directly under it.
"Time to shake things up a bit!" Rumble used his pile drivers on the ground to create a series of tremors to shake the area around the monster.
However, several tentacles emerged from its torso which lashed out and ensnared Rumble.
"Hey! Get your tentacles off me!" Rumble exclaimed as he struggled in the monster's grip.
Megatron saw the monster was more focused on Rumble and resumed his fire with his fusion cannon on the entity, this appeared to distract it long enough for Soundwave to transform and fly up to retrieve his Mini-Con, while also deploying Frenzy and Ravage again on its face.
"Oh, that is one ugly mug," Frenzy insulted the monster, "Let's fix that up, shall we?"
He and Ravage began to tear at its face with either a pair of mini-blades or teeth and claws. This annoyed the entity, but it wouldn't stop it.
Soundwave landed right beside Megatron, "Any damage we deal to this creature heals the moment it is inflicted. Is there any sort of weakness?"
The silent Decepticon had already performed a scan on the creature and shown a three-dimensional image on its visor of the monster while illuminating a purple pulsating center at its core.
"Something akin to a spark?" Megatron assumed as Soundwave nodded in confirmation, "Pull your Mini-Cons back, Soundwave. I know how to handle this creature."
Soundwave nodded before emitting a signal to call back Frenzy and Ravage as they continued to reshape the entity's face.
"Okay Soundwave, we hear ya? We're coming!" Frenzy stated as he and Ravage leaped from the monster and quickly made their way back to their master, along with Rumble who already returned.
Megatron then ran towards the monster as it turned all its attention toward the Decepticon leader. At first, it lashed out all its tentacles, but he drew his blade and sliced through each of them with little effort. The monster then reeled back its right fist to try and punch him. However, he caught the fist with both his hands. He felt himself being pushed back.
Megatron gave a small pained grunt as he aimed his fusion cannon and blasted off the fingers of the monster, causing it to real back in pain as it pulled back its finger-less hand. However, Megatron leaped onto its arm and drew his blade once he ran up to the shoulder area. With one mighty slice, the entire arm was severed.
The monster roared in agony, and this was the opening he needed.
Megatron leaped into the creature' open mouth! The creature gurgled for a second, as though he was trying to spit him out, but soon Energon blasts shot out of it from all directions of its throat as he made its way deeper into the monster. All was silent for a moment as even the creature turned still like a statue, when suddenly, his blade pierced out from its chest, the monster roaring in absolute agony as Megatron himself shot out of the opening he made from the monster, rolling on the ground, completely covered in purple fluids, revealing something he acquired from inside the monster in his claws.
It resembled something of a human heart, except it was made entirely out of black metal. It continued to beat for a moment before Megatron crushed it in his hands. The second it was crushed, the eyes of the monster went dim, and it completely fell apart. The parts that had once made its body became separated as it fell into one massive pile of scrap metal.
Soundwave walked to Megatron's side and turned to his master.
"Britannia believed this was a place to harvest Sakuradite or Energon, but… they might have stumbled onto something… far more beneficial," Megatron said with an evil smile as he knew exactly how this happened. Only one thing in the universe could do something like this, "If Cornelia asks about this, tell her that this mine was a trap laid by terrorists. And the soldiers were killed in the attack."
Soundwave nodded as Megatron aimed his fusion cannon to blast away the scrap metal that was once the creature to reveal a small pit with an eerie purple glow emanating from it.
Megatron walked toward the pit as he saw the source of the glow inside, "It's been a long time. I had thought you lost forever when Cybertron went dark, but who would have ever guessed you'd be found on Earth."
He gazed at a large chunk of purple crystals that seemed to just emanate evil.
"Dark Energon."
The Lord of the Decepticons broke out into a chuckle, which evolved into a full-blown evil laugh that echoed throughout the entire mine.
Chapter 26: Knights and Miracle Workers
Chapter Text
The investigation into Ashford Academy had ended. Though the military and the police couldn't find the terrorist who stole the Sutherland and attacked Ashford, they had found nothing out of the ordinary regarding the school itself, so they allowed classes to resume. Once all the students had returned, with Lelouch, Rai, and Nunnally returning to their residency at the school's clubhouse, the Geass effect wore off, allowing all the students and faculty to remember Lelouch, Nunnally, and Rai. With some aid from Fixit, they were able to have their data put back into the school's database. It seemed to have worked perfectly, with no one the wiser.
At the moment, Lelouch sat in the middle of the school's art studio in a position nearly identical to that of the Thinker with his hand underneath his chin, with more than a dozen students, including those in the Student Council, even those among the Knights of the Round sketching him. This of course also gave Lelouch some time with his thoughts.
' Though it's incomplete, the acquisition of the Synthetic Energon formula should prove more than helpful in our cause,' t he young revolutionary thought to himself before glancing toward Suzaku, 'Of course, there's still the matter of trying to bring Suzaku to our side. He's been living with the guilt of killing his father for almost a decade, I can't imagine how much of a strain that's had on his psyche. But if that information is leaked to the wrong people, it could cause all sorts of complications that won't help anyone.'
"Come on, Lelouch. Quit moving around, will ya?" Rivalz complained.
"Oh, sorry guys," Lelouch tried to put himself back in the previous position.
"No, you were looking down lower," Gino pointed out.
"Like this?" Lelouch tried to look down further.
"Incorrect. Look upward about three point four centimeters," Anya said robotically.
Lelouch tried to look upward based on that description.
"No, no. Now your expression is different." Rivalz stood up and tried to make the adjustments himself, "This was like this... that went kinda like that... and this was here. There!"
When he was finished, Lelouch looked nothing like how they started, complete with something of a clueless smile.
' God I am glad Cliffjumper isn't here to see this,' Lelouch winced inwardly.
This also resulted in several complaints from the other students, particularly some of the girls who preferred the more stoic face he put on.
"Come on everyone, I prefer him looking clueless!" Rivalz argued.
"Yeah, he does look better like this," Gino agreed.
"Guys, knock it off. He's not your decoration," Monica chastised the two boys before smiling apologetically at Lelouch, "Sorry about that."
As this went on, Shirley and Rai exchanged something of a humorous smile as they sat next to each other. Despite all the intense life-threatening situations they went through recently, it was rather nice to relax a tad bit like this.
Nina sat down in between them as she addressed the brunette.
"Shirley, don't you have math for the first period?"
"Don't you remember, it's Art Week," Shirley replied, "Clovis… I'm sorry, Prince Clovis had declared it that."
Shirley honestly felt like she had forced the word 'Prince' out. Before meeting the Autobots and joining the Black Knights, she originally respected and admired Clovis. But after learning the truth about what happened in Shinjuku, any respect she had for him, as well as most of the Royal Family, had all but diminished.
"We will open Art Week with the dedication of the Clovis Memorial Museum of Art," the curator said as he gave the museum tour to Euphemia, Nonette, Darlton, and the Sub-Viceroy's bodyguards, "You, Princess Euphemia, will select the first-place winner among these submitted works."
Euphemia caught a small, yet humble, painting of a house with a garden in a rather serene background. This picture brought a feeling of a nice day at home to the young princess.
"Oh, this one's nice. I particularly like this painting," Euphemia said, even Nonette smiled a bit as she liked the painting too.
"Regrettably, our investigation revealed that the artist happens to be quarter Eleven," the curator revealed.
Both Euphemia and Nonette winced slightly.
"Perhaps it should have been displayed here in the first place, then," Euphemia said. Though she held no discriminatory views whatsoever, she felt she had to put on this façade to appease the public.
"Well, it's a delicate balance with our public," the curator said before turning to another painting, the largest painting in the museum.
This one was that of Charles Zi Britannia raising his fist high, as he was during Clovis' funeral.
"Anyway, take a look at that painting right there. It was painted by the son of Marquess Nicolai."
Euphemia's face became saddened, yet before she could say anything, Nonette placed a hand on her shoulder as the Knight of Nine addressed the curator, "I'm sure it's a lovely piece, but I think it would be best to allow Princess Euphemia to decide for herself."
"Of course, Lady Enneagram," the curator said with a bow as he continued giving them the tour.
Euphemia gave a small but thankful smile to the older woman, who responded with a smirk and a wink.
The Ark
Ohgi sat on a box in a cargo bay within the derelict Autobot ship as he opened his lunchbox to see what the amnesiac Viletta, whom he named Chigusa had made for him.
' Octopus Hotdogs? Hmm, that girl,' he had a small smile on his face.
"Your wife made that for you?"
Ohgi looked back in surprise to see Ironhide smirking down at him.
"What?! No! It's not like that!" Ohgi quickly said with a small blush on his face, "It was from… you know…"
Ironhide's smirk vanished, "Your house guest?"
Ohgi nodded in confirmation.
"Still nothing?"
"No, she doesn't remember anything," the Black Knight replied, "Say, uh… Ironhide. I don't wanna sound insensitive or anything, but can Cybertronians have relationships as we humans do?"
"Yes, we can," Ironhide nodded, "We don't have the same 'customs' you humans do, but we can form relationships with others."
"So… have you ever been in one?" Ohgi asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yes, actually," Ironhide replied, causing Ohgi to look up in surprise as the veteran Autobot smiled reminiscently, "Her name is Chromia. You'd like her. She's tough as nails, and enjoys kicking Cons to the curb."
"So, where is she?" Ohgi asked, causing Ironhide's smile to fall.
"Don't know. We lost contact after Cybertron went dark. She could be anywhere," the black and red Autobot answered.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Ohgi said sincerely, causing Ironhide to nod in appreciation.
"Excuse me," General Katase walked onto the scene, getting their attention, "I hate to interrupt, but we have some very important visitors."
He gestured behind him to reveal four individuals from the Japan Liberation Front, who bowed their heads in the presence of Ohgi as well as Ironhide.
"You're the… the Four Holy Swords!" Ohgi stood up and bowed his head in response.
"How'd you find them?" Ironhide asked Katase.
"Kyoto," the old general answered.
Ironhide however noticed something about them, "Where's their leader?"
Katase's face winced, as did most of the other Holy Swords.
"That's why we're here," Senba answered, "Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh has been apprehended. He sacrificed himself so that we could escape."
Ashford Academy
Lelouch sat inside Bumblebee's vehicle mode as he spoke with Optimus over the radio.
"You're certain?" he asked.
" The Four Holy Swords, as well as Kyoto, have indeed confirmed it," Optimus replied, "Kyoshiro Tohdoh has been captured and is scheduled to be executed tonight."
"A schedule we'll have to change," Lelouch said with a smirk, "Get everyone ready, I'll meet you later this afternoon."
" Understood," Optimus hung up.
"[I'm guessing you know Tohdoh personally?]" Bumblebee asked.
Lelouch had a small smile on his face, "Yes. As one of the few people who could challenge me at chess during my stay at the Kururugi residence, he even taught me Shogi. And he would be nothing short of instrumental in our battles against both Britannia and the Decepticons."
"[I heard about the Miracle of Itsukushima,]" Bumblebee said, "[Took down Britannia without using a single Knightmare. Like to see him bring the Cons to their knees.]"
"I'm sure he will," Lelouch said with a small smirk.
The passenger door then opened, allowing C.C., in an Ashford Student uniform, to step inside.
"[Welcome back. How was your trip?]" Bumblebee asked the immortal as she sat down.
"Quite eventful," C.C. replied, smirking at the last part, "Those High Eunuchs are arguably the most egotistical people I've met in my immortal life. Other than Lelouch, of course."
" Ah snap!" the Autobot scout played a rapper's voice through the radio.
"Ha, ha," Lelouch gave a sarcastic laugh.
"But… I did end up meeting a soldier who is rather close to the current Empress," C.C. revealed, "His name is Li Xingke. Even though the Empress is technically a system orchestrated by the Eunuchs, Xingke and his inner circle of soldiers are more loyal to the Empress than anything else."
"[A possible ally?]" Bumblebee asked.
"More than likely," C.C. confirmed.
"Good," Lelouch nodded, "If things keep proceeding like this, we may soon need all the help we can get."
Area 11 – Royal Palace
Cornelia stood outside her palace as both Guilford and Dreadwing stood behind her.
"Today, Kyoshiro Tohdoh will be executed," Guilford stated, "Even though he isn't that much of a threat compared to the Autobots and the Black Knights, it should deal a significant blow to the Area 11 resistance movement."
"I will be there," Dreadwing said, "Even though he hasn't officially joined the enemy, it is likely they will be there to rescue him."
"I certainly wouldn't put it past Zero or Prime to attempt such a feat," Cornelia responded, "Unfortunately, I won't be present for that. So, we'll have to find a change of executioner."
"Viceroy Cornelia, Lord Megatron has already chosen Tohdoh's executioner," Dreadwing revealed, "It will be Suzaku Kururugi."
Though Cornelia wasn't too thrilled about being kept out of the loop, at the same time, this might be a good opportunity, "You know, I might approve of that choice. It'll give Kururugi a chance to test his loyalty."
"Viceroy!" Euphemia called out as she walked onto the scene, when she spotted Dreadwing, she smiled and nodded at him, who returned with a small smile and nod as well.
"Sorry to summon you like this. How's everything at the museum?" Cornelia asked her younger sister.
"The dedication is later," Euphemia replied, "Of greater importance though, the N.A.C. reported there was unrest in Ishikawa."
"Probably backed by the E.U. or the Chinese Federation," Cornelia assumed, "Given all that's been happening here in Area 11, I can't say I'm surprised. Still, it's our chance to bring Hokuriku under control."
Euphemia's face slightly winced, knowing what her older sister meant by that.
"I'll leave Darlton, Nonette, and the rest of the Knights here while I'm gone. If anything happens consult them, also, I don't want you making any dealings with the Decepticons."
She turned to the one Decepticon present with them, "I trust that won't be a problem, Dreadwing?"
"None whatsoever," the Seeker assured with a nod.
"One more thing. I noticed you still haven't chosen your knight yet," Cornelia handed Euphemia a binder. Once she opened it, she saw the photo IDs and names of several Britannian soldiers, "You may choose any one of them, they're all excellent soldiers from respected families."
The Nemesis
Starscream walked onto the bridge to speak with his leader, "Lord Megatron, I heard that you have chosen Suzaku Kururugi to execute Kyoshiro Tohdoh, whom the Britannians have recently captured."
"I have indeed," Megatron confirmed as he turned around to face the sniveling coward who was his second-in-command, "Is that a problem, Starscream?"
"Possibly," Starscream tried to voice his opinion while doing his best not to step out of line and risk another beatdown from his leader, "Suzaku is rather… insufferable, to put it bluntly. I mean, sure, he has followed all the orders we've given to him. However, when it comes to executing others, even those who are our enemies, he always shows hesitancy. I've also done some research of my own to see that Kururugi has a history with Tohdoh. If that boy is unwilling to kill enemies he doesn't even know, what makes you think he'll do just that to someone he does know?"
"He doesn't necessarily have a choice in the matter. This is an official execution, and unlike in the heat of battle, he will be unable to avoid it. And his history with this Tohdoh is exactly why I choose Suzaku to execute him."
"I… do not understand."
"As you say, Starscream, Suzaku has a history with Tohdoh. Executing someone he was rather close to, who is now his enemy, may give him the push he needs to fully integrate himself into the Decepticon cause. The humans have a phrase for this: burning bridges, I believe it is."
"I supposed that does make sense. But, what if Kururugi simply chooses not to execute this man? Surely you haven't forgotten his little 'episode' back in Narita. While his battle-prowess is rather... commendable for a human, his mental state… leaves a lot to be desired."
"If Suzaku is unable to perform the task, then you will bring him here to be confined. I have Shockwave working on a special project, one that will enable us to see if he can truly contribute to us."
"Then who will execute Tohdoh? Perhaps… I should be the one to do it?"
Megatron looked at Starscream rather questionably, "I went through such trouble to try and terminate that insect back in Narita. It is only fitting I attempt to finish the job, wouldn't you say?"
The Decepticon leader gave a slight scoff, "If you believe you are capable of doing so, then go ahead."
Starscream smirked.
" Only if Suzaku is unable to perform the task. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Lord Megatron," Starscream bowed as he still had a smirk plastered on his face.
Ashford Academy
"Yes, the pond does freeze solid in the winter," Nunnally said as she, Lelouch, Suzaku, and Rai sat outside the clubhouse, "Although Big Brother scolded me once when he caught me skating on it."
"Well, considering what could happen if you fell in, I'm not surprised," Rai said.
"We had a pond too at the Kururugi Shrine," Suzaku said, "It was small, but I used to catch zarigani… I mean, crawdads, all the time."
"Crawdads, huh?" Rai asked, "And what, you eat them?"
"Well, I never ate the ones I caught. But they're quite the delicacy," Suzaku replied.
"You would catch crawdads? How?" Nunnally asked.
"It's simple. You just tie a string to a frog's back leg," the Honorary Britannian answered.
"Huh? Frog? As in those things that sit on lily pads and go 'croak'?" Nunnally asked in surprise.
" Toads go 'croak', Nunnally," Rai corrected with a small smile, "Frogs go 'ribbit'."
Suzaku had a small smile himself, "Well, in Japan they go 'kero-kero-kero'."
Lelouch observed the playful conversation from the other table. Though he was happy that things were going back to what one could consider normal, he paid attention to Suzaku's expression the most.
'He still cares about Nunnally, that hasn't changed. This means Megatron hasn't completely turned him. There's still hope. But if things keep proceeding at this rate, Nunnally won't be able to stay at Ashford much longer. I will be taking her to the Ark soon. I don't know if Suzaku will be convinced to leave the Decepticons by Zero, or any Autobot, but maybe… maybe Nunnally might. If she knows about the Decepticons and how evil they truly are, she might be the one person who not only convinces Suzaku to leave them but even gives him a reason to live.'
"Hey Suzaku," Lelouch got his attention, "I have to tell you…"
"Suzaku!"
A new voice called to him, getting everyone's attention. It was none other than Cecile who ran toward them.
"Lloyd says it's urgent!"
"Who's that?" Rai asked.
"She's a soldier," Suzaku answered before standing up as Cecile arrived.
"Friends of yours?" she asked upon seeing the other three teenagers.
"Yes," Suzaku confirmed with a smile.
Cecile offered an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, but I need to pull Suzaku away from you for a while."
"Go ahead Suzaku, it's fine," Lelouch told him.
"Okay, see ya then," the Japanese youth nodded and was about to walk away.
"Please come again, Suzaku," Nunnally said.
"I will," Suzaku confirmed.
"Suzaku," Lelouch got his attention one last time, "When you return, there's something I want to discuss, it's an important matter."
Rai looked toward Lelouch in minor surprise as he had a good idea what it was about, but chose not to say anything without causing a commotion.
"Uh oh, I'm nervous," Suzaku said jokingly before walking away with Cecile, "I'll talk to you when you get back."
Once they were gone, Rai stood up, "Lelouch, are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Lelouch nodded.
"Well, it seems that Suzaku is really important to them," Nunnally commented, "I'm glad."
"Hey, uh… Nunnally," Rai began, "How would you feel if you thought that… Suzaku was involved with some… bad people?"
Nunnally's smile faded into one of confusion and worry, "Is Suzaku in trouble?"
"Well, no not exactly," the eldest of the vi Britannia siblings quickly said, "But, what if he's with some people who might… try to make him into something he's not? What would you do?"
"I'd try to get him out of it," Nunnally said immediately, "Lelouch, Rai, do you guys know something?"
The two boys exchanged concerned glances.
"Well… remember how we said we had some pretty good friends?" Rai tried to find the right words, "Well, those people know some other people who… might not be the best. And Suzaku might think they're good when they're really bad."
"I don't understand…" Nunnally wasn't quite sure what to make of this.
Lelouch kneeled to his sister and gently held her hand, "You don't have to worry about Suzaku. I promise we're going to help him."
While Nunnally was still somewhat worried, she knew she could trust her brother, so she smiled, "I trust you, Lelouch. If you say you can help him with whatever trouble he might be in, I believe you. But… if there's anything that I can do…"
"We'll let you know, I promise," Lelouch said with a small smile.
Girls' Dorms
Shirley was getting ready to leave for the Ark. She had looked behind her desk to find the note she had written after first learning Lelouch was Zero. When she pulled the note out and re-read some of its contents, her heart wavered. When she wrote that, she was emotionally hurt and confused. But now, she knew who Lelouch was and why he was Zero, and she would support him with everything she had. So, she quickly opened the window and tore the note into tiny pieces before letting it blow away in the wind.
She then heard a knock on her door.
"Just a minute!"
She quickly ran up and opened the door but was surprised at who was there.
"Monica?"
"Hello, Shirley," the Knight of Twelve greeted with a smile, as she was in her Knight of the Round uniform, "May I come in?"
Shirley winced slightly, "I'm sorry, but I have to be somewhere real quick."
"It won't take long, I promise," Monica assured.
Seeing nothing wrong, Shirley opened the door wider and allowed Monica to enter.
"Glad to see you and everyone else are settling in just fine," she said as she sat down on a random chair.
"Yeah, things have been pretty crazy lately," Shirley said as she sat down on her bed. While deep in her mind, she hoped they didn't learn anything about any of her Black Knight compatriots, "So, did… did you find anything in your investigation?"
"I can't answer that. You know, military protocol and all that."
"Right, sorry."
"But… there is one thing though I wanted to talk about with you. When the military and I were investigating the school, we did some research on the students attending the academy, including you."
That took Shirley by surprise.
"I… I heard about your father."
The brunette gave a small gasp at that.
"I am so sorry Shirley," Monica said sincerely.
"It's alright," Shirley assured, "These things… they just… happen."
"They shouldn't. To lose someone you love in a terrorist attack... it… it's something that should never happen."
Shirley wanted to tell Monica that the Black Knights and Autobots weren't terrorists, but heroes and that the Decepticons were the real threat. But she knew if she did that, she'd end up revealing sensitive information about her friends which could put them in danger.
"I know how it feels," Monica continued, "When I was little, I lost my father too."
Shirley's eyes winded in shock.
"He dealt in arms dealing for Knightmares to military contractors. He was killed when terrorists invaded his base in Area 14. I know how it feels when you lose a parent like that, if you need to talk to someone, I'm here. I promise."
Shirley had no response to give as she saw Monica stand up.
"I have to go, I just wanted to say that," the Knight of Twelve commented, "Even though I'm a Knight of the Round, I want you to know that you can consider me a friend. I'll see you later."
Monica left, while gently closing the door.
Shirley sat in silence as she let all that information sink in. She did feel a great deal of sympathy for Monica. After spending time with her and her colleagues in the Student Council, she could tell that Monica, Gino, and Anya were not bad people. Perhaps she could talk with Lelouch and Optimus about them becoming potential allies, though she had a feeling that they'd shoot down the idea, it would still be an interesting idea to bring up. But no matter what, her loyalty to the Autobots, Black Knights, and her friends remained cemented.
Clovis Memorial Museum
A press conference was being held at the museum before the ceremony would begin, and the reporters had quite a few questions to ask Sub-Viceroy Euphemia as Darlton and the museum's curator stood at their respective sides.
"Sub-Viceroy, is it true that no Eleven companies were used in the construction of this museum?" one reporter asked.
"Well… concerning that question, I…"
"We're looking into it right now, so we have no answer at this time," Darlton quickly and professionally responded.
"Idiot," a female reporter chastised the previous one as he sat down, "Why bother asking Princess Euphemia about politics?"
Another reporter stood up, "Kerryman of Interstate, your Highness, there have been rumors lately that you're close to choosing your knight."
"Um… a knight…" Euphemia stuttered slightly, "Yes, you see, I'm…"
"Ladies and gentlemen, we ask that you please limit your questions to those concerning the museum only," the curator told the reporters.
Euphemia gave a small sigh, wanting nothing more for this press conference to end. She always hated being in the spotlight like this, almost as much as he hated being a princess of Britannia.
The Ark
Multiple Knightmares, including the Guren MK II, along with the Gekka Pre-Production, and even four new Knightmares that looked almost identical to the latter aside from their silver paint-job and their lack of the Radiant Wave Surger. All had been gathered as several technicians, including Tamaki, worked on them, with Ratchet at a console on the side of the large chamber analyzing the data from these new Knightmares.
"These new Gekkas should prove most effective in future missions," Fixit said as he rolled up to Ratchet with a small hand-held device, "They're supposedly more advanced than the prototype Rai has been piloting, and the skills of the Four Holy Sword pilots are nothing short of edible… fencible… incredible!"
"Yes, yes, when compared to other Knightmares," Ratchet commented, "But whether or not they can match against the Decepticons is the real question."
At the same time, the Four Holy Swords, along with General Katase, were talking with one another at the other side of the chamber.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to throw in with these guys?" Asahina asked
"I can vouch for them," Katase assured, "Their piloting skills are some of the best we've seen. Not to mention the Autobots themselves make even the most dangerous Knightmares seem like wind-up toys by comparison."
"What about those other living machines they fought against back in Narita?" Chiba asked.
"The Decepticons," Katase replied, "They're supposedly the true masterminds behind Britannia and are every bit as strong as the Autobots themselves."
"If that's true, then us working with the Black Knights and the Autobots may be our best option," Senba commented.
"I wouldn't have brought you all here if I didn't trust them completely," Katase told his soldiers, "They've saved the Japan Liberation Front from obliteration twice already."
"And now we're about to work alongside them to rescue the colonel," Urabe said.
Asahina smiled, "Well no matter where Tohdoh may be, it's the place I belong."
"Hurry up, will ya!?" Tamaki exclaimed to some technicians working on the Guren, "It's almost time to move out!"
He climbed up into its cockpit, "Look, how hard is it? Just pull the damn trigger and…"
However, once Tamaki pulled the trigger he accidentally raised and activated the Guren's Radiant Wave Surger and shot a small red projectile that shot toward Ratchet, who gave a surprised yell as he dodged the blast that blew up the console he was working on.
"Well… at least we know the Radiant Wave Surger projectile function is working," Fixit said with a nervous laugh.
Ratchet, however, was far from amused as he glared at the one responsible, "Tamaki! I needed that!"
The Four Holy Swords were somewhat surprised as they looked toward Katase, who only shrugged slightly.
Urabe chuckled, "I think I'm gonna like this place."
"Don't tell me this is how you treated my children!"
A new voice spoke up, belonging to a young woman of Indian descent with long bright blonde hair and a purple bindi on her forehead, she also carried a brown Kiseru pipe as she was escorted by Kaguya and two other scientists, "As their mother, I will not tolerate this kind of abuse."
"Mother?!" Fixit, Tamaki, and Ratchet questioned at the same time.
"You've arrived on time," Zero walked onto the scene, alongside Shirley in her own Black Knight uniform, with both Optimus Prime and Bumblebee right behind him.
"Sorry, it took so long Zero," Kaguya smiled, "But allow me to finally introduce to all of you, the creator of the Guren and the Gekkas, and arguably the best Knightmare engineer in the world: Rakshata Chawla."
"Lady Kaguya, I think you're mistaken," Rakshata said, "I'm the best Knightmare engineer in the world."
"After seeing the Guren and Gekka Pre-Production in action, I do not disagree," Zero said as he and Rakshata shook hands.
She then looked up towards the two Autobots, particularly their leader, "And you must be Optimus Prime, it's a pleasure. I've heard a great deal many things about you and your Autobots."
"The pleasure is ours, Rakshata," Optimus nodded, "We've been interested in your work for quite some time. Particularly your work in medical cybernetics."
Rakshata had something of an arrogant and humble smile, "I do hate talking about the past."
"Well, if you're looking for a challenge, then how would you like the idea of helping to create a synthetic Sakuradite?" Zero proposed.
That earned an intrigued smirk from Rakshata, "Well, now you've caught my interest."
Shirley looked towards Bumblebee as the scout leaned down to her level.
"She's taking being the presence of giant living robots well," Shirley whispered.
"[I'm guessing it has something to do with her working with machines all her life,]" Bumblebee beeped.
"That, and I'm not exactly one who's easily surprised," Rakshata said, earning a surprised look from both Shirley and Bumblebee.
"You can understand what Bumblebee is saying?!" Shirley exclaimed.
"Of course, silly girl," Rakshata said casually, "It's a relatively simple code to understand. So, your name is 'Bumblebee'."
She spoke to the scout directly who only nodded, not quite over his surprise, "It makes me wonder how an alien got his name based on an Earth insect. Perhaps Earth and this Cybertron have more than a few similarities."
"As much as I would love to discuss such a topic, we do have a mission to prepare ourselves for," Ratchet said as he walked up.
"Apologies," Rakshata said, "I tend to get carried away when I'm invested in something interesting, it's one of my very few flaws."
Shirley looked to the side to see Kallen and Rai enter, each one of them wearing a special kind of pilot suit with some kind of armor around the arms, legs, and chests; Kallen's was red and Rai's was blue, and they both bore the Autobot-Black-Knight insignia on their right chest-plates.
"Rai, Kallen, you two look great! You look almost like superheroes!"
"Thanks, Shirley, but it feels a little tight…" Rai said as he tried to stretch his limbs out.
"Yeah. Is this going to improve the interfacing system?" Kallen asked as she looked at her own pilot's suit.
"No, of course not," Rakshata answered, much to everyone's surprise, "It's going to improve your life expectancy."
Night had fallen as Kyoshiro Tohdoh had been confined into what was arguably the most secure prison in the entire area. He sat meditatively in his cell, while also bound in a straitjacket, as a guard walked up.
"I just heard they changed your executioner," the guard said mockingly, "It's going to be Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi. You outta be glad it's someone you know."
Tohdoh said nothing but looked upward in acknowledgment.
"Also, I heard that if for some reason that damn Eleven doesn't pull the trigger, someone named Starscream is gonna be the replacement."
Starscream gave an annoyed scoff as he paced across the rooftop of one particular building.
"What is taking them so long?" he voiced his annoyance, "Why should there be any formalities in an enemy's execution? If it were up to me, that wretched Tohdoh's head would be on a pike by now!"
"Britannia's ways are far different from our own, Starscream," Dreadwing said as he stood stoically at the edge of the building, observing the area, "This is their way of execution and we cannot change that."
Starscream growled, "Why we continue to work with these fools is beyond me."
Dreadwing said nothing in response as he glanced downward toward the window where his friend was likely facing a difficult decision. He didn't know the details, but he understood Suzaku had a history with Tohdoh, so it probably wasn't easy for him.
Lloyd had just finished sighing probably the fifth paper before, yet another form was handed to him.
"Wha… you need my signature again ?" he asked the officer as he, Cecile, and Suzaku sat on the couch together, with Gino, Anya, Nonette, and Monica standing around them.
"Even though Princess Cornelia ordered this, there are still some formalities to be followed," the official replied, "A change of executioner is the most exceptional of circumstances."
Gino looked exhausted, "Buddy, you've already made him sign five papers already. Can't we just go down there and pull the trigger? I mean, I blow up Knightmares all the time and I don't fill out any paperwork."
"Killing on the battlefield is a different situation than a formal execution," Anya said robotically as she kept looking through her cell phone's photo album.
As they continued to talk, Cecile, Nonette, and even Monica looked at Suzaku with sympathetic expressions as his own eyes shook. He was being ordered to execute his former teacher, who was almost something of a second father to him in his childhood. He had nothing but absolute respect for the man, even if they were now on opposite sides. He had already killed his father, now he was going to kill his sensei too?!
Suddenly, a loud explosion rang through the air, shaking Suzaku out of his distressed thoughts and startling everyone.
"What's going on?!" Nonette exclaimed.
"An explosion appears to have occurred," Anya said as she pointed to the window where they saw a large fire and smoke and had already multiple sirens going off.
"Good, now we're free of this hellish paperwork," Lloyd said.
"Finally! Some action!" Gino exclaimed with an excited grin.
More than two dozen Sutherlands poured out of the facility and made their way to the massive hole in the prison's outer wall that was blown up from one of Wheeljack's grenades. Out of the smoke poured the vehicle modes of Arcee, Ironhide, Cliffjumper, Wheeljack, and Bulkhead, all accompanied by the Guren MK II, the Gekka Pre-Production, and the four Gekkas piloted by the Four Holy Swords; and just like the red and blue Knightmares, each of the Gekkas had the Autobot-Black-Knight emblem etched onto their shoulders.
The Holy Swords' Gekkas were the first to attack as they each drew a revolving blade katana and immediately got to work, cutting down the front-most Sutherlands with little effort.
"Colonel, we're coming to save you," Chiba said as she wore a yellow Black Knight pilot suit.
"These Gekkas are awesome! Way superior to Burais!" Asahina stated with a grin as he and his other two comrades wore grey pilot suits.
"Yeah, you got that right!" Urabe agreed with his grin.
"Come on guys, let's not let them have all the fun," Cliffjumper said.
Cliffjumper shot directly at a group of three Sutherlands that fired at him with their rifles. He transformed and dealt a powerful punch to decapitate the middle Sutherland before sweeping his feet to trip up the two surrounding him right as he fired his Energon blasters to obliterate their heads and render them immobile.
Arcee rolled in her Motorcycle mode toward two Sutherlands that shot at her, which she expertly maneuvered around before sliding underneath the legs of one of them right as she transformed and opened fire with her Energon blasters at their backs to turn them both into scrap metal in seconds. A third Sutherland was about to shoot at Arcee, but the Guren suddenly appeared in front of it to knock the rifle out of its hands with its knife before it reached out with its Surger claw to grab Sutherland's head before Kallen activated the Surger, causing the Knightmare to explode.
Ironhide had transformed as he activated his large Energon cannons and opened fire at a depot that had six Sutherlands already pouring out of it. Already those six Sutherlands had been destroyed explosively as he resumed his fire into the depot, and with a few more devastating shots, the depot itself had been completely obliterated.
The Wrecker trio saw another depot to neutralize as ten Sutherlands total were already rolling out.
"I got the depot. You guys cover me!" Wheeljack stated, while still in his vehicle mode.
"You got it, Jacky!" Bulkhead responded as he drove up toward the Sutherlands with Rai's Gekka right by his side.
Bulkhead took point as he drove directly into the group of Sutherlands that already opened fire. He immediately transformed and formed his mace in his right hand, which he used to obliterate one Sutherland with one swing before swinging it around him to destroy two more. The remaining seven tried to gain some distance, but this proved to be a mistake as Rai zoomed in with his blue Knightmare and used his katana to cut down two more before using his Radiant Wave Surger to obliterate a third. Bulkhead then formed his cannon in his left hand to blast away the remaining four with only two shots.
Already Wheeljack had driven into the depot where at least a dozen more Sutherlands were being prepared. He popped open his trunk to throw out one of his grenades before driving back outside. He transformed once he made enough distance before pulling out his trigger and pressing the button. The entire depot, and most of the building above, had been annihilated. It was a miracle that the tower didn't topple over.
"So, what do you guys think of the Autobots now?" Rai asked over the communication to the Four Holy Swords.
"I like what I see," Urabe never lost his grin.
"Most impressive," Senba added.
"Looks like Britannia might have to re-think their future," Asahina also said as he cut down another Sutherland.
Chiba said nothing but was more than a little impressed as she smirked and came back-to-back with Kallen's Guren to cut down five Sutherlands that tried to surround them, while Arcee provided some covering fire to shoot down two more incoming Sutherlands.
The Ark – the Bridge
Ratchet and Fixit continued to monitor the situation as the entire fight was being shown on the main screen. Shirley, Ohgi, Tamaki, Katase, and several other Black Knights, along with Kaguya watched as well along with Rakshata and her team.
Tamaki gave a happy sigh as he saw the Autobots and six Black Knight Knightmares make short work of the Britannian forces, "Ya know, I could watch this with some popcorn and a beer."
"It's no wonder Britannia's so afraid of the Autobots," Rakshata commented, "They make Knightmares look like cheap toys."
"Yes, the Autobots are amazing, aren't they?" Shirley added with a smile.
"Not to mention our pilots have plenty of skill as well," Kaguya also added, before turning to Ohgi in particular, "You must be quite proud of Kallen especially."
"Yes, I'm nothing short of proud," Ohgi smiled as he saw the Guren, Arcee, and Cliffjumper work together so fluently.
"How come you're not out there with them, doctor?" Rakshata asked nonchalantly as she glanced at Ratchet.
"I'm a medic, not a warrior," the Doc-bot quickly said, "I'll fight if I have to, but don't expect me to be at the vanguard."
"So, when are we going to see these Decepticons?" Rakshata asked, "I'm curious as to see how the Guren and Gekkas fair against them."
"We have data recorded from our previous encounters with the Decepticons if you're interested," Fixit offered, "Not to mention information regarding the Decepticons themselves."
"Later," Rakshata said as she didn't take her eyes off the fight.
Back inside the prison, the guard had pointed his pistol at Tohdoh as he began to open his cell door.
"My superiors have just ordered you'd be unofficially executed before you're busted out of here. Any last words?"
"It's a life I gave up once before," Tohdoh said with acceptance. "It's worth nothing."
"Don't be so quick to throw it away!"
Suddenly, the wall collapsed on the guard, killing him in the process. Tohdoh was nothing short of surprised as he saw the culprit responsible was the Autobot scout Bumblebee who broke his way into the building, alongside the Commander-Type Burai piloted by the masked revolutionary himself who revealed himself as he began to lower himself down from his Knightmare.
"Zero," Tohdoh acknowledged.
"Kyoshiro Tohdoh," Zero began, "The only Japanese who, seven years ago, brought the mighty Britannian forces to their knees in defeat."
"You mean Itsukushima? You want me to perform a miracle for you as well?" Tohdoh questioned.
"That was no miracle," Zero argued, "It ended in victory because it was based on excellent intelligence work. That's why we want you."
"I pledged my loyalty to General Katase, now that he's…"
"He's alive," Zero quickly said, much to Tohdoh's surprise, "Despite Britannia trying to spread the false word of his death, Tatewaki Katase, along with the remainder of the Japan Liberation Front are now part of the Black Knights working alongside the Autobots. That includes the Four Holy Swords! Nagisa Chiba, Shogo Asahina, Ryoga Senba, and Kosetsu Urabe, all of them are outside right now, here solely to save you! Are you ready to throw your life away and let them all down?! You must take responsibility! Responsibility for the miracle that you made!"
Tohdoh's look turned into a small smirk before he chuckled, "So, it is you. I've been wondering if it were the case, and now it seems I know for certain."
Zero removed his mask to reveal the smiling face of Lelouch, "Figured it out, huh?"
"It wasn't all that difficult, Lelouch," Tohdoh commented as the young revolutionary worked to cut the bindings around the old soldier, "For one thing you're still as dramatic as ever."
"I suppose so," Lelouch said as he allowed Tohdoh to stand up.
"So, who's your friend?" he asked, referring to the yellow Autobot present.
"His name is Bumblebee," the Black Knights' leader introduced, "He'd introduce you himself, but he's unable to speak properly."
"[Sorry about that,]" Bumblebee said in bleeps for emphasis.
"I trust you're not just here to recruit me into helping you defeat Britannia," Tohdoh said as he became serious, "Those Decepticons we saw at Narita?"
"Indeed," Lelouch confirmed, as he would later offer his hand, "It's a long story and I plan to give you the full explanation after we leave this place, but for now, will you help us? Just the Autobots and I have already inspired a great deal of hope throughout Japan, we even have more than a few Britannians working with us. But with you on our side, the Miracle Worker alongside Zero and Optimus Prime, we'll cause more than just a simple headache for Britannia and the Decepticons."
Tohdoh smirked as he shook Lelouch's gloved hand, "I'm in."
Clovis Memorial Museum
"And now for the highlight of today's events!" the curator announced, "Princess Euphemia will select the grand prize winner!"
He handed the princess a white flower on a gold plating, "The work of art upon which you place this flower will be deemed the winner, Your Highness."
Euphemia turned around, her eyes immediately set upon the largest painting of her father. This was the one everyone expected her to deem the winner, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Meanwhile, back at the prison, all the Autobots, as well as Kallen, Rai, and the Four Holy Swords have made short work of nearly all the Britannian forces stationed there. The entire facility was in a state of complete chaos as fires and the remains of over a hundred Sutherlands were scattered throughout the area.
The gate toward the most inward part of the facility had been blown open as the six Knightmares and five Autobots in their vehicle modes rolled out in the smoke. Several more Sutherlands attempted to stop them, but much like the rest before, they were quickly destroyed by the expert piloting of the Black Knights or the superior fighting prowess of the Autobots.
Once the area had been completely cleared, a single Groundbridge portal opened up, allowing the vehicle mode of Optimus Prime to roll in with a large trailer attached. All the Autobots and Black Knight Knightmares regrouped around Optimus as Zero's Commander Type Burai, and Bumblebee's vehicle mode drove out of the prison, leaving a large explosion behind in their wake.
Optimus came to a stop as the backdoor to his trailer opened to reveal a customized Gekka. This Knightmare was mostly black with two long red hair-like appendages on the back of its head as it carried its katana-like weapon. Like all the other Knightmares present, it had the metallic emblem of the Autobot-Black-Knight Alliance embedded on its chest. Bumblebee and Zero's Burai regrouped with their allies as all the Autobots transformed and formed a perimeter with Kallen's Guren and Rai's blue Gekka around the trailer. Inside the perimeter, Zero's Burai came to a halt as his cockpit faced the new customized Gekka, it opened to reveal Tohdoh who stood up as his comrades in the Four Holy Swords greeted him from their own Gekkas.
"Colonel!" Chiba exclaimed with relief at seeing him again.
"Welcome back, Colonel Tohdoh!" Asahina greeted with a smile.
"Thank you. You've all worked so hard for this," Tohdoh humbly thanked his comrades.
"No effort at all sir," Senba grinned slightly.
"Yeah. These Britannians were a piece of cake," Urabe smirked.
"Tohdoh the Miracle Worker, it's a privilege," Cliffjumper greeted as the other Autobots smiled.
"Welcome to the family. Let's wreck some bad guys," Wheeljack gave a thumbs up as Tohdoh nodded before turning to the Autobot leader.
"Optimus Prime, it's an honor to finally meet you face-to-face," the Miracle Worker greeted.
"The honor is all mine, Kyoshiro Tohdoh," Optimus nodded with a small smile, which Tohdoh returned before climbing into his new black Gekka.
"Cooperate with Zero and the Autobots. Eliminate the remaining forces here!" he ordered
"Roger!" the Four Holy Swords all said at the same time.
Lelouch smirked triumphantly in his Burai, 'Now all the tasks at hand have been cleared. But still… this felt a little too easy.'
His smile fell as his gut told him that they weren't out of the woods yet, 'If my past experiences are any indication, it's never easy.'
Almost on cue, Lelouch, Optimus, and all the others got an emergency alert from Ratchet.
"Ark to Zero and Optimus! We're reading multiple Decepticon signals incoming!"
Right as that alert was given, a Groundbridge portal opened up a hundred feet from the area as the vehicle modes of Breakdown and Knock Out drove out, alongside Airachnid in her Helicopter mode before they transformed into their robot modes. Right as the Groundbridge deactivated, five unique Knightmares consisting of the Tristan, Mordred, Galeschin, Florence, and last, but not least, the Lancelot, rolled up as well. Finally; six flying vehicle modes came soaring down from the sky before they transformed and landed in the middle of the gathered group of enemies consisting of Soundwave, Dreadwing, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Starscream, and even Megatron himself.
"Megatron," Optimus glared as his optics narrowed.
"Looks like we got company," Bulkhead commented as he formed maces in both his hands, and the other Autobots readied their Energon blasters. Kallen and Rai readied their Knightmares as the redhead glared at Airachnid, while the Wrecker had a serious yet concerned expression upon seeing the Lancelot.
Megatron chuckled, "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"
However, Lelouch still maintained his smirk inside his Burai, 'Don't think this will be like Narita. This time, we're ready!'
Clovis Memorial Museum
Euphemia had still not declared a winner. Everyone expected her to pick the painting of her father, but she wanted to pick a different one.
"Please your highness, it's time for you to decide. We can't wait any longer," the curator urged in a whisper.
"I know, but I…"
Euphie's indecision however was interrupted by a reporter's cell phone, but it wasn't just his. One by one, all the journalists' and reporters' phones rang, surprising Euphemia and even Darlton. A soldier quickly ran up to Darlton and whispered something to him that he didn't expect to hear.
"The Autobots?!"
Megatron fired his fusion cannon at the charging Optimus who deflected each blast with a blade before tackling Megatron to send him crashing back quite a distance away. The Decepticons retaliated with Energon blasts at the conjoined group of Autobots and Black Knights, combined with VARIS shots from the Lancelot, Mordred, and Galeschin. However, Ironhide was able to intercept the VARIS blats with his own Energon cannons, as the Autobots returned fire.
"Zero, I trust you have the most experience dealing with these Decepticons, as well as these particular units," Tohdoh contacted him, "What would you suggest?"
"First, I need you all to do exactly as I say," Lelouch began, "We're splitting off into groups! Arcee with the Guren, Bulkhead with the blue Gekka, Cliffjumper with Chiba, Wheeljack with Urabe, Ironhide with Senba and Asahina, and Bumblebee sticks with me. Split off, force them separate! Do not, I repeat do not engage Megatron! Let Optimus deal with him!"
"Roger," all the Autobots and Black Knights responded.
The aforementioned groups split off into separate directions, forcing the enemy to give in pursuit. Lelouch opened a private communication channel so that only Tohdoh could hear him.
"Tohdoh, listen to me. That white and gold Knightmare, the Lancelot, it's Suzaku," Lelouch revealed, "Cripple the Knightmare, but don't kill him."
"I understand," Tohdoh said as he shot his Gekka straight toward the Lancelot.
Suzaku fired his VARIS rifle at the incoming black Gekka, but Tohdoh expertly avoided each shot as he drew Knightmare's revolving blade katana and sliced the VARIS rifle in half, forcing the Lancelot to activate the Blaze Luminous Shield in defense.
"Oh my…" Lloyd observed the fights occurring from a tower with Cecile, "So, we get to watch a brawl between the Autobots and the Black Knights against the Decepticons and the Knights of the Round? I'd never thought we'd be indulged in such a treat."
"Those Knightmares the Black Knights are using, they're not like the ones we've seen from them so far," Cecile observed with worry.
"You're not saying my precious Lancelot will lose, are you?" Lloyd asked.
"Given that Suzaku hasn't had much of a winning streak against the Autobots, I can't say it's an impossibility," Cecile commented.
The Ark
"So, those are the Decepticons?" Rakshata asked as she, the Black Knights present, as well as Ratchet and Fixit, watched the fights play out from the bridge's main screen.
"Yeah, that's them alright," Ohgi nodded with confirmation.
"And it seems even Megatron has decided to step in as well," Ratchet observed.
Shirley gave a small gasp as she saw the largest Decepticon locked in a duel with Optimus.
" That's Megatron?!" she almost screamed, never seeing anything more terrifying.
The same could be said for Ohgi, and even Tamaki as they gulped, having seen what the Decepticon leader could do firsthand. Even Katase and Kaguya sweated with nervousness a bit, while Rakshata just observed with a casual look in her eyes.
Clovis Memorial Museum
All the reporters and journalists looked in awe and amazement as the large television screen showed the epic battle that was taking place between the Autobots and Black Knights against the Decepticons and Britannia's elite. Though it seemed they were more-or-less cheering for the Britannian pilots than anything else. Euphemia looked on with worry for both Suzaku and Nonette.
Darlton discreetly contacted his forces, "Listen, send in everything we've got. Lend support to Kururugi and the Knights, and then make the report we're wiping out the terrorists. Also, watch your back around the Decepticons. Expect a possible betrayal."
The soldier then turned to the screen with a hardened expression.
'Why would Megatron and the Decepticons reveal themselves now of all times? If he's planning something, I'll personally make him regret it.'
Optimus clashed and parried his right blade against Megatron's sword before delivering a kick right to Megatron's face to knock him back a bit, but Megatron was quick to recover as he parried his sword against Optimus' blade-strike before slugging Optimus across his face, and another in his abdomen before delivering a powerful uppercut to Optimus' jaw to send him flying back.
The Decepticon commander then saw how the Autobot and Black Knight forces were splitting off.
'Divide and conquer?' he thought before contacting his most loyal subordinate and communications officer, "Soundwave, I'll let you handle this."
Soundwave hung back away from the battle as he followed his leaders' instructions, while said leader continued his clash with his archnemesis. His faceplate lit up as he showed the ID signals of the Decepticons and Britannian Knights while delivering the data to them wirelessly to silently tell them what to do.
Gino received the data on his Knightmare's console, "Splitting up, huh? Alright, I'm game."
He piloted his Tristan as he and Knock Out ran to engage Cliffjumper and Chiba. Bulkhead and Rai, together, engaged against the hulking Breakdown. Arcee and Kallen clashed with Airachnid and Nonette in the Galeschin. Wheeljack drew his swords as he engaged in a sword duel with Dreadwing, with Urabe providing backup against Monica's Florence. Finally, Anya fired the Mordred's shoulder-mounted VARIS, with Thundercracker and Skywarp opening fire with their Energon blasts as Ironhide's vehicle mode, along with Senba and Asahina, expertly maneuvered around the enemy fire to engage them in close combat.
At the same time, Soundwave deployed Rumble and Frenzy as they quickly ran across the battlefield, shooting directly towards Zero's Burai, which remained stationed at its current spot, only to be intercepted by Bumblebee as he opened fire to keep the two Mini-Cons at bay.
"[Zero, take a look at Soundwave!]" Bumblebee told him as he engaged Rumble and Frenzy.
Lelouch did just that as he saw Soundwave hanging back, 'He's not engaging, but rather he's coordinating the battle just as I am.'
He remembered the Autobots telling him about Soundwave, being Megatron's top soldier as well as a tactical genius.
Despite that, however, Lelouch smirked, 'Still, I know these Decepticons, I also know how the Knights of the Round operate. I've seen the Lancelot fight enough to know how it works, not to mention Gino's always been blathering on about his and the other Knights' fight at school. Guess them being part of the Student Council had its benefits. The Decepticons and the Knights of the Round are indeed skilled warriors, but they all have one glaring weakness: their lack of unity.'
Lelouch then worked on coordinating with his soldiers as he contacted each of them, "Kallen, Arcee, the Galeschin is a nearly exact copy of the Lancelot! Its pilot always goes in for CQC!"
The Galeschin swung its MVS at the Guren, which blocked with its Surger claw just as Kallen activated it. This caused the sword to boil and melt before exploding. Arcee then leaped from the Guren's shoulders to deliver a roundhouse straight to the Galeschin's face before flipping over and landing behind it to cripple its back legs with precise Energon shots. Nonette grunted before the Guren swiped its feet, gaining added momentum from the landspinners, to knock it down.
Airachnid was about to leap and pounce straight at the Guren, but Arcee had already planned for this as she leaped into the Guren's claw, which Kallen shot up to catapult Arcee right into the air to intercept Airachnid with a flying kick. Before she could even land on the ground, Kallen intercepted the spiderlike Decepticon with a pulsing Surger. She raised its claw to fire a projectile in the form of a red energy ball that blasted Airachnid to send her flying and skidding across the ground.
Breakdown ran directly toward Bulkhead and Rai as he tried to slam his hammer down, forcing the two to scatter just as Zero contacted them.
"Bulkhead, Rai, you know Breakdown is a close-distance fighter! Rai, you keep him busy from a distance and divert his attention, while Bulkhead comes up on his blind spot!"
They did just that as Rai maneuvered his blue Gekka around Breakdown and opened fire with his arm-mounted gun. This seemed to irritate Breakdown as he shot at the blue Knightmare, but Rai was, fortunately, able to steer it back and keep his distance. With his focus squarely on the Gekka, it left him vulnerable for Bulkhead to rush up on his blind spot with a mace attack right to Breakdown's face, sending him to the ground where Rai was waiting. Rai quickly shot the Knightmare at the tumbling Decepticon, while reading his Radiant Wave Surger to deliver a Surger projectile right into Breakdown's falling face. This created a large explosion that sent Breakdown flying straight up before he came tumbling back down hard, leaving a large crater where he landed.
Cliffjumper came back-to-back with Chiba's Gekka as she used her revolving katana to block an MVS strike from Gino's Tristan while the red Autobot shot with his Energon blasters to keep Knock Out at bay.
"Cliffjumper! Chiba!" Zero contacted them, "Knock Out will try to keep his distance. He values his paint job more than anything else; take advantage of that. Inversely, the Tristan is a close-range Knightmare!"
"Let's switch things up!" Cliffjumper told Chiba as they swapped opponents, surprising Gino as Cliffjumper dealt a slug to the Tristan's face before transforming and driving away with enemy Knightmare in pursuit.
At the same time, Chiba shot her Gekka straight for Knock Out as he tried to swipe at her with his buzzsaw, but she was quick to maneuver around him and slice at his side, causing Knock Out to grunt as Chiba came to a stop behind him.
Knock Out gave an audible gasp as he saw the gaping gash across his paint job, "Oh, you're gonna pay for that!"
The Decepticon medic appeared to have lost all common sense as he rushed at the Knightmare, where Chiba was able to take advantage of his anger, ducking and maneuvering her Knightmare around his relentless buzzsaw slashes before slicing at his backside and knocking him down.
' Narcissistic much?' Chiba thought.
Cliffjumper continued to drive with Gino in pursuit before the red Autobot turned around and gunned right for him. He transformed and used the momentum gathered to deliver a powerful punch to knock the Tristan down.
"What's the matter, Gino? That all you got?" Cliffjumper challenged as he took a professional boxing stance.
"Oh, don't worry. I've got plenty of fight in me," Gino smirked as he pulled his Tristan up and tried to slice at Cliffjumper with his MVS, but the Autobot was able to maneuver around each slice and deal a punch to the Tristan's haul.
With Gino so easily distracted by Cliffjumper, it left him vulnerable to Chiba as she zoomed at him from behind and sliced at the Tristan's legs with her katana to cut the Knightmare down, right as Cliff dealt an uppercut to the Tristan's failing face. This let the severed upper half fall back.
"Knick of time. Nice job," Cliffjumper gave a thumbs up in Chiba's direction as she smirked inside her Knightmare's cockpit.
Wheeljack fluently swung his swords to strike at and parry the equally fast strikes from Dreadwing's sword, while Urabe maneuvered around the area in his Gekka, slashing at Monica's Florence as she parried his katana strikes against her arm-mounted MVS claws. Just like with everyone else, Zero contacted them to relay instructions.
"Dreadwing is a tricky one. He's skilled at close and long-ranged combat. Wheeljack, you keep him distracted as Urabe maneuvers around to attack from behind. Once he's distracted, Wheeljack will work to quickly disarm the Florence. Be sure to sever the arms before moving to the legs. Once that is done, attack Dreadwing together!"
"Got it," Wheeljack stated as he continued to clash blades with Dreadwing.
Urabe broke off from his fight with Monica to gun straight for the blue Decepticon from behind.
"Dreadwing, behind you!" Monica tried to warn, but Urabe already fired onto Dreadwing's back, drawing his attention away from Wheeljack who transformed and gunned his way straight for the incoming Florence. Once he was close enough, the Wrecker transformed and flipped over the Florence, while also slicing his blades at its arm joints faster than Monica could have blocked, severing the arms right as he landed behind to sever the legs with his blades.
Urabe maneuvered around Dreadwing as he fired with his Gekka's wrist-mounted gun. Though the magnesium bullets did some damage, it wasn't fatal. Dreadwing grunted as he drew his massive cannon and attempted to fire at Urabe, who could just barely dodge. Wheeljack's vehicle mode shot at Dreadwing, who turned around to shoot at him, but once he was close enough, the Wrecker transformed and threw the grenade toward him.
"Shoot it!" Wheeljack called to Urabe.
The Gekka opened fire and hit the grenade just as it flew in front of Dreadwing's face, causing an explosion that sent the largest Seeker flying and crashing into a wall.
"Not so tough now, eh, Con?" Urabe smirked as he rolled next to Wheeljack, who smirked in response.
"You know, I think you and I are gonna get along just okay," the Wrecker commented.
Senba and Asahina kept their distance from Thundercracker and Skywarp as the pair hovered in the air and fired with their Energon blasters, but the two Holy Swords proved fast enough in their Gekkas to avoid the shots as Ironhide kept his distance by firing his Energon cannons at the Mordred, which was able to shield itself from the blast as Anya activated its Blaze Luminous Shield to cover its front side. Anya then fired her shoulder-mounted Hadron cannons, which Ironhide rolled to avoid.
Zero soon contacted this group as well, "The Mordred fights solely at a long distance. Though it's heavily armored, it's vulnerable at the joints. Use chaff smoke to blind it before moving in. Ironhide, I'll leave you to deal with Skywarp and Thundercracker."
"Understood," Ironhide nodded before he transformed and drove to meet with Asahina and Senba who passed him in their Gekkas.
Once they were close enough to the Mordred, they released a smokescreen from behind their Knightmares as they shot past the Gekka.
Anya's stoic face contorted that of confusion, "I am blind. My proximity missiles have nothing to lock onto. This isn't a normal smokescreen…"
She soon grunted in surprise as the two Gekkas came at the Mordred from behind, using their katanas to slice off the Mordred's arms before swerving around to sever the legs at the joints.
"Hey, he's doing it," Asahina commented with an impressed smile.
Ironhide rolled out of the way of an Energon blast from Skywarp before shooting at his right wing to disorient his flight and send him crashing to the ground. Thundercracker growled as he shot at the veteran Autobot with his arm-blade drawn, but Ironhide had seen this kind of move before as he was able to maneuver past the slice, grab Thundercracker's arm, and use his momentum against him to spin and toss him into the recovering Skywarp to send them both skidding across the ground.
Lelouch couldn't help but smirk at his friends' and comrades' success. They were putting the Decepticons and Knights of the Round on the run! He glanced at Soundwave through his Knightmare's screen. Lelouch then pictured himself and the silent Decepticon having a game of chess as they maneuvered their pieces in the places they wanted, but it would seem that Lelouch had the upper hand here.
Bumblebee tried to stand his ground as he saw Rumble activate his piledrivers to send a tremor in his direction to slightly knock the scout off his feet, while Frenzy leaped onto Bumblebee while he was down and tried to drive his plasma blade into his shoulder.
"We still owe you payback for Kaon, Autobot!" Frenzy stated as he tried to slice at Bumblebee, but the Autobot scout quickly transformed to shake Frenzy off before zooming directly at the surprised Rumble.
The blue Mini-Con couldn't react to Bumblebee's speed enough as the scout swerved his rear to slam his rear-end right into Rumble to send him skidding across the ground.
Meanwhile, Suzaku continued to press the attack against Tohdoh in his custom Gekka, parrying his MVS against the katana. It seemed that Tohdoh had anticipated nearly every one of Suzaku's moves as he sliced at him, but Suzaku was able to block it with the Lancelot's Blaze Luminous Shield before leaping back to gain some distance.
" Stand down Kururugi! I'll deal with him!' Starscream contacted Suzaku, "You just go for Zero!"
Suzaku's eyes narrowed as his Knightmare's screen locked onto Zero's Burai, which appeared to be vulnerable as Bumblebee was still dealing with Soundwave's Mini-Cons,
"Yes, Commander Starscream," he replied and had the Lancelot shoot toward Zero's location.
"Zero, he's heading your way!" Tohdoh warned the young Revolutionary.
"Colonel, behind you!" Chiba called to him, which proved to be the warning he needed as he shot his black Gekka out of the way from where a missile had just blown up the spot he was previously at. The one responsible was none other than Starscream in his jet mode.
The Seeker flew closer to the ground as he readied another missile attack.
"You know the phrase you humans say: payback is a bitch!" he cursed and shot two more missiles at Tohdoh, who sped his Gekka toward them and used his katana to slice through each missile, right before they exploded past them.
The Miracle Worker tried to slice at Starscream, only for the Seeker to maneuver around the slice in his jet mode before flying back into the sky.
Zero backed his Burai away to avoid the slash harkens shot at him by the Lancelot. However, the Lancelot leaped at the black Burai and was more than ready to deliver yet another spinning-kick attack. Fortunately, the attack was diverted by Arcee who quickly shot in her motorcycle form before leaping and transforming to tackle the white Knightmare to the ground.
Suzaku grunted, 'Zero… Why are you and the Autobots always getting in the way!?'
However, right as the Lancelot stood back up, it was forced on the defensive as Kallen shot her Guren forward to clash its knife and Surger claw against Suzaku's dual pair of MVS. As they locked weapons, it left him vulnerable for Arcee to leap at him from the back. She drew her arm blades with the intent of severing the cockpit to disable the Lancelot, but Suzaku tried to react as he broke off from Kallen to intercept Arcee's attack.
But as the slim Autobot pulled back one arm blade, she accidentally sliced off the roof of the cockpit.
"Damn it! It doesn't have an ejection block on it!" Lloyd exclaimed with worry.
Cecile was more than a little shocked by that revelation, "What?! You mean we didn't install one?!"
As the red Knightmare and blue Autobot regrouped to stand protectively in front of Zero's Burai, they, as well as everyone else on the battlefield saw the open cockpit to see the glaring Suzaku.
The Ark
"Is that Suzaku Kururugi?!" Katase exclaimed in shock as the other Black Knights were beyond shocked themselves.
"What?!" Ohgi exclaimed.
"He's the pilot of that damn thing?!" Tamaki questioned.
Ratchet winced, as did Fixit. Shirley glanced at Kaguya with a surprised expression, who returned one of her own to the older girl.
The four of them knew that if this fight was being broadcasted, it would mean that probably everyone in Japan was seeing it as well.
Clovis Memorial Museum
The reporters and journalists were all more than a little shocked to see Suzaku Kururugi, the same one who was framed for the murder of Prince Clovis by the Purebloods was the pilot of the Knightmare that had been fighting alongside the Knights of the Round.
"That's enough! Turn off the monitor, now!" Darlton exclaimed.
"Wait! Please!" Euphemia stopped him, "I'd like to watch it to the end!"
Optimus' optics widened upon seeing Suzaku's exposed face. However, his attention was brought back toward Megatron as the Decepticon leader punched him to knock him back.
Megatron tried to press the advantage with another punch, but Optimus was quick to catch the punch with one hand before trying to punch Megatron who caught the Autobot leader's fist in response. The two locked hands as Optimus glared at his adversary.
"You shouldn't be so surprised, Optimus," Megatron spoke with an evil sneer as if he could read Optimus' mind, "After all, you have your pawn in the form of Zero, it's only fair I acquire a pawn of my own."
"You're using him! Manipulating him!" Optimus glared.
"Try to tell him that if you wish, I doubt he'd believe you," the former gladiator continued to sneer, "He reminds me quite a bit of you, Optimus. Or more specifically, Orion Pax. I wonder, if you'd stay by my side during the war, would this be your future as well?"
Optimus responded to that comment with a powerful head-but to knock Megatron back. However, Megatron was quick to get back up and attack him to keep him from getting to Suzaku.
Despite the cockpit being sliced open, Suzaku gripped the controls to see if the Lancelot was still functional, "Good, I can still pilot!"
He was about to re-engage with both Arcee and the Guren, but Tohdoh's Gekka was quick to intercept him.
"I'll deal with this!" Tohdoh contacted the surprised duo, "You take care of the flyer!"
Arcee and Kallen both saw the incoming Starscream in his jet mode and understood. Arcee transformed and drove alongside the Guren to intercept the incoming Decepticon Seeker.
As the black Gekka locked with the white Lancelot, its cockpit opened to reveal Tohdoh, "Do not do this, Suzaku!"
"Colonel Tohdoh!" Suzaku exclaimed with a gasp before his eyes narrowed, "So then, you want to live more than you want to follow your principles?!"
"Do I disappoint you? Very well then. Keep to your schedule and execute me," Tohdoh stated, causing Suzaku to gasp.
Lelouch immediately contacted the Ark, "Ratchet, is this fight being broadcasted?"
" Yes, it is," Ratchet replied in a grave tone, earning a scowl and a frustrated look from Lelouch. This was going to cause several issues for both him and Suzaku, from Japan's divided public to the Black Knights.
The Guren and Arcee dodged another missile blast from Starscream's jet mode as the ground exploded in between them. Kallen shot her Slash Harkens at Starscream who was able to avoid them, but this was what she intended as this put him in Arcee's line of sight as she delivered a precise Energon shot to his right wing, to send the Seeker spinning and crashing to the ground with a shrill scream.
' Guess I know why they call him Star scream , ' Kallen thought with a smirk.
The Lancelot and the Gekka continued to wrestle as neither even made a move to kill the other.
"What's wrong? That's the reason you're here, isn't it?" Tohdoh questioned, "You've become a cowardly boy who's afraid of altering the status quo!"
"Denying everything in our society is pointless!" Suzaku argued, "Once I make them trust me, I'll have the power to change it!"
"Who are you talking about? Britannia or the Decepticons?"
That caught Suzaku by surprise.
"Do you think either of them is truly helping the other? It's only a matter of time before they turn their weapons toward each other! And you'll have to make a choice!"
Before either of them could even make another move, Fixit's voice came as an alert through not just Tohdoh's communications, but the other Bots and Black Knights' as well.
"Warning! Multiple Britannian units are incoming! Over one hundred units total!"
All the Autobots and Black Knights present looked upward to see the fleet of Britannian areal units, each one carrying two or more Knightmares.
Lelouch grunted in frustration, "Ratchet prepare a Groundbridge! All units, we're falling back! Withdraw immediately!"
It didn't take long for a Groundbridge portal to open up behind the Burai, with Zero being the first one in. All the Autobots, save for Optimus, transformed and followed suit along with the Four Holy Swords, Guren, and Gekka. Optimus paid one last glare at Megatron, who only smirked. Optimus then transformed as he was among the last to drive into the Groundbridge.
Tohdoh broke off his fight with Suzaku and drove toward the portal as well, but Suzaku tried to stop him.
"Wait!", the Honorary Britannian attempted to halt his advance.
However, Tohdoh fired his Gekka's wrist-mounted gun to destroy one of the landspinners and immobilize it, allowing Tohdoh to escape just as the Groundbridge vanished.
Clovis Memorial Museum
"Look, they're running!" one reporter stated as they, Euphemia, and Darlton, all watched what had transpired.
"He fought them off? The Black Knights and the Autobots?!"
"Even the Knights of the Round had trouble with those guys!"
Euphemia breathed a small sigh of relief, 'Suzaku, well done.'
"Damn that traitor!"
That caught Euphemia, as well as Darlton by surprise.
"Why won't he follow them?!"
"Cause they're Elevens, like him!"
"And he's got his squad of Autobots with him!"
As Euphemia heard all their voices of contempt, her own hands clenched as she still held the white flower in her hand.
"Princess Euphemia?" Darlton asked upon seeing her expression.
However, it wasn't just these people's doubts over this brave young man that she was angry over. It was the fact that Suzaku was still working with the Decepticons. She didn't blame Suzaku for that, but rather Megatron or anyone else who might have performed some form of an underhanded scheme to get his allegiance, however, Euphemia might have a way to finally get him away from them.
"All of you!"
She got the journalists' and reporters' attention.
"I'll now answer the question you asked me earlier. You had inquired as to whom I had selected to serve as my knight, correct? The knight I have chosen will be the young man you see before you: Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi!"
As the Decepticons recovered, while Gino, Anya, Nonette, and Monica helped themselves out of the remains of their Knightmares, Suzaku stood from the open cockpit of his Lancelot and stared off in the direction the Black Knights and Autobots had vanished.
"Tohdoh… I… I'm… I am your foe."
"Kururugi!"
He turned around in surprise to see an enraged Starscream marching toward him.
"Explain to me why you did not execute him?! You had Kyoshiro Tohdoh right in front of you! This could have been our chance to deal a death blow to Area 11's resistance, yet you allowed him to slip away! Why!?"
"Hold on a minute!" Gino ran up with his fellow Knights of the Round right behind him, "Those guys were plenty tough! I'm sure Suzaku did the best he could!"
"You shut your mouth, human!" the air commander exclaimed to Gino before turning back to Suzaku, "This isn't the first time you've disobeyed orders and allowed the enemy to escape! Explain to me why you seem incapable of killing our foes!"
"Because he has a soft spot for them," Airachnid said as she walked up to them, with Breakdown, Knock Out, Thundercracker, and Skywarp behind her, "What can you expect from the son of the former Prime Minister? Frankly, I'm surprised Britannia's even keeping you around and hasn't just executed you because of your bloodline."
"Why would we do that?" Gino questioned, "Suzaku's never done anything wrong."
"Britannians seem to have a very skewered perspective on what's right and what's wrong," Thundercracker commented.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Monica narrowed her eyes, along with Nonette.
"It means you guys kill countless people in those ghettos every day, but when a person who's not in the ghetto is killed, you all have a freaking spaz attack," Skywarp clarified.
"It's because the humans in the ghettos are 'Elevens'," Knock Out said, "Though I don't see much of a difference."
"Yeah, as far as we can tell. Britannians, Elevens, Black Knights, you're all the same," Breakdown agreed, "Just a bunch of squishy little weaklings trying to act tough."
"I think we've heard quite enough from you!" Nonette exclaimed with a glare.
"What are you gonna do?" Airachnid mocked, "You got no Knightmares, you're all helpless."
As Suzaku continued to listen to the Knights arguing with the Decepticons, Tohdoh's words replayed through his mind.
'Do you think either of them is truly helping the other? It's only a matter of time before they turn their weapons toward each other! And you'll have to make a choice!'
He was about to call for them to stop when someone else beat him to it.
"That is enough!" Megatron marched toward them with Dreadwing and Soundwave by his side, the latter having retrieved Frenzy and Rumble, "I thought I made it clear how much I do not tolerate infighting."
He glanced at the Seekers and Airachnid in particular, causing them to wince.
"And this division is what is allowing our enemies to succeed. However, I will agree with Starscream this once, Suzaku," Megatron cast a glance at the Japanese youth, "You cannot avoid this forever. When the time comes to kill your enemy, you must do so without hesitation, or else risk the consequences."
Suzaku looked toward Dreadwing, who could only respond with a small nod as he silently agreed with Megatron. Suzaku could only look down slightly, "I understand, Lord Megatron."
"Good. You and the Knights will allow the Britannians to pick you up. See to it your Knightmares are repaired as quickly as possible," Megatron ordered, "Decepticons, return to the Nemesis."
"Yes, my liege," Starscream reluctantly bowed with his companions as Soundwave opened a Groundbridge portal, allowing all the Decepticons to step inside.
However, Megatron stopped just before the portal before he whispered to Soundwave, "You are certain this fight was broadcasted?"
Soundwave gave a nod, causing Megatron to sneer.
"Good."
Flashback – The Nemesis
Megatron spoke alone with Soundwave on the bridge of their mighty warship.
"Given Lelouch's history with this Tohdoh, as well as the influence from Optimus, it is likely that our enemy will seek to rescue him. If it happens, we will join in the fight. However, Soundwave, I want you to see to it that this battle is broadcasted nationwide."
Soundwave nodded in understanding.
"We will allow Charles to deal with the fallout from this. Perhaps his reaction may give us some insight as to what he and Victor may be planning. You have confirmed that he is alive, correct?"
Soundwave's visor turned on as he presented data regarding Victor Zi Britannia's apparent death, and despite his official record claiming him to be dead, no remains were ever recovered, which was all the proof Megatron needed to know that Victor was indeed alive somewhere.
"Good. Depending on how severe their transgression is, we may need to take a more… active role in this world," Megatron stated with a serious and ambitious look in his red eyes.
Right as Megatron left with Soundwave, and the Groundbridge portal vanished, Suzaku descended from the damaged Lancelot to be greeted by the four Knights of the Round to ask if he was alright, or in Gino's case, to congratulate him for being the only Knightmare pilot to have a functional Knightmare.
However, what nobody appeared to notice was that they weren't alone. Standing on top of one of the buildings was V.V. who had witnessed the entire fight play out.
The Ark
The Black Knights and Autobots had returned to the Autobot ship, their mission being completed as they rescued Tohdoh. However, despite everyone being happy about having the Miracle Worker by their side, they seemed more surprised by the revelation that Suzaku was the pilot of the Lancelot. All save for Kallen and Rai, as they met up with Shirley and Kaguya, along with Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Bulkhead. They all exchanged nervous looks as they could tell just how much trouble this could cause them.
At the same time, Optimus, Lelouch, and Tohdoh had met up with Ratchet and Fixit privately on the bridge of the ship.
"So, how long have you known Suzaku was the pilot of that particular Knightmare?" Tohdoh asked.
"Ever since Shinjuku," Optimus confirmed.
"Well, technically speaking, we only learned of Suzaku's status as the Lancelot's pilot a few days after Shinjuku," Fixit corrected, only to receive somewhat glaring looks from Lelouch and Ratchet, "But, perhaps that's not important right now."
"I see," Tohdoh said. He noticed a look on Lelouch's face, one that was easy for him to read, "You believe you can somehow get him on our side?"
That earned a surprised look from the young revolutionary.
"Don't act so surprised, you're not the only one who can read people, Lelouch."
"Yes, that is my hope," Lelouch confessed, "He's a good person. The one to blame is Megatron for manipulating him."
"While Megatron takes the blame for that, Suzaku himself still has quite a bit to answer for," Ratchet said.
"Indeed," Optimus agreed, "Tohdoh, we are also aware of the truth concerning Genbu Kururugi's death."
That took Tohdoh by surprise, "Did Kaguya tell you?"
"She confirmed it," the Autobot leader replied, "Someone else told us."
"Who?" Tohdoh's eyes narrowed, not liking the idea of that particular information being leaked.
"It's a long story, one that entails how I became acquainted with the Autobots," Lelouch began as he told Tohdoh the whole story; the War for Cybertron, why the Decepticons were here, what happened in Shinjuku, and even about C.C. and his Geass.
Chapter 27: Tropical Skirmish
Chapter Text
Zero stood on the catwalk that oversaw the bridge of the Ark. Right by his side was Optimus Prime, with Lady Kaguya standing right next to the masked revolutionary. They all stood in front of the assembly of all the Autobots and virtually every Black Knight under their command. A part of Lelouch almost couldn't believe it. It wasn't that long ago that he and the Autobots were only allied with the Kozuki resistance cell. Since then, they've brought nearly every Japanese resistance group into their ranks, including the Yamato Alliance and even the Japan Liberation Front. There were even more than a few Britannians who joined up with them as well . With Kyoto's aid, this alliance has even made contact with a worldwide network group known as Peace Mark. Already, the Autobots and Black Knights together were likely the biggest anti-Britannian organizations in the entire world not aligned with any other superpower.
"Due to our reorganization and expansion, more than a few changes have been made within our chain of command," Optimus began, "First and foremost, our new chief of military affairs will be Kyoshiro Tohdoh, co-led by Ironhide who will be in charge of all Knightmare training and head of the vanguard."
There were some awes and murmurs of approval from many Black Knights as Tohdoh made eye contact with Ironhide, both nodding.
"Additionally, the Four Holy Swords will work alongside the Wrecker unit, consisting of Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Rai," Zero continued, "Likewise, Ironhide and Tohdoh will act as your commanders."
"Sounds fair," Wheeljack nodded with a slight smirk.
"Wreckers, huh?" Asahina asked Ra with a slight smirk, liking the sound of that.
"Yep, and in the Wreckers, we don't call for backup…" Rai looked towards Bulkhead as they shared a smirk.
"We call for cleanup !" Bulkhead and Rai said at the same time , resulting in some approving cheers from their Black Knight peers.
"Taking charge of all intelligence, espionage, and public relations matters with Kyoto will be Tatewaki Katase and Diethard Ried," Optimus continued. Though there were no doubts about Katase's placement as he approved of it, there were some murmurs of doubt concerning Diethard who remained stoic during the whole duration.
"Zero, Optimus, I'm not a racist, but what's your reasoning for employing one of them in such a sensitive position?" Chiba asked.
"Reasoning? What of myself and my comrades?" Optimus answered the question, "We do not hail from Earth, yet you still choose to fight beside us. Additionally, we have several Britannians within our ranks."
Shirley in particular fidgeted slightly, but Rai put a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, resulting in her smiling back at him.
"In this organization, it doesn't matter who you are or where you are from, even if you're from a different planet," the Black Knights' leader continued to explain, "What we're looking for is what you're capable of contributing to our cause."
With those words from Optimus and Zero, everyone quieted down as they accepted their leaders' choice, though some more reluctantly than others.
"Getting back on track, our deputy commander will be Kaname Ohgi," Zero continued.
Ohgi was more than a little surprised, "Me? Really?"
"Do you object?" Zero asked.
"Well, no it's just…" Ohgi wasn't sure how to respond.
"You got what it takes," Ironhide spoke to him directly, "Zero and Optimus wouldn't have picked you for that position if they didn't think you could pull it off."
Ohgi then turned around to face several approving smiles from his former comrades in his old resistance group as they gave smiles and nods.
He smiled as well as turned around to salute both Optimus and Zero, "I won't let you down."
"Heads of the research and development branch will be Ratchet, Fixit, and Rakshata Chawla," Optimus informed.
"Well, looks like we're going to be spending quite a lot of time together, boys," Rakshata said casually as she held the pipe from her mouth, addressing the Autobot medic and orange Mini-Con next to her.
"I look forward to working with you," Fixit said in a friendly fashion.
"Yes, I suppose we'll have to make do," Ratchet accepted the proposal.
"With the formation of the Zero Squad, we have Bumblebee, Kallen Kozuki, Arcee, and Cliffjumper," Zero spoke directly to the aforementioned redhead and Autobot trio.
"Zero Squad?" Kallen asked.
"An elite guard under mine and Optimus' direct command," Zero explained, "Think of yourselves as the vanguard of our alliance."
"Elite guard, huh?" Cliffjumper chuckled as he shared a knowing look with Arcee, "You hear that, partner? We're on the 'Elite Guard' now."
"Very funny," Arcee smirked with a raised eyebrow.
The window screen of the bridge behind Optimus, Kaguya, and Zero turned on to reveal the branching structure of all the aforementioned groups as well as the squads and units below them under their command.
"Look for your name on this list," Zero continued, "That will be the squad you are assigned to, and which squad will work directly under which unit that was spoken of thus far, that is all."
Everyone got a clear view of the organization chart and could see their names. Most of the Black Knights present were placed in combat groups, others were placed in intelligence units. Shirley saw her name under the former category and smiled as that meant she'd be working with Kaguya, whom she'd developed a genuine friendship with since joining, but also, it meant she was contributing to this cause. To say she was honored was an understatement.
"Hey, check it out!" Tamaki saw his name, "My squad is under the Wreckers! Hell yeah!"
"If you have any questions, you may state them now," Optimus said, "Otherwise, you are dismissed ."
With that, nearly every Black Knight quickly left the bridge now that the meeting was over. However, Diethard was among the few who stayed.
"Zero, Optimus, there's one issue that still needs to be dealt with."
Area 11 – Royal Palace
This was the ceremony of Suzaku's ascension to knighthood. He was dressed in white formal attire with a sheathed sword at his side . Among those gathered were virtually every Britannian noble from Area 11. However, most, if not all, did not approve of this in the slightest.
"Who cares if he's an Honorary Britannian? Knighting an Eleven is just…"
"And broadcasting it live."
"How'd he ever win her favor, I wonder?"
"Well, even a princess has needs, right?"
Suzaku walked straight towards Princess Euphemia as she sat on her throne awaiting him.\
Ashford Academy
Nearly the entire campus was watching the ceremony as well, several students watched from their mobile devices, and some didn't approve either.
"No, are they kidding?!"
"No, this can't be happening!"
"They're making him a major! An Eleven!"
Nina didn't say anything but couldn't help but wince uncomfortably as she listened to the broadcast as well .
"Suzaku Kururugi," Euphemia began as she stood and Suzaku kneeled before her, "Will though upon this day pledge they fealty to Britannia, and stand as a knight to the crown?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Suzaku replied.
"Does though wish to abandon thyself, and be sword and shield for the sake of the greater good?" Euphemia asked.
"Yes, Your Highness," Suzaku repeated as he unsheathed his sword and handed the handle to Euphemia. She took the sword in her hands and gently tapped his shoulders with the blade.
"I, Euphemia Li Britannia, do hereby dub thee, Sir Suzaku Kururugi…."
Camelot Division
"So, who's payroll is he on now?" one member asked as the division watched the ceremony from their television.
"I believe Lloyd's already working on that," Cecile answered.
"What about the Decepticons?" another member asked, "How are they going to handle this?"
"Honestly, I have no idea," Cecile replied.
Euphemia handed Suzaku back the sword as he sheathed it and stood up to face the crowd of nobles.
The ceremony was finished , and he was now officially the knight to Princess Euphemia. Many of the nobles didn't even try to hide their faces of disapproval or even disgust. It was deathly silent until Lloyd Asplund genuinely clapped for Suzaku.
It wasn't just Lloyd. Both Suzaku and Euphemia heard a series of claps from the side as they saw Darlton along with the Knights of the Round. Gino, Nonette, Monica, and even the ever-stoic Anya, clapped for Suzaku's success and even smiled, except for Anya who seemed physically incapable of clapping. Though the rest of the nobles still didn't approve, they too joined the applause, if only to keep themselves from looking bad on live television.
The Nemesis
Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Dreadwing, Knock Out, Breakdown, and even Airachnid all gathered on the bridge and witnessed the entire ceremony.
"Well, isn't that cute?" Airachnid teased.
"Honestly, it makes me want to vomit," Starscream commented with a scowl, "That is what I would do if I were a human."
"Britannians knighting an Eleven?" Skywarp drooled, "I don't see a difference between the two. But this is gonna drive a lot of them up the wall."
"Yes, this will cause them some problems," Thundercracker saw the logic.
"If he's working with Britannia now, does this mean I won't get a chance to work with the Lancelot again?" Knock Out asked.
"Eh, I don't care," Breakdown shrugged.
"Why do you all seem so disapproving over this matter?" Dreadwing asked his fellow Decepticons, "Kururugi has gained more approval, and this could help further cement our alliance as he is one of us."
"I don't know if you've noticed, Dreadwing," Starscream began, "But Britannia doesn't seem all that cooperative with us. This could be an attempt to dismantle our ranks from within. I never did approve of Kururugi joining us, to begin with."
"This is not our choice to make," Megatron finally spoke, "Suzaku had the choice to decline Euphemia's offer, yet he accepted."
"Technically, I think he felt he had no choice," Thundercracker pointed out, "He's so complacent with following orders that he probably doesn't even take his own will into account."
The Seekers' leader groaned as he rolled his eyes, "Except when those orders are to execute an enemy! He still manages to find a way to worm his way out of that scenario every time!"
"What do you expect?" Airachnid taunted, "He's an idealist, and there's nothing I despise more than idealism."
"And there is nothing I despise more than your constant rambling," Dreadwing glared at the sole female.
"Why are you being so defensive about this, Dreadwing?" Breakdown questioned, "You got a soft spot for Kururugi and that little princess?"
"He was her bodyguard and… come to think of it, are you still her bodyguard?" Skywarp asked in a mocking sense to the glaring Seeker.
"Yes, Skywarp, I do believe he is," Starscream commented as he looked at the larger of them right in the optics, "Which makes me wonder: where do your loyalties truly lie?"
"Don't you dare question me about loyalty Starscream , not with the number of backstabbings on your record!" Dreadwing exclaimed.
"Yet, I remain the second in command, not you!" Starscream glared back.
"Enough!" Megatron slammed his fist on the console to silence his bickering subordinates, "I understand what you are all saying. I will agree that Suzaku has consistently found ways of avoiding dealing with mutual blows to our mutual enemies. If this becomes a problem, I will personally order him to leave Euphemia's side and return to ours permanently."
"What if he chooses to ignore that order?" Knock Out asked, "I certainly wouldn't put it past the kid."
"I believe I may have a method of persuading him should he disapprove," Megatron said, sparing a knowing glance at Soundwave.
"Lord Megatron, I see no reason why Suzaku's status as Euphemia's knight would be a problem," Dreadwing spoke, "I admit, his reluctance to strike down our enemy is troublesome as he is a soldier. However, I have not seen any acts of insubordination from him."
"Maybe not from Suzaku himself, but from the side he has chosen," Megatron answered, "Britannia is starting to step outside their bounds with us."
"Is that why you had Soundwave broadcast our fight with the Autobots and the Black Knights during Tohdoh's escape?" Airachnid asked.
"Charles Zi Britannia has been planning something behind my back," Megatron revealed, "Something, I imagine, could be a potential threat to us. Speaking of which, have we received a response from Charles?"
He faced Soundwave who only shook his head in response, surprising many Decepticons present.
"What? He hasn't even made a public announcement?" Starscream asked, to which the communications officer responded with another shake of his head, "That is most strange."
"From what we've seen, the Emperor always wants to have a tight grip on his kingdom," Airachnid said, "So, the fact that he hasn't even responded to our presence being broadcasted live is rather odd."
"So, why don't we just go over to his big, white house and find out what he's up to ourselves?" Skywarp asked.
"Yeah, I mean we could Groundbridge there right now if we wanted," Breakdown stated, "Even tear up the entire palace until we find something."
"No! We cannot just attack our allies when we have no evidence of any transgressions!" Dreadwing warned.
"Dreadwing is correct," Megatron agreed, "We possess no evidence, only theories. Until we know what exactly Charles has planned, I cannot authorize any moves against him. So I will not tolerate any actions taken without my permission, Starscream!"
He directed his look towards the Seeker, who only stuttered and stepped back cautiously.
"Or from you, Airachnid," the Decepticon leader looked at the spider-Con, who only scowled as she looked down.
"Now, if there is nothing else you wish to say, you may leave."
"Yes, Lord Megatron," all the Decepticons said simultaneously as they left the bridge, leaving Megatron alone with Soundwave.
"Monitor all Britannian communications," Megatron ordered his surveillance chief, "Just because Charles hasn't made any public declarations doesn't mean he hasn't made a move. He and Victor are plotting something , and I intend to find out ."
Ashford Academy Clubhouse
"I'm so happy for Suzaku," Nunnally said as she was handed a cup of tea from Sayoko, who in turn, offered one to C.C., which she accepted with a nod.
"As am I, lady Nunnally," Sayoko smiled as she left the dining room with the empty teapot.
"I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but military duties are more than a little dangerous," C.C. commented, "Especially given Britannia's discriminatory policies."
"I'm sure that Euphemia will help him every step of the way through," Nunnally said, her smile still present.
'She hasn't changed,' the disabled girl thought that last part with a reminiscent smile.
C.C. sighed with a small smile as she shook her head, "Nunnally, you are too pure for this world."
Nunnally stuck out her tongue in response and gave a small laugh, "By the way, C.C…."
"Cera," the disabled girl looked in confusion as C.C. spoke, "My real name. It's Cera."
"Oh, I like Cera. It's a very nice name," Nunnally smiled, "But what I wanted to say was that I'm a little surprised you're staying here. Normally, Lelouch doesn't let people stay here too long, except for Rai."
"Lelouch has been very busy lately working with some friends of ours, so he asked me to keep you company. And before you ask, no I'm not dating him or anything like that. I'm not interested in any romantic relationships at the moment."
Nunnally giggled in response, "It's alright, and between you and me, I think Big Brother might be interested in Kallen."
An amused look formed on C.C.'s face as she raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say that?"
"Well, he did let us stay with her when Ashford was closed down recently. And I get this feeling that she might like him back. I may be blind, but I'm not stupid."
Cera chuckled, "I take back when I said you were too pure; you got a real mischievous streak in you ."
She and Nunnally chuckled at that statement.
However, Cera's gaze fell onto the window where she thought she saw a familiar figure outside. She stopped laughing and quickly made her way to the window. However, once she looked outside, the figure she thought she saw had vanished.
"Cera? Is something wrong?" Nunnally asked with concern.
"I just thought I saw something," the immortal said as she closed the window and cast a glare outside.
There was no mistaking who she saw. She honestly had a feeling he'd try to get to Nunnally after she terminated her contract with Marianne. This is why she told Lelouch that she'd be staying at the Clubhouse to protect Nunnally in case their assailant tried to get to her, that is until Lelouch decided it was the right time to move Nunnally to the Ark. Though in all honesty, she hoped that time would be soon.
Meanwhile, outside the clubhouse, V.V. hid behind a pair of trees as he had a scowl on his face .
'Damn it, why is C.C. here?! There's no way I can send Rolo or any of my other contractors to get Nunnally if she's there! Did she tell Lelouch about me? Did she tell the Autobots about me?! What else did she tell?!' he clenched his fists, 'This is exactly why you should have sent Pluton to grab her, Charles! Who cares about these worthless Autobots?! There's no way they can best what we've created, but no! You had to be all scared as usual. Well, if you can't help me, I'll just find someone else who can.'
A sadistic smile formed on the immortal boy's face.
'And I think I have an idea on how to get his attention.'
The Ark
All eight Autobots were on the Bridge, alongside Zero and a group of Black Knights consisting of Ohgi, Kallen, Tamaki, Rai, Shirley, Kaguya, Tohdoh, Diethard, Katase, Rakshata, and the Four Holy Swords, all of whom sat in the lounge area alongside Fixit as the Autobots stood around them.
"Suzaku Kururugi. He's become a focal point among Elevens who are Britannian supporters," Diethard said, "I recommend he'd be assassinated ."
"I cannot allow that," Zero said immediately.
"He's right. We're not assassins. That's not how the Autobots or Black Knights work," Cliffjumper agreed.
"Even if that weren't the case, the Japanese, be they Britannian supporters or not, would be revolted by such a cowardly act," Tohdoh spoke.
"I agree with Tohdoh," Katase spoke, "Enemy or not, we will not assassinate our enemies."
"Exactly," Chiba said.
"I agree," Senba added.
"Same here," Asahina also put his two cents in.
"Yep," even Urabe nodded.
"That's right," Ohgi said as well, "The Black Knights and Autobots don't kill the defenseless!"
"So, what are we gonna do about him?" Tamaki asked.
"We have discussed the possibility of recruiting Suzaku to our side," Optimus answered, surprising many of the Black Knights.
"Optimus is right," Shirley said, "Suzaku may be working with Britannia and the Decepticons right now, but he's not a bad person."
"We've seen Suzaku outside of 'work' before," Rai added, "He's not a killer."
"Yet," Arcee put in, "Working alongside the likes of Megatron has not done him any favors."
"Buckethead always has a way of twisting and manipulating Bots," Bulkhead added, "So even if Suzaku isn't bad, actually convincing him to leave won't be that easy."
"I'll say, kid's as stubborn as a rock," Wheeljack added as well .
"But if we tell him how bad the Decepticons are, it might convince him to leave, right?" Shirley asked, "Don't you guys have any evidence to show what they did to Cybertron?"
"Yes, we do," Cliffjumper said, "If we show him that, I'm sure we can convince him to leave the Cons."
"But it's not just the Cons we gotta worry about," Ironhide said, "It's also convincing him to leave Britannia."
"Ain't that the same thing?" Tamaki asked.
"No," Zero spoke, "We've already seen the signs, especially in our more recent battle with them. They're divided , this so-called alliance between Britannia and the Decepticons is beginning to crumble."
"We have seen signs that both factions claim to be superior over the other," Optimus added, "It may be only a matter of time before their weapons are turned toward one another."
"Isn't that a good thing, though?" Kallen asked, " I mean, if they take each other out, less trouble for us."
"What about the innocent people who'll get caught in the crossfire?" the blue Autobot reminded her partner.
"She's right," Cliffjumper added, "If the Cons and Brits go to war with each other, you can expect the streets to run more red with blood than blue with Energon."
"Rakshata and I have run the numbers based on what we know of the Decepticons and Britannia thus far," Fixit pointed out, "And we have determined that if both sides were to fight one another, it is most likely that Britannia will moose… noose… lose!"
"Britannia might have numbers on their side, but the Decepticons have superior firepower and strength," Rakshata herself added, "They might not go down without a fight, but their defeat would be all but certain."
"And if the Decepticons do win in that scenario, it would only cause more trouble for Earth," Ratchet said, "They won't recognize civilians or differences in nationality. They would more than likely wipe out the entire human race and claim all the Energon deposits for themselves."
"Would they go that far?" Katase asked as he looked at Optimus directly.
"Yes," Optimus answered without hesitation, "Megatron did not bat an eye when he destroyed our home planet, and even prevented us from leaving once it was deemed uninhabitable. It is highly unlikely that he would allow humanity to prosper in a world that is not his own."
All the Autobots, including Zero, had similar expressions as they knew from the beginning what Megatron was capable of and what was at stake . In regards to the Black Knights; Shirley, Kallen, Rai, Kaguya, Ohgi, and even Tamaki looked visibly terrified. Rakshata only raised an eyebrow. Tohdoh's eyes narrowed as the Four Holy Swords, and Katase had looks that mixed shock and anger. Diethard however , his face mixed between excitement and terror; one side was excited about such a battle, but the other was more terror for his own life.
"He's that bad, huh?" Urabe asked.
"You have no idea," Arcee commented.
"Hey, speaking of which, wasn't that fight we had with them broadcasted live?" Ohgi asked, turning towards Kaguya in particular, "What did Kyoto say about that?"
"They were about as surprised as everyone else," Kaguya answered, "But what we're concerned about is that the Britannian emperor hasn't offered a response of his own."
"Really? Nothing?" Bulkhead asked in surprise.
"He didn't go on TV and make another 'marching towards domination and progress' or whatever?" Cliffjumper also asked.
"No, nothing at all," Kaguya shook her head.
"That is rather concerning," Katase commented.
"Agreed. It's not like the Emperor to just ignore something like that," Zero said.
"We may be getting off track," Rakshata spoke up , "What exactly is our plan for Suzaku? You said you intend to get him over to our side. If so, how?"
"Tohdoh, can't you say something to him? You were his sensei before the occupation," Katase asked.
"I tried speaking with him during that last mission," Tohdoh replied, "He didn't appear to listen. However, I did notice some hesitance when I asked him if he were to choose sides between Britannia or the Decepticons when they turn on each other. He didn't even answer the question."
"Maybe that's how we do it," Arcee put her thoughts in , "If we get certain Britannians to side with us, then maybe he'll follow them over to our side."
"It's not impossible , I mean we got Britannians sitting right here," Cliffjumper added.
"It would have to be someone pretty high up, though," Bulkhead said.
Shirley suddenly got an idea, "What about Princess Euphemia?"
That question received both surprised and questionable looks.
"When my friends and I were taken hostage at the Hotel Jacking, she stood up to the people responsible and even revealed herself."
"It's true," Rai said, "I was there too. She risked her life to save people who couldn't defend themselves."
"I can vouch for that as well," Zero added.
"A Britannian royal on our side?" Tamaki questioned skeptically, "I don't think so."
"Yeah. We might have Britannians on our ranks, but I don't see anybody from the royal family siding with us," Chiba said.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Zero said as he stood up, "After all, you're speaking to one right now."
He placed his fingers on his mask and removed it to reveal his face. Many Autobots were surprised at Lelouch's gesture, with Bumblebee, Kallen, Rai, Kaguya, and Shirley being the most worried for Lelouch's sake. Though Optimus and even Tohdoh nodded in approval.
To say the remaining Black Knights present, excluding Rakshata, were surprised was an understatement.
"Lelouch Vi Britannia, formerly the eleventh prince of the so-called Holy Empire of Britannia, and seventeenth in line for the throne at your service," the former prince gave a mocking bow .
Ohgi, Senba, Katase, and Asahina looked more than a little stunned , Tamaki's jaw dropped, Senba's mouth hung open and even Chiba's eyes widened. Rakshata only gave a small raised eyebrow. Diethard's face was equivalent to that of a little kid who had just gotten the best toy for Christmas ever.
"You're… you're… a prince…?" Ohgi stuttered though he and Tamaki saw his face during their first meeting with Kyoto , to learn that their masked leader was a prince of Britannia was more than a little mind-blowing.
" Former prince," Lelouch made sure to put extra emphasis on the former part.
"No fucking way…" that was all Tamaki could say.
' The dead prince…' Diethard's face trembled with a shaking grin, 'Of course, now it makes sense! Who else but an Eleven would lead such a rebellion?'
"Why do you all look so surprised?" Rakshata asked casually, "Considering we're working alongside giant sentient alien robots, this shouldn't be that big of a shock."
"That's pretty bold of you, Lelouch," Tohdoh had a smirk, "Revealing your identity, like this."
"When you form an army, it's important for their leader to establish trust. Wouldn't you agree, Optimus?" he asked the Autobot leader who could only smile in response.
"Yes, that is correct," the Autobot leader confirmed.
"Tohdoh, you know him?!" Katase questioned.
"Of course, don't you remember, General?" Tohdoh asked, "Back when I served under Prime Minister Kururugi as Suzaku's teacher, I also got to know our former prince here , as well as his disabled younger sister. How is Nunnally, by the way?"
"She's doing fine, albeit still blind and crippled," Lelouch replied.
"Maybe I can get a chance to see her again?" Kaguya asked, "We were pretty good friends at the shrine."
"I think that can be manageable," Lelouch had a small smile.
"That's right, I remember that as well," Senba said, "You two were sent to Japan by the Emperor as bargaining chips."
"That is correct," Lelouch nodded, "Only to be discarded like trash once 'dear-old Dad' invented his precious Knightmare frames."
"Did you guys know about this?" Asahina asked the Autobots directly.
"The first time we ran into Lelouch was way back in Shinjuku," Bulkhead answered.
"We took him back to the Ark after he killed Clovis," Ironhide added.
"We told him about the War for Cybertron, and once we all learned we had a common enemy, we decided to join forces," Cliffjumper said.
"Why only wait till now to tell us?" Chiba questioned.
"A Britannian prince leading a rebellion consisting of people who are oppressed by Britannia. How do you think that would go?" Arcee replied rhetorically.
"Point taken," Chiba confirmed.
"I apologize for hiding my identity from most of you," Lelouch said sincerely, "But I had to be sure I could gain your trust, and I wasn't sure if I could if you knew who I was before. So, I decided to prove myself with actions rather than words."
"That's right! Lelouch here has been kicking Britannia's ass since day one!" Kallen stated, "Look where are now, and all that we've gained since then! Most of us would be dead if it weren't for him and the Autobots!"
"That's right," Ohgi said as his loyalty toward Zero appeared almost cemented now, "He's always been here for us , they all have! I don't care if he is a prince, he's my leader and I'll follow him into hell if he asked me to!"
"Damn straight!" Tamaki exclaimed before turning to Lelouch directly, "Remember what I said after that whole Scraplet-mess? I don't care who you are: Japanese, Britannian, Chinese, a werewolf, or even a bunch of midgets in a body suit!"
"Lelouch has every reason to fight Britannia as everyone else here in this room!" Kaguya said as she wrapped her arms around his, "He's my hero, and I won't let anybody else say otherwise!"
"And it's not just Lelouch , look at everything the Autobots have done for us," Rai said, "They gave us a chance to fight! A chance to finally stand up to both Britannia and the Decepticons! There's no way I'm gonna walk away from this fight now, not when we have a chance to win it!"
Shirley also stood up, "I might not be a soldier, but I still want to help in any way I can. Lelouch has my support too , Prince or not!"
Katase and the Four Holy Swords were more than a little stunned. They all knew the story of Lelouch vi Britannia and his sister, with their exile, and their supposed deaths. Yet, despite this revelation, most of the Black Knights still supported him and the Autobots. Even Tohdoh knew and offered his support as well, and if the Miracle Worker himself was willing to work with him as well, they would be as well.
"It seems that you've earned your follower's loyalty, Zero," Katase said with a smile, "And you've earned mine as well."
"If Tohdoh and Katase support you, then I do too," Asahina said, as his comrades also joined in.
"Considering the threat we're up against, both Britannia and the Decepticons, we may not have much of a choice," Senba said, "But you got my support too."
"It took a lot of backbone to reveal your identity like that , I'm in," Urabe smirked.
Even Chiba nodded, "You may be a prince, but I can tell you have some honor in you. You'll have my support as well."
All the Autobots present smiled and nodded , even Ratchet was rather pleased. He, Arcee, and Ironhide were among those who were skeptical of Lelouch at first, seeing the similarities between him and Megatron. However, they've also seen how much he has changed , willing to establish bonds and trust with his subordinates, it was clear that Optimus had rubbed off on him. While Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, Fixit, and Bumblebee were trusting of Lelouch before, they trust him more even now. Even Optimus nodded in approval.
"I thank you. All of you," Lelouch said with a simple smile, doing his best to hide his emotions.
"Getting back on track, we still have to talk about Suzaku," Rakshata said, "Seeing as how you know him, maybe you could be the one to bring him in."
"Maybe, but I need to be careful so that I don't reveal my identity to the enemy," Lelouch said.
"Speaking of which…" Ironhide spoke up , "Optimus, Lelouch, Ratchet, Tohdoh, I'd like a word with you all in private."
"Private? Why?" Ohgi asked.
"Just trust me," Ironhide said.
Though it was subtle, all the Autobots got the hint that they knew what Ironhide was talking about; even Kallen, Rai, Shirley, Kaguya, and Lelouch knew. It was best if this matter was discussed in private.
"It's alright, all of you go. This shouldn't be long," Tohdoh said.
"Alright, if you say so," Ohgi nodded as he and Tamaki stood up, followed by Katase, Rakshata, and the Four Holy Swords.
Diethard waited a moment, but he stood up as well. They made their way down the ladder along with Fixit and prepared to leave.
Ironhide noticed how Kallen, Rai, Kaguya, and Shirley weren't moving, "You kids need to go too."
"No. We know what you're talking about, Ironhide. We know what happened , and we want to talk about it too," Kallen stated.
"That's right, we're not kids anymore. We can handle it," Rai also said.
"If that's the case, I think I'll stay too," Arcee also said.
"Yeah, so am I," Bulkhead stood firm.
"[I'm staying here too,]" Bumblebee bleeped, having been silent during most of this conversation.
"Alright," Ironhide nodded.
They waited a few minutes before the Four Holy Swords, Katase, Rakshata, Ohgi, Tamaki, and Diethard left the bridge alongside Fixit, Wheeljack, and Cliffjumper. Once they were certain they were alone on the bridge, Optimus spoke.
"Ironhide, can I assume this is about Suzaku's father?" Optimus asked.
"That's right," Ironhide confirmed.
Shirley, Kaguya, Rai, and even Lelouch had sympathetic looks on their faces as Kallen had a small scowl, while Arcee and Bulkhead just looked a bit conflicted.
"Tohdoh, if you don't mind, what exactly happened back then?" Lelouch asked.
The Miracle Worker sighed as he spoke, "As I'm certain all of you know, Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi called for do-or-die resistance against Britannia. Suzaku, a ten-year-old boy at the time, tried to oppose his father as he knew millions of people would likely die. But the Prime Minister was about as stubborn as Suzaku is now. When he wouldn't back down, Suzaku drew a knife, and even then Genbu called his bluff. Before Suzaku knew it, he had plunged the knife into his father."
The occupants in the room all winced in their way.
"He killed his father when he was ten years old…?" Shirley couldn't even imagine what that was like for Suzaku.
"After that, he completely fell apart," Kaguya added, "Kyoto tried to cover up the incident so the population wouldn't try to lynch him. But after Japan was renamed Area 11, he soon joined the military. He felt if he could work his way up through the system, he could try to change it."
Kallen said nothing but gave a scoff , 'Good luck with that.'
"So, all this time, he's been trying to redeem himself," Arcee commented, "He seems little more than a guilt-ridden child."
"Exactly, which makes it unlikely that he'd work with us," Ironhide said, "And that's not even counting what's been going on since Megatron got his hooks to sink into him!"
"You think Megatron knows about Suzaku's dad?" Rai asked.
"We discussed this and there is no way for us to know for certain," Ratchet said, "However, I agree with Ironhide. If Suzaku chooses to try and reform the Britannian system from within, it is highly unlikely he'll side with the forces that are directly opposing Britannia."
"But you guys just said Britannia and the Decepticons would turn against each other," Shirley pointed out.
"And if we convince Euphemia to side with us, he'll probably follow her too if she asks," Bulkhead added.
"It's not just that," Ironhide stated, "Look, I agree that Megatron might take most of the blame. We all know how much he enjoys his little mind games , just ask Optimus. But Suzaku had issues before he knew Megatron even existed. You remember that night after we rescued him, Lelouch? You asked him to join us, but he declined. And even then, before he joined the Decepticons, he was the pilot of the Lancelot and attacked us! He believes what we're fighting for is wrong and chooses to become our enemy of his own accord! You all understand, don't you?"
Ironhide continued as he gestured to Optimus and Lelouch specifically , "These two are our leaders, and Suzaku attacked them, calling them out on their ideals and trying to force his on both of them! We're better off without someone like that in our army. An army with no respect and leaders who don't demand it is destined to fall apart quickly."
Nobody in the room, not even Shirley, Bulkhead, Rai, Kaguya, or even Lelouch or Optimus had an argument to give . Even Ratchet, Kallen, and Tohdoh seemed to agree with Ironhide based on the expressions on their faces.
Ironhide then looked to Lelouch specifically, "Look, I get it, Lelouch. He's your friend and you want to help him. But you can't let him walk all over you and let him get away with all the stuff he's done ! If you do that, then it's gonna be me who leaves!"
That took nearly everyone by surprise.
"Ironhide, you're making this more complicated than it needs to be !" Bulkhead stated.
"Don't get me wrong, if Suzaku does join us, then great," the veteran said, "If he's willing to accept responsibility for his mistakes, and wants to atone, then he'll have my support. But, if he doesn't apologize for what he did, including his dad, and tries to blame someone else, then I won't forgive him and I won't stand for it. In other words, we'll treat him as we would any other enemy."
"Ironhide, wait," Shirley tried to speak, "Look, I agree that Suzaku has a lot to answer for. But he's not a bad person. I'm sure if we just try to talk to him, we can settle all that when he joins us."
"So, you're saying the fact that he killed his father, or that he took arms against us, means nothing ?!" he exclaimed, "He can do whatever he wants without consequence!"
"No… but I…" the brunette couldn't come up with a counterargument.
"Shirley," Kallen got her attention, "Ironhide's right. What Suzaku did was very serious , and it wasn't an accident either. We can't just overlook that."
"That's exactly right," Ratchet agreed as well , "If Suzaku's allowed to pull the same kind of stunt with his father on a whim, how are we supposed to trust him moving forward? How do we know he won't try the same thing with Optimus or even Lelouch if we do something he disagrees with?"
Shirley, Rai, Kaguya, and even Lelouch looked in alarm. Would Suzaku do that? Would he kill Lelouch and/or Optimus if they proposed something he didn't approve of?
"We've seen that far too many times," Arcee added, "Some people and bots are capable of making amends and redeeming themselves. But … even if they start as good … sometimes, they might just be too far gone."
Ironhide gave a small sigh as he set the record straight, "Look, it's simple. If Suzaku is willing to accept responsibility and wants to set things right, then we'll help him. But if he tries to make up some excuse, then he is not welcome here."
He looked at Lelouch directly, "I'm sure you already know this by now, but this is reality , it's not a game."
Lelouch spared a glance at both Bumblebee and Optimus and even Tohdoh. Though they said nothing, they agreed with what Ironhide said. Ever since he had used his Geass on Cornelia and learned that she would side with them to fight Britannia and the Decepticons, there had been a strong sense of hope that Suzaku could be redeemed as well . But, at the same time, he knew Ironhide was right. If Suzaku had to change, he had to be willing to change himself. They couldn't force it on him, no matter how much Lelouch wanted to.
"You're right," Lelouch spoke , "We've already gone our separate ways before . I hope we can change, but if he can't…"
Though there was some hesitance at first, Lelouch's face became determined.
"If he can't… then we do what we have to do."
Euphemia's office
"You haven't said anything about it yet," the Sub-Viceroy commented as she spoke with her elder sister over a screen on her computer, even though she already had an idea what she would say regarding her choosing Suzaku as her knight.
" Appointing a knight is a privilege of royalty. It's out of my hands, even as Viceroy," Cornelia replied, though Euphemia could easily tell Cornelia disapproved of her choice.
"Don't you see? Suzaku Kururugi is an Honorary Britannian, and he's proved himself more than worthy of knighthood," Euphemia stated, "But I didn't just choose him because of that."
" Oh?" Cornelia raised an eyebrow of skepticism.
"Don't you think it's odd that the Decepticons made their 'public appearance' during the fight at the prison recently ? Why would they hide their presence only to try and reveal themselves now?"
" Yes, I admit that is rather odd. What's even odder is that our father hasn't even made any statements concerning that particular incident."
That took Euphemia by surprise, "He hasn't?"
" I've even tried to contact him directly, but I have not received any response," Cornelia replied, causing Euphemia to look in confusion, "But what does that have to do with Kururugi?"
"I choose him as my knight so I can get him away from the Decepticons," Euphemia stated, "Except for Dreadwing, I don't trust any of them. Suzaku is a good person and I can't stand the thought of him working alongside someone like Megatron."
" Even though you are right not to trust him, discrimination against the Numbers is our national policy."
"Then it's time I tried to change that!"
Cornelia's eyes narrowed, "Oh, is it now, Sub- Viceroy? Well, when you become Empress, feel free to do so!"
Charles Zi Britannia still stood in the mysterious floating altar within the cloudy sky as he appeared to be speaking to someone that only he could hear.
"Megatron is attempting to get a reaction out of me," Charles spoke, "Perhaps he is growing suspicious; all the more reason not to do anything. I've known Megatron almost all my life and he is excellent at reading people. All I need to do is keep him focused on Lelouch and Optimus. Yes, perhaps we do need to pick up the pace, but we can't do much until we have C.C. Yes, I understand."
Suddenly, someone clad in black, who appeared to serve the Emperor, walked onto the scene and whispered something into his ear.
"What? Schneizel?"
" Yes majesty, your orders?"
Charles had a small smirk on his face, "You needn't interfere. Schneizel is formidable, but he's no Megatron. I welcome a challenge from him."
Ashford Academy Clubhouse
"A toast to the newest knight of Britannia!" Gino raised a glass of soda to Suzaku , along with nearly everyone in the Ashford student body as they gathered in the Clubhouse ballroom for the celebration filled with pizza and soda.
"Congratulations!" all the students cheered.
Gino threw his arm around Suzaku, "Welcome to the club buddy , you're one of us now!"
Suzaku chuckled nervously, "I'm only Princess Euphemia's Knight, not a Knight of the Round."
"Eh, tomato, tomato," Gino shrugged.
" Well regardless, congratulations Suzaku . You've earned it," Monica smiled as she stood alongside Anya, Milly, Rivalz, and even Sayoko with Nunnally.
"And you have Nunnally to thank for all this," Milly said.
"I'm sure you're tired of the celebrations. If you don't mind, we'd want to honor you too," Nunnally smiled.
"Not at all, it's kind of you," Suzaku smiled back.
However, not everyone appeared to be in a celebratory mood as Nina sat alone in the Student Council's meeting room at her computer in the corner, though she also looked at a magazine with Euphemia's picture in it .
"Oh, what am I gonna do, Princess Euphemia?" she asked as she did not approve of Suzaku becoming a knight, let alone, Euphemia's knight.
"Good afternoon," Lloyd suddenly walked in casually, "Have you seen Major Kururugi? They said I could find him here."
Lloyd glanced at what was on Nina's computer, "Oooh, looks like you're working on some fun stuff."
"You know what it is?" Nina asked in surprise.
"Oh, I can tell a uranium isotope when I see one," Lloyd said as he leaned over the girl's chair.
"Wow, you know your stuff!" Nina was excited to meet someone who understood what she was working on as she began to ramble on.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee's vehicle form was parked at the building's parking lot with C.C. in the driver's seat.
" You saw V.V.?! Are you sure?!" Lelouch questioned over the radio.
"It was brief, but I'm quite certain," C.C. confirmed.
"[Don't worry Lelouch. We're keeping an eye out on things here,]" Bumblebee assured, "[I doubt he's gonna show up now, but if he does, I'll dropkick him.]"
C.C. chuckled, "That might be pretty entertaining to see."
" Alright, I trust you," Lelouch replied, "And Cera, listen. Thank you, for watching out for Nunnally."
An amused smirk fell on the immortal's face, "Who said I'd give you permission to use my name?"
Bumblebee's radio played a sitcom's laughing sound effect in response before C.C. spoke seriously.
"But seriously, I'd recommend you move Nunnally to the Ark very soon. I'll stay with her until then, and while I can protect her from any Geass agents V.V. might send after her, the Decepticons are a whole other story."
" I understand and thank you again," Lelouch said before hanging up.
"[Well, looks like Lelouch isn't the only one coming out of his shell,]" Bumblebee observed, "[Nice to see you making friends too.]"
"Don't try and push it. You sound too much like a father," C.C. said in a bit of a joking fashion.
"[Really? I thought I sounded like a cool big brother,]" Bumblebee replied.
"Are you big? Yes. Cool? No," C.C. cracked.
"[Well that's just your opinion.]"
Meanwhile, back inside the clubhouse, Shirley looked at Suzaku for a moment and while she was happy for him, she was also greatly worried as thoughts of hers, the Autobots, and the Black Knights' conversation regarding Suzaku back at the Ark still lingered in her head. While she did agree with them, she had truly hoped they could try to find a way to reach him.
"Hey, Suzaku," she quickly walked over toward him, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure thing."
Suzaku followed Shirley away from the crowd and into a more secluded area.
"What is it?" he noticed the look on her face, "Is something wrong?"
"Well, not really, it's just…" Shirley tried to find the right words, "I'm happy for you Suzaku , I am. But, I'm also really worried . I've heard how dangerous being in the military is and if something happened…"
Suzaku gave a small smile as he put a hand on her shoulder, "Shirley, that's nice of you, but you don't have to worry. I can handle myself. Besides, you know how Gino and the others are. I doubt I'm going anywhere without them following me."
"Yeah but … what if the people you're working for… don't have your best intentions at heart?" Shirley tried to say.
"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked in confusion.
"I… it's just…"
Before Shirley could offer a response, Rai quickly came in.
"Hey, guys. Sorry to but in, but I need your help, Shirley," the white-haired young man said as he quickly grabbed her arm and began to walk away. "Congrats Suzaku ."
"Okay…?" Suzaku didn't know what to think as he saw Rai pull Shirley away.
Rai made his way to Kallen, who was hiding around the corner waiting for them.
"Shirley, what were you trying to do back there?" the redhead asked her friend.
"I wasn't trying to do anything I just…" Shirley tried to speak.
"Shirley, look. We get what you want to do , I want Suzaku on our side as much as you do. But we have to be careful," Rai told her.
"I know that, and I know what Ironhide talked about made sense but I… I don't want Suzaku to be 'just another enemy ', " Shirley said, "You've both seen that there's good in him."
"Maybe there is," Kallen admitted, "But he has to take responsibility for all the bad stuff he's done . If he can't, then we won't be able to help him. I'm sorry, but we have to trust the Bots know what they're doing."
Shirley did understand what they were talking about and while she did agree with them, there was a part of her that wanted to help Suzaku no matter what. But she also knew that they couldn't let their guard down while he was still in the Decepticon's ranks. So, all she could do was trust her friends.
Meanwhile, Suzaku was still somewhat confused by what had just happened with Rai and Shirley and was about to go talk to them and see if he could help with what they needed her help with, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked in surprise to see Lelouch with a friendly smile.
"Hey Suzaku, sorry I'm late. I got held up with something," Lelouch told him.
"That's fine , I'm just happy you could be here," Suzaku smiled back before he remembered Lelouch had something to discuss with him before, "Hey, what did you want to talk about? You said it was kind of important, right?"
"Yeah, it is. But not right here," Lelouch told him, "How about, we talk in private? Sometime later?"
Before Suzaku could even respond, he heard a familiar voice call to him.
"Bad news, Suzaku!"
Both he and Lelouch turned to see Lloyd and Nina walk into the ballroom, "You just got even more work to do, I'm afraid."
"Oh, right," the newly-knighted pilot said in acknowledgment.
"You know him?" Lelouch asked.
Suzaku winced slightly, "He's my boss."
Gino, Anya, and Monica walked up to him.
"Oh, hey Lloyd! Care to join the celebration?" Gino asked in a friendly tone.
"'Fraid not. You and Suzaku got a special job to do," Lloyd said casually.
"Is it the Autobots and Black Knights again?" Anya asked bluntly, which caught the attention of every student there. However, Monica was quick to place a hand on Anya's shoulder and silently keep her from revealing anything classified.
"You know we can't exactly talk about it here," Monica stated somewhat firmly to Lloyd and her colleagues.
"Relax. No end-of-the-world scenarios or alien invasions yet," Lloyd brushed it off.
"Oh Lloyd," Milly also walked up, "I… didn't realize you were coming."
"You two know each other?" Nina asked.
"We're to be married," Lloyd revealed like it was no big deal.
"HUH!?" Nearly every student exclaimed at the same time that even Rai, Shirley, and Kallen were stunned as they looked at each other in surprise.
"Isn't that right, honey bunch?" Lloyd asked in his usual tone.
"Eh… yeah," Milly said embarrassingly.
"Secret's out," Suzaku commented.
"So you knew?" Lelouch asked his friend, who only nodded in response.
"Whoa, whoa, what's going on here!?" Rivalz ran up toward the group, then turned to Milly, "Who is this guy?"
"Earl Asplund," the blonde answered.
"Earl!?"
He quickly turned to Lloyd.
"It's an honor, your lordship," he said before talking to Milly again, "Now, what did you say your relationship was again?"
"She and I are betrothed ," Lloyd answered simply .
"NOOOOOO!" Rivalz screamed dramatically as he fell back, only to be caught by Gino and Monica.
"Awe, sorry buddy . But hey, plenty of other fish in the sea," Gino tried to cheer him up, only to receive a minor glare from Monica as she helped Rivalz sit on a chair.
" Sorry Rivalz," the Knight of Twelve spoke to him in a whisper , "Just between us. It doesn't look like Milly's all that interested , and Lloyd probably couldn't care less. As a Knight of the Round, I could help call it off if you want."
Rivalz then looked at Monica with stars in his eyes, "Thank you!"
Despite the awkward situation, Suzaku walked up to Lloyd and coughed to get his attention, "So, do I have military duties then?"
"Yes. An important someone or other is arriving by boat. You, me, and the four Knights of the Round are off to meet him," Lloyd said, "Along with the Lancelot and Princess Euphemia, naturally."
Though many girls gave excited squeals, as the other students looked excited as well , Lelouch spared a knowing glance with Kallen, Shirley, and Rai. Perhaps this could serve as an opportunity for them.
A few hours later, Suzaku, Gino, Anya, Monica, Nonette, Lloyd, and Cecile were on the boat that was heading for their intended destination.
"Why Shikine Island?" Suzaku asked, "The Tokyo Settlement would have been a lot safer."
"Yeah, it is weird that we're meeting out here," Nonette admitted.
"Wait, you don't know either, Lady Enneagram?" Suzaku asked her in surprise.
"None of us do," Monica added.
"Ditto," Lloyd added as well.
"Same," Anya reported.
"Yep, totally clueless," Gino also said.
"You still shouldn't have said anything," Cecile scolded Lloyd slightly, "After all, your loose lips got our plans leaked onto the net."
"And Gino posting it on Facebook didn't help either," Monica added with lowered eyebrows as the Knight of Three himself simply shrugged and chuckled nervously.
"That girl was so charming though . I couldn't resist," Lloyd said as well.
The Ark
Zero and Optimus were on the Bridge of the derelict Autobot ship as they addressed all the Autobots and the Black Knights they had selected for this mission, including Ohgi, Tamaki, Tohdoh, the Holy Swords, Rakshata, Kallen, Rai, and even Shirley and Kaguya were present as well.
"Euphemia is going to that island to meet a noble from their homeland," Zero explained as a three-dimensional image of the island itself was projected in front of the group, "Her knight, Suzaku Kururugi, as well as the Knights of Three, Six, Nine, and Twelve, will be accompanying her. And more than likely, we may see some Decepticons. That far out at sea, the enemy's strength will be limited."
"From the Ark, we'll also be able to create a signal that will jam all long-ranged frequencies, cutting off any possible Decepticon reinforcements," Optimus added, "Our primary objective is the capture of Suzaku Kururugi and the Lancelot Knightmare. This is our strategy."
As Optimus began to explain , a series of dots appeared at specific locations on the island's image, "The Zero Squad, Holy Swords, and Wreckers will attack the base to get the enemy's attention. Once we have confirmed the sighting of the Lancelot and the Knights of the Round, the Zero Squad and Wreckers will draw away the knights' attention and any other Decepticons present. Zero and I will draw the Lancelot away."
"We have several specific traps set in play for the enemy," Zero continued, "By reverse-engineering the Decepticon weapon known as the Immobilizer, we have created a new weapon that should immobilize the enemy units."
"However, the only issue is once the field is activated, we will be unable to activate a Groundbridge portal on that specific location due to the energy being generated ," Ratchet added, "So we will be unable to directly transport Suzaku to the Ark ."
"You just let us worry about that, Ratchet," Zero told him.
A few moments later, Diethard walked into a Knightmare bay where Ironhide was waiting for him.
"You wanted to see me?" the Britannian journalist asked.
"I want to know what you think you're doing," Ironhide got right to the point .
"I'm not sure what you mean. Care to be more specific?" Diethard asked.
"Why are you here? With us? I read your information. You may have been demoted , but you've never committed any crimes or made public displays of disapproval toward Britannia. So why join our cause?"
"You mean, aside from the fact that the Decepticons plan to commit genocide for all humans, Britannian or otherwise? Think you what you will about me, but I'm not crazy enough that I'd support the destruction of Earth."
"You know Zero's identity. Optimus has acknowledged that there are those capable of change, and I can agree with him. But I'm also smart enough to know when someone's just using a cause for their gain."
"I have no intention of siding with the Britannians or Decepticons if that's what you're implying. As I said, the Decepticons are more interested in the complete extinction of humanity, and Britannia would rather the world remain stagnant, never changing. However, when I first saw you and Zero that night you rescued Kururugi from the Pureblood s… I trembled! It was like a new era had taken form and appeared before me! I wish to document the exploits of the Autobots and the Black Knights! To watch you topple Britannia and take this world for your own!"
"We're not trying to take the Earth. We're trying to liberate it. Let me make something crystal clear, Diethard. We protect people, not govern them. We have no intention of ruling anything or anyone. You got that?"
"I understand perfectly. You can do what you wish, but as long as I am here with you, to document the exploits of the legendary Autobots and Black Knights as their conflict against Britannia and the Decepticons shakes this world to its core!"
"Sounds to me like you're attempting to fabricate history, instead of documenting it."
"Objectivity is a fairy tale," Diethard said, his fanatic smile still on his face, "In the end, journalism of the human mind like everything else, or Cybertronian mind in your case."
"You can contribute to our cause, and Lelouch saw fit to reveal his identity to you. But, if you do anything to endanger anybody here, or overstep your bounds in the slightest, I'll be the first one you answer to. Got it?"
"Yes, of course," Diethard nodded.
Euphemia had arrived at the docks of Shikine Island, with Suzaku, Gino, Anya, Monica, and Nonette right beside her along with Lloyd and Cecile. The Camelot division's vehicles were unloaded, along with the personal Knightmares of Suzaku and the other Knights. They were greeted by not only the military escorts awaiting them but also four Decepticon Seekers who arrived via their jet modes before they transformed and landed on the ground.
"Dreadwing, it's a pleasure to see you again," Euphemia smiled at him.
"And a pleasure to see you as well, Princess Euphemia," Dreadwing had a small smile of his own as he gave a nod .
Euphemia's smile faded once she saw Starscream, along with Thundercracker and Skywarp.
"Starscream," she greeted professionally.
"That's Commander Starscream," the lead Seeker corrected before looking at Suzaku, "What is your malfunction, Kururugi? Bow before your superior."
Suzaku was somewhat surprised and about to make that gesture.
"There is no need for Suzaku to do such a thing," Euphemia said professionally while also giving a subtle glare in Starscream's direction, "After all, he is my knight."
"He was our soldier, long before you," Starscream glared, "So, you would be wise to remember your place."
"I already know my place, Commander," the Sub-Viceroy maintained her stance, not even remotely intimidated by him, "But I fear you may be overstepping yours ."
"Oh, snap!" Gino snickered as even Nonette and Monica smirked. Cecile looked somewhat worried, while Suzaku was more than a little shocked.
"Well, who knew Princess Euphemia was such a savage?" Lloyd commented.
Starscream growled as even Thundercracker and Skywarp smirked themselves, "Why you insolent little…!"
"That is enough!" Dreadwing pulled back on Starscream's wing, "We are not here to cause, trouble. Understood?"
Dreadwing gave a glare at Starscream, causing the Seeker to glare back before he backed away.
"Ahem," one military officer got Euphemia's attention, "Your majesty, we've prepared a room for you back at headquarters if you care to wait there."
"Is it safe to assume that the ship is docking here?" Euphemia asked the officer.
"Yes, that hasn't changed," the officer replied.
"This will do fine, then," Euphemia said.
"Very well, I'll just arrange…" However, the officer suddenly got an alert on his radio.
Multiple explosions erupted all over the base as the Autobots and Black Knights began their attack .
"Zero Squad, Holy Swords, and Wreckers begin your assault!" Tohdoh ordered as he was in his custom Gekka, "First and Second Squads, cover their flanks!"
On the right side of the base, Kallen's Guren took point as she used her Radiant Wave Surger on a Sutherland to reduce it to flames in mere seconds. Her colleagues drove around her as Bumblebee and Cliffjumper transformed and opened fire with their Energon blasters to take out the incoming helicopters. Arcee shot in between them toward an incoming Sutherland before she transformed and flipped over the Knightmare to shoot at it from behind and destroy it.
"Metal abominations!" one Sutherland's pilot exclaimed as it shot at the charging Bulkhead who completely obliterated the Knightmare with a single mace strike.
"Talk about packing a punch," Asahina commented as he sliced a Sutherland in half with his Gekka's katana as Rai's own blue Gekka covered him with a projectile from his Radiant Wave Surger.
Ironhide, Senba, and Chiba formed a circle as seven Sutherlands appeared to surround them, but a few blasts from Ironhide's cannons were able to blast three of them away, causing the remaining four to scatter. Both Chiba and Senba were able to intercept them easily and cut them to pieces with their Gekka's katanas.
Wheeljack had sliced one Sutherland in half with his sword as he came back-to-back with Urabe's Gekka.
"That's six Knightmares for me," the Wrecker smirked.
"Bet I can double that," Urabe challenged.
"You're on," Wheeljack accepted.
Meanwhile, Optimus and Zero's Burai stood on the cliffside above the base, observing their comrades' attack.
Lelouch chuckled in spite, "Tohdoh was able to hold back the Britannians without a single Knightmare. Now that he's got a unit himself, and he's working alongside us, I can't wait to see what kind of trouble we'd give Megatron."
"He is indeed a powerful warrior and a keen strategist," Optimus nodded, "However, Lelouch, you are aware of what we must do if Suzaku does not wish to join. Do not get me wrong, I am hoping he does, but I have seen far too many times how far a pure soul can fall."
Lelouch winced, "Yeah… I know. But, for Nunnally's sak e… I hope he listens."
Back at the docks, the group of Britannians and Decepticons could see the smoke from the base even from their location.
"What in the scrap is going on over there?!" Skywarp questioned.
"We've received confirmation that headquarters is under the attack of the Black Knights and the Autobots!" one Britannian officer reported, alarming much of the group.
"The Bots and BKs are here?! Awesome!" Gino pumped his fist, only for Monica and Nonette to both elbow him into the sides, "Oh, I mean, that's terrible."
Starscream tried to contact the Nemesis, "Soundwave, we need reinforcements immediately!"
However, he only got static in response.
"Soundwave?!"
"They must be jamming us," Thundercracker deduced.
"We did point out the poor safety and strategic position this island had ," Anya pointed out stoically.
"Maybe we should withdraw back to the Settlement," Cecile offered.
"Negative," Dreadwing countered, "Without access to the rest of our forces, we can't arrange a proper escort. The enemy could easily capture the Sub-Viceroy."
"Euphie, everything is going to be okay, I promise," Nonette placed her hands on the princess' shoulders in comfort and assurance.
"We won't let any harm come to you, your majesty," Suzaku added.
However, Euphemia was far from scared, "No Suzaku . I want you, Nonette, and the other Knights of the Round to help these men fend off the attack. Dreadwing, you should accompany them as well."
"You will do no such thing!" Starscream exclaimed, "Kururugi is already on thin ice as it is! I will not risk sending a liability such as him into the battlefield, especially against an enemy that he has not once bested!"
"Uh, you do realize you're criticizing a member of royalty, right Starscream?" Lloyd put in.
"It's Commander !" Starscream exclaimed, "And I do not care if she is royalty! Euphemia has no say in this matter!"
"The hell she doesn't!" Nonette stepped up, "She's still a princess and has the right to make the call on whether or not to send her knight into the battle if she wants!"
Starscream was about to retort when Dreadwing placed a firm hand on the Seeker's arm, "Starscream, we cannot contact for reinforcements. Logically, we use all the tools we have at our disposal."
The lead Seeker growled as he reluctantly accepted, "Very well, but take Thundercracker and Skywarp with you. I will not leave this to some lowly Britannians alone!"
Euphemia then looked at her knight, "Sir Kururugi, demonstrate your valor for us today, so that we may finally silence all these naysayers, be they Britannian or Decepticon."
"Right," Suzaku nodded.
The last of the Sutherlands appeared to have been cleared out as Bumblebee punched down one Sutherland and crushed its head with his foot to render it immobile.
"[That's the last of them!]"
However, the Guren suddenly rushed past him to leap into the air and use its knife to bat away an incoming slash harken which was shot by the Lancelot.
The white and gold Knightmare was at the front, followed by the Galeschin, Tristan, Mordred, and Florence, which were then followed by Dreadwing, Thundercracker, and Skywarp as they arrived in their respective vehicle modes before transforming and opening fire with their respective Energon blasters, or cannon in Dreadwing's case.
"They're here!" Ironhide stated as he attempted to return fire, "Proceed to phase 2!"
"Holy Swords, time to disappear!" Tohdoh ordered as his Gekka, along with the four comrades of his released their Chaffsmoke to create a large smokescreen and blind the entire group of knights and Decepticons.
The Lancelot was among the first to drive out of the smoke when a powerful Energon blast was shot near its feet. Suzaku looked through the Lancelot's screen as it zoomed directly toward Optimus and Zero who stood right outside his Burai.
"Zero… Optimus … there you are," Suzaku's eyes narrowed.
"They're getting away!" Monica exclaimed as the last of the smoke cleared out.
Tohdoh and the Holy Swords were nowhere to be seen, but one group consisting of Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper drove away in one direction from the base in their vehicle modes alongside the red Guren while another group consisting of Ironhide, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack in their vehicle modes drove in the opposite directing alongside the blue Gekka.
"Weinberg, Enneagram, Thundercracker, proceed after one group!" Dreadwing ordered, "Skywarp, you take Alstreim and Krushevsky and pursue the other! Kururugi, you are with me! We're going after Prime and Zero!"
"Yes sir!" all the Knights replied at the same time , as the two Seekers said nothing and they each split off in their respective directions, with the three Decepticons transforming into their respective jet modes.
Back at the docks, while Euphemia was with the Camelot Division inside their vehicle, Starscream paced on the ground impatiently as he voiced his thoughts aloud.
"Why we continue to work with these imbeciles is beyond me! Their constant arguing and bickering are getting on my last nerve!"
" Britannia is incredibly prideful, unfortunately."
A new voice contacted Starscream through his comms , much to the Seeker's shock .
"Who is this?!"
" Oh, forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Second Prince Schneizel El Britannia, and Prime Minister of the Britannian Empire."
"How did you get this frequency? The enemy has been jamming our long-ranged communications!" Starscream stated.
" Perhaps, but I'm already within range of the island. It seems the enemy didn't account for any communications short-term."
Starscream rolled his optics, "I already have two royal headaches to deal with , I do not need another!"
" Just hear me out, Commander Starscream," Schneizel maintained his calm demeanor, "I believe I may have a plan to remove Zero and a good portion of the Autobots from the equation."
The backstabbing Decepticon only sighed as he had a feeling this 'Schneizel' wouldn't leave him alone until he talked about his plan.
"What did you have in mind?"
Thundercracker flew above the canopy as he spotted the vehicle modes of Ironhide, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack alongside the Gekka Pre-Production.
"The enemy is making its way toward area point seven. Move in and intercept!"
"Rodger!" Gino and Nonette said simultaneously as the Tristan and Galeschin both suddenly flipped out of the canopy to land in front of the Wreckers and Ironhide, seemingly blocking their path as Thundercracker transformed and landed alongside the Knights of Three and Nine.
"They got nowhere to go!" Nonette stated as Gino and Thundercracker smirked triumphantly.
The Guren took the lead in front of Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper's vehicle modes. Kallen's radar picked up an incoming projectile as she shot her Surger forward to create a wave of destructive energy that intercepted the missile that was shot by the hovering Skywarp as he flew above the Mordred and Florence.
"Enemy units have been cornered ," Anya reported.
Zero's Burai and Optimus' vehicle mode both drove off in separate directions once they reached the beach area.
"Dreadwing, I'll go after Zero!" Suzaku told his partner as he pursued the black Knightmare in the Lancelot.
"Understood. I'll deal with the Prime," Dreadwing flew in his jet mode to intercept Optimus.
Suzaku saw the path the Burai was taking, 'He's not equipped for that sand he jumped into. Could he be drawing me into a set-up, using himself as bait? Doesn't matter! He doesn't have the Autobots to protect him this time!'
The Lancelot shot a slash harken from its right wrist to block Zero's path as the Lancelot landed in front of it, both black and white Knightmares stood in a pit as the Lancelot drew its MVS and pointed it at the Burai's face.
"Zero…" Suzaku scowled, "I've got you…."
"RATCHET! NOW!" Zero ordered.
With that order, a ring of generators shot out of the sand around the pit and generated a wave that traveled along the ground and into the pit, shooting both the Burai and Lancelot with a Knightmare that rendered them immobilized.
"What the…?!" Suzaku exclaimed as nearly all the power in his Knightmare went dead and the controls would no longer work, "It's frozen?!"
At the same time, another ring of generators shot up around Thundercracker, the Galeschin, and Tristan before the same kind of energy surge shot from them. The two Britannian Knightmares were both frozen as their systems went offline, while Thundercracker himself became completely frozen in place.
Fortunately, Ironhide and the Wrecker trio had backed away from the rings as they emerged so they were doing just fine.
"It worked," Ironhide stated.
"What's going on? My Knightmare won't move!" Gino tried to get his controls working.
"It's frozen!" Nonette exclaimed, "I can't even get communications online!"
Her eyes suddenly widened, 'Just like with that Immobilizer-thing Airachnid used on us!'
"Did the Autobots and Black Knights find a way to replicate its power?" Monica wondered aloud, coming to the same conclusion as well, as the frozen Skywarp fell on top of her Florence as well as the Mordred, knocking all three of them down in the middle of the ring of generators as Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper, and the Guren remained outside the ring.
"All systems are completely inoperable. I cannot move," Anya said stoically.
"We can see you guys are all tied up right now, so we'll be on our way," Cliffjumper snarked as his, Arcee's, and Bumblebee's vehicle modes drove away alongside the Guren.
"Kururugi!" Dreadwing turned around in his jet mode, breaking off his chase from Optimus, to try and fly to help his friend. However, this proved to be a mistake as the Autobot commander transformed and wielded the Immobilizer itself. He aimed and shot it at Dreadwing, scoring a direct hit, freezing the Decepticon as he fell and landed hard on the sand.
"Dreadwing, forgive me," Optimus said as he passed by and joined the large group consisting of his fellow Autobots, Four Holy Swords, and other Black Knights as they surrounded the pit, remaining outside the rig of generators that kept the Lancelot and Burai frozen.
No matter what Suzaku did, the controls wouldn't respond, "No good…"
"We need to talk, Kururugi," Zero said as he stood up from his Burai's cockpit, "I suggest you come out. Your secondary systems should still be functioning. I promise that no harm will come to you , I only want to talk, nothing more."
"I don't care! Tell Suzaku, Nonette, and the others to abandon their units!" Euphemia exclaimed to Lloyd and Cecile, "What can be wrong with them?! Why can't they move!? Why can't we even talk to them?!"
"Something's happened to the Sakuradite that's powering all their Knightmares," Cecile informed, "Though the one affecting the Lancelot's isn't as strong as the others, it still won't move either!"
"A Gefjun Disturber," Lloyd said in an unusually grave tone.
"You mean…?!" the assistant exclaimed.
"But they're using it as a jamming mechanism," the Lancelot's developer continued, "I thought it only theoretical, but it seems the Autobots have proven me wrong. It is you, Rakshata."
The Ark – The Bridge
"It worked!" Ratchet stated as he had remotely activated all three traps at once, "The Lancelot and the other Britannian Knightmares have been immobilized ."
"We've even managed to neutralize Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Dreadwing!" Fixit reported.
"Of course, it worked," Rakshata said as she sat casually on her couch in the living quarters of the bridge, with Shirley and Kaguya standing beside her, "That Immobilizer device is fascinating. For a bunch of alien warmongers, the Decepticons come up with such fascinating toys."
"But Suzaku, Gino, Anya, and Monica are all okay, right?" Shirley asked with concern.
"Yes, they are," Fixit reported, "The Gefjun Disturber only affects Cybertronians and electrical-based machines. It does not affect organic life."
"That's good," Shirley breathed a sigh of relief.
"But of course, the Disturber unit around the Lancelot is much weaker," Rakshata added, "That one can't affect Cybertronians like the other two."
"Why?" Shirley asked.
"It's for Lelouch's protection," Ratchet answered, "If he can't get Suzaku to come with us, willingly, the Autobots can still step in and protect him. As much as it pains me to admit it, if we can't bring Suzaku back to the Ark as our guest, we'll have to take him as our prisoner."
Shirley looked down at that particular thought, but her thoughts were brought to an end by Kaguya as she put a hand on the older girl's shoulder.
"Don't worry Shirley . That's where you and I come in. If Lelouch can't convince Suzaku to leave the Decepticons, then we'll do it. I'm his cousin, and you're his friend from school. If he's willing to listen to anyone, it's you."
That caused the schoolgirl turned Black Knight to smile as she formed a determined look on her face , 'Yes. If I can help Lulu, Suzaku, and Optimus, even a little bit, I'll do it. Don't worry Suzaku , I can help you. I want to help you.'
Suzaku lowered himself from the Lancelot's cockpit via its cable as Zero had already done the same while keeping his pistol trained on him, though he had rubber bullets loaded in as the last thing he wanted to do was kill his best friend.
"I'll get straight to the point, Suzaku Kururugi. I want you to join us," Zero told him.
"Is that a threat?" Suzaku responded, "Well you can forget it! I already told you, that results gained through contemptible means are worthless to me!"
"So, would you call the actions of the Decepticons to be honorable? You've already seen that most, if not all, only have their interests as their priority. Can you honestly tell me that a chronic backstabber, like Starscream, or a serial killer, like Airachnid, are honorable warriors?"
Suzaku had no response to give but refused to lighten his glare.
"I'm assuming Megatron told you he's some kind of freedom fighter? Did he tell you that the Autobots destroyed Cybertron?" Zero continued.
"No, Cybertron was destroyed because both sides refused to quit fighting," Suzaku replied, "Because Optimus Prime refused to listen to Megatron."
"You're wrong. Optimus was the one to try to reach out to Megatron to stop the fighting himself. But Megatron refused to listen. He may preach unity to you, but really, he's nothing more than a warmonger who only seeks power. All he had to do was say a few words and it seems that enough was to secure your loyalty to him, which makes me wonder if you're a Knight to Princess Euphemia. Let me ask you, Kururugi, did Megatron order you to spy on her? Perhaps use her as a hostage to keep the Britannian masses in line?"
Suzaku could not believe that Zero would suggest such a thing, "What?! No! I'm not using Princess Euphemia! I am her Knight!"
"So, which is it? Are you a Knight for Britannia or a Decepticon? You've already seen the signs that their so-called alliance is beginning to crumble. So when the shots are fired , which one would you side with? Your princess or your master?"
Suzaku tried to come up with an answer but couldn't.
"To be honest with you, I'm rather worried for Euphemia."
Zero's words caught his attention.
"I met her during the Hotel Jacking. She risked her own life to save those innocent hostages. That act alone proved she was a selfless soul, one I was honored to meet."
"Of course, she's selfless. I told you and Optimus that Britannia can change for the better, and she can help bring that change."
"Perhaps you're right. I'm not blind to the fact that there are those among Britannia who want things to change. However, have you ever considered those within Britannia that don't want it?"
"I can change their minds though ! That's why I became a Britannian soldier!"
"But what if they do something you disagree with? What if Euphemia were to ask you to do something you couldn't do, hypothetically? Would you refuse her order? Or do something that would endanger her life?"
"No! I already told you I'm her Knight! I would never do anything to hurt her!"
"I'm sure that's what you thought about your father before you ran that knife through his heart."
That question caused Suzaku's eyes to widen as his pupils shook with shock before he stumbled back.
"How… how on Earth… do you know that…?"
"Kyoshiro Tohdoh told me everything. Optimus and the other Autobots know the truth, as do a small handful of Black Knights. They want to help you. I want to help you. You made a mistake and you want to find a way to atone. I understand that. But there are other ways to do it besides sacrificing your own life. You can work with us, you as well as Princess Euphemia. I've already opened the Black Knights to the possibility of that. We can show the people, not just of Japan, but the rest of the Earth that they have a chance at a bright future. That they can stand and fight the Decepticons."
"Fight them? Are you serious?" Suzaku's eyes narrowed.
"A fight against the Decepticons is all but inevitable. Sooner or later, they will attack. I just want to see to it there is a force strong enough to defeat them. Otherwise, they'll run all of Earth into the ground just like they did Cybertron . It won't matter if you're Britannian, Japanese, or otherwise. All of humanity will suffer if Megatron has his way. Please, come with us Suzaku . At the very least, come to our base so we can tell you our side of the story, what happened to Cybertron. It's only fair that you listen to both sides, right?"
Suzaku honestly had no idea what to say. Was Zero willing to listen to Euphemia? Did he convince the Autobots and Black Knights to do so? He found himself looking toward Optimus above the pit as the Autobot leader's eyes carried a calm, yet desperate pleading, within them. There was a part of Suzaku that did consider it if only to hear their side of the story.
However, his thoughts were interrupted by static transmissions in his communications device.
" Kururugi…. Respond …. Suzaku Kururugi … respond immediately!" he heard Starscream attempting to contact him.
"May I?" he asked Zero.
"Yes," Zero nodded.
"This is Major Kururugi."
" This is your commander Starscream . Britannian forces have launched surface-to-surface missiles against the enemy! Kururugi, I am giving you the easiest assignment I can give : keep Zero there! Do not let him leave, no matter what!"
Lelouch scowled underneath his mask as he also heard those orders, "Damn you, Starscream!"
Immediately, Suzaku wrenched the gun from Zero's hand, grabbed him by the wrist, and put him on hold while keeping the gun trained on him.
"What are you…?!" Zero struggled, but Suzaku's grip was too strong .
"I can't approve of your methods!"
However, he was stopped from going any further as Bumblebee leaped behind him and pointed his Energon blaster at him.
"[Let him go!]" Bumblebee exclaimed, even though Suzaku couldn't understand his bleeps, though he was surprised at how easily the yellow Autobot stepped into the field without getting frozen like the Lancelot.
"Wait… how can you…?"
"Starscream just launched surface-to-surface missiles at our coordinates!" Zero exclaimed to the Autobots and Black Knights present, " Be prepared to evacuate!"
"Wait! Starscream, you can't do this!" Euphemia exclaimed as she, Cecile, and Lloyd stepped outside the Camelot's transport.
"You're going to destroy the Lancelot?!" Lloyd exclaimed.
"I'm not the one who issued the launch for those missiles," Starscream smirked at them, specifically toward Euphemia, "I'm just giving Suzaku a chance to be useful for once."
"And whose idea was this?!" the Sub-Viceroy exclaimed, "Major Kururugi is my knight!"
"Your dear brother, Schneizel," the Seeker sneered, causing Euphemia and Cecile to gasp as even Lloyd looked in minor surprise, "It seems there's at least one member of the Royal Family that can contribute, not unlike you or your insufferable sister."
Euphemia clenched her fists as she ran past Starscream straight towards an empty Sutherland and prepared to board it.
"Princess Euphemia?! What are you doing?!" Cecile called out as she was already in the cockpit.
"Contact my brother and tell him to stop the attack! I'm going to get Suzaku myself!"
She already got inside and drove the Sutherland away.
Once it was gone, both Cecile and even Lloyd looked in shock to see Starscream laughing, "Oh, this turning out to be better than I thought!"
"But Starscream… if Princess Euphemia is caught in the attack?" Cecile tried to speak to him.
"She's the one who's throwing her life away. And if she loses her life in the process... oh well, it means one less annoyance for me."
Cecile gave a horrified gasp, "You would willingly sacrifice Princess…"
"Oh, don't look so surprised. After all, it was the Emperor who sacrificed his children Lelouch and Nunnally when he took this pitiful country seven years ago. As much as the Royal Family drives me up the wall, there is one thing I like about them: they're expendable."
Nonette had used her knife to cut open the Galeschin's cockpit systems and hot-wire the controls to force the cockpit to open as she crawled outside when she felt her cell phone ring, much to her confusion.
"Hello?"
" Nonette!"
"Euphie? What's goin g…? "
" Suzaku's in trouble!" Euphemia exclaimed, "They've launched missiles at his location! I'm already on my way there!"
"What?! Euphie you can' t…! "
" I already am! Just please get here! Help me save Suzaku! I need you!" the princess hung up.
"Euphie? Euphie! Damn it!" Nonette cursed as she crawled from her frozen Knightmare and even the frozen Thundercracker's face.
"Hey!" she heard Gino knocking from inside his Knightmare's frozen cockpit, "What's going on out there?!"
"Gino, I gotta go! Find a way to help Anya and Monica!" she was already running as fast as she could to try and get to Suzaku and Euphemia.
"Multiple missiles incoming on their coordinates!" Ratchet exclaimed as he saw them on the radar.
"Missiles?!" Shirley practically screamed, and even Kaguya gasped.
"Fixit, prepare multiple Groundbridge extractions immediately! We're pulling them out!" Ratchet stated as he tried to contact Optimus.
"I'm already on it!" Fixit said as he scrambled to try and access the remote control for the Groundbridge.
"Missiles are already on top of us!" Ironhide exclaimed as the Autobots and Black Knights readied their ammunition to shoot them down, "All units, cover yourselves and be prepared to evacuate!"
Zero was able to wrench himself free from Suzaku who tried to shoot at him with the gun, only for Bumblebee to block it with his arm as he stood in front of Zero.
"Suzaku, come with us right now!"
"I can't!" he exclaimed, "I have to follow orders!"
"And what of Euphemia?! Are you willing to abandon her so easily?!" Zero practically screamed in frustration.
"I'm not abandoning her! Viceroy Cornelia and the Knights of the Round are more than capable of protecting her!"
"Not from Megatron!"
"Zero, hang on!" Kallen instinctively drove her Guren into the Gefjun ring.
"Kallen, wait!" Arcee tried to stop her , but she was already inside, where her Guren short-circuited.
At the same time, Rai got out of his Gekka to try and get down there himself, "Zero! Suzaku!"
"Here they come!" Ironhide exclaimed, "Open fire!"
All the Autobots and Black Knights shot at the incoming missiles, throwing up a barrage of bullets and Energon blasts. Arcee wanted to go down and help Kallen, but Rai was already sliding down to try and get her, while also trying to help his friends.
"Suzaku! It's us! Rai and Kallen!" the white-haired Black Knight tried to call to him, but the gunfire and missile explosions drowned out his voice and even Kallen's calls.
"Suzaku! Look at us! Look at your friends!" the redhead called desperately.
Euphemia piloted her Sutherland, trying to get to Suzaku as her heart pounded in her chest . Every instinct screamed at her to save him.
'Suzaku, you can't die now!'
Nonette was running through the woods as fast as she could.
"Euphie! Suzaku!" she shouted as she came out into a clearing just at the top of a cliffside to arrive at the beach.
A Groundbridge portal opened in the area outside the ring.
"All units, enter the Groundbridge now!" Optimus ordered.
However, before anyone could even make a move toward the portal, a large shadow loomed over the entire area, causing everybody, Autobot, Black Knight, and Britannian soldier to gasp as they saw it.
It was a massive aircraft, though not nearly as big as the Ark or the Nemesis. It appeared large enough that it could hold a small army of Knightmares. Most of the Black Knights and Autobots redirected their fire toward the craft, but some form of invisible barrier protected it from both Knightmare ammunition and Energon blasts.
"You gotta be scrapping kidding…" Cliffjumper muttered.
Euphemia's Sutherland just arrived as she stood up from the cockpit to see the vessel herself, "That's… my brother's Avalon… Schneizel…?"
"My God…" Nonette breathed as she saw the ship as well.
At the haul of the ship known as the Avalon, a large compartment opened to reveal something resembling a Knightmare attached to it, though its exact features were obscured by the shadows. It had two shoulder-mounted cannons that each generated a large red light, preparing to fire.
"All Autobots, return to me immediately! I'll retrieve Zero and the others! But you must fall back now!"
"Optimus…!" Tohdoh tried to protest.
"That is an order!" Optimus exclaimed as he slid down into the pit, behind Bumblebee and in front of the surprised Rai and Kallen.
"Suzaku, come with us now!" the Autobot leader urged.
"I can't! I have orders to keep you here! You can't leave!"
"YOU STUBBORN FOOL!" Zero yelled as instinct took over , his mask's slit flashed open to reveal his left eye as his Geass sigil manifested.
"LIVE!"
Right as that command was given, the Knightmare hooked inside the Avalon opened fire with a barrage of red energy projectiles that would level the entire area. And with everyone focused on the ship, nobody could see the smirking face of V.V. as he stood on a cliffside to observe everything.
C.C. gave an audible gasp as she fell to her hands and knees in the Ashford Clubhouse. Her face was drenched in sweat as she felt a pulse in her forehead, the Geass emblem on her forehead glowing briefly. Somehow, she knew something was wrong and she knew exactly who was responsible.
' V.V…. what did you just do…?'
Chapter 28: Island of Gods and Monsters
Chapter Text
Rai's eyes flickered open as the first things he saw were birds circling throughout the bright blue sky as he heard the sounds of the ocean's waves impacting the beach.
"Wha… where…?" Rai stuttered as he picked himself up, still in his blue pilot suit, looking around at his surroundings. He appeared to be on a tropical beach of sorts, "What the heck…?"
"[Rai!]" the amnesiac youth turned around in surprise to see the yellow Autobot scout kneeling closer to his level.
"Bee!" Rai tried to stand up, "What happened? Where's everyone else and…. Where the heck are we?!"
"[I haven't had the faintest idea,]" Bumblebee bleeped, "[I just came too, same as you.]"
The white-haired Black Knight got another look at his surroundings.
"Something's telling me this isn't Shikine Island. Cause if it were, we'd be crawling with Britannian soldiers right now."
"[Yeah, but that still doesn't answer how we even got here,]" Bumblebee said.
"Can't you just call for a Groundbridge?" Rai asked.
"[I tried, but something's blocking my commlink,]" Bumblebee explained, "[I can't get a signal.]"
"Scrap…" Rai muttered, but his attention was caught by the sounds of movement in the bushes and trees nearby.
"Hang on, I'm gonna check something out," he walked into the foliage to see what he could find.
Rai was able to brush away some of the branches while also feeling his person to see if he had any weapons on him. Turns out he still had a pocket knife, but that was about it. The sounds he heard had suddenly stopped, which surprised him. He stopped moving, not making any sounds to not alert whatever it was that was also in this foliage with him. It could be just a wild animal, a fellow Black Knight that got stuck with him and Bee, or even an enemy soldier.
Soon, he got his answer when a hand shot out of a nearby bush to grab him by the shoulder and pull him deeper into the foliage, throwing him across the ground. Rai was quick to draw his knife as his opponent tackled him to the ground, though he tried to thrust the knife forward, a hand blocked his arm and pinned him to the ground. He looked in surprise to see the face of his attacker was none other than Nonette Enneagram.
Nonette glared at the young Black Knight, however, once she saw his face, her pupils shrank, "Kaizaren…"
"What….?" Rai questioned in surprise.
Before this could escalate any further, a large shadow loomed over the pair as Nonette gasped upon seeing Bumblebee loom over her with his Energon blasters primed and ready.
"[Get off him! Now!]"
Nonette's surprise gave Rai an opening to kick her back and off of him, the force sending her back to a nearby tree, hitting the back of her head in the process and knocking her unconscious. Rai stood up and looked in surprise.
"Hey, isn't she… a Knight of the Round?" he asked his Autobot comrade.
"[Yeah. The Knight of Nine, I think,]" Bumblebee confirmed.
A surprised smile fell on Rai's face, "We just captured a Knight of the Round. Not bad for a completely random situation, huh?"
Suzaku, who had also woken up on the same island, had begun to scale a small cliffside so he could get a better view of his new surroundings.
"Just as I thought… this is another island," he muttered to himself.
"Kururugi!"
The youth turned in surprise to see just down below him was arguably the only Decepticon whom he could truly consider a comrade.
"Dreadwing! What… what are you doing here?" Suzaku asked as he appeared to be at a height that put him above the Decepticon Seeker.
"I could ask you the same thing," Dreadwing said, "The last thing I recall was being immobilized. Though I was frozen, I could see and hear everything around me, including that large vessel that attempted to bombard the area. After that… I woke up here, completely functional."
"Is there any way we can contact headquarters?" Suzaku asked, "I lost the comm, and the Lancelot's nowhere in sight."
"I've tried, but my communications seem jammed," Dreadwing answered, "But perhaps we can simply fly back."
He attempted to transform, and though his wings twitched. He remained in his Cybertronian form, much to his and Suzaku's confusion.
"What?" he attempted to transform again but was unable to, "My T-Cog…!"
"You're… T-what?" Suzaku didn't seem to understand.
"It is the organ that allows Cybertronians to scan vehicles and transform," Dreadwing explained, "Perhaps it is still suffering the effects of my immobilization."
"So, you can't transform?" Suzaku asked.
"It does not appear to be an option at the moment, no," Dreadwing confirmed, "I apologize."
"It's fine," Suzaku assured as he resumed his climb, "There's a waterfall up here, I'm gonna see if I can get some water."
"I will be with you shortly," Dreadwing told his young friend as Suzaku had already climbed his way to the top.
The Honorary Britannian made his way through the foliage, following the sound of falling water. Once he saw the waterfall, his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of a certain red-haired young woman, bathing naked in the waterfall. He recognized her almost instantly.
"Kallen… it can't be…"
Kallen heard some noises behind her and turned around to see a familiar face, "Suzaku…?"
Her eyes widened as she quickly went on the defensive, pulling out her Black Knight jacket to cover herself.
This took Suzaku by even further surprise, "A Black Knight uniform?! You mean you're a…"
Kallen took out the knife from her jacket's pocket and attempted to rush the surprised and confused Suzaku. However, her path was barred by a large metallic foot that stomped in front of her and she fell backward into the water, her jacket covering her body as she looked up in surprise to see the Decepticon standing above her.
"I wouldn't attempt such a thing if you value your life!" Dreadwing warned her.
However, Kallen wasn't completely frozen by fear as she attempted to get up and run, only for Suzaku to grab her by the wrists and pin her down to the ground in the shallow water, "Kallen… I don't believe this…!"
"You know her?" Dreadwing asked in surprise.
"Yeah, she's my classmate. Kallen Stadtfelt…"
"Don't call me by that name! My name is Kallen Kozuki! I'm Japanese!"
That took both Suzaku and Dreadwing by surprise.
"You're kidding… then you really are….?" Suzaku stuttered.
"Yes, I'm a Black Knight, an ally of the Autobots! I'm not going to hide that anymore!" Kallen confirmed with a steely glare.
Suzaku was the first to steel his resolve as well, "Well then 'Kallen Kozuki', I'm placing you under arrest for conspiracy and rebellion against Britannia."
Zero stood on a large rock over the shoreline as he and Optimus Prime observed their new area.
"The vegetation and climate are the same as Shikine Island, we can't be that far from it," Zero said.
"But without access to any communications, we lack a means of calling for assistance," Optimus pointed out.
"So Groundbridge is out of the question then," Zero said with a small tsk under his mask.
"You can still transform, can't you?" he asked the Autobot Leader.
Optimus briefly transformed his right hand into a blade and an ion blaster before it went back to a normal hand, "Yes, I am still able to."
"I suppose we'll just have to drive back to the Ark," Zero said as he gave a small chuckle, "Actually driving in a truck underwater… if you asked me if something like that was possible a year ago, I wouldn't believe it."
Optimus had a small smirk on his face. However both he and Zero heard some movement from the bushes nearby. They both turned around to see a face that made Lelouch gasp underneath his mask.
'Euphie!'
Euphemia walked onto the beach but gave a surprised gasp as she not only saw the masked revolutionary, but even the leader of the Autobots standing before her.
Nonette woke up with a small groan. However as she regained conciseness, she felt her hands had been restrained behind her back, having been tied with some vines.
"Have a nice nap?"
She looked in surprise to see both Rai and Bumblebee sitting across from her on the beach they had previously woken up on.
Though the Knight of Nine was surprised to be this close to an Autobot, and without a Knightmare no less, she was even more stunned at the sight of the white-haired young man in front of her.
"Kaizaren…? Is… is it you…?"
"Who the hell are you talking about? My name is Rai."
"What? But that's not…" Nonette later got a good look at him, "You look the same? How? It's been more than seven years. And yet… you look like you haven't aged a day."
Rai only looked more confused as he glanced up at Bumblebee who only shrugged his shoulders, "What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean? You don't recognize me?" the Knight of Nine asked.
"Your name is Nonette Enneagram. You're the Knight of Nine, part of that old bastard Charles' entourage and the pilot of that blue knock-off Lancelot," Rai summarized nonchalantly, "It's hard not to know you since you're pretty famous."
"You… don't know me…?" Nonette stuttered as she seemed emotionally hurt as she looked down, "I see. You don't remember. Amnesia I guess…"
"[Hey Rai, it kinda sounds like she knows you,]" Bumblebee bleeped.
"I'm pretty sure I'd remember one of the Emperor's lapdogs," Rai commented.
"[Well… maybe she knew you before you lost your memories. I mean, a lot can happen since the start of your life, right?]" Bee assumed.
"Maybe… but I'm not really about to trust her, not without proof," Rai said as Nonette simply hung her head down so that neither he nor the Autobot could see the tears that formed in her eyes.
But they weren't just tears of sadness, they were also that of joy; the joy that she finally found her prince again.
Kallen meanwhile had been allowed to put her red pilot suit back on to allow her some form of decency as her hands were tied behind her back Suzaku put her Black Knight jacket over her shoulders while Dreadwing stood over both of them.
"I see, and you don't know what happened either," Suzaku said, "When you came to, you found yourself on this island, is that right?"
"What do you mean? You can just fly out of here, right?" Kallen grunted as she cast a glare at the Decepticon present.
"Due to unusual circumstances, I am unable to transform," Dreadwing informed.
Kallen snickered, "So, you're grounded? What's wrong, Con? Did we clip your poor little wings? Serves you right."
Dreadwing stomped his foot down and glared at the young woman, "Do not try me, Black Knight! Were it up to me, I would leave your lifeless husk on this island!"
"Go ahead and do it!" Kallen dared, not remotely intimidated by his presence, "I'd rather die free as a warrior than live as your plaything, Decepticon!"
"You're not going to be anyone's plaything, Kallen," Suzaku told her.
"Tell that to your new buddy, Airachnid," she glared at him, earning a glare from both Suzaku and Dreadwing, "Or better yet, why don't you save your temper tantrums for when my friends get here? You two idiots won't last ten seconds before you're thrown behind bars!"
"You mean to say the Autobots and your fellow Black Knights will come for you?" Dreadwing inquired.
"Without a doubt," Kallen smirked.
"Alright, but before they do, tell us something. Who is Zero?" Suzaku asked.
"Figure it out for yourself," Kallen said as she looked away.
"It would be wiser if you told us and avoided less civil methods of interrogation," the Seeker informed.
"You mean torture?" Kallen scoffed before she glanced at Suzaku, "You've fallen in with a bad crowd, haven't you Kururugi? And I don't just mean Britannia."
"Why do you follow them? Zero and Optimus?" Suzaku asked.
"I don't know. Why do you follow Megatron?" Kallen shot back.
Zero slid down the rocks as he stood on an equal level with his half-sister as she continued to stare at him. Though at first she was intimidated by the appearance of Optimus Prime who stood behind the masked revolutionary, once her eyes set on him, that seemed to be all she could focus on at the moment. Optimus said nothing as he took a few steps back to allow Lelouch to think on his own about what to do.
What would Lelouch even say to her, he wondered to himself as his mask hid the conflicted look on his face. This was the first time he ever saw Euphemia face-to-face before his exile, not including the hotel jacking. He remembered how close he and Nunnally were to her before being sent to Japan, she was one of his closest siblings alongside Cornelia. But what would he say to her now? Should he reveal himself? He could use his Geass on her as he did Cornelia, but he quickly pushed that thought back as that was the last thing he wanted to do to her.
"Lelouch," she spoke, interrupting his thoughts, "Lelouch, it's you, isn't it? I haven't told anyone about you, I swear! Please… let me see your face…"
Optimus cast a concerned glance towards his young friend as after a minute of silence, Zero reached up to his mask to remove it, allowing the pink-haired princess to see the face of her half-brother, which was fully revealed once he removed his face mask. Upon seeing his face again, Euphemia wasted no time in running toward him and wrapping her arms around his body as she cried tears of pure joy.
Lelouch was stunned by this at first before he let his own emotions flow as he embraced her back, a few stray tears fell down his eyes as well. Such a heartwarming moment was enough for Optimus to smile as he witnessed this touching reunion.
"I've missed you so much!" Euphie cried.
Lelouch tightened his grip, "I've missed you too."
Shikine Island
Multiple Britannian soldiers, both in and out of Knightmares, continued their search for their missing princess, and have thus found nothing. Thundercracker and Skywarp appeared to be part of the search as they scanned the entire island from their vehicle modes, having been freed of the immobilization effects thanks to Knock Out. The entire search was being overseen by the red Decepticon and his partner, the latter looking more annoyed than anything.
"Can't believe we had to come out here and look for some stupid little fleshy!" Breakdown muttered, "We got better things to do!"
"True, but the sudden disappearance of Dreadwing, Kururugi, not to mention Zero and Prime is something that should be looked at," Knock Out said as he scanned the area with a hand-held device, "Hmm...doesn't seem like there are any residual Energon traces, so there wasn't a Groundbridge. But… there is an unusual energy reading in this area. It appears that… right before the Avalon's bombardment, something happened that just caused certain bots and humans to vanish."
"And it wasn't a Groundbridge?" Breakdown asked, to which Knock Out shook his head in confirmation. The large Decepticon ran a hand down his face, "I hate it when things get complicated."
Meanwhile, the floating ship that was known as the Avalon, the same transport that had bombarded the area the previous day hovered over the beach. Inside the ship's main hangar; the Lancelot, Galeschin, Mordred, Tristian, and Florence had been recovered with Cecile sitting on the staircase that led to the Lancelot's cockpit as she looked over the data from not only that but also the other four Knightmares present.
"So what? Suzaku and Nonette just vanished?" Gino asked as he and his fellow Knights of the Round were also present.
"Without a trace," Anya said emotionlessly as she was at her cellphone, the screen depicting a diary app.
"You've checked the Lancelot's data?" Monica asked Cecile, "Maybe security footage?"
"Yes, Lady Krushevsky, but it's all static," Cecile answered, "There's no way to trace Suzaku or anyone else who was there."
Before anyone could ask any further questions, the hangar doors behind them opened and they saw an incoming fighter jet slow its approach. Once it entered the hangar, it transformed to reveal the Decepticon's second-in-command who could only just barely fit.
"Ugh, why do humans always make everything so compact?" Starscream groaned in annoyance.
"Well, look who decided to join us," Monica glared at Cecile and Gino.
Though Anya didn't glare, she gave a distrustful look to the Seeker.
"And just what are all of you looking at?" Starscream glared back.
"Oh, how about the fact you ordered an air strike on Suzaku, Nonette, and Princess Euphemia?!" Gino exclaimed in a rare sight of anger.
"I did not make that order!" Starscream stated, "I only followed through with it."
"But you didn't even attempt to warn them that Princess Euphemia would be in the way!" Cecile stated as she stood up to glare at him, "You didn't even care that a member of the Royal Family would be caught in the crossfire?!"
"Oh please, that wretched Cornelia puts her life on the line every day," Starscream brushed off, "The Royal Family is expendable, even to their precious Emperor."
Before anyone could voice an argument, a new voice spoke up, "Though I don't necessarily agree with the tone, it is sad for me to admit this is true."
The voice belonged to none other than Prince Schneizel, a young man with blonde hair, light purple eyes, and a white royal outfit, "My father isn't necessarily one to bat an eye even at his children's deaths."
"Prince Schneizel!" Monica stated in surprise as she, Anya, and Gino both bowed before the prince as Lloyd casually walked onto the scene as well.
"Prince… Prince Schneizel… here…?!" Cecile stuttered in surprise.
"You impudent little… ! How dare you look down upon the Second Prince of the Empire!" Bartley exclaimed as he appeared as well.
"General Bartley…?!" Cecile lost her footing and slid down the stairs to land on her rear on the ground, much to Starscream's amusement.
"That goes for you too, metallic abomination!" Bartley stated to Starscream, "How dare you look down on Prince Schneizel!"
"You do realize I can only look down upon him due to being physically taller," Starscream snarked, much to Bartley's irritation, "Oh, and speak to me in such a tone again…"
He extended his claws and loomed over the fat general whose expression changed from irritation to horror.
"I will squash you like the insect you are, vermin!"
"Now, now, there's no need to be so hostile with one another," Schneizel said as he helped up Cecile, "You are not injured, I hope. Yes, I am Prince Schneizel El Britannia."
He then looked up toward the Decepticon, "And you must be Commander Starscream, first lieutenant of the Decepticons. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Yes, it is your pleasure," Starscream smirked, much to Gino, Anya, and Monica's irritation, though Bartley seemed more irritable.
"To take such a tone to our prince…!"
"General, you're quite the devoted subject, aren't you?" Lloyd asked casually.
"Primarily, because the prince is the one who commuted my sentence and saved me from being chained up deep beneath Temple Tower," Bartley said.
"So Starscream, what do you think of the Avalon?" Lloyd asked the Decepticon, "Have the Decepticons ever invented floating air-craft carriers?"
Starscream scoffed, "Please. We've developed entire warships more advanced than this. When you invent a vessel that enables you to fly through space, then we'll talk."
"I'll be sure to make a note," Schneizel said, "Now, Commander Starscream, if you don't mind, there is something that I would like your assistance with."
"Oh?" Starscream wondered, "A Britannian Prince is asking for help? Are you certain you're related to that wretched Cornelia?"
"How dare…!" Bartley was about to protest, but the second prince raised his hand to prevent any outbursts.
"I understand how you may feel, Commander Starscream," Schneizel continued, "My sister does have a strong sense of pride. But I would thank you not to compare all of us. My team and I have located an unusual find, and we've been unable to find anything worth value with our resources. However, given how the Decepticons have more advanced resources, it would make sense to ask for help. Wouldn't you agree?"
An intrigued look fell on Starscream's face, "Very well. Provide me the coordinates and I shall assemble my Decepticons and meet you there."
"Of course, I thank you," Schneizel gave a bow, "Sir Weinberg, Lady Alstreim, Lady Krushevsky, I would ask that you please continue your search for my sister as well as Sir Kururugi and Lady Enneagram."
The Prime Minister began to walk away with Bartley.
"Yes, leave it to Cecile. It's so hard to find test pilots like that young man, especially after yesterday's exploits," Lloyd said as he joined them.
"Hold on a minute, did you know Suzaku would be there?" Monica questioned as she, Gino, and Anya stood up, "Did the prince order him to be killed?! Along with Nonette and Princess Euphemia?!"
"Silence!" Bartley warned, "Not even Knights of the Round should question royalty!"
Despite that, however, Schneizel chose to answer, "Those orders were indeed mine, Lady Krushevsky, I also fired the Hadron. Though I wasn't aware Euphemia and Lady Enneagram would be present as well, that's no excuse. Even in a situation like that, priorities mustn't be forgotten. The Empire currently faces arguably its most dangerous adversaries. I saw an opportunity to eliminate their leadership and I chose to take it. Besides, if something anomalous happened, we would have been unable to rescue any of them, that's what I gambled on."
"I see…" Monica seemed to accept that response as she shared a concerned glance with Gino and Anya, "I'm sorry I spoke out of turn…"
"No, you were worried for your friends as well as the third Princess," Schneizel replied, "It's my fault for not protecting my subordinates or even my sister. Can you ever forgive me?"
Those were the last words he said before leaving with Bartley and Lloyd.
Starscream followed suit as he jumped out the hangar doors before transforming and flying away. However, despite the tone Schneizel carried, Starscream was able to recognize something of an ambitious undertone in the second prince's voice. And it reminded him of his own. Needless to say, Starscream was rather intrigued. Though both Cornelia and Euphemia drove him up the wall, perhaps this Schneizel could be useful.
At the same time, a Groundbridge portal had opened up on a large hilltop on Shikine Island, allowing Megatron and Soundwave to step outside as they stood at the top of a cliffside to oversee the area where the action had taken place the previous day.
"So, this is where it happened?" the leader of the Decepticons asked his silent comrade, who nodded in response, "And you're unable to get a fix on Dreadwing's signal? Or even from the badge we gave Kururugi?"
Soundwave shook his head. Though he quickly deployed Laserbeak which began to hover over and scan the area, the readings were brought up on his visor which he showed Megatron.
"An unusual energy signature…" the Decepticon leader noticed, "And yet… it seems rather familiar, based on Shockwave's findings."
"So, you finally stepped out into the open."
Both the master of the Decepticons and the silent surveillance chief turned around to see a familiar-looking boy approach them with a smirk on his face.
"The high and mighty Megatron finally makes his appearance," V.V. remarked in a snarky tone, "It's been quite some time, hasn't it?"
"Victor," Megatron observed with minor surprise, "Back from the dead? Not a day older from the looks of it."
"I finally got your attention," the immortal boy maintained an unyielding presence, "All it took was the sudden disappearance of your enemy."
"So, you're aware of what has transpired?"
The Code-Bearer smirked, believing he had him right where he wanted him, "More than that, I know where Optimus Prime is. And not just him, but even one of his most beloved Autobots, two elite Black Knights, that annoying Zero, and even two of your favorite soldiers, Suzaku and Dreadwing. I know exactly where they are."
Megatron glanced at Soundwave who checked over V.V.'s voice through his recordings and saw that there was no deception indicated. He was telling the truth.
"I imagine you have a lot of questions, Megatron. And I'd be willing to answer some of them. But you have to do something for me."
"Is that so?" Megatron's eyes narrowed, for he'd see this kind of look from the more...treacherous kind of people.
"Yes. If you do one little favor for me, I'll give you Optimus, Zero, and a small handful of your enemies, as well as the locations of two of your favorite soldiers. You'll finally have a chance to rid this universe of your greatest enemy. I just want a small favor from you, that's all. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"
The immortal boy had it all figured out, 'He knows nothing of Geass, so seeing me as young as before is enough to keep him perplexed and get his attention. And since I'm the only one who knows where his 'beloved nemesis' is, he'll have no choice but to listen to me. I'll use his resources to grab C.C. and use the Thought Elevator to teleport both of us back to the Geass Order where Charles, myself, and that traitor can finally begin Ragnarok. He has no way of tracing the Order , we saw to it.'
His smirk only grew.
'Now that I know the location of Optimus and Lelouch, he's putty in my..."
"...HUH?!"
His thoughts were interrupted by a purple flash. The Decepticon leader did something that V.V. could not have expected; aiming his fusion cannon and firing on the immortal boy, reducing him to a charred heap of burnt skin and mangled bones.
"Code R's experiments indicated that the immortal known as C.C. is hundreds of years old and is unable to age, correct?" Megatron asked Soundwave, who only nodded in response, "Contact Shockwave. Tell him to meet me on the Nemesis immediately. I have a special project in mind for him."
He reached his hand at the now-reforming heap, carrying them with him back to the Nemesis.
Meanwhile, back on the mysterious island, Euphemia had removed her clothes that had been soaking wet as she allowed them to dry in the sun. Lelouch had provided his cape to her to gain some form of cover as he sat on the rock behind her, with Optimus next to him.
"When did you figure it out?" he asked her.
"Back during the hotel jacking," Euphemia answered, "Somehow… I just knew. But I wasn't one-hundred percent sure till now."
"I see… I guess I should be saying thanks for not telling anyone," Lelouch replied.
"Euphemia, if I may," Optimus spoke, "Why haven't you told anyone?"
The young princess was slightly startled at Optimus' addressing her, but not because she was intimidated. There was something in the tone of his voice that indicated he was speaking to her as an equal, and not talking down to her like what most Decepticons have done. Even though she only met him, hearing the voice of Optimus Prime made her feel relaxed and safe, even as she gave her answer.
"For one, Cornelia doesn't usually listen to me. Besides that, I think things are depressing enough as they are," Euphemia then addressed her brother, "Lelouch… is Nunnally…?"
"She's living with me, but she's still blind and crippled," Lelouch answered.
"Does she know about you? About you being Zero and… with the Autobots?"
The former prince grimaced, "No, not yet. I've been wanting to tell her, but something always seems to get in the way. It's starting to become rather annoying."
"Lelouch I… I'm so sorry…"
Lelouch asked as he craned his head back in her direction, "Sorry for what?"
Tears began forming in her eyes, "…For so much… for everything. For what happened to Nunnally… your mother… your exile… all of it! The hatred you must feel for us…"
"For our father, not for you," Lelouch quickly said, surprising Euphemia as even Optimus raised a curious eyebrow, "Even after Nunnally and I were exiled, I never hated you Euphie, not once. But, after seeing how much Clovis and Cornelia had changed, I admit I was scared… scared that you weren't the same person I remember. When I saw what you did in the hotel jacking, standing up to the terrorists to defend the weak… I felt so relieved, knowing that you were that same girl I used to play all the time with."
Though she couldn't see it, Lelouch smiled at his half-sister, "You're still my sister Euphie, and I love you."
The princess could not contain her tears of joy as they fell down her eyes almost like a waterfall, "Oh Lelouch…!"
Optimus Prime couldn't help but smile as well. He had heard from Lelouch how close he and Euphemia were in their childhood and was pleased to see how easily the two were able to mend their bond.
"Optimus Prime…" Euphie tried to wipe her eyes as she glanced in his direction, though her emotional smile was still present on her face, "Thank you so much for looking after my brother…!"
"Of course," Optimus nodded with an assuring smile.
Lelouch himself smiled at this small exchange. A part of him had hoped Euphie would take a liking to Optimus. He was a true father figure to him, and he hoped he could be one for her. A father that she deserved, unlike their biological father.
Euphie's stomach gave a light groan, causing her to blush in embarrassment, "I believe feeling relieved has made me hungry."
Several fish on sticks hung over the fire that Rai had made as he, Bumblebee, and the imprisoned Nonette sat around it, the fish already appeared nice and crisp.
"Hmm, looks about ready," Rai commented.
"[I could have caught some fish, if you wanted,]" Bumblebee offered.
"Really?" the Wrecker offered a smirk to the yellow Autobot, "Fish get scared at the sight of a human. How are they gonna handle a giant robot who's about ten times the size?"
"[Point taken,]" Bumblebee nodded as he saw Rai bite down on the fish.
The white-haired Black Knight looked at Nonette briefly before he sighed. He offered a separate fish on a stick to her.
"Here, have a bite."
She looked up in surprise.
"What? Can't have a starving prisoner. I'm not a Britannian soldier."
Despite the subtle insult, Nonette smiled as she bit down on the fish Rai held in front of her. He wasn't planning on untying her.
"Hmm, not bad."
"Sorry, but being stranded on a small island isn't exactly five-star restaurant material," Rai joked slightly, causing Nonette to snicker.
"I always hate those places anyway. They're so stuck-up," she responded, "I would be fine with just a plain grilled cheese sandwich."
"Hmm, a Knight of the Round who's okay with 'commoner food'. Never thought I'd see the day."
Nonette gave a small sigh with a smile.
"So, his name's Bee?" she asked, referring to the Autobot.
"Bumblebee, and yeah," Rai smiled fades.
"Why does he only speak in bleep?"
"That's personal."
Nonette looked away, "Sorry."
At the same time, Suzaku had managed to pull some fish out of the pond he was at.
"Impressive," Dreadwing noted as he sat close to the bound Kallen to keep an eye on her, "You have some experience, don't you?"
"It's a lot easier than it looks," Suzaku said before turning to their captive, "Hey Kallen, if I let you lose, will you help me find some food?"
Kallen said nothing as she turned away with a scowl.
"I believe that is a 'no'," Dreadwing told his young friend, causing Suzaku to shake his head with a sigh.
However, Kallen looked in minor surprise as she heard some foliage move and saw a deer sticking its head out.
Dreadwing had also noticed the animal's presence, "Suzaku, there is wildlife here."
Suzaku saw the animal, "It's a deer. They're not usually island animals so it's a little weird."
The animal ducked its head and turned back into the forest.
"I can fetch it for you," Dreadwing stood up.
"No, it's fine. Let it go. We've got plenty of fish in here," Suzaku said as he continued to search for more fish, all while Kallen couldn't help but look in the direction the deer ran off into.
The deer had made it quite the distance away from Suzaku, Dreadwing, and Kallen as it came to a stop in the middle of the forest to eat some plants off the ground. However, its ears twitched as it heard some branches snapping around it. A large shadow loomed over the smaller animal, by the time it turned its head it was already too late. With a sudden slash, blood scattered all across the ground.
Meanwhile, Lelouch and Euphemia, now fully clothed, were both in the forest, Optimus was still at the beach as Lelouch used a log to try and dig a pitfall trap with Euphemia holding his cape.
"If you want… I'm sure Optimus can…?" Euphemia asked her half-brother.
"He's far too big…. He'll scare the animals away!" Lelouch muttered as he dropped the log, having dug a small pit already. He took the time to catch his breath.
"Maybe I can help," Euphemia offered.
"Manual… labor isn't… fit for a… royal prince… don't worry…." the sweaty Lelouch said in-between breaths, "My method's… perfect…"
Euphemia was about to walk away, "Well I suppose, I could go and search for something like fruit,"
"Don't go off too far, Euphie…" Lelouch said, taking a moment to rest.
"Right," Euphie smiled as she walked deeper into the forest.
As the pink-haired royal searched for some fruit, she still couldn't contain the joy that had filled her heart. After so many years, she was finally back with her dear brother, for whom she cried after his supposed death for weeks. But now he was here and in the care of someone truly strong and caring. Though it was the first time meeting him, one look in Optimus' eyes and she could tell he was someone she could trust completely, in stark contrast to many of the Decepticons she'd met so far.
Her thoughts were brought to a halt as she found a branch with some fruit hanging from some branches, "Oh, these look promising."
She reached out to pick some. But when she pulled on the branch, she noticed something odd behind the branches, but she couldn't quite make it out. When she pulled the branches out of the way to get a clear view, she gasped and screamed in horror as she saw the decapitated head of a deer, blood splattered all over the place.
Euphie quickly ran out of the forest and made it back to the beach, right toward Optimus who turned around to look in surprise and concern at the sight of her frightened expression.
"Is something wrong?" the Autobot leader asked as even Lelouch ran out, having heard her scream as well.
"There's… something out there….?" Euphemia stuttered, still not over her shock, "A deer…. Only its head… I…"
"Euphie," Lelouch put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down, "It's okay, just breathe."
He gave a deep breath of his own for emphasis. One look in her brother's eyes was enough to calm her slightly as she took a deep breath to calm herself further.
"Alright, what did you see?"
"I saw… a severed deer head. There was… blood everywhere…"
"Maybe a wild predator," Lelouch assumed, "I think you should stay with us for the time being. Don't wander off again, alright?"
Euphie nodded, "Alright."
The Nemesis
V.V.'s eyes flickered open as a light shined over him.
"Wakey, wakey."
His eyes shot open as he saw the Mini-Cons Rumble and Frenzy standing over him. V.V. had found himself strapped on an interrogation table built for Mini-Cons in the laboratory of the Decepticon warship. He struggled, but the energy bindings on his wrists wouldn't budge. He tried to use his powers with his Code to teleport away, only to feel that his connection was lost; out of range of all the Thought Elevators.
"Slept well, little Victor?" Frenzy teased, "Have a nice dream?"
"Good, because you just woke up into a nightmare," Rumble laughed.
V.V. glanced upward to see Megatron enter the laboratory with Soundwave and Shockwave by his side, "Megatron! What is the meaning of this?! How dare you attack me?!"
Megatron chuckled, "You know, you have no right to speak to me in such a tone after your grand deception. Charles had told me that you had died many years ago, and yet now here you are, not only alive but the same age as you were back then. Even more so, your body was utterly destroyed by my attack, and all injuries have healed without even the tiniest of scars. Am I correct to assume you possess the same immortality as the one you call C.C.?"
V.V.'s eyes widened in shock, "How… how do you…?"
"It would seem that the late Prince Clovis had a secret project of his own dedicated to the study of the immortal," Shockwave explained as Soundwave's visor showed the pictures and data gathered from Code R, "Clovis intended to use her abilities as a means to secure the throne for himself. Although seeing how Clovis was among Charles' least intelligent offspring, at least compared to the likes of Lelouch and Schneizel, it makes me wonder how Charles was unaware of this. Or perhaps, he was always aware and chose not to act. But that leaves one prudent question: why? Why did he not intervene in his son's treacherous affairs? It seems highly illogical. Could it be because he didn't wish the potential exposure of his conspiracies regarding the power of Geass?"
The immortal boy gasped, "I… I don't know what you're talking about…"
The Decepticon leader cut him off, "Oh, I think you do, seeing how you've just recovered from an extremely fatal shot. So, allow me to venture. You and Charles have been plotting behind my back, attempting to use the power of Geass for your ends. You knew of C.C. from the beginning, didn't you? And have done everything you could to hide it from me."
"No. I don't know what you're…"
Megatron, deeply enraged, blasted a hole in the nearby wall with his fusion cannon, silencing V.V., "DO NOT TAKE ME FOR A FOOL, VICTOR ZI BRITANNIA! I've been growing wise to you and your brother's transgressions for some time now. From what I can gather, those who are immortal can grant the power of Geass to others. C.C. has no doubt granted it to Zero, also known as Lelouch Vi Britannia ."
V.V. gasped.
"Yes, I've been aware of his identity from the beginning. It would be wise not to underestimate Soundwave's analytical abilities. And seeing how I remember how close you and Charles were in the past, I can only assume that you've given him a Geass ability as well. But I doubt it was simply him. You must have granted it to many individuals, perhaps as your men-at-arms to do as you see fit, acting in the shadows and carrying out whatever schemes you have planned behind my back."
V.V. couldn't believe it. It sounded as if Megatron had already known almost everything, "How… how could… you have known all this…? Charles and I… we covered all our tracks. There was no way you could have…"
"C.C. had given her Geass to an individual before she came into contact with Zero and the Autobots," the Decepticon scientist added, "It was this individual that had brought the concept of Geass to our attention."
"And you seem to have quite a bit in common with that individual, my dear Victor," Megatron continued, "You were about as arrogant as he was when he approached me. He believed that with his ability he could find a way to persuade me to assist him, and it seems that was your intent as well. Unfortunately for you, I've had experience with those types of individuals long before I came to Earth. I had suspected you were secretly alive and would have found you eventually, but it seems you've saved me the trouble."
Megatron loomed directly over V.V. so the immortal boy could look into his soul-piercing red optics.
"Now Victor, you will tell me everything you and Charles have been up to."
The immortal boy mustered whatever confidence he had left, "There is nothing you can do that will make me betray my brother."
Megatron turned to his scientist, "I wouldn't be so certain. Shockwave is quite adept at extracting information from his 'patients'."
Shockwave knew what his leader was implying and had mixed thoughts about it, "Lord Megatron, the Cortical Psychic Patch was designed to be used for Cybertronians. It has never been tested on an organic specimen. It is highly unlikely he will survive the process."
"Then it's a good thing he is immortal, wouldn't you agree, Victor?"
That one statement from his former mentor made V.V. sweat a little bit before Megatron turned back to Shockwave.
"Feel free to use whatever methods you wish. Test as many times as you need to and take as much time as you require. Kill him repeatedly if you have to. We'll at least learn the limits of his immortality."
"As you wish, Lord Megatron."
Shockwave picked up a cord, attaching one end to the back of his head as the other end surged with electricity as the one-eyed mad scientist approached the immortal who began to experience an emotion he had never felt in a very long time: fear.
The Ark
What happened yesterday was beyond perplexing for both the Black Knights and the Autobots. Though they all made it back in one piece, while also recovering both the Guren MK II and the Gekka-Preproduction; Optimus, Zero, Bumblebee, Rai, and Kallen had vanished completely and they were unable to find any of them.
"You still haven't found them?" Ohgi asked Ratchet as he, Shirley, Tamaki, Tohdoh, Kaguya, along with Bulkhead, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Wheeljack, and Ironhide were all on the bridge as Ratchet and Fixit continued to scan the area from the Bridge's controls.
"No," Ratchet shook his head, "Optimus and Bumblebee's signals have not popped up since yesterday."
"What could have happened though? It's not like they all just vanished into thin air," Shirley said, sounding more than a little worried; a feeling that was shared by every human and Bot present.
"Maybe another Groundbridge?" Tohdoh suggested, "Is it possible they were captured by the enemy?"
"Unlikely," Fixit commented, "We would have detected another Groundbridge signal had it appeared in that area."
"Well, they didn't just disappear," Arcee said, "They had to be taken somewhere!"
"Maybe they just wound up on one of the other islands nearby," Tamaki thought.
"We've scanned the entire area and there is no sign of any Autobot signals," Ratchet responded.
"What could have happened to them?" Wheeljack wondered, "You don't suppose they might have bought it, right?"
"No freaking way!" Tamaki exclaimed, "No way our top guns could kick the bucket so easily!"
"That's right," Ironhide agreed, "If Lelouch or Optimus were killed, Britannia would have already made a statement. The fact they haven't done so shows that they haven't even found any remains."
"So, they might still be okay?" Shirley pondered,
"I have no doubt," Cliffjumper remarked, determined, "Look who we're talking about here. Kallen and Rai are our top pilots, Bee's the best scout there is, and Lelouch and Optimus need no further explanation. I'm sure they can handle themselves no matter what trouble they find themselves in."
"But it's not just them that vanished, right?" Kaguya asked.
"That is correct," Fixit confirmed, "Britannia's military channels have indicated Suzaku, Dreadwing, Nonette Enneagram, and even Euphemia have all vanished. Britannia's military personnel, led by Second Prince Schneizel El Britannia as well as Starscream are leading the church… birch… search!"
"Which means we can't just go looking for our comrades blindly," Tohdoh said, "Not with so many enemies combing the area."
"But what happens if the bad guys find our friends?" Bulkhead questioned, "Or that our pals, Suzaku, Dreadwing, and their pals ended up with their friends?"
"If that's the case our friends outnumber them. They should be fine," Wheeljack replied.
"Still, it gets to me that we can't do anything to find them," Arcee said.
"We may not have a choice in the matter, Arcee. Not with our current circumstances," Ratchet told her.
"Okay, how about this?" Ohgi suggested, "We wait twenty-four hours. If we don't hear a response from them, we go looking ourselves. But we use stealth and try to avoid drawing attention. How does that sound?"
Ironhide, Ratchet, and Tohdoh shared expressions as this seemed like a good idea.
"Alright," Tohdoh nodded.
"Yeah, that's a good plan," Ironhide agreed.
"So, there's nothing else we can do?" Shirley asked.
"Sorry Shirley, but not at the moment," Kaguya told her, causing the brunette to look down.
Ratchet then turned around to look at the monitor, 'Optimus, where are you?'
The sun had slowly begun to set as Lelouch, Euphemia, and Optimus Prime sat together on the beach of the mysterious island.
"What's wrong, Lelouch? They're quite tasty," Euphemia said as he had gathered much fruit for herself and her half-brother, and while Lelouch was glad to have some food, he felt a tad bad that she was the one who got them food when he wasn't able to gather any.
She looked upward to the Autobot that sat with him, "I'm sorry I couldn't find anything for you, Optimus. You know, now that I think about it, I'm not even sure what Cybertronians eat."
"We don't ingest food the way humans do," Optimus explained, "Energon is often our means of preservation and sustention."
An intrigued look fell on Euphemia's face, "Well, I'd be very interested to know how that works. There's a lot I'd like to know about Cybertronians."
Her face fell into something of conflict and dismay, "The ones that…. I've been around lately… aren't exactly the type I want to make small-talk with."
Both Optimus and Lelouch grimaced, before the Black Knights' leader queried, "Let me ask you something Euphie. Seeing as how you've interacted with some of the Decepticons, were you by any chance in contact with their leader, Megatron?"
Euphie stopped moving just at the mere mention of that name and hesitated before answering, "I've… spoken to him only a few times."
"Seeing how you've been so close with him, how do you feel?"
"Well, he certainly is strong. Incredibly versatile, not to mention a competent strategist, I even think he might even give our brother Schneizel a challenge if they were to play a game of chess…"
"No, I mean how do you feel when you're around him?" Lelouch clarified.
"Truthfully?"
Lelouch nodded at that.
"He terrifies me."
Both Lelouch and Optimus were not surprised to hear that.
"Not just how… intimidating he is in appearance… Lelouch, you remember how your mother and Schneizel once said how eyes are like the windows to the soul? Well, when I first looked into his eyes… I didn't see a soul. There was just… nothing. As if…"
"As if you were looking into the eyes of the devil?" Lelouch finished.
Euphemia gave a small nod.
"Euphemia, you have good instincts," Optimus told her, "If Megatron ever did have a soul, he has long since abandoned it."
Meanwhile, on a separate beach, night had fallen as Dreadwing, Suzaku and the imprisoned Kallen sat down near a campfire as the redhead leaned back with a content sigh having eaten a great deal of the food that Suzaku had fished for them.
"Can't eat another bite. Boy, am I stuffed."
"So, is this a glimpse of what you're really like?" Suzaku asked.
Kallen shot him an indifferent look, "Yeah, you wanna make something of it?"
"No, I think it's charming to see you so much livelier than you are at school," Suzaku said, causing Kallen to look away.
"What about you?" the Black Knight asked him, "You act all nice and sociable at school. But when you're with the Cons, you're probably every bit the warmonger your master is, right?!"
"I would appreciate it if you did not speak about Lord Megatron in such regard," Dreadwing advised.
"What? I'm not allowed to express how I feel?!" the Black Knight questioned, "If you want me to shut up, then you can just execute me and get it over with!"
"No, I will not terminate an unarmed prisoner," Dreadwing responded, resulting in Kallen scowling as she looked further away.
Suzaku sighed before he spoke, "Kallen, leave the Black Knights and the Autobots."
"Forget it!" Kallen yelled immediately, "You want me to abandon my friends?! Well, that's not happening! You have no idea what they've all done for me! They gave me a chance to take a stand and fight for what's right! Zero even saved my mother's life!"
"What?" Suzaku voiced in such surprise, that even Dreadwing was caught off-guard, "He did?"
"You think he's a terrorist, but you couldn't be further from the truth!" Kallen continued, "He gave me hope. They all did! They showed me how I can use my skills to fight monsters like Britannia and the Decepticons! I've kicked even your ass in my Knightmare!"
"Are you that red one?" Suzaku asked, taking a guess based on the color of Kallen's pilot suit.
"Damn right! I've even totaled more than a few Cons, like your BFF Airachnid!"
"Airachnid and I are not friends!" Suzaku quickly said, "I honestly don't want anything to do with her!"
"Yet you and Breakdown teamed up with her during that whole mess over the Polarity Gauntlet!"
"We had orders to retrieve that weapon," the Honorary Britannian replied, "I couldn't let it fall into the hands of the enemy…"
"So, you teamed up with a goddamn serial killer to do it?!" Kallen yelled, "At first, I didn't think you were so bad, till I found out how much of a hypocrite you are!"
"Hypocrite?!" Suzaku exclaimed.
"Yeah, you heard me! You keep acting like you have the moral high ground, even though you willingly joined the fascist Britannia and became Megatron's personal attack dog! So, what did Megatron do to buy your loyalty?! Money?! Power?!"
"I didn't… I…" Suzaku tried to come up with an argument.
"Lord Megatron does not bribe his subordinates, and he did nothing to coerce Suzaku," the Seeker spoke in a calm yet assertive tone, "It was his choice to join our ranks."
"Oh, quit acting so high and mighty! I know what you guys are!" Kallen yelled at Dreadwing, "You're monsters! A den of murderers, butchers, backstabbers, and psychopaths who didn't bat an eye at even destroying their own home!"
"We did not destroy Cybertron!" Dreadwing stated, partially losing his composure, "We did everything we could to save it! That was the very reason Megatron formed the Decepticons, to wipe away the corruption that had spread throughout our society and restore the Golden Age! I regret what has befallen our planet, but that was not our intent!"
"So what?! You're gonna tell me Optimus did it?!" the Guren's pilot continued to argue, "That he's some kind of murderer?! Well, I'm gonna tell you right now that he isn't! Optimus Prime is one of the most honorable and courageous people I've ever met in my entire life! He's been nothing short of a father to me!"
That took Suzaku by surprise, almost as if Kallen grew a second head, "He's a father to you?!"
"Damn right, he is! Many of the Black Knights and the Autobots feel like family to me! I will never betray them! I lost my brother to Britannia's hands, I'll be damned if I let them or the Decepticons take any more from me!"
Dreadwing slightly lightened up in honest surprise at the mention of her sibling, "You've lost your brother?"
The Guren's pilot scoffed, "Go ahead and laugh at me. Go ahead and call my cause weak and trivial. Tell me that my brother deserved to die just because he was helping the weak! Mock his memory! Airachnid and Starscream certainly would. I don't care what you people think!"
Dreadwing's expression became sympathetic, "I will never mock someone who has lost their sibling because I have lost a brother as well."
Kallen honestly did not expect to hear that.
"What?" Suzaku looked toward Dreadwing in sympathy as he spoke.
"My twin Skyquake perished during the War for Cybertron. We joined the cause because we both believed in what Lord Megatron strived for. You use your brother's death as motivation to help drive you for your cause, just as I do. You wish to avenge him and preserve his memory, as I do as well. Even though we may be on opposite sides, Kallen Kozuki, I believe I understand your reasons to fight, and you have my honest sympathies."
"Lucky me," Kallen sarcastically uttered before glancing at Suzaku, "Something you wanna say?"
"Kallen, I'm sorry about your brother. I am…"
"Oh please, like you care about family! Sympathies for the loss of a family member don't mean much when they're from the person who killed his father!"
Suzaku gasped as his pupils shook, and Dreadwing was left completely stunned as he gasped at his shocked companion.
At the same time, on a separate beach, Rai and the imprisoned Nonette had finished off their food as they sat with Bumblebee on the sandy ground.
Rai tried to suppress a small burp, "Excuse me."
However, both he and Bumblebee were caught off guard by Nonette who gave an even louder burp.
"Did you… just burp?" Rai questioned.
"What? A Knight of the Round isn't allowed to do that?" she asked with a half-smirk.
"Well, you guys are like pseudo-royalty, trying so hard to look nice, while hiding just how rotten you guys are."
Nonette's smile faded, "You utterly hate Britannia? Can't say I blame you given what happened…"
"It's kinda hard not to hate Britannia considering it's mostly filled with narcissistic warmongers. Not to mention it's become even worse since the Cons joined up with you."
"Okay, that much I can agree with. From what I've seen, the Decepticons aren't ones that I would consider trustworthy, except for Dreadwing."
The Wrecker scoffed, "If you know they're so bad, why are you still working with them?"
"Not my choice, not my call. The Emperor's orders…"
Rai threw his arms out in exasperation, "Of course! Who else but a psychopath would work with another psycho?! I swear if I ever see that bastard, I'm gonna kill him myself if Zero doesn't get the chance to!"
Nonette looked toward Rai in minor surprise, "You… you don't remember, do you?"
That got Rai's attention as well as Bumblebee's, "What was it you called me again?"
" Kaizaren," Bumblebee's radio played Nonette's recorded voice.
"What the heck does that even mean, anyway?"
"It's your name."
"My name is Rai."
"[I don't wanna sound rude, but that was the name you gave yourself. Remember? You don't know your birth name.]"
"Maybe… but Kaizaren doesn't ring any bells."
Rai then looked at the Knight of the Round, "Well Ms. Knight of Nine, since you know so much about me, tell me who I am. I'm just dying to know!"
Nonette looked down with a sorrowful expression, knowing he'd probably regret learning this, "Your real name is… Kaizaren Von Britannia…."
Rai almost fell back as his eyes widened to the point that they were almost circular, and even Bumblebee's optics shook in shock.
"[Say what?!]" Bumblebee bleeped.
"Von… Britannia…?" Rai had a pretty good idea what that part of his so-called name meant, but he had hoped beyond hope that it wasn't true.
"Your father's name is… Charles Zi Britannia."
It was nighttime as Lelouch had set his cape down on the ground for Euphemia to lay on as he sat on a rock with Optimus sitting on the ground close to him, all three happened to gaze up at the starry night that lay above them.
"The stars haven't changed, have they?" Euphemia asked, mostly to her brother, "They were the same back then."
She and Lelouch both remembered how they, Nunnally, and even Marianne used to lay on the ground and watch the stars the same way.
"Were the stars like this? On Cybertron, I mean?"
Optimus gazed up reminiscently before answering, "Perhaps not the same, but yes… there were nights much like this when those I considered friends and myself would gaze up at them with hope."
He did this many times before with the likes of Alpha Trion, Ratchet, Ironhide, and even Elita-1 before the war and even a few times during the war with Bumblebee and his fellow soldiers. He even stood alongside Megatron at a time before they were sworn enemies.
"What exactly happened?" Euphemia asked, "I've heard some bits and pieces from Dreadwing and even what Suzaku had told me from Megatron's words. But… I want to hear yours, Optimus. Why was there a war? How did Cybertron…? If it's not too much trouble, of course, I just…"
"It's quite alright," the Autobot leader assured, "If you wish to know, I will tell you."
She gave Optimus her undivided attention as even Lelouch listened. He heard the gist of what had happened and even knew a bit of Optimus' history with Megatron, but now, it would seem he would learn some of the details.
"Before the war broke out, Cybertron was divided by a caste system that was not too dissimilar from the one Britannia has implemented on this world. There were those among the privileged high-class, and those among the lower class, often designated as workers such as miners, construction, and other similar designations. Soon, corruption began to spread among the masses as a result of this inequality. Those in the higher class viewed themselves as superior to those in the lower class."
' Definitely sounds familiar,' Lelouch thought as he continued to listen.
"Back then, I went under a different name. I was called Orion Pax. I served as an archivist in the halls of Iacon, the capital of Cybertron. As I learned more about the past Golden Age, I became more concerned with the growing corruption and I sought to find a solution. I would soon be joined in this endeavor by a gladiator who had named himself after one of the original Primes: Megatronus."
That caught Lelouch and Euphemia's attention as that name sounded so much like another one they knew all too well, it didn't take a genius to figure out who this 'Megatronus' was.
"Megatronus had vowed to challenge the current leadership of Cybertron, demanding all Cybertronians be treated as equals. His words and actions rapidly gathered a loyal following, and I was among them. He and I worked together for many years, hoping to bring about a new Golden Age where we would all live in peace, at least that was my hope. As he left the gladiatorial arena for the political, he saw fit to shorten his name. It wasn't long before Megatron approached the High Council, those who had the power to select the Prime, the leader of our planet, and proposed his vision for a just society. However, it is here that I believe he would begin to show his true intentions. He proclaimed to overthrow the current leader, Sentinel Zeta Prime, with brute force and demanded that he be named the next leader. Not requested, demanded it."
"Sounds like those were his true intentions," Lelouch commented, "He never really wanted peace, did he? He just wanted power."
"Megatron believed that power was the only way to obtain peace. But I did not. I proposed to the High Council a more peaceful solution, a way to change our current system without violence."
As Euphemia and Lelouch continued to listen, the latter couldn't help but recall some of Suzaku's words about changing Britannia, and a pit formed in his stomach a bit.
"The High Council agreed to my proposal and even opted to name me the next leader. However, Megatron was not in agreement. With his ambitions thwarted, he spitefully severed all ties with me and the Council, and would soon come to wage war through his growing army of followers which he named Decepticons."
"So… he started the war…?" Euphie asked in shock.
"Yes."
"But, if you were friends, didn't you try to stop him? Try to convince him to change his mind?" the Britannian princess asked.
"I did. Many times did I ask or even beg Megatron to stop the fighting. But he wouldn't listen and even requested that I would join his cause. I refused and he declared me his enemy as if those years we spent together as brothers-in-arms had meant nothing to him."
Lelouch looked to Optimus in sympathy, as did Euphemia, "I'm so sorry."
"The war had continued for many years, the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons remaining a bitter stalemate. That is until Megatron gained the power to control Dark Energon."
That took both half-siblings by surprise.
" Dark Energon?" Lelouch asked, "You never mentioned that before."
"I never felt there was a need."
"Energon is Sakuradite…" Euphemia recalled, "It serves as fuel, but… Dark Energon? What exactly is that?"
"For either of you to understand this, I feel you must understand how our species came about," Optimus began a new story, getting their attention.
"Before the beginning, at a time when the Universe was still in its infancy, there were two beings: Primus and Unicron. One is the incarnation of good, order, light, and creation. The other is that of evil, chaos, darkness, and destruction. Due to their opposite natures, these deity-like beings battled, the balance of power shifting between them more times than could be counted. Only by creating the Thirteen, the original Primes who preceded me was Primus finally able to defeat Unicron and cast him out. Primus became one with the core of our planet, creating life through the Well of All Sparks, his life essence becoming the substance that would be known as Energon. While Unicron himself was never heard from again, his spilled blood had fallen upon the surface of our planet, and just as Energon, the essence of Primus, brings life; the Blood of Unicron, also known as Dark Energon, brings destruction and death."
"So, would I be correct to assume that Primus and Unicron would be the equivalent of God and the Devil?" Lelouch asked.
"That is one way of looking at it, yes," Optimus nodded before continuing, "However, Megatron was somehow able to control Dark Energon, even though all thought such a thing would be impossible. With this powerful and destructive substance under his control, Megatron infused Dark Energon into our planet's core, believing he would control the will of Cybertron itself by doing so. But all he did was seal our planet's fate."
Euphemia gasped as she covered her mouth in shock, while Lelouch simply scowled.
"I journeyed to the core, alongside my fellow Autobots, Ironhide, and Warpath, hoping to reverse the effects. Only to find it was too late. However, I would soon find myself before the very spark of Primus himself. He told me that Cybertron could still survive, but the core would shut down for millions of years, during which Cybertron would be left cold and barren. However, before Primus would enter his slumber, he would pass onto me a portion of his spark: The Matrix of Leadership."
Optimus' chest plate opened to show the Matrix itself, its bright and brilliant, almost holy, light shined down on both Lelouch and Euphemia as they looked in awe.
"So long as the Matrix survives, so too will our home," the last of the Primes said as he closed his chest plate, "I've carried it with me ever since, with the hope that Cybertron could be restored to its former glory."
Both Lelouch and Euphemia looked to Optimus in absolute awe, any respect they had for him had increased exponentially. Yet, at the same time, a great deal of sorrow, or rage in Lelouch's case, had also filled their beings as they now understood completely what kind of being Megatron truly was.
"Optimus… I… I am so sorry…" Euphemia was almost brought to tears, "I can't believe someone… like that… could exist."
"Megatron is pure evil, Euphie," Lelouch told his half-sister, "I've known that before I heard this story. But now… If he didn't even shed a tear for the destruction of his own home, I shudder to think what he would do to ours."
"Yes, I also fear that if Megatron is not stopped, Earth may very well suffer the same fate as Cybertron," Optimus said in a grim tone.
Meanwhile, Suzaku was left in a state of shock, as was Dreadwing as he gazed down at Suzaku in surprise while Kallen continued to glare.
"How… how on Earth do you know that…?" the young Honorary Britannian stuttered.
"Tohdoh told me everything," Kallen scoffed, "And even then, I can't believe that he still wants to help you."
"Suzaku…" Dreadwing, for one of the few moments in his life, had no idea what to say, "Did… did you… kill your father…?"
"I… I didn't have a choice…" Suzaku tried, "He… He called for do-or-die resistance! Millions of people would have died… Japan would have…!"
"You didn't have a choice?!" the Black Knight burst out, "That's bullshit and you know it! You could have stabbed him in the leg or something! You didn't have to kill him! And now you're only using his death as an excuse! Just a stepping stone to get what you want!"
"My father made his own choice. Are you saying he was right in sending millions of people to die?!"
"That's not the point! Look, I wouldn't have agreed to something like that, but that's not what we're talking about here! You killed your father and you're blaming him for that, and it's not the only time! You chose to become a Britannian soldier! You chose to join the Decepticons! Quit acting like you didn't have a choice because you did !"
"I joined the Britannian military because I want to change the system! It's also the reason I joined the Decepticons because Megatron said…"
"And you believe him?! After he let that spider-bitch Airachnid back into his ranks after what she did?!"
Suzaku tried to muster a glare of his own, "Well perhaps we wouldn't have to go to such methods if you're side continues to fight!"
"It's always everybody else's fault and never yours, right Suzaku?! Ironhide was right about you. You cannot take responsibility for all the crap that you do in your life!"
"Responsibility?! You're lecturing me about responsibility?! Britannia is an Empire that controls one-third of the entire planet! Trying to get everybody to fight a force as powerful as that is only going to put innocent people in danger!"
"That's always something we tried to avoid! We never target civilians, even Britannians! Which is more than I can say for the likes of Britannia and the Cons! Clovis tried to massacre the entire Shinjuku ghetto. Cornelia tried the same thing in Saitama. Starscream used the hotel-jacking to draw us out so he could blow up the entire damn thing. And don't even get me started on what Airachnid did in the ghettos!"
Her already infuriated gaze shifted toward both Suzaku and Dreadwing, "Even if you two say you guys have a moral code, it doesn't mean much if you let your leaders continue to slaughter countless people to get what they want! Can you honestly look me in the eyes and say they were right to try and kill all those people?!"
"No, that is not what we are saying!" Dreadwing stated, "I agree that there are those, even on our side that have less than reputable approaches in certain situations."
"Keep preaching, you damn Con! I don't wanna hear your excuses, or yours, Suzaku!"
Kallen spoke to the Lancelot's pilot directly, "We're fighting to make this world a better place! Something that son of a bitch of an Emperor does not want to happen! The world is wrong. Zero, Optimus, all the Black Knights, and the Autobots, including me, are trying to change it!"
"If you want to change it so badly, you can stop fighting and propose a peaceful solution to us!" Suzaku argued, "But all you're doing is fighting, which leaves me no choice but to take a stand against you!"
"Are you even listening to yourself?! What am I some kind of comic book overlord controlling your mind!? You do have a choice, Suzaku! You've always had a choice! All the bad stuff you've done…. Killing your dad, attacking us, that was all you ! And by trying to blame us, you're just making yourself look like a pussy."
Suzaku was left completely floored, so much so that he couldn't come up with a proper argument. Dreadwing had a serious expression as there was a part of him that agreed with what Kallen said, a soldier must be willing to accept responsibility for the mistakes they've made.
Seeing how he wasn't giving a response, Kallen gave one final remark, "There is nothing you can say to me that will make me change my mind, Suzaku. I'm a Black Knight, a friend, and an ally to the Autobots. That will never change. I know what I'm fighting for. Do you?"
Rai could not believe the words that Nonette just spoke to him, even Bumblebee was left in a state of shock.
"No… that's not true…" Rai stuttered, "I can't be… you're lying… you have to be lying!"
"I'm not… I'm sorry, but it is the truth," Nonette confirmed, having a somber look on her face.
"That' can't be…" Rai said as he fell to his knees and held his head, "That monster… is my father?! How… why…?!"
"[Hold on a minute.There aren't any records of a Kaizaren Von Britannia. We researched the whole royal family, but the name Kaizaren doesn't pop up.]"
Rai's shocked look into a glare, "You know what? You're right, Bee."
"What did he say?"
"If you're telling the truth, then I should be a prince. Someone who's world-famous," the Wrecker stated as he narrowed his eyes at Nonette, "How come nobody has ever heard of 'Prince Kaizaren'?"
"Because the Emperor has never officially announced your existence or that of your sister."
Rai did not expect to hear that last word, even trying to look at Bumblebee at times, "Whoa, whoa, hold on! I have a sister?!"
" Had a sister. She… died…" Nonette looked away with a pained look in her eyes, "And, I thought you died too… but, that's what I don't get. Not that you're alive, but you look the same as you did seven years ago!"
"Seven years?"
"You were reported dead seven years ago, but you look the same! Still as young as you were back then! I don't get it!" Nonette stated that she seemed to have trouble trying to process all this.
Rai had heard enough of all this, "There's only one way for me to know if you're telling the truth."
Bumblebee looked at his friend in surprise, knowing what he meant, "[You're going to use your Geass?!]"
"I have to know."
Rai looked at Nonette, the Geass emblem flashing in both his eyes.
"Tell me who I am."
The minute his voice reached her ears, a red ring formed in both of Nonette's eyes as she gave her answer.
"Your name is Kaizaren Von Britannia."
"And my father's name?"
"Charles Zi Britannia."
A look of anger filled Rai's face, knowing she was speaking the truth, as it was impossible to lie under the effects of a Geass. With an angry yell, Rai slammed both his fists onto the sand, causing Bumblebee to look in sympathy. Taking a moment to calm down, however, Rai looked up at Nonette again, his Geass still active as he asked another question.
"Who's my mother?"
"Sakura Kururugi."
Neither Rai nor Bumblebee could have expected that.
"[Did she just say Kururugi?!]"
"As in…she's related to Suzaku…?"
"Yes, Suzaku's paternal aunt. The elder sister to Genbu Kururugi."
To say Rai and Bumblebee were surprised was an understatement, not only was he half-Japanese and half-Britannian, but he was also the half-brother to Lelouch and Nunnally, and Suzaku's cousin. However, something did not quite make sense.
"Why would the emperor, a man who encourages racism and war, marry a Japanese woman?"
"They did not marry. Charles and Sakura had an affair that was kept secret from both their families."
"Why though? Why have an affair with her in the first place?"
"I do not know."
"Tell me about my sister."
"Her name was Erina Von Britannia, your younger sister."
"How do you know about us?"
"Because I was assigned as your knight. I was among the select few who knew of you and your family's existence. I became your knight to protect you and your family."
"Where did we live?"
"In the area that was known as the Philippines, south of Japan."
"What happened to us?"
"When Japan was invaded, the Britannian forces also invaded the Philippine Islands at the same time. They were reported to have fought to the last man. Casualties were extreme, among those counted deceased included you, your sister, and your mother."
Rai narrowed his eyes, "Oh? Well if you were my knight, where were you when all that happened?!"
"I was called away on another mission by the Emperor to quell a dispute on the homeland. By the time the dispute was settled, I had learned of your deaths."
"How'd you take it?"
"I barged into the throne room and demanded the Emperor answer for his actions. In response, I was demoted."
"Then how'd you become a Knight of the Round, one of his elite? And why did you do it if you were angry with him?"
"I became a Knight of the Round by rising through the military. I chose to become one because I sought to expose the Emperor's darker nature to the rest of Britannia in an effort that the Empire would see him removed. By force if necessary."
If Rai and Bee weren't surprised before, they certainly were now.
"You… you would start a Britannian civil war?"
"I would avoid a war if necessary, but if there was no other alternative, then yes."
"Why?"
"To avenge you, and your sister, and mother. I was your knight, I swore to protect you, and I failed you. I hope that you can forgive me, but I understand if you can't."
Rai couldn't believe it, and neither could Bumblebee. A Knight of the Round was ready to strike against her emperor without hesitation?! Maybe she could be a potential ally. But it wouldn't be under the effects of a Geass, if he did that, he'd be no different from his so-called father or the Decepticons. With a sigh, Rai deactivated his Geass, freeing Nonette of the influence as the red ring vanished from her eyes.
She looked in confusion over what had just happened as Rai stood up, his hair covering his face as he walked away.
"Are… are you alright?" she asked him.
"No… I… I need to think…"
He walked behind the sitting Bumblebee, sat down, and lay against his back, placing a hand over his face. There was so much going through his head just now. He finally learned who he was and where he came from, but a part of him wished he hadn't. Yet there were still so many questions in his head, like how apparently, he hadn't aged in seven years. He knew he didn't have the same kind of Code abilities that V.V. or C.C. have. And the worst part was that he still had no memories of this. He didn't know what to think.
Bumblebee looked backward to cast a sympathetic glance toward Rai, honestly having no idea what to say to comfort or help him, no matter how much he wanted to. At the same time however, he had come to develop a sense of respect for Nonette, she appeared truly loyal to Rai, or Kaizaren anyway, evenly confessing she'd start a Britannian civil war just to avenge him. Maybe she could be an ally against both Britannia and the Decepticons. However, the yellow Autobot glanced upward in minor surprise as he saw lights shining from another area on the island up toward the clouds.
The Avalon had stationed itself near the center of the very same island our heroes and other individuals were stuck on. Schneizel was at the control center of his aircraft carrier with both General Bartley and Lloyd by his side.
"We couldn't find Major Kururugi or Lady Enneagram washed ashore on the other island, so we should look here," Schneizel said.
"But what about Dreadwing?" Lloyd asked, "Considering he's a flyer, wouldn't it make sense he'd already transported them away?"
"If that were the case, it's a wonder why they haven't attempted to make contact."
"We'll send a search party out in the morning," Bartley said.
"Speaking of contact, I don't think I've even been able to establish contact with anyone since we came to this little island," Lloyd said as he took out his cell phone, "I can't even call Cecile without receiving static on the other end."
"Yes, we are even unable to make short-range contact with our Knightmare pilots."
Schneizel and his two companions looked through the Avalon's screen to see a cave that was outside, right in front of the craft, "I do believe that this may be the cause."
"We uncovered it when the Shinjuku Incident occurred," Bartley answered, "Though we were able to contact outside forces when we discovered it. This blocked-contact situation is something entirely new."
"Hmm, interesting," the Britannian prince mused.
At the same time; Starscream was right outside the Avalon, along with Thundercracker, Skywarp, Knock Out, Breakdown, and several other Vehicons and even Britannian Sutherlands as they looked toward the cave.
Knock Out, along with Thundercracker scanned the exterior of the cave with their own devices, "Hmm, this seems to be the source of the jamming signal. It's radiating the same energy that was detected on Shikine when Dreadwing and everyone else vanished."
Thundercracker looked at his device, "Some form of teleportation, maybe? Not unlike Groundbridges, yet quite different. I've never seen an energy signature quite like this before."
Starscream glanced at the cave as he rubbed his fingers down his chin, "It would appear that there is more to this planet than I originally thought."
The Nemesis
It took longer than one had expected, but Shockwave was able to use the Cortical Physic Patch to extract all information from V.V.'s mind as he remained strapped to the Mini-con table in the laboratory. It was a rather grueling process as V.V. died exactly seventy-eight times, only to be revived immediately thanks to his own Code-Bearer abilities, and to undergo the same process again, dying each time, rather painfully.
Sometimes, his body exploded, sometimes it burst into flames, sometimes his internal organs melted, other times his nervous system was fried. But no matter what, he healed up almost instantly, allowing Megatron and Soundwave to observe the effects of his immortality and they seemed quite impressed; with the power, not with V.V. himself.
But it was finally done. The Cortical Psychic Patch's ability to work on humans manifested as Shockwave extracted every little piece of information V.V.'s mind held, the data presented to Megatron. The Lord of the Decepticons learned everything that Charles and V.V. were up to, including but not limited to, more information about Geass and all the Thought Elevators, more information regarding C.C., the contracts V.V. has made with others including Charles, even learning the emperor's ability to alter memories as he's ever done to his own family before. But what got Megatron's attention was Charles and V.V.'s endgame and how they had hoped to achieve it.
Megatron summed up with an evil chuckle, "Ragnarok. I never knew Charles was so ambitious… to come up with such a grand goal… and the plan on how to achieve it… how deceptive. It's a shame his dear brother has decided to act out against his wishes."
The leader cast a glance at V.V., who looked at him with fear-shaken eyes, "Perhaps I may have underestimated you and your brother, Victor. But not as drastically as you've underestimated me. You thought by teleporting Optimus, Lelouch, Suzaku, Dreadwing, and their allies to Kamine Island via the Thought Elevators, you would not only gain leverage over me but even trigger a trap that would enable Lelouch and Kaizaren to lose control of their Geass abilities, which you would turn to your advantage. Though I suppose that's more of a matter of underestimating Optimus and the influence he has on his allies. Regardless, you believed your immortality made you invincible, that you were the pinnacle of the power of Geass. But you have no idea what true power is! I have seen true power! And it makes even Geass look weak and insignificant by comparison! In the end, you are as you appear to be, just a spiteful child!"
Megatron then turns to his most faithful scientist, "Shockwave, monitor V.V. and see to it he is confined to the Nemesis, away from his Thought Elevators so he is unable to teleport himself away. I will make a final decision on what to do with him soon."
"As you wish, Lord Megatron," the cyclopean Decepticon bowed his head.
Utter dread spread throughout V.V.'s body, ' No…! It… it wasn't supposed to be like this…! Charles… I… I didn't mean for him to find out! It's… it's not my fault! It's not my fault!'
The next morning
Dreadwing and Suzaku escorted the bound Kallen in the direction they thought was a search party. However, what they didn't seem to notice was Kallen losing her wrists from the bounds that kept her hands bound.
"What makes you guys so sure it's A Britannian search party?" Kallen questioned them with a budding smirk, "What will you do if it's my people? You don't seem to have much of a winning streak against them, do you Suzaku?"
Suzaku's eyes twitched slightly, "If that's the case, we'll figure a way to deal with them."
"You should be more worried for yourself, Kallen Kozuki," Dreadwing told her, "If it's our forces, you may very well be a prisoner of war."
Kallen hid her smirk as she was almost free from her bonds, ' Not for long.'
At the same time, Bumblebee and Rai walked toward the same location along with Nonette as her hands were still tied behind her back, though she did not attempt to escape.
"Are you sure you saw a light?" Nonette asked.
"[Yeah, I'm positive.]"
"He said 'yes'," Rai translated.
Also, simultaneously, Optimus led both Lelouch and Euphemia in the same direction from a separate location.
"We should be nearing its location soon. Stay close to me," Optimus told both of them, "If it's our forces, we shouldn't have much to worry about."
"What if it's Britannia?" Lelouch asked.
"Then maybe I can do something," Euphemia suggested, "I may be the Sub-Viceroy, but I am still a princess."
The two revolutionary leaders shared a concerning look. It wasn't that Optimus or Lelouch doubted Euphemia, but more so they were worried that the Britannians or Decepticons would attack anyway and dismiss Euphemia as a 'casualty of war'.
Schneizel, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Lloyd, Knock Out, Breakdown, and General Bartley were now inside the cave they discovered, facing what appeared to be ancient glyphs on a massive stone door that was even twice as tall as the likes of Megatron.
However, there was also an empty Knightmare that stood out among all others seen thus far. It was by far the biggest, predominantly black with a gold secondary color, with two shoulder-mounted cannon-like devices.
"You say this is called a Thought Elevator?" Starscream mused.
"That's what we believe, yes," Schneizel confirmed.
"Doesn't seem like much of an elevator to me," Skywarp commented, "There's nothing here to move it."
"I doubt it's the same type of elevator," Knock Out said.
"But it does appear to be the source of this usual energy," Thundercracker noted as he scanned the glyphs.
"Well then, let's crack it open and see what's inside!" Breakdown readied his hammer.
"As much as I appreciate your straightforward thinking, Breakdown, I believe it would be best to find out what exactly it is first before we attempt to destroy it," Schneizel advised.
"He's got you there, big guy," Lloyd said causally, "But I'm afraid archeology isn't my strong suit, especially with all this paranormal stuff."
"Why you… show some respect!" Bartley growled.
"As I was saying, this is way outside of my field," Lloyd continued, "I wish you could have asked Cecile about this instead."
"But it is with my hope that the Gawain's Druid System will be able to analyze it," the Britannian prince said, referring to the large black Knightmare, "And that is why we called you in Lloyd."
"Ah ha!" the Knightmare scientist seemed more than a bit excited.
Starscream gave an annoyed groan, "Must you always be so annoying, Asplund?"
He then looked toward the Britannian prince below him, "And you say there are more of these things?"
"Yes, eight total; including this one," Schneizel confirmed, "My father seems infatuated with this as well, isn't that right, Bartley?"
"Oh, so the Emperor knows about this?" Knock Out asked.
"Eh, yes," Bartley confirmed, "Excluding this one, the remaining seven sights are directly under Imperial control."
"Coincidence?" Skywarp asked.
"Maybe not," Thundercracker theorized, "If the Emperor's interested in these, then maybe that's the reason Britannia is invading other countries."
"To get these elevator things?" the Decepticon brute asked, "Why not just call him up and ask him?"
"My father isn't one to give a straight answer. Besides, I'd rather not have him learn that I've taken an interest in these Thought Elevators, not without finding out exactly what they are capable of and how they can be used."
Starscream was able to get the underlying message in Schneizel's words as he turned to the prince with an intrigued look, "Ah, intending to go behind your father's back, are you?"
Schneizel only responded with a half-smile and a raised eyebrow, which was all the confirmation Starscream needed.
"I am no stranger to ambition."
Optimus, Lelouch, and Euphemia were about to make it into a clearing when the Autobot leader stopped.
"We should be careful going from this point," Optimus advised.
"So, does that mean our time together is over?" Euphie asked in a sad tone.
"Maybe for now…" Lelouch told his sister with a small smile, "But I'm sure we'll see each other again. I've been saving this just in case I were to run into you again…"
Lelouch reached into his pocket, pulled out a small phone-like device, and handed it to her, "This is a special communicator I made so we can talk in private without Britannia or the Decepticons listening in. But keep in mind Euphie, this is only for emergencies. We can't use it for small talk, do you understand?"
Despite that, Euphie couldn't help but smile as she held the device close to her person, "Yes, I understand."
She turned to the Autobot leader and bowed to him, "And Optimus, thank you again for looking out for Lelouch. I am so glad I got to know you."
Optimus smiled as well, "And I am glad to have met you as well, Princess Euphemia."
Euphie then had a serious look on her face, "And this why I promise that I'm going to do everything in my power to help you in your struggle against the Decepticons. Now that I know what they are, I refuse to let what happened to Cybertron happen to Earth."
"Is that why you made Suzaku your knight?" Lelouch asked her, "To get him away from them?"
"That is one of the reasons, yes," Euphie confirmed, "He's a good person, and I don't want a monster like Megatron to try and turn him into something he's not."
"You said that is one of the reasons," Optimus noted, "Might I ask what the other is?"
Euphie stuttered for a moment, "Well… you see… I…"
Lelouch however was able to see right through her as he smirked. "You like him, don't you?"
This caused Euphemia's face to blush, which was all the confirmation Lelouch needed as he chuckled, "Oh Euphie, all these years and you're still too easy to read."
Euphemia chuckled with her brother as Optimus had a heartwarming smile at their interactions. However, such a happy moment was brought to a halt as they all heard rustling in the woods across the clearing. Lelouch was quick to place his mask and cape back on as they all hid to see who it was that had approached on the other end of the clearing.
' Kallen?' Lelouch thought in surprise, 'With Suzaku and Dreadwing?!'
Euphie was the first to rush out, "Suzaku!"
This got the attention of Suzaku, Kallen, and Dreadwing.
"Princess Euphemia!?" Suzaku did not expect to see her here.
However, once Optimus and Zero stepped out, Dreadwing was the first to draw his massive cannon.
"Prime! Zero!" The Decepticon Seeker was ready to fight as Optimus primed his Energon blaster.
"Dreadwing, it's alright, stand down!" Euphemia walked forward, though her command was a shock to both himself and Suzaku, "They saved my life and have been taking care of me since I woke up here! They're not our enemies!"
"They… saved you…?!" Suzaku stuttered.
"Suzaku Kururugi, Dreadwing, I don't know how you two have ended up here, but I would appreciate it if you were to return our subordinate now." Zero requested, referring to Kallen.
"I don't think so!" Suzaku stated as he kept a firm grip on her arm.
However, he was taken by surprise by the sound of primed Energon blasters as he and Dreadwing looked to the side to see a certain scout aiming his weapons at the pair.
"[Better do what he says!]" Bumblebee advised.
"Bumblebee," Optimus noticed his friend's presence as well, as both he, Lelouch, and even Euphemia were shocked by who was with him.
"Rai…" Zero muttered in surprise.
"Nonette!" Euphie exclaimed.
The Knight of Nine did not expect to run in this kind of meeting, "Euphie? Suzaku?"
"Lady Enneagram and…" Suzaku's pupils shrunk at the sight of the young man next to her, "Rai?!"
The amnesiac Black Knight sighed as he addressed his friend, "Hey, Suzaku."
"You're…. you're a Black Knight too?!" Suzaku couldn't believe it as he looked in between Rai and Kallen with a shocked look on his face before glaring at Zero, "What did you do to them to make them join you!?"
Before Zero could give a response, Euphemia walked forward, "That's enough Suzaku. Let that woman go, and Dreadwing stand down."
"Princess Euphemia…!" Dreadwing was about to protest, but Euphie remained firm.
"That is an order!" Euphie stated with finality, "Stand down, now!"
Though surprised at first, both reluctantly did as they were ordered.
"Yes, your Highness," Suzaku said as Dreadwing put his cannon away.
Suzaku was about to release Kallen's bonds, but she had already freed herself and wretched her unbound hands away as she glared at him before walking across the clearing to join her friends as Optimus lowered his arms.
Bumblebee did so as well as he and Rai walked to join up with Optimus and Zero, while allowing Nonette to join Suzaku and Dreadwing, prompting the Honorary Britannian to untie his comrade.
"[So, you guys are stuck here to, huh?]" Bumblebee noted.
"Yes, it would appear so," Zero confirmed.
"Kallen, Rai, are you two unharmed?" Optimus asked his two soldiers.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Kallen confirmed.
"Same, physically anyway," Rai said in an unsure tone that all his friends noticed as Bee gave another sympathetic look.
"Dreadwing, can I assume you're unable to transform for some reason?" Zero asked, getting the attention of the Decepticon and two Britannian knights, "Otherwise you would have already taken my subordinate and flown away."
"It's none of your concern, Zero," Dreadwing glared.
"Dreadwing, Suzaku, Lady Enneagram, is there a need for us to do battle when we are all in the same predicament?" Optimus asked.
"He does have a point," Nonette pointed out, "We're all kinda stuck here."
"But there's still that search party nearby," Suzaku also said, keeping his glare fixed on the supposed enemies, "When we find them and if they're Britannians…"
"Suzaku, there's no need for any of this," Euphemia walked toward her group, "You don't have to fight the Autobots or the Black Knights anymore. They're not the real enemy."
"What are you talking about?" Suzaku asked his princess.
"Megatron has been lying to us! To all of us! Even you, Dreadwing!" Euphemia told them, much to each of their surprise, "Everything we know is wrong! Please just listen to what Zero and Optimus have to say!"
"Princess Euphemia…?" Suzaku had no idea how to respond to this.
"Suzaku, maybe we should listen to them," Nonette seemed to agree.
"I disagree," Dreadwing stated as he glared at the Autobots and their human allies, "I see no reason to converse with any of you."
"Why am I not surprised?" Kallen rolled her eyes in an annoyed fashion.
"Dreadwing, there is more to Skyquake's death than you know," Optimus tried to speak to him rationally, "I was there when he died. Please just listen…"
However, before anyone could speak any further, Rai happened to glance toward a cliffside on the right side of the area, and his face went pale upon seeing something that stood on top of it.
"Um… how about we talk things out after we figure out What THE HELL THAT THING IS!"
All human and Cybertronian eyes fell toward what Rai was seeing, and it was something that made them all gasp in shock or horror in the case of the Autobots, even Dreadwing. It was a massively hulking, almost insectoid creature that appeared made entirely out of metal with brown metallic skin, massive claws, and talons, insect-like arms on its chest, a metallic head with a red v-shaped visor for an eye, and four mandibles near its mouth. It looked even bigger than the likes of Optimus.
The creature roared as it leaped onto the ground, causing a tremor that shook up the entire area. It set its sights on Optimus and Bumblebee and once it saw the Autobot insignias on their bodies, it gave another roar as it charged at the pair; forcing them, Zero, Kallen, and Rai to scatter as Bumblebee and Optimus opened fire with their respective blasters.
"What is that thing!?" Kallen exclaimed as she, Rai, and Zero attempted to hide.
They saw the large creature grab Bumblebee and chuck him at Optimus, causing them both to crash deep into the forest. Before the monster could make a finishing move attempt, a blast shot past its head as it turned around to face Dreadwing who had his cannon primed at it.
"Stand down, scavenger!" Dreadwing exclaimed as he stood protectively in front of Suzaku, Euphie, and Nonette who continued to hide behind the trees, but they were surprised to hear Dreadwing addressing this monster in such a way, "I am Lieutenant Dreadwing, under direct command of Lord Megatron! I order you to stand down!"
In direct response, the monster roared before it charged at Dreadwing who opened fire again, but the giant beast was able to dodge the blast, grab the cannon and throw it away before grabbing Dreadwing by the shoulders and pinning him to the ground. It raised its claw to finish him, only for Bumblebee to leap on top of its head and pound on it, forcing it off of Dreadwing as it tried to shake the Autobot off.
Bumblebee primed his blaster and aimed directly into its mouth, "[Eat this!]"
He fired into the monster's mouth, causing it to roar in pain as it was able to shake Bumblebee off, but this left it vulnerable for Optimus to rush in with his blade and decapitate it with a single strike. The headless monstrosity fell onto the ground.
Optimus first helped Bumblebee to his feet before he walked over to Dreadwing and offered him a hand, though hesitant at first, Dreadwing accepted the gesture as the Autobot leader helped him to stand.
Zero, Kallen, and Rai walked out in the clearing from one end as Suzaku, Nonette, and Euphemia did the same, the princess shaking like a leaf as she saw the lifeless body of the metallic monster.
The Black Knight leader could only stare in shock, "What… in God's name… was that…?"
"An Insecticon," Optimus answered gravely.
"A what?!" Kallen, Rai, Suzaku, and Nonette all exclaimed at the same time in shock.
"A sub-terranean Cybertronian lifeform," Optimus explained, "After our planet's core went dark late in the war, many of these creatures moved to the surface to find new sources of Energon to sustain themselves."
"But... if it's Cybertronian, what's it doing on Earth?" Rai asked as Zero went to inspect the body closely. However, he spotted a certain insignia on its right arm that he recognized all too well.
"This thing is a Decepticon?!" he exclaimed, surprising much of the group as all of them set their sights on Dreadwing for an explanation.
The seeker sighed as he spoke, "As Prime said, these subterranean creatures had made their way to Cybertron's surface near the end of the war. Our scientist Shockwave saw their potential and chose to recruit them, despite many protests he faced, including my own."
"Still think you're with the good guys, Suzaku?" Kallen glared at the shocked Honorary Britannian.
"Hey, wait, do you guys hear that?" Nonette asked as the entire group heard more sounds that sounded like rapidly flapping wings, almost like the buzzing noises insects make only much larger.
They soon discovered the sources of the sound to be three large creatures that resembled massive Hercules Beetles. They entered the clearing and began to circle the group before they transformed to reveal they were Insecticons as well, identical to the one that had just been killed. But it wasn't just them, a different Insecticon flew in that seemed to resemble something of a large grasshopper-like creature before it transformed to reveal a smaller Insecticon with a silver color scheme, with hints of purple and yellow around Bumblebee's size, with two large claws coming out of it's back in addition to his normal hands at his sides. It was the leader of this group.
"Well, well, look at what we have here, here, here!" it said with a snicker.
"Kickback," Dreadwing recognized him.
"First, Shockwave's tower blows up, up, up!" Kickback began, "We end up on another planet, planet, planet. Now we got Bots and Cons waking us up, up, up!"
"Why is he talking like that?" Rai asked.
"[Some kind of speech impediment I'm guessing,]" Bumblebee guessed.
"Kickback, I order you and your forces to stand down at once! By the order of Lord Megatron!" Dreadwing demanded.
"I think not, not, not!" Kickback replied, "We just woke up after who knows how long, long, long! Now we're hungry! And looky, looky, we got lots of fresh Energon. Sick 'em boys, boys, boys!" he pointed toward the group as his Insecticon trio roared and charged at them.
Optimus and Dreadwing were the first to open fire and draw the attention of the incoming monsters, while Bumblebee ran to grab all six of the humans in his arms and drop them off into the woods.
"[Stay here!]"
"Behind you!" Zero warned as Kickback's insect mode flew above Bumblebee to grab him by the talons and throw him toward the wall, "We have to go! Now!"
"For once Zero, I agree!" Nonette exclaimed as she grabbed the Princess' hand, "Euphie, Suzaku! Let's go!"
The group ran deep in the forest, but it wasn't unnoticed by Kickback. "Oh, little fleshy playthings, things, things! Get 'em!"
One Insecticon heard his leader's command through a special sonic frequency and ran in pursuit of the humans, much to the recovering Bumblebee's shock.
"[No!]"
He was about to rush after them, only for Kickback to transform into his normal Cybertronian form and land his feet on Bumblebee's back before jumping up to stand in front of him.
"Don't think so Autobot, bot, bot!" Kickback snickered, resulting in Bumblebee glaring as he rushed to tackle Kickback and face him directly.
Optimus and Dreadwing found themselves backed into a corner as the remaining two Insecticons loomed over to them.
"Dreadwing, whatever conflict is between us, remains unfinished. But if we don't unite against our common foe…"
"The Insecticons will destroy all of us, including our human companions." Dreadwing agreed to the temporary alliance as he drew his sword and swung it, challenging one of the Insecticons as he rushed it, leaving Optimus to deal with the remaining one.
Meanwhile, the one Insecticon that Kickback had sent after the humans searched the forest for its prey, while the six of them hid in a nearby cave to avoid being seen.
"These things make Scraplets look downright pleasant!" Rai commented in a harsh whisper.
"Scraplets?" Euphemia asked.
"Don't ask," Zero and Kallen both said simultaneously.
"Well, anyone got ideas on how to take that thing down? If you do, I'm all ears," Nonette asked.
"There might be a search party nearby…" Suzaku suggested, "If they're Britannian forces…"
"Out of the question!" Zero cut off, "And before you say anything Suzaku, it's not because they're the enemy. It's because just one of these Insecticons was able to throw Optimus and Dreadwing around like ragdolls. If one of them can over-power two of the largest Cybertronians we've seen, what are puny Sutherlands going to do other than getting torn to shreds?"
"He has a point," Nonette agreed.
"Looks like we'll have to settle this on our own," Kallen said, "Be a whole lot easier if we had our Knightmares."
Euphie began to think as an idea came to her, "Zero, when the two of us and Optimus came here, I remember passing by a small cliff, with a bunch of jagged rocks on the bottom. They looked pretty sharp."
"Hmm, maybe," Zero glanced out the cave as he saw this jungle was lined with many vines that seemed pretty thick enough, "Alright, you might be onto something. But if it's going to work, we all need to work together. Suzaku, Enneagram, would you be willing to cooperate with us?"
"Beats getting eaten alive," Nonette said immediately before casting a small glance in Rai's direction, "And there's no way I'm going to let you down again.'
Suzaku however seemed to be hesitant, something Euphemia noticed.
"Suzaku, we have no other choice. We all need to work together on this, so just this once, listen to Zero. Consider that an order."
With a sigh, Suzaku accepted, "Alright."
He then looked at Rai, "But we are going to talk about this later."
"How about after we kill that oversized bug?" Rai suggested.
"Alright, we need a distraction," Zero began to think, "Something to keep it busy while we set up the trap. I'll go."
"What?!" Euphie exclaimed in surprise, greatly worried for her brother.
"By yourself?!" Kallen seemed equally concerned.
Even Suzaku looked stunned, "You're willing to offer yourself as bait?"
"If a leader doesn't lead, how can he expect his friends and allies to follow?" Zero asked, surprising Suzaku even further. He honestly did not expect Zero to willingly put his life in danger for his subordinates. Did he misjudge him?
"Zero, no offense, but you're skinny as a twig," Rai said, "You need someone who can run for their lives. So, I'll be the bait."
"Rai…" Zero tried to say something.
"Not by yourself you're not," Kallen said, "We're partners, remember?"
She offered her friend a smirk and a handshake, which Rai accepted, "Zero, we'll keep that thing busy."
"Yes, we will," Nonette said as she put her hand on both of theirs, surprising the group even further, "I'm a Knight of the Round, I've got special training, and you need all the help you can get. I'm in."
"I'm in too," Suzaku put his hand in, "We'll keep it busy."
"Very well," Zero put his faith in his friends, even if one of them was at the moment on the opposite side, "Euphemia, you and I will set up the trap. Once it's ready, I'll fire my gun into the air. The four of you will lead that Insecticon to the trap, the location is roughly half a kilometer east of here."
"Understood," Kallen nodded as she, Suzaku, Rai, and Nonette all stood up, "Let's go."
They walked out of the cave as they saw the Insecticon in view.
"Hey! Over here!" Rai called to it as he picked up a rock and threw it at its head to get its attention, "Come on! Fight me!"
"No! Me!" Nonette waved her hands as they ran around it.
"Come on! This way!" Suzaku called to it as the group began to run into the forest.
"Come and get us you oversized bug!" Kallen also called to it as the Insecticon roared and chased after its prey, taking the bait.
As they saw the Insecticon move deeper into the forest, Euphie couldn't help but express total worry for both Suzaku and Nonette. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder and turned to see Zero. Even though she couldn't see her brother's face under the mask, she could tell that he was giving her an assuring look, saying it was going to be alright.
"Come on, let's go."
Euphie nodded and followed her brother.
Back in the clearing, Dreadwing swung his blade down toward the Insecticon he was facing, which was able to block it with its smaller insect-like arm before slugging him in the face to send him crashing across the ground. Though Dreadwing was quick to stand back up as he picked up a large boulder and chucked it at its head. This disoriented the Insecticon enough to give Dreadwing an opening for him to strike on its head with his blade, slicing off most of its mandibles before slicing at its chest to knock it back. However, as he went in for a third slice, the Insecticon dealt a powerful punch to Dreadwing's chest to knock him into the air before he crashed into the ground. However, the Decepticon was quick to pick himself up, he bore witness to the Insecticon stomping on his blade, shattering it as it roared challenging at him. Dreadwing responded with a yell of his own as he rushed the bug-like Cybertronian with only his bare hands.
Meanwhile, Optimus had dealt several punches to the face of the Insecticon he was facing and was able to knock it down with a powerful slug to its face. He primed his Ion blaster with the intent of finishing it, but the Insecticon quickly grabbed his arm and got back up to flip Optimus over his head and slam him down hard onto the ground before throwing Optimus at the nearest cliffside. This disoriented Optimus slightly, but his optics widened as he saw the Insecticon transform into its beetle mode and attempted to fly and rush him, but Optimus rolled out of the way as it impacted the cliffside and shook the area a bit. The Prime was quick to get back on his feet to tackle the Insecticon to the ground.
At the same time, Bumblebee continued to shoot Energon blasts at the flying Kickback as he was in his bug form. The crazed Insecticon shot down at Bumblebee faster than he could react and crashed him into the ground before transforming to pin him down even further.
"I hear they call you Bumblebee," Kickback said sadistically, "Does that mean you can sting like me? Me? Me?"
His tirade was halted as Bumblebee was able to kick him off with his right leg before quickly getting back up. He then rushed Kickback and dealt a punch across his face to knock him back before dealing many more punches.
However, Kickback retaliated with slashes from its upper claws, which cut Bumblebee across his chest and spilled some Energon, allowing Kickback to blast the Autobot scout back with an Energon blast from its hands.
Kickback brought some of the dripping Energon from its right upper claw close to its faceplate, which opened up to reveal insect-like mandibles as it tasted the dripping Energon, "Hmm, that is good, good, good. Give me more! More! More!"
Kickback transformed again and fired more Energon blasts at Bumblebee, forcing him to dodge the blasts and return fire with his own Energon blasters.
Back in the forest, the four human soldiers continued to run from the pursuing Insecticon as it used its massive hands and arms to bash and clear away all the trees that stood in its way. Rai ran toward the side and picked up several rocks, which he threw at the Insecticon's side to get his attention.
"Come on bug-boy! Over here!" Rai waved his arms as the Insecticon attempted to rush him.
However, it wouldn't get too far as Nonette swung down from a vine to land her feet on its head, though she didn't hurt it, she did get its attention as she let go of the fine and landed on the ground some distance away, but the massive metallic monster was quick to close the distance and loom over her.
"Hey! Hey!" Kallen called to it from behind, "I got a bug-zapper right here for you!"
The Insecticon then focused its attention on Kallen and attempted to rush her, but this seemed to distract it for Suzaku to leap down from the tree he climbed up and landed on its head. He got the rock he recently picked up and banged on its head. Though he was certain it wouldn't damage it, this would still get its attention.
The Insecticon was unable to reach for Suzaku with its hands, so it instead transformed into its beetle form and attempted to fly and shake him off, though Suzaku was still able to hold on, albeit for dear life. It then descended back to the ground as it attempted to shoot Energon blasts from its horn, forcing Kallen, Rai, and Nonette to take cover and avoid getting blown up.
"That thing has lasers?!" Kallen practically screamed, "The giant transforming alien bug has freaking lasers?!"
"Well, it is a Cybertronian!" Nonette pointed out.
"That's not exactly helpful!" Rai told her.
They wouldn't get a chance to argue however as the Insecticon flew back down and transformed once it reached the ground to knock Suzaku off and send him crashing into the three other humans, knocking them down. The Insecticon looked more annoyed than anything as it loomed over the frightened quartet.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A trio of gunshots was heard in the air, getting the Insecticon's attention, as well as the four humans.
"That's the signal," Rai said, "Come on, let's go!"
Rai, Kallen, Suzaku, and Nonette ran directly under the distracted Insecticon in the direction Zero told them to go, prompting the Insecticon to chase after them.
The trap was all set; multiple vines had been tied around two large trees as they were grouped and tightened, at the same length which was twice the length of Sutherland. Hopefully, the multiple vines wound together made it thick enough for it not to snap when their quarry tripped on it. As Zero made a final check-up, Euphie looked down the cliff below them, it was a hundred-foot drop with multiple jagged rocks at the bottom that seemed hopefully sharp enough.
"Lelouch… do… do you think this will work?" Euphie asked.
"Honestly, I have no idea," Zero replied, "But if it doesn't, we have to get back to Optimus and the others and hope they can finish it."
Though he clenched his fists in frustration at the fact he couldn't do much more without a Knightmare. However, they began hearing the stomping noises that rapidly made their way towards them.
"When I say now, roll out of the way. Got it?"
"Got it," Euphie nodded as they waited.
What seemed like only a few seconds was an agonizing eternity for the both of them until they saw their friends run for their lives out of the clearing.
"IT'S RIGHT BEHIND US!" Nonette screamed as the Insecticon roared, bashing the trees and foliage out of the way of its charge. Zero had to wait till got close enough before they could move, Lelouch's eyes shook beneath the mask before it was finally time.
"NOW!"
Both he and Euphie separated and rolled toward the left and right sides respectively, just as the Insecticon had made its way to their location, its right foot twisting on the vines set up. However, the trees snapped out of the ground, something Lelouch didn't intend, but it did help them as the trees tangled around it, blocking its view as the Insecticon lost its footing on the cliff and fell face-first into the rocks below.
The six of them all quickly walked towards the edge as they saw the result of their plan. The Insecticon had been impaled in multiple spots, notably in its chest and neck as they saw a large puddle of Energon leaking out from the bottom. It twitched for a moment, before its visor turned dark, indicating its termination.
"Think we got it?" Suzaku asked.
"Yes… seems that way," Zero confirmed.
"Good," Kallen breathed a huge sigh of relief as she fell on her rear, followed by Rai, and Nonette, "Let's agree to never try anything like that again."
"At least not with our Knightmares," Rai joked, resulting in much of the group chuckling.
Suzaku gave a deep sigh of relief at their accomplishment but was caught off guard by Euphie who ran and wrapped her arms around him, "Eu… Euphie…"
"I was so worried about you…" she said as she buried her face into his chest. Suzaku's surprise faded as he wrapped his arms around her as well.
"I'm glad you're okay too."
Lelouch couldn't help but smile underneath his mask. This gesture shows that Suzaku does truly care for Euphemia, Megatron hasn't corrupted him completely, and he could still be saved.
"So, is it over?" Rai asked.
"Not yet," Nonette replied, "We need to at least make sure Dreadwing and the others are alright."
"Agreed, let's head back," Zero said as he offered Kallen a hand up, which she took as Rai and Nonette helped each other up as well. The older woman smiled at him, and Rai did his best to hide his smile as well before the group went back in the direction they came.
Back in the clearing, Dreadwing had rushed the Insecticon he was fighting from behind and pounded both his fists on its back-neck area, but the Insecticon was quick to turn around and slap him away with his arm. However, brute force alone wasn't his objective as Dreadwing took out his trigger and pressed the button on it. The Insecticon heard an odd noise coming from its back, which was revealed to be one of Dreadwing's bombs, which blew up to completely obliterate the monster's upper half.
The second Insecticon flew down in its beetle mode to shoot Energon blasts at Optimus, who deflected all the blasts with his right arm-blade before using his Ion Cannon in his left hand to score a direct shot on its right wings, causing the Insecticon to stumble out of control and fall toward Optimus, who rushed with his blade to decapitate the monster from underneath as it's body and severed head skidded across the ground.
"No! My brothers! Brothers! Brothers!" Kickback exclaimed at seeing his fellow Insecticons get wrecked so brutally.
However, this left him open for Bumblebee to grab him by his shoulders and slam his face down onto a nearby rock to break off his faceplate and expose his mandibles. Though Kickback's upper claws lashed back to knock Bumblebee off, Kickback seemed disoriented which gave Bee the opening he needed.
" Float like a butterfly…" Bumblebee played through his radio before charging a shot in his right Energon blaster as he rushed at Kickback. The crazed Insecticon couldn't react in time for Bumblebee to punch his blaster right into his face and fire his charged shot, which was enough to completely obliterate his head, killing Kickback as his headless body fell back to the ground.
"…Sting like a bee," Bumblebee's radio finished before he blew off the smoke from his gun.
"Looks like you guys are all cleared up here," Rai said as he, Zero, Kallen, Suzaku, Euphemia, and Nonette stepped out into the clearing.
"I trust the rest of you are alright?" Optimus asked.
"We're fine Optimus," Zero assured, "The last Insecticon has been dealt with."
"He's been skewered," Nonette confirmed, "He won't be getting back up again."
"Good," Dreadwing said before he pulled out his cannon once more, much to the surprise of most of the group, "Now that our alliance has served its purpose…"
"Oh, come on!" Kallen exclaimed, "Are you kidding me?!"
"Dreadwing wait, please!" Euphie pleaded, "We're not meant to fight each other! Please, Suzaku, and Nonette, you two have to listen to what Zero and Optimus want to say!"
"She's right," Zero said as he stepped into the clearing, Rai and Kallen sticking close if Dreadwing or Suzaku tried anything, "It's time we finally had our talk…"
However, the minute Zero's foot stepped into the center of the clearing, a massive glowing red Geass sigil formed on the ground, much to everyone's shock.
' A Geass?!' Optimus thought in surprise.
"What?!" Even Lelouch was caught off-guard as the Geass sigil in his left eye began to glow brightly, despite him not activating it on his own.
Rai suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his head as he fell on his knees, clutching his head as he yelled in pain, the Geass sigil in both his eyes glowing brightly.
"Rai!" Kallen leaned down to his level and saw what the problem was, but the group had other things to worry about as the entire ground beneath them began to shake and collapse.
Despite being confined to a small cell on the Nemesis, and out of range of the Thought Elevators, V.V. had a smirk on his face as he felt Lelouch and Kaizaren stumble right into the trap he had planned for them.
The Thought Elevator began to glow a bright red, much to the shock of the Decepticons and Britannians as the entire cave shook with incredible force.
"What is happening!?" Starscream questioned.
"The energy is spiking out of control!" Thundercracker reported what he, Knock Out, and Lloyd could see from their respective consoles, "It's even stronger than it was active on Shikine Island!"
"The cave is crumbling down! Everyone get back!" Knock Out stated as the group made their way from the collapsing pillars near the Thought Elevator.
"My lord, please save yourself!" Bartley attempted to pull Schneizel out of the way.
The platform above falls into the cave carrying with them the group consisting of Optimus, Zero, Kallen, Bumblebee, Rai, Suzaku, Dreadwing, Euphemia, and Nonette.
"Dreadwing!" Skywarp exclaimed in surprise.
"Major Kururugi! Lady Enneagram!" Lloyd was just as surprised, "And is that… Zero? And the Autobots…?!"
Most of the heroes turned around in surprise to see the many enemy soldiers they were now facing.
"Optimus Prime!" Starscream scowled as multiple Britannian soldiers aimed their guns at the group.
"Don't shoot you fools!" Bartley exclaimed to the soldiers, "Princess Euphemia and Lady Enneagram are with them! Capture them! Capture them!"
Bumblebee and Optimus quickly stood in front of their human companions as Breakdown was the first to try and rush them with his hammer, but Optimus ducked under the swing to catch Breakdown's arm, pick up the large Decepticon with both his hands, and throw him at Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Knock Out to knock all of them down at once.
"Guys! A Knightmare!" Kallen pointed to the Gawain that was close to them.
"Perfect! We'll use that! Let's go!" Zero was the first to rush to the Gawain.
"Bumblebee, cover them!" Optimus ordered as he and Bumblebee aimed their Energon blasters at the Britannian soldiers to keep them from shooting. Dreadwing meanwhile stood protectively around Suzaku, Euphemia, and Nonette to avoid having them caught up in the crossfire.
Kallen however noticed Rai hadn't moved from his spot, he was still on his knees, hands clutching his head, his pupils shaken in his widened eyes as if he had seen a hundred ghosts all at once.
"Rai! Rai!" Kallen shook his shoulder to shake him out of his trance, "We have to go!"
"Eh… right," he quickly got up as they quickly joined Zero in climbing into the black Knightmare. It was a two-person cockpit, but with Zero in the driver's seat, Kallen and Rai had to squish together in the seat above him as they could barely fit.
"This is good. Not only unmanned but activated too," he pressed the right activation buttons to turn the Gawain on as the cockpit closed around all three of them, "What kind of Knightmare is this?"
However, Zero saw someone very familiar through the Knightmare's screens, "Schneizel!"
The Britannian prince had to take a few steps back as he finally saw Britannia's greatest enemies stand before him, "That's Zero… and Optimus Prime…?"
"Ah! The Gawain!" Lloyd exclaimed as it powered up.
"Zero, we have to leave! Now!" Optimus told his friend.
Lelouch knew that Optimus was right, "Schneizel… next time!"
He piloted the Gawain out of the cave with Bumblebee and Optimus running beside him.
"No! Don't let them get away! Not with the Gawain!" Bartley exclaimed as Starscream and the other Decepticons recovered.
Multiple Sutherlands began to flood the entrance and block their escape, but Bumblebee and Optimus were able to quickly shoot them down and clear the path, allowing themselves and the large black Knightmare to escape outside.
"STOP THEM!" Starscream yelled, "DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO ESCAPE!
The heroes quickly found themselves surrounded by a dozen Vehicon troopers and twenty Sutherlands total as they were all in front of the Avalon.
"Damn it! We're surrounded!" Zero cursed as he removed his mask.
"Doesn't this thing have any weapons?!" Kallen exclaimed.
Lelouch checked the systems over but gave an annoyed tsk, "They're either unresponsive or incomplete! This Knightmare is unfinished!"
Despite being surrounded, Optimus found himself looking back inside the cave, directly at the Thought Elevator deep inside. Though he couldn't make out the glyphs, he did recognize the glowing Geass symbol that appeared on the ground just above the chamber, he even noticed a few similar symbols on the mural. Without a doubt, this strange object was connected to Geass. But why are the Decepticons and Britannia here? Whatever the case, if this was connected to Geass, he could not allow such a power to fall into the enemy's hands.
Without a moment's hesitation, Optimus converted his right arm into an Ion Blaster and shot directly into the cave. The Energon blasts scored direct hits on the Thought Elevator, and it only took about five or six shots for the entire thing to crumble as it gave off a bright red flash, blinding every human and Cybertronian present.
V.V. gasped as he had felt it, even from his confines in the Nemesis. He fell to his knees and clutched his head, eyes shaking with shock and rage as he took multiple rapid breaths.
"He… he didn't…No… he destroyed the Thought Elevator! No! No! No! How dare you… Optimus Prime… how dare you! How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!"
C.C. sat in the Ashford Clubhouse on Lelouch's bed as she undoubtedly felt the same thing. Though she was initially shocked at the Thought Elevator's destruction, she couldn't help but smirk as she could already imagine the looks on Charles, V.V., and Marianne's faces.
"That's what you get for underestimating Optimus," she taunted.
The screens on the Ark's bridge suddenly sprang to life as Optimus and Bumblebee's location was finally known, much to Ratchet and Fixit's surprise and relief.
"Optimus and Bumblebee's signals are back online!" Fixit exclaimed.
"Thank the Allspark!" Ratchet stated with joy.
"Oh no…" Fixit's relief turned into read, "Multiple Decepticon and Britannian signals are surrounding them!"
Ratchet immediately called for reinforcements as he activated the Ark's speakers, "All Autobots to the Groundbridge bay immediately!"
Schneizel, Lloyd, and Bartley looked in shock as they saw the crumbled ruins of what was left of the Thought Elevator. Starscream was just as shocked as they were before he turned with a heated glare toward Optimus, Bumblebee, and the Black Knights in the Gawain.
"DESTROY THEM!" he yelled, ordering the Decepticons and Britannian soldiers to terminate their enemies.
However, before they could open fire, a Groundbridge portal suddenly opened up twenty meters away from their current location as the vehicle modes of Arcee, Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Ironhide all rode out onto the battlefield.
Arcee was the first to gun it as she transformed and dealt a flying kick to completely obliterate one Sutherland before firing her Energon blasters to take down two more. Bulkhead and Ironhide both transformed and fired their respective cannons to obliterate most of the enemy forces as they and the other Autobots provided cover for their friends.
"About time you guys popped up! We were worried sick!" Ironhide stated.
"I apologize for the delay," Optimus nodded.
"Nice Knightmare by the way," Wheeljack complemented the Gawain.
"Where's Kallen?!" Arcee questioned worriedly.
"I'm in here, Arcee!" Kallen told her from inside the black Knightmare, "Zero and Rai are both with me too!"
"Then let's get the heck out of here!" Bulkhead stated as Breakdown, Knock Out, Thundercracker, and Skywarp made it out of the cave.
"Autobots, fall back!" Optimus ordered as he and his comrades all transformed and rolled along with the Gawain into the still-active Groundbridge portal, but not before Cliffjumper transformed back briefly to smirk at the surviving Britannian and Decepticon forces.
"Nice seeing you guys again. We'll let you know the next time when we're available to kick your skid plates," Cliffjumper trolled with a finger salute before running into the Groundbridge portal right as it closed.
"No… Not the Gawain! Our beautiful prized Gawain!" Bartley cried in despair as he, Schneizel, and Lloyd were all outside, with Suzaku, Euphemia, Nonette, and Dreadwing right behind them.
"Well, it was only a test model," Schneizel didn't seem too upset over it. He took the moment to observe the destruction around him. This was his first time seeing the Autobots in action, and all the reports he heard did not do them justice. He was not only surprised but also impressed. They easily blew through his forces like nothing. He glanced back inside the cave at the remains of the Thought Elevator.
' He destroyed the Thought Elevator, which seemed to be the source of the energy that blocked all communications,' Schneizel thought, 'But was that his intent? Or does he know something about them that I don't?'
An intrigued smile formed on his face, 'Optimus Prime, you truly are an interesting character.'
"Aside from that, I'm thankful the three of you are alright," Schneizel spoke to Euphemia, Suzaku, and Nonette directly.
"Prince Schneizel…?" Nonette did not expect to see him here.
Euphemia however was more than a little happy to see her older brother, "Schneizel!"
She wasted no time in running to him and wrapping her arms around him, "You would not believe what we went through on this island!"
Schneizel could hear the distress sound in his younger half-sister's voice, "What do you mean? Euphie, what happened?"
"The four of us…" Nonette began, referring to herself, Suzaku, Euphemia, and Dreadwing, "...including Zero, Optimus, and their allies were all attacked by these creatures called Insecticons."
That took most of the Decepticons by surprise.
"Insecticons!?" Thundercracker exclaimed, "Here on Earth?!"
"It's true, even the one known as Kickback was here," Dreadwing confirmed, "Though Kickback himself, and four other Insecticons were terminated, there might be more on this island. Perhaps even in other locations on this planet as well."
"Insecticons, you say?" Lloyd looked rather intrigued, "Well, that sounds interesting. I'd be very excited to see something like that."
"No Lloyd, trust me, you don't," Knock Out advised him.
However, all conversations were brought to a halt as Starscream walked directly toward Suzaku and gave him a heated glare, much to the Honorary Britannian's confusion.
"Is there a problem, Commander Starscream?" Suzaku asked.
"Oh yes, there most certainly is, you wretched human!"
Starscream primed his Energon blaster and aimed it directly at Suzaku, much to everyone's surprise, especially Euphemia, Dreadwing, and Nonette.
"Over and over again, you've repeatedly questioned and disrespected me since the beginning, even disobeying a direct order! And as if that wasn't bad enough, you've allowed our worst enemies to escape with a new weapon at their disposal! I've tolerated your insubordination long enough! There is no way I'm letting you leave this island alive!"
Suzaku gasped, but Euphemia was the first to try and defend him, "What is the meaning of this?! Major Kururugi is my knight! You can't just…!"
"That goes for you too!" Starscream aimed his second Energon blaster directly at Euphemia, much to her shock, as well as Schneizel's and every other Britannian present.
"How dare you threaten Princess Euphemia!" Bartley exclaimed, "You have no right…!"
"SHUT. YOUR FILTHY. MOUTH!" Starscream exclaimed at the fat general, causing him to fall back in fright.
Nonette immediately rushed to Euphemia's side she stood protectively in front of the princess as the remaining Britannian soldiers and Knightmares aimed their weapons at Starscream, while Breakdown, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the surviving Vehicons aimed their own Energon weapons at the Britannians in response. Knock Out backed away from the scene along with Lloyd to avoid being caught up in the matter.
"Every single one of you wretched Britannians has failed to deliver any kind of results!" Starscream ranted, "You squabble over the most pitiful and vain of matters, allowing our enemies to grow every single day! At least Schneizel is willing to deliver results when he ordered that bombardment on the Lancelot!"
Euphie gasped as she glanced at her brother, who only held his head down.
"But the rest of you are ineffective and incompetent! And I will not tolerate this any longer!"
"Starscream, they are our only allies!" Dreadwing marched in front of his commander, "You cannot blame them for all our failures when we are just as responsible!"
"Dreadwing, have you forgotten that I AM YOUR SUPERIOR!? If you dare side with Kururugi and Euphemia, I will terminate you along with them! And that goes for any other filthy Britannian that tries to protect them! This island will be their grave!"
"STARSCREAM!"
All eyes turned to behind the Seeker as his face changed from rage to fear at the sight of an open Groundbridge portal and the Decepticon leader who stepped out of it with Soundwave right behind him.
"Lord… Megatron…!" Starscream stuttered.
' That's Megatron?' Schneizel thought in surprise as this was the first time seeing him in the flesh. Though he had seen recordings of him, being in his presence was something else entirely. Bartley's face contorted clear fear and dread at the sight of him and even Euphemia was visibly terrified; now that she knew the kind of devil he was, there was nothing to stop her fear from reaching the surface as her body was immediately drenched in a cold sweat.
"My master… Kururugi has repeatedly defied us!" Starscream tried to save face, "It was a mistake to bring him into our ranks! It was a mistake to ally with Britannia! They continue to stumble and question us, repeatedly getting in our way and preventing us from…"
The cowardly Seeker was silenced by Megatron smacking him with his arm to send him skidding across the ground and crashing against the Avalon's side, denting it a little.
"This kind of infighting is exactly why our enemies continue to succeed!" Megatron stated, "However, I will agree with you about one thing, Starscream."
He looked at Suzaku directly, "Insubordination cannot be tolerated!"
"What… what are you talking about?" the confused Suzaku asked.
The Ark
The Autobots had returned along with the newly acquired Gawain as Lelouch, Kallen, and Rai stepped down; among those waiting for them included Shirley, Tohdoh, Ohgi, Fixit, Tamaki, and even Rakshata.
"Guys!" Shirley rushed to all three of her human friends and wrapped her arms around all of them, "I was so worried about you!"
Lelouch and Kallen were the first to embrace her back, though Rai was somewhat hesitant with his.
"Thanks. Sorry that we made you worry," Lelouch said.
"Kallen, are you okay?" Ohgi quickly rushed in front of her with worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine Ohgi. Sorry to be gone for so long," Kallen nodded.
"Good, 'cause Arcee here was about to have a panic attack," Cliffjumper smirked.
"Hey! Was it wrong that I was worried about my partner?!" Arcee questioned, resulting in some chuckles from nearly everyone present.
"Thanks for being so worried," Kallen smiled at her partner, who smiled in return.
"Damn, what the heck is that thing?" Tamaki said with a smirk upon seeing the Gawain, "That's one big Knightmare."
"Yeah, I thought it was pretty sick too," Wheeljack smirked and tapped the Gawain's shoulder, "Can't wait to see what this bad boy has got tucked away in there."
"Well, well," Rakshata observed the Gawain with a grin, "Looks like I got a new toy to play with."
"One new special Knightmare to add to the arsenal," Fixit seemed quite excited himself as he looked at the impressive black Knightmare.
"Lelouch, Optimus, glad to see you're both alright," Tohdoh said with a relieved smile.
"Thank you, Colonel Tohdoh," Optimus nodded as Lelouch smiled as well.
"[Hey? What am I? Chopped liver?]" Bumblebee said in a joking fashion.
Bulkhead chuckled as he lightly bumped Bee's shoulder, "Good to see you too, Bee."
The heavyset Wrecker was about to address his human partner when he noticed the look on Rai's face, "Hey, Rai are you okay?"
Rai's face still had the same sort of expression he did when the Thought Elevator trap activated. So many memories had all filled his head, and he wasn't sure what to make of them as there was one memory in particular that made him look as if he had seen something truly terrible.
"Rai?" Shirley asked him with concern, "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I… I need to… sit down for a minute…" Rai said as he walked away, leaving every human and Bot to look in his direction with concern.
"What's going on with him?" Ironhide asked Lelouch, Kallen, and Bumblebee, all of whom didn't seem to have an answer to give as they were about as worried and confused as everyone else.
"Optimus, what exactly happened?" Ratchet asked his leader, "First you, Lelouch, Bumblebee, Rai, and Kallen just disappear, then I can't locate your signals at all. Next, you pop back up on a separate island entirely?"
"Ratchet, there is much that we need to discuss," Optimus spoke not just to his medic and friend, but to everyone else present, "We have learned some new information that could alter the tide of this war and it must be discussed immediately."
"He's right," Lelouch nodded, at the same time, a certain memory popped back into his mind.
'I'm sorry, Suzaku. I didn't intend to use my Geass on you.'
Soundwave's faceplate showed the recorded footage of the Lancelot driving away from the scene back on Shikine Island before the recorded voices took over.
" Kururugi! Follow your orders!" Starscream's voice yelled.
" Shut up!" Suzaku's recorded voice yelled back, "Who the hell cares about them!? I have to live!"
Static took over the sound and imagery on Soundwave's visor as Megatron spoke, "That is where it cuts off. I am unsure how you ended up on a separate island, but you threw away a golden opportunity to eliminate both Optimus and Zero. Care to explain this, Suzaku?"
Suzaku couldn't believe what he just saw and heard, "Was that… me…?"
"Yes, it was, you insolent fool!" Starscream yelled before he was silenced by a glare from Megatron.
"Suzaku Kururugi, I am going to ask you this and I want an honest answer from you," Megatron spoke to the Honorary Britannian directly, "Did you purposely disobey your orders?"
There was some hesitance before Suzaku spoke, "I… no… I wouldn't… I couldn't…"
Megatron looked at Soundwave who replayed his answer through his systems and indicated that Suzaku had given an honest response.
' He doesn't remember,' Megatron thought to himself, 'Lelouch was directly in front of him, so more than likely it was his Geass. But this isn't the first time Kururugi has avoided taking a life, be it his will or not. Perhaps I was mistaken in recruiting him. He is a talented warrior, but he's much too hesitant and naïve. His reluctance could make him more of a liability. Hmm... what exactly is going on inside your head, Suzaku Kururugi? Perhaps it's time to find out.'
"Prince Schneizel," Megatron spoke to the prince directly as he gave him his undivided attention, "Allow me to take Kururugi into my custody. I will look into this matter personally."
"Yes, I believe that may be for the best," Schneizel nodded.
However, Euphemia seemed dead set against it, "Absolutely not! Major Kururugi is my soldier! You can't just…!"
She was suddenly silenced by a glare from Megatron. One look into his evil red eyes was enough to make Euphemia's heart stop briefly as she almost fell back.
Schneizel put a hand on her shoulder, "Euphie, I feel this is a matter we have no say in. The best we can do is just let them be."
Euphie wanted to protest, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. One look from the monster that she knew was truly evil was enough to shatter her confidence.
"Kururugi, report to the Nemesis," Megatron ordered.
Suzaku sighed before responding, "Yes… Lord Megatron."
Soundwave opened a Groundbridge portal and allowed himself, Megatron, and Suzaku to step in as his leader gave him an order.
"Contact Shockwave. I have a special assignment for him."
Chapter 29: The Patch Paradox
Chapter Text
"Come with us," Zero said as he stood in the ruins of the auditorium, alongside Optimus Prime, offering his hand to the recently liberated Suzaku, "The Britannia you serve is nothing more than a delusion. A puppet empire on the strings of an even greater threat."
"Maybe that's true," Suzaku admitted before turning to the duo, "But this nation can be changed for the better and from within."
He turned around to walk away, "And any gains by contemptible means aren't worth anything."
"Wait, where are you going?" Zero asked.
"My court-martial begins in an hour," Suzaku replied.
"Are you mad?!" Zero exclaimed in outrage, "The only reason they're even giving you a trial is to find you guilty! The judge, prosecution, and defense!"
"Rules are rules," Suzaku replied, "And if I don't go, they'll start cracking down on Elevens and Honorary Britannians."
"But you'll die!"
"I don't mind."
"Don't be an idiot!"
"You can stop me though , can't you?" Suzaku turned to face Optimus directly, "One of you is a giant sentient machine far stronger than myself. If you want, you could stop me from leaving right here and now. So, I guess the real question is: will you allow me to leave of my own accord? Or force me to stay against my will?"
"Freedom is your right," Optimus replied, "If this is indeed what you choose, we will respect your decision."
"Thank you," Suzaku nodded.
" However Suzaku, I ask for one thing," the Autobot leader continued, "Now that we have made our appearance, the Decepticons will more than likely make an appearance as well. I implore you, do not trust them. There is one other thing. I want you to ask yourself a question: you say Britannia can change for the better . What if you go down this path … and you're wrong?"
"Well… I'll just have to hope I'm not," Suzaku said, "Even still, I thank you both, for saving me."
Suzaku had left the ruined building , but he didn't get too far as a familiar voice spoke out.
"Well, well. You were so quick to turn down an offer, without even providing a solid answer. Quite the contradictory, Suzaku Kururugi."
Suzaku looked up in surprise to see none other than Megatron standing over him. He looked nothing short of stunned, "What?... What are yo u… how are you here? You're not supposed to be here!"
Megatron smiled, "Maybe I wasn't here in the past, and that's exactly what we are seeing right now: the past… your past."
The exchange taking place between Megatron and Suzaku was witnessed by Shockwave, as well as the two Mini-Cons Frenzy and Rumble, on a monitor within the Nemesis' laboratory. Megatron and Suzaku's bodies were both lying flat on medical tables, albeit one built for Mini-Cons in the case of Suzaku as a cord connected to both of them from the back of their tables.
"This is gonna be juicy," Frenzy smirked as he, Rumble, and Shockwave paid close attention to what was about to happen before them.
"My past…?" Suzaku asked completely surprised , "What…? But… but how?"
"The Cortical Psychic Patch," Megatron explained as the background around them shifted from the previous memory to an empty void with a single light shining above them for illumination, "An interrogation device that allows us to extract information directly from our prisoners' minds."
Suzaku looked even more shocked before he glared at Megatron, "You would pull information from people's minds against their will?!"
"Only when all other options have been exhausted. But I'm not the one on trial here. We are currently inside your mind, Suzaku Kururugi. You see there are no secrets here, only your memories. You cannot manipulate their content, or modify their outcome. What we see is how it happened."
A series of memories began to emerge in the form of holographic screens around the pair as they each played out in a style similar to that of a movie.
" Is it bad to be weak?"
The memory of Suzaku's first meeting with Euphemia in Shinjuku played out, "Back when I was ten, the world seemed like such a terrible place; a world without any hope at all . Disease , racism, living a never-ending cycle of hate. The cycle must be broken , somebody has to do it! Of course, it's doubtful that the one who does it will make all the bad things go away . No one should lose more of the people they love, at least a world without war."
" How… how would you do it?" Euphemia's voice asked.
" I don't know how you would do it," Suzaku's voice replied, "But if I keep trying, then my father's death will have been for nothing!"
Next was the memory of Suzaku, Rai, and Lelouch in the Student Council room after the Black Knights' debut.
" Look, I'm not an idiot , I know the empire is far from perfect right now. But they could invoke change from within the system!" Suzaku's voice stated.
A third memory appeared of Suzaku and Euphemia talking in the Settlement.
" But Britannia also rebuilt Japan…" Suzaku's voice spoke out.
" Not all of it," the memory of Euphemia replied, "What about all the ghettos or the fact that people have to earn their rights back? Rights that … honestly should never have been taken away?"
" Britannia… isn't perfect. I can admit that. But it can change for the better. It has the potential to do just that. I mean, you're a princess. The fact that you've just said how you don't approve of all this violence shows that Britannia isn't all bad."
"Britannia can change for the better, you say?" Megatron asked Suzaku as the memories came to an end , "And how exactly would you go about that?"
"By making them trust me!" Suzaku replied, "Once I have their trust, I can invoke the change from within!"
"And how can you earn their trust if you are unable to provide acceptable results?"
Megatron pulled out more of Suzaku's memories of his many defeats; such as the Lancelot being blown away by Bulkhead in Greece over the Energon Harvester; him being trapped by Airachnid during their first confrontation in Shinjuku; The Lancelot, Breakdown, and Airachnid being defeated by the combined efforts of the Guren, Gekka Pre-Production, Bulkhead, and Arcee.
"How can a soldier who's only known failure possibly make a change in a system that is designed specifically to oppress people of your very stature?"
"But… none of that…The Autobots and the Black Knights…? "
"So, you choose not to accept responsibility for your failures?"
This inadvertently caused a memory of Suzaku's to display itself, the memory of him, Dreadwing, and the captive Kallen on Kanime Island.
" Ironhide was right about you," Kallen's voice stated, "You cannot take responsibility for all the crap that you do in your life!"
Megatron looked in a mixture of annoyance and amusement, "Even your enemies see this flaw in you. How sad."
Suzaku was unable to come up with a proper argument, prompting Megatron to continue, "When I first saw your prowess in the Lancelot, I had believed you would be able to serve me well. However, even my patience has its limits, and you are reaching that as you have not yet scored a single victory against our enemies! And it's not just in the heat of battle either , it's your hesitance!"
The memory of Suzaku's and Breakdown's battle against Airachnid popped up as the Lancelot had Airachnid pinned down.
"Surender now. I am placing you under arrest."
" Under arrest, am I?" the memory of Airachnid asked as she held up her hands with a smirk, "You still think you're the good guy?"
She blasted her palm lasers to blast the VARIS out of the Lancelot's hands before using her spider legs to destroy it.
Next was the memory in Greece again as the Lancelot stood over the fallen Burai with Starscream, Breakdown, and Knock Out.
" This is the moment where you prove your worth Kururugi !" the memory of Starscream stated, "This is a Black Knight, an enemy to not only your empire of Britannia but to the Decepticons as well. He is the reason this mission is a failure, and as your commanding officer I am ordering you to execute this Black Knight now!"
The memory showed Suzaku's hesitant face, "But… But I…"
" Do you plan on joining their ranks anytime soon?! No?! Then be done with it already!"
"Hesitance may be one thing… but insubordination is something else entirely!"
A more recent memory came to light ; this one being of Suzaku attempting to stop Zero and the Autobots from escaping the Avalon's bombardment.
The memory showed a slit in Zero's mask opening to reveal his left eye as a certain red emblem shined.
"LIVE!"
However, the memory went to static before it shifted to Suzaku waking up on the shores of Kanime Island.
"Most peculiar," Shockwave observed the blackout in between the two memories, "It would seem that the memories of those under this specific Geass are invisible to the mind."
"So, he doesn't have any memories of it?" Rumble asked.
"Illogical," Shockwave replied, "Memories, be they from a Cybertronian or organic specimen, do not simply vanish but are often repressed. And it would seem that the effects of Lelouch's Geass have repressed this particular memory."
"Maybe if we drill even deeper, we might be able to find it." Frenzy suggested somewhat sadistically.
"Perhaps. But at the moment, Lord Megatron is in full control. And we cannot probe deeper without risking harm to the specimen. Lord Megatron has not ordered us to harm Kururugi during the process."
Frenzy looked rather disappointed, "Killjoy."
"Eh, we still get to watch Suzaku squirm, which makes me happy," Rumble smirked as they continued to watch.
"I… I don't remember that…" Suzaku stuttered as Megatron loomed over him.
"I can tolerate many things, my boy," the leader of the Decepticons warned, "But among the few things I will not stand for, is an excuse. You can either deliver results, or you cannot."
"What is it you want from me? Do you want me to fight harder? Stronger?"
"No, Suzaku. This is to determine whether or not you can truly cooperate with this conflict. And if I deem that I have made a mistake in recruiting you, that you cannot contribute to our cause. Not only will I remove you from the Decepticon ranks, but I will see to it that you are removed from the Britannian military as well. Permanently."
Ashford Clubhouse – Lelouch's room
The former prince sat on his bed as C.C. placed her hand on his forehead. After returning from Kamine Island, Optimus insisted Lelouch visit C.C. to see if any changes had been made to his Geass , and after seeing how that mysterious construct known as the Thought Elevator had a glowing Geass emblem on it, Lelouch agreed with Optimus as C.C. was able to use her powers to detect any abnormalities with his own Geass power.
C.C. removed her hand once she finished as Lelouch looked toward her. "Well?"
"Your Geass has grown significantly," C.C. answered, "And it's not by natural means. If I had to take a guess, I would say V.V. was likely the culprit."
That got Lelouch's attention as she continued.
"He must have rigged a trap with the Thought Elevator that would force your Geass to grow to the point where you can no longer control it."
"Like Mao?" Lelouch asked, to which C.C. nodded, "And I'm guessing you can't remove my Geass entirely, can you?"
"If I could do that, I would have done it with Mao before I left him. Once a Geass has been given , it becomes a permanent part of you. The only way for the power to be 'removed' is if it's replaced by a Code, which is the power I wield. You would gain immortality as well as the ability to grant Geass to others."
"Thanks, but I'll pass," Lelouch said immediately, "I never do want to live forever, especially if it means outliving my friends and family."
C.C. gave a half-smile, relieved Lelouch wouldn't want that cursed power, "I did however manage to suppress your Geass' power. It's not exactly a permanent solution, but it should keep the power contained. However, if you use that power again, even two or three more times, there is a possibility you might lose control and it could become permanently active."
Lelouch grimaced at that particular thought, "Do the same limits apply?"
"Yes. You'd still have to make direct eye contact. So even if it does become permanent, something like your mask or even something simple like sunglasses or special contacts can block it."
"Alright. I'll talk with Ratchet and Fixit about making special contacts just in case. I like my mask, but I don't want to wear it twenty-four-seven."
The attempt at a joke caused C.C. to smile slightly as she shook her head. "So that Thought Elevator, do you know what it was?"
The immortal looked seriously, "I'm not one hundred percent sure of its origin, but I do know that your father and uncle have taken an interest in them."
That got Lelouch's attention, "'Them'? You mean there's more ?"
"Yes, a total of seven, excluding the one Optimus recently destroyed. They're all over the world, I don't know their exact locations, but I do believe they may be connected to the origin of Geass. I can't say for certain."
"I see, so not even you know where all this came from."
"I wasn't always immortal. I was once a normal person, till I was granted my own Geass and a different Code-Bearer passed their ability onto me. That was several centuries ago, and I've honestly lost count."
Lelouch looked in sympathy. He could only wonder what that was like; to live constantly while watching everything and everyone else around you change, grow old, and die, unable to form bonds with others, "I'm sorry."
C.C. sighed before she got back on point, "Your father and V.V. are somewhat obsessed with the Thought Elevators. I'm afraid I don't know a whole lot about their purpose since I left them a long time ago, but it seems they've gained a better understanding since then."
"Are these other Thought Elevators going to be a problem?"
"Not at the moment. If they do become a problem, you and Optimus will be the first to know."
"Thank you."
Lelouch turned around and was about to leave before C.C. stood up.
"Speaking of knowing Lelouch, when do you plan to tell Nunnally?"
That caused the Black Knight to stop in his tracks.
"If I'm being honest, I'd say now is the time to tell her. Her life is not currently in danger and she is here right now. If there was ever a good time to tell her, it would be now."
"I know," he admitted, still keeping his back turned , "It's just…"
"You're not sure how she'll react?"
He let his nervous feelings be known, "I know I said I'd tell her… but how? I'm leading a rebellion against the empire we both called our home, while also being caught in the middle of an alien war … how the hell do you even say that to a girl like her?"
C.C. looked with understanding before she put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look at her, "Lelouch, you know your sister better than anyone else, and I've been around her long enough to know she might be one of the kindest people I've ever met in my life. I'd even go so far as to say her compassion is only rivaled by Optimus Prime himself. I'm sure once you explain everything, and how you're fighting for what's right, she'll understand. She loves you deeply, and I don't think there's anything in the world that'll make her change her mind."
Lelouch looked to C.C. in surprise. He remembered how he first met her when she was a cold cynic , now here she was, offering him genuine support as a friend. This was enough for him to smile as he knew he could trust the immortal completely.
"Thank you, Cera."
She smiled, letting his use of her real name slide just this once.
"Though I could use your help in explaining all of it to her. Especially when it comes to my Geass."
"Of course."
Both parties left the room.
It wasn't long before they walked into the dining room where Nunnally and Sayoko were folding origami.
"Nunnally," Lelouch got their attention.
"Hello, Lelouch," Nunnally smiled as she turned her head in the direction of her brother's voice.
"I have something to tell you, Nunnally," Lelouch said as he sat across from her.
"What is it?"
"Sayoko, would you give us a minute?" C.C. asked the maid, but Lelouch quickly raised his hand.
"I want to talk to you too, Sayoko," he said, surprising C.C. as well as the maid in question as Lelouch looked toward her specifically, "You've always taken such good care of us, even when knowing who we are. The least I can do is tell you this as well , as thanks for everything you've done."
Sayoko had an understanding look on her face as she sat down, right as Lelouch reached out and gently grabbed his younger sister's hand. Nunnally looked a bit confused as she could sense some emotional turmoil in her brother.
"Lelouch, is something wrong?"
He sighed before he spoke.
"Nunnally, there's… there's no easy way to say this. So … I'll just come right out with it."
Lelouch hesitated for a moment before his face became serious and he spoke to his sister with two simple words.
"I'm Zero."
The entire room fell deathly silent as C.C. found herself looking from the siblings to Sayoko, who simply had wide eyes and a mouth over her hand at this revelation. Lelouch honestly felt more uncomfortable than he had ever been in his life. He just revealed his secret identity to his sister, but she didn't respond at first. He didn't know how she would respond , and just waiting for a response was almost agonizing. Finally, after what seemed almost like an eternity, when it was just a few seconds, he heard a faint sob.
Lelouch looked with surprise and sympathy as he saw tears flowing down the closed eyes of his younger sister.
"I… I didn't want to believe…"
Nobody had expected Nunnally to say that; C.C. was honestly shocked by this, but none were more surprised than the Britannian ex-prince himself.
"You… you knew…?"
The disabled girl sniffled between words, "When… you rescued Suzaku…Once I heard your voice … my heart told me that it was you. Bu t… I didn' t… I didn't want to believe it…"
Tears were already flowing down her face, "Lelouch… have… have you been fighting Britannia all this time? Putting your own life in danger?"
Though the young revolutionary was certainly surprised that Nunnally had known the whole time, he inwardly winced as the last thing he wanted was to make his sister worry like this. Despite this, however, Lelouch knew he had to tell her the whole truth now.
"I'm sorry Nunnally. Bu t… I couldn't stand by and do nothing anymore. For so long, I've tried to ignore the suffering that went on around us , I've tried to block it out, thinking there was nothing I could do. Bu t… I can't do that anymor e… I can't just sit and watch as monsters rip this world apart and ruin so many lives. I'm sorry I took so long to tell you, I've wanted to, but things just kept getting in the way."
"I'm quite sure," Sayoko spoke up, "It must not have been easy, given you're not only facing Britannia, but even the likes of the Decepticons." That took Lelouch, C.C., and even Nunnally by surprise.
"I've suspected you were Zero for quite some time Lelouch , and it's partly the reason why I've been with the Black Knights as well."
If they weren't surprised, the three of them certainly were now. "Sayoko…?" Nunnally stuttered.
"You're in the Black Knights?!" their very leader almost shouted, "How come I never knew?"
"For one, there are so many recruits I don't think even you can keep track of them all," Sayoko replied, even C.C. silently admitted that was true, "And I haven't been in for very long, Diethard Ried only recently recruited me as a spy."
' Of course,' Lelouch silently cursed, 'Damn fanatic… he's useful, but he's also a real pain.'
"Sayoko…" Nunnally wasn't sure what to make of that either.
"Forgive me for not telling you sooner, Lady Nunnally," the maid bowed humbly, "I joined because I felt if something were to happen, and if I was right about your brother being Zero, we could move you safely and out of harm."
Lelouch understood then why she joined the Black Knights and was inwardly glad he could have someone else that he trusted with him, "Thank you, Sayoko."
C.C. then spoke up , "Nunnally, I understand that all of this is incredibly shocking for you. But you have to listen to what your brother has to say , it's not just about fighting Britannia."
"She's right," Lelouch continued as he still held Nunnally's hand, "Do you remember that night when I rescued Suzaku? I wasn't alone then."
"Those Autobots I've heard about?"
"Yes. There's more to them than meets the eye, and you should know the whole backstory."
From then, Lelouch and C.C. had told both Nunnally and Sayoko everything. They told her about the incident in Shinjuku, how Lelouch met C.C. as well as the Autobots, and even about his Geass ability, with C.C. revealing her immortality. Lelouch also explained everything he learned from Optimus about Cybertron, his history with Megatron, the war against the Decepticons, and even about Cybertron's destruction and the possibility of the Decepticons being the true masterminds behind Britannia. They also told her about some of the Autobots individually; including the reveal that Lelouch's car is the Autobot scout Bumblebee, something Sayoko already figured out on her own; and even about their leader Optimus Prime. There was also the reveal of the individual named V.V. who was Lelouch and Nunnally's paternal uncle, and that Kallen, Rai, and Shirley were also members of the Black Knights. He even told her about his encounter with Cornelia and his more recent one with Euphemia on Kanime Island. But what was most difficult, was Suzaku's involvement of the Decepticons, but Lelouch had told her that, and even the truth of Suzaku's father's death.
It took quite some time, but Lelouch had told Nunnally everything. Now he, Sayoko, and C.C. just looked toward Nunnally who had listened to every word but had yet to offer a response .
"Nunnally… are you still with us?" Lelouch asked somewhat nervously.
"Yes…" Nunnally replied, "It's just… it's a lot to take in."
"I know, and I'm sorry for that."
"It's just… It's all so sad. First, your friends lose their whole world, and now Suzak u… I had no idea … his father and … he's with this … thi s… Megatron?"
"I'm afraid so."
Nunnally sounded almost desperate, "Isn't there anything you can do to help him? If Suzaku knows your Zero…"
"It's not that simple, Nunnally. I want to help him more than anything, but it's not just getting him away from the Decepticons. Listen, one of the issues is that Suzaku has proven that he's unable to accept his own mistakes and won't take responsibility for them. He's always blaming others for what goes wrong, while also ignoring all the atrocities committed by both Britannia and the Decepticons. If we can help Suzaku, he has to admit he made the wrong choice and take responsibility. If he can't do that… then… I don't know if we can help him."
The younger sibling pleaded with her tone, "Well… maybe I can help him. He's my friend too. I'm sure maybe both of us together can convince him."
"I'm hoping that's the case. But Nunnally, we also have to be careful to not put ourselves in danger against the likes of the Decepticons. Trust me, as horrible as our father is, Megatron is even worse."
"I still want to try. I still want…"
"And we will. But we also have to be prepared if it doesn't work."
He noticed the conflicted and torn look on her face, "Nunnally, I am so sorry I never told any of you this sooner , maybe I should have. But, you have to believe me, I'm not alone in this. I've got so many people that I can trust who are helping me; both in the Black Knights and the Autobots, and we all want the same thing: to make the world a gentler place. Isn't that what you want?"
Nunnally grimaced slightly, "Lelouch I… what I said to you… how I wished the world were a gentler plac e… I did mean that I do want the world to be a gentler place . But what I want more than anything, is just to stay by your side."
That took Lelouch by surprise as she held his hand even tighter.
"I can't imagine the world without you, Lelouch. Even if the world becomes a better place, I don't want to live in it if you're not there. I know I'm being selfish, but I don't care. I just want you to be by my side. That's all I need to be happy."
Tears were already flowing down the disabled girl's eyes as Lelouch himself looked quite a bit emotional. Sayoko had placed a comforting hand on Nunnally's shoulder while C.C. just looked in sympathy.
"Nunnally, I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I'm not going to die or leave , I've got many friends to help me every step of the way. It's okay to be selfish , you're only human. Nunnally, I make this promise to you right now from the bottom of my heart: I will never leave you , and I will make this world a place where everyone can be happy. We will make this world a better place , both myself and Optimus."
Nunnally, despite having tears in her eyes, smiled at Lelouch, "You really look up to him, don't you?"
"He's like a father to me," Lelouch confessed honestly with a smile, "And I'm hoping he can be that for you as well."
"Does that mean I'm going to meet him?"
"Soon. Nunnally, listen to me. We might not be able to stay at Ashford much longer. Milly and her grandfather have done so much for us, but the Black Knights and the Autobots are on pretty rough territory right now against Britannia and the Decepticons. If things escalate, or worse, they find out who we are, they might just level the entire school."
That caused Nunnally to gasp in shock.
"Which is why we should leave soon so they don't have a reason to target it. Tell you what, you know the School Festival that's coming up soon? We'll leave right after that. That gives us plenty of time to get everything situated."
Lelouch turned to the maid, "Will that be alright with you, Sayoko?"
"Yes. I believe I can manage that."
"After that Nunnally , we'll take you to the Ark. Not only will you be safe there , but you'll also meet plenty of good people and Bots. And given how advanced Cybertronian technology is, we might even find a way to restore your sight and legs."
Nunnally slowly reached out and caressed her brother's cheek as she smiled, "Lelouch, I told you before that I trust you. And that hasn't changed in the slightest. Even if you're Zero, I still believe in you. If you believe the Autobots and Black Knights are good people, then I know I can trust them too."
"You trust me that much?" Lelouch asked, feeling more than a little emotional.
"I've never stopped trusting you. You'll always be my big brother, Lelouch. And I love you with all my heart."
Lelouch couldn't contain his tears of joy as he wrapped his arms around Nunnally, who responded with the same gesture, "I love you too, Nunnally."
Both Sayoko and C.C. smiled as the former was already shedding a small tear of joy, and even the latter looked like she would do the same, but she ultimately didn't, despite being happy for them. However, she knew they had another issue to address.
"Lelouch, as touching as all this is, you should see Optimus and the others about your Geass before it becomes a problem," the Code-Bearer advised.
"Yeah, I know," Lelouch reluctantly ended his embrace with his sister, "Sorry Nunnally , but I have to go."
"It's alright, I understand," Nunnally nodded.
Lelouch then looked toward Sayoko, "Can I trust you to help C.C. watch over Nunnally till we're ready to move?"
"Of course, you can, my lord," the maid nodded, "Lelouch, you and your sister are both very dear to me, and I swear that I will never leave your side or hers."
"Thank you," the leader of the Black Knights smiled gratefully, "Hey Nunnally, I might have to leave, but… maybe I can introduce you to another close friend of mine while I'm gone."
Lelouch, C.C., and Sayoko had arrived along with Nunnally in a large storage area where a certain blue Knightmare was being stored . It was the third generation, Ganymede, once owned and piloted by Lelouch and Nunnally's late mother. Though seeing it again made Lelouch's heart wince slightly, it was the only safe place for Nunnally to safely converse with his Autobot companion .
"It's alright, you can come out."
A certain yellow car slowly drove out before it transformed to reveal itself to be Bumblebee. Though Sayoko had seen them on television, she was more than a little amazed at seeing an Autobot in person before. Though Nunnally couldn't see him, she could almost feel his presence, and she could already tell it was a gentle one, which was enough for her to smile.
"[So, you finally told her.]"
"Better late than never," Lelouch smiled before turning to his sister, "Nunnally, meet Bumblebee."
Nunnally giggled, "Bumblebee? That's a cute name." She said before addressing the Autobot scout. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"[Nice to meet you too,]" Bumblebee spoke in bleeps, which only caused Nunnally to look in confusion.
"I'm sorry… what?"
"He said it's nice to meet you too," C.C. translated.
"Oh right, forgot," Lelouch took out his earpiece and placed it in his sister's ear, "Sorry about that , his voice box was damaged in battle. This should help you to understand him better."
"[Can you understand me now?]" Bumblebee asked in bleeps as the earpiece helped to translate it for Nunnally, causing her to smile.
"Yes, I can understand you. Lelouch has told me a lot about you, Bumblebee."
"[ Hopefully the good stuff,]" the Autobot scout joked, causing Nunnally to giggle as even Sayoko and C.C. smiled.
"I have to go. Take care of her for me, alright Bee?" Lelouch asked his partner and friend.
"[Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her.]"
Lelouch nodded as he took out his cell phone and called the Ark. "Fixit, I need a Groundbridge."
Less than a second later, a small Groundbridge portal opened up in front of him, allowing him to step inside as he let Bumblebee finally get acquainted with his younger sister.
Meanwhile, several Decepticon miners worked to drill their way through the landscape of Kamine Island, using both large and small excavation tools. One would think they were looking for Energon, but that was not the case . Leading this excavation were the pair of Soundwave and Airachnid.
"They're close," Airachnid said to Soundwave as she could sense it, "I can feel them."
" Soundwave sir , We believe we located something, " One Vehicon reported, prompting both Soundwave and Airachnid to transform into their respective vehicle modes and fly toward the location of the soldier that called to them.
They flew towards the center of the island where they spotted a group of Vehicons gathering around a large hole that led deep underground. Both transformed back into their robot forms and landed.
"This may be the point of entry ," the Vehicon who called them reported.
"Hmm, it does seem like this was dug out recently," Airachnid noted the structure of the hole as Soundwave did a quick scan, and soon detected multiple Cybertronian signals inside.
"Looks like we found what we were looking for," the spider-Con smirked.
"We will assemble an escort group immediately," a different Vehicon stated.
"That won't be necessary. Come along Soundwave ," Airachnid leaped into the hole, with Soundwave leaping down after her.
It was a rather deep drop, almost four hundred feet, prompting Airachnid to extend her spider legs and cling to the wall of the hole to halt her fall before she leaped to the ground. Soundwave had done something similar by extending his tentacles to grab onto both walls of the hole before retracting them and letting him drop to the bottom with no issue.
The pair walked onto a sight that made even Airachnid look in surprise. "So, it would seem Kickback and his team were only scouts."
What lay before them appeared to be an entire Insecticon hive. Pods of all shapes and sizes were lined on the floor, walls, and even ceiling. There appeared to be several at least a hundred pods in total.
Once the two made their way closer, a few of the pods began to open as a series of different types of Insecticons crawled from the walls or dropped from the ceiling to address the pair. Two were among the larger variety that Optimus, Bumblebee, and Dreadwing had faced on this island , two more Insecticons appeared to be the Swarmer breed, while there was even one Bruiser. There was even a trio of Spitters that hovered in the air. The Insecticons growled at the intruders.
"Oh, there is no need to be so hostile," Airachnid said in a casual tone , while also communicating on a certain frequency that allowed her to establish proper communication with them, "After all, we are somewhat related."
With those words, the Insecticons present all bowed before the pair of Decepticons, to Airachnid specifically, something Soundwave noticed.
"Now then, who here is in charge?" Airachnid asked.
In response, another Insecticon appeared. He looked almost identical to the largest bipedal ones, the only difference is that his body was covered in white claw streaks , whether they were paint or actual scars was up for debate.
"I lead this hive. I am Hardshell."
"Hardshell," she noted, "You look different from how I last saw you. Before, you relied on weaponry and tactics as opposed to brute force. What's with the new look?"
"After experiencing defeat at the hands of the Autobot named Grimlock, I realized that tactics and weaponry alone can only get you so far. True power is strength , true power is ruthlessness, terror absolute! And so, I've adopted a form that would best suit raw strength, so the next time I see that accursed Autobot, I shall terminate him with my own bare hands!"
Airachnid looked amused, "I'm sure you'll get your chance at revenge. Perhaps a test run is in order?"
She turned to Soundwave with sinister intent as she practically had an army under her complete and total control now, "Eviscerate him!"
"No."
Hardshell and the Insecticons present made no move to attack.
"What?!" the serial killer turned to Hardshell in shock.
"Our loyalty lies only to Lord Megatron. We will not betray him!"
"How dare…!"
Airachnid however was interrupted by Soundwave who replayed Shockwave's radio log through his recordings.
" Insecticons communicate on a specific ultrasonic frequency. I have found I can manipulate 85.7% of their species through this method. The exceptions are Hardshell, Sharpshot, and Kickback. Those anomalies appeared to be more evolved and require more finesse in their manipulation."
"You perfected the process?" Airachnid questioned irritably to Soundwave who responded with a simple nod before suddenly grabbing Airachnid by the throat and pinning her against the wall. He then played a recording of Megatron for her to hear.
" You will find a way to work together. There will be no further fighting among our ranks! If any of you try this again … you will all perish!"
Airachnid grimaced upon hearing those words again, even more so as she felt the pressure on her neck as Soundwave continued to squeeze to make sure she got the point, "I… yield…"
Soundwave then released her as he went to address the Insecticon hive to see how they might be useful to their cause. Airachnid meanwhile had pulled herself up as she glared at Soundwave from behind. She knew she couldn't take him, one of the few Cybertronians to even match Megatron in gladiator combat, and with her being watched by him so closely, she couldn't make a move to control the Insecticon hive as it seemed the Decepticons had found a way to control them through their ultrasonic frequency communications. So, there was no way she could strike out on her own , yet . She would play along for now and simply wait for the right opportunity.
Suzaku's Mind
While still in the trawls of Megatron's Cortical Psychic Patch, the Honorary Britannian could honestly look in shock at what Megatron had just told him.
"You… you can't kick me out of the Britannian military!" Suzaku quickly tried to form an argument, "You don't have the authority! I'm Princess Euphemia's knight , only she or someone else in the Royal Family can dismiss me!"
"Euphemia has no say in this matter!" Megatron retorted, "Even if you are her knight, I can easily convince someone else in her family with higher authority to not only dismiss your status but even remove you from the military entirely. It can be done, and it will be unless you can provide me with results. So, tell me, Suzaku Kururugi, how would you go about providing me with said results?"
The Honorary Britannian tried standing firm, "By… B y…B y following orders and by stopping the enemy…"
"How? You keep saying what you'll do, but you never explain how. This has always been a problem for you, Suzaku. You have a goal in mind but no plan to accomplish it, and you never learn. Your arrogance and stubbornness will trump your skills and resolve every time. It's why you've failed to defeat or even capture a single enemy."
A series of memories soon played in Suzaku's mind; first being Bumblebee knocking him down away from Zero and C.C. at Narita, next his defeat at the hands of Optimus during the Battle of Port Yokosuka, then was his failure to properly apprehend Tohdoh during his escape from prison . But there was one memory that stood out among the others.
" Stop it!" Suzaku's memory of him trying to apprehend Mao replayed as the former tried to hold the latter.
" Get your hands off me, father-killer !"
Suzaku's pupils shrunk as even Megatron was caught by surprise at this revelation.
"Father-killer?" the leader of the Decepticons questioned with interest.
Suzaku panicked and tried to stop him, "No! No! You can' t…! "
But it was too late , the memory of that very incident was already brought up and being watched .
" Father, you can't do this!" the ten-year-old Suzaku tried to plead with his father, Genbu Kururugi, "So many people will die if you do this!"
" Better that, than live a life of slavery!" Genbu argued, "You would have Britannia destroy our people's spirit and livelihoods?!"
" I'm sure we can work something out with Britannia! We don't have to fight them! We can't fight them! They're too strong!"
" I will not have Japan be remade into a puppet of this fascist regime! Even if Japan dies, she will die fighting! This country will not join Britannia!"
Young Suzaku acted quickly as he pulled a kunai blade from the wall and pointed it at his father, his hands and eyes shaking, " No… I can't let you do this…"
The Prime Minister, however, wasn't convinced as he marched over to the shaky Suzaku, "Put that thing down before you hurt yourself, boy. You're a child. You can't understand how the world works. Britannia will never help Japan, or anyone else. All they live for is destruction. This is happening, and you can't stop it."
He smacked his young son on the head to knock him to the ground. As the Prime Minister began to walk out, however, Suzaku got up, desperation mixing with his instincts propelled him to drive the blade into his father's chest, shocking Genbu Kururugi as he fell to his hands and knees. Suzaku himself gasped in shock at what he had just done.
The memory came to an end as Suzaku's body shook, both in and outside the Patch . The last thing he wanted was to see that memory again. He tried so hard to bury it, hoping it could never be resurfacing , but it seems that nothing ever stays buried forever.
"Now I see," Megatron spoke as Suzaku slowly turned around to see the look on his face, only to look in shock to see a smile, "I understand , now it makes sense. This is why you joined the military. You don't care what happens to Britannia or Japan. You just want to wash the blood off your hands."
"That's not true! I do care!"
"In the eyes of Britannia, you are an 'Eleven', someone who is expendable. You knew you would eventually die; they would send you to your death and if it's for a cause you deem to be righteous, it will redeem yourself. I'm right, aren't I, Suzaku?"
Multiple memories displayed themselves for the pair. The first was being Suzaku shot in the back after refusing to kill Lelouch during the Shinjuku incident, the second being in the Lancelot as he rushed into the collapsing hotel during the Hotel Jacking, and the third was the more recent memory of him trying to prevent Zero or Optimus from leaving the bombardment on Shikine Island. Suzaku fell to his knees as he held his head, his whole body and eyes shaking with panic and fear, with a bit of realization thrown in the mix. He was almost tempted to scream, the same way he did when Mao revealed all this to him as well.
"I can only wonder who else knows of this?" Megatron wondered aloud as the shocked Suzaku gazed up towards him, "I'm quite certain the late Prime Minister's inner circle knows, having told the story of his 'suicide' to the public. But, are they the only ones? Does someone else know?"
" So, you did do it, didn't you?"
They both looked at the memory of Lelouch and Rai helping Suzaku once they learned the truth, "You did kill your father."
" Lelouch…"
"Lelouch? Someone close to you?" Megatron mused as he already knew this particular secret and chose to exploit it to properly manipulate Suzaku, who looked even more shocked as he tried once again to stop him.
"No! Don't!"
But it was too late; two memories replayed in Suzaku's mind. The first was Lelouch meeting Suzaku on the roof of Ashford Academ y…
" Seven years since we used this signal, long time, huh?" the memory of Lelouch spoke.
The second was his reunion with the blind and crippled Nunnally later that nigh t…
" Thank heaven!" the memory of Nunnally cried as she held his hand close to her face, "I knew it! I just knew you'd be alright!"
" It's been a long time, Nunnally," the memory of Suzaku smiled.
"Lelouch and Nunnally?" Megatron mused as the Honorary Britannian panicked even more, "They wouldn't happen to be Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia and Princess Nunnally Vi Britannia, would they?"
Before Suzaku could even offer a protest, they both saw the image of the young Prince and Princess' arrival in Japan and meeting Suzaku for the first time. The resemblance was enough to give Megatron the confirmation he supposedly needed.
"Well, what do you know? The children of the late 'Marianne the Flash' live after all. I'm sure Charles would be most happy to hear…"
"No! You … you can' t…! " Suzaku pleaded, which only caused Megatron to sneer even more, knowing he found his weakness.
"Why not? You were the one who said Britannia can change from within. Why are you afraid? Is it because deep down you know that this Empire cannot truly change? That you're afraid your dear friends would be exploited by their own family?"
Seeing the shaking and panicked look on Suzaku would all but confirm it.
"Yes, I believe that is the case , isn't it? And with this, I believe we have found something you truly fear more than your death. Something that we should keep to ourselves, wouldn't you agree?"
"What… what are you…?"
"I've changed my mind, Suzaku. I will allow you to remain within our ranks. You may even stay as Euphemia's knight. However, let me make one thing crystal clear, young Kururugi. From this point forward, you will do everything I say, even if I order you to execute an enemy. If you refuse an order, even a minor one, I will tell Charles that Lelouch and Nunnally still live, and I will leave their fates to him. Am I clear?"
It was a nightmare for Suzaku , the two people that he wanted to protect more than anything had just been exposed and were threatened to be revealed . But he still had a chance to protect them, and he would do whatever it took, even if it meant selling his soul to the Devil.
Suzaku then bowed before the leader of the Decepticons as he gave his answer, "Yes, Lord Megatron. I… I will do what you… ask. Just please… leave them alone."
"You have my word," Megatron sneered before speaking aloud, "Shockwave, we are done here."
Shockwave, Rumble, and Frenzy had seen everything that had transpired in the Patch and had been given the order to end it; prompting Shockwave to walk towards Megatron's stasis body as Frenzy and Rumble did the same for Suzaku.
"And that's a wrap," Rumble said as Frenzy disconnected the Patch , allowing Suzaku to wake up.
"Megatron sure knows how to 'patch' things up, eh Kururugi?" Frenzy mocked, causing the only human present to hang his head down in shame.
Shockwave had likewise disconnected the patch from Megatron, allowing him to awaken as well before glancing at the human under his command, "Suzaku Kururugi, you are dismissed."
Suzaku, albeit shakingly, got up from the lab table and proceeded to walk out from the lab, but with his back turned to the Decepticons, he allowed the horror-filled and regretful face to be visible as dread filled his whole being.
' Lelouch, Nunnally, I'm so sorry,' he thought to himself as he left, the door closing behind him, leaving Megatron alone with Shockwave and the two Mini-Cons.
" Oh Lord Megatron, while you were out of it, Soundwave contacted us," Frenzy told his leader.
"He found a whole hive of Insecticons on that one island, and they're all under our control," Rumble finished.
"Excellent," Megatron sneered.
"Lord Megatron," Shockwave spoke up, "I do not quite understand what we have gained from this. You've already known the status of the vi Britannia siblings, as well as Lelouch's identity as Zero. This may have appeared to only shake Suzaku's resolve, which could logically lead to him possibly defecting to the Autobots and the Black Knights."
"Maybe, but I have found a way to properly pull on his strings . And even if you are right, Shockwave, and he does end up joining Optimus and Lelouch, it's a small price to pay compared to what we've gained recently, with both the Insecticon hive, as well as knowledge of Charles' precious Ragnarok."
"By the way, V.V. is still locked up here. Just letting you know." Rumble informed.
"Good," Megatron nodded as he smirked evilly, "Suzaku Kururugi may be currently Euphemia's knight , but he is also my pawn. "
The Ark
Lelouch sat in the living quarters of the bridge along with Shirley and Rai as Fixit wheeled up with a small container in his hands. Optimus and Bulkhead were all present as well. In regards to the others; Arcee and Cliffjumper were staying near Kallen's place as she was worried her identity could be revealed to the military, so the trio stood on standby to help Kallen's mother at a moment's notice; Wheeljack and Ratchet worked with Rakshata and her team in terms of modifying and improving upon the recently acquired Gawain; and Ironhide was with Ohgi, Tohdoh, and Tamaki in helping some recruits train with their Knightmares.
Fixit handed the container to Lelouch, "Two specially made contact lenses as you requested."
Lelouch took the lenses out and placed them in both his eyes.
"You should still be able to see properly, while the lenses should also prevent your Geass from accidentally controlling anybody within your eye-sight. How do they feel?"
"Pretty comfortable," Lelouch replied.
"We should at least test them to make sure they work," Optimus proposed.
"Do it on me," Bulkhead volunteered, much to everyone's surprise, "Well, C.C. did say it got stronger. Maybe it can affect Bots and Cons now."
"I don't want to take that big of a risk. C.C. also said if I use it only two or three more times , I might lose control . I'd rather not have that happen until I fully master its power."
"Then use it on me," Shirley immediately stood up, much to everyone's further surprise, "You haven't used it on me before. Plus, it doesn't have to be anything serious , just ask me to do jumping jacks or something."
When it looked like he was about to protest, Shirley gave him an assuring smile, "Lulu, it's alright. Let me help you. I want to help you."
Instinctively, Lelouch glanced towards Optimus who gave a nod of approval before he turned toward the schoolgirl turned Black Knight.
"Alright, Shirley…" he activated his Geass under his contact lenses.
"…Hop on one foot five times."
However, the sigil did not enter her eyes and she still had full control, complete with a smirk, "Nope. I don't want to."
This was pleasing to the group as they all smiled, "It would appear the contact lenses are a distress…. access…. success!"
"Great, now if we can only fix up that glitching of yours," Bulkhead joked, resulting in Shirley laughing and even Lelouch smirking. However, once he paid a glance at Rai, he noticed something odd , "Hey, Rai, are you alright?"
Rai was brought out of whatever kind of trance he was in as he looked toward them with his pale face, and bags under his eyes, which appeared to be a bit red themselves, "What…?"
"Rai, are you alright?" Shirley asked with concern, "You looked like you hadn't slept for days."
"I… I just had some trouble… sleeping, yeah what you said…" he stuttered, but both Optimus and Lelouch knew something was off.
"Rai, is something the matter?" Optimus asked, but Rai didn't appear to answer as his body shook slightly. It stopped when Lelouch stood up and he placed a hand on his shoulder, and he gave his friend a concerning yet serious look.
Seeing how it looked like they weren't going to let him leave without hearing what was on his mind, he spoke, "I… I got my memories back."
That took them all by surprise.
"All of them."
Shirley was the first to smile, "Rai… that's great! I'm so happy for you!"
However, Rai was far from happy about it, "In all honestly though, I wish I hadn't."
To say they were stunned was an understatement.
"What are you talking about?" Bulkhead asked his partner, "Rai, you've been wanting to get your memories back for a long time, and now you're saying you don't want them? That doesn't make sense."
"Maybe you remembered an unpleasant memory," Fixit suggested, "I have often heard that humans can overcome such unpleasantries by speaking their minds and their friends offer emotional support. So, please speak your mind so that we may offer said support."
Rai wasn't sure where to start first , but he spoke nonetheless, "First off, my name isn't Rai. It's Kaizare n… Kaizaren Von Britannia."
That caused all their eyes to widen in shock , even Optimus was stunned.
"My father's… is Charles Zi Britannia."
Lelouch's eyes widened at that revelation as he shared a surprised glance with Optimus, "What…?"
But his revealed half-brother wasn't done yet.
"My mother's name… Sakura Kururugi," Rai continued.
"Kururugi?!" Shirley questioned, "As in… Suzaku?"
"Sakura was the elder sister of Genbu Kururugi. But … they never married. They had an affair that was kept secret, as well as my existence, and that of my sister."
"Sister?!" Lelouch, Shirley, Fixit, and Bulkhead all exclaimed at the same time .
"Her name was Erina Von Britannia."
"So, you are…" Optimus spoke.
"Yeah, I'm not only half-Britannian and half-Japanese , I'm Lelouch's half-brother and Suzaku's cousin. Oh, and you know that woman from the Knights of Round, Nonette Enneagram? Yeah, she was my knight."
Though they were all surprised by this, Shirley was the first to speak up, "Wait, if you and your sister were both supposed to be kept secret, where did you live?"
"In the Philippines, it's not that far from Japan," Rai answered.
"It was also considered neutral territory between the expanding Britannia as well as Japan, so it does seem a logical place to hide a pair of half-breed royals who would likely be ostracized and even lynched by the rest of the royal family," Lelouch said.
"I also heard it suffered enormous casualties from the Britannian military as well as the civilians who lived there when it was invaded alongside Japan seven years ago," Fixit put in, causing Rai to wince rather hardly.
"So, you're the son of that wannabe Megatron, big deal. We got another one right here and he's a personified badass," Bulkhead stated.
"Thank you, Bulkhead," Lelouch paid him a quick thanks before turning back to his friend, revealed half-brother, "I can't imagine how much of a shock this is for you Rai , but…"
"I'm not done yet. I know how I got my Geass."
"V.V.?" Optimus asked.
"Yep. I didn't know he was my uncle; he just came to me one day and offered me a contract. He would give me the power to help protect my mother and sister. I loved them both with all my heart , they were my entire world, along with Nonette, who was my only friend. And in return, I would help him and his brother 'fulfill their dream '. Though he didn't say what it was. I knew how dangerous the rest of the royal family was, and I didn't trust my father, so I accepted it , and I got my Geass. Not long after that, Japan was invaded, along with the Philippines. We didn't even have a proper military, so there was no way to fight the invading army."
"Rai… I… I'm so sorry…" Shirley tried to say to him. "But, I'm sure whatever they did to you and your family, we can find a way to make sure they get brought to justice. If Lelouch and Optimus turn over enough rocks, they can find out who did it and…"
Rai looked up as his face was filled with so much emotional pain, "That's just the thing though, Shirley. I'm the one who did it…"
Nobody saw that coming; Bulkhead, Shirley, Lelouch, Fixit, and even Optimus were completely stunned by that revelation.
The Wrecker stuttered as a turmoil of sadness, anger, and regret filled his being, "Britannia invaded our home… but I didn't want to lose it… it was all my family had. Something in me snappe d… I… I used my Geass and ordered everyone to fight back … everyone! Even my mother and sister! They grabbed guns … knives … swords … gardening tools … whatever was handy and fought back …. It was a bloodbath. When it was ove r…I walked through a field that was red with blood before …. Before I found them…my mother… and my sweet little sister… both their bodies filled with holes and lying dead on the ground…"
Shirley gave a gasp she covered her mouth in horror. Bulkhead and Fixit were more shocked than they've ever been, even Lelouch looked in a mixture of shock and sympathy. Optimus had nothing but complete and utter sympathy for the tormented youth.
Rai was already sobbing, "The woman who gave birth to me…. Who loved me … and my little Erina … who looked up to me … her big brother…and I got them killed …. I … lost everything an d… I wanted to end it…"
Everyone gasped as they all had a good idea of what that meant.
"I picked up a gun and… aimed it at my head…then… he came… that little monster V.V… who didn't even have an ounce of empathy… told me that I had to fulfill his end of our contract. I turned the gun on him and unloaded it. When that didn't work, I tried to strangle him with my bare hands, telling him and his brother they could go to hell! Then … he put me in the Thought Elevator."
That got their attention.
"A Thought Elevator?" Optimus asked, "Similar to the one I destroyed on Kamine Island?"
"That very same one. I… I was frozen inside i t… some kind of stasis I guess … for seven years. It' s… it's why I'm the same age as I was the n… I tried to resist, but I couldn't … so, I used my Geass on myself … to make me forget. So, I wouldn't help V.V. with his plans… right before I was sealed away ."
Despite the enormous bomb that was dropped , this answered many of their questions, including why Rai had amnesia in the first place.
"How… how did you get out?" Fixit asked.
"Clovis found me. He discovered the Thought Elevator a little bit after he began his experiments on C.C. and pulled me out of it. He then put me through the same kind of experiments. Then …. When Kallen and her team … stole the canister containing C.C…. I escaped during the confusion … found my way to Ashford and … you all know the rest."
Now they knew, they all finally had all the answers to the mystery surrounding Rai, where he came from, how he got Geass, all of it . But they also understood why he wished he never remembered. Who would want to remember a past as awful as that? Even Lelouch looked in utter sympathy at his half-brother , while his childhood was surely a living hell, it was nothing compared to what he had to go through
Rai's entire body began to shake , "It's my fault…!"
He placed his hands on his head like he was about to pull out his hair, his eyes red and swollen with tears of grief and rage, "I killed them…! I killed my own family! He'd be so proud of me! Dear old Daddy would be so proud! I can practically hear him and V.V. both laughing in my head, telling me I'm just as bad as they are! We're the same! And they're right! How can I be a Black Knight?! I can't b e… I don't deserve to b e… I'm a monster!"
His ranting was brought to a halt as Shirley pulled him into an embrace , wrapping her arms around him so tightly and refusing to let go, "Stop… Rai, stop it right now. I won't let you say anything so horrible about yourself! You're not a monster!"
She pulled away but kept a firm grip on his shoulders as she looked into his eyes, almost wanting to cry, "You didn't want all that to happen, did you? It was V.V. who gave you that power, and it was that monster of an Emperor who ordered your home to be invaded ! They did that to you; you didn't ask for it!"
"But I… I…"
"Rai, look at me. You are not a monster! You've saved so many people, including me! You made a mistake, but it's not like you wanted so many people to get hurt! I don't know how I can help you, but I want to! You're one of my best friends and I care about you so much, and seeing you torture yourself like this only breaks my heart. It wasn't your fault."
"She's right."
Bulkhead leaned down to be on an equal level with him as Rai directed his attention to the green Autobot, "I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am that you went through all that, especially by yourself. But kid, you've done so much good when you came here , you even saved my skid-plate. Yeah, what you went through was horrible, but I don't care who you were before or what kind of mistakes you've made in the past , I know who you are, Rai. You're a good person, someone I can honestly say is my best bud alongside Wheeljack, a fellow Wrecker. No matter what happened back then, or what will happen in the future, I will always have your back. You're my friend and that is never going to change."
"Bulkhead… Shirley…" Rai didn't know what to say as he looked in between their smiling and supportive faces.
"I truly am sorry as well you had to endure all of that," Fixit said sincerely , "But I can promise you are not the only one. There are several other Autobots and Black Knights present who can understand where you're coming from, and I know we will all be here to support you, just as I am now, glitch or no."
Lelouch walked up to his half-brother next, "Rai… when I lost my mother… I only had Nunnally and I didn't open myself up to anyone for a long time, not until Suzaku helped me break through my shell, and even then, I still had trouble trusting others. That is until I met the Autobots, you, and everyone else. You all helped me to see things differently , you changed me. I truly am sorry for your loss, but you've gained some things too. You've gained plenty of loyal friends and … you also have a brother who wants to help you."
He put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, "You also have another sister. I'm sure Nunnally would be thrilled to know you part of her family. And I know she would want to help you too. I told her everything before I came here, and she still trusts me , she can do that for you too ."
Rai almost couldn't believe it. He revealed his horrible past to everyone present, but they still offered their support, compassion, and friendship to him and said how they wanted to help him. He already knew what kind of people the Autobots and most of his fellow Black Knights were, so he wasn't too surprised to hear all this, but his heart still ached with this pain.
"Rai," Optimus was the one to deliver the final remarks, "We can never truly replace what you've lost. But you have friends and a family that will support you even knowing your past. Your actions among us have proven that you are a noble and caring human being, and that is the person we choose to know you as; not as Kaizaren Von Britannia, the son of Charles Zi Britannia; but as Rai of the Black Knights, a Wrecker, an ally to the Autobot s…a nd a most trusted friend."
That was it, that was all Rai needed to hear as he broke down in a sob of both sadness and joy, happiness that despite his past being revealed, he still had friends and family who cared for him and wanted to help him. Shirley immediately pulled him into a hug as she cried too but also smiled, while he buried his face into her shoulder and continued to cry. Lelouch also smiled as he put a hand on his brother's back in support. Bulkhead stayed close as he smiled and nodded, along with Fixit and Optimus who also gave their own sympathetic, yet compassionate expressions to their friend and comrade.
Dreadwing's vehicle mode soared toward Cornelia's mobile base before it slowed its approach and descended toward the ground for a landing. Once it came to a stop, its cockpit opened up to allow Euphemia to step outside, right before Dreadwing transformed.
"Thank you Dreadwing," Euphemia said as she was about to walk toward the base.
"Princess Euphemia, does your sister know of your arrival?" Dreadwing ask.
"No, but this can't wait. I have to talk to her . Did you hear anything from Suzaku?"
"Lord Megatron just released him."
"Is he okay? What happened with Suzaku?"
"I do not know the details, but Megatron has claimed that he still has Suzaku's allegiance."
Euphemia winced at that.
"And if I'm being honest, I have a rather bad feeling about it. I've tried to contact them before, only to be turned down. Something doesn't quite feel right."
Euphemia noticed how reluctant Dreadwing was with all of this. She had yet to tell him what she learned from Lelouch and Optimus on Kanime Island, but maybe she could soon, and they could have a potential ally. Like Suzaku, she knew Dreadwing was a good individual, and if he knew the truth, he would hopefully side with them, or at the very least, leave Megatron.
"I shouldn't be long , please wait out here for me," Euphemia said as she walked inside, while Dreadwing gave an affirmative nod.
Inside the mobile base, Cornelia spoke with Guilford and several of her officers when one soldier came in to address the princess.
"Viceroy, Princess Euphemia is here , and she wishes to have an audience with you."
Guilford and the officers were rather stunned by this, and while Cornelia was rather surprised, she also had something important going on there, "I don't have time for this."
Euphemia stated as she walked into the control room herself, " Make the time, Cornelia."
"Euphemia, I'm very busy right now. Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait." Cornelia said, keeping her eyes focused on what was in front of her.
"No, it can't! Cornelia, I know you never listen to me, but what I have to tell you could determine whether or not Britannia has a future! Maybe even the whole planet!"
Though Guilford and the officers were more than a little shocked by this, Cornelia turned around and saw the look in Euphemia's eyes. That look told the Viceroy that her younger sister wasn't going to leave until she had voiced her thoughts.
"Give us a moment," Cornelia told Guilford and the officers present.
"Yes, Your Highness," Guilford bowed as he and everyone else left the control room, leaving the two royal sisters alone.
"How did you even get out here?" Cornelia asked Euphemia.
"Dreadwing flew me in," Euphemia answered.
The Viceroy gave a concerning look, "I see. Schneizel told me what had happened on Kanime Island. Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine, and that's why I'm here. While I was stranded, I made contact with Optimus Prime and Zero."
That got Cornelia's attention.
"I learned some things while in their company…"
"Did you see Zero's face?" Cornelia asked immediately, while also interrupting her, "Did he take off his mask in front of you?"
"No, he didn't," Euphemia answered, much to Cornelia's disappointment. Though she did feel bad about lying like that, she didn't want to reveal Lelouch's secret till she knew he and Nunnally would be safe, "But that's not why I'm here. Cornelia, we have to end our alliance with the Decepticons."
Cornelia gave Euphemia her full undivided attention as the younger princess continued.
"Megatron has been lying to us. The Autobots aren't war criminals, they're practically refugees! Cybertron wasn't destroyed because of the war, it was destroyed because Megatron poisoned it! He wanted to conquer and overthrow Cybertron's leadership for himself, but when he couldn't, he just settled with simply destroying the planet!"
"Do you have any proof of this?"
"I heard everything from Optimus Prime. Cornelia, I know you've had your doubts about Megatron, just as I've had, but they're not unfounded. Megatron is a monster! We have to end our partnership with him, or else he may very well destroy Britannia, if not the entire Earth!"
"Euphie… I understand what you are saying. I never trusted Megatron, even from the very beginning. Unfortunately, though, I don't have a say in the matter. You heard Father's orders. Besides, Britannia is already facing a grave adversary in the face of the Black Knights and the Autobots, starting another confrontation with a force even greater than that could lead the Empire to ruin. We can't fight two wars at once."
"We don't have to Let's offer a truce to the Autobots and Black Knights."
Cornelia looked at her sister in disbelief, "What?!"
"Even with the orders our father gave, you still have the power as Viceroy to make that call. Offer a ceasefire and a chance to negotiate with Zero and Optimus so we can find a way to work together and repel the Decepticons!"
The elder sister raised her voice in outrage, "Negotiate with them ?! With the same alien that humiliated me multiple times?! With the same terrorist who murdered our brother?!"
"Cornelia, did you even bother to investigate the circumstances surrounding Clovis? Why he did do something so horrible?! He massacred so many innocent people, and we're not even judging his actions?!"
"Those who died in Shinjuku were Elevens, Clovis a member of the Royal Family! Are you saying the lives of those we don't even know are worth even more than our flesh and blood?!"
Euphemia murmured, disappointed, "Elevens… that's how you see them, that's how everyone sees them. And that is why the world hates us! Britannia is wrong, all this fighting is wrong, our father is wrong, we are wrong!"
"Oh, is that so? Well, maybe I was wrong then. Wrong to think you would help to contribute to our nation and see all this fighting through to the end."
"The end of what, Cornelia!? The world!? Because that is exactly what's going to happen if we don't stop! When Optimus told me how the Decepticons destroyed Cybertron, I couldn't help but realize that Britannia is almost the same! That's exactly what we're doing right now! We're destroying the world, Cornelia!"
"Britannia is trying to bring order to the world! Do you think we're the only ones fighting?! Look at the Chinese Federation or the E.U.! Look at all the countries and empires that have existed long before Britannia! Fighting has existed since the dawn of history!"
"That doesn't make it right! Britannia has more scientific knowledge and power than most other countries! We could be using that to help people, but no, we're using it to kill ! Have you seen the ghettos?! Have you seen the people who live there?! The destruction we leave in our wake … the lives we ruin … we're the problem, Cornelia! Britannia can do so much good , but instead , we're only hurting people! We're not bringing order; we're only making more chaos! The Black Knights and Autobots aren't the terrorists! We are!"
Cornelia looked as if her sister had just suddenly grown a second head. Her look of shock and disbelief turned into a glare, "How dare…"
"And it's not just with the rest of the world, it's with our people too! Our own family! You say I don't care about Clovis!? Look at our father! He didn't even shed a single tear at his funeral , he didn't even pay him the proper respects! He just said our own brother's death was a 'stepping stone toward progress'! And it's not just him! Look at what happened to Lelouch and Nunnally! They didn't do anything wrong! All Lelouch wanted to know was why his mother was murdered ! And what did he get for that?! Exile! Our father exiled him just for wanting to seek justice for his own mother's death!"
Euphemia was almost on the verge of crying, "Are you saying… that they deserved to be sent away ? Or worse, that our father practically ordered them to be killed when they invaded Japan?!"
As Euphemia continued to rant, Cornelia's glare only hardened as her fists clenched.
"We betrayed them, Cornelia! Our brother and sister! They were thrown away and left for dead and we didn't lift a single finger to help them!" Tears were already flowing down her eyes, "I hate myself every day for that and knowing I can't do anything to change it! But you're a Viceroy! You have the power to make a change, but you won't! So many people are suffering , and you won't even bat an eye! I don't blame the Black Knights or the Autobots one bit for waging war against us! You're just like him Cornelia ! YOU'RE JUST LIKE OUR FATHER !"
*SMACK!*
Almost on instinct, Cornelia had swung the back of her fist to her sister's face and knocked her down onto the ground. However, once she realized what she did, Cornelia's look of anger turned into shock as she saw Euphemia look up toward her, tears mixed in with a look of betrayal and disbelief in her eyes as she held her cheek where Cornelia struck her.
"Euphie… I… I didn't…"
However, the younger sister was already on her feet, her back turned toward her older sister and speaking professionally, "I'm sorry, it was a mistake to come here. You don't have to worry, Viceroy. I won't bother you ever again."
She then proceeded to walk out, leaving Cornelia alone.
Once she was alone, Cornelia became filled with regret as she walked up to sit on her throne. There was a part of her that agreed with what her sister had said; like Euphemia, Cornelia hated herself for not protecting Lelouch and Nunnally, and she wished she was with Lelouch that day he confronted his father, even if she got exiled with them, she could have protected them herself. She stifled a sob as she pressed her hand against her face.
"Your Highness?"
She lowered her hand slightly to reveal Guilford had entered the room as he looked with concern, "Are you alright?"
"How much did you hear?" Cornelia asked bluntly.
"Quite a bit. It was rather loud," Guilford answered, causing Cornelia to sigh even deeper , "Your Highness, permission to speak freely?"
"Granted."
"It's not my place to pass judgment based on your current actions, or what happened in the past with your family. But I know you're not a bad person."
Cornelia paid him a glance as he continued.
"And if I'm being honest, I don't fully trust the Emperor either, especially with how complacent he seems to be regarding the action of the Decepticons, whom I have no trust for whatsoever . If something happened, and I was forced to choose between you or the Emperor, I would follow you without a moment's hesitation."
"I know you would," Cornelia replied honestly, "You've been nothing short of loyal to me, Guilford. And I truly appreciate that."
"Your Highness!" an officer urgently ran inside.
"What now?" she asked with a groan, not in the mood for this.
"The enemy has destroyed the Great Kanmon Bridge in Kyushu Block!"
"What?!" Cornelia questioned as she and Guilford were both stunned by this report.
"They've also cut off vehicle access at four other points!" the officer continued, "And large numbers of assault landing craft are moving into the Genkai Sea!"
"The Chinese Federation?!" Guilford exclaimed in surprise.
"Have they made a deceleration of war?!" Cornelia questioned.
"No, Viceroy! The craft is bearing the flag of Japan!"
Chapter 30: Battle At Kyushu
Chapter Text
" We hereby declare the resurrection of Japan as a lawful, independent, and sovereign nation!"
This was a declaration made by a middle-aged Japanese politician, seen on the latest news report broadcast on the Ark's main screen with Optimus, Zero, Ratchet, Tamaki, Ironhide, Diethard, and Ohgi watching.
" Atsushi Sawazaki, leader of the forces that have occupied the Fukuoka military base, was chief cabinet administrator of the Kururugi Administration in the former nation of Japan," the reporter on the screen explained, "After the war, he fled to the Chinese Federation but is making his move in response to the recent civil unrest caused by Zero and these still-mysterious beings known as the Autobots. Whether they and the Black Knights have played a role in these unfolding events is still under investigation…"
"We're not part of it!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"What do Kyoto or Peace Mark say about this?" Ratchet asked Diethard.
"Neither knew this was coming," Diethard responded, "Kyoto was only just notified about his unilateral claim over the Sakuradite mining rights."
"By why make his move now?" Ironhide questioned, "Is it only because we're causing such a commotion here in Japan?"
"Zero, Optimus, it's our move , what are we gonna do about this?" Ohgi asked the two.
"Let's not jump on the bandwagon just yet," Zero answered, "It seems he's gaining support from the Chinese Federation. We should know the full story before making any moves. But the real question is, whether or not the Decepticons may become involved?"
"Yes, that does leave cause for concern," Optimus said, "On one end, Megatron may view this as beneath him, as it does not seem like Sawazaki or the forces of the Chinese Federation have any Cybertronian allies. But as Zero said, we should understand the full situation before we make any moves of our own."
The Nemesis
Dreadwing walked onto the bridge of the Decepticon warship where Megatron was standing at the end , his back turned to the Seeker.
"Lord Megatron, I trust you have become aware of the situation in Kyushu?"
"Soundwave has informed me," Megatron acknowledged as the silent Decepticon hung to the side.
"I believe that this Sawazaki individual is merely a puppet for the opposing nation called the Chinese Federation."
Megatron kept his back turned, "Your point?"
"This could cause a great deal of unrest within Area 11, even more so than before. I propose assembling the Seekers and a small squadron to infiltrate Kyushu and eliminate the threat."
"There will be no need for that. It does not appear to be the work of the Autobots and their Black Knight allies, so it is of no concern to us. Let Cornelia handle it."
"But master…" Dreadwing attempted to protest.
"That is an order!" the Decepticon leader insisted, finally turning around to address the Seeker in question, "Unless Optimus or Zero become involved, this is little more than a skirmish between two bickering nations and we hold no part in it, and that is final."
Dreadwing merely lowered his head with a frustrated expression, "As you wish, Lord Megatron. But, you should be aware that Suzaku Kururugi has been selected by Prince Schneizel to take part in the battle to reclaim Kyushu."
"He is a soldier of Britannia, of course."
"But he is also one of our soldiers."
"One that is on very thin ice, given his recent actions. Now, is there anything else you wish to inform me?"
Though hesitant at first, Dreadwing decided to back down, "No, master."
"Then you are dismissed," Megatron told him, prompting Dreadwing to turn around with a reluctant scowl on his face .
Meanwhile, the Avalon continued to fly across the clouds, making its way towards Kyushu. Though its commander, Schneizel, was not present, the Camelot Division was on the bridge, along with all four Knights of the Round as they saw the report of Sawazaki's occupation of Kyushu.
"Wow, talk about a blast from the past," Gino commented, "Who would have thought the old Japanese government would team up with the Chinese Federation?"
"More likely the Federation is using Sawazaki as a cover for their true objectives," Monica assumed.
"Agreed, and given the civil unrest caused by our conflict with the Decepticons against the Black Knights and the Autobots, it makes sense they'd try to take advantage of the chaos," Anya said.
"Speaking of which, what have the Decepticons said about this?" Nonette asked in a somewhat suspicious tone towards Lloyd.
“When I called Starscream, his exact words were, ‘If you need our help to deal with some lowly humans, then Britannia leaves even more to be desired than I thought,’” Lloyd said casually, “You know, the typical ‘superior alien, lowly human’ shtick.”
"At this point, I'm not even surprised," the Knight of Nine rolled her eyes, "But I am a bit surprised the Decepticons aren't involved in this at all."
"Why would they be?" Gino asked, "I get we're not best buddies with them right now, but I don't think they'd switch sides to the Chinese Federation."
"I don't think they were ever on our side," Monica said, "Given their recent actions, I think it's safe to say they're only using us just to get an advantage over the Autobots and the Black Knights. Suffice to say, I've completely lost my trust in them."
"Except Dreadwing, he's still cool," Gino put in.
"Putting all that aside, how's Suzaku doing?" Lloyd asked Cecile.
"He says he'll do whatever the mission demands," Cecile answered.
"I still can't believe he resigned from his position as a knight," Gino said with genuine concern, "Sure, he made a few mistakes. Who hasn't?
"I believe the situation is more complicated than that," Anya said.
"What about Prince Schneizel? Where is he?" Cecile asked the Knights.
"He's in the Settlement, trying to keep a panic from breaking out," Monica informed, "But he said he'd have a strategy in place soon if Cornelia can't penetrate the enemy front line."
"Avalon doesn't have its commander right now, but we have to finish this up if we want to counter the Gefjun Disturber," Lloyd commented, as Nonette and Gino glanced back, though they couldn't see him, both of them were thinking in concern with Suzaku who no doubt was all by himself near the Lancelot with a great deal of troubling thought in his mind.
Flashback – Yesterday
Suzaku stood in front of Euphemia in her office as he handed her back the knight pin she gave him.
"I've dishonored you," Suzaku said to her, "I'm not worthy to be your knight."
"If this is about you disobeying orders, my brother Schneizel said it was an unusual situation and you shouldn't be blamed for it," Euphemia said.
His voice began to crack , "It's not just that…I… I can't do this."
Euphemia looked to him with concern, "Has knighthood become a burden for you? Something that troubles you?"
"No, I'm grateful for it."
"Then why?"
"I… I killed my father."
Euphemia now looked at him with absolute shock.
"I was never punished for it, I just lived on like nothing happened. But even that isn't it… I… my actions… have put people that I care about in danger. What kind of person am I? That I put people that I love in jeopardy, while I'm being protected?!"
His eyes shook as tears were almost ready to fall, "Someone like me doesn't deserve this."
He put his pin in Euphie's hands and closed them around it, "I'm sorry, Euphie."
He turned around and began to leave.
"Wait, Suzaku, where are you going to go now?" she stopped him, but while he did stop, he didn't turn around to face her, "You're... you're not going back to the Decepticons, are you?!"
Suzaku said nothing in response, which was all the confirmation she needed.
"Suzaku, please you can't go back to them! They're not what Megatron says they are! He's a monster! He's just using you, Suzaku! Even if you're no longer my knight, that doesn't mean we can't find a solution! Please! I … you can't go back to them! I' m… I'm ordering you not to go back!" she pleaded, tears already streaming down her eyes.
Suzaku clenched his fists as his whole body shook , tears were built up in his own eyes as well, but he forced them back, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Bu t… I can't obey that order. Forgive me."
He left her office, leaving a saddened Euphemia as she fell to her knees and placed one hand over her mouth as she cried alone.
End Flashback.
A raging storm had formed over Kyushu, which made it almost impossible for the Britannian forces to advance any further. Any aquatic Portland Knightmares that attempted to get close were instantly shot down as all airships couldn't get through either due to the tempest.
"Princess Cornelia, we're taking too many losses!" Guilford reported to the Viceroy as they were on a carrier ship outside the battlefield, "This tempest is preventing us from using our airpower! We'll have to delay the landing operation until the weather changes."
Cornelia could only scowl as she knew her knight was correct.
"It's a stroke of good fortune that this storm hit " the Chinese General Tsao commented as he stood next to Sawazaki within the occupied base, "We must use it to tighten our grip on Kyushu."
"You see General Tsao, Heaven is on our side," Sawazaki boasted, "And soon, we'll have even stand side-by-side with titans."
Tsao gazed with concern , "You're certain these Autobot beings will side with us? Based on what we've seen, it seems as though there are other metallic beings they seem to be in conflict with besides Britannia."
Sawazaki smirked, "I'm quite certain we'll come to terms with them. What's the old saying? 'The enemy of my enemy'? And that prison fight that was broadcast nationwide has shown that Britannia is starting to lose its grip. Even that wretched Emperor hasn't made a statement, showing that even he is scared. Once they lose Japan entirely , that pitiful empire may completely fall apart entirely !"
Tokyo Settlement
"Martial law is not necessary," Schneizel said to Darlton and a few Britannian officers in his office, "Such measures would only upset and frighten people. Contact E.U. Foreign Minister Gandalfy. Oh, and put a call into the Totama Agency in Cambodia."
"Prince Schneizel, using the Totama Agency could be a…" Darlton attempted to protest but was interrupted by Euphemia's entering the office.
"Prime Minister," Euphemia addressed her older half-brother professionally.
" Yes Euphie, is something wrong?" Schneizel asked in a friendly manner.
"Is there anything I can do to help? I'm the Sub-Viceroy of Area 11 , I should be assisting you."
"Thank you. Just your offer to help me is more than enough," Schneizel said.
"But I…" Euphemia tried to protest.
"The Viceroy gave strict orders that you not be entangled in this matter, Princess," Darlton told her.
"She did? Is this because I chose my knight without her consent? Or is it because of the fight we had?"
Darlton wasn't aware of that, "You got into an argument with the Viceroy?"
Schneizel chose to intervene, "Please understand, Euphie. Cornelia can't take any chances now. The situation is much too treacherous."
Euphemia's eyes shook slightly, "You mean…"
"Darlton, concerning the matter we were discussing, I know someone who has a way in with them, so I will ask for help."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Schneizel, there's something else I need to talk to you about! It's about the Decepticons. Please you have to liste n…! "
However, Schneizel raised his hand, "Euphie, I'm sure whatever you have to discuss regarding the Decepticons is important, but right now we've got our hands full with the current situation. I'm sorry, but it'll have to wait."
Euphemia had left the building with a distraught look on her face. Even though she couldn't help with the situation in Kyushu, she at least hoped she could tell her brother about the Decepticons' true colors, but much like with Cornelia, it seems her attempts were all for naught. However, her distraught thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a blue fighter jet flying down toward her, which slowed its descent to transform into Dreadwing.
"Dreadwing…!" Euphemia was honestly surprised to see him here.
"Princess Euphemia, where is Suzaku?" Dreadwing asked, "I have been attempting to make contact, but I have had no response ."
"He's… he's on the Avalon, approaching Kyushu."
Though he had his answer, Dreadwing noticed the troubling look in Euphemia's eyes, "Is something the matter, Your Highness?"
"Dreadwing, did… did Megatron order Suzaku to resign as my knight?"
To say Dreadwing was surprised was an understatement, "What?! Suzaku resigned as your knight?!"
The princess was slightly caught off guard, "So, you didn't know…?"
"How did this happen? Why would he resign?" the Seeker questioned urgently.
"He… He said he did something that he was never punished for and… people he cared about were placed in danger. But he never went into the details."
Dreadwing had a serious expression on his face , 'Could this be the issue regarding his father? Is that the reason?'
"Dreadwing…" Euphemia got his attention again, "Please… you're the only Decepticon I can trust. Please, I'm begging you , help Suzaku! I don't care if he doesn't want it , I want you to help protect him! He … he means so much to me … even more than a soldie r… Please!"
The Seeker was surprised by this request, but he understood. He easily noticed that there was a connection between Suzaku and Euphemia, and for that reason, he would assist both of them however he could.
"I will, I promise," Dreadwing nodded, much to Euphemia's relief, "Princess Euphemia, whatever reason it is that has caused you to distrust the Decepticons, I promise you can trust me. I will look after Suzaku Kururugi for you."
"Thank you." Euphemia smiled as Dreadwing gave a small smile of his own before transforming and flying off.
Once he was gone, Euphemia reached into her pocket and pulled out the special communications device Lelouch gave her back on Kamine Island.
Ashford Academy – Student Council Room
"After all our hard work getting ready, it looks like they're gonna cancel the School Festival," Milly said as the room was nothing short of a mess, with all sorts of boxes and supplies scattered across the floor.
"That's hardly a huge consideration since we're at war," Rivalz commented as he worked on a laptop.
"Did you say 'war'?" Nina asked in surprise.
"Gino texted me," Rivalz answered, "They're using this 'government-in-exile' thing as a smokescreen, but this is a war with the Chinese Federation."
"Oh, I see," Nina said.
"Nina, what about the booths we were planning to borrow from the art museum?" Milly asked her.
"Uh, I'm going there today," she answered, "If I have some extra time, I'd also like to drop into the science department."
"Are you talking about that 'present' of yours?" Milly questioned.
"Huh, what present is that?" Rivalz asked in confusion.
"Professor Asplund said that I should ask him if there was something special that I wanted," the bespectacled girl answered with a small blush on her face .
"You mean Lloyd?!" Rivalz exclaimed, "That philandering playboy?!"
"That's enough," the student council president lightly chastised, "Could you get a little work done."
"Easy for you to say; more than half the council's missing!" Rivalz stated, "Suzaku, Gino, Anya, and Monica are all in the army, both Kallen and Rai are in the hospital, and Lelouch is completely MIA."
He looked to the only other member in the room, "Hey Shirley, anything going on with him? I saw that you and Lelouch have been spending a lot of time together lately."
Shirley was somewhat surprised by that, "Oh, well… he had something personal he had to take care of with Nunnally. A family emergency and all that…"
She sent a glance towards Milly, which she seemed to understand.
"Ah well, guess it can't be helped then," Milly played along.
Rivalz sighed, "Yeah, well I still think something weird is going on ."
The covert Black Knight inwardly winced as she didn't like the idea of deceiving her friends like this, but she knew it was for their protection. Of course, it wasn't just that, as she remembered when Rai confessed to Nunnally the previous day.
Flashback – Yesterday
Rai had kneeled in front of Nunnally, holding his hand over hers as he had told her everything about his past; that he was her half-brother, as well as Suzaku's cousin, how he got his Geass, what happened to his mother and sister, as well as V.V. putting him in the Thought Elevator only to be extracted by Clovis seven years ago.
Lelouch, C.C., Kallen, Shirley, and Sayoko were all present in the room as well . Though Lelouch, Kallen, and Shirley were already aware, it didn't stop them from looking at Rai in complete and utter sympathy. However, it was the first time both C.C. and Sayoko had heard of this; the maid covered her mouth in shock, and even C.C. had been completely stunned , though she felt a great deal of pity for Rai, her resentment towards V.V. had increased substantially.
"Rai… I… I'm so sorry…" Nunnally said to him, her voice already cracking.
"Hard to believe huh …?" Rai asked with a hollow voice, "Your mysterious roommate is not only your half-brother but also a mass murderer…"
"Rai, no, that was not your fault!" Nunnally told him, "And I'm not going to let you think that about yourself!"
"I know, Lelouch and the others already told me that it's just…I don't know if I'm ever gonna get over that."
"But, at least you're not alone," Nunnally reached out to caress his cheek, causing him to slowly look up in surprise at the sight of her smile, despite the tears that streamed down her cheeks, "Rai, I am so sorry all of that happened to you, but I don't think of you any differently. I've always cared about you ever since you came here, and now you're my brother. I know I can never replace Erina bu t … you have a sister now who loves you deeply and wants to be here for you. So please let me."
Rai stifled some tears as he smiled as well. "Thank you, Nunnally." She didn't hesitate to pull her brother into an embrace, which he was more than happy to return. Such a scene caused Shirley to shed some tears of joy , even Sayoko wiped a tear from her eye. C.C. didn't cry, but she nonetheless smiled and gave a small nod , even Lelouch and Kallen shared genuine smiles.
End Flashback
The Ark
Rai, clad in his Black Knight uniform, had recalled that memory of the previous day as he sat in a cargo hold on a few boxes next to the Jackhammer and he saw a familiar white Autobot walk in.
"Hey, how you holding up, kid?" Wheeljack asked.
"Hanging in there," the human Wrecker said with a small sigh, "So, Bulkhead told you everything?"
"Yeah," Wheeljack nodded, "Listen, Rai. I'm sorry for all that."
"Thanks, but it's not like you got a reason to be. None of that is your fault."
Wheeljack kneeled closer to Rai's level, "No, but you're still my friend. Kid, look. I'm not exactly good at these heartfelt speeches or whatever , but I just wanna say that no matter what kind of baggage you got going on, you're still one of us, and I always got your back."
Rai looked up to Wheeljack with a genuine smile as the Autobot soon smirked.
"And hey, if that V.V. guy shows up to give you a hard time again, just let me know. I'll test that fancy immortality of his, Wrecker-style," he smirked as he held out a grenade for emphasis.
Rai chuckled, "Yeah… thanks Wheeljack."
"Don't mention it, kid," the Wrecker nodded as he offered his fist for a fist bump, which Rai was happy to return.
Meanwhile, Lelouch, still in his Zero outfit, sat in the living room area of the Ark's bridge with Optimus behind him as Tohdoh, Kaguya, and Katase sat down across from him.
"You wanted to see us?" Tohdoh asked.
"We would like each of your opinions on Sawazaki," Optimus requested, "Given the situation, we need to be certain whether or not we can count him as our ally. And given you three were among those who worked closest with him, anything you would say would be valuable."
"Sawazaki is a coward, plain and simple," Katase replied immediately, "Though he supported the fight against Britannia when they invaded, once word got out of Prime Minister Kururugi's death, he immediately fled the country with his tail between his legs. He didn't even give a warning."
"Even before he fled the country, Sawazaki was never a warrior," Tohdoh added, "He's essentially a typical politician; all bark and no bite. I guess that he's a pawn for the Chinese Federation."
Even Kaguya nodded, "Oh yes, most definitely. I'm friends with their current empress, and I can safely say that the High Eunuchs are using him to try and get Japan all to themselves. They're not all that different from the Britannian Royal Family. No offense, Lelouch."
"None taken," Lelouch assured, "From the sound of things, it seems like Sawazaki isn't all that different from Starscream. Then again, at least even he can put up a fight if he's cornered , but for Sawazaki in that circumstance, he shows his underbelly. Is that right?"
"Couldn't have put it any better myself," Tohdoh confirmed.
The Black Knights' leader then felt a vibration and took out his cell phone to see it was a private line , one that he recognized almost instantly . "Excuse me, I have to take this," he stood up, "Optimus, gather everyone to the bridge. We'll announce our next move soon."
"Understood," Optimus nodded as Lelouch left the area.
The young revolutionary entered his private quarters, sat down, and answered the phone, " Hello Euphie."
" Lelouch, I'm sorry to call you if you're in the middle of something, but I have to talk to you!"
"What's going on?"
" Suzaku resigned as my knight!" Euphemia informed.
"What?!" Lelouch practically shot out of his seat.
" Lelouch did… did you know about his father?" she asked, causing Lelouch to wince at that .
He let out a sigh , "Yes, I did I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
" Does Optimus know?"
"Yes, as do the other Autobots and my inner circle of Black Knights. But how did you find out?"
" He told me that was the reason he wanted to resign. That, and he said he put people that he cared about in danger."
"Did he say who specifically?"
" No."
"Do you know where Suzaku is now?"
" He's involved in the operation with Kyushu. Lelouch, you and Optimus wouldn't happen to…"
"If you're wondering if we're involved with Sawazaki, let me tell you right now that we're not. We had no idea this was coming, and we have no intention of siding with Sawazaki either."
" I had a feeling, but I just wanted to be sure."
Euphemia paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Um, Lelouch…"
"Yes?"
" I… I tried to talk with Cornelia and Schneizel about what I learned from you and Optimus."
"Did you tell them my identity?" he asked somewhat urgently.
" No! I wouldn't do that without your consent!" the princess quickly assured, much to Lelouch's relief, "But, when I tried to tell them about the Decepticons, Cornelia ignored me completely, and Schneizel was more focused on what's going on in Kyushu. I'm sorry, I wanted to get you and Optimus help but …"
"It's alright. I thank you for wanting to help, but we have to be careful. It's not just the Decepticons. You know what our father is like, and what he's capable of."
" I know… but it's just so frustrating! I want to help bu t … I can' t… you have no idea how much that hurts, knowing the people I care about are struggling so much but I can't do a thing to help them!"
Lelouch winced with sympathy as he heard his half-sister's grievances, "I'm sorry Euphie , really I am. But, there's a time and place that you can help, but now is not that time. Please don't take any offense to this , but you're not a soldier. You don't know what war's like. The best thing I can recommend is for you to keep your head down. If something comes up and you can help us, I'll let you know, I promise. But right now, just keep yourself out of harm's way."
Somehow, Lelouch could practically see the disappointed look on his sister's face. As much as he wanted to help Euphie, he knew that she didn't have much to contribute right now to the current situation.
"Euphie…? Are you still there?"
" Yes…Lelouch … there's just one last thin g… Clovis … why di d…? "
"Why did he do what he did? Why did I kill him?"
" Yes…"
Lelouch sighed, "I meant to tell you this sooner, but I never got the chance. Euphie, I need you to listen to me very carefully. What I am about to tell you right now , you can't tell anybody else . Not a single soul, do you understand?"
Though there was some hesitance, he did get a response.
"I understand."
Lelouch then told her everything about his Geass, from meeting C.C. in Shinjuku to explaining why that was the reason Clovis ordered the massacre, and also the reason Lelouch killed him. He also explained his Geass power, and even went into detail about their secret uncle, V.V., and even talked about Rai and his past. Euphemia listened to every word and asked the occasional question, which Lelouch was willing to answer. He even talked about how he met with Cornelia before and used his Geass on her to get information regarding his mother's murder, and even erased her memories of that meeting if only to protect her. He also told her about his confession to Nunnally and his plan to move her to the Ark soon.
Once it was all done, Lelouch sat in uncomfortable silence, waiting for his sister's response. Finally, after what seemed like a long while, she spoke.
" I… wow… that… I have no idea what to say to all that…"
"I know, it's a lot. And I'm sorry to pour it all on you at once."
" Well, given all the bombshells I got on that island with you and Optimus, you'd think I'd be used to it."
Lelouch slightly chuckled at that.
"Lelouch, I… I'm sorr y… you had to go through all that all by yourself…"
"I'm not by myself. I've got Optimus and so many other people and Bots who are willing to help me. So, don't worry, I'm not alone. Listen, I have to go. I promise I'm going to help Suzaku, and we'll get this matter with Sawazaki taken care of as well."
" I know you will. Please give Optimus my regards."
"I will."
Lelouch stood up, "And Euphie, I love you."
" I love you too."
With that, he hung up.
The Avalon
Suzaku saw that the Lancelot now had its Float System attached to it, which took the form of a red jetpack-like device attached to the back of the white Knightmare. However, before he could contemplate, he received a communication from his earpiece.
" Suzaku Kururugi."
To say the Honorary Britannian was surprised was an understatement as he recognized that voice.
"Dreadwing!? Wha … where are you?!"
" Currently flying outside the Avalon. I already informed Asplund and the Knights of the Round."
Suzaku's eyes narrowed slightly, "Did Megatron send you?"
" No, I came here out of Princess Euphemia's request."
That caught Suzaku off-guard.
"She told me of your resignation as her knight. This wouldn't happen to do with the situation around your father, would it?"
Suzaku's eyes widened in shock as he quickly made his way around the corner to speak in private , "Dreadwing… what exactly….?"
" Answer the question. Did you resign your post because of your guilt in your father's death?"
Suzaku hesitated for a moment before he delivered an answer , "I'm not worth being a knight to someone as amazing as her. All I've done is run away , I put many people in danger, some of those people I care deeply about. A person like me doesn't deserve to serve someone like her."
Meanwhile, Dreadwing's jet mode flew above the Avalon as he continued his conversation with the young soldier.
"Kururugi, I am not here to pass judgment based on your past actions. But I will say this: what that girl, Kallen Kozuki, said on the island is true. A soldier must be willing to accept responsibility for all the deeds they've committed, both good and bad. You are not the only soldier who's made mistakes. I've made plenty, as have several others."
" I can't afford a mistake though !" Suzaku tried to protest, "Otherwise, everything I work for… it's all for nothing."
"Suzaku, listen to me. You are not perfect. Nobody is perfect. Do you know why it's so important to know when you've made a mistake or accept responsibility? So that you can learn from all of it and attempt to improve yourself."
" But that's the thing Dreadwing , I don't know if I can. I don't know if I can accept all that … if I d o… I would only bring dishonor … and I can't afford that, especially with Princess Euphemia. If I do, I worry she might end up … hating herself."
"If she hates herself, it's only because she feels that she was the one who pushed you away. She cares deeply for you, don't push her away. If something happened to her, you would never forgive yourself. Trust me, I know."
There was no response from Suzaku at first, but Dreadwing heard something of a small sigh before he gave his reply .
"Thanks for telling me that and… for being here too. You're a good friend, Dreadwing."
He then hung up, leaving Dreadwing alone to contemplate his thoughts a she continued to fly alongside the Avalon.
' It's not just that he won't accept responsibility,' Dreadwing thought to himself , 'He refuses to forgive himself. Suzaku Kururugi, what does it have to take for you to accept help from people who genuinely care for you?'
Euphemia stood alone, save for her bodyguards, in the art museum as she looked at the picture of her late half-brother Clovis, though after hearing what he did from Lelouch, she could never look at the image of Clovis the same way again.
' A figurehead, that's all I was from the start. I knew that, but I thought if I could give my best effort, maybe I could make some difference. But who am I kidding? I'm not a strategist like Lelouch or Schneizel , and I'm not a warrior like Optimus, Cornelia, or Dreadwing. I'm useless. The people that I care about are risking everything, yet all I can do is stick on the sidelines and offer my regards.'
Tears built up in her eyes as she tried to wipe them from her face, 'I hate myself!'
Nina stood at the entrance to the museum as she addressed a guard present at the door.
"Oh yeah, they told me about you. You need to get the document signed today, right? But a member of the Royal Family is viewing the art, right now."
"Huh? Which member is it?" Nina asked.
Zero stood on the catwalk on the Ark's bridge, alongside Optimus Prime and Ironhide, as well as Ohgi, Tohdoh, Kaguya, and even Diethard as they addressed all the Black Knights and the rest of the Autobots that had gathered together on the bridge. Even Kallen, Shirley, and Rai were present, standing right by Bumblebee.
"So, what are we gonna do?" Cliffjumper asked.
"We will not be working with Sawazaki," Optimus answered, "He is not a supporter of Japan, but a pawn of the High Eunuchs of the Chinese Federation."
"But he said he was fighting for Japan," Bulkhead said, "He didn't even call it 'Area 11'."
"This country might get a new name, but nothing would change," Zero stated, "We would just be trading Britannia for another master. Japan wouldn't be truly free."
"Alright, so what are we going to do?" Arcee asked.
"We're going to remove the Chinese Federation forces from Kyushu," the Autobot leader answered.
"So what? We're gonna help Britannia?" Asahina questioned.
"What about the Decepticons?" Urabe also questioned.
"We don't think Megatron will involve himself in this," Ironhide answered, "As far as he's concerned, this is just a little squabble and nothing to trouble himself over."
"Zero, Optimus, perhaps you should clarify what our overall mission is ," Diethard suggested.
"Yeah, he's right," Ohgi agreed, "Even leaving aside the Sawazaki matter, what's our mid-term goal on this?"
"There are a lot of moving parts, but there are three main objectives," Zero began, "Step one: make Japan an independent nation."
That took nearly everyone by surprise.
"Independent?!" Kallen exclaimed as she shared a surprised expression with Rai and Shirley.
"Did he just say what I thought he said?" Cliffjumper questioned as he looked to the equally stunned Arcee, as all the other Black Knights began to voice their surprise and concern aloud.
"He wants us to be in a country?!" Bulkhead questioned.
Wheeljack chuckled, " Well what do you expect? We gotta go somewhere with all of this."
"Hold on a moment," Ratchet spoke up, "It is true that our forces have increased substantially, but we remain at a disadvantage regarding the sheer number of enemies."
"That's right, Britannia is an empire that controls one-third of the world!" Chiba stated.
"Not to mention the sheer firepower the Decepticons have over us!" Fixit also voiced his concern.
"There's no way we can pull something like that off!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Which brings us to our second step," Optimus began, "Yes, making Japan an independent country will be a difficult task , but not impossible. I have every reason to believe that with the resources we currently possess, we will be able to drive out both the Decepticon and Britannian forces from Japan. However, as you say, they will attempt to retaliate."
"In which case, our response, the second step of our plan, is to build a coalition of nations," Zero continued, causing everyone to look in further surprise, "We will recruit other countries to our cause, not just smaller countries like Japan; but even other Britannian-occupied areas, as well as the remaining superpowers including the E.U. and the Chinese Federation."
"Wait a second, you guys just said that Sawazaki…" Ohgi said.
"Sawazaki is a puppet of the Chinese Federation," the mask-clad leader began to clarify, "What we're talking about is building an army where we and those in the Federation stand as equals !"
"Once we've established this force, this 'united nations' if you will, we will have the means to stop both the Decepticons and Britannia once and for all, ending this war entirely," Optimus continued, "Which is our third step, to create a new world where all countries, all people of the Earth, regardless of gender, nationality, ideology, all stand as equals. No more persecution, segregation, or assimilation! Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and we must protect and reinstitute that right to this world!"
Every single Autobot and Black Knight present looked towards each other with surprise, excitement, or fanatical ecstasy in the case of Diethard . The true objective of the Autobot-Black Knight alliance was revealed : to bring freedom to this world. And from the words and convictions of both Zero and Optimus Prime, they were going to reach their goal no matter what.
Euphemia was riding in her car out the back parking lot of the museum when suddenly Nina tried to run up toward the gate.
"Princess Euphemia!"
The guards however quickly restrained Nina as the car came to a stop just outside the gate.
"Secure the perimeter! Code delta! Code delta!" a guard stated as they kept the tearful Nina pinned to the ground.
"Please…! I just want to than k… Princess Euphemia…" Nina cried, but it didn't seem they were listening to her.
Euphie sat in the back of the car, momentarily stunned. However, her eyes widened in surprise as she recognized this girl.
'From the hotel!'
Without a moment's hesitation, Euphemia stepped out of the car.
"Stop it!" she ordered the guards, "That girl is a personal friend of mine!"
"Good, it's cleared up," Cornelia observed as the storm finally passed.
"Now we can resume the landing operation," Guilford reported, "And we'll try to put Prince Schneizel's plan into action. Also, Viceroy, it would seem Dreadwing has joined them."
"Dreadwing?" Cornelia turned to her knight in minor surprise. "Are the Decepticons becoming involved?"
"No ma'am ," Guilford answered, "Based on Sir Weinberg's report, it seems Dreadwing is acting on his own. And in my personal opinion, between him, the Knights of the Round, and Kururugi, I have little doubt they will succeed."
Cornelia gave something of a scoff, "Hopefully Dreadwing and the Knights can compensate for Kururugi's recent lack of results."
Dreadwing stood on top of the Avalon as he waited for the operation to begin until he got a call on his comms.
"Dreadwing, where are you?" Megatron contacted him.
"Providing my assistance in this operation, Lord Megatron," Dreadwing responded.
"Did I not order you to stand down?" Megatron questioned irritably as he and Soundwave stood on the bridge of the Nemesis.
" Forgive me, one true master, but I believe that by working alongside the Britannian forces, we will be able to at least begin remedying the strained relationship between our forces. You admitted that this is the main reason our enemies continue to succeed."
"While this is indeed true, Britannia is not one to let go of their pride."
" I believe I may have the means to change that, Lord Megatron. I assure you that between myself, and the Britannian forces currently with me, we will put an end to this occupation swiftly."
"I will allow it Dreadwing , but only this once," Megatron said before hanging up on communications.
Megatron then turned to Soundwave, "You wonder why I allow this, even though it can be considered insubordination?"
Soundwave nodded in confirmation.
"Call it curiosity, but as you already know, we have someone in place who should get this done rather swiftly. That is of course, he doesn't attempt to throw his life away. That, and of course, I'm curious as to how Optimus and Lelouch would respond to this."
" Incoming missiles!" Alarms sounded on the Avalon's bridge, "Launch point appears to be Fukuoka base! One minute, five seconds to impact!"
"Not bad. They're well prepared against air raids as well ," Lloyd said, not intimidated by the incoming attack.
Meanwhile, Suzaku and the four Knights of the Round were already stationed in their respective Knightmares, each one with a specially designed Float System to enable flight.
"Are we sending up a barrage?" Suzaku asked.
"We'll be fine in this position," Cecile told him as he felt the entire ship rock, even Gino, Monice, Nonette, and Anya were jolted slightly as they felt the impact of the missiles striking something just outside the ship.
"Direct hit confirmed!" one soldier reported, "The Avalon is destroyed !"
Sawazaki had a triumphant smirk on his face , "Even if it is state of the art, a single ship can't possibly hurt us."
However, he looked in surprise at the radar screen to see that the ship was still heading toward its location as if it was never destroyed to begin with.
"What the…?"
Dreadwing looked impressed as he saw the shields dissipate from the lower area of the Avalon's haul, "They converted the Lancelot's Blaze Luminous shield into a defense mechanism for aircraft. Clever."
" Attention all units, I am laying out the mission plan for final verification," Cecile contacted Dreadwing, as well as Suzaku and the Knights of the Round , "This ship will breach the enemy's front line from high altitude and move directly to the launch point. Once you've reached the point, you will divide into three teams to divide enemy forces. Dreadwing and Major Kururugi will attack the base directly, while Sir Weinberg and Lady Krushevsky will attack from the west side, and Lady Enneagram and Lady Alstreim will attack from the east. From there, all three teams will converge and neutralize the target. The Float Unit consumes energy fast, so all Knightmare pilots, pay attention to your operation time."
" Yes," Suzaku responded.
" You got it," Gino confirmed.
" Acknowledged," Anya replied.
" Rodger," Nonette confirmed.
" Understood," Monica responded.
Dreadwing walked toward the edge of the top of the Avalon, where he saw the Lancelot primed and ready at the launch bay, with the other four Knightmares likely behind it even though they couldn't quite see.
" All units, launch!" Cecile ordered.
With that, Dreadwing transformed and flew outward, alongside the Lancelot as it was launched from the Avalon's ramp. The two flew together, taking point as the Tristan, Florence, Mordred, and Galeschin, each launched from the same ramp in that order and followed closely behind the pair. Despite taking the form of a human-made jet, Dreadwing was still able to keep up with the five Knightmares and their respective Float systems , even the hulking Mordred flew at the same level of speed.
"The enemy ship appears to have launched a series of bombers," a soldier of the Chinese Federation reported as Sawazaki and General Tsao saw six incoming dots on the radar screen, "But they're moving faster than fighter planes."
"I have a picture."
Footage of the five incoming Knightmares , as well as the Decepticon in vehicle mode , were brought up to the main screen.
"Knightmares…?" Sawazaki looked in surprise and awe.
"They're not being transported ; they're just flying on their own," Tsao observed, " But, how is that fighter jet keeping up with them? No man-made airplane can fly that fast!"
Sawazaki looked in realization, "Unless it's not a man-made aircraft…It's one of those transforming robots!"
"But these other Knightmares…" Tsao began, "I recognize four of them. They're the personal weapons of the Knights of the Round currently in Area 11, but this other one … could it be that novelty weapon? The Lancelot, I think?"
"But then, the pilot is…"
"Incoming aircraft," Anya reported stoically, "Radar indicates a total of thirty units."
"That's five for each of us," Gino smiled, "Let's go!"
"Incoming missiles!" Monica voiced in alarm as the incoming enemy aircraft launched a barrage of missiles.
However, Dreadwing shot even faster as he fired not only a series of his missiles but even shot his vehicle mode's rapid-fire bullets. He was able to effectively hit each of the missiles, causing them all to explode and create a makeshift smokescreen to blind the enemy units.
Dreadwing was able to soar through the smoke cloud first as he transformed and drew his blade to slice one aircraft in half before drawing his cannon as he fell and opened fire to blast two from below before transforming again into his jet-mode to fly behind two enemy units and shoot them down with little resistance.
"Show off," Gino smirked as he got to work as well .
The Tristan launched its arm-mounted Slash Harkens to destroy two aircraft at once before drawing its dual MVS blades to get in close and slice down three more in seconds.
The Mordred backed him up as Anya provided cover fire with the shoulder-mounted VARIS weapons. Anya was able to scare direct hits and destroy five aircraft in no time at all .
Monica shot her Florence forward, while also firing her Slash Harkens to take out two aircraft before activating her MVS-claws and getting in close to slice up one aircraft, before doing the same with the two closest to her.
Nonette flew alongside her in the Galeschin, which was equipped with its own VARIS rifle, in which she shot and destroyed two aircraft, while also launching a wrist-mounted Slash Harken and swinging it to slice up three aircraft simultaneously.
Suzaku followed suit as he twirled around with the Lancelot, using its Slash Harkens to move in quickly and disable the remaining five aircraft by specifically targeting their wings and avoiding fatally harming the pilots as he saw them eject to safety.
"Target dead ahead," Nonette reported as the group of six spotted Fukuoka Base, "This is where we split up. Anya and I will take the east side. Gino and Monica take the west side. Suzaku and Dreadwing punch right down the middle."
"Understood," Dreadwing acknowledged.
"See you on the other side," Gino said as the team split off into three groups of two, with the Lancelot and Dreadwing's vehicle mode gunning straight towards the enemy-occupied base.
Suzaku looked in surprise as his Knightmare received a transmission, "Dreadwing, I'm getting a communication from the enemy base!"
"I'm patching in," Dreadwing responded, "Answer it if you wish."
Suzaku answered the incoming communication and saw the face of Sawazaki on his screen, "This is Minister Sawazaki , is that Prime Minister Kururugi's son in the pilot seat?"
The ex-Prime Minister's son's eyes narrowed.
"I see. I didn't know he had a son like you."
Meanwhile, Euphemia had brought Nina to her private chambers in the Royal Palace as the two sat by a fireplace with some tea , Nina was wearing some of Euphie's casual clothes that she had provided for her .
"…And then, when you saved me, Princess Euphemia, I'll never forget it," Nina continued, "You looked like some kind of goddess; like you were bathed in radiant light. Oh… forgive me! I should have thanked you for this change of clothes you gave me."
"Oh, don't worry about that, Nina," Euphemia assured before confessing as she looked away, "Besides, I'm not all the wonderful person you think I am. I'm no good compared to the rest of my siblings.
"No, that's not true!" Nina exclaimed, surprising Euphemia, "How can you say that about yourself? There's not one good thing about me , really nothing at all. My parents are ordinary, I'm not the least bit pretty, and there's just nothing special about me. Not to mention, all those giant transforming robots on the new s… it's really scary ."
"That's wrong Nina , I think you're a very cute girl," Euphemia complemented, causing Nina to blush slightly, "And besides, some of those ' Transformers ' if you will, are good. Some are kinda scary, yes. But I've also met some who are quite kind and gentle."
"Oh no…I'm not good for anything, not at all."
Euphemia looked to her in sympathy, 'She hates herself, but… so do I…'
"It's not just those robots , Suzaku also makes me feel uneasy as well ."
This caused Euphie to look as though she had an epiphany, 'That's it! Suzaku feels bad too!'
"…So please, so please, don't say that you're no good Princess Euphemia! I beg of you! Becaus e… I need yo u… I need your goodness."
Euphemia looked at Nina with a genuine and grateful smile, "Thank you so much, Nina. I'm glad I got to know you."
The bespectacled girl looked up in surprise.
"You've helped me understand."
Fukuoka Base
"This has nothing to do with my father!" Suzaku stated as the Lancelot was about to land at the base, with Dreadwing flying in behind him, "We came here to put an end to this fighting! I will accept your surrender!"
" You want to rob Japan of its dream of freedom?" Sawazaki questioned. Though Dreadwing was listening as well, he chose not to speak.
The Lancelot had landed successfully on the ground as Dreadwing continued to hover in his vehicle mode above the Lancelot and keep an eye out for enemy advances.
"Freedom has to come the right way! Not like this!" Suzaku argued.
" You act out of selfishness! It's justice without ideology!"
"No, you're wrong…!" Suzaku tried to come up with a response.
"Suzaku, behind you!" Dreadwing attempted to warn him, but it was too late as the Lancelot was blasted in the back, causing the Lancelot to lose its VARIS before it was gunned down .
Of course, it wasn't just him , Dreadwing was struck in the wings by unknown projectiles, causing him to derail and crash onto the ground, causing him to skid before he transformed.
' He was distracting Suzaku! Why didn't I see that?!' Dreadwing cursed himself as he pulled himself up to stand alongside the Lancelot as they were surrounded by a multitude of odd-looking Knightmares.
They weren't humanoid like those among Britannia and the Black Knights, but only had landspinners built into the legs with guns mounted on the cockpits.
"Are these Chinese Federation Knightmares?" Dreadwing questioned as he drew his cannon and retaliated with Energon blasts to take down several of the front-most units.
"Yes," Suzaku answered as the Lancelot tried to provide cover with its Blaze Luminous shields, "They're called Gun-Rus."
" Hey! We're down!" Gino reported in as a grunt and crash was heard over the radio, much to his and Dreadwing's shock.
" Anya and I are surrounded! Our Float Systems are destroyed !" Nonette exclaimed.
"What?" Suzaku exclaimed as even Dreadwing looked in surprise.
From the eastern side of the base, the Florence and Tristan each had to discard the smoking remains of their Float systems as they were surrounded by at least two dozen Gun-Rus.
At the same time, there was a similar situation on the western side, as the Galeschin came back-to-back with the Mordred, both on the ground and surrounded by the same number of Gun-Rus units.
" First Kururugi allowed me to distract him, then he and his friends split off," Sawazaki smirked, "They could have easily taken this base had they stayed together. However, thanks to that show at Area 11's prison complex, we saw that even the Knights of the Round aren't invincible."
"It was a good thing the High Eunuchs saw to it we received those anti-aircraft turrets," General Tsao said, "They're stationed all over this building with precise targeting systems, intended to be used for aerial vehicles if we ever saw those flying 'Transformers '. But who would have suspected we'd see flying Knightmares."
"Suffice to say, we have found Britannia's Achilles' heel," Sawazaki said triumphantly.
Euphemia had suddenly entered Schneizel's office, much to his surprise, as well as that of Darlton .
"Euphie?"
"Schneizel, may I have access to a private communication line?" she requested.
Suzaku used the Lancelot's shields to provide cover as he and Dreadwing hid in between two warehouses, the latter using his Energon cannon to open fire and take down four or five Gun-Rus, but he was shot in the shoulder and forced to retreat behind cover.
"Dreadwing!" Suzaku tried to keep him covered as the Lancelot drew its MVS.
"I'm alright," Dreadwing assured as he stood up and tried to make contact with the others, "Enneagram, Weinberg, Alstreim, Krushevsky, report!"
"We're surrounded and taking fire from all sides!" Nonette exclaimed as her Galeschin held an MVS blade to try and slice at any Gun-Rus that got too close, but they pulled back and kept their distance to shoot and fire at her, as well as the Mordred, who tried to retaliate with its built-in VARIS weapons, but a few Gun-Rus dropped a series of smoke-bombs to blind the Mordred before they fired and skimmed it's hide.
Though Anya was able to protect her Knightmare with its built-in shields, the Mordred did take some damage as both it and the Galeschin were unable to find cover.
"The Chinese Federation has likely seen our fight against the Autobots and Black Knights during their operation to rescue Kyoshiro Tohdoh," Anya said, still as emotionless as ever, "So, they've adapted similar tactics to out-maneuver us."
"So, you're saying they know our weaknesses?" Gino questioned as the Tristan tried to move in and cut down some Gun-Rus.
"That's so unfair!" he grunted however as the Tristan was shot in the back.
Though the Florence quickly moved in to try and cut them down with its MVS claws, it was shot along the side, causing Monica to wince as the Florence and Tristan fell back to find some cover.
"They were expecting us! This was an ambush!" Dreadwing exclaimed to Suzaku who grunted in frustration.
"That's not all…" Suzaku grimaced as he saw his energy readings dropping rapidly, "My energy filler is dropping fast!"
"Are you kidding?! All their Floats were blasted off ?!" Lloyd exclaimed.
"The Avalon has to strike as the base!" Cecile stated.
"No! The shield doesn't surround us! One direct hit and we'll go down in flames!" Lloyd panicked as he held his hair.
"Suzaku, reroute all power to combat and comm systems!" Cecile told him, "The Knights of the Round are surrounded ! I'll try and help them, but it might be up to you and Dreadwing now!"
"Got it!" Suzaku did as instructed as he routed all available power to save what little he had left, "Dreadwing, get out of here! I'll draw their fire!"
"No!" Dreadwing stated as he drew his sword, "I will fight by your side. Besides, the entire base is surrounded by special anti-aircraft turrets , I would not be able to escape if I wanted to. I will fight with you to the end, Suzaku Kururugi."
Suzaku, though grateful, also felt a twinge of guilt as he could consider Dreadwing a friend, and the last thing he wanted was to put another friend in danger.
" You had better surrender, Suzaku," Sawazaki contacted him, "Your transforming friend, as well as the Knights of the Round, have no chance at surviving. However, given that you are Prime Minister Kururugi's son, I guarantee that you'll be very well treated my boy."
"I decline!" Suzaku said immediately, "I'll never abandon my friends, and if I used my father's name for this, I'd never forgive myself! This is between you and me , leave the Knights of the Round out of this!"
"Seeing how he has the advantage Suzaku , it is highly unlikely he will."
" Your mechanical friend is indeed correct, Suzaku. I have four of Britannia's elite pilots right in my grasp. There is no way I'd ever let such a golden opportunity slip through my fingers!"
"You wear us down with sheer numbers as opposed to confrontation," the Seeker scowled, speaking to Sawazaki directly, "You are no warrior, and you have no honor!"
" There is no such thing as honor when it comes to war and victory, alien. Strategy and opportunity are keys to obtaining victory. Anyone who says otherwise is either foolish or deceitful."
Dreadwing scowled even further. At the very least, the Autobots and some of the Black Knights had a code of honor that he could respect. But this human had none at all. He looked out past the cover to see there was practically a small army of Gun-Rus that almost looked like a hundred total, not to mention all the anti-aircraft turrets on the base itself, and several tanks and other armored vehicles behind the Gun-Rus. It looked like an impossible situation, and he had no chance to plant any of his bombs.
" Suzaku Kururugi!"
Both he and Dreadwing were surprised to see that Euphemia had made contact with the Lancelot, and Dreadwing was able to hear it as well as he was still patched into the Lancelot's communications.
"Princess Euphemia?" Both exclaimed at the same time.
" Dreadwing, you're with Suzaku?" Euphemia asked in surprise, not expecting to get in contact with him too , but was nonetheless glad she did.
"I am, but I cannot talk right now," Dreadwing stated as he and the Lancelot dove out from cover and charged directly into the enemy forces.
" Suzaku…" Euphemia tried to speak to him, "The truth is… you and I…"
She stuttered at first before she steeled herself and spoke to him with a firm expression.
"I hereby command you to love me!"
"Right!" Suzaku responded, only for his eyes to widen in surprise as he only just now realized what she had just said to him. Even Dreadwing was caught off-guard.
Cecile gasped in surprise.
"What?! What is it?!" Lloyd asked in a panic upon seeing her surprised expression.
"Uh… sorry… this is private…" Cecile flustered as she tried to take off her earpiece.
"...And in return, I will love you, forever!" Euphemia continued as both Suzaku and Dreadwing listened in surprise, while also fighting. Dreadwing used his sword to rush and cut down three Gun-Rus with a single slice before giving a kick to crush a fourth from behind.
"Princess Euphemia…" Suzaku almost couldn't believe what he was hearing as the Lancelot used a Blaze Luminous as a shield in his Knightmare's left arm, with the MVS sword in the right hand to cut the guns off the three Gun-Rus that he rushed past.
" Suzaku, I love your stubbornness, and your kindness, and your strength, your sad eyes, your clumsiness, and the way you have trouble with cats… I love everything about you! So please, don't hate yourself!"
Dreadwing had sliced another Gun-Ru in half before quickly attaching one of his bombs onto another and kicking it into a group of four Gun-Rus before all of them exploded. A part of him felt awkward and ashamed to listen to such a heartwarming moment that he felt should be shared with the two of them, yet at the same time, he was glad for this as he could tell Euphie cared deeply for Suzaku and he cared for her just as much.
"Forgive me, Euphemia, for listening to this," Dreadwing said as he covered the Lancelot that used its Slash Harken to take down a Gun-Rus at point blank, "It was not my intent to eavesdrop, I assure you."
" No, I'm grateful Dreadwing . So grateful that you looked after Suzaku for me! You are a good and strong warrior and I'm glad I got to know you!"
Suzaku had a smile as he and Dreadwing continued to fight off the enemy, the Lancelot and Seeker coming back-to-back to cut down the Gun-Rus that surrounded and tried to gun them down with their respective swords.
"I see that I've made you even more worried than I did before. You are…" he continued as the Lancelot hopped over Dreadwing to fire a Slash Harken and knock down a Gun-Rus, while Dreadwing impaled his sword in the opposite direction to destroy another enemy unit, "Everything you do is impulsive. When we first met, when you told me you were a princess, when you selected my school, when you made me a knight, always!"
" Yes, they were all sudden. That's because I suddenly realized…"
"But then, it's that spur-of-the-moment feeling that's opened so many doors for me," the Honorary Britannian said as he and Dreadwing made their way closer to the base.
"What are you doing!?" Sawazaki exclaimed in a panic, "Stop them now!"
"Princess, can I make one final request?" Suzaku asked.
"Final?!" Euphemia exclaimed as even Dreadwing looked with concern.
"Please, transfer this to a separate line, one that nobody else can hear, not even Megatron. I'm sorry, Dreadwing, but I can't have Megatron know about this!"
Though concerned, Dreadwing nodded in understanding as they continued to make their way closer to the base, despite the seemingly endless enemy forces gathering to try and stop them.
" Alright, we're on a secure line," Euphemia said.
"Good. Listen Euphie ," Suzaku began, "Your brother and sister, Lelouch and Nunnally, they're alive!"
Both Dreadwing and Euphemia were surprised by this revelation.
"They're both staying at Ashford Academy and being well-taken care of. Bu t… Megatron knows about them too ."
Euphemia gave an audible gasp at this revelation , even Dreadwing was surprised.
"What?"
"Please, as soon as you possibly can , find them and get them to a safe place. Megatron said he'd reveal them to your father if I disobeyed another one of his orders. Bu t… I can't protect them anymore."
Both the Lancelot and Dreadwing were surrounded with no way to escape.
"But when you see them, don't tell them what happened to me. Just tell them I transferred schools or make up some story , I don't want them to be sad."
" Suzaku, don't tell me your…" Euphie had a sinking feeling that she knew what was about to happen.
"Yes, the Knightmare's out of energy," Suzaku reported as it lowered its arms, only having reserve power left, which wasn't much. Dreadwing stood closer to him, tightening his grip on his sword, "Dreadwing, I'm sorry… I…"
"Don't you dare apologize, Suzaku," Dreadwing stated, "This was my choice, and I hold no regret. If I am truly to become one with the Allspark this day, I am glad that I did so while fighting beside you. What Euphemia said was correct, you may be far from perfect, and you've made many mistakes, but you are a true warrior and a good individual, one I have been honored to know … brother."
Suzaku did not expect Dreadwing to call him that, but he was also strangely happy about it as he shed some tears of joy with a smile on his face .
" Princess Euphemia, thank you as well," Dreadwing gave some final remarks to her also, "You are a noble and caring individual. Live your life to the fullest and take care of the people you love."
" Euphie…" Suzaku had to give his remark as well, "Thank you… for everything. Tell the others goodbye as well."
He gave something of an accepting sigh, "I was stubborn to the end."
Euphemia could not believe what was about to happen. She was about to lose not only a close friend but also the one she loved! No! This could not happen!
"DON'T DIE, SUZAKU! DREADWING! YOU BOTH HAVE TO LIVE!"
Suzaku's eyes widened as a red ring flashed around his pupils, "Wha… what the…?"
Suddenly, a Groundbridge portal opened in front of the Lancelot and Dreadwing as the vehicle modes of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee shot out, followed by the Gawain.
Optimus' truck mode swerved as it used its trailer end to trip and knock down at least a dozen Gun-Rus at once before he transformed and opened fire with an Ion-blaster in his right hand to obliterate six Gun-Rus with precise shots. Bumblebee likewise shot his vehicle mode past Optimus and toward four Gun-Rus that tried to shoot the Autobot leader from behind, but Bumblebee was quick to transform and crush one of them with a single punch before activating his Energon blasters to destroy the one in front and the two behind.
"The Autobots?" Dreadwing did not expect to see them here, later recognizing the Gawain from Kamine Island, "And is that… the same Knightmare from before?!"
Unlike before however , the Gawain had the metallic emblem of the Autobot-Black-Knight Alliance etched onto its chest.
"Huh, looks like the Decepticons decided to show up after all," Ohgi voiced in minor surprise as he sat in the co-pilot seat of the Gawain underneath the unmasked Lelouch.
"It seems to be just Dreadwing," Lelouch observed, "His sense of honor must have outweighed whatever orders Megatron had on him."
At the same time, another Groundbridge portal opened up on the west side of the base, above the cornered Tristan and Florence. Out of the swirling vortex shot the vehicle modes of Arcee and Cliffjumper, along with the Guren MK II.
Arcee transformed while in mid-air and delivered a flying kick to crush on Gun-Ru and send it crashing into another before she drew her arm blades and rushed to cut down two more in front of her. Cliffjumper had also transformed into his robot mode and opened fire with his own Energon blasters to destroy four Gun-Rus before the pilots even saw what was going on . The Guren quickly used her knife to cut down two Gun-Rus before quickly zooming in to grab the third with her Surger claw before Kallen activated it to cause the smaller Knightmare to boil and pop before it exploded.
"The Autobots? Here?!" Monica exclaimed in surprise as Cliffjumper, Arcee, and the Guren came together.
"Yo," Cliffjumper gave a finger salute to the two surprised Knights of the Round.
"Man, never thought I'd be so happy to see them," Gino commented with a smile .
Meanwhile, at the east side of the base, another Groundbridge portal had opened up next to the trapped Galeschin and Mordred as the vehicle modes of Bulkhead and Ironhide drove out with the Gekka-Pre-Production right behind them.
Bulkhead's vehicle mode easily rammed down three Gun-Rus before he transformed to deliver a literal crushing strike with his mace onto a fourth Gun-Ru. Ironhide had driven up and transformed behind Bulkhead to blast away the six attempting to ambush them with his own Energon cannons. With only three left, Rai was able to slice them down relatively swiftly with his Gekka's katana.
"Well, this is unexpected. We were saved by the Autobots and the Black Knights," Anya said with a hint of surprise in her voice, despite the stoic expression she maintained.
Nonette was rendered completely speechless, not just at being saved by the enemy, but because she recognized the blue Knightmare, after seeing Rai's blue pilot suit back on Kanime island, and knowing that the Black Knights only had one blue Knightmare , it didn't take much to put two-and-two together.
'Kaizaren…?'
"What in the world just happened?!" Tsao exclaimed as Sawazaki was left completely stunned.
"Sir, the teams surrounding the Knights of the Round have been completely decimated !" one soldier reported.
"We have an incoming object on the radar! We have a picture!"
The screen popped up to reveal a flying white Cybertronian ship making its way closer to the base.
"What is that?!" Sawazaki exclaimed.
" Nice operation you got here, Sawazaki," a new voice said causally as he was easily able to hack into the base's communication systems.
"Although technically you might say it's under new management."
A screen suddenly lit up to show footage of the smirking Wheeljack sitting at the controls of his ship, the Jackhammer.
"You're… you're one of those Autobots!" Sawazaki stated in surprise.
"Yep, and I'm also the one that's about to say bye-bye to your little anti-aircraft turrets," Wheeljack smirked as he pressed a red button on his console once the Jackhammer's targeting systems had a lock on all targets.
A series of homing missiles were fired from the Jackhammer before they each scored a direct hit on every one of the turrets across the base, triggering several explosions that effectively crippled the enemy's outer defense in one stroke.
"The Autobots and Black Knights have their ship?!" Lloyd exclaimed in surprise.
"It may be smaller than the Avalon, but it looks faster and far more powerful!" Cecile stated, just as surprised as her boss, "Who would have thought they had something like that all this time!?"
"Zero, we got aircraft and Knightmares behind us!" Ohgi reported.
A dozen Gun-Rus and the same amount of aircraft tried to take them by surprise.
"Then let's take care of it," Lelouch smirked as the Gawain flew in the air at incredible speeds.
The large black Knightmare aimed its hands to shoot a series of Slash Harkens from each of its fingers before it quickly waved its arms, causing the weapons to act like whips as each of the aircraft was sliced and diced with little issue. It then aimed its shoulder-mounted cannons down below and fired a series of large red beams to obliterate all the Gun-Rus with one single blast.
Dreadwing and Suzaku were nothing short of stunned at this display of power and skill, while Optimus and Bumblebee looked more so impressed than anything else.
"[That thing was about a slow as an Energon refinery transport,]" Bumblebee commented, "[Now look at it, bet it could even give Megatron some trouble.]"
"Indeed, Bumblebee," Optimus acknowledged, "Rakshata, Ratchet, and their team have done wonders to improve upon the Gawain."
Cecile and Lloyd saw the Gawain's power as well.
"The Gawain wasn't nearly that fast as before… and the Hadron cannon was supposed to be in development!" Cecile stated.
"They not only made the beams converge but even improved the Gawain's maneuverability…" Lloyd's eyes shook as they appeared green with envy, "But I wanted to be the one to perfect that system!"
Meanwhile; Ratchet, Fixit, Rakshata, Shirley, Tohdoh, Tamaki, Katase, Kaguya, Diethard, and the Holy Swords, along with a few other Black Knights, watched the events of Fukuhara base play out on the main screen of the Ark's bridge.
"Have I mentioned how much I love Cybertronian technology," Rakshata commented with a smile, "There's no way Britannia could have made the Gawain like this on their own. Guess the Earl of Pudding is losing his edge."
"These readings are incredible," Fixit commented, "With the Gawain's power, not to mention Zero's strategic thinking… If both of them were put together in one being, it would even match Optimus! Both physically and entertainingly… repeatedly… strategically!"
"While the modified Gawain will certainly prove useful, we cannot afford to get over-confident," Ratchet advised, "It all depends on whether or not Zero and his chosen co-pilot can react in battle."
"Hello, Nonette," Rai greeted as he established a private communications channel from the Gekka Pre-Production with the Galeschin so no one outside could hear them.
Anya was about to approach, but Bulkhead and Ironhide stood in between her and the other two Knightmares, just in case she got any funny ideas.
"Kaizaren…" her eyes shook with so many mixed emotions, "It is you…"
"I told you before, my name is Rai," he said before he sighed, "But you should know, I remember everything now."
Nonette could not contain her surprised gasp.
"You were right , I was a bastard prince. And I also remember you , you were always so kind to me, my sister, and my mother. I even looked up to you like an older sister."
Nonette remembered all that as well , those were good memories, not to mention the fact he had his memories back brought some tears to her eyes, both in joy and sadness as he now remembered the tragic truth of his family, at least what she knew of it. As far as she was concerned, the concept of Geass was still unknown to her.
"But… just setting the record straight, I'm not going back to Britannia," Rai got to the point, "The Autobots and Black Knights are like my family, and I won't leave them. Also, they know who I am too, but they don't reject me for it, so you don't have to worry about me , I promise I'm alright."
"I'm always going to worry about you , it's my duty as your knight, remember?" Nonette said with a small smile, "But… I understand. Just know … that no matter what happens, I am on your side. You can trust me."
"I know I can. And I thank you for it," Rai assured.
"Hey, Gino. Miss us!" Cliffjumper greeted as he, Arcee, and the Guren faced the Tristan and Florence directly .
"Cliff… thanks for the save, really owe you one," Gino said truthfully.
"What are you all doing here?" Monica questioned, both in surprise and in an interrogation-like manner.
"Saving your sorry hides. What does it look like?" Arcee gave a small glare.
Kallen remained silent as she didn't want to accidentally expose her identity to two of her fellow Student Council members. But she still smirked slightly at the irony of the current situation, 'We saved Britannia's top pilots. Never thought I'd see the day.'
"Kururugi, is the Lancelot still operational?" Lelouch asked from the Gawain as it, Optimus, and Bumblebee faced the Lancelot as well as Dreadwing.
"Zero, I thought so," Suzaku stated.
"Why did you save us?" Dreadwing questioned, "What purpose do you serve here?"
"We came here because you were in trouble," Optimus answered, "We have also come to disarm Sawazaki and repel the occupying Chinese Federation forces."
This took Suzaku especially by surprise.
"Contrary to what you might think Suzaku, we're not here to hurt anyone," Lelouch told him, "The Black Knights and the Autobots exist to protect the weak, that's all."
"But why assist us?" Dreadwing asked.
"Because it is the right thing to do," Optimus answered, "The High Eunuchs of the Chinese Federation are no different from the likes of Charles Zi Britannia and would put Japan through the same treatment it's currently receiving from Britannia , we won't let that happen."
Bumblebee walked toward the Lancelot and handed it a familiar device, much to Suzaku's surprise.
"An energy filler?"
"We're going to take out the enemy command center," Lelouch spoke, "If you wish to help, you're more than welcome to. It's what you came here to do, isn't it?"
Neither Suzaku nor Dreadwing could have expected this. However, Dreadwing wasn't all that surprised as a part of him knew that Optimus would oppose the likes of Sawazaki in a spark-beat. Suzaku however , couldn't help but chuckle.
"Just when I thought I got you guys figured out, you go ahead and surprise me again," Suzaku commented as the Lancelot sheathed its MVS sword and accepted the energy filler Bumblebee offered him.
"Maybe it's time to try and look at things through a different perspective," Lelouch commented with a small smile, glad his friend accepted their help.
Ohgi, who had remained silent during this conversation, shared a smile with his leader as well .
"This is not the first time we've allied against a common enemy," Dreadwing smiled slightly, "It's starting to become something of a habit."
Optimus shared a small smile as well before his faceplate went up. He, Bumblebee, the Gawain, Dreadwing, and the recharged Lancelot went on the attack. The three Cybertronians transformed into their respective vehicle modes and rolled alongside the two Knightmares , though Dreadwing flew in his case, he stuck closer to the ground just above the group.
At the same time, Arcee and Cliffjumper drove in their vehicle modes alongside the Guren MK II, the Tristan, and Florence on the west side of the base, having allied as well with a similar situation on the eastern side of the base as Bulkhead and Ironhide's vehicle modes drove alongside the Gekka-Pre-Production, the Mordred, and Galeschin.
All three groups moved in closer toward the base, along with the Jackhammer as their combined efforts were more than enough to easily cleave through what was left of the enemy forces.
"I don't understand!" Sawazaki exclaimed as he and Tsao saw their forces falling like dominos, "Why would the Autobots and Black Knights work alongside Britannia?! They're enemies!"
" We could ask you the same thing."
Sawazaki looked in even further surprise to see their communication monitors were hacked once more, flashing the glaring faces of both Tohdoh and Katase, much to his shock.
"Tohdoh… and Katase?! You're alive?!"
" Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated," Katase said.
"Why… why are you fighting me though?!" Sawazaki exclaimed, "Shouldn't be working together as comrades?! Don't you care about Japan?!"
" The Black Knights and the Autobots protect the freedom of all sentient beings," Tohdoh replied.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to do! I'm trying to free Japan from Britannia!"
" You fled the country the second our cabinet fell apart!" Katase stated, "You sold yourself to the Chinese Federation and are now about to sell out the country to them too ! You are a disgrace, Atsushi Sawazaki!"
Euphemia could not contain her joy as she saw all of this.
Tears of joy were already falling down her face, "Lelouch… you kept your promise… you, Optimus, Suzaku, and Dreadwing…"
"What?! The Autobots and Black Knights?!" Cornelia questioned as she and Guilford had already touched down with their respective Knightmares and led their forces onto the shore.
"Yes, they saved the Knights, Dreadwing, and Kururugi!" Guilford informed.
"They're helping us?" Cornelia voiced her confusion aloud, "Why?"
"So, they took the Chinese Federation forces by surprise and gained the allegiances of the Knights, Kururugi, and even this Dreadwing," Diethard observed, "That was brilliant."
"It feels a little weird that we're fighting with Britannia's elite," Tamaki commented.
"Well, I know most of them from school," Shirley said, "They're not bad people. They might even be able to help us fight the Decepticons."
"Having Knights of the Round on our side could increase our chances at victory quite a bit," Fixit put in .
"True, but it's not just the battle , it's the fact that everyone is seeing it," Ratchet said, getting everyone's attention, "Though media may try to change the outcome, we were able to use the Ark's systems to broadcast all of this across the entire country."
That took all the present Black Knights, even Diethard, by surprise.
"This is happening live?!" Chiba questioned, "The whole country is seeing this?!"
"Yes," Ratchet confirmed, "And this will not only send a message to the population of Japan but also show the Earth where we stand. Protecting the people, regardless of their nationality, is our first commitment."
"Which in turn, will give us more support," Diethard had a fanatic smile on his face as everyone else shared smiles of their own .
It was true , all across Japan, virtually every television screen was showing the battle that was unfolding in Kyushu, specifically, the forces of the Black Knights and the Autobots working alongside the Britannian Knights to repel the Chinese Federation. Everyone from the Japanese to Britannian civilian populace, even Schneizel and Diethard watched, with the latter in great surprise while the former had something of an impressed and knowing smirk on his face.
Even Rivalz, Milly, and Nina all saw it from their homes. It was even seen on the television at the Ashford Clubhouse as C.C. and Sayoko stood next to Nunnally in her wheelchair; though she couldn't see it, she heard everything the TV was showing. She smiled, knowing how much good Lelouch, Suzaku, and all their friends, Cybertronian or human, were doing by working together like this. She smiled and held out both her hands, which C.C. and Sayoko each took as they shared smiles as well .
"What's wrong with going to another country, then waiting for the right moment to strike?" Sawazaki questioned as he and Tsao rode a vehicle toward the helipad to escape this lost battle, "That's an effective strategy, isn't it?"
"We can set up a new line of defense at Kagoshima!" Tsao offered.
"Right, I appreciate your help."
However, right as their vehicle rode onto the helipad, they looked in complete and utter surprise to see there wasn't a helicopter transport waiting for them, but the Jackhammer parked on top of what was left of it, with Wheeljack himself leaning against the side of his ship with a casual smirk.
"Going somewhere?" Wheeljack teased.
But that wasn't the end of it. Everyone else had arrived as well , having climbed the building or flown up. First the Guren, Arcee, Tristan, Cliffjumper, and Florence; followed by the Gekka, Bulkhead, Galeschin, Ironhide, and Mordred; and last but not least, Optimus Prime, the Gawain, Bumblebee, Dreadwing, and the Lancelot.
"That is far enough, Sawazaki," Optimus stated as they all surrounded him and Tsao.
Sawazaki couldn't believe it, "Im… Impossible….! They took the largest fortress in all of Kyushu, with no effort at all !"
Meanwhile, Megatron and Soundwave had witnessed everything play out as well from the Nemesis and had heard everything that was spoken between the two parties before joining forces, that even included Euphemia's confession to Suzaku; all thanks to Soundwave.
"Well, this was certainly unexpected," Megatron commented, before turning to Soundwave, "And you got everything, right?"
" Your brother and sister, Lelouch and Nunnally, they're alive!" Soundwave replayed his recording of Suzaku's reveal to Euphemia.
"So Kururugi believed he found a way out. He saw his opportunity to die and also chose to use it as an attempt to save those dear to him. Hmm, I must admit, that was rather clever."
Soundwave then looked to Megatron, silently asking what they should do about this.
"Let them go on. Let us pretend we never heard that. Let their hopes rise. It'll make it all the more satisfying as we shatter them. We have a special project of our own planned," the Decepticon leader said with an evil sneer.
After Sawazaki was captured , Suzaku, Dreadwing, and the Knights of the Round allowed the Black Knights and Autobots to return to their base as a way of saying thanks for their help. But if they end up on opposite sides of the battle, they will fight them if they have to. The Bots and BKs all seemed to accept that as they returned to the Ark and allowed the Britannian authorities to deal with Sawazaki and his collaborators.
The next day, both Suzaku and Dreadwing stood in front of Euphemia in the royal garden of the Tokyo Settlement's royal palace. Suzaku bowed before the princess.
"Warrant Officer Kururugi, reporting for duty."
"Welcome back, Suzaku," Euphemia smiled sincerely.
She then looked up to Cybertronian present , "Dreadwing, thank you again for helping him."
"You are welcome," Dreadwing nodded with a smile , "Though, in all honesty, you should be thanking Prime and Zero. If it weren't for them, I don't believe either of us would be here."
"I'll be sure to when I see them again," the Britannian princess said before looking to Suzaku with a serious expression, "Suzaku, my brother and sister… are they…?"
"I'm sorry I never told you," Suzaku apologized, "It's just… I didn't want to take any chances that someone would try to take advantage of them."
"Still, I thank you for helping to protect them," Euphemia said sincerely. "And I promise I'll help them, but… how did Megatron of all people find out?"
Her knight winced, "It wasn't my intent, but he… somehow pulled the information from my mind… literally!"
Dreadwing's optics widened in shock, 'A Cortical Psychic Patch!? He used it on Suzak u…? On a huma n…? '
Euphemia saw the look on Dreadwing's face and used it as her chance to speak to him, "Dreadwing, let me ask you something. Does the phrase 'Dark Energon' sound familiar to you?"
" Dark Energon?" Suzaku questioned in confusion.
"I have heard of it, yes," the Seeker confirmed, "The so-called Blood of Unicron. Megatron had somehow found a way to weaponize it. That's what I've learned."
"Did you know he used it to poison Cybertron's core?" Euphemia asked.
"What?!" Suzaku exclaimed as even Dreadwing was caught off-guard by that, indicating he wasn't aware of that.
"When we were trapped on that island, Optimus told me everything," Euphemia began, "Everything that Megatron told us, even you Dreadwing , it was a lie. Megatron destroyed Cybertron all by himself! He never tried to save it , he only sought power, nothing more! He's a monster! An d… I somehow, have a terrible feeling, that he may try to bring that fate to Earth as well."
Suzaku could not believe what he was hearing, and neither could Dreadwing. One look in Euphemia's eyes told her that she was being serious about this. Dreadwing knew Optimus was not a liar, so there was indeed some truth behind this, as much as he didn't want to believe it.
"That's why, I want to do what I can to ensure Earth has a bright future," Euphemia declared, "Not just protecting it from the Decepticons, but also stopping all this violence and bloodshed that Britannia has encouraged for so many years. I know I may only be a Sub-Viceroy, but I can't stand to sit on the sidelines anymore; so Suzaku, Dreadwing, will you two help me? Will you both help me to protect this world, even if we end up working with Optimus and Zero? Both of whom I trust with my life."
"You trust them that much?" Suzaku voiced in surprise.
"They're not at all what you think they are, Suzaku," she said with a sincere smile, "They want the same thing I do, to end all this destruction and bring about peace in this world. Will you help me? Will you be my knight?"
She offered Suzaku the knight pin once more.
There was still a great many things weighing his mind, but Suzaku could tell that Euphemia was genuine in her wish and that alone was enough for him to put his faith in her.
"I will, Your Highness," he accepted the pin with a smile.
Euphemia cried tears of joy before she leaped and wrapped both her arms around Suzaku. Though surprised at first, he smiled as he returned the embrace. After a minute or two, they both parted as Dreadwing kneeled toward them.
"And I promise, Princess Euphemia, you will have my support as well," Dreadwing vowed, "I pledge myself to you and your cause of peace, to finally bring this conflict to an end. I will support and protect you , this I vow with all my spark."
Euphie's smile couldn't get any brighter as she knew she had both their support and could trust them with everything she held dear.
"Thank you, Dreadwing. Thank you both from the bottom of my heart."
Chapter 31: School Festival Declaration
Chapter Text
"Yes, it is true that the invasion of the Chinese Federation, as well as the terrorist activities of the Black Knights and these Autobot beings, have disrupted our society. But that is a completely separate issue! The fact remains that you both have been absent from class far too often! I don't care how good your grades or, or that you're Princess Euphemia's knight. If you don't improve, you will repeat this year!"
This was just one of the many rantings both Lelouch and Suzaku had to endure from one of their teachers as they had to take multiple late-night lessons to make up for their missed classes. And while they worked, each had their separate thoughts about the other and the situations surrounding them.
' I had hoped Euphie would pull Lelouch and Nunnally out by now,' Suzaku thought as he cast a concerning glance towards Lelouch, 'But with all the political fallout from that whole mess at Kyushu, I guess she's got a busy schedule. But no matter what, I will protect those two.'
Lelouch, meanwhile cast a glance at Suzaku, 'He and Dreadwing were both willing to work alongside us to stop Sawazaki, meaning not only can Suzaku be saved, but perhaps even Dreadwing can become an ally, at least based on what Optimus told me about him. I'll have to tell Suzaku my identity soon though , but first, I have to get Nunnally to the Ark. The school festival is tomorrow. The second it's done, she, Rai, Sayoko, and Bumblebee along with myself will be moving to the Ark indefinitely.'
The Ark
"Support for us has swelled," Ohgi reported as he, Tamaki, Kallen, and Rai, along with Arcee, Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Ironhide stood in one of the many hallways of the Ark, "Not only is virtually every Eleven in support of us, most of the Britannians in the Tokyo Settlement are protesting against the current occupation."
"Looks like the Brits are starting to lose control. Serves them right," Tamaki smirked.
"Don't get too cocky," Ironhide stated, "Britannia might step up their game soon. Not to mention the Decepticons are still a major wildcard."
"What about the whole idea of getting Britannian royals like Euphemia on our side?" Bulkhead asked, "I mean, we did talk about that sort of thing. Plus, with our goal to make Japan independent, they could help us out with all the political stuff."
"Well given what happened to Lelouch and Nunnally, just because he spoke out against his dad when his mom was killed… I don't think the Emperor's gonna be too happy about one of his other kids directly challenging his authority," Kallen pointed out.
"Kallen's right. We gotta be prepared for the worst-case scenario," Arcee agreed.
"What exactly is the worst-case scenario?" Rai asked, " I mean, we did talk about the Cons and Britannia turning on each other, but I think that can help us even more."
"Yeah, if they're too busy fighting each other, it'll make it easier for us to slip in a grenade here and there and mess with them," Wheeljack smirked.
"And what about all the collateral damage that could result from that?" Ironhide questioned.
"That's also something we gotta take into consideration," Cliffjumper seemed to agree, "If and when Britannia and the Decepticons duke it out, there's gonna be a lot of innocent people caught in the crossfire."
Tamaki sighed as he leaned against the wall, "Who would have thought leading a revolution could be so complicated."
"What did you expect?" Arcee asked skeptically, "Just shoot and the whole thing crumbles down? That's not how reality works."
"Yeah well, beats not doing anything at all," Tamaki stated, "If I didn't throw in with you guys, I'd probably be hooked on Refrain right now."
That got Ohgi's attention as he instantly thought of the amnesiac Villetta still living at his place, 'Refrain might bring her memory back… but would she help us? She was a Pureblood but still…'
"Ohgi?" Kallen brought him out of his thoughts, "Something on your mind?"
"Eh… yeah. Do any of you know where Ratchet is? I need to ask him something," Ohgi responded.
"He's with Optimus, and the rest of the brain-squad in the Ark's laboratory," Cliffjumper answered.
"Thanks," Ohgi was about to walk away.
"Hang on, I can give you a lift," Ironhide said as he transformed, allowing Ohgi to step inside as he drove down the hallway.
Shirley sat on a large Autobot table as she saw Ratchet, Fixit, and Rakshata making final adjustments on the tool they were about to give the Autobot leader who stood waiting patiently. By the time they were done, they stood back to allow the tool to come into view.
It was a long, two-handed, double-bladed axe. The shaft was long, about two-thirds in length compared to the size of Optimus himself, while the axe blades on each end were a bright red color, the blades were curved, almost similar in style to a medieval axe.
"And it is finished," Rakshata said with her casual smile, "I must admit, I've never really tried my hand at an axe before. I'd say it came out nicely."
"Optimus, I know this may never replace the one you lost on Cybertron," Ratchet told his friend and leader, "But this axe has been constructed through the same method that Britannia has used for those MVSs placed on the Lancelot and other Knightmares, with our improvements."
"It also has its power supply of Synthetic Energon," Fixit put in, "Making it much more powerful than anything Britannia can create. And since it's a simple tool and nothing complex like Knightmares, the power supply should not drain too prickly… thickly… quickly!"
"Thank you, Ratchet, Fixit, Rakshata," Optimus said as he picked up his new axe and brandished it, "This will most certainly be due."
Shirley couldn't help but look at Optimus with awe. Though she already knew how amazing he was before, seeing him wield something like an axe only made him look even more incredible. Though she did find the idea of him using an axe to be strange as she always pegged him as the type to use a sword, he still looked incredible all the same.
Soon, however, Ironhide's vehicle mode drove into the lab before he came to a stop, allowing Ohgi to step out before the Autobot veteran transformed.
"Ohgi. Ironhide," Shirley greeted as Ratchet helped her down onto the floor, "Look what Ratchet and the others made for Optimus!"
Ohgi looked in awe at the sight of the axe, while Ironhide simply smirked and gave a whistle, "Can't wait to see what that thing can do."
"It looks great…" Ohgi soon got over his awe as he addressed the Autobot medic, "Hey, Ratchet, if someone has amnesia… could it be possible that Refrain could help restore their memories?"
That took most of the group by surprise, though Ironhide already had an idea who he was referring to and looked with concern. Rakshata however looked rather intrigued.
"Refrain used as a treatment for amnesia," she mused aloud, "I never really did consider that. Why do you ask?"
"Um… well…" Ohgi tried to find the right way to say it.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the Pureblood that's staying with you, would it?" the Autobot weapons expert questioned knowingly.
Ohgi sighed, "Yeah…"
"She still doesn't remember anything?" Shirley asked, though, at the same time, she was also a bit concerned about that woman's memories being restored as she did almost get Lelouch killed.
"Not yet, no," Ohgi confirmed.
"Why would you want her memories restored?" Ratchet questioned, "I understand some Britannians are willing to work with us, but she is a Pureblood, and their records seem to indicate they support all the racial and radical steps Britannia has taken over the years of their supremacy."
"Maybe… but, that doesn't mean she'd be loyal to the Decepticons," Ohgi began, "You guys all talked about how they and Britannia are gonna fight each other soon. Not to mention, we have a Britannian prince leading us. Albeit exiled, but still. And we have talked about getting Euphemia's support."
"Lelouch also did say he was bringing Nunnally to the Ark tomorrow," Shirley put in.
"Yeah. That's three Britannian royals on our side," the Kozuki Resistance leader continued, "There isn't much she can do right now the way she is. But, if she regains her memories as a soldier, maybe… she could become an ally."
"I have gone through Villetta Nu's combat records," the Mini-Con pondered, "She's a skilled soldier and Knightmare pilot. Though not in the same league as Kallen or Rai, she was good enough to be appointed as a knight of Britannia. I can't tell as to whether or not that's a testament to her skill or her support of Britannia's supremacist views."
"All are valid arguments," Optimus said, "But Ohgi, even if we could consider this woman to be a potential ally, I would advise against the use of Refrain to restore her memories. Our tests have shown the drug to be unstable and addictive. It could cause more damage to her psyche. I am afraid that such a risk would be too great."
"Yeah… I had a feeling. Just wanted to run it by you guys," Ohgi said.
"But if she did regain her memories, could she join us?" Shirley asked, more so out of curiosity.
If Villetta did join them, Shirley could be supportive if the woman would be willing to change. But if not, she wasn't someone she'd lose sleep over given what she tried to pull at Port Yokosuka, not to mention the mess in Shinjuku.
"I doubt it," the Autobot medic said, "She is a Pureblood, and even if we have those of the royal family on our side, they could be considered enemies of the Emperor and they seem to be the most loyal to him."
"That's true," Ironhide seemed to agree, "Kinda like what's going on with Suzaku. If she's willing to change and accept responsibility for all she did, then great. If not, then she'll just be another enemy."
"Alright. I understand," Ohgi said with some reluctance in his voice. Though he did trust Optimus and the others' judgment, there was a small part of him that was hoping she would join them if her memories were restored.
The Next Morning – Ashford Academy
Fireworks and confetti cannons were fired into the air as the School Festival was only seconds away from opening.
" Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting!" Milly announced from the control booth, her voice echoing through the entire campus, "The Ashford Academy School Festival, which is the most open event in the Tokyo Settlement, is about to start! It will begin at the sound of this voice!"
" MEOW!"
Nunnally's cat impression was heard through the speakers, signaling the start of the Festival. Already it was in an uproar.
It had everything from food booths to costumes, and art stands. They even gave out pictures of the Autobots, be it either drawings from the Art Club or blurry photos taken to add a mystery element to it. One would think such a thing was controversial, but given that two Autobots saved the entire campus from a terrorist, it was little wonder the students at the school endeared them so, not to mention theirs, as well as the Black Knights and Knights of the Round's, battle against the Chinese Federation in Kyushu was broadcasted across the country. It was rather easy to see why nearly everyone in Ashford Academy viewed them as heroes.
Given the absence of the Ganymede, it made it easier to store three disguised Autobots inside. Even though it was closed shut, all three of them could hear the festivities outside.
"Looks like the party's getting started," Cliffjumper said as he, Arcee, and Bumblebee were parked in their vehicle modes in the closed storage garage, "Sucks that we gotta stay in here."
"You wanna cause an uproar? Maybe start a battlefield here?" Arcee asked her partner, "You know what would happen if the Cons found us!"
"[Not to mention three Knights of the Round are still here, along with Suzaku,]" Bumblebee pointed out.
"I know, I know, but we're celebrities. It would be nice to get cheers thrown our way instead of explosives."
"We're just gonna have to deal," Arcee commented with a sigh, "Why do I have a feeling this festival's gonna be a long one?"
At the same time, Lelouch stood on the roof of the building, overlooking the festival as he was on the phone with Diethard discussing matters regarding their next move.
"That's what I thought," Lelouch said, "So even Sawazaki and the others turned out to be useful. We've covered all the tasks at hand."
" Yes, we gathered all the sector data on the emergency countermeasures they left behind," Diethard reported.
However, Lelouch observed a news crew arrive on campus, 'The press?'
He ducked his head so they would not see him as he continued to listen to Diethard's report.
" Also, thanks to the information you procured from Cornelia some time ago, we've not only identified the solar panels and energy storage sights but even a large number of critical targets that we can hit all at once if the enemy forces are spread thin enough."
"And what are the others up to?" the young revolutionary asked.
"Optimus is working with Tohdoh and Katase on how we can hit those crucial targets I mentioned. Wheeljack and Ironhide are working with Kyoto on supplying our Knightmare forces with those high-heat magnesium rounds you recommended. Bulkhead is helping with the transportation of recently discovered Energon deposits as well as other supplies. Ratchet, Fixit, and Rakshata are working with the rest of the science division on last-minute modifications to the Gawain as well as how we can use the Immobilizer and Polarity Gauntlet."
"Anything concerning the Synthetic Energon?"
" Nothing of substantial to note. According to Ratchet, the formula remains incomplete."
"Understood."
" Oh, and I know we're late in reporting this to you, but with the operation of the Zero Squad…"
"There's trouble!" the former prince turned around in surprise to see Milly running toward him, having just arrived on the roof, "There's huge, huge trouble!"
"I gotta go," he quickly hung up.
"What are you doing goofing off like that?" Milly questioned as she pulled Lelouch through the festival attractions, "You're the festival chairman!"
"But everything is running fine. There's no problem," Lelouch told her.
"Besides, you're taking charge of that part, right?" he continued, referring to the massive pizza oven that was built recently on the school's grounds, "It was two meters wide up till last year, and suddenly you declared we had to have a twelve-meter pizza?!"
"Uh-huh," Milly nodded, "Isn't it great? It's gonna be the largest one of its kind in the world!"
"Just the oven and ingredients are causing an uproar," Lelouch said, "And now there's a TV crew running around campus? You know we can't show our faces."
"We got three Knights of the Round attending, not to mention Suzaku's in charge of making the pizza… so of course there's gonna be TV crew. You can run things from the control booth. Okay? President's orders."
"Alright, stop right there!" Rivalz told Gino, who was at the forklift, dropping off a box of supplies at the oven.
"Rivalz! We're all set on this end!" Nina reported as she and Anya came up.
"Wow, someone's in a sunny mood," Rivalz took note of his classmate's cheery demeanor, "Something good happened?"
"Yeah, you could say that," Nina smiled while Anya continued to work on her phone.
"Looks like we got everything we need," Monica said as she and Shirley looked over a clipboard, "Geeze, a twelve-meter pizza? Does Milly always go overboard like this?"
"You have no idea," Shirley rolled her eyes with a playful grin, 'You know, if we have any leftovers, maybe we could take some for the Autobots , I mean this is big enough even for them. Oh wait … that's right, they don't eat the food the way we do. It could still be nice, though.'
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Settlement, Ohgi walked through the streets with the amnesiac Villetta, who was currently wearing a casual dress and jacket with a sunhat.
"I figured some fresh air could probably do you some good, Chigusa," Ohgi said, referring to the woman by the name he gave her, "I don't know if it'll help with your memories, but it beats staying in my apartment twenty-four-seven."
"I do appreciate it," Chigusa smiled, "And I mean it, thanks so much for everything."
Ohgi smiled somewhat nervously, "Well, I didn't do all that much."
"You may as well have saved my life by bringing me into your home. So, let me thank you, Ohgi," she maintained her innocent smile.
"Well, in that case, you're welcome," the Black Knight smiled back.
Despite his smile, however, his thoughts were somewhat conflicted, 'What am I even doing? If does bring her memory back, it's like what Optimus and the others said. We have no guarantee she could become an ally. Not to mention she's seen Zero's face, which could put everyone in jeopardy . I… I can't just kill her…'
The pair happened to pass by the gate to Ashford Academy, and Ohgi couldn't help but stop.
"Here we are…"
"Is something wrong?" Chigusa asked him.
Ohgi had a reminiscent smile, "Eh… No, I used to be a schoolteacher, so I was feeling a little nostalgic."
"Why did you stop teaching?"
"Well… with the occupation, me and all other Elevens were stripped of our old jobs and everything…And, my best friend since we were little kids… passed away shortly after. But you could say that me, and several other good friends of mine, are kinda helping to fulfill his last wish."
Chigusa looked toward him with sympathy, as despite her innocent exterior, she was able to find the residual sadness in his voice, telling her that he still clearly missed his friend and felt the pain. But, when she looked at the school and saw there was a festival going on, an idea came to her that might cheer him up.
She grabbed his arm with an eager smile, "Let's go in!"
That took him by surprise, "No! I can't go to a Britannian school! I'm an Eleven!"
Suddenly, multiple students, including Gino, all came outside to greet the pair.
"Ah, who cares about that stuff?" he said as he casually put his arm around Ohgi in a friendly manner, "It's a festival, so let's go have some fun!"
The students quickly pulled the pair inside the campus grounds to enjoy the festival.
However, not long after they went inside, the vehicle modes of Knock Out and Breakdown came to a stop just outside the main entrance.
"You gotta give the humans credit. They know how to have a good time," Knock Out commented as he and his partner remained in their disguises.
"Why are we here again?" Breakdown asked, "This place seems too noisy for my taste."
"This coming from a lug who likes to smash stuff," Knock Out joked, "But Megatron told us to keep an eye on Kururugi and see what he's been up to."
"Can't he just ask Soundwave to do that? I mean it is his job," Breakdown stated.
"I asked that too, but Soundwave is helping the boss out with something else. So we're stuck here," Knock Out commented as he looked inside the school to see their activities, including pictures being drawn by the art club, "But those kids better not get any funny ideas about drawing on me."
Meanwhile, inside the school's kitchen, Suzaku was quickly working on cutting up the last of the ingredients needed for the massive pizza. He heard the door open from behind, but he didn't need to turn around to see who it was.
"That's a relief," Suzaku said, much to the surprise of Rai and Kallen, the former holding onto the latter's arm as she held onto a concealed knife in her pocket, "I thought you two were never going to come back to school."
"It's on purpose?" Kallen asked as she and Rai looked in surprise, "Why didn't you tell Megatron? Or Cornelia about us?"
Suzaku sighed as he turned around to face them, "Maybe because you two were right. Megatron… wasn't the leader I thought he was."
"Finally figured that out, huh?" Rai questioned in minor sarcasm, "Better late than never, I guess."
"You know, you never did tell me why you joined the Black Knights, Rai," Suzaku told him, "I already heard from Kallen her reason for fighting with the Autobots, but not you."
Rai sighed, "To be honest Suzaku… I'm not sure you'd understand even if I did tell you."
That caused Suzaku to look in confusion.
"But why I didn't tell you before… when I found out you were working with the Decepticons, along with what happened to your father… and yes, I know about him, it made me worried what you would do… to our friends, even those not in the Black Knights."
That took Suzaku by surprise, "Do… do you think I would try to hurt our friends?"
"Well, you teaming up with Airachnid that one time didn't help," the Guren's pilot stated, causing Suzaku to wince.
"I don't know, Suzaku," the Wrecker said, "I don't know what you'd do…. And that scares me. I want to believe there's good in you, I do. But so long as you're with the Decepticons, I'm not sure if I can ever trust you."
Suzaku looked hurt by that statement, "You… don't trust me?"
"No… I'm sorry but… I can't," Rai said, "At least, not until I hear you say that you were wrong. You may have just said you might have been wrong in trusting Megatron, but I need… we need to hear the rest of it. You were wrong about what you did to your father, you were wrong about using the military as an excuse to wipe the blood off your hands… you were wrong to try and abandon us."
"I would never abandon…" the Honorary Britannian tried to say.
Kallen rolled her eyes, "Oh please. You said you joined the military to try and change Britannia, but you can't change anything if you're dead! You think you'd make yourself a martyr if you died?! You're an Eleven in their eyes! They won't care! You'd abandon all your so-called friends just to 'redeem' yourself. That's not redemption Suzaku, it's just you being a coward."
Suzaku wasn't all that surprised to hear Kallen say it, "Maybe… you're right."
That took both Kallen and Rai by surprise.
"I can't change the system if I'm dead. Maybe I couldn't change it myself, to begin with. But, some can, and those that want Britannia to change. Euphemia even told me she wants Britannia to change. She said she'd willingly work with you, and the Autobots to do it."
Kallen and Rai looked at each other. Given what they heard from Lelouch about Euphemia, it wasn't that surprising to learn that she'd want to help them. But to hear it almost felt shocking to them.
"Maybe I was wrong about trusting Megatron," Suzaku admitted, "But I wasn't wrong about Britannia having the ability to change. So, when you two can, please tell Zero and Optimus that Princess Euphemia wants to work with them."
Before either Kallen or Rai could respond, however, the door opened once more and Lelouch walked into the kitchen.
"There you guys are, I was looking for you," Lelouch said.
"Oh, Lelouch," Rai acknowledged as Suzaku walked towards them.
"Guys, what we were talking about has nothing to do with school, okay?" Suzaku gave them a subtle hint.
"Yeah, we get it," Kallen glared slightly in his direction.
Though Lelouch had a good idea what they were probably talking about in here, now was not the time to get into any of that, "Rai, Shirley says she needs your help with something."
"Alright, no problem," Rai nodded as Lelouch turned to the redhead.
"Kallen, if you don't mind either, could you check in with your class?" he asked her, "They seem to be a bit short-handed."
"Sure, I don't mind."
"I DO MIND!" Kallen gave a fake monster roar as she popped out of the ground in her class' fake graveyard, wearing a cheesy monster outfit. Her surprise managed to scare a couple of students who ran away screaming.
"This thing scares them?" Kallen questioned before getting angry, "Oh, I'm gonna get Lelouch for this! He should have told me I had to be part of the horror house. Just because he's Zero, doesn't mean he can make me do this kind of crap!"
She lowered herself back into her spot, "I swear, if he tells Cliffjumper or Arcee about this, I'm gonna kick his ass."
She looked at the built-in radar screen to see two people approaching.
The Black Knight scowled, sweating up a storm, "Oh great, here comes another couple. Probably Gino with some random girl. Why couldn't they make this whole thing mechanical!? They got this damn screen! It's sweltering inside here. It's like those early Glasgows! Come on, move your ass! Hurry!"
She popped up to scare the couple, "MOVE YOUR ASS!"
However, she did not expect to see Ohgi, as well as Chigusa, there. The latter hiding behind the former in a startle, who appeared to be startled himself.
"Ohgi…?!"
Ohgi himself looked in surprise to see Kallen, "You're back safe…"
"Fortunately, yes."
Rai walked outside, slightly away from all the attractions, looking for Shirley, but he was quick to spot her hiding behind a tree near the entrance.
"Shirley," he called to her as he tried to get close, but before he could say anything else…
"Shhhh!" she put a finger in front of her mouth, motioning to be quiet as she spoke in a whisper, "Look out the entrance."
Rai looked a bit confused as he looked in the direction she was looking at, spotting two familiar vehicles just outside the main gate, "Aren't those two Decepticons?"
"Yeah, Knock Out and Breakdown," Rai pulled Shirley away so that they could speak without either of the Cons catching on, "Kallen and I already spotted them earlier. We called Optimus and told Lelouch as soon as we did. It doesn't look like they're causing trouble, probably here to keep an eye on Suzaku and/or Gino and the others. But Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper are still on standby just in case."
Shirley sighed in relief, "That's good. The last thing I want is for those two to mess with all this. We put so much hard work into the festival. I know it's not as important as what we do with the Autobots but still…"
"I get it, and I think we're fine. The Decepticons are evil, but I don't think they're gonna blow they're cover just to ruin a school festival, especially with a news crew here. But, seeing how close they are to the pizza over, I wouldn't mind some extra sauce spilling over and ruining Knock Out's paint job."
Shirley giggled at the thought of that, "It's good to see you smile, Rai. I know it hasn't been easy with… well… your memories and…"
Rai's smile faded slightly, "I get it. And, to be frank… I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna get over any of that. I know it's not all my fault… but… sometimes I can still see them."
She looked in sympathy as she put a hand on his shoulder, "Rai… "
She tried to say something comforting, but he wasn't quite done yet.
"But that makes me all the more determined, to protect what I have now," Rai said with a serious face, "I've got so many more friends. I got my partner Bulkhead, and the other Wreckers in the Black Knights. I got Lelouch, even Nunnally… and I got you."
He looked toward Shirley with a smile, "Shirley, no matter what, I will protect you. You can count on that."
Shirley looked into his eyes and saw how deadly serious he was.
However, they both realized just how close their faces were to each other, causing each of their cheeks to turn red before they both looked away with blushes on their face.
"Thanks Rai…" Shirley rubbed the back of her neck.
"Yeah… no problem…" Rai was just as flustered as she was.
However, as he looked the other way, he saw a familiar green-haired girl in an Ashford School uniform walking through the festival, "Uh oh…"
"What…? What is…?" Shirley turned around to see the individual in question that Rai had also seen, "Oh scrap."
Meanwhile, Cecile Croomy, who was also attending the festival along with a trio of Camelot agents, was at a whack-a-mole game where students would poke their heads out for the person to try and bop with a toy hammer. However, she was more focused on the blonde-haired one with glasses in the middle.
"School festivals are such fun! I feel so free!" Cecile laughed as she continued to bonk the blonde guy in the middle, completely ignoring the others.
"The one she keeps whacking; doesn't he look like Lloyd?" one agent asked his co-worker in a whisper.
"No great wonder," the other one replied, "Working under that guy must drive her out of her mind."
At the same time, Lelouch sat on a bench, while also on the phone, speaking with several other clubs and students that were working with the festival.
"Right, the pizza's starting later," he said before hanging up with a sigh, 'Definitely don't have time to be doing this.'
The phone rang yet again, and he was quick to answer, "Yes? Oh, the drama club? I've spoken to the film club about it."
He hung up yet again, 'How can I plan my revolution…!?'
Suddenly, a toy hammer bonked him on the head.
"I'm sorry!" Cecile ran up to him and caught the hammer that flew back to her, "The handle just broke in two!"
Lelouch recognized her as a soldier Suzaku worked with, his mind a mix of sarcasm and minor disgust, 'First two Decepticons are here, now a soldier? At a school festival? How peaceful the world is.'
"Say… aren't you Suzaku's friend?" Cecile asked, recognizing Lelouch as well.
However, before he could answer, someone else had got his attention from behind.
"Hey you, boy. Where am I supposed to go to eat the biggest pizza in the world?" Lelouch turned around to face C.C., who was currently clad in an Ashford school uniform.
"Hey, Cera, Lelouch!" Rai quickly came in from behind C.C., putting a hand on her shoulder, with Shirley right behind him, "Can we talk to you guys? You know, in private!"
He gave a subtle glare at the immortal girl before pulling her away.
Meanwhile, at the Tokyo Settlement's Royal Palace, Cornelia was discussing with Schneizel, Dreadwing, Starscream, Nonette, Darlton, and Guilford.
"Thank you again for your assistance in the Kyushu affair, Dreadwing. It was much appreciated," Schneizel told the Seeker.
"I only sought to aid Suzaku, nothing more," Dreadwing responded,
Though it wasn't clear on his face, Dreadwing did not trust Schneizel in the slightest. It was easy for him to figure out that he had likely used Suzaku and the Knights of the Round as a distraction in that last battle. Even though he was Euphemia's brother, there was something about Schneizel that put Dreadwing on edge.
Starscream rolled his eyes, "Your affiliation with that waste of space continues to grate on my nerves, Dreadwing."
"To whom, are you referring to Starscream?" Nonette glared at the Decepticon commander along with Dreadwing, "Suzaku or Princess Euphemia?"
"Well, I was speaking of Kururugi, but you could consider the same for Euphemia as well," the Seekers' commander stated, resulting in glares from virtually everyone, especially Cornelia, "Oh, don't give me that, it's the truth. Cornelia here is a warrior, albeit a lesser one compared to the likes of myself and my soldiers. But she is still capable of putting up something of a fight."
Cornelia's fists clenched at that, while Guilford and Darlton simply glared.
"And Schneizel here has proven to be a sound strategist, perhaps the best this Empire has to offer, which isn't saying much considering all the squabbling it has been doing. But Euphemia is neither . She can't fight, nor can she come up with even a halfway decent strategy. Honestly, it's a wonder 'Daddy-Dearest' hasn't thrown her away like he did with those two other weaklings, Lelouch and Nunnally."
Cornelia had enough of this, "You listen to me, Starscream! What goes on with my family is none of your concern!"
"When your petty in-fighting and posturing interferes with the elimination of our enemies, it most certainly is my concern!"
"Speaking of posturing, would you care to explain your actions at the prison block recently?" Darlton questioned.
"You and your fellow Decepticons choose to reveal yourselves on national television," Guilford stated as well, "Because of that, protests have erupted all across the area."
"Protests have been present since the Black Knights and Autobots made their debut months ago! If you are incapable of managing your people, it's no wonder our enemies thwart you at every turn."
"How dare you…!" Cornelia was ready to shout, but Schneizel quickly stepped in.
"That's quite enough," the prince spoke in a calm and rational tone, "Commander Starscream, I can understand why you must feel so frustrated with our side. It's the unfortunate nature of our family and government I'm afraid. Because Britannia has been divided for many years, even among the royal family, it's been incredibly difficult for us to yield any promising results."
He then turned to his sister and her knights when it looked like they were about to protest, "Which is why I feel we should gather all those we can trust so that we can act accordingly without dealing with the in-fighting from those we cannot trust."
"Do you happen to know anyone who falls under that category, your majesty?" the Knight of Nine asked, "Because certain events, such as Shikine Island, have shown that you haven't communicated with us in that regard."
"I agree," Dreadwing chimed in, "To establish trust, you must first acquire proper communication for an operation to run smoothly."
"And I agree most assuredly," Schneizel assured, "I apologize for my actions if they felt you were unable to trust me. I make no excuse."
Nonette and Dreadwing each shared somewhat questionable expressions before the Knight of Nine spoke, "Well, maybe you can…"
However, before anything else could be said, a projectile was quickly thrown in her direction. Nonette was quick to catch it to reveal it to be a fancy black and red dagger. Most of the group looked in surprise, but Nonette's eyes narrowed as she knew exactly who this dagger belonged to.
"What do people value most?"
All eyes turned to a man who had walked onto the scene. He had purple eyes, and auburn hair worn in a mullet-like style. He wore a white uniform with an orange robe around his person.
"Answer: their own lives."
"Luciano Bradley," Nonette glared, along with Cornelia.
' What is he doing here?' Cornelia glared at the man in question while her Knights looked more than a little shocked.
"Who is this?" Starscream questioned.
"Oh, pardon me, where are my manners?" the man made a mocking bow, "I am Sir Luciano Bradley, the Knight of Ten, otherwise known as the 'Homicide Genius' and even the 'Vampire of Britannia'."
"Another Knight of the Round?" Dreadwing mused, as he instantly did not like this man. Just one look in his eyes was enough for Dreadwing's stomach, or the Cybertronian equivalent of it, to turn.
"So, you two are some of the big bad Decepticons, eh?" Luciano spoke casually, "Tell me, does your kind bleed?"
Starscream advised, stepping closer to the man, "You'd better watch your tone. Knight of the Round or not, you are merely a human. And I've been dealing with more than enough of those."
"Don't lump us in with those Elevens or anyone else like that!"
A woman arrived right behind Bradley. She had dark skin, black hair tied back in a braided ponytail, with green eyes. She also wore a white suit with a dark blue robe over it.
"We're a breed above the rest!"
"Dorothea Ernst?" Guilford looked in surprise.
"The Knight of Four…" Darlton seemed just as shocked as his comrade.
"I see you've arrived as well, Lady Ernst," Nonette greeted coldly.
"Indeed. And I must ask, aren't you ashamed?" Dorothea spoke to Nonette directly, "You're a Knight of the Round, yet you've not scored one single victory against your enemies. If it were up to me, I'd have you stripped of your rank for failure."
"Perhaps you underestimate them," Nonette glared, "As usual your ego second to only this bloodthirsty maniac."
Bradley only smiled even more sadistically, "Oh… you wanna try saying that to my face, little Knight of Nine?"
However, Dreadwing promptly stepped in front to block both Bradley and Dorethea from advancing any further, "You should treat your colleague with more respect."
"Is that some sort of threat, Decepticon?" the Knight of Four glared.
"Maybe it is," the sadistic Knight of Ten only looked more intrigued, "How's about we fetch our Knightmares and test our upgrades on him."
"That is enough! Cease this squabbling!"
A tall man, perhaps the most imposing human present had revealed himself. He wore a white suit with a white robe over it. He had lightly tanned skin with dark blue hair, but what stood out the most, was that his left eye appeared to be sewn shut. Though Dreadwing and Starscream didn't recognize this human, virtually all the other humans present did as they could only look in surprise.
"Bismarck Waldstein… the Knight of One…" Cornelia stuttered, "Why… why are you here…?"
"A foolish question, Viceroy Cornelia," the leader and strongest of the Knights of the Round spoke, "The activity of the Black Knights and the Autobots has reached virtually all corners of the globe. It is not just Area 11, but virtually all Britannian-occupied areas. If this situation is not quelled quickly enough, the result could be catastrophic for our empire."
"Sir Waldstein, Sir Bradley, and Lady Ernst; them alongside with Lady Enneagram, Sir Weinberg, Lady Alstreim, and Lady Krushevsky…" Guilford began to list as though he was feeling overwhelmed.
"All seven Knights of the Round are together in Area 11!" Darlton finished. It was understandable that they were surprised. For all the Knights of Round to come together for a single operation was so rare, it was almost unheard of.
"Welcome, all of you," Schneizel greeted the three newly arrived Knights professionally, "I'm sure your help will be greatly appreciated."
"Well, considering we pulled in my Valkyrie Squadron as well, not to mention all the other hundreds of units we brought in from other Britannian areas, I would certainly hope so," Luciano said causally.
"You pulled in soldiers from other areas for this?" Cornelia questioned in surprise.
"Of course," Dorothea said as though it were obvious, "As Bismarck said, this isn't just about Area 11. It's about the grip our empire has in all our territories. We need to set an example, to show the world that not even Zero or these foolish Autobots will stand in our way."
"My father sent you?" Cornelia asked.
"Indeed," Bismarck confirmed.
Starscream gave something of an amused scoff, "Finally, that human does something useful."
"Oooh, taking a lot of nerve to insult the Emperor in front of four of his best pilots," Luciano said, brandishing more of his knives, "Perhaps you'd like to say that again."
"It seems you do not know who I am. I am Commander Starscream, second in command of the Decepticons! Humble servant to Lord Megatron!"
"And where is your leader?" Dorothea questioned.
"Occupied, I am afraid," Dreadwing answered.
"Well, I trust you'll be able to handle this situation to the best of your abilities," Schneizel told the Knights, "I must be off. Commander Starscream, there is something I would like to discuss with you."
"Very well," Starscream walked off to follow the prince, leaving Cornelia and her Knights, as well as Nonette to address Bismarck, Bradley, and Dorethea.
As they did, Dreadwing cast a suspicious glance toward Starscream and Schneizel as they walked off.
' What are those two planning?'
Flashback
Bismarck Waldstein kneeled in the throne room in front of Charles Zi Britannia, as they were the only two occupants in these large chambers.
"You are sending the remaining Knights of the Round, as well as other Areas' military forces?" Bismarck asked his Emperor.
"You disapprove, Knight of One?" Charles questioned.
"No, it just seems rather overkill. I understand how much of a threat the Autobots and Black Knights are, but…."
"This will convince Megatron that I am taking this matter seriously, to keep his attention focused on Japan, I've already given orders to Dorethea to bring Kaizaren to me, as well as Marianne to capture C.C."
"If I may, Your Highness, perhaps it was a mistake to send Nonette for the acquisition of Kaizaren."
"Perhaps. I had hoped that her loyalty to him would diminish these past seven years, but it seems I was mistaken. So that job now falls to Dorothea, whom not even Nonette can best in battle. She is the Knight of Four for a reason."
"I understand."
"And as well, I have a special assignment for you, Bismarck."
"You want me to capture Zero—I mean Lelouch, for you?"
"Yes, but that is only part of it. Your priority, before you bring Lelouch to me, is to terminate Optimus Prime."
Bismarck looked toward Charles in surprise as the Emperor continued.
"It seems Prime's influence has spread to Lelouch, making that boy forget his roots. It's time to remind him who he truly belongs to. Kill that machine that has stolen my son for me, then bring Lelouch to me. It's time to remind that boy that I am his father, not Prime."
End Flashback
A Groundbridge portal opened up in what appeared to be a strip mine. In actuality, this was the same spot where Megatron had found his deposit of Dark Energon, which had been converted into an off-sight laboratory for Shockwave. Megatron himself stepped out of the portal, followed by Soundwave, and right behind him was V.V., who was being escorted by the Mini-Con Frenzy to make sure he didn't try anything.
The laboratory seemed rather basic, with a few consoles and machines built into the walls, which was to be expected for a lab that was only recently constructed. The only occupants there besides Shockwave himself were a pair of Vehicon guards, and a group of human scientists from Code R, one of which was Joseph Fenette.
Among the devices in the laboratory that V.V. observed were two tanks filled with a special kind of fluid. Inside one of the tanks contained Jeremiah Gottwald, who had already been outfitted with several Cybertronian implants for cybernetic prosthetics. The other contained the mutilated body of Mao. Most of his body had already been dissected and drained, with the only real parts of him that remained were his head, attached to his nervous system that had been removed from the rest of his body, with wires connecting directly into his brain and central nervous stem.
Shockwave, who continued to work at his console at the end of the laboratory noticed his leader's presence, "Lord Megatron."
"Shockwave, I see you've been keeping busy." Megatron acknowledged.
"Indeed. The data we've extracted from V.V. has helped to fill in many gaps in my study of the Geass element. That, along with my study of the subject named Mao, has helped me to extract the energy itself directly from his organic cerebral system."
Shockwave then led Megatron to a table that contained three vials of a red liquid, "From there, I have been able to concentrate the energy into a liquid form, making it easier to study."
"Very impressive, my most prized engineer," Megatron approved.
"However, this is the most I've been able to accomplish. Breaking down the Geass energy into its most basic elements has proven to be difficult, taking into account the fact that the elements that comprise the energy are unlike anything I've seen so far. Simply put, I have no idea what makes up this power."
"Understandable. If not even Victor and his dear brother, who spent decades studying this in secret, could understand its origin, it only makes sense you would have some form of trouble as well."
Megatron cast a glare in V.V.'s direction.
"He's talking about you," Frenzy snickered to the immortal boy.
"Yes, I heard him," V.V. said in a low growl.
"However, the knowledge we extracted from V.V. has shown that these Thought Elevators could be the key to understanding its origin."
The cold scientist brought up several images of multiple Thought Elevators on the screen above them.
"The one in Area 11 has been destroyed by Optimus Prime, and the remaining seven are located in sites directly under Britannian control, excluding the one in the Antarctic."
Locations for each of the remaining Thought Elevators were pinpointed in seven specific locations on the screen.
"We can work with that later," the Decepticon leader dismissed, "How goes the process of trying to weaponize Geass?"
"One direction has yielded promising results. The other has not."
"Please explain," Megatron requested.
Shockwave turned to the cybernetic Jeremiah in the tank that the Code R scientists were researching, "This Britannian soldier has been outfitted with cybernetic enhancements. Through the extraction of the Geass energy from Mao, I am likely able to find a way to create an artificial Geass that can be implemented directly within the soldier's brain once he has been completely rendered to our control. However, this can only be done with organic specimens."
"Why not Cybertronian?"
Shockwave then typed more on the console in front of him as the screen projected two images. One was a strand of organic DNA, the other was a strand of Cyber Nucleic Acid, also called CNA.
"As you are already aware, Lord Megatron, human and Cybertronian biology differ on even a microscopic level. The power that is transferred from the one who bears the Code ability travels from the organic brain of said immortal into another's mind in the form of an energy wave. It travels along human electrons within their nervous system directly into the organic brain. It only seems to be compatible with organic matter. So, while it may be possible for an organic's Geass ability to affect Cybertronians, provided the ability is strong enough, it cannot be directly transferred into another. It must be altered on an atomic level to even create the possibility of such a transfer."
Megatron lightly sighed, "I see."
"You know…" V.V. stuttered, "We could try… forming a contract. If we can do that… then you can possess a Geass ability yourself, Lord Megatron. It wouldn't hurt."
"And establish a connection with you that you can take advantage of? I think not," Megatron noted, glaring at the immortal boy, "You will only establish a contract if I say so."
Frenzy laughed mockingly at V.V., "Rejected!"
The Decepticon commander looked rather disappointed. So perhaps they could find a way to weaponize Geass, but only after modifying humans to serve their purpose. True, this Geass Order that V.V. has been in charge of had plenty of potential candidates to experiment on. He had hoped he'd be able to use it himself. But he wasn't foolish enough to try and form a contract with V.V. that would put him on the immortal boy's strings. However, what Shockwave said also caught his attention, about the energy requiring alteration. Though Megatron did not possess the ability to alter specifically, he had the means to… corrupt it.
"Shockwave, where is the supply of Dark Energon?"
"This way, Lord Megatron."
Shockwave led his leader, with Soundwave, V.V., and Frenzy following right behind.
The cyclopean scientist led Megatron to a large container filled with a massive cluster of the crystalized Blood of Unicron. One look from this dark substance was enough to even make V.V. shudder. He could practically feel something alive inside these crystals just staring down at him.
"Shockwave, the Geass extraction?" Megatron held his hand open, telling Shockwave to provide him with the substance, which is what Shockwave did as he handed Megatron a vial of the liquidized Geass energy.
"Lord Megatron, if I may, what exactly are you intending to do?" the scientist queried as even Soundwave was looking with curiosity and concern.
"Call it, an experiment."
Megatron suddenly reached into the container to pull out a shard of the Dark Energon before jamming it into the vial. The second the purple crystal made contact with the red liquid, purple bolts surged throughout the vial before the entire liquid sample was absorbed directly into the shard-like crystal as if water onto a sponge.
"Wait… Lord Megatron… what are you…?" even Frenzy was caught off-guard, but nobody was prepared for what Megatron did next.
The Decepticon leader jammed the shard directly into his spark chamber. The second it made contact, the Dark Energon was absorbed directly into Megatron's body as his inner workings began to glow with the same purple color, which flowed directly into his optics before they changed from red to purple. Though Megatron has been shown to control and manipulate Dark Energon in his own body before, this was different.
A vision struck Megatron's eyes as he appeared to be falling into a bottomless void, a dark and glowing purple void with bolts of black matter streaking along the sides. Megatron was then bombarded with stilled images ranging from an ancient society of humans to images of C.C. and V.V., and even other individuals such as Lelouch, Rai, Mao, Charles, and other humans he did not recognize. He even saw a vision of what appeared to be Earth and Cybertron coming close together before he was suddenly pulled out of his dark visions.
Megatron fell on his hands and knees, much to the surprise of every human and Decepticon present, including all the Code R scientists that had been working, as well as the Vehicon soldiers.
"Lord Megatron!" one Vehicon ran to his master and tried to help him up.
Megatron instinctively glanced at the soldier, his optics still purple, but what stuck out the most was a dark purple Geass emblem in both his optics surging brightly. The second Megatron made eye contact with the Vehicon helping him, the Vehicon backed away, screaming in absolute terror.
Everyone, even Shockwave, Soundwave, and V.V. looked in complete and total shock.
"What's going on?" Frenzy asked as they saw the Vehicon screaming, as though he had seen something truly terrifying.
After a few more seconds of intense screaming, the Vehicon fell to the ground.
Soundwave scanned the Vehicon for any sort of injuries, only to find that his spark had been extinguished.
"Termination?" Shockwave saw Soundwave's readings, in which the silent Decepticon nodded in confirmation.
"He's… dead? But… how?" Frenzy queried.
Soundwave displayed the life signs of the Vehicon he recorded before the soldier died, allowing Shockwave to decipher them.
"A sudden increase in stress which led directly to his spark overloading, to the point where it became unstable and put itself out."
"He… He was afraid…?" the Mini-Con asked, wanting to make sure, "Sort of like humans with heart attacks? But Cybertronians can't go through that!"
"I assume that this Vehicon trooper was suddenly given a hallucination that manifested in the form of his worst fears, likely coupled with energy from Dark Energon that fed directly into his spark, extinguishing it," Shockwave theorized.
Megatron had stood up fully on his feet, shaking the cobwebs from his head as his optics turned from purple back to their natural red. He heard everything Shockwave said about his newfound ability and an idea came to mind.
"Victor!"
The immortal boy turned to Megatron as his optics turned purple and the dark Geass emblem manifested in them once again.
"Look at me!"
The second the Geass sigil flew from Megatron's eyes and into V.V's, the immortal screamed in terror, bombarded with visions that only he could see. Soundwave and Shockwave observed emotionlessly, while the Code R researchers and even Frenzy looked more than a little freaked out. After a minute or two of increased screaming, V.V. stopped before he fell to the ground, flat on his back.
Like with the Vehicon, Soundwave scanned V.V., only to find his vitals had flatlined as well.
"Termination," Shockwave reported.
"At least for now," Megatron said, knowing the boy would likely resurrect himself at any moment before he chuckled evilly, "Who would have thought, that this Geass power and the Blood of Unicron would be so compatible! It seems I have a Geass of my own! No, I have something far greater… the power I wield… it is Dark Geass !"
"Your experience at controlling Dark Energon has likely enabled you to control this power," the mad scientist deduced, "It appears to be far stronger than any other Geass ability we have seen thus far, at least based on those that V.V. is aware of, enough so that can affect Cybertronians as well as immortal Code Bearers."
Speaking of which, V.V. suddenly shot up, taking raspy breaths as his Code power was able to resurrect him.
Megatron sneered as he loomed over V.V., who looked toward Megatron in absolute terror.
"Well, it would seem you truly are immortal. But immortality does not often mean invincibility , as you have just learned. So, allow me to establish a contract of my own, my dear Victor. You will submit to me, and the Decepticon cause. You will renounce your brother and your project. Everything you have built: your resources, your project, even your immortal life, everything that was yours belongs to me now. Do you understand?"
V.V. shook with pure fear as he tried to stand, but he couldn't muster any strength to do so, "Y—Yes…"
"Say it,"
V.V. fell on his hands and knees, effectively bowing his head, "I… belong to you… I serve you… Lord Megatron."
"I am your master, and you are my servant. Do not ever forget that."
V.V. shook as sweat and tears dripped down his face and onto the floor, "I won't…Master…"
Ashford Academy
Lelouch, Shirley, and Rai had pulled C.C. into the storage area where Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper had parked themselves. Though the three Autobots remained in their respective vehicle modes, they too questioned the matter of C.C. causally walking about on campus.
"…I'm asking about the biggest pizza in the world," C.C. finished explaining.
"You almost blew your cover for a stupid pizza?" Arcee questioned.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand, considering Cybertronians can't eat food," she retorted.
"You know, as far as your typical burns go, that was pretty weak," Cliffjumper commented.
"If you want pizza, we'll bring you some. Just wait in your room," Lelouch told her.
"You're all preoccupied with other matters," the Code Bearer pointed out.
"The military, the press, and two freaking Decepticons are here! What if one of them sees you!?" Rai questioned.
"I'll wear a disguise. I don't like cold pizza."
"C.C., no offense, but I think you're becoming addicted to this," Shirley worried.
"I like pizza."
"[Enough so that you're willing to blow your cover over it, apparently,]" Bumblebee bleeped in annoyance.
Suddenly, the door to the storage room opened and the group looked to see Kallen, Ohgi, and Chigusa around the corner.
"Why did you come into the school?" Kallen asked Ohgi.
"Oh, that's my fault," Chigusa said.
"You brought her, too?" Kallen looked toward Ohgi questionably.
"We just went for some air, that's all," Ohgi said.
"Kallen, what's going…?" Lelouch walked out with Rai and Shirley right behind him, but all three were surprised to see both Ohgi and Chigusa with her.
"Eh… Lelouch. Didn't see you there…" Ohgi looked in surprise.
"Oh, are they friends of yours?" Chigusa asked him.
"Uh… yeah, they are," Ohgi replied.
Despite Ohgi being truthful, it didn't take long for an uneasy feeling to set in for the whole group, and even the three disguised Autobots were present.
"Well… this is awkward," Rai remarked.
Meanwhile, Euphemia, in her civilian disguise, complete with a hat and sunglasses, had just entered the Ashford Academy grounds as she and her bodyguards walked through the festival.
"I'm sorry, but there's something I want to talk to Suzaku about," Euphemia apologized to her guards.
"It's alright, Your Highness," the female guard assured her.
Flashback
The previous night, Euphemia had finally got a chance to talk to her elder half-brother as she told him everything she learned from Optimus and Zero about Megatron and the true history behind Cybertron. She also told him about this idea she had that could get support from the Black Knights and the Autobots. However, she still didn't tell Schneizel about Lelouch being Zero, as that was his secret and he should tell their brother only when he feels he's ready.
"Euphie, I think this is a wonderful idea you've come up with," Schneizel told her.
"Really?! You mean that?!" Euphemia asked excitedly.
"Absolutely. If Optimus and Zero are truly the people you say they are, then we have most certainly misjudged them. More importantly, however, from what you've told me, it seems Megatron is the true evil. This idea you've made should help us to establish a means for us to talk so that we can better defend this world from the real threat. I'll talk to Cornelia so that she understands."
End Flashback
' Schneizel approved of my idea,' Euphemia thought with a smile on her face, 'I have to tell Suzaku and Lelouch.'
Her smile faded however as her look became serious, 'More importantly, I have to find Lelouch and Nunnally. I have to tell them that Megatron knows about them being here. Then we can…'
She was suddenly stopped by Sayoko who prevented her from accidentally walking in front of a certain blind and crippled girl.
"I'm so sorry, are you alright?" Euphemia asked.
"I'm fine, are you okay?"
Euphemia recognized the girl in the wheelchair almost instantly, "Nunnally…?"
Nunnally herself gave a small gasp, "That voice… is it you…?"
Back in the storage garage, the three Autobots remained hidden as C.C. slid herself quietly inside Cliffjumper's vehicle mode as they watched the humans in front of them talk among each other.
"So that's the Pureblood staying with Ohgi," Cliffjumper observed, speaking only through the comms so that nobody else could hear them, "She seems nice."
"Yeah? Wait till she gets her memories back," Arcee pointed out.
"Your Ohgi's house guest?" Rai asked Chigusa.
"Yes, I am," the amnesiac Pureblood nodded, "He's been so kind to me."
"Really?" the Wrecker cast a knowing grin in the older man's direction with a raised eyebrow, causing him to cough as he tried to hide his blush.
"And you're all friends of his, it's a pleasure."
Chigusa offered her hand to shake, toward Lelouch at first. Though hesitant, as he did not know who she was at first, he accepted her hand.
Rai shook it next, though when she offered one to Shirley, the girl instinctively flinched.
"Is something wrong?"
"Uh, no. Nothing really," Shirley said as she shook Chigusa's hand, "You just reminded me of someone else, that's all."
However, before any kind of conversation could start, the door on the side opened as Monica and Suzaku walked in.
"I'm sure the extra propane tanks for the burner are in here," the Knight of Twelve said as they looked around, but she noticed two people, "Kallen? Lelouch?"
"Oh, um… hello," Kallen tried to put on her sickly façade as Ohgi hid with Chigusa behind a storage container, and Shirley and Rai quietly slipped further back toward the vehicle modes of Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Arcee.
"Are there any spare fuel tanks back there?" Monica asked the pair.
"None here. Maybe on the other side?" Lelouch tried to redirect their attention away from their friends and colleagues that remained hidden.
" Scrap, this is bad," Rai said in a whisper.
" No kidding," Arcee quietly replied, "If Suzaku and that Knight of the Round sees us, our cover might be blown. They might even recognize the Pureblood."
" Hey Rai, can't you use your Geass on them?" Cliffjumper whispered to him.
" I guess but…. I don't…" Rai seemed rather unsure, not that he thought his Geass couldn't work, but his mental trauma from recovering his enemies made him indecisive about using the power that got his mother and sister, and so many other people killed.
Shirley could practically feel the tension he was experiencing and tried to put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, " Maybe Lelouch can use his Geass?"
" He already used it on Suzaku," Arcee said, "Plus, he's trying to be more cautious with it so it doesn't run wild."
The covert Black Knight glanced back to the garage door behind the disguised Autobots when an idea came to her, "Maybe we can sneak you guys out through there?"
" We'll need a distraction," the red Autobot replied, "Garage doors are usually pretty loud."
Rai looked around when he noticed the shelf of boxes that Lelouch and Kallen were close to and he got an idea.
He quickly grabbed a screw on the ground and rolled it at Lelouch's foot. This got his attention as Rai silently gestured toward the garage door in the back as well as the three Autobots, before glancing at the shelf that was above Lelouch and Kallen. Lelouch slightly nudged Kallen and gestured upward, giving Kallen the message, which she seemed to understand as she glanced at Ohgi to silently tell him what to do, which he understood with a nod of his own.
"Hey, is something going on over here?" Suzaku asked, noticing their odd expressions.
Kallen suddenly screamed, surprising both Monica and Suzaku as they looked in one direction, allowing her to cut the straps around the shelf with her knife before she pushed them down.
"The panels are falling! Run away!" Kallen screamed.
As the shelf began to fall over, Lelouch, Suzaku, and Monica ran to try and catch it, giving Rai an opening to open the garage door via the button on the wall. Bumblebee, meanwhile, dropped a smoke bomb, which exploded, covering the garage door's opening, allowing the Autobot trio to back out in their vehicle modes, with Shirley and Rai slipping out as well, and giving Ohgi and Chigusa a chance to slip out through the front door.
When it was all done, Lelouch and Suzaku were holding the shelf and panel up, with Monica covering Kallen with her body so she wouldn't get hurt.
"Oh… thank you…" Kallen said, keeping up her sickly façade.
"I'm just glad you're not hurt," Monica said, "Where'd all this smoke come from?"
"It must be for detecting gas leaks." Lelouch made up an excuse. "Looks like the main valve was knocked loose."
"Never mind that, can someone help me please?" Suzaku asked. "I'm in a little pain here."
"What's wrong?" the Knight of Twelve asked.
"My ankle. It's a very familiar feeling."
Arthur the cat was biting down on Suzaku's ankle, while also digging his claws into him.
The garage door was closed as Rai and Shirley slid their backs down the wall toward the ground as they sat with sighs of relief.
"That was a close call," Rai said.
"Yeah… not quite the excitement you would look for in a school festival," Shirley agreed.
"But maybe the kind you'd find at our job. And the Bots?"
"[We're okay,]" Bumblebee beeped as he, Arcee, and Cliffjumper, still in their vehicle modes were right in front of the pair.
"C.C.'s still inside me, even though that sounds wrong," Cliff attempted a joke.
"Really?" Arcee questioned somewhat irritably.
"What? I make jokes in tense situations, you know it."
Shirley and Rai laughed out loud anyway despite the corny joke.
At the same time, Ohgi and Chigusa were able to make it to a safe spot under a tree as well.
"Sorry that you got caught in that weirdness back there," Ohgi apologized.
"No, it was sort of fun," she said, "I haven't felt this excited in a long time."
The resistance leader had a serious expression on his face, "Hey, Chigusa, I think maybe you should see the rest of my friends pretty soon. Things… might get a little messy out here and… my friends' place, might be the safest spot."
"Okay," Chigusa nodded in understanding, "You know Ohgi, I wonder if the person I used to be was as happy as I am now."
That took Ohgi by surprise, but not as much as what she said next.
"You know… I've been thinking and… I don't think I'd mind… becoming an Eleven."
Meanwhile, inside the Ashford Clubhouse, Nunnally and Euphemia both sat at a table inside the dining room as they each had a cup of tea.
"So Lelouch told you everything, about him being Zero and what's going on with the Autobots and the Decepticons?" Euphemia asked her younger half-sister.
"Yes, he did," Nunnally confirmed, "I wasn't sure what to believe at first, but… I trust my brother. Did he also tell you about Rai?"
Euphemia's look became nothing short of saddened and almost brought to tears, "Yes… I can't believe it… we have another brother and… what he went through… it was so horrible…"
"But… I know Rai's getting all the help he needs. I'm sure the Autobots and the other Black Knights are doing all they can to help him."
"So, you've met them?"
"Only Bumblebee right now, but he's nice. He's been taking care of Lelouch since the beginning. And from what I've heard, the other Autobots are all nice too, especially Optimus, given how highly Lelouch speaks of him. Big brother even considers him like a father."
"I can see why. I've met Optimus, and I have to say, I've never met such a kind, noble, and gentle soul in all my life."
"Hey, do you remember that one time when you and I got into a great big argument when we were little? On which of us was gonna marry Lelouch when we grew up?"
The Sub-Viceroy's smile grew even more brightly, "Yes, I do. We put Lelouch on the spot by making him decide right then and there."
Both half-sisters shared a laugh.
"So, how about now? Do you still love him, even to this day?" Nunnally asked.
"Of course, I do. He's my brother, and you're my sister, Nunnally. I love you both so much."
"I love you too, Euphie."
Her smile quickly faded as she remembered what she had to tell them, "Is Lelouch nearby? I need to talk to him. It's very important."
"He should be somewhere outside. Let's go find him."
The Nemesis
After leaving V.V. under the supervision of Shockwave in his laboratory, Megatron walked onto the bridge of his warship with his communication officer right behind him.
"Knock Out and Breakdown are maintaining their position at Ashford. Thundercracker and Skywarp are with Airachnid on Kamine Island, finishing the integration of the Insecticon hive into our ranks. It seems that Dreadwing is with Cornelia now, and even Charles has sent the remaining Knights of the Round, along with an army of Britannian soldiers, to bolster Cornelia's otherwise diminished forces," Megatron listed before scoffing slightly, "Charles wants me to think he's taking this situation seriously, but he couldn't possibly understand what we've already learned—nor will he be prepared for what we have in store."
"And what exactly do you have in store?"
Both Megatron and Soundwave looked to see not only Starscream casually leaning against the console of the bridge, but also Prince Schneizel El Britannia below him.
"Please pardon my unannounced visit, Lord Megatron," Schneizel gave a humble bow.
"Schneizel El Britannia," the Decepticon leader acknowledged as this was the first time he met the prince, aside from Kamine Island, while also casting a glance at Starscream, "The Second Prince, and Prime Minister of the Britannian Empire. What exactly are you doing on my ship?"
"Master, Schneizel has revealed to me some rather interesting information regarding our enemies, Zero to be specific," Starscream said, "Perhaps you should hear him out, he may be of use to us."
"And what exactly is it he wishes to share with us?" Megatron then looked down toward Schneizel expectantly.
"I may not have any credible proof of this, but I believe that Zero might be my younger half-brother, Lelouch Vi Britannia," Schneizel revealed.
"And what exactly makes you so certain of this if you have no proof?"
"Because I know my brother. I've studied Zero's methods and tactics, and while they have changed a bit, no doubt the guidance of Optimus Prime and the other Autobots, I've played chess with Lelouch my entire life. I know his tactics. So, when I saw Zero employing similar methods, it just made all the more sense to me. Not to mention his motivations. As he was exiled by our father, along with our sister, Lelouch no doubt seeks revenge on Britannia for abandoning him. And if Nunnally did indeed die, it only makes his vengeance all the more believable. Though I have a sneaking suspicion she may be alive, I have no proof of this either."
"I do."
That surprised both Starscream and Schneizel.
"I've known of Zero's identity since his debut with Optimus months ago."
Starscream was rather shocked to hear that, "What?! How could you possibly know that?!"
"Soundwave is quite competent in surveillance, I'm sure you're well aware of that by now, Starscream."
Soundwave displayed the necessary information, including a recording and footage of Lelouch himself as well as Zero and comparing their voices for a one-hundred-percent match.
' He was able to figure out much sooner than I ever could,' Schneizel thought in genuine surprise, 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised, given he was the mentor to my father, as what Starscream had told me.'
The Seeker was quite angered and offended, "You discovered Zero's identity, and you choose not to tell me!? Your first lieutenant?!"
"What would you have done with this information, Starscream?" Megatron questioned.
"Why… I would have leveled that boy's residency and saw to his immediate termination!"
"Exactly! You would have acted rashly without thinking of the consequences! True, you might have eliminated Zero, but Optimus and the Autobots would still live! Our enemies would still be a threat! It is best to wait and bide your time so that you may eliminate all your enemies in one stroke as opposed to drawing out countless battles!"
Starscream was about to retort, but Schneizel already spoke.
"He is right, Starscream. While I applaud your willingness to eliminate the problem as quickly as possible, I feel that having the patience to wait and remove the entire problem as opposed to removing one piece of it, is a more effective strategy."
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Starscream saw Schneizel had a point and simply groaned in minor annoyance.
"But I sense that Optimus and Lelouch are not your only problems, are they?" he spoke to Megatron directly.
"Schneizel, what is it that you want?" Megatron questioned.
"To join you," Schneizel answered, causing Megatron to raise a minor eyebrow in surprise, "You want to remove my father from his position in power, or maybe you want to completely remove Britannia entirely. And that is something I can assist you with."
"And what can you offer me that I cannot simply take?"
"Inside information on Britannia's military operations. Psychological profiling of the most powerful figures in the Empire. Viable strategies that can guarantee absolute victory. But also, having a Britannian prince on your side, one who is beloved by his people could make the transition easier. True, there may still be some who are willing to fight, but I can certainly help provide a means to get what you want."
Megatron didn't seem all that convinced, "You are willing to betray your nation? Your own family? Your father?"
"I have no love for my father. Just as he has no love for me or any of his other children, though I'm certain you already know that. But in all honesty, I have no love for Britannia as a whole. Let me ask you, Megatron. What is it that people truly want? Starvation and poverty? Discrimination and corruption? War and terrorism? They want the problems that are flooding this world to go away forever. People of this world are driven by their lusts and desires, by their greed. They fight each other because they're all human. My theory is that their subconscious understands this. Despite the prejudice that exists in this world, they're all equal despite differences in race or status, and thus, have an equal chance to be overthrown. But you, and your Decepticons… you're more powerful than anything they have seen before. In the eyes of this world's ancient civilizations, you would have been seen as gods. Perhaps it's time for them to think of you as such."
"What exactly are you trying to get at?" Megatron wanted him to get right to the point.
"If the people of this world see something as powerful as you and your forces overturn the Britannian Empire, the empire that's stood for centuries, in just a short amount of time—perhaps even overnight—the people would either look at you in awe or fear. They'll be so amazed or so terrified that they wouldn't dare challenge you. Under your rule, all humans would be equal, right? Albeit underneath your heel, but still equal. This could finally bring all the wars and conflict of this world to an end."
"Perhaps," the Decepticon leader acknowledged, "But what of the Autobots or the Black Knights who have proven they are capable of standing against us?"
"Then we remove them from the equation as well. At the same time, in fact. Seeing them as well as Britannia defeated will make the people all the more submissive."
Megatron did see all the valid points Schneizel made. Yet, at the same time, he was no fool. He could tell that the prince was likely only seeking to join the winning side and likely had an ulterior motive, yet this made him all the more prudent to keep him where he could see him, much like with Victor. Perhaps he could find a use for him.
"Very well," Megatron acknowledged, "I will allow you to join our ranks, Schneizel. If only because you are more valuable beside me than against me."
Schneizel bowed in a seemingly humble fashion, "You are too gracious, Lord Megatron."
Ashford Academy
"Alright! Any moment!" Rivalz announced to the audience gathered in front of him as he stood on top of a stand in front of the massive pizza oven, wearing an apron and the chef's hat, "We are about to begin the historic task of the making of the world's largest pizza! Please note that this contraption is an oven specially built for this occasion! A fabulous waste of money!"
Meanwhile, in the control booth, Lelouch had made all the final and necessary preparations as he sat inside and just watched the show.
'This feels so easy,' he thought with a smile, 'If I make a mistake here, no one's life is on the line.'
Milly then walked in, closing the door behind her, "Not bad, got everything on schedule, huh?"
"I've learned to manage people lately. Still, they all seem so optimistic, don't they? Not just the Chinese Federation invading, but everything that's been going on with giant transforming robots, yet look at everyone."
Milly leaned against his chair, "That's why people need this. Festivals are necessary, a nice little break from how hard the world can be. I'm sure you can use one too, considering all the hard choices you've probably had to make… Zero ."
Lelouch looked at Milly as if she had just grown a second head.
"It wasn't all that hard to figure out, Lelouch," the Student Council President began, "First, you've been skipping out on classes since Zero showed up, even though you've stopped gambling. Second, that car you recently bought looks a lot like one of those Autobots we saw on the news, not to mention you only just 'bought' that so-called car just before the Autobots made their debut. Third, it's your reasoning. After everything your father did to you, it makes sense you'd try to get him back like this."
The revealed Black Knight leader sighed as he put his fingers on his eyelids, "Was I that obvious?"
Milly giggled in response.
"Did you tell anyone else?"
Milly shook her head, "You know what my mother would do with this if she found out. Not to mention Nunnally…"
"Even after what happened to Shirley's' father?"
"I'm sure it was an accident. I know you wouldn't do anything like that. I know you, Lelouch."
She then put a hand on his shoulder, "You might be angry, maybe even insensitive sometimes, but you're not a bad person. No matter what, I'm still your friend. And I'm here for you whenever you need me."
The young revolutionary gave an honest smile, "Thank you, Milly."
His smile quickly faded, "Listen, you should probably leave the Tokyo Settlement soon."
She looked at him with confusion.
"With the way things are going, it might not be safe anymore. I'm up against a very dangerous opponent."
"Your father?" Milly asked.
"Worse," Lelouch replied instantly.
However, before their conversation could continue, the door opened, "Lelouch!"
"Nunnally, how's the pizza…"
However, Lelouch gasped in shock as he saw not only Nunnally but Euphemia as well, still with her sunglasses and hat.
"Sorry, I gotta go. We'll continue this conversation later," he told Milly before he left the booth to join his sisters.
"It looks like the ingredients are all prepared!" Rivalz continued to announce as he hopped down onto the ground in front of a massive tarp covering something large, "Now, introducing our special dough tosser…"
The tarp was taken down to reveal the Ganymede Knightmare.
"…The Ashford Academy Ganymede! Yes, it's a bit of an antique, however at the controls, is the Student Council's special member and Princess Euphemia's knight… Suzaku Kururugi!"
It was true. Suzaku was indeed in control of the old Knightmare and would act as the dough tosser for the massive pizza. Anya was meanwhile at the side, recording it via her phone.
"Wow, look at all these people who came here to see Suzaku," Gino said as he and Sayoko were helping other students hold up the massive plugs for the Ganymede to provide it with power.
"Of course, Suzaku is like a ray of hope for many Elevens," Sayoko said, "They revere him."
"Dang…" Gino had an impressed smile.
On the other side of the wall, Knock Out and Breakdown continued to watch in their vehicle modes as Suzaku began to toss the pizza dough with the Ganymede, though they didn't seem all that impressed.
"These kids sure are getting excited over a large piece of fluff," Breakdown commented.
"Why doesn't Kururugi use the Lancelot?" Knock Out asked, "It's way flashier than that piece of junk."
Milly also watched the show from outside the control booth as Lloyd walked by her side.
"Ganymede, a third-generation Knightmare. The type used by Lady Marianne the Flash, isn't that correct?"
"It's just a fundamental frame," Milly responded, "A big puppet for events like this."
"An unorthodox design dropped for the next generation of Knightmares due to Lady Marianne's death."
"I'm guessing that's the real reason you want to marry me," Milly said as Cecile walked in between them.
"So now you get it," she spoke in a tone that was sympathetic towards the blonde, "He has no attraction whatsoever to the opposite sex."
"Well, I get the general idea anyway."
As the Ganymede tossed the pizza in the air, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper watched from their vehicle modes in the Ashford parking lot, with C.C. still inside Cliffjumper.
"You gotta admit, when in the battlefield or the kitchen, kid's got skills," Cliffjumper commented.
"Let's just hope we can get those skills on our side," Arcee said.
"[Well considering he's Euphemia's knight, and she knows about Lelouch, it's starting to look like a possibility,]" Bumblebee replied.
"And hopefully you didn't just jinx us," C.C. stated.
Kallen, Shirley, and Rai continued to watch as well from the corner of the school building.
"Ohgi made it off campus, alright?" Rai asked Kallen.
"Yeah. He and his little girlfriend are just fine," Kallen said in a low grumble.
"You don't sound all that happy," Shirley pointed out.
"Considering she's not only a Pureblood but also someone who nearly got Lelouch killed, yeah. I'm not exactly thrilled," Kallen stated.
Rai didn't seem to disagree but as he looked around one corner, he saw something that surprised him, "Hey guys… look over there."
Both Shirley and Kallen looked in the direction he was referring to.
"Hey, Lelouch is with Nunnally and…" Shirley said, but she and Kallen both saw the pink-haired girl with him. Though she was wearing a disguise, it wasn't hard to figure out who it was, "Is that Euphemia?"
"Sure looks like it," the redhead remarked, sounding just as surprised, "But what's she doing here?"
"Let's go find out," Rai stated as he walked toward the trio, with Kallen and Shirley right behind him.
Lelouch sat next to the disguised Euphemia, watching Suzaku's performance, with Nunnally right beside them, "Last year, it was my turn to do it. But I can't compare to a real pro."
"By that, he means he made a mess that looked like someone threw up everywhere," Nunnally smirked.
"How do you know what it looks like if you couldn't see it?" Lelouch questioned his sister with a half-smirk.
"That's what Rivalz said," Nunnally giggled, to which Euphie responded with a giggle of her own.
Lelouch sighed with a small grin as he rubbed his hand down his face.
However, Euphie quickly got serious, "Lelouch, listen to me. Megatron knows about you and Nunnally."
That surprised the pair. Even Nunnally gave a startled gasp.
"He knows that you and Nunnally are a prince and princess, and he knows you're staying here at Ashford."
"How…?" the surprised Lelouch wasn't over his shock as he tried to think of how he could know that.
"I don't know how exactly, but he was somehow able to get it from Suzaku after interrogating him," Euphemia said, "I'm sure Suzaku didn't mean to reveal anything…"
"I know he wouldn't," the revolutionary quickly said before a scowl formed on his face, "But it sounds like Megatron to do something like that."
He calmed down, however, "But you don't have to worry. As soon as the festival's over, Nunnally and I are leaving Ashford for the Ark. She'll be safe there."
"That's good to hear," Euphie breathed a sigh of relief.
"What about Suzaku?" Nunnally asked, "If Megatron is as bad as you two say he is, I can't stand the thought of Suzaku being with him any longer."
"Don't worry Nunnally, I already talked to him," Euphie revealed, "I told Suzaku and Dreadwing everything I learned from you and Optimus, Lelouch, including what happened to Cybertron. Both said they would work with me, even if I worked with you and Optimus to protect this world."
"They said that?" Lelouch asked, a feeling of hope building in his chest.
"Who's Dreadwing?" Nunnally asked.
"A Decepticon, but one that I trust with my life," the disguised princess answered, "He has a strong sense of honor and a good spark deep inside. He's a lot like Suzaku."
"Who's a lot like Suzaku?"
They turned around to see Rai, Kallen, and Shirley arrive on the scene.
"How long have you all been there?" Lelouch asked.
"Long enough to hear the gist," Kallen answered.
"Oh, I remember you two, from Kamine Island," Euphie recognized the red-haired girl and the white-haired young man, "Kallen, and Rai, right?"
"Yeah," Kallen nodded in confirmation, already feeling a sense of awkwardness.
"Hi… er… Your Majesty," Shirley tried to introduce herself, rather nervously, as she lowered her voice to a hushed whisper, "My name's Shirley, I'm a friend of Lelouch. I'm also a Black Knight."
Euphie smiled, "Nice to meet you Shirley, but please just call me Euphie."
She offered her a hand to shake. Shirley was completely surprised by this; a princess was offering her hand to shake. It was hesitant at first, but Shirley managed to grab Euphie's hand and shake it.
The pink-haired royal then turned to her other half-brother, "And Rai… Lelouch told me everything. About your past, and your mother and sister…"
"Oh… did he…"
Rai cast a glance at Lelouch, not necessarily a glare, which caused Lelouch to rub the back of his neck somewhat nervously.
"I am… so very sorry about all of that," Euphie apologized sincerely.
"It's not your fault," Rai told her, "You don't have to apologize."
"But still, Lelouch and Nunnally are about you a lot, and I want to help too," Euphie offered her hand to her half-brother, "Please Rai, I know we barely know each other, but let me be a sister for you."
Rai looked more than a little emotional. He knew from Lelouch that Euphemia was a good person and she genuinely wanted to be a part of his life and family. It was something of a tearful smile as Rai accepted her hand, but he was even further shocked when she pulled him into a quick hug, causing him to look in surprise before she broke off.
From a distance, Monica spotted the group talking on the stairs, "What's going on over there? Why is over half the Student Council just talking when we're all busy here?"
"Thank you, all of you," Euphie said to Kallen, Rai, and Shirley, "For helping to look after Lelouch and Nunnally."
"Sure… no problem," Kallen looked away with an embarrassed blush.
Nunnally meanwhile smiled as she was beyond glad to see her friends and family getting along so well.
"Euphie," Lelouch got her attention, "Thank you for your support, but you know we have to be careful."
"Yes, but I have an idea that might be able to help…"
"Hey!" Monica walked over to try and get their attention, but a breeze blew Euphie's hat away, allowing Monica to see her hair and recognize her in surprise, "Wait… Princess Euphemia?!"
This got the attention of nearly every other student who had gathered in front of the massive pizza oven.
"What's up?" Rivalz asked in surprise, seeing everyone look away.
It wasn't long before they all saw and recognized the princess.
"Scrap!" Lelouch, Kallen, Rai, and Shirley all said at the same time.
"Hold on, the princess is here?" Arcee questioned as she, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper, still in their vehicle modes saw her as well.
"[Yep, that's her alright.]"
"What's she doing here?" Cliffjumper wondered aloud.
It wasn't long before the other students, including those among the Student Council, even the other two Knights of the Round, saw her as well.
"Princess Euphemia?" Nina voiced in surprise.
"Whoa, it is her!" Gino stated, just as surprised as well.
"What is Princess Euphemia doing here?" Anya wondered.
Euphemia stood up as she tried to direct everyone's attention away from her half-siblings, "Lelouch, take Nunnally away!"
"Sorry to leave you alone at a time like this!" Lelouch said as he took Nunnally and made a break for it with Shirley, Kallen, and Rai.
Even the news crew was already getting excited as they and the students all tried to run up toward her to either get a photo, an autograph, or just a chance to look at her, and all the other typical things people would do if they saw a celebrity.
"Everyone, stop!" Suzaku tried to calm down the situation, "Don't run! Please don't panic!"
However, this caused him to lose his grip over the Ganymede's controls, accidentally sending the pizza dough over the brick wall and right on top of Knock Out's vehicle mode .
C.C. gasped inside Cliffjumper's vehicle mode as she saw where the pizza would land, as did the Autobots.
"ARGH!" Knock Out exclaimed as he tried to transform, but this only tore apart the dough and spread it over his paint job even more, causing him to trip and fall back almost onto Breakdown had he not backed up in time. Fortunately, with everyone still focused on Euphie, nobody noticed Knock Out as he saw the dough splattered all over his body.
His eyes twitched, "THOSE. LITTLE...MEAT BAGS!"
He was about to come right in and slice some people up, but Breakdown had transformed and began to pull his partner away.
"We're not here to make a scene, remember!?" Breakdown reminded him as he pulled Knock Out behind an alleyway of a building across the school, and nobody would notice them.
However, even though all the people didn't notice the Decepticon duo, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Arcee did notice them. Though they were glad the Cons didn't cause a commotion, which would have forced them to blow their cover and intervene, it didn't stop the three of them from snickering, or bleeping in Bumblebee's case, as they saw what had befallen Knock Out.
But, a certain immortal girl inside looked in sorrow, "Pizza…"
"Guess we should have left this to the pros, what do you think?" Lloyd said to Milly casually, though they didn't seem to notice the Decepticons either.
"I'm afraid I'm just gonna have to give up on this one…" Milly lamented, knowing just how much money was now officially wasted, "And some other things."
The crowd's excitement was cut off by the sound of gunshots as Cecile and her Camelot agents protectively surrounded Euphemia.
"Everyone, stop this at once!" Cecile exclaimed, "Do you realize who this is?! This is the Sub-Viceroy, the third imperial princess!"
Euphemia's guard had also just arrived on the scene, "Thanks for your help, we'll take over from here. Stand back!"
However, the news crews, and the students all tried to get closer anyway, causing the guards and soldiers to crowd around Euphie closer.
"H.I.T.V.! A comment! Just one word, please?" a reporter asked.
"Princess Euphemia! It's me! Nina! I'll get you out of here!" she tried to get in as well, but it was almost impossible.
"Hey, Euphie!" Gino tried to squeeze in with Monica and Anya, but they couldn't get in either.
"The space is too tight," Anya said casually, despite being squeezed in herself.
Euphie and Cecile were both squeezed together between the soldiers and guards like a pair of sardines.
"This is getting tight!" Cecile groaned.
"Please excuse me! No don't!" Euphie exclaimed.
However, there was one individual who didn't follow everyone else. This was Diethard Ried as he stepped out of the news van that had been parked in Ashford the entire time.
"Hmm, I suppose this is to be expected from a wildcard princess like her," Diethard commented as Sayoko walked toward him, "I'd like you to stay undercover here in the settlement. I'll introduce you to Zero and the Autobots later on."
"I understand," Sayoko said, even though she was already close to Zero himself, enough so that he asked her to keep an eye on Diethard to make sure he didn't try anything funny.
All the students gasped in surprise as they saw the Ganymede roll toward them, causing them to move away as Suzaku gently used the old Knightmare to pick up Euphemia in its hand.
"Princess Euphemia, you're not hurt, are you?" Suzaku asked urgently.
"I'm fine. Thank you, Suzaku," Euphie assured
"Yo! Nice save, Suzaku!" Gino gave him a thumbs up as Monica looked rather impressed and Anya just remained stoic as usual.
Meanwhile, Lelouch and the others had discreetly and quickly made it to the Autobots trio, still in their vehicle modes, in the parking lot. Shirley and Rai hid in Cliffjumper with C.C., while Lelouch and Kallen got Nunnally inside Bumblebee before they went in as well.
"That was close," Kallen commented.
"That's two close calls in one day," Arcee said, speaking through the comms so the people outside couldn't hear them, "More than I would like."
"Well, at least Euphemia's safe too," Lelouch sighed in relief, "Oh, and introductions. Nunally, meet Arcee and Cliffjumper. Arcee, Cliffjumper, meet my little sister, Nunnally."
"Sup, nice to meet ya kid," Cliffjumper greeted causally.
Even though Nunnally couldn't see either of them, she was nonetheless happy to meet more of Lelouch's friends, "Hello Cliffjumper, Arcee, it's a pleasure to meet you two."
This caused Lelouch to smile, glad his sister was meeting more of the Bots.
"Lelouch, guess what? Euphie said that she and Suzaku are becoming very close now."
This was a surprise for everyone, for Lelouch and Kallen, for Shirley and Rai, who heard through the comms, even Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Bumblebee were slightly surprised.
"They make a nice couple, almost as much as you and Kallen."
That caused both Lelouch and Kallen's faces to turn red.
"What… what are you talking about?!" Kallen stuttered.
Nunnally smirked, "It's okay, you don't have to hide anything from me. It's easy to see you two like each other."
Bumblebee's radio played some romantic music if only to tease them. Kallen tried to kick the radio.
"Shut it!" she told the Autobot scout with a face as red as Kallen's Cliffjumper as Lelouch tried to hide his embarrassed look.
Shirley also happened to hear what Nunnally said from inside Cliffjumper's vehicle mode through the comms as well, and there was something in her that caused her heart to feel a bit tense.
Meanwhile, Knock Out tried to shake all the pizza dough off his paint job while still in the alleyway.
"Why do humans have to make this stuff so damn sticky! It'll take hours to get all this off!"
Breakdown rolled his only eye before he spotted the Ganymede and the person it was holding, "Hey, Knock Out, look who's here."
The narcissist looked in the direction Breakdown was pointing to and saw Euphemia, "What is that little pink-haired brat doing here?"
From her vantage point on the Ganymede's hand, Euphie could see that Lelouch, Nunnally, and their friends had made it to safety inside the Autobot trio's vehicle modes, 'Thank heavens, they're alright.'
"Princess Euphemia! Down here! Can I get a statement, please!?" one reporter called to her.
Seeing all these reporters gathered together, gave Euphemia an idea, "Could you please network this broadcast nationwide?"
That took everyone by surprise.
"Huh? Do you mean go live? Now?"
"Euphie…?" Suzaku wasn't sure what she was trying to do.
"I have a very important announcement!"
The Nemesis
On the bridge, Soundwave displayed the Britannian capital city of Pendragon for Megatron, Schneizel, and Starscream to observe.
"Hmm, I must admit. For a squabbling empire, their capital is rather secure," Starscream observed.
"Of course, it is," Schneizel added, "It's supposed to be the most secure place in the world. Even if the Knights of the Round aren't present, its defenses are airtight. Not to mention all the reinforcements Britannia can summon at their beck and call should it be attacked."
"Charles has built a strong fortress," Megatron acknowledged, "Even with our superior firepower, Britannia is too well spread. Simply attacking would only provoke retaliation that our enemies could take advantage of. We need something that can give us an edge… a tactical advantage if you will."
" Lord Megatron, you may want to tune into the news," Knock Out contacted him, "I'm sure there's something you'd be interested to see."
"Your Highness, it's Princess Euphemia!" Guilford got Cornelia's attention, as well as Darlton, Nonette, Dreadwing, and even Bismarck, Bradley, and Dorothea.
"What's she doing now ?" Cornelia asked, sounding more annoyed and exhausted than anything else.
The Ark
"… And we go to our special live coverage."
The news report was on the Ark's main screen, showing Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Fixit, as well as Rakshata, Tohdoh, Katase, and Kaguya the announcement about to be made.
" I am Euphemia, Sub-Viceroy of Area 11 of the Holy Britannian Empire. There is something of great consequence that I wish to tell you all today!"
"What do you think it is?" Bulkhead asked.
"Guess we're about to find out," Wheeljack answered as Optimus especially paid close attention.
Ashford Academy
"I, Euphemia Li Britannia, declare an immediate ceasefire between the Britannian military and the rebel force of the Black Knights and the Autobots!"
That earned her multiple gasps from her audience.
"What…?!" Lelouch gasped.
"[A ceasefire?!]" Bumblebee seemed just as surprised, as well as Kallen, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Rai, Shirley, and even Nunnally.
Euphemia continued to announce, "The entire planet, not just Britannia, is facing a grave threat that could lead to the potential destruction of the entire world! We cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves any longer! And to show my support for the cause of freedom that Optimus Prime and Zero both fight for, I hereby declare the formation of the Special Administrative Zone of Japan in the area of Mount Fuji!"
If they weren't surprised before, they were now.
"Wait… a special zone…?" Kallen questioned in shock.
"Is she serious?!" Arcee also questioned.
Suzaku looked in genuine surprise, with a feeling of hope in his eyes, "They're recognizing… Japan…?"
Diethard slammed his fist on the desk inside his news van, "Damn it! Doesn't that stupid girl know what everyone else is gonna do?! There's no way Britannia or the Decepticons will let that happen!"
"Within the Special Administrative Zone of Japan, Elevens will be permitted to call themselves Japanese! Restrictions against Elevens and special rights for Britannians will no longer exist within this zone! It will be a place where Britannians and Japanese live side by side as equals!"
Her audience had several mixed reactions. Several Japanese individuals as well as other students looked in surprise in amazement. Nina looked terrified and even repulsed at such a thought. Anya's stoic eyes contained a hint of surprise. Even Gino and Monica were both stunned by this as well.
"She's really serious about this, isn't she…?" Cliffjumper said.
"Euphie… no…!" Lelouch stuttered, his body shaking and eyes radiant with worry, something that caused Kallen, Bumblebee, and Nunnally to look at him with concern, "Our father… Megatron… they won't let this happen…!"
"Do you hear me?! Zero?! Optimus Prime?!" Euphemia continued to announce, "You told me of the threat we all face! I know now who the real enemy is! Please, join me in not only protecting this world but ensuring that it has a peaceful future! Not under Britannian subjugation, but a place where freedom is the right of all sentient beings!"
"WHAT IS SHE DOING!?" Cornelia practically exclaimed as she and everyone else saw the broadcast.
"Euphie…!" Nonette was gravely concerned for the girl as well, as were both Guilford and Darlton.
"Oh my… looks like someone's stepping out of line," Luciano smirked sadistically while Dorothea glared at the image of Euphemia and Bismarck remained stoic.
Dreadwing seemed the most visibly concerned, 'Euphemia… you… the consequences that could result from this…"
"LONG LIVE PRINCESS EUPHEMIA!" Nearly at Ashford, including all the Japanese citizens, cheered at Euphemia's declaration, save for a few skeptical students.
Gino looked a bit confused and turned to Monica and Anya, "Hey, is this a good thing or a bad thing?"
"It depends on what you view as good or bad," Anya replied robotically.
"One thing's for certain," Monica said with concern, "Not everyone is gonna be happy with this."
"Well, this is a good thing, right?" Shirley tried to say as she and her friends continued to hide with the Autobot trio, "I mean, if we have a truce with Britannia, we can focus on stopping the Decepticons."
"Shirley, think about it for a second," Arcee told her, "That dirtbag Charles Zi Britannia kicked out Lelouch and Nunnally just because their mom died. How do you think he's gonna handle one of his children directly challenging his policies and authority?"
"Yeah… he's not gonna be happy about that," Cliffjumper said, "And neither is Megatron."
"Ohhhhh," Shirley realized what they were trying to say as she looked at Rai and C.C., both seemed just as concerned as she was.
None, however, were more scared than Lelouch.
'Euphie! Our father… Megatron… what they… please… no… I don't want to lose you! Not again!'
He felt a soft touch on his hand and looked to see Nunnally, who was trying to console him, despite her being nervous for their sister's safety as well. He instinctively glanced toward Kallen who had a concerned look on her face. He could even feel Bumblebee was more than a little as well.
The Ark
"Has she lost her mind?!" Katase exclaimed.
"What in the world is that girl thinking?!" Ratchet also exclaimed.
"She's thinking about trying to help us!" Bulkhead stated, "I mean, this could really help us, maybe even get us some support and make our job easier!"
"It could also put a target on her back for Charles and Megatron, as well as everyone who supports her!" Ironhide stated, "We might even look at a Britannian civil war that could result from this, which is what we've been trying to avoid!"
"Well, you all heard what the kid's family is like," Wheeljack said, "Of course, they're gonna fight each other. Kinda saw this coming."
"Either way you slice it, our situation just got a lot more dicey," Rakshata said, being perfectly calm while Fixit seemed more than a little concerned as he tried to calculate all the positive and negative outcomes of this scenario.
Tohdoh and Kaguya looked at each other with concern, but none of them seemed more concerned than Optimus Prime as he looked toward Euphemia with worry, knowing what kind of trouble could result from this.
The Nemesis
"Well, she's as dramatic as ever I see," Schneizel said calmly. Though he did tell Euphie he approved of her plan, he knew deep down it was just a pipe's dream.
Suddenly, Starscream slammed his hand onto the console in anger, "That WRETCHED… WORTHLESS … INSUFFERABLE…I swear… that girl will suffer for such insolence!"
However, both Starscream and Schneizel, as well as Soundwave, looked back towards Megatron as they heard a chuckle from the Decepticon leader, which turned into a full-blown laugh.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha. Ha! Ha! HA! HA! HA! HA! The Special Administrative Zone of Japan, hmm?" Megatron mused with an evil sneer, "Just the tactical advantage I need."
Chapter 32: Facade of Blood
Chapter Text
It was rather late in the evening as Lelouch and Sayoko packed the last of the suitcases into the trunk of Bumblebee's vehicle mode, Nunnally was also present, along with Milly as the trunk was closed.
"So, this is it. You're leaving," Milly said to them.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Lelouch confirmed, "Thanks for everything, Milly. But your family can't protect us, not against what we're facing."
"I understand," Milly nodded.
After the School Festival had ended, Lelouch gave Milly a brief explanation of the conflict he, the Black Knights, and the Autobots were waging against the Decepticons.
Nunnally reached out to grab Milly's hand as the younger girl had a sad smile on her face, "Thank you for everything, Milly. I'll miss you."
The council president had a sad smile of her own as she kneeled to Nunnally's level.
"I'll miss you, too," the two shared a hug, "Make sure you keep your brother out of trouble."
"I will," Nunnally giggled before they pulled apart.
Sayoko then walked toward the blonde.
"Lady Ashford, it has been a pleasure," she bowed humbly to the schoolgirl.
"Take care of yourself, Sayoko," Milly smiled before she turned to address Lelouch.
"Milly, I know I already said it but…" Lelouch had a difficult time getting this out, "Thank you… for everything you've done for us… you're a good friend."
"You, too," Milly smiled before she and Lelouch shared an embrace of their own, "Please tell Rai I'm gonna miss him."
"I will," Lelouch said before they parted.
Bumblebee's backdoors opened as his backseats folded in to allow Nunnally and her wheelchair to enter the vehicle mode, with some help from Sayoko before she set into the passenger seat, followed by Lelouch in the driver's seat.
"Hey," Milly tapped the hood to speak to Bumblebee directly, "You watch out for those two, alright? Or you're gonna have to answer to me."
Bumblebee gave a honk of acknowledgment, as she didn't have a translator so Milly wouldn't be able to understand him even if he did try to speak. He then drove off with his passengers as Milly watched them leave the Ashford Academy grounds.
The yellow Autobot had exited the Groundbridge portal as he and his passengers had entered the Groundbridge bay of the Ark where Optimus Prime and C.C. were waiting for them. The doors opened as Lelouch and Sayoko stepped out before they helped to wheel Nunnally out, allowing Bumblebee to transform.
Upon seeing Optimus for the first time, Sayoko looked up in absolute awe and wonder, something that caused C.C. to smirk.
"Close that mouth. You're drooling," the immortal teased.
Even though she couldn't see him, Nunnally felt that she was in the presence of someone else, someone who just made her feel a sensation of hope, comfort, and awe that she had never really known before. She had a good idea who it was but allowed her brother to make the introductions.
"Sorry it took so long Nunnally but let me finally introduce you to a good friend of mine… Optimus Prime," Lelouch introduced. Though he had a calm exterior, inwardly he was beyond excited at these two finally meeting.
"Hello, Optimus," Nunnally smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Big brother has told me a lot about you."
Optimus smiled back as he kneeled closer to the young girl, "Likewise, I am pleased to meet you as well Nunnally. Welcome to the Ark. I promise you'll be safe here amongst friends."
It was almost impossible for Lelouch to contain his joy as he could already tell how much these two were gonna hit it off, but above all else, he felt a great deal of relief to know that Nunnally was finally safe. Within the Ark, she was surrounded by people and Bots that would protect her, and she was far out of reach from their father and Megatron.
"Hey, I'm sorry to break up this otherwise touching moment, but the others are expecting you," C.C. spoke to Optimus and Lelouch directly, both having a good idea what it was about.
"Alright. Can you and Sayoko help Nunnally get settled?" Lelouch asked the immortal.
"Of course," the Code Bearer nodded.
"Lelouch?" Nunnally asked as she could almost feel her brother's anxiousness, while also having a good idea what they were talking about.
"Don't worry Nunnally. We'll make sure everything is taken care of," the ex-prince assured his sister before Sayoko took her wheelchair and followed C.C. to the quarters that they had already prepared for the young girl. Not long after they left, Lelouch and Bumblebee followed Optimus to the bridge.
After getting changed into his Zero uniform, minus the mask, Lelouch arrived on the bridge of the Ark as he sat in the living area alongside Kallen, Ohgi, Tohdoh, Katase, Rakshata, Rai, Shirley, Kaguya, Diethard, Tamaki, and even Kirihara, with Fixit present as well. Standing around them were the Autobots consisting of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Ironhide, and Wheeljack.
"So, the Special Administrative Zone of Japan," Cliffjumper spoke first, "I did not see that coming."
"Did you know about this, Zero?" Katase asked their young leader.
"No, I had no idea about any of this," Lelouch replied, "How bad is the damage?"
"Nothing yet, considering it was announced only a few hours ago," Ratchet replied, "But we've seen that Euphemia is dead serious about it. They're already getting it set up."
"Already, the SAZ has a great deal of support, unsurprising from the Japanese population," Ironhide put in, "Most are from those living in the ghettos, and we have some Honorary Britannians there as well."
"For all practical purposes, Euphemia's declaration has been well-received," Fixit said.
"Any from our ranks?" Lelouch asked.
"Nobody's officially joined yet, but we've heard a lot of Black Knights talking about joining the Zone," Bulkhead answered.
"It makes sense," Diethard commented, "Unlike with us, there's no risk involved in signing up for the Special Zone."
"Besides, when you compare the pedigree princess with the mysterious man behind the mask and the giant alien robots, it's obvious which one exudes more appeal," Rakshata added.
"What does Kyoto have to say regarding this?" Optimus asked Kirihara and Kaguya specifically.
"They're almost completely against it," Kirihara replied, "They view this as a pity gift, and for the sake of their pride, they won't accept."
"But before they make any decisions, they wanted to get information from you two, given there is one particular wildcard up in the air," Kaguya said to Optimus and Lelouch.
"You mean the Decepticons," the Autobot commander inferred.
"There's no way those bastards are gonna support something like that," Tamaki commented.
"And based on Euphemia's declaration, it would seem that she's trying to turn Britannia against them," Tohdoh said.
"Do you think it would work?" Arcee asked.
"I can think of a few people in Britannia, including some among the royal family, who might support it," Lelouch replied, "But there's an even greater number who won't, or just wait in hiding until the Decepticons are dealt with before they try to take over themselves. That's of course if it even gets that far."
"You think the Decepticons or Britannia are gonna try something?" Kallen asked.
"With so many people all gathered in one place, not to mention many of them are probably Black Knights, they'll see it as a way to get us all together and try get rid of us," Cliffjumper assumed.
"Even if it means getting rid of Princess Euphemia?" Shirley asked.
"My father didn't have any qualms about what would have happened to me and Nunnally. I sincerely doubt he'll show mercy to Euphie, considering her actions are directly in contradiction to his policies. And that's not even considering what Megatron might do with this."
"I guess we better hope that Buckethead doesn't just straight up level the whole place to set an example," Wheeljack commented.
"That does seem rather reckless of him," Ratchet said.
"Oh, and destroying a whole planet doesn't count as reckless?" Rai questioned.
"I agree," Tohdoh spoke, "You said Megatron had no regrets about destroying Cybertron."
"Megatron may be evil, but there's always a reason behind his actions, albeit twisted," Optimus said.
"He's right," Ironhide agreed, "When Megatron messed with the core, he wasn't trying to destroy Cybertron. He felt he could control it. But, like you've said, when the damage was done, he didn't regret a thing."
"But that doesn't mean he won't try something with the SAZ," Cliffjumper said. "I mean, it seems like a golden opportunity to do something pretty bad, for whatever twisted reason he'll come up with."
"So, you guys are saying anything can happen?" Ohgi asked.
"Yes," Optimus confirmed.
"Um… there's also one other thing you should all know," Shirley got everyone's attention, "Before we left school, I heard from Gino that the other Knights of the Round have arrived in Japan."
That got everyone's attention.
"Are you sure about this?" Tohdoh questioned seriously.
"Yeah, Monica and Anya even talked about it too," Shirley nodded.
"So, who exactly are we talking about?" Bulkhead asked.
Fixit pulled out a small Mini-Con console as he began to access its data.
"Excluding the Knights who had previously arrived in Japan, those remaining consist of Luciano Bradley, the Knight of Ten, pilot of the RZA-10JS Percival, otherwise known as the Vampire of Britannia…"
"Guessing you don't get called that for being nice," Arcee commented.
"…Dorothea Ernst, the Knight of Four, and pilot of the RZA-4EE Palamedes, and Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One, and pilot of the RZA-1A Galahad. According to these files, most of their Knightmares are built from data gathered by the Lancelot, while the Galahad was constructed based on the Gawain's design."
"In other words, all seven Knights of the Round, the best pilots in the entire Britannian Empire, with state-of-the-art Knightmares, are here in Japan," Katase said gravely as most of the group felt a great deal of pressure, all except Diethard as he tried his best to contain his excitement.
' The Knights of the Round are rarely together… and for all of them to be called here?! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it,' the fanatic reporter thought.
"So, what is our plan?" Ratchet asked.
"Before I came here, I got into contact with Euphemia," Lelouch began, "I'm going to meet with her tomorrow night and we're going to discuss this. Though it looks like the SAZ is happening, our priority, as it always has been, is to protect the people."
"Agreed," Optimus also said, "I am hoping. We are all hoping, that nothing bad will result from this. However, we must also be prepared for that to be the case. So, should Britannia or the Decepticons attack, we must protect the innocent."
At the same time, in the Tokyo Settlement, a similar meeting was being held by many nobles of Britannia as they discussed what to do with Euphemia.
"About this Special Administrative Zone of Japan, there are some unpleasant rumors about Princess Euphemia."
"It must be due to the Kamine Island matter. You think she contacted Zero and those Autobots there?"
"I suspect there's a connection that goes all the way to the top."
"No connection. The Viceroy wasn't the only one asking what was going on."
"But in any case, our connections with them need to be…"
"Right, we'll have to sever ties with them at once."
Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Darlton as well as Bartley.
"I'm afraid it's too late."
They all turned around in shock to see the two military officers.
"All of the evidence has already been gathered, Vice Minister. Namely, that NAC profit-sharing bribe."
"I appreciate this, General Darlton," Bartley said, "With this… with this, we can finally sweep away the parasites that are sucking Prince Clovis dry. Hmmph, there are more rats than expected, and all of them are confused by Princess Euphemia's Special Zone, aren't they?"
The next day was more than a success for Princess Euphemia. The stadium had been set up in record time, and countless people had all applied for it.
She was honestly never more excited to do paperwork, especially if this meant finally mending peace with the Autobots and Black Knights. The paperwork took most of the day and into the night as Euphemia also had to make some in-person adjustments at the stadium in Mount Fuji. Once it was done, she was escorted home not just by Suzaku, but also Dreadwing as the two rode in his jet mode.
"Over two hundred thousand people have already applied to join the Japan Special Zone," Suzaku said, "And that's just from today. The way things look, that number is only going to grow."
"Thanks to you, Suzaku," Euphemia smiled at him, "Because of what you represent to the Japanese people, everyone is rallying. They believe in what we're creating together."
"No, you're giving me too much credit…" Suzaku tried to be modest.
"You are receiving the appropriate amount of credit, Suzaku." Dreadwing spoke to him, "Those people who follow you, follow you based on your actions. You have shown that no matter what your origins, you can rise in the world despite the obstacles they face."
Suzaku tried to hide a smile, "Dreadwing… I…"
The Seeker became serious as he spoke, "However…Euphemia, while I am proud that you have taken such an initiative, you must also be weary that some do not approve of your actions, and many of them hail from Britannia."
Euphemia's smile faded, "Trust me, I know. I'm not foolish to think that everyone is going to support this, but I can think of many people who will. Among them are likely Optimus and Zero."
"Are you sure about that?" Suzaku sounded skeptical, "After everything that's happened…"
"Optimus Prime would not do anything that would put those people in danger," Dreadwing spoke immediately, "He may have been your enemy once Suzaku. But I know him, and he will never try anything underhanded."
"He's right, Suzaku," the princess agreed, "I may have met him only once, but I can tell that Optimus Prime is a kind and noble being. And Zero, while he may have done… some things… he's not a bad person. Maybe you could consider the reason why he was fighting, before jumping to conclusions. And besides, you've seen him and how he acts to protect people, he's even saved my life, and yours, more than once."
Suzaku said nothing but couldn't help but agree. Whenever he felt he had Zero pegged as a terrorist, or Optimus as an enemy, they went ahead and proved him wrong as they have shown to obviously protect their forces and have even gone out of their way to avoid putting civilians in danger, even Britannians. Knowing that, he couldn't help but think about what Kallen told him on Kamine Island… maybe he did indeed misjudge them.
Dreadwing soon began to slowly descend toward the ground as he made his way toward Euphemia's private estate, where her bodyguards were waiting for her. Once he landed, the cockpit opened up as Suzaku helped Euphemia out before Dreadwing transformed into his normal Cybertronian form.
The two bodyguards were immediately on guard once they saw him.
"It's okay. He's with me," Euphemia told them, prompting her guards to stand down. She then turned to face Suzaku and Dreadwing, "Thank you both for everything and all your support. I'll be counting on it in the future."
"Yes, your High…" Suzaku was about to salute her.
"Not like that," Euphemia stopped him.
Her knight dropped the formalities before he smiled at her, "Yes."
"And of course, you have my support as well… Euphie," Dreadwing told her with a smile of his own.
Euphemia smiled at both of them before she quickly went up to Suzaku and kissed him on the cheek, much to his surprise. She gave one final smile before walking into her estate, with her bodyguards next to her.
Suzaku felt the cheek where she had just kissed him before looking toward his hand with a smile. He then glanced up to Dreadwing who had something of a smirk on his face.
"What are you looking at?" Suzaku asked in an almost playful tone.
"Nothing," Dreadwing replied in a similar tone before he transformed back into his vehicle mode, prompting Suzaku to step inside before they flew off.
Once inside, Euphemia was already in her private room, with her bodyguards in the hallway outside, she looked at her watch and saw that it was 11 pm exactly, the time that Lelouch said he'd meet her. Though she was uncertain how he'd get there without her guards noticing.
However, she did not expect a small Groundbridge portal to open up right in front of her, and Lelouch stepped out, clad in his Zero attire, but he didn't wear his mask. The portal closed behind him as he stepped into the room.
"Well, you certainly do know how to make an entrance, Lelouch," Euphemia smiled.
"Euphie, why didn't you tell me about the Special Zone sooner?" Lelouch got right to the point.
Her smile faded as she answered her brother, "I intended to, I was going to tell you and Nunnally when I was at Ashford, but… you know what happened once everyone else saw me. And with the press there… I just figured it was the best time to announce it."
Lelouch sighed as he pressed his fingers against his face, "I really, really, wish you would have told us about this in the first place."
"And I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble. Nunnally, is she…"
"She's in the Ark as we speak. She's safe and out of reach from the Decepticons and Britannian forces."
This caused Euphie to sigh in relief.
"But still, have you even considered the consequences of what would happen from this?!" Lelouch continued, "I know you're trying to help us and Optimus and I both appreciate that, but you have to think about the results! Do you think our father would go along with something like this?! And that's not even considering what Megatron could do! Optimus told you, told us , what he did to Cybertron!"
"I know that! I'm not stupid, Lelouch!"
"I never said you were…"
"I know what Megatron is capable of, and I know how horrible our father is. You don't have to remind me about that. That's why I invited you, Optimus, and the rest of the Autobots to the Zone. I plan to reveal the Decepticons there. I'll announce their presence, their crimes, and their intent. I already told Schneizel about them and he even supported my plan. Once the world knows what the Decepticons are, and the kind of threat they represent, I'm sure we can find a way to unite everyone and push them back. Isn't that what you and Optimus have been trying to do?"
"And what happens if they, or someone from Britannia, try something there? All seven Knights of the Round are here, and there's no way they're not going to be present here. They answer to our father directly and he could easily order them to lay waste to the entire Zone, even with you there."
"Not all of them. I know Nonette. She's a good person, and you even told me about her being Rai's knight. I'm sure she'll side with us. And, I know that the other Knights answer to our father, which is another reason I want you and the Autobots there. If our father or Megatron tries something, I know you and Optimus will do everything you can to protect those people. Even Suzaku and Dreadwing will be there to help."
Lelouch looked to his half-sister in surprise, clearly not expecting such a well-thought-out argument from her.
"Look Lelouch, I know I can be naïve sometimes, and maybe I might not think everything through…But trust me, I thought this through. I know who we're up against, and I want to do everything in my power. This is what I can do, and I've done everything I can to make sure it's safe."
Though he could tell that she did think this through, there were still some potential consequences that could result, "Euphie, if and when something goes wrong, we might not be able to protect everyone. I ended up learning the hard way that we can't save everybody no matter how much we try."
Euphie's smile faded, as she then realized just what her brother went through. He must have gone through quite a bit of pain since starting this rebellion. Which only further strengthened her resolve to help him.
"We'll be there," Lelouch told her, "Optimus and I already spoke to the other Autobots and Black Knights, and our priority is to protect the people, and that's exactly what we're going to do."
Euphemia smiled, "I know you will."
"I have to go."
Lelouch said as he looked at his watch before accessing his communications, "Fixit, I'm done here. I need a Groundbridge."
A portal then opened up behind Lelouch and he was about to step in, but Euphemia quickly ran to give him a hug, which he was eager to return.
"Be careful Euphie," he told his sister, "I love you."
"I love you, too," she replied before they parted ways and he walked into the Groundbridge portal, which closed a second later.
Euphemia walked out into the hallway, once her business was concluded.
"I'm sorry about that I just need…"
However, she was surprised to find her bodyguards weren't there. She looked across the hall to see the door on the other end was slightly open.
Curiosity taking control, Euphie walked across the hall and slowly opened the door.
"Hello…?"
However, once the door was opened, she gave an audible gasp.
Her guards, or what's left of them, were butchered, blood stained across the floor.
She was about to scream when suddenly, she was pinned to the wall by a web-like substance. The webbing covered most of her body, up to her mouth to prevent her from screaming.
She looked across from her to not only a large gaping hole in the wall leading outside but also the smirking Airachnid before she shot some more web to completely cover the rest of her face.
The Next Day
" The Special Administrative Zone of Japan is the first attempt of its kind in Britannia and was personally proposed by Her Highness, Princess Euphemia, who has also personally invited Zero and the Autobots to join her. This youthful inspiration was an idea from her school years…."
Nina heard the radio broadcast as she was huddled up in Ashford's storage room with the Ganymede.
"If Princess Euphemia thinks it's a good idea… then even I have to…"
Ironhide's vehicle mode stood outside Ohgi's residence as he also listened to the same radio broadcast via his radio.
"The NAC, led by Kirihara Industries, gives its wholehearted support to the plan ."
Ironhide then turned the radio off.
' Yeah, only after Lelouch spoke to her and he told us what she had planned,' he thought to himself , 'But, I gotta give the girl credit. She invited us to protect the people if Megatron tried something. Still though … anything can happen.'
"Ironhide!"
He heard Ohgi call to him but was surprised to see the amnesic Villetta, now going by the name Chigusa, walking outside behind him.
"It's alright, she knows."
"What?" Ironhide questioned, in a tone indicating he didn't approve.
"I told her about you, and me and… even about her past…" Ohgi rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
The door to Ironhide's vehicle mode opened.
"Get in," he ordered.
Ohgi winced at his tone, expecting a verbal lashing from his Autobot friend and comrade as he got into the truck, followed by Chigusa before he drove into the streets and spoke to the pair.
"And what could have possessed you to tell her pretty much everything?" Ironhide questioned, getting right to it.
"Well, with what's going on with the SAZ, and how Megatron might try something… I got a little worried so…" Ohgi tried to explain it as best he could.
"You should have told me what you were going to do before you opened your big mouth," the weapons specialist scolded.
"Um…. Ironhide was it?" Chigusa spoke, "Please don't be too hard on Kaname…"
"So, you're on those kinds of terms, huh?" Ironhide questioned, noting how she used Ohgi's first name, causing Ohgi himself to look away with a small blush.
"But… he just wants to help, that's all," Chigusa said.
"So, how much do you know?" Ironhide asked.
"Well… he told me about you and the other Autobots fighting the Decepticons, and about your home…" the amnesiac said, "He even told me about… my past."
"And you don't remember any of that?" Ironhide questioned.
"No, I don't," Chigusa answered truthfully.
While the veteran Autobot wasn't a living lie detector like Soundwave, he could still read people and could tell that she was speaking the truth.
"I… wasn't the best person… was I?"
"No, you weren't," Ironhide put it bluntly.
"But I want to be better," Chigusa said, her face becoming a bit more resolved, "I may not remember but… I know I've done a lot of bad things. Whoever I was, I don't want to be that person again. I was an enemy to you, but you let Kaname look after me…"
She then turned to Ohgi, "You took me into your home, an enemy, and you cared for me ever since. I… I want to repay that. I want to be someone who helps people, not hurt them. So, please… even if it's something small… I want to contribute. I… I want to join the Black Knights."
Ohgi looked in honest surprise, and Ironhide almost pulled over in shock over hearing that.
"You… you want to join us…?" Ohgi stuttered.
"Yes. I might not be a soldier… anymore…. But I still want to help. Please," she bowed her head.
Ohgi wasn't sure how to answer at first, "Well, Ironhide, what do you think?"
The Autobot veteran sighed, "You'll have to take it up with Optimus. If she does end up joining us though, you are responsible for whatever happens. Even she relapses, and tries something… you know what you have to do, right?"
It wasn't as if Ohgi was not expecting that, he did understand the risk. But he wasn't sure if he could do it. However, his thoughts were interrupted as Chigusa grabbed his hand.
"Kaname, it's okay," she told him, "I don't want to be that person anymore… but if I do… become her again… go ahead and do what you have to do. Protect your friends, even from me."
Though he was still hesitant, hearing her voice her resolve earlier as well as her admitting that she was fine with what they would have to do if she ended up relapsing, gave him a resolve of his own.
"Alright. But I won't let you become that person again. Even if you do get your memories back, I'll do what I can to help you. You're a good person Chigusa."
She smiled at him, "Thank you… Kaname."
"Ahem," Ironhide coughed, "That's nice and all, but please try not to make a human baby, at least not inside me."
That caused both of their faces to turn red as they heard the veteran Autobot snicker.
"The Special Administrative Zone of Japan," Bismarck acknowledged as he and all seven Knights of the Round were gathered around a table inside the Settlement's royal palace, "Euphemia certainly seems serious about it."
"I'm completely against it!" Dorothea stated, "This goes against everything Britannia stands for! We should halt its progress and order it to be torn down!"
"Why though?" Gino asked, "Actually, seems like a good idea. At least this way we can stop all the fighting."
"Fighting will still occur," Anya said robotically, "Even with the proposed truce between the Autobots and Black Knights, there will likely be other parties that won't accept this."
"That's true, even among the royal family," Monica added, "We've even received requests from Guinevere and Carine that we force Euphemia to stop the construction of the zone immediately."
"I got a better idea," Luciano said with a smirk, "When it's all built up, and all the rats are present, we go in and wreck the whole place!"
"Absolutely not!" Nonette exclaimed, "We'd kill countless people by doing that!"
"They're Elevens. Some of them might even be supporters of our enemies," the Knight of Four stated, "If they end up killed, it's less trouble for us."
"And what about Princess Euphemia?" Gino asked, "She'll be there too. Are you saying we should kill her as well?"
"I agree. We cannot just attack the Special Zone without reason," Monica also said.
"Oh, have the Knights of Three and Twelve gotten soft?" Luciano mocked, "I expected as much from little Weinberg here, considering he had extra help getting that robe."
That earned a glare from Gino as the Vampire of Britannia continued.
"But you, pretty little Monica, are the leader of the Emperor's royal guard. You should remember your place."
"This coming from the man who joined the Knights just to kill people," Nonette glared at him.
"Justice is given equally," Monica said firmly, "If there are criminals in the zone, I will see to it they are punished. But I won't target innocent people, even if they aren't Britannian."
Dorothea scoffed, "Looks like being at that commoner school has made you soft. I've heard they've even voiced their support to Zero and those infernal Autobots!"
"Hey, they got freedom of speech," the Knight of Three said.
"Not to mention there was that incident where two of the Autobots protected the school from a terrorist attack," Anya added.
"Exactly!" Gino agreed.
"Oh, well if you love them so much, why don't you just join them?" Luciano mocked.
"That's enough!" Bismarck slammed his hand on the table to halt their arguing, "We will be attending the event, and we will have our Knightmares present as well. But we will not attack unless ordered to. That is final. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," all of them said, albeit some more reluctantly than others.
However, none of them appeared to notice Nonette deep in thought as she only had one thing on her mind, 'Euphie, Kaizaren, no matter what happens, I'll protect you both. I swear it.'
"Euphie is amazing, isn't she?" Schneizel asked as he spoke with Cornelia in her own private office, "Now all the terrorist groups in Area 11 will lose their popular support and fall apart. Public order will finally be stabilized."
"I oppose this," Cornelia stated firmly.
"But since you understand the situation, you've sent Darlton to advise her, have you not? Or, is this because of the fight you had with her recently and you can't bring yourself to face her now?"
Cornelia hid the shame in her eyes, "That has nothing to do with what's going on now. Her actions go directly against the policies of the Empire. But it's not just that…"
"You're concerned the Decepticons would try something? I wouldn't worry. I've made arrangements for the Knights of the Round to attend the ceremony, with their Knightmares. I sincerely doubt Megatron would be so bold to stage an open attack on live television with the Empire's best soldiers present."
"She also invited Zero and the Autobots to join her," Cornelia's eyes narrowed at the mention of her archnemeses.
"All the more reason why Megatron won't attack. He's smart enough to know he can't afford a mutual enemy with both Britannia and the Autobots."
"Your mom signed you two up for the Special Zone?" Rai asked in surprise as he, Kallen, and Shirley walked through the Settlement in their casual attire.
"Yeah, she did," Kallen confirmed, "Once she saw the announcement, she didn't waste any time."
"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Shirley asked.
"Provided the Decepticons and Britannia don't try to mess it up," Rai muttered angrily.
"It's not just that…" Kallen said, "It's because well… if something happens… I… might have to tell her what I've been doing."
That took them by surprise.
"Wait, she doesn't know about you?" Shirley asked.
"You mean that her daughter, her only remaining child, is risking her life fighting alongside alien robots against an empire that controls one-third of the world, and killed her son, while also fighting an army of evil alien robots led by a genocidal psychopath?!"
Shirley was caught off-guard by her friend's angry tone but did see the point she made, "Okay, that does make sense."
Kallen appeared to have calmed down but wasn't done, "If I just tell her, she might be so shocked she could go back to Refrain. She's been doing so well, I… I don't want her to back to that."
"Well, we can help," the Wrecker offered as he put a supportive hand on Kallen's shoulder, "And with Nunnally now living on the Ark, she can help too. I mean, she took everything Lelouch told her well. Plus, you even said how much your mom gushed over her."
"And, maybe if she gets to know Arcee and Cliffjumper, she might get along with them," the brunette offered as well, "I'm sure your mom will be just fine with the Autobots."
Though she was still nervous about it, this did help to ease it a bit as Kallen offered her friends a smile.
"Thanks, guys, I…"
"I don't care about your Special Zone!"
The three of them turned down the street to see a Britannian noble beating down a Japanese youth with flyers for the SAZ with a cane.
"I don't care about support! I'd sooner die than sign that! You think you're equal to us, now?! The lower class should simply obey their betters without any backtalk!"
"Wanna back that up, asshole!?"
The noble looked towards the angry Rai as he walked toward him.
"What did you say?!"
"You heard me, you arrogant piece of shit!" Rai exclaimed, "You think beating on someone smaller than you makes you strong!? Why not pick on someone your size?!"
A Britannian civilian tried to walk forward and halt his advance, "Hold it, schoolboy. Just back off."
Rai activated his Geass.
"Maybe you should just go home, sir."
The second Rai's words reached the man's ears, a red ring formed in both his eyes.
"Yeah okay, I will."
He then began to walk home, much to the nobleman's shock.
"What?! What did you say to him!? Come back at once!"
"What's wrong, Mr. Fancy Noble?" the former amnesiac stated as he stood in front of the recovering Japanese youth protectively, "Too afraid of solving your problems by yourself? I've met some pretty bad people before, but at least they can back up their talk! You're just all talk and no action, aren't you?"
The nobleman growled, "Why you…?!"
"What's wrong? You had no problem hitting this guy. Why not try to hit me with that fancy cane of yours? But the second you do, I'm gonna snap it in half and most of your bones! So, go ahead and try it, you worthless piece of…!"
Rai however stopped as he felt his Geass activate, which he was quick to turn off.
"Okay, okay, I think that's enough," Shirley said as she and Kallen got in between them to try and prevent something from starting. She then turned to the nobleman, "Maybe you should just go home, sir."
"What?! Who do you think…!?"
"Just go!" Kallen exclaimed, "If you don't, I might just call the cops!"
Deciding he had enough, the nobleman gave a scoff as he walked away. Once he was gone, Shirley went toward the Japanese youth and helped him up, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah… thanks."
Kallen then pulled the white-haired boy away from the scene and spoke to him, "Rai, what happened back there? You looked like you were ready to snap that guy's neck."
Rai appeared to have calmed down a bit, "I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me…"
"Are you okay?" she asked him with concern.
"I don't know…" Rai confessed honestly, "Just seeing that guy… reminded me of V.V. And just the thought of him makes me so mad…"
"I get it, and you got every right to be," Kallen told him, "But there's a time and place for that, and right now, isn't it."
"Yeah…" Rai shook his head, "Also… I… I think I felt my Geass turn on… even though I wasn't trying to."
Kallen had a serious expression on her face, "Maybe it's because of that Thought Elevator thing. Lelouch has the same thing with his Geass because of that."
"Rai…" Shirley walked up, after helping the Japanese youth along his way, "Maybe you should talk with Ratchet and C.C. about your Geass. Like Lelouch, I don't think anyone would want that power going out of control."
"You're right. I can't go through that… not again…"
He felt his hand across his face as Kallen and Shirley looked toward him with sympathy as they knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Let's get back to the Ark."
Later that Evening
Darlton and Kirihara were both at Mt. Fuji, looking over the Settlement as the Britannian general spoke to one of the heads of Kyoto.
"The NAC, or rather Kyoto as it's known among the terrorists… tomorrow, after the ceremony, why don't you dissolve your group and leave Mt. Fuji? We can talk about a legal agreement if you hand over the mining operation to us peacefully."
"You sound pretty confident, but you haven't won anything yet," Kirihara commented.
Darlton smirked, "Whether Zero comes tomorrow or not doesn't matter. With this, that man's downfall is assured."
"Are you sure it's Zero you need to be concerned with? Princess Euphemia's actions go directly against the policies placed by your Emperor. How can you be certain he won't retaliate? After all, he had no issues with killing Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally."
Darlton's smirk faded, "The Emperor did no such thing! It was your people…"
"Oh, drop the act, General Darlton. You know it's true. Those two were exiled to Japan simply because their mother was murdered, and the boy demanded justice for it. We treated them with respect and tried to make their stay as comfortable as possible. It only became impossible, once your Empire invaded. Your precious Emperor declared open war on our country, knowing his children would likely die in the process. That being said, how can you be so certain he won't try something similar with Princess Euphemia? If and when he does, what will you do? Will you prove yourself a loyal soldier to Britannia and execute her yourself? Or will you try to protect her and be labeled as a traitor?"
Darlton glared at the old man as Kirihara knew he hit the nail right on the coffin.
"And it's not just your Emperor. There might be others not affiliated with your side or ours that have plans of your own. So, I'd watch your back if I were you ."
Euphemia's eyes slowly began to flicker open. She felt something keeping her completely restrained. She tried to groan or even speak, but something prevented her from speaking. When her eyes fully opened, she looked around to find herself in a massive underground cavern with barely any light.
She tried to move but was unable to and looked down in shock to see she was not only completely suspended high in the air but was almost completely cocooned in a web-like substance that covered her from her feet up to her neck. The same webbing also covered her mouth to prevent her from speaking. She attempted to struggle in her restraints but couldn't even cause the web to budge an inch.
"Awake, are we?"
She looked in shock to see a familiar-looking female Decepticon slowly walk toward her, on the ceiling via her spider legs.
"Glad to see the sedative finally wore off. I'd hate for you to miss even a second of what we have planned."
Euphemia tried to speak as she saw the spider-Con slowly descend toward the ground in front of her.
"Oh, that's right, we haven't been properly introduced, have we? My name is Airachnid, and as you can probably guess, I am a Decepticon." Airachnid gestured to the familiar-looking emblem on her chest, "Oh, don't worry, nothing is going to happen to you… yet. Megatron has exaltedly ordered that you be kept alive, at least until our work is done."
Euphie's eyes widened in terror. This was Megatron's doing?! How?! Why?! What was he planning?!
Airachnid loomed closer to Euphie and brought her fingers closer to Euphie, which only terrified her even more.
"You know, you really should appreciate what we're about to do. It's no secret how much you've despised Britannia. I am more than a little annoyed with it also. But don't worry, because I promise, within twenty-four hours or so, all that 'progress' dear-old-daddy preached about… is going to calm to a grinding halt."
The Nemesis
Megatron stood on the bridge of his warship as Starscream, Soundwave, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Knock Out, Breakdown, and even Hardshell were all present and making their reports to Megatron, along with Shockwave and Schneizel as their faces were brought up on the bridge's main screen.
"Lord Megatron, it pleases me to inform you that our ranks have just increased even further," Starscream informed, "My Seeker armada has arrived at our vessel and awaits our command."
"And as you requested, the Insecticon Hive has been divided to your specifications," Hardshell has also informed.
"Half of the Hive is on board the Nemesis," Thundercracker said, "While the other half is with Airachnid and our royal guest on Kamine Island on standby."
"Excellent," Megatron replied, "Shockwave, how is progress with 'Orange'?"
" Everything is prepared , Lord Megatron," t he Decepticon scientist reported, "The subject has been thoroughly integrated into the unit Schneizel has provided. I have also made my modifications to this 'Siegfried ', and it promises to yield satisfactory results."
" Happy to be of service," Schneizel said with a smile, "And I have seen to it that the zone has been prepared on schedule. Nobody has even noticed Euphemia's absence."
"Why would they?" Skywarp questioned, "She's a Sub-Viceroy. It's not like she's important."
" Where is Euphie being kept, anyway?" the Britannian prince asked.
"In a secure location," Megatron told him.
" Understood. But what exactly is your plan, Lord Megatron?" The Britannian prince asked.
"You've already been given your instructions, Schneizel," Megatron replied, "Proceed with them and our victory is assured."
" And I will. I would just like to be informed on how this will all start," Schneizel said, "I already know the plan and I will proceed. You just haven't told me how it will begin."
"If you needed to know that, I would have told you," the Decepticon leader insisted as his optics narrowed, "You know all you need to, now proceed."
" But if Euphemia is absent from the zone…" Schneizel tried to say something only to be interrupted.
"Schneizel, trust that we have this covered," Starscream stepped up, "If our plan is to be accomplished, we can't afford to bicker amongst ourselves. Leave the kick-off to us and proceed with how you've been instructed. I promise you won't regret it."
Schnizel's smile faded, but he nodded with acceptance, "Of course. Farewell."
His screen cut off.
"You sure it's a good idea to keep him around?" Breakdown asked, "I know the plan, but that guy reminds me too much of Starscream here."
"I'll pretend that was a compliment, Breakdown," the Seeker commander cast a slight glare in the large Decepticon's direction.
"Lord Megatron, can Schneizel be trusted?" Knock Out asked.
"He is necessary for our next step," Megatron replied, "But should he attempt anything, he will be properly dealt with."
"So, is he gonna be the only Britannian to side with us?" Skywarp asked, "I get that most aren't gonna have a choice, but I can think of a few who might want to sign up. That Vampire Knight guy looks like he might fit in."
" I must advise against that," Shockwave stated, "His psychological profile has too many similarities with Airachnid. Should those two meet, it could create chaos and even descension among our ranks. Bringing Luciano Bradley into our cause would be most illogical."
"Agreed, I have more than enough wildcards already," Megatron said,
"Speaking of which, what about Kururugi and Dreadwing?" Thundercracker asked, "There's no way they're gonna side with us after this."
"Perhaps not, but considering what we are about to gain, I'd say their defection would be a small price to pay," Megatron dismissed before turning to his communication officer, "Is your latest toy prepared, Soundwave?"
The silent Decepticon nodded as it gestured towards the door to the bridge, which opened to reveal who appeared to be someone who looked identical to Euphemia li Britannia. However, one might look into her otherwise identical eyes and they could tell that this was not the real third princess.
The Ark
At the same time, Lelouch had sat on the couch in the living quarters of the Bridge, unable to get some sleep. He and Optimus already gave the Autobots and Black Knights their instructions and it seemed near full proof. He was even present as C.C. and Ratchet overlooked Rai's Geass to see it was growing stronger, much like his own. However, unlike Lelouch's Geass, Rai was unable to develop any kind of filter like Lelouch's contact lenses, so C.C. did what she could to suppress it, even though it wasn't a permanent solution. They even brought the amnesiac Villetta… or rather Chigusa onto the Ark, though Lelouch wasn't too happy along with that, along with Ironhide, it didn't seem like anything they couldn't fix if things were to go wrong. Everything seemed to be in place should something happen at the SAZ, yet, why did he still feel so uneasy?
"Lelouch?"
He glanced to see Optimus walk toward him, "Is something the matter?"
"I couldn't sleep," Lelouch replied, "So much is about to happen tomorrow… and I don't even know what it all is. I get this sinking feeling… like something terrible is just over the horizon. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid."
"No, you are correct to be cautious," Optimus told him, "The Special Administrative Zone can serve to help our cause, and yet… it also has the potential to be a catastrophe, should others try to take advantage of it."
"There's been no statement from Charles that he's either supporting or denouncing Euphie's actions," Lelouch said, "And we haven't seen any sign of the Decepticons since the announcement. A part of me is thinking they're probably hiding because they're worried the world will unite against them. But then again, that's probably just wishful thinking."
"I once had similar thoughts myself," the Autobot leader replied, "But Charles Zi Britannia does not seem like the kind of man who would permit this. And I know Megatron would try to view the SAZ as an advantage he can use, though I remain uncertain as to how he intends to use it."
"I'm scared. I'm scared of what will happen… but… I think I'm most scared for Euphie right now."
"I'm scared for Euphie, too."
Both Optimus and Lelouch turned in minor surprise to see Bumblebee walking onto the bridge, while also carrying Nunnally carefully in his hand.
"Nunnally? What are you…?" Lelouch did not expect to see her like this.
"[She couldn't sleep either, so she asked me to bring her to see you,]" Bumblebee explained as he set Nunnally down toward Lelouch, who helped his sister to sit on the couch next to him.
"I'm scared too, Lelouch," Nunnally began, trying to form a smile midway, "I'm scared of what could happen to Euphie…But I know you'll do what you have to. You, Optimus, Rai, Bumblebee, Kallen, Cera, all of you… I know you'll do the right thing. I believe in you, all of you."
"Nunnally…" Lelouch didn't know what to say at first, but hearing her praise, while it was greatly appreciated, there was also something on his mind that told him that maybe he hadn't truly earned that, "Optimus, Bumblebee, can I ask you two something?"
"Of course," Optimus nodded.
"[What is it?]" Bumblebee asked.
Lelouch struggled to get the words out, "Am… am I like Megatron…?"
That took all of them, especially Nunnally by surprise.
"When I heard about what you two tried to do, and make Cybertron better, Optimus… I… couldn't help but draw parallels between the two of you, and myself and Suzaku. You and Suzaku both offered to change the system through peace… But Megatron wanted to do it by force… and that's what I've been doing."
He clenched his fists as his eyes became filled with emotional turmoil, "I've always been afraid of becoming like my father… but… I'm worried now, I might end up… like Megatron… who's even worse."
"Lelouch…" Nunnally did not expect her brother to speak like this. She had felt there was something inside that was bothering him, but nothing like this.
"There is truth in what you say," Optimus began, "When we first met, I did see some similarities between you and Megatron, many of us did. However, at your core, the two of you couldn't be more different."
Lelouch looked towards Optimus in honest shock as he continued to speak.
"Even when you first allied with us, despite your righteous anger towards Britannia, you sought to end the prejudice and bloodshed that had been prolonged for years, all to create a world where your sister could find happiness. Nunnally had always been your priority, and your affection toward her was never once in question. And when you made your first appearance to the world as Zero, you acted to save Suzaku from his court martial simply because he was your friend, nothing more than that. Yes, you have made mistakes, but you have shown that you are willing to accept responsibility for them and have a desire to make amends, allowing yourself to become more open and trusting of others, not just through your words, but your actions. You became a hero that others could rally behind, even knowing your identity as a former prince, the Black Knights still choose to follow you because they believe in you, as do I and my fellow Autobots. That is what separates you from Megatron, who only ever fought for power, nothing more. You have proven yourself time and time again Lelouch, and I know you will keep doing so in the future, and you will make this world a better place. That is something I truly believe with all my spark."
Upon not just hearing the encouraging words from Optimus, but also seeing the genuine smile on his face, Lelouch couldn't stop tears of joy from forming in his eyes. He was even further surprised by Nunnally who reached out to caress his cheek with a smile.
"Optimus is right, Lelouch," Nunnally told her brother sincerely, "You're nothing like Megatron. You've not only taken care of me for so long, but you've made plenty of friends who trust you. And I trust you too, I know I've already said this, but I love and believe in you Lelouch. That'll never change."
Bumblebee approached his friend, "[Got that right. I'm not as good at speeches as Optimus here, but I've seen how much you've grown. No matter what happens, I'm your friend and I'll be with you every step of the way.]"
"Bee… Nunnally…" Lelouch could not voice the sincere gratitude he felt toward all of them. His father figure is Optimus, his little sister Nunnally, and his friend and comrade Bumblebee. Genuine tears of joy continued to flow down his face as he knew he was surrounded by those he could trust completely, and he may have finally found a family that he could truly belong to, "Thank you… I promise you. I won't let any of you down."
Nunnally gave her brother a hug, which he was quick to return. This caused both Optimus and even Bumblebee to smile, the latter smiling under his faceplate. After a minute or two, the two siblings pulled apart.
"Hey, Lelouch?" Nunnally asked her brother.
"Yeah?" he replied, calming down with a smile still on his face.
"I know it might be pretty late, but can I please talk to Euphie?" Nunnally asked, "I haven't spoken to her since the School Festival and I'd like to talk to her still."
"Sure thing, I don't think she'll mind."
Lelouch took out the special phone he had to call only Euphemia. Though he told her it was to be used only for serious situations, he figured he could make an exception this once.
He placed the call, however, there was no response. Even after waiting a few minutes, there was still no response. This caused Lelouch's smile to fade as he looked in concern, a feeling that he shared with Nunnally, Bumblebee, and even Optimus.
Something wasn't right.
The Next Day
This was it. This was the day of the ceremony of the Special Administrative Zone of Japan.
Virtually everyone in the country, from all those of Britannian nationality to every Japanese individual who did not attend the zone, even those at Ashford Academy, those in the Student Council including Rivalz, Milly, and Nina, all of them were watching the television or listening to the radio broadcast of the ceremony. And it wasn't just Japan watching and listening. Other nations, including the other superpowers of the E.U. and the Chinese Federation, had their eyes set on this event. Needless to say, the entire world was watching.
" We're bringing you live coverage from the stadium where the inaugural ceremony will be held for the Special Administrative Zone of Japan. The place is already packed full of Elevens… sorry, I mean Japanese. And those unable to get in are gathered outside the Stadium."
It was true, the stadium was filled with countless people, and all were eager to receive what they were promised with the inauguration of the zone. Of course, there were military personnel on guard, not just Sutherlands, but the personal Knightmares of the Knights of the Round. Nonette, Gino, Anya, and Monica had their respective Knightmares of the Galeschin, Tristan, Mordred, and Florence, all of which were equipped with a FLOAT system.
But what stood out the most was the appearance of the other Knightmares owned by the remaining three Knights of the Round. The Percival, piloted by Luciano Bradley, seemed somewhat bulky compared to the others, but not as bulky as the Mordred. It had a light purplish color to it with darker purple spikes on the shoulders, golden kneecaps, a shield in its left hand, with a claw-like attachment on its right arm. Up next was the Palamedes, owned by Doretha Ernst. It was a dark blue Knightmare, with a gold armored chest plate and shoulder pads, a built-in gun attachment on its left arm with a sheathed MVS blade on its side. Finally, the Knightmare that stood as the tallest among all others was the Galahad, piloted by Bismarck Waldstein himself. This massive Knightmare was primarily white with black armor near its chest, it had a white cape flowing down its back with a red color on the inside, and it carried a massive MVS blade on its back.
But it wasn't just Knightmares present as well. Dreadwing himself was also there in the flesh, standing close toward the stage where Britannian nobles and others were present as well. Though everyone in the stadium knew he wasn't a Knightmare, they all seemed a bit on edge regarding him, mostly because he was one of those giant robots they saw on the news of the prison brawl some time ago. The fact that he was among the Britannian military showed that he meant no harm, however, so a panic was not in place.
Those gathered in the seats on the stage of the stadium were several Britannian nobles, including General Darlton, Kirihara, Suzaku Kururugi in his knight uniform, and of course, Princess Euphemia.
The Nemesis
Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave stood on the bridge as they saw on the main screen the broadcast of the ceremony as well, but not through the cameras, seemingly through the eyes of Euphemia.
"Makeshift would have been proud," Starscream commented with a sneer, "It was through his design that we were able to construct this Pretender drone that can easily pass for humans. Those fools have no idea what is standing right in front of them."
"And unlike with Makeshift, this drone is not sentient," Megatron said, "Through Soundwave, I can control it. Its actions are my own, everything I say, it speaks. A perfect marionette."
Airachnid's cave
The real Euphemia, still bound and gagged in the webbing, watched the live broadcast of the ceremony from a screen built into the cavern wall as Airachnid loomed close to her.
"You look confused," Airachnid observed the princess, "How can you be there if you're here? Let me make it simple for you. That is a drone disguised as you. Why would we go through such an effort, you're wondering? You'll see. Just a few more minutes, that's when it all ends… or should I say… when it begins. "
Euphemia had no idea what was about to happen, but something in her gut told her that it wasn't going to be good. All she could do was pray that Lelouch, Suzaku, Optimus, or Dreadwing would be able to identify this imposter and thwart whatever plot the Decepticons had intended.
The Ark
While Kirihara was attending the ceremony, the rest of Kyoto, including Kaguya and Katase, all watched the broadcast from a television screen in a private meeting quarters built specifically for them.
Chigusa sat in her room that Ohgi prepared for her as she listened to the hand-held radio.
From the bridge of the Ark, Shirley, Nunnally, Sayoko, and Rakshata, sat in the living quarters along with Fixit as they and Ratchet watched from the main screen of the bridge as well.
"Princess Euphemia, it's time," Darlton spoke to Euphemia.
"Right," Euphemia answered.
It stood up and was ready to begin. However…
Everyone in the stadium, be they Japanese civilians, Britannian nobles and soldiers, even Dreadwing, looked in surprise to see a Groundbridge portal open along the eastern side of the stadium. From out of the portal came the vehicle modes of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, Wheeljack, and Ironhide, and even the Gawain, with Zero standing on the large Knightmare's shoulder and C.C. on the pilot's seat.
Once the portal closed, the Autobots transformed to reveal themselves.
The second the Japanese citizens all saw them, every single one of them cheered and shouted words of praise and thanks towards those they rightly viewed as their saviors and defenders of Japan. Among the Japanese populace who looked in wonder, Arcee spotted the mother of her partner, Kallen in the seats on the ground.
However, while there was praise among the Japanese, most Britannian nobles looked at them with disgust. In regards to the Knights of the Round, Dorothea glared while Gino had an impressed smirk, Anya and Monica had neutral expressions, while Nonette's was of concern, particularly for Kaizaren who was nowhere to be seen.
"So those are the Autobots. They don't look so tough," Luciano was ready to kill at a moment's notice, but he held himself back as per Bismarck's previous orders.
' So, that's my target,' Bismarck set his sights on Optimus Prime, whose size stood on equal footing with his own Knightmare. There was a part of him that was eager to test if he was a worthy opponent, but he would not act. Now was not the time for a duel.
' They came,' Dreadwing observed.
"Zero… Optimus…" Suzaku muttered as he had mixed feelings about seeing them again.
"You accept that you've lost?" Darlton muttered with a smirk.
"Well, look who showed up," Cornelia watched the broadcast with a small scoff as she watched the broadcast from her mobile base a couple of miles outside the zone, alongside several officers including Guilford and Bartley.
Schneizel himself watched from his office the royal palace of the Settlement, though he had no idea what to expect.
'What are you planning Megatron? How will this support us?'
"They've arrived, it would seem," Starscream observed, "Should we move now, Lord Megatron?"
"Not yet."
Soundwave tuned the connection back into the Pretender and he put on the act of Euphemia once more.
"Zero, Optimus Prime, and valiant Autobots…"
"…Welcome to the Special Administrative Zone!" Euphie welcomed them.
"Greetings, Euphemia li Britannia!" Zero greeted back as the Gawain kneeled, allowing him to step to the ground as he walked closer to the stage, "I wish to request an audience with you."
"Just with me?"
"Yes, with you alone," Zero confirmed.
Optimus and Bumblebee shared knowing glances with each other. Last night, Lelouch and Nunnally tried to call Euphemia via the private line four times, and there was no response each time. They even had Fixit trace the signal, only to find that they couldn't locate it. Lelouch told them that the signal could not be traced if it were turned off, so Nunnally assumed that she was simply asleep. Lelouch then tried to call her again earlier in the morning before the ceremony; still no response. They told the other Autobots about this and that was the reason they came; to protect the people because this whole thing seemed to reek of a trap. Bumblebee even brought the Polarity Gauntlet while Arcee had the Immobilizer.
' Before, Lelouch had a habit of letting his guard down when he felt the battle was won,' Optimus thought to himself, 'But since then, he has learned to anticipate when things go wrong, and his instincts have become sharper because of that. His instincts are telling him that something might be wrong with Euphemia, and I feel it as well.'
Lloyd and Cecile also saw the broadcast from the Avalon's main screen.
"I'm afraid something's going to happen. We should have gone there like I thought," Cecile voiced her concern.
"What for?" Lloyd dismissed, "It's not as if we had a choice in the matter. Everyone said that if Lancelot was there waiting, Zero and the Autobots wouldn't show."
Once on the stage, a few soldiers ran Zero through a quick search to see he had no weapons, and he didn't appear to carry any.
"It appears safe, Your Highness," one soldier reported to Euphemia.
"Then this way, please," the princess directed Zero to the G1 mobile base.
"Princess Euphemia, it might be too dangerous to be alone with him," Suzaku said, "As your knight, I request that you allow me to accompany you to safety."
"No, it's alright. Please, trust me, Suzaku."
With that, Euphemia led Zero toward the mobile base, while Suzaku cast a concerning glance toward Dreadwing, who felt equally concerned.
Meanwhile, in the forested area outside the stadium, several Black Knight Knightmares, including the Guren MK II, the Gekka Pre-Production, the Gekkas owned by Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords, and many other Burais, lay in hiding and waiting. The command was deferred to Ohgi after Optimus and Zero explained the situation.
"I hate this," Kallen voiced her thoughts aloud, "It's like we're just waiting for something terrible to happen and we don't even know what it is."
"Come on, what's the worst that can happen?" Tamaki questioned.
"You really wanna ask something like that? Knowing what the Brits and Cons are capable of?" Rai responded, as he anxiously gripped the controls of his Knightmare.
"Optimus and Zero told us to be on standby in case something happens," Ohgi said, "Besides the Autobots are all down there, and they got the Immobilizer and Polarity Gauntlet, I doubt even the Knights of the Round can fight against that."
"Even so, we have to remain cautious," Tohdoh informed everyone, "We've all learned by now, especially when it comes to the Decepticons, to expect the unexpected."
This made Kallen even more tense as she knew her mother was also down there. Granted, Arcee and Cliffjumper were there too, along with Lelouch and the other Bots, and she trusted them to protect her. But that didn't make her any less nervous.
Within the mobile base's control room, Zero shut down the cameras so that they could have the utmost privacy.
"Is there something wrong, Zero?"
Right there, she addressed him as 'Zero' and not by 'Lelouch', despite the cameras being turned off. That was enough to confirm that something was indeed wrong with Euphemia.
"He… He couldn't be suspecting us, could he?" Starscream questioned, "We took the utmost of precautions, and Schneizel even aided in covering our tracks with Britannia. There is no way he could be aware of something, could he?"
Megatron however felt something was off, 'He and Optimus were with Euphemia on Kamine Island. Lelouch could have revealed his identity to her. But did he? Without knowing the details of their relationship, it's almost impossible to tell. If I were to say his name, it could confirm my knowledge of his actions.'
"Why exactly did you request to speak with me…?" Megatron asked as Soundwave continued to sync him to the Pretender drone.
"…I've prepared the Special Administrative Zone for you and Optimus," Euphemia spoke as Zero turned to face her, "If I have done something to displease you…."
' There's only one way for me to know if something is truly wrong with her,' Lelouch thought to himself.
Before arriving at the zone, he had his contact lenses removed, and his mask on, so he wouldn't have to worry about it going out of control. However, he also was aware of C.C.'s warnings that even using it this once could cause it to become permanently active. But with so many lives in potential danger, he could afford the risk.
' Forgive me, Euphie.'
Lelouch activated his Geass as the slit in his mask opened and he made eye contact.
"Eight years ago, you and my sister got into a fight. Why?"
"What…? What is he talking about?" Starscream asked.
'He's using his Geass!' Megatron's optics widened in surprise before they narrowed, "Clever boy."
Lelouch's eyes widened beneath the mask as his Geass deactivated, 'She didn't respond! I know I've never used my Geass on her before, and the responses are always instantaneous!'
Underneath the mask, Lelouch glared at the individual he now knew to be an imposter, "You're not Euphemia!"
Suddenly, the Pretender's right arm extended and grabbed Zero by the throat before extending even further to lift him into the air and pin him to the wall. Upon seeing the metallic attachments underneath the 'skin' of the extended arm, his eyes widened even more.
'Cybertronian?! It's just like with Makeshift!'
"What are you?!" Zero exclaimed as he struggled in the Pretender's grip, "A special type of Mini-Con?!"
A chuckle escaped the Pretender's mouth as it spoke in a voice that was not Euphie's, but one that Lelouch could recognize in a heartbeat.
"Not exactly."
"Megatron…?!"
The Decepticon leader's true voice spoke as the Pretender smirked evilly, "A pleasure to finally meet you, Zero, You've caused me quite the headache along with Optimus since your appearance. But no longer."
"Where… where is the real Euphemia…?!" Zero growled, his eyes narrowing furiously underneath his mask.
"If I were you, I'd be less concerned about that one human, and more concerned with the THOUSANDS that are outside."
The Pretender swung Lelouch across the room to slam him against the wall on the other side before it quickly made its way toward the exit.
' No…! No, no, no! No!' Lelouch thought in dread as he tried to pick himself up just as the Pretender left.
Suzaku, who had stood outside the G1 to be safe, was surprised to see 'Euphemia' exit the base so quickly, "Princess Euphemia? That was rather fast are you…!"
He was suddenly cut off by an electric shock to his abdomen from the Pretender's left arm that converted into a taser-like weapon. It didn't kill him but was enough to knock him unconscious.
' Consider that your discharge from the Decepticons, Suzaku Kururugi,' Megatron thought as Pretender-Euphemia made her way back to the stage to put the rest of the plan into motion.
Quickly getting up, Zero was quick to access his comms as he tried to run outside and catch up with the machine posing as his half-sister.
"Optimus! Evacuate the zone! Now!"
"Lelouch? What is…?" Optimus asked over the comms as the other Autobots looked to their leader with concern before accessing the comms themselves to listen in.
" That is not Euphie! It's a fake! We're being set up by Megatron!" Lelouch told Optimus, and indirectly the other Autobots, much to each of their shock, "Call a Groundbridge and evacuate the zone now!"
The other Autobots saw that 'Euphemia' was already on stage and they all had a sinking feeling about what was about to happen.
"Ratchet! Prepare the evacuation!" Optimus contacted the Ark as the Autobots tried to run toward the stage and stop what was to come, much to the surprise of the Japanese citizens and Britannian soldiers.
"What is going on?" Dreadwing wondered as he and several Britannian Knightmares tried to block the Autobots' path as Darlton looked toward 'Euphemia' in surprise.
"Princess Euphemia, where is Zero? And Kururugi?" he tried to ask the imposter, but it was already too late.
Megatron's malevolent smile only grew, "Yes...Yes...YES! With this… I rise… and Britannia falls!"
Zero ran out just in time to see the Pretender-Euphemia's arm convert into an Energon blaster, which it shot into the crowd. A group of six of the front-most spectators were blown away by the explosion, much to everyone's horror.
With that one act, all time appeared to have stopped for virtually everyone. For Lelouch, Optimus, Dreadwing, Bumblebee, Nonette, Arcee, Gino, Cliffjumper, Darlton, Bulkhead, Monica, Wheeljack, Kirihara, Ironhide, even Mrs. Kozuki, and every single Japanese citizen looked in absolute horror, and that was only the start. With a woman's scream, Pretender-Euphemia's other arm converted into another blaster and resumed fire into the crowd.
"Princess Euphemia! Stop this at once!" Darlton tried to stop the Pretender, but it quickly turned around to deliver a backslap to send him crashing toward the side and knock him unconscious, much to the nobles' shock before resuming the massacre.
Suddenly, Bismarck's Galahad received an emergency communication, which appeared to be from the Emperor.
"Knight of One. These are your orders. Terminate every Eleven you see! Leave no survivors!"
"But your majesty, why would…?"
" There's no time for explanations! Kill the Elevens! Now!"
"As you wish," Bismarck nodded before taking command, "Attention all soldiers! Terminate the Elevens! Leave no survivors!"
"What?!" Nonette exclaimed as even Gino and Monica were beyond shocked.
"About damn time! I was getting sick of playing nice!" Luciano smirked as he drove the Percival into the fray along with all the Britannian military Sutherlands and opened fire into the stands to kill more people.
" There is no time for explanations! Kill the Elevens! Now!" Soundwave played the recording that he tuned to match Charles' voice for this specific moment, revealing it was he who gave the order, not the Emperor.
Starscream chuckled, "For someone so quiet, you have quite the dramatic flair, Soundwave."
"Send a squadron of our Vehicon soldiers to aid them," the genocidal Decepticon leader ordered, "We need to be part of this tragedy as well, do we not?"
"By the Allspark…" Ratchet looked in absolute horror at what was being played on the screen of the Ark's bridge.
Shirley covered her mouth as her eyes widened with terror, Sayoko wasn't that far behind either and neither was Fixit. Nunnally, though she couldn't see, had heard what was going on and was aware of what was happening.
"What… why is….?" Nunnally stuttered as she couldn't even think of a reason this was happening.
"Well, this is… something…" Rakshata said as she seemed somewhat disturbed by this as well.
"We… we have to evacuate them!" Sayoko was the first to regain her senses, "We need to pull all those people out! Now!"
Ratchet quickly regained focus, "Of course… Fixit, prepare to open multiple Groundbridges!"
"Already on it!" Fixit was at the console.
Schneizel had seen what was happening as well. He shot up from his chair as he saw the massacre unfold before his eyes, his face contorted with shock, clearly not expecting this.
"Was… was this your plan… Megatron?"
Back at the Stadium, Suzaku had regained consciousness as he looked in absolute horror at what was occurring. It looked like absolute chaos, the Autobots were doing their best to fight off the Britannian Knightmares that were opening fire on the civilians as multiple Groundbridge portals began to open up. But despite their best efforts, the bloodied bodies of men, women, and children were seen everywhere.
"Come on!" Bulkhead exclaimed to a group of civilians, "Everyone into the portal!"
Bulkhead and Wheeljack covered the people's escape into the portal as they opened fire on a group of Knightmares.
"Do not them escape!" seven Sutherlands tried to rush in and stop them, but they would soon find their way barred by Optimus Prime.
"You will not hurt these people!" the Autobot leader exclaimed.
"Filthy abomination!"
They tried to gun him down, but Optimus was quick to draw his new battle axe and deliver a circular swing to cut all seven of them in half in one stroke.
Ironhide also provided cover fire to allow Kirihara to lead multiple Japanese children into a Groundbridge portal as well, his targets being the Mordred, Galeschin, and Florence, though Nonette inside had a look of pure terror on her face as she dodged the Energon blasts.
' This… this isn't supposed to be happening…!' the Knight of Nine thought in shock.
Gino's Tristan also stood there as the Knight of Three looked in pure horror as he saw the dead and dying bodies of the people below the Knightmare, "No… I… I This… this isn't right…"
Even Monica looked in horror as she dodged the Autobot fire with her Knightmare, ' This isn't justice... this is insanity!'
Suzaku even saw some of the other Knights of the Round fighting against the Autobots as well. Bumblebee had used the Polarity Gauntlet to blast back four Sutherlands before using the device to act as a forcefield to block the missiles from the Percival's shield. Arcee used the Immobilizer in her left hand to freeze several Knightmares and cover Cliffjumper who was helping people to escape. But there were still countless people who couldn't be saved as they lay dead on the ground and in the stands, a swamp of blood stained virtually everywhere.
"What…. What is happening…? How…?" Suzaku stuttered before the Palamedes suddenly rolled up in front of him.
"Princess Euphemia opened fire into the crowd," Dorothea's voice spoke through the Knightmare's speakers.
"What?!" Suzaku exclaimed, "No! That's absurd! She would never…!"
"The Emperor also gave orders to terminate the Elevens," Dorothea continued, "And you're an Eleven, aren't you Kururugi?"
The Palamedes aimed its arm-mounted gun at him, only to have Dreadwing suddenly swoop in with his sword and cut off the Knightmare's arm.
"What?! Dreadwing what are you…?!" Dorothea didn't get a chance to finish as Dreadwing grabbed the Knightmare by the shoulders and used his strength to throw it toward the mobile base, causing the Palamedes to crash into the control room.
"Dreadwing…? What… how is this happening…?" Suzaku stuttered, "Did Princess Euphemia…?"
"I don't know," Dreadwing replied.
Though he saw her, or someone who looked like Euphie, attack the crowd, he knew that she would never do anything like this, "But I intend to find out! Let's get to the Avalon. You'll probably need the Lancelot."
Suzaku's expression became firm as he clenched his fists, "Alright."
Dreadwing quickly picked him up and transformed into his vehicle mode to fly away from the slaughter for the moment.
Back on the battlefield, Mrs. Kozuki had run into a little boy who was crying over the dead bodies of his parents when a Sutherland suddenly rolled up to them. She tried to cover the boy with her body, but the Sutherland was quickly frozen by a blast of the Immobilizer, courtesy of Arcee, who quickly ran up to grab the woman and the boy before running toward the nearest Groundbridge portal as Cliffjumper continued to cover her.
"Go! You'll be safe on the other side!" Arcee told the two of them.
"Wait… wait… I… I have a daughter!" Mrs. Kozuki tried to tell the blue Autobot, "She was supposed to meet me here but…. I can't… find her!"
"Leave it to me, just go. I promise your daughter is safe. Now get going!"
Though Mrs. Kozuki couldn't explain it, there was something familiar about this Autobot. Granted, she had seen her and the others on the news before, but something else made her feel like she knew her from somewhere. This feeling was enough to make her trust the Autobot as she nodded and helped the child into the Groundbridge portal before Arcee turned around and tried to save as many more people as she could.
Bumblebee used the improvised magnetic forcefield of the Polarity Gauntlet to knock away the slash harkens from the Percival before the Knightmare quickly rolled directly at Bumblebee, its right claw-like weapon converting into something of an energy drill which it tried to burrow into Bumblebee, who used the Polarity Gauntlet's forcefield to push it back, but the Percival kept pressing.
"Here's a question for you, Autobot," Luciano began, "What do people value the most? Here's the answer: their own lives! Can the same be said for you?"
Bumblebee's optics narrowed before he purposely deactivated the Gauntlet, letting Luciano lose control of his Knightmare's momentum, and allowing Bumblebee to deliver a powerful punch to its face and knock it back. With the Knight of Ten momentarily off-balance, Bumblebee reactivated the Gauntlet to send the Percival crashing to the far end of the stadium where there was nobody else around.
Bulkhead brought his mace down onto a Sutherland to crush it as Wheeljack cut another one down and the two came back-to-back to cover more people escaping. However, an explosion erupted underneath their feet to knock them down. The Wreckers looked in surprise to see the Mordred floating above them.
However, what they did not notice was that Anya inside the Mordred, had a pair of red rings in her eyes as she even smiled and spoke in a tone that was not her own.
"I'm not sure what Charles has to gain from this," 'Anya' voiced aloud, "But he has my complete trust. So, I'll play along."
The Mordred opened fire with its shoulder-mounted VARIS cannons, forcing Bulkhead and Wheeljack to split apart and avoid the blasts.
"Keep moving! Everyone into the portals!" Optimus held his axe as he continued to direct the last of the survivors into one of the Groundbridge portals.
However, he spotted a series of slash-harkens shot his way, which he was quick to slice and bat away with his axe. He looked upward to see the Galahad as the attacker.
"Optimus Prime," Bismarck Waldstein acknowledged, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Is this your Emperor's doing?" the enraged Autobot leader questioned with a glare, "Did he and Megatron orchestrate this madness?!"
"I'm not entitled to answer that," Bismarck said as the Galahad drew its massive MVS, "All you need be concerned with is your own life, rather than these insects."
The Galahad shot straight toward Optimus as it swung the sword at the Prime, who blocked the strike with his axe.
At the same time, the real Euphemia screamed underneath her gag as she was forced to watch what could only be described as a nightmare unfold before her eyes. She tried to turn away and close her eyes to avoid seeing the carnage.
"Oh, don't look away now," Airachnid taunted as she held the girl's head and forced Euphemia to look directly at the screen, "The fun is only beginning."
Airachnid's taunting laugh was the only company for Euphemia's horror-filled eyes.
Meanwhile, Zero had got back into the Gawain's cockpit with C.C. as the massive Knightmare began to ascend toward the sky and the three of them could only look in horror as they saw the fight and massacre unfold before their eyes. Even C.C. was visibly disturbed by this.
"Megatron…" Lelouch took off his mask to reveal the look of disgust and rage that filled his being, "All she wanted…. Was to help people… and this is his response?! He uses my sister's face to start a massacre?! The Britannians didn't even hesitate to join in on the slaughter! I swear… if it's the last thing I do…. Megatron will pay!"
C.C. looked with concern towards Lelouch as she saw the hate in his eyes. Before she had a chance to say anything, however, an alarm sounded on the Gawain's systems and she looked on the radar.
"Oh no…. multiple Decepticon signals are closing in around the stadium! They're coming!"
"Of course, they are," Lelouch said in a hateful scoff, "At their master's bidding."
"The Decepticons are coming!?" Guilford exclaimed as he and Darlton saw their signals on the radar screen approaching the stadium.
"It seems so," Bartley said, "I have to say… I did not expect this from Princess Euphemia. She never seemed like the type to do something like this."
"She wouldn't!" Guilford stated, "I know her! She never even picked up a gun once in her life! She would never…!"
He turned around to try and see how Cornelia would respond, only to find that she was no longer present.
Cornelia was already in her custom Gloucester as she put the ignition key in.
'I don't know what's going on, but I'm coming for you Euphie!'
She started up her Knightmare and drove it out of her mobile base and directly toward the stadium, despite the distance.
'I swear I won't let you down again!'
"What is going on down there?!" Kallen exclaimed in fear as she and her fellow Black Knights could see the smoke even from their location.
" This is Zero addressing all Black Knights!" their leader's voice reached all the Knightmare units on stand-by, "The SAZ was a trap! Princess Euphemia has been replaced by an android created by Megatron to start a massacre!"
"What!?" Rai exclaimed in shock and horror.
" The Autobots have evacuated most of the survivors and are engaging the Knights of the Round! But the Decepticons are inbound! Here are your orders! Protect the people! Wipe out any Britannian and Decepticon military force you see! Hurry!"
Multiple explosions erupted outside the stadium as the people around it tried to clear out. Most of the Autobots all drove out toward the streets to get some space now that all the survivors of the Zone had been evacuated to the Ark. Though it pained them all that they couldn't save everyone, they still had to save all they could because there were countless people outside as well.
Optimus slid out of the smoke on his feet, his axe in his hand as he quickly recovered to block the sword strike from the Galahad that flew directly toward him.
"Optimus, the Decepticons are here!" Ratchet contacted him right as a small army of airborne Vehicons flew toward the stadium and began to open fire on the area around it, causing explosions that would kill several more bystanders.
However, Optimus also glanced upward to see the Gawain opening fire with its Hadron cannons to obliterate at least fifteen airborne Vehicons before the rest had already transformed and began to target civilians directly.
"Is this what it means to be a Knight of Britannia!?" Optimus exclaimed as he continued to lock his axe against the Galahad's sword, "Countless people are dying, and you are more focused on fighting me?!"
"I have explicit orders from the Emperor to see your destruction, Optimus Prime," Bismarck replied, "Everything else is second priority!"
Optimus narrowed his optics at that remark and would have pressed forward had Ironhide not suddenly driven in with his vehicle mode to transform and deliver a punch to the Galahad and send it crashing to the ground, though it quickly recovered and faced the two Autobots.
"I've got your back, Optimus!" Ironhide stated.
"No," Optimus quickly said, "Help the others fend off the Decepticons and protect the humans. I will deal with the Knight of One."
Though reluctant at first, Ironhide trusted his leader and nodded, "Understood."
He then transformed to rejoin his comrades as Optimus faced the Galahad alone.
"So, I see you've chosen to accept my challenge," the Knight of One smirked.
"I trust my friends and allies to protect the people," the Autobot commander replied, "If this is what it takes to keep you from ending more innocent lives, then so be it."
Optimus ran at the Galahad and it shot directly at Optimus in return to collide their respective weapons again.
Meanwhile, around the stadium, Bulkhead drove around in his vehicle mode to avoid the VARIS blasts from the hovering Mordred before he transformed and fired at the bulky Knightmare, which flew down to ram into Bulkhead and knock him down, though he was quick to get back up and deal a blow to its face with his club to knock it back.
' What's up with this kid?' Bulkhead thought to himself, 'This isn't how she normally fights. It's like someone else is behind the wheel.'
At the same time, Wheeljack and Cliffjumper both engaged a squad of Vehicons as the Wrecker drew his swords to run and cut down three troopers while Cliffjumper opened fire with his Energon blasters to destroy the others. Arcee and Bumblebee also found themselves back-to-back as multiple Britannian Sutherlands and Vehicons surrounded them with their weapons.
"Wait! Hold your fire!" Gino's Tristan hovered over the group, "This isn't right! This isn't how we do things!"
"Sorry, but we got orders from a little higher up the ladder," one Vehicon stated, "Kill them both!"
He and the other Decepticons and Sutherlands were about to open fire, when suddenly, a storm of magnesium bullets tore through the enemy forces as one of many squads of Black Knights arrived, this particular group led by Kallen in the Guren. She came in and made short work of the enemy forces.
Gino, though shocked by this, quickly flew back to avoid getting shot himself as the Guren made its way to the Autobots.
"Arcee, where's my mom?!" Kallen exclaimed in a panic, "She was in the Zone! Where is she?!"
"She's fine," Arcee assured, "Your mother is in the Ark with the other survivors. She's alright."
Kallen felt a great deal of relief from this, "Thank God…"
However, it was quickly replaced with sheer anger, "Did the Cons do this?!"
Arcee had a glare of her own, "Yeah. This was Megatron's handiwork."
The Guren's pilot clenched the controls of her Knightmare with pure rage, "DAMN THAT MONSTER!"
With that, she, Arcee, Bumblebee, and their squad of Black Knights moved in to clear out the enemy forces.
As the other Black Knights came in and regrouped with their Autobot allies, they were quick to turn the tide against the Britannians and Decepticons. Tamaki led a squad of his own along with Chiba and Urabe to back up Bulkhead and drive the Mordred back. Asahina and Senba rolled up in their Gekkas and used their swords to cut down the Sutherlands and Vehicons that attempted to shoot down more civilians before assisting Cliffjumper and Wheeljack as they shot their respective ammunition to the nearby Florence as Monica tried to pull her Knightmare back and avoid getting shot.
Even Ohgi drove his Burai with a squad of his own to provide backup for Ironhide and gun down a group of Vehicons. All the while, Ohgi could not contain the hate he was feeling right now.
"How dare you…! Trampling over the hopes of our people! Megatron…!"
"Damn humans!" one Vehicon exclaimed as he and four others opened fire on the custom Gekka piloted by Tohdoh.
"Now I see… you were planning this all along!" Tohdoh exclaimed as his Knightmare drew its sword, and he was quick to maneuver around the Energon blasts from the Vehicon squadron before he quickly moved in to cut down all five of them with little effort.
Rai roared in fury as he shot his Gekka's Surger Claw into the face of one Vehicon.
"YOU MONSTERS!" he exclaimed as he activated the Surger, causing the Vehicon to explode.
"Kaizaren!" Rai turned his focus on the Galeschin that approached him.
"Nonette… did you do this!?" he exclaimed as he reached out with the Surger Claw again to grab the Galeschin by its head, "Did you do this!? Did you help Megatron start this?!"
"No! I didn't!" Nonette exclaimed, "None of us did! Kaizaren, please, you know me!"
"Don't call me that! I'm not a Britannian Prince! I'm a Black Knight! And you're a Britannian soldier… just like all these other monsters… so give me a reason why I shouldn't end you!"
There was no response from the Galeschin at first, until the cockpit opened up and Nonette stood up, allowing Rai to see the pleading and sorrowful face of the Knight of Nine, and he was even more shocked to see tears flowing down her eyes.
"I… would never… do this…." Nonette stuttered as Rai continued to listen to her please, "Kaizaren… or whatever you want to call yourself… you truly know me… do you think I would do something so horrible?"
Hearing her words, made Rai think back to his childhood where Nonette looked after him, his sister, and his mother. He had always admired and respected her, and even considered her to be part of his family. That was right, he did know her. She was a good person, and she would never do anything like this. As his face clenched with so many mixed emotions, he withdrew his Gekka's Surger Claw to release the Galeschin.
"Get out of here," he told her as he turned his Knightmare away.
"But…" she tried to reach out to him.
"Just go!" Rai exclaimed as he rejoined the battle, leaving the Knight of Nine alone with a feeling of disgrace and failure hanging over her head.
The Ark
"The Britannian and Decepticon forces are on the run!" Fixit reported, "And all people from the stadium have been safely transported to the Ark. Several medical Black Knights are seeing to it they receive the proper attention."
"Those who survived… you mean…" Ratchet said gravely, causing Fixit, as well as Nunnally, Sayoko, and Shirley, to look down in shame and sorrow, knowing that they couldn't save everyone.
"Where is Suzaku?" Nunnally asked.
"I don't have his location, but it's reason to believe that he is there," Fixit assumed.
"Then send me there, too," Nunnally stated, much to everyone's shock.
"Nunnally…!" Shirley did not expect that.
"Absolutely not!" Ratchet exclaimed, "The Decepticons and Britannians may be repelled, but that site is far too dangerous, especially to a girl that can't even see or walk! You are not a Black Knight!"
"She might not be, but I am," Sayoko stated as she put a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Lady Nunnally, is it safe to assume that you are going to look for Suzaku?"
"Yes," Nunnally answered, "If he knows what happened to Euphemia, he might finally leave the Decepticons and come with us."
"But it's too dangerous!" Fixit stated.
"That's right, you're not going out there Nunnally…" Shirley said before she smiled, "Without me ."
"What?!" the Autobot medic exclaimed.
"I'm no soldier, but I'm a Black Knight too," Shirley said, seemingly ready to protest, "I want to help Lelouch and Suzaku as much as I can. I can help look after Nunnally and convince Suzaku to help us. If his friends are willing to talk to him, he'll listen. I know I'm not a fighter, but what's the point of me being here if I can't help my friends? I promise Sayoko and I can keep Nunnally safe. We won't let anyone hurt her."
"Your resolve can't act as a shield if you three are bridged into a warzone without a proper escort," Ratchet stated, but when he saw the firm expressions in their eyes, and even with Nunnally despite her eyes being permanently closed. This seemed enough to waver his resolve a bit, "And you need not look any further than the Autobot standing before you."
That had Shirley and Nunnally share smiles, as even Sayoko had a smile of her own.
"Besides, even if I said no, you three would have probably snuck off on your own anyway."
He then turned to only Mini-Con present, "Man the Groundbridge, Fixit. Let us know when you see the Lancelot's signal and open a portal to its location."
"Understood," Fixit nodded.
The Lancelot was launched from the Avalon and flew with its FLOAT system alongside Dreadwing in his vehicle mode right beside him. "Euphie! Euphie, where are you?!" Suzaku exclaimed in a panic as he and Dreadwing flew back into the warzone around the stadium.
"Princess Cornelia!" Guilford tried to contact her, "Don't act irrationally! We need you to...!"
She turned off her Knightmare's communication, however.
"Euphie!" Cornelia called out for her sister as her Gloucester neared the area as well.
The Gawain's Hadron fired onto the ground to obliterate a group of enemy Vehicons and Sutherlands right as he was soon contacted by Bumblebee.
"[Lelouch, I've got eyes on the fake Euphie!]" the Autobot scout reported, "[She's four kilometers from my position! I'd get to her, but my hands are full!]"
"Understood," Lelouch gritted his teeth as he piloted the Gawain to that location, with C.C. still looking at him with concern.
The Pretender-Euphemia had long since walked out of the stadium and had been placed on an autopilot state by Soundwave long since the massacre started. Its only desire was to kill every human it saw.
However, it didn't get much farther as the Gawain hovered directly over it. Less than a second later, Lelouch hatefully opened fire with the slash harken on the Gawain's right finger to tear the Pretender in half.
Suzaku's pupils shrunk the second he saw that. Even Dreadwing was caught off guard. Though Cornelia wasn't as close as everyone else, the screen on her Gloucester had shown her what had happened as her face went pale.
"NOOOO!" Suzaku exclaimed as he shot the Lancelot directly at the Gawain like a predatory bird to kick it down to the ground, shaking Lelouch and C.C. inside. Suzaku's face was filled with pure hate and ire as he aimed his VARIS rifle directly at the Gawain, ready to obliterate it and the pilots inside, "ZERO! YOU'RE FINISHED!"
"DON'T DO IT SUZAKU!"
An ambulance suddenly arrived and came in between the Lancelot and downed Gawain.
"DON'T SHOOT HIM!"
Suzaku's anger vanished as he recognized that voice, "What…? Nunnally…?"
The doors opened as Nunnally was wheeled out of the ambulance with Sayoko guiding her wheelchair, and Shirley also quickly came out before the ambulance transformed to reveal Ratchet.
C.C. also looked in surprise to see them there as well, but none were more shocked, or even terrified than Lelouch as he could not believe his disabled sister was out there as well.
Cornelia even saw this from her Gloucester as well, her own eyes widened like dinner plates as she couldn't believe what she was seeing. However, from her location, nobody would even notice the Gloucester, "N… Nun…. Nunnally…?"
Dreadwing himself transformed as Ratchet stood protectively in front of the three human females as he was more than shocked to see the girl as well. Though he was aware of Nunnally vi Britannia and the relationship she had with Suzaku, he did not expect her to be in the company of a Black Knight girl and an Autobot.
"Suzaku! Don't do it! Lelouch is in there!" Nunnally cried out.
Nobody was prepared for that. Suzaku, Dreadwing, and Cornelia from her unseen point, none of them could believe what they just heard as they saw the cockpit of the Gawain open up to reveal C.C. and also Lelouch, clad in the uniform of Zero as he had an unreadable expression on his face.
Optimus sliced his axe towards the Galahad it blocked the strike with its sword before the Galahad attempted to slice at Optimus, who blocked it with his weapon before the Prime's left hand converted into his Ion cannon to fire at the Galahad as Bismarck pulled back, using the float system to fly into the air while also activating the Blaze Luminous shield to protect himself from the fire.
The Knight of One smirked as this was honestly the most fun, he had ever had in a battle. He honestly hadn't this much excitement since his last duel with Marianne. However, before he could continue to fight…
" Knight of One, retreat," the voice of Charles Zi Britannia, or rather Soundwave mimicking his voice again, contacted him.
"But Your Highness, Optimus Prime is right in front of me! I can finish him right now!" Bismarck protested.
" Another time! Most of the forces in this area have been wiped out, the other Knights are retreating. Fall back and report to Schneizel. I am deferring command to him."
"Understood," Bismarck accepted reluctantly before addressing the Autobot leader, "Optimus Prime, we'll have to resume our duel for later."
The Galahad flew away, leaving Optimus alone as he put his axe away.
" Optimus, the Britannian forces have begun to retreat and most of the Decepticons have been neutralized," Fixit contacted his leader, "However, Ratchet has left the Ark, along with Sayoko, Shirley, and Nunnally. They are with Lelouch and C.C., along with Suzaku and Dreadwing."
Suzaku had to exit the Lancelot just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Not only did he see Nunnally and Sayoko in the middle of this madness, along with an Autobot, and even Shirley in a Black Knight uniform, but clad in the attire of the masked revolutionary named Zero, was the person he considered his friend, Lelouch vi Britannia, or rather Lelouch Lamperouge, with C.C. right by his side. Dreadwing wasn't as emotionally shocked as Suzaku, but he did not expect the masked Zero to be a prince of Britannia.
From her point, Cornelia looked in clear emotional shock through her Gloucester's screen as she saw the face of her half-brother in the attire of her enemy. Was Lelouch Zero all this time?! And why was Nunnally here too?!
"Le… Lelouch…?" Suzaku stuttered.
"Hello, Suzaku," he acknowledged before he turned to his sister and the other two young women, "What in the world are you all doing out here?! Nunnally, you are supposed to be in the Ark!"
"Lelouch… I couldn't just sit by while you, Suzaku, and everyone else were out here!" Nunnally exclaimed.
"We asked Ratchet to bring us here," Shirley said.
"What?!" Lelouch fixed his glare up to the Autobot medic who looked with some form of shame.
"Don't blame him, my lord," Sayoko told Lelouch, "We convinced him to take us. He even tried to stop us."
However, before Lelouch could say anything else, Suzaku voiced his jumbled and chaotic thoughts aloud, "Why… Shirley… you're a Black Knight?! First Kallen, then Rai, now you !?"
Shirley looked down in partial shame before Suzaku gave a hateful glare at Lelouch.
"What did you do?! What did you do to bring them into this madness!"
"He's been trying to protect us, Suzaku!" Nunnally tried to tell him. "Everything Lelouch and Optimus have been doing is to help people!"
"Help…. HELP!?" Suzaku exclaimed in anger, "Nunnally, how can you say that after everything that's going on right now!"
"We had nothing to do with this!" Lelouch exclaimed, "This was not our doing!"
"YOU KILLED EUPHIE!" Suzaku was ready to pull out his pistol and shoot him right then and there.
"THAT IS NOT EUPHEMIA!" Lelouch shouted back as he pointed behind Suzaku.
The Honorary Britannian turned around to see something that made him gasp in horror.
It looked as if Euphemia had been torn in half, but a closer look indicated that it was not Euphemia, but rather a machine that looked like her. Metallic parts were scattered everywhere, as opposed to vital organs, and in the absence of blood, there was Energon.
"I knew it!" Dreadwing stated. Though he did not expect something like this, he knew that the real Euphemia could never have been responsible for such chaos, "She would never let anything like that happen!"
"Glad to see one of you has a sense of reason," Ratchet commended.
Cornelia could also see it. Her screen zoomed in to see that it was not truly her younger sister that had been torn apart, but a machine. "What…?"
Suzaku slowly walked toward the destroyed Pretender that bore the face of someone he respected, maybe even loved. He fell on his knees as he, with shaky hands, reached out to hold the face of the Pretender, his Knight attire already covered in blue stains of spilled Energon, his face and eyes shaking as an emotional storm raged deep inside him.
"It's… a robot…?" Shirley looked in surprise.
"It would seem so," Ratchet confirmed, "Much like with Makeshift."
"It was Megatron," Lelouch stated, causing Dreadwing to look at the young revolutionary with a shocked expression. His fists clenched underneath his robe, "He set this all up! And he used her face to do it!"
"But… Lelouch… where's the real Euphie…?" Nunnally asked, a feeling of sick worry for her elder half-sister forming inside her.
"I don't know…." Lelouch confessed, feeling just as worried for her if not more so.
Cornelia clenched the controls of her Knightmare as she heard every word that was spoken. Megatron replaced her sister! Used her to start a massacre! With rage and hatred swelling inside her, she pulled on the controls of her Gloucester and left the area with only one thing in mind: revenge.
Dreadwing continued to stare down at Suzaku, who continued to hold the remains of the Pretender-Euphie in his arms. The more he thought about it, the more he knew that Megatron was the only one responsible for this.
"Did he do it?" Dreadwing spoke to Ratchet in particular, "Did Megatron… doom our planet? Did he poison Cybertron with the Blood of Unicron?"
"Yes, he did," Ratchet confirmed, "And Optimus did everything he could to save it, but… not even he could undo the damage Megatron did."
That was it. That was the same thing Euphemia had also told him, and the more he considered the idea of Megatron poisoning the planet's core, the more he realized that something like this would be child's play for the Decepticon leader. But that did little to deter the fury that had grown exponentially within him, up to the point that he yelled straight into the sky in a state of pure ire. Euphemia was someone he truly respected and considered a friend! How dare Megatron do this to her?! Dreadwing then made a silent vow that if his former leader did anything to Euphie—if she was no longer alive—he would kill Megatron without a moment of hesitation!
Suzaku, however, appeared to be in a state of mental instability as he tried to put all his jumbled and emotional thoughts together.
'I allowed myself to be deceived by Megatron…. It was a mistake to join him…! It was a mistake to even listen to a word he said…! This rebellion and all this violence is wrong, or is that just what I wanted to believe…?! But… then that means… No! I can't…. they can't be right about all of this! If they were right… and I was wrong… No! I can't be wrong! I just can't be!'
"This is your fault!" Suzaku turned toward Lelouch as Nunnally, Ratchet, Sayoko, and Shirley looked in shock over what he had just said, even Dreadwing did not expect that. C.C. glared at Suzaku while Lelouch simply let Suzaku continue, "If you and the Autobots hadn't fought Britannia, then the Decepticons wouldn't have gotten involved, and none of this would be happening!"
"This wasn't his fault, Suzaku!" Shirley quickly ran to him, "He didn't ask Megatron to replace Euphemia! Megatron is the bad guy, not him!"
Suzaku didn't appear to be listening as he simply pushed Shirley out of his way and glared even harder at Lelouch, "Why didn't you just work with Britannia?! Why did you have to fight them?!"
"Suzaku…!" Nunnally was about to talk to him, but when Suzaku turned with a glare toward her, Sayoko and C.C. were quick to stand in front of the disabled girl if he tried anything.
"That's not why you're upset," Lelouch began as Suzaku turned his glare back to him, "You're not mad at me, or any of them, you're mad at yourself for not protecting Euphie. But I shouldn't be surprised, considering that's how you've always been."
"What?!" Suzaku exclaimed in anger.
"This is what you've always done from the beginning Suzaku! Ever since I met you again in Shinjuku!" Lelouch stated, his voice slowly rising, "You always look for someone or something else to blame for what happened! It's so much easier to blame someone else than yourself, isn't it?! But I don't expect anything less from someone who's already given up! That's all you've ever done, Suzaku! You've given up! You gave up on your father! You gave up on Japan! You gave up on your friends! You even gave up on me, Nunnally , and Euphemia! You gave up on everything and everyone! The only thing you've ever wanted was to die so you wouldn't have to live with the guilt that you've tried to ignore all these years because you felt it was the easiest thing to do!"
Suzaku didn't expect Lelouch to say all that, and he tried his best to find a retort.
"No… no… you're wrong! I don't have to listen to a damn thing you say!" he yelled, "You don't understand! YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND!"
"Oh, I think I do!" Lelouch exclaimed as he grabbed Suzaku by the collar and pulled him close to his anger-filled face, "You want to know why the Autobots and Black Knights all fight?! It's because of horrors and atrocities just like this!"
Lelouch gestured to the ruins of the warzone, as well as all the dead bodies around them before he pressed Suzaku against the right leg of the Lancelot.
"The Decepticons turned their planet into a lifeless husk! Britannia destroyed entire nations and subjugated them to slavery! Look around you, Suzaku! Megatron started a massacre and used Euphemia's face to do it! The Britannians didn't even hesitate to jump on the bandwagon and join the slaughter! That's why we've been fighting! Those people… Those monsters… Megatron… my father…. THEY ARE PURE EVIL! And you would sooner subjugate countless people to that evil and kill yourself so that you don't have to bear the responsibility! You would rather end your own life than admit you were wrong!"
"Lelouch…" Nunnally tried to say something, but Sayoko put a hand on her shoulder, giving her the silent message to let her brother continue.
Shirley cast a glance at C.C. as well as Ratchet as they both thought the same thing. Even Dreadwing chose to remain silent as a part of him agreed with what Lelouch had just said, some of it even applied to himself as well.
"But… I… that's not…" Suzaku stuttered, but Lelouch wasn't done yet.
"And now… even after all that… you're still blaming others?! Just because you've made mistakes that you don't think you can fix, that doesn't permit you to run away and lock yourself in the darkness, pretending ignorant of all the people that you helped to hurt! Are you going to take that attitude with Euphie?! Britannia is probably going to use her image as propaganda to further their cause! Are you going to just sit there and let that happen?! If you're her knight, you should be doing everything to save her! And if you can't save her life, then save her name! See to it that the world doesn't view her as a murderer! That's what I'm going to do! But what about you?! Maybe you made mistakes, and maybe some people won't forgive you for them, but you still have to stand your ground without making excuses for yourself! You owe that to everyone who was hurt because of you!"
Suzaku looked at Lelouch, almost as if he was speaking a foreign language. Yet at the same time, every word made perfect sense. His mind was such a contradiction that he wasn't sure how to respond, but his current emotional state had him leaning a bit toward his darker side.
"Wha… why…? Why are always doing this…?! Ever since that night… You've always tried to get me to change my mind! Why?! Why can't you just let me be? WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME DIE!?" Suzaku practically screamed as he punched Lelouch in the face.
Nunnally and Shirley gave audible gasps once they heard what Suzaku just said. Sayoko and C.C. both looked ready to attack Suzaku at a moment's notice, but Lelouch held out his hand to get them to stop as he didn't budge an inch, despite Suzaku's fist making contact with his face. Ratchet and Dreadwing both said nothing, but looked with tense expressions, wondering just how Lelouch would respond to what Suzaku told him.
"Because I'm the same as you, Suzaku. I've been dead before. ever since I was a kid, I've been dead inside, just going through the motions of life. And I've made mistakes too. Some of those mistakes ended up hurting people that I've cared about."
He cast a glance towards Shirley in particular before giving his attention to Suzaku.
"But despite everything that's happened… I had people come into my life, wanting nothing more but to help me. Even after the mistakes I've made, they never gave up on me. Optimus never gave up on me, and neither did Nunnally, even after learning I was Zero. And because of that…"
Lelouch grabbed the wrist of the hand that Suzaku punched him with and lowered it away from his face.
"…I won't give up on you either!"
Never once, in a thousand years, did Suzaku honestly expect Lelouch to say something like that.
"You've made mistakes, and I've seen multiple times, just how close you were to falling into darkness. But I won't let you do that. I won't you fall! Do you want to know why?! Because you're my friend, Suzaku!"
That earned an honest gasp from the Japanese youth.
"You're my friend… the first I ever had… and I don't want to lose you. Please… let me help you! I want to help you!"
Lelouch let him go as Suzaku stumbled back, his mind trying to process everything that Lelouch had just told him.
Before anyone could say anything else, however, the vehicle mode of Optimus quickly made its way to the group before he transformed and walked forward. He looked towards Ratchet the instant he saw Shirley, Sayoko, and especially Nunnally out in the open like this.
"I assume full responsibility for this," Ratchet told his leader and friend, "I came here to provide my protection for them."
"Only because we insisted! This was our idea, Optimus. Nunnally and I wanted to come here because of… well…" Shirley gestured to Suzaku who had fallen on his hands and knees.
Optimus, though disappointed, did understand their reasoning.
"We will discuss this later," he told them before acknowledging Dreadwing's presence.
Suzaku almost didn't even notice Optimus' arrival as so many conflicted thoughts continued to jumble around his head. Despite everything he did, everything bad thing Suzaku had done, Lelouch called him his friend and wanted to help him. He almost couldn't believe it. His eyes closed so tightly, it looked like his eyelids might tear as his breathing became ragged. However, he soon felt a gentle touch on his cheek, one he knew all too well, as he looked up in minor surprise to see the smiling Nunnally, with Sayoko in her wheelchair.
"Do you remember what I said seven years ago, Suzaku?" Nunnally asked, "How a warm touch is good for tears?"
"But… I'm not crying…" Suzaku stuttered, oblivious to the fact that his eyes were already beginning to water.
"I know… you've done many bad things Suzaku…But you are not a bad person. Megatron is the real monster. He tried to make you into something you're not. He twisted your heart, mind, and soul so much that it makes me cry just thinking about what he tried to do to you. But, I know you can be something better. Big brother wants to help you, Optimus wants to help you, Shirley wants to help you, I want to help you. Let us help you… let us help put your wings back together so you can be the angel you were before."
That was it, that was what made the dam break as tears fell down Suzaku's eyes and he openly cried, burying his face into Nunnally's shoulder as she pulled him into an embrace with a warm smile, tears of joy of her own as she stroked his back for comfort. Even Lelouch and Shirley walked up as they each put their hands on his shoulders.
C.C. gave something of an impressed smirk, not that she was happy about Suzaku, but more so proud of how Lelouch and Nunnally were able to pull their friend out of their darkness. She shared a smile with Sayoko who seemed equally proud of him. Optimus and Ratchet shared proud smiles of their own before looking toward Dreadwing who maintained a calm expression, one that carried neither anger nor happiness.
The moment was soon interrupted by the arrival of the remaining Autobots, as well as the Knightmares piloted by Kallen, Rai, Tohdoh, and Ohgi. They all pointed their weapons at Dreadwing the moment they saw him.
"Drop your weapon, Con!" Bulkhead exclaimed as he primed his Energon blaster.
"Hands where we can see them!" Kallen also stated as the Guren's Surger Claw was pointed to the back of Dreadwing's head.
Rai however quickly noticed the presence of two certain girls.
"What the…?! Nunnally?! Shirley?!" he got out of his Gekka's cockpit. "What the hell are you two doing out here?!"
"It's okay, Rai," Lelouch told him, "Everything's fine."
Tohdoh also noticed Suzaku's presence but based on how he was still with Nunnally, it looked like he wasn't about to cause any trouble.
He then turned his attention toward the Prime, "Optimus. All enemy forces have either been destroyed or retreated. The Black Knights are working to tend to the wounded as Fixit is opening Groundbridges to the Ark."
"Understood," Optimus nodded in acknowledgment.
Everyone turned their attention toward Dreadwing as most couldn't contain their looks of surprise.
"What?" Ohgi questioned in anger.
"Nice try, Dread-boy," Wheeljack glared.
"It's no trick," the Seeker stated as he walked toward Optimus, all the Autobots and Black Knights keeping their weapons primed on him.
"Don't take one step closer," Arcee warned.
"Stand down," Ratchet told everyone present as Dreadwing faced the leader of the Autobots.
"I wish the join the Autobots. I can no longer be part of the Decepticon cause, now that I understand its true colors. I was only a fool to ever think otherwise."
"Finally figured that out, huh?" Cliffjumper commented.
"I understand that my actions will not allow many of you to trust me. But I cannot and will not allow any of this slaughter to continue. So please."
He bowed his head to Optimus, "Let me help you in stopping this madness."
Optimus could tell that Dreadwing was sincere, and he was right about not everyone trusting him right away. However, he did trust him and knew that if Dreadwing said he wished to help them, he meant it.
"Very well," Optimus accepted.
Though most of the Autobots and Black Knights were reluctant, they lowered their weapons, deciding to trust their leader's judgment.
Lelouch even nodded in acceptance, knowing they could use Dreadwing's help. But he still had one other thing to attend to. He looked toward the man he called his friend as Shirley and Nunnally helped him to stand on his two feet.
"Well Suzaku, what are you going to do?" Lelouch asked as Suzaku turned his attention toward the young prince turned revolutionary, "If you come with us, you'll undoubtedly face some resentment from those in our group, but right now, these people need all the help they can get. The Decepticons and Britannia are not going to stop with just the Special Zone. The people of Japan see you as a ray of hope, just as they see me, the Autobots, and the Black Knights, as their saviors. And with everything that just happened, they need all the hope we can give them. But if you can't find it within yourself to join us… I understand. It's your choice."
Everyone, Bot and human, looked at Suzaku with mixed expressions. Though Lelouch, Shirley, Nunnally, and even Optimus had hopeful expressions Suzaku would make the right choice. Kallen, Ironhide, and Arcee were among those who were doubtful. Bumblebee, Ratchet, Wheeljack, Ohgi, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, C.C., and Sayoko had more neutral expressions than anything else. Tohdoh, Dreadwing, and Rai, however, despite the apparent stoic expressions on all their faces, there was something inside them that was praying for Suzaku to do the right thing.
Suzaku reached into his pocket to pull out the Decepticon pin that he still had for some reason. Why he still carried that, not even he knew. But the second he looked at it, his face twisted in disgust and anger, now that he knew what the Decepticons truly were… now that he knew Megatron for the monster that he is. He clenched the pin in his hands before turning around and throwing it away as hard as he could.
"I'm in."
Chapter 33: Setting the Stage
Chapter Text
A trio of Vehicons causally walked through the ruined street around the area of the stadium where the massacre of the Special Administrative Zone had taken place. The three Vehicons didn't do much save for occasionally blowing away any pieces of rubble for the same amusement.
"Man, looks like all the humans cleared out. Kinda sucks," one Vehicon commented.
"And we were having so much fun too," the second Vehicon remarked, "'til those Black Knight guys come in and ruin it."
"Hey, shouldn't we have gone back to the Nemesis?" the third Vehicon asked, "Lord Megatron did order us."
"Eh, we got time," the first Vehicon shrugged, "Let's just make sure there aren't humans left. I really wanna…"
Suddenly, all three of them were pelted with a hailstorm of bullets. Though the bullets did only minor damage to their outer shells, it was enough to catch them off guard as a certain Gloucester shot forward at the group, jamming its lance into the chest of the Vehicon in the middle and driving him into a building before it pulled back and fired its slash harkens at the sides of the building, causing it to collapse onto the Vehicon, killing it.
"What the scrap...?!" the second Vehicon exclaimed as he and his partner pointed their Energon blasters at the Knightmare.
"That's Cornelia!" the third Vehicon shouted as they opened fire on the charging Knightmare.
Inside the Gloucester, Cornelia's expression could only be described as something like that of a cornered animal mixed with unbridled rage, with only a single thought on her mind that surged through her being like a raging fire.
"BRING ME MEGATRON!"
The Nemesis – The Bridge
Soundwave displayed all the civil unrest that was forming all over the nation as a result of the massacre they had just orchestrated. Needless to say, many of the Decepticons present were quite pleased.
"Well, that was certainly a show," Starscream snickered, "Who would have thought Euphemia could be useful to us? Let us hope Airachnid can express are sheer gratitude for her 'support' to the Decepticon cause."
Skywarp laughed, "Oh, what I wouldn't give to see the look on her face right now. Not every day your life's work is utterly ruined!"
Knock Out, didn't appear to share his comrades' jubilation, "It was a bit… more excessive than I would have liked."
"What? You're feeling sorry for all those meat bags, Knock Out?" Breakdown questioned.
"Well, not really," Knock Out replied, "But, I would have preferred a more...subtle way."
"I would have preferred that, too," Thundercracker confessed, "But, at the same time, this will cause a huge uproar, which only serves to benefit us."
"By the way, how are Kururugi and Dreadwing gonna take this? Where are they anyway?" Skywarp asked.
"Soundwave has been unable to trace their signals," Megatron spoke as he walked to address his soldiers, "Meaning they are likely within the confines of the shielded Autobot base, probably having defected."
"Well, it was to be expected," Starscream didn't seem the least bit upset, if anything, he looked thrilled, "Actually, this is great! It means we can finally get rid of those annoyances, especially Kururugi! That boy grated on my nerves!"
"So, does that mean we won't be able to work with the Lancelot anymore?" Knock Out asked.
"Probably not," Thundercracker assumed.
"Oh, that's too bad. I adore that thing," Knock Out replied.
"Acceptable losses," Megatron dismissed, "But now…"
" Lord Megatron!"
He looked in minor surprise, as did the other Decepticons present, as he was contacted on an emergency line.
"Cornelia's on a rampage! She's attacking… AAAH!"
His scream was cut off before it went to static.
"Did he just say, Cornelia?" Skywarp asked.
"You don't think she figured us out, do you?" Knock Out also asked.
The Seeker commander growled, "If that wretch discovered our plot, she could tell the rest of Britannia, and possibly thwart our plan!"
Breakdown already readied his hammer, "I could go down there and make sure she doesn't tell anyone… ever."
"That won't be necessary, Breakdown," Megatron told him as he looked rather amused, "I will deal with Cornelia myself."
"Lloyd!" Cecile ran toward her boss with a phone in her hand, the man in the hangar of the Avalon where the Lancelot would normally be stored, but it was missing, as was its pilot, "I just got a message from Suzaku!"
"Oh? And just where is our boy?" Lloyd asked casually as Cecile played the message on her phone.
" Lloyd, Ms. Cecile, it's Suzaku. I trust you saw what happened at the Special Zone? That thing you saw … that thing that looked like Princess Euphemia … it was not Euphie!"
Cecile and even Lloyd looked in surprise at that revelation, as well as they could hear the anger in Suzaku's voice.
"It was fake! Some sort of robot that the Decepticons used to start a massacre!"
"What?!" Cecile exclaimed in clear shock.
' An android? Who would have thought the Cons would have that up their sleeves?' Lloyd thought as they continued to listen.
" Listen carefully, I'm not coming back to Britannia. Dreadwing and I are going to work with the Autobots and the Black Knights, and I'm taking the Lancelot with me."
Now it was Lloyd's turn to react, "What?! My precious Lancelot?!"
The message continued to play as it sounded like Suzaku was starting to sound sincere.
" I know that this might end up making me a traitor, so I might never see you two again. So, let me just say … thank you. I'm an Eleven, and you two have always treated me with respect, giving me chances and opportunities to try and help me with my goal. Thank you both for everything and please be careful, the Decepticons are planning something. And I hope you two don't get caught in the middle. Thank you, and goodbye. This is Major Kururugi, officially resigning from the Britannian military."
The message came to an end as Lloyd and Cecile looked at each other, almost like their minds were just trying to process what had just happened.
"Well… I didn't see that coming," Lloyd voiced aloud.
However, Cecile's expression turned from shock into determination. She then proceeded to walk out of the hangar.
"And just where are you going?" Lloyd asked her.
"I'm going to help Suzaku!"
Suzaku and Dreadwing stood on the bridge of the Ark, the base for the Autobots and the Black Knights, and they weren't the only ones. As Suzaku stood in the living quarters of the bridge, Lelouch, still clad in his Zero outfit, along with Kallen, Nunnally, Sayoko, C.C., Rai, Tohdoh, Shirley, Kaguya, Ohgi, and Fixit all stood around him. Around Dreadwing stood the full roster of Autobots consisting of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Ratchet, Ironhide, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, and Wheeljack. Though Lelouch and Optimus had sanctioned the presence of Suzaku and Dreadwing, there were those among them who did not approve.
"Optimus… Lelouch… look I'm sorry but… I… I don't know what to think about all this," Ohgi confessed, "I know you've talked about bringing Suzaku here, but… a Decepticon too?!"
"That's right!" Kallen exclaimed, "Especially after what they just pulled!"
"I had absolutely nothing to do with that!" Dreadwing stated, "I would never have condoned a massacre!"
"I believe him," Ironhide said in a more reluctant tone, much to most of the group's shock, "He may be a Con, but Dreadwing ain't a monster. I've seen him enough on Cybertron to know that much."
"How do we know they can't track us?" Arcee questioned, "How do we know Megatron didn't put some kind of tracker into the Lancelot and we just showed him where our base is!"
"She's kinda got a point," Cliffjumper seemed to agree, "Even if these two are honest about working with us, Buckethead could have planted something behind their backs."
"That is why we left the Lancelot to Rakshata to look over," Lelouch said calmly, "Just to make sure Megatron didn't leave any surprises for us."
"I understand why you all feel skeptical, especially with Suzaku, given each of their past actions," Optimus began.
"That's an understatement," Bulkhead stated.
"But the fact that they have chosen here to come willingly, despite their refusals in the past, that alone speaks volumes," Optimus continued.
"No offense, boss-man, but I think I speak for pretty much every Bot or BK in this ship that we need a bit more than sentiment," Wheeljack put in.
"Guys wait!" Shirley tried to step up, "I know they've done bad things but… maybe if we give them a chance…"
"A chance to stab us in the back?!" Ratchet interrupted, "I know Dreadwing wouldn't, but Suzaku… who was willing to kill his father… that is another story!"
Suzaku winced at that particular comment, though he knew he couldn't blame them for that, as he still hasn't fully accepted it yet. Dreadwing had similar feelings and wanted to express his own words in Suzaku's defense. Even Nunnally wanted to speak up as well, but Rai already did.
"I gotta go with them on this, too. Lelouch, Optimus, I'm sorry. I want to trust them but… how do we know Suzaku won't stab us in the back at the first chance he gets? Same with Dreadwing. I know you guys said it's not in his character or whatever, but we need proof… I need proof that they can be trusted."
Lelouch shared a glance with Bumblebee and Optimus, hoping they would have something to say. Though all three understood why their friends and comrades were skeptical, he especially wanted them to trust Suzaku as he could tell that he wanted to change, but he knew they were right, they needed more than words. Likewise, Nunnally, Shirley, and even Kaguya wanted to believe it as well, but for everyone else, they needed hardcore evidence that they could trust.
Tohdoh walked forward as he faced his former student, who had trouble looking him in the eye, "The truth, Suzaku. You were asked before to join us, but you've turned us down. Why is this different? Why choose to join us now?"
Suzaku clenched his fists as he spoke honestly, "I won't take part in the massacres of innocent people! That's not why I became a soldier."
"Then why did you become a soldier?" Kallen questioned skeptically.
"I… honestly don't know anymore," the ex-Britannian soldier replied, "But whatever it was, I know it's not what the Decepticons or Britannia want. Euphemia wanted to help all of you! She was sincere and serious in her intent to end the fighting, to try and forge peace! And how was she repaid?! She was replaced with an imposter in her likeness who shot and killed so many people! And the Decepticons… and Britannian soldiers… just went along with it! Like it was what they wanted all along! But that's not me! That's not what I want!"
Suzaku shouted as everyone, Autobot and human, even C.C. and Dreadwing, all paid attention to what Suzaku had to say next, "Look, you don't have to like me… to like us …But you have to believe me. I might have killed before, but I will not kill innocent people and I will not be part of any cause that allows that!"
"Nor will I," Dreadwing spoke up, "A shadow of disgrace has been cast upon the Decepticons, or perhaps it was always there and I had just remained blind to it. But no longer… Suzaku and I understand why you do not trust us, but we can and will help! However, if you cannot take our word alone…"
The ex-Decepticon then spoke to the Autobot leader, "Optimus, have any of your soldiers served in Praxus' law enforcement?"
Optimus was somewhat perplexed by that question, as were many other Autobots.
"What's Praxus?" Nunnally asked as most of the humans seemed rather lost, including Lelouch.
"Not what, where," Cliffjumper answered, "It was a city on Cybertron. Used to be a nice place… till before the war when it became a 'wretched hive of scum and villainy'."
"I served in Praxus' law enforcement," Fixit rolled up, "I helped to manage a prison block."
Dreadwing then directed his attention to the Mini-Con, "Then I trust you're familiar with the Core Override protocol?"
Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet looked especially shocked at that, while the other Autobots and Black Knights were even more confused, though none were more surprised than Fixit.
"Yes… why?"
"I will submit to one," Dreadwing said, causing Fixit to gasp audibly.
"Um… wanna fill the rest of us in?" Bulkhead asked, "What the scrap is a Core Override?"
"It was a dark chapter in Praxus history," the Autobot veteran explained, "A little bit before the war started, gangs and crime syndicates practically ran the city, and there weren't enough cops to keep it under control."
"As a deterrent, the city council authorized the use of Core Override implants to try and restore order," Ratchet also explained, "It was one of many things that myself, Optimus, Ironhide, and others tried to stop."
"So, what do these implant things do?" Kallen asked.
"They… allow us to… remotely trigger… brain detonation," Fixit stuttered, much to the clear shock or even horror of most of the people and bots present, even C.C. and Tohdoh were somewhat caught off guard.
"Blow up his brain module?!" Arcee exclaimed.
"You wanna put a bomb in his brain!?" Shirley practically screamed.
"Yes," Dreadwing said firmly, "You can exterminate me at the first sign of deception. This way you don't have to trust me, you can just kill me."
' And I thought Bulkhead's brain being erased with that Data Cylinder was crazy…!' Rai thought, still not over his shock.
"That's a bit on the extreme side… don't you think…?" Ohgi did not feel comfortable at all with it.
"How come we've never heard of it before?" Wheeljack questioned.
"When the war began, Praxus' city council tried to erase all the data regarding the Core Override for fear of the Decepticons using this method to force Autobot prisoners of war to fight for them," Optimus answered.
"Dreadwing…" Suzaku tried to protest.
"It's alright, Suzaku," the former Seeker assured, "It is necessary to gain their trust."
"Hold on, can we even do it?" Lelouch questioned, "Fixit, have you even performed the procedure?"
"No… I haven't…" Fixit replied in a small stutter.
"I can do it," Ratchet said, getting everyone's attention, "As Optimus said, the Praxus city council did not wish for the Core Override protocol to fall into the Decepticons' hands, but I learned of the procedure for the worst-case scenario, this way I could remove the implants."
He looked down in partial shame, "I just never thought I'd be doing the opposite."
"How long would it take?" Lelouch asked.
"Not long. It would be a quick procedure," Ratchet answered.
"Lelouch…" Nunnally tried to say something in protest.
"I don't like it," Lelouch told his sister, "But we're short on time. Tactically speaking… it's the right move."
Even Optimus seemed to agree.
"Proceed," he nodded to Ratchet before turning to the former Decepticon, "Do not force us to use this option, Dreadwing."
"I won't," Dreadwing assured.
Suzaku clenched his fists again as he stepped up, "Do it for me, too!"
That took everyone by surprise, especially Lelouch, Nunnally, Shirley, and Kaguya.
"Suzaku you can't be serious!" Lelouch tried to stop him, "We don't even have the means to do it with a human!"
"No, but you can probably put a bomb in the Lancelot, right?" Suzaku asked, "It wouldn't take long, and you'd be able to kill me if it looked like I was about to try something. If Dreadwing is going through this same kind of process, then I should too."
Dreadwing himself was about to protest, but Kallen beat him to it.
"Oh no no no! You're not getting off that easy!" Kallen pulled him by the shoulder so he could look her in the eye, "Dreadwing is one thing, but you…how do we know you won't fly off on your own and give us the chance to blow you up?! Sorry, but we are not gonna help you with your death wish! If you wanna help us, you're gonna live through it, whether you like it or not! You're not taking the easy way out Suzaku! Not on my watch!"
Before Suzaku could even offer a response, Kaguya also stepped up.
"She's right Suzaku. If you want to atone, you're going to have to work to it. If you die now, you're only running away from your problems again. But not anymore, starting now, you are going set things right," she then looked to the Black Knights and Autobots, "How about instead of a bomb, we put a tracker in the Lancelot? Something that we can use to track it and make sure Suzaku can't run away. Is that enough to at least convince you all that he'll help us?"
The other Autobots and Black Knights looked amongst themselves before they each seemed to agree.
"Seems fine with me," Cliffjumper spoke for pretty much everyone.
"Alright then," Lelouch spoke, "Ratchet, you work with Dreadwing."
He then began to address everyone else, "Contact Rakshata and tell her to put a tracking device into the Lancelot. Also, tell Diethard to get to the bridge."
"Why him?" Arcee asked.
The Autobot commander seemed to understand Lelouch's intent, "You intend to clear Euphemia's name."
"Yes," Lelouch confirmed, much to the subtle joy of Suzaku and Nunnally, "I won't have Britannia and the Decepticons drag her through the mud. More importantly, we're going to reveal the Decepticons and their true nature to the world. They will not hide in the shadows anymore! It's time to drag them out into the light!"
A single Groundbridge opened onto the street near the SAZ as Megatron himself stepped out to survey the damage done to the area as the portal closed behind him. He silently gave the Britannians and his own soldiers credit for trying to be thorough. Honestly, if the Black Knights and Autobots hadn't been there, casualties would have been extensive. But it didn't matter now. The damage was done, all according to plan.
His thoughts were interrupted when a severed Vehicon head rolled toward his feet and he turned his attention to an approaching Gloucester.
"Megatron!" its pilot exclaimed in rage through the speakers.
"Cornelia," the Decepticon leader acknowledged calmly, "Is there a problem?"
Cornelia gritted her teeth as her eyes surged with rage, "You… you…I've tolerated much from you… but… my sister… that is a step too far!"
Megatron only smirked, "Why is that? If anything, you should be grateful."
"What?!"
"Euphemia was no soldier, no strategist, barely even a politician. I gave her purpose, a way to be useful to Britannia. Senseless slaughter is in your country's nature, after all."
"This is not about Britannia! You hurt my sister! My sister!"
It wasn't just Euphemia. She also knew Zero was Lelouch, and Nunnally was alive. The Decepticons could have killed her brother and left her younger sister in absolute sorrow, but she wouldn't say that aloud in front of Megatron.
"I am going to kill you!"
Megatron looked in amusement as he drew his blade, "Take your shot."
Cornelia roared like a rabid beast as she shot her Gloucester straight toward Megatron, thrusting her Knightmare's lance at him, which he easily blocked and parried with his blade. Right as she shot past him, he quickly delivered a kick to the back of her Knightmare and knocked it down. However, she quickly picked her Knightmare back up and fired her rifle at Megatron, who blocked its ammunition by crossing his arms. It wasn't the same type of magnesium ammunition the Black Knight Knightmares had, so she was doing little more than wasting her ammo. Megatron then returned fire with his fusion cannon. A single shot obliterated the rifle and Gloucester's right arm.
She roared once more as she shot at Megatron again with her Knightmare's lance, but he blocked the strike with his blade before maneuvering around her to deck her Knightmare in the back of its head to knock it down. Before she could even attempt to pick it back up, Megatron had already grabbed it by its foot and flipped it over himself to slam it on its back onto the ground before throwing it away, sending it skidding across the street and crashing into a building.
Despite being filled with anger and hatred, she couldn't help but draw comparisons from this to her duel with Optimus in Saitama. His fighting style was nothing like the Prime's; he was utterly vicious and ruthless, yet at the same time, she could tell he was toying with her. That alone made her blood boil even more as she picked her Knightmare back up and shot at Megatron once more, shooting her slash harkens at him.
However, Megatron easily caught one of her harkens and pulled in her Knightmare for a devastating punch that obliterated the Gloucester's head and sent it crashing back onto the ground, where he lifted and stomped his foot onto her Gloucester's right leg to crush it, before doing the same thing to the left, rendering it completely immobile. But he wasn't quite finished yet. Megatron sliced his blade into the cockpit, to cut it open and expose Cornelia inside.
Despite the utter defeat, her look of ire and rage had not deterred as Megatron kneeled to her with a smirk.
"You know, Cornelia, you would have made a pretty decent gladiator on Cybertron," the former gladiator granted, "However, you are nowhere in the league of its champion. So, what do you believe to be a fitting end for the infamous Goddess of Victory?"
"Do your worst, monster!" Cornelia growled, expecting an execution from him, but she would not grovel before his feet.
Megatron was honestly tempted to use his Dark Geass on her, however, a better idea came to mind, one that caused him to smirk evilly even more.
"If that is what you wish."
Euphemia, still bound in webbing, cried her eyes out, her muffled sobs echoing through the cave she was trapped in. All she wanted was to help those people, to help her brother and Optimus. She wanted to bring the world together and work with those she loved and cared for to create a world where everyone could smile and be happy. Why?! Why did this have to happen!? She knew how horrible the Decepticons were, especially their leader… but she doubted anyone could have seen this coming. Destroying the SAZ and killing all those people was one thing… but an imposter in her image being the one to start it?! That all but broke her heart and crushed her spirit almost completely.
"Now, now, no need for tears," Airachnid taunted as she approached the bound princess, "You did a good service to your empire. I can already see it. Euphemia 'the Massacre Princess' li Britannia… it has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
All Euphie could do was to look away from Airachnid.
However, both were surprised to see a Groundbridge portal open near the entrance of the cave as the Decepticon leader stepped forward, with something, or rather someone, held in his right hand.
"Lord Megatron," Airachnid bowed.
However, once Euphemia saw him, her pupils shrunk in terror as she looked at the being, she could truly consider to be a devil standing before her.
"I have something for you, Airachnid."
Megatron opened his hand to show his newly acquired prisoner: Euphemia's older sister.
Cornelia's attention was caught by a series of muffled screams and yells as she looked in shock to see her younger sister and the state that she was in, "EUPHIE!"
Before she could even act, Cornelia was caught in a stream of webbing shot out by Airachnid, which the She-Con quickly worked to cocoon Cornelia with. In less than a second, Cornelia was in the same state as her sister, strung up in webbing from neck to toe, with more web to cover her mouth as she was hung next to Euphie.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Airachnid mused as she loomed over the royal sisters, Cornelia glaring hatefully at the spider-Con, "Hello Cornelia. I told you I would take good care of Euphie, didn't I?"
Cornelia's only response was a series of muffled curses.
"Cornelia was somehow able to catch on to our little ruse," Megatron explained, "So, I had to silence her to keep Britannia from revolting."
"But surely, the disappearance of the Viceroy of Area 11 in such a state of unrest will give the Britannians cause to be concerned."
"Our newest ally will see to it that is covered. But it doesn't matter at this point. Even if Optimus and Zero find a way to clear Euphemia's name, the damage is already done. Britannian soldiers have attacked and slaughtered countless innocent humans. The planet has seen the empire's true nature. War is now all but inevitable."
Airachnid giggled, "And that's not even the best part."
She then turned to the bound and gagged royal sisters, "What? Do you think we'd start a massacre just for kicks? I mean, I would, but the rest of my friends have other plans … the destruction of Britannia !"
That took Cornelia and Euphie by surprise.
"The world has its eyes set on Area 11," Megatron began, "But the battle that will unfold here is nothing more than a distraction; a red herring, if you will. With this planet focused on the events here in Japan, nobody will even notice a far more gruesome fate for Charles Zi Britannia and all those currently in Pendragon. Britannia has served its purpose, but now the time has come for the Earth to understand who its true masters are!"
Neither Euphemia nor Cornelia could believe it. The Decepticons orchestrated the massacre of the SAZ just to cause a distraction!? All so that they can destroy Pendragon!? What terrified them both the most was how possible it truly was. Euphemia had heard from Optimus just what the Decepticons were capable of, and Cornelia had seen for herself the superior firepower of the Decepticons as well. They really could do it. They could destroy the Holy Empire of Britannia.
"And the best part? We have a front-row seat," the spider-Con said as she revealed two large screens on the cavern wall.
One had shown the current state of Area 11, which could only be described as absolute chaos. The other showed the state of Pendragon, which appeared completely normal, but not for long.
"What should I do with these two, Lord Megatron?"
"Keep them alive for now," Megatron instructed, "In the event our enemies discover our true intentions, they could make potential bargaining chips. However, should that not happen, and our plans accomplished… they will be all yours to do as you see fit."
That only excited Airachnid even more, "You are too gracious, my liege."
Megatron nodded in acknowledgment before contacting the Nemesis, "Soundwave, send a Groundbridge."
Right as that command was given, a Groundbridge portal had opened up, allowing Megatron to step in, right before it closed, leaving the spider-Con alone with her two captives.
Airachnid taunted as she crawled up on the ceiling and loomed over the terrified Euphemia and glaring Cornelia, "Well, guess it's just us, girls, It's rather ironic, isn't it? Being helpless and watching everything you've built, and the nation you call home, be torn asunder. I seem to recall your Empire putting the rest of this world through that same thing. So, let me ask you. How does that feel? Does it hurt?"
Euphemia continued to cry, and Cornelia tried to glare even harder, doing her best to hide the clear fear she was having for her younger sister.
"But trust me, that pain won't compare to what I have planned for you two… I'll make certain of that."
"You still can't get into contact with Viceroy Cornelia?!" Guilford exclaimed as he stood in the G1 Base along with General Bartley, and the other Britannian officers present.
"No, my lord," one officer reported, "She shut off her communications as well as her tracking. We can't find her."
"What is she thinking?!" Bartley exclaimed, "That entire ceremony was broadcast nationwide. Hell, it was all over the world! Everyone saw what Princess Euphemia had done…"
"That could not have been Princess Euphemia!" Guilford exclaimed, "She never held a weapon in her life! For her to start a massacre… it's impossible!"
"We all saw it, Lord Guilford!" General Bartley argued, "There is no denying what we saw with our own eyes!"
"Have you been able to contact Princess Euphemia?!" Guilford yelled to the officers, "What about General Darlton!?"
"General Darlton has reported in and is currently with the Knights of the Round," an officer reported, "But we have not seen Princess Euphemia. We are unable to contact her."
"What of Major Kururugi?! Or even Dreadwing?!" Guilford exclaimed.
"Dreadwing and Suzaku are no longer on our side."
Everyone turned around in surprise to see the Second Prince of Britannia enter the G1 base, and most of them, excluding Guilford, all stood straight in attendance.
"Prince Schneizel!" Bartley acknowledged.
"Your Highness, what do you mean they're not on our side?" Guilford asked.
"It is with grief that I must report that Suzaku Kururugi and Dreadwing have defected to the Black Knights and the Autobots," Schneizel answered, much to everyone's surprise, "In addition, it would seem Cornelia has been captured by the enemy."
"What?!" Guilford practically screamed.
But, Schneizel knew that last part was a lie. Megatron had already contacted him and informed him that he had personally captured Cornelia after her attempt on his life and imprisoned her along with Euphemia. He'd be lying to say that he didn't expect that. He knew how much Cornelia loved Euphie, so her overly emotional reaction was totally expected, and now, it was his turn.
"Of course, Kururugi would join Zero and those metallic abominations," Bartley stated, "Once an Eleven, always an Eleven."
"Your Highness, are you certain of this?" Guilford wanted to make sure, "And what of Princess Euphemia?"
"Concerning Kururugi, Dreadwing, and Cornelia, I am certain. However, I do not know of Euphemia's whereabouts. Because of that, I am now assuming command of Area 11, effective immediately."
"But your highness…" Guilford tried to say something, but Schneizel raised his hand as he spoke calmly.
"Lord Guilford, please try to understand the current situation. Virtually all of Area 11 is in a state of chaos, and it is missing both its Viceroy and Sub-Viceroy. It needs a leader to try and re-establish order. But once that is done, we will try to find them, I promise. However, first, we must…"
Before he could continue, his as well as everyone else's attention was caught by the static that appeared on the main screen. They could even attempt to clear it out, but the static cleared to show the image of Zero and Optimus Prime standing together in a foreign location.
Standing by the side of Optimus were most of the Autobots: Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Ironhide. Standing beside Zero were a group of individuals including Ohgi, Tohdoh, Katase, Kaguya, Kirihara, and the other heads of Kyoto; even Suzaku was present, standing right next to Zero himself.
It was not just seen from the G1 base either. Virtually every digital screen in the entire country, from home televisions, laptops, smartphones, and even jumbotrons throughout the settlement, was showing this live broadcast. Essentially, every single living person in Area 11 was now watching.
And it wasn't just Japan. All the other nations of the world were watching as well, including the other superpowers such as the Chinese Federation and even the E.U.
" Attention, people of the planet Earth…!" Zero began to announce.
The Ark
"…You have all been deceived!"
Zero stood on the catwalk of the bridge, alongside his gathered human allies, with the Autobots standing present as well (excluding Ratchet and Fixit, who were in the medical bay working to install the Core Override implants into Dreadwing). Gathered below were virtually every Black Knight they had recruited, along with a vast number of Japanese citizens they've rescued from the SAZ who weren't receiving medical treatment at least. This included the Four Holy Swords, Tamaki, Kallen, Rai, Inoue, Sugiyama, Yoshida, Minami, and even Diethard (Rakshata was not currently present as she and her team were working with the recently acquired Lancelot, as well as all the other Black Knight Knightmares).
"The Special Administrative Zone of Japan, created by the kind-hearted Princess Euphemia was a genuine attempt to unite the world against a common enemy and end the fighting that has long since plagued our world, spear-headed by the fascist Britannian Empire!" Zero announced, "And how was she repaired for an act of selflessness?! She was replaced by a soulless machine in her likeness to start a massacre!"
All the televisions across Area 11 were shown images of the recovered Pretender drone baring Euphemia's likeness, as well as a skeletal image of its internal components to show it was indeed a machine.
Everyone, even those in the Ashford Student Council, consisting of Rivalz, Nina, and Milly, looked in genuine shock and horror, especially in the case of Nina as her eyes widened and pupils shook.
Now it was Optimus' turn to speak, "However, this is not the only deception. The Britannian Empire itself, for all its power and strength, is nothing more than a shadow. A façade for an even greater evil: the Decepticons. A faction of autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron."
Likewise, footage and images of the Decepticons and their various atrocities on both Cybertron and recently with Earth were played on the broadcast, including with the television in the room that Nunnally and Lelouch shared.
The paralyzed girl listened as she could already feel a tense situation in the air, which was somewhat soothed as Sayoko pat and stroked her back, sitting down next to her as C.C. and Shirley also stood close to Nunnally to continue watching the broadcast.
Zero continued to announce as all the Black Knights below cheered for their leader, and the citizens, their savior, "Despite being a mere puppet empire, Britannia is not innocent in their acts of aggression and even outright genocide! And they must be held accountable for that! Charles Zi Britannia, and those who willingly follow him, are the living embodiment of Britannia's hypocrisy! They're seemingly devoted to the concept of evolution yet refuse to change with the rest of the planet! The world wants peace! Euphemia wanted peace! But Charles Zi Britannia and the even more vile Decepticons do not! Their massacre of the Special Administrative Zone… their attempt to sully Princess Euphemia's good name is proof enough for that!"
"This madness must come to an end," Optimus continued, "We will not allow the atrocities of Britannia and the Decepticons to continue! This is the goal of the Black Knight and Autobot alliance: to free the planet Earth from this tyranny! Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and we will fight to preserve that freedom from all those who would take that freedom away, regardless of their origin!"
"With that, we hereby declare the independence of Area 11 from Britannian subjugation! However, this is not the resurrection of the old Japan, but the birth of something new, a nation where nobody is oppressed for their gender, race, ideology, or even species! This is the United States of Japan!"
That resulted in even more cheers from all the Black Knights and gathered citizens, even Diethard had a fanatic smile, 'They've done it…. They've created a whole new nation…!'
' The United States of Japan?' Suzaku thought as he spared a glance at Zero. He had to give Lelouch credit, he is going all the way and shows no signs of slowing down.
"This is our declaration to the Britannian government and Decepticon forces occupying this new nation!" Optimus began, "You are to be exiled from the United States of Japan immediately! Citizens who are of Britannian nationality, and yet support freedom and equality, are welcome to stay. You will not be persecuted or prejudiced against in the USJ. If the Britannian government leaves peacefully, we will respect it and there will be no need for battle. However, if you resist and choose to wage war, the alliance of Black Knights and Autobots will fight you with everything we have, and we will win!"
Zero gave the final warning, "You have twenty-four hours to make your peace, Britannia! Declare your surrender and leave the United States of Japan! And for the Decepticons… your time is at an end! You can either leave Earth now and forever or face annihilation!"
"Till all are one!" Optimus declared.
"Till all are one!" all the Autobots spoke aloud as they raised their fists, even Bumblebee bleeped with them as well.
"[Till all are one!]"
"Till all are one!" Kallen was the first to shout, followed by Rai, Tamaki, Chiba, Asahina, Urabe, Senba, and all their colleagues.
"Till all are one! Till all are one! Till all are one! Till all are one!" Everyone shouted all at once while raising their fists, even those gathered alongside Zero.
"Till all are one!" Ohgi shouted, raising his fist high, along with Katase and the six heads of Kyoto, and even Tohdoh raised his katana, "Till all are one!"
Though he was hesitant at first, Suzaku raised his fist and joined them.
"Till all are one!"
Back on G1, the broadcast had ended as virtually everyone was left speechless, all except Schneizel, who did his best to hide his smirk,
'As dramatic as ever, Lelouch'.
He put on a serious face as he gave his order, "Evacuate the Settlement."
That took everyone by surprise.
"My lord…!" Bartley exclaimed.
"We only have twenty-four hours. That's not long," Schneizel said, "Fortunately, I already have a plan in place should something like this happen. It's not enough time to evacuate the entire country, but I believe the Autobots and Black Knights will attack the Tokyo Settlement first, so we should focus all our efforts there."
"But… Your Highness…." Guilford tried to speak, "Zero… and Prime… they just said… Euphemia was replaced…"
"Probably just lies to gain more support for their cause," Bartley dismissed, "They think they can overthrow us… or to even say we stand in the shadow of those vile Decepticons… we will show them the true strength of the Holy Empire of Britannia! Area 11 is ours! We will not let them steal it from us!"
"And we won't," Schneizel assured, "But our priority is the protection of our nation's citizens. Therefore, we will begin their evacuation immediately. I trust Bismarck and the others to handle the military affairs."
"As you wish, Your Highness," Bartley bowed.
Guilford wanted to protest. Hell, he wanted to go out and find Euphemia and Cornelia himself. But at the same time, he knew that Schneizel was right. The Autobots and Black Knights had declared open war and would march in the Settlement in less than twenty-four hours. As a soldier and knight of Britannia, Guilford's duty was to protect his people, and that is just what he would do.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Guilford accepted.
However, once that was all done, nothing was going to stop him from finding Cornelia and Euphemia and bringing them home.
The evacuation of the Tokyo Settlement was well underway.
Under Schnizel's instructions, the military's efforts to escort all the citizens out of the city were astounding, so much so that by the time they reach the twenty-four-hour deadline Zero and the Autobots had given them, the city would not only be completely cleared out of all civilians, but the military would also assemble a large enough defense line to surround the entire Settlement.
Ashford Academy had already been cleared out for the most part. Due to it being a weekend, all the teachers and faculty were already home and were currently being evacuated with the rest of the citizens. The Student body had already been evacuated as well. All that was left were the three members of the Student Council as Milly had to make sure the last person had left the school.
"Alright, grandfather," Milly spoke over the phone with her grandfather, the principal of Ashford, who had already left himself, "Yeah, all the students have left, I'm just making sure. Don't worry, I'll be fine, the Student Council and I are about to leave. Alright, yeah. Love you too. Bye."
She hung up as she sighed, ' Well Lelouch, looks like you're dead serious. I'm just glad that you, Nunnally, and everyone else are all safe.'
Rivalz asked as he packed the last of his things from the council room, "So, this is it, huh? This is the end of Ashford Academy?"
"Who knows?" Milly confessed, "Anything can happen."
"I'm just wondering where Lelouch and everyone are. I hope they're all okay," Rivalz said.
"I already got off the phone with Lelouch. He and Nunnally are just fine, and I'm sure everyone else is too."
"That's good to hear," Rivalz said, feeling relieved.
Though Milly regretted lying to her friend like that, she knew that Lelouch could handle himself.
"Where's Nina?" the student council president asked.
"Still in the council room," Rivalz said, "I couldn't get her to leave, no matter what I tried."
"Let me handle it."
Milly said as she entered the Student Council room, followed by Rivalz. Though Nina herself couldn't be seen right away, Milly only need look under the table to find her curled up in a fetal position and was reduced to a stuttering mess.
"Nina…" Milly spoke gently as she crawled underneath the table to join her, "It's time to go."
"I can't go out there…" Nina stuttered, "Elevens… Autobots… they'll be everywhere… Princess Euphemia is gone… I can't…"
"Nina," Milly put a gentle hand on her shoulder to calm her down slightly as the bespectacled girl looked towards her, to which she gave a genuine smile, "You're going to be okay. They aren't here, yet. We have a whole day before anything crazy happens, that's plenty of time to leave."
"But… Princess Euphemia…"
"I'm sure she'll be fine. There are plenty of good people out there looking for her. You… just have to have a little faith."
Though Nina assumed Milly was talking about the Britannian military, the blonde spoke regarding Lelouch, the Autobots, and their other friends.
"You have faith? Don't you, Nina? Faith that Princess Euphemia is safe? And that these good people can keep us safe as well?"
This seemed to be enough to calm Nina down a bit, to the point where she gave a single nod.
"Then let's go," Milly offered Nina her hand, which Nina gently reached out to take as Milly helped her out from under the table.
Rivalz, Milly, and Nina had left the Clubhouse, already nighttime, with about eighteen hours left before Zero's deadline. The three spared one last glance at the Clubhouse as if something inside told them that this might be the last time that they would see it.
"Well, goodbye, Ashford Academy. It's been fun," Rivalz voiced his thoughts aloud with a sad smile.
"Come on, we had better…"
However, before they could even take another step forward, they heard the loud sound of massive rapid-flapping wings, as they looked in shock toward the sky to see what appeared to be a giant insect flying down toward them before it transformed and landed in front of them to reveal itself to be the Insecticon leader, Hardshell.
"Milly Ashford," Hardshell spoke as three students fell back in clear fear, with Nina screaming at the sight of the Insecticon while hiding behind Milly, "You and your friends are not going anywhere."
Suddenly, two more Insecticons flew in before they transformed and surrounded the students.
"Wha… what the hell are these things?!" Rivalz practically screamed as Nina shook like a leaf, clinging to Milly like a lifeline.
Milly's eyes shook at the sight of such horrific monsters, but her gut told her that she knew exactly what they were.
'Lelouch are… are these… the aliens you told me about…!? The Decepticons?!'
The Ark
As the other Autobots and Black Knights worked to get everything ready for the battle to come, Ironhide took the time to speak with Suzaku in private within one of the Ark's cargo holds. Tohdoh was present as well. Though Suzaku said he would help them, he wanted to be certain that what Lelouch and Optimus had already told him before arriving would stick. Tohdoh felt the same way, wanting to believe his students was genuine about helping them. They were at war and they needed proof.
Shirley was also in the cargo hold, more off to the side as she listened to them speak. A part of her wanted to contribute to this conversation, but Ironhide had already told her this was necessary. He would allow Shirley to listen, but she couldn't interfere.
"You say you're in, but we have to know that you're serious about it and not just using us as an excuse to get yourself killed like you did when joined the military," Ironhide spoke to Suzaku as the later sat on a large box that was half at Ironhide's height. Tohdoh also stood on the same box as he looked toward Suzaku.
"I'm guessing Lelouch was the one who told you about my father, not Tohdoh like he said, right?" Suzaku assumed.
"Lelouch figured it out, yes," Tohdoh confirmed, "But the Autobots needed confirmation so I told them what had happened that day."
"I see…" Suzaku looked down.
Shirley looked towards him with sympathy but chose to remain quiet as per Ironhide and Tohdoh's wish.
"Was that also the reason you joined the Decepticons?" Ironhide questioned, "True, Megatron might take most of the blame given how he's able to bring others to his side, so it must have been pretty easy for him to get inside your head. But, I gotta ask. Why didn't you just use your father's death to rise in the ranks? I mean, I can think of a few certain Cons or Britannians that would probably reward you for something like that. Not just for killing the Prime Minister and making Japan's fall that much easier, but even reward you for patricide alone."
"You see the worst in Britannia, don't you?" Suzaku questioned in response, his expression still facing toward the ground.
"Given who's in charge of the whole thing, what do you expect?" Ironhide replied.
"Maybe you're right. But I didn't want to use murder as a way to work up the ladder," Suzaku answered, "Or maybe I just didn't think it was necessary."
"Did you believe you could change Britannia from within?" Tohdoh questioned, "Or was that something you told yourself so you would try to have a clear conscience if you died?"
"There's also the fact that you became Euphemia's knight," the Autobot veteran stated, "From what Lelouch told us, she was one of the few good apples in the royal family. Maybe she saw what you were trying to do and wanted to help you with it, or maybe she wanted to help you with your death wish. Because if that's the case…"
"Euphie had absolutely nothing to do with that," the former Honorary Britannian spoke immediately, his expression remained unchanged, "She didn't even know about my father until after Kanime Island. Maybe I was trying to get myself killed, but I truly believed that she could change Britannia from within. That is the absolute truth, and that is why I accepted being her knight because I wanted to support her."
Ironhide could read the expression on Suzaku's face, and though he had not met Euphemia personally he could tell that from the way he spoke, there was more to Suzaku and Euphemia's relationship than just soldier and royalty, perhaps even more than respect or genuine friendship.
'Hmmp, a knight falling for the princess, huh? Well, what do you know?'
"Please tell me we can save her…" Suzaku's fists clenched, "That we can… that she's still…"
"We don't even know if she's still alive," his mentor stated, "But if she is, I'm certain Optimus and Lelouch are going to do everything in their power to see to that. But back to the topic at hand, if you are willing to work with us Suzaku, are you willing to admit you made the wrong choice?"
"What choice would that be?" Suzaku questioned, looking down even further, his hair covering his eyes so nobody could read his expression.
"Were you wrong in joining the Cons?" Ironhide questioned first.
"Yes," Suzaku replied, "They weren't who I thought they were, except for Dreadwing."
"But you were still wrong about Megatron helping you," Ironhide pointed out.
Suzaku instantly recalled being subjected to the Cortical Psychic Patch shortly after the Kamine Island incident. That was enough to confirm that Suzaku had made the wrong choice back then.
"Yes, I was so wrong about that."
"What about joining the Britannian military? Using them to fulfill your means?" Tohdoh questioned, "As well as you saying that Britannia can change?"
"I truly believed Euphie could do good. That if anyone could change Britannia, it would be her," Suzaku replied, "But… I know now… that there are those… who don't… who can't change."
"Like the Emperor?" Tohdoh asked.
"Yes," Suzaku confirmed.
"And what happened to your father," Ironhide continued, "Not just killing him, but trying to get yourself killed, and abandoning those you said you care about, like Lelouch and Nunnally. Cause at the end, that's all you were ever gonna do. Suicide is not atonement, it's running away."
No matter how much Suzaku didn't want to admit it, he could no longer hide from that fact. He was just selfish all this time. He could go on and say it was the only path for him, but by getting himself killed, he would make all those he cared about sad. He would hurt them, and that was the last thing he wanted.
"Yes…" Suzaku sounded as if he was trying to force that out, "...I… I was just… trying to abandon… my life. I… I didn't think it had any value left… or maybe they'd be better off without me."
"Finally sank into your thick skull, huh? About damn time," Ironhide's words caused Suzaku to look up at the veteran Autobot, who was more than a little surprised to see a half-smile on his face, "Some people might tell you there's no such thing as second chances in life, but that's for those who don't want to change, or are too impatient and want immediate results."
"Second chances…" Suzaku said in a tone that almost sounded like Ironhide was speaking to him in a foreign tone, "Even after everything…"
"Believe it or not, Dreadwing's not the first Decepticon to come over to our side," the Autobot weapons specialist replied.
Tohdoh began as he approached his former student, "The point is, Suzaku, you can still change. You can still do good in this world, despite the crimes and mistakes you've committed. It won't be easy, but you can regain your honor. You might even face some resentment from those in our ranks, but as long as you are willing to accept responsibility and give not only these people but also yourself, a chance…"
The old swordsman gave a small smile, "…Maybe you might finally be able to let it all go."
Suzaku could not offer any kind of response, the only thing he seemed to be able to do was hang his head down slightly as he let some tears flow down his cheeks. Tohdoh put a hand on his shoulder as he let the boy sob, and even Ironhide gave a nod of approval.
Shirley, who still hung in the back, had a genuine smile on her face, truly happy to see that her friend had finally walked out of the darkness and into the light, 'Welcome to the Black Knights, Suzaku.'
Dreadwing's optics opened as he awoke from stasis. The former Seeker groaned as he slowly brought himself up from the large pad he was laying on within the Ark's med-bay. He found he wasn't alone, besides the Autobot medic who operated on him, along with Fixit, Optimus Prime was present, along with Lelouch, Nunnally, and even C.C. at the girl's wheelchair.
"Take it easy, Dreadwing," Ratchet eased, "You've only just emerged from stasis."
"Can I assume the procedure went accordingly?" Dreadwing asked.
"Yes," Fixit responded, "The Core Override implants are now thoroughly integrated within your brain schedule… nodule… module!"
"Are you certain of this, Dreadwing?" Optimus asked, "There are other methods to prove you can be trusted."
"I'm certain," Dreadwing confirmed as he sat up straight, "I believe that this to be proper atonement for my past misdeeds."
"Make sure you prove that with your actions from this point forward," Lelouch told him, "Once you have, we'll have those implants removed. I'll admit they sound effective on paper, but I find the idea to be repulsive."
Dreadwing nodded in acknowledgment as he spared a glance at not only the human revolutionary that had caused Britannia and the Decepticons so much trouble but also the disabled girl next to him.
"The infamous Zero is the exiled prince, Lelouch vi Britannia," Dreadwing observed, "I honestly did not see that coming. Though, given your history, it really shouldn't be all that surprising."
"So, you know about all that," Lelouch said in a serious tone of voice.
"I've done my research," the ex-Seeker replied, "And it's one of the reasons I am disgusted with most of the Britannian royal family, excluding Euphemia, of course. The Emperor sentenced you and your sister to exile, and later ordered the invasion of the same land you were exiled toward. Even after your presumed deaths, he and his followers blamed the Japanese, despite that they were the ones responsible."
He gave a scoff, "I've heard that same sort of thing before."
"The former caste system of Cybertron," the ex-Britannian prince stated, "Optimus told me about all that. Is that why you joined Megatron, because he opposed that system?"
"Partly, yes," Dreadwing nodded, "But also, because I believed he was fighting for the equality of all Cybertronians. Though it seems I was mistaken."
"Even though we may have been on opposite sides, Dreadwing, you have never once strayed from your path of honor when compared to other Decepticons who indulged in their reprehensible methods," Optimus acknowledged, "You may have been an enemy, but you were still someone I could respect."
Despite the words of Optimus, there was still something the former Decepticon needed to know, "Prime, on Kamine Island, you mentioned there was more to Skyquake's death than I know."
Optimus' expression turned into that of grief as even Ratchet had a similar look on his face.
"Who is Skyquake?" Nunnally asked.
"A Decepticon Seeker who perished in the War for Cybertron," Fixit answered, "He is also Dreadwing's twin brother."
' Brother?' Lelouch thought in surprise as this was the first time that he had heard of it, even C.C. looked in interest.
"As many of you already know, Megatron had attempted to infuse the core of Cybertron with Dark Energon in an attempt to control the planet itself," Optimus explained, "I led a small team of Autobots to the core in an attempt to purge the Dark Energon. However, while I was indeed too late, I learned I wasn't the only one who attempted to thwart Megatron's ambition. It would seem, that as Skyquake's intention as well."
Dreadwing gave Optimus his undivided attention, as did everyone else as the Autobot leader continued.
"From what he had told me, Skyquake tried to stop Megatron from poisoning our planet," Optimus continued, "He feared the damage to the core could be irreparable, and he was correct. However, Megatron struck him down and left him for dead."
That caused Nunnally to gasp as even Lelouch's eyes widened. But none were more surprised than Dreadwing as his expression of shock could not be described with mere words.
"When my team and I found him, Skyquake's body had almost been entirely deteriorated, corrupted, poisoned, and destroyed from prolonged exposure to Dark Energon," Optimus explained as his expression became somber, "My team and I tried to bring him to the surface for medical treatment."
Now it was Ratchet's turn to speak, "I was just outside the Omega Gate at the time. Skyquake was brought to me and I tried to save him as best I could… but the Dark Energon had affected his biology on a sub-microcin level. The corruption was too thorough. At that point… the only thing I could do for him was… make sure his passing was painless."
Nunnally was almost brought to tears at that, prompting C.C. to put her hands on both the younger girl's shoulders. Lelouch's fists clenched so tightly under his cape, that his knuckles almost turned white. Fixit looked down in sorrow as well.
But none were more sorrowful and enraged than Dreadwing himself. Megatron had killed his brother and lied to him about it! Skyquake was nothing short of loyal to the Decepticon cause! He wanted to save Cybertron and bring about a new Golden Age where all could live as equals! How was he repaid for that?! Termination!
Dreadwing however forced himself to calm down as now was not the time to let his anger consume him. He would save that for the battlefield, "Thank you for telling me this. Now I know the truth."
He soon felt a small and gentle touch on his right leg and looked in minor surprise to see Nunnally, with C.C. still guiding her wheelchair, having rolled up toward him to put a comforting hand on his leg.
"I'm so sorry, Dreadwing," Nunnally said as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, "I know what it's like to lose someone you love. But… you've also saved someone that I loved too. So, let me thank you for saving Suzaku, and helping to protect Euphie."
Though appreciative of the gesture, Dreadwing honestly felt more shame than comfort.
"Your thanks are misplaced, young one. I may have saved Suzaku, but I failed Euphemia," his look of grief and rage persisted, "I respected her and swore to protect her. I swore on my spark! But I failed. Now… now she is in the clutches of Megatron… I don't even know if she's alive."
That last comment caused Lelouch's blood to boil.
"Nunnally, I swear… that I will do everything in my power to find and save her. And if I cannot do that, then I will avenge her! Megatron, and all those who support him, will pay for their deceptions and crimes!"
' Your damn right he will!' Lelouch thought as his eyes burnt with a raging fire inside.
Optimus was able to read the expression of the young revolutionary and had a good idea of what he was intending on.
"Please excuse us," Optimus spoke to everyone present, "I must speak with Lelouch alone."
Lelouch looked in surprise, but everyone else seemed to understand.
"Alright," Ratchet nodded as he helped Dreadwing to stand to his feet and the two walked out of the med-bay, followed by C.C. and Fixit with Nunnally.
The young girl was concerned as to what Optimus and her brother had to discuss, she was certain Optimus would be able to help him. She didn't have to see Lelouch's face to tell he was angry with what was going on.
Once everyone had left, Optimus looked toward the former prince. "Lelouch, are you alright?"
"No! I'm not!" Lelouch vented as he allowed his anger to reach the surface, "Megatron… he… he abducted my sister! Massacred so many innocent people…! And if that wasn't bad enough… he used a machine in her likeness to do it! All she wanted to do was help people! Not just them, she wanted to help us too! She only wanted to help! And that… the Britannians didn't even hesitate to join the slaughter! They didn't even wait to further tarnish her name! They talk about how superior royalty is to everyone else, but when said royalty questions them or tries to change something… UGH!"
Lelouch slammed his fists onto the nearest wall in anger, "Damn them all! Britannia! The Decepticons! Megatron and Charles… THEY CAN ALL BURN IN HELL!"
Optimus allowed Lelouch to vent his anger and frustration, but not long after he let his anger out, the former data clerk heard a sob escape from Lelouch's throat as he slid down toward the floor.
"I should have done something…!" he held a hand over his face, trying not to face Optimus with his teary expression, "I was right there before she was taken! I could have brought her to the Ark where she would be safe…! Why didn't I!? Is… is this all my fault…?!"
Optimus said immediately as he walked closer to the sobbing boy, "No, it is not. Lelouch, what has occurred at the Special Zone was not your fault. It was the fault of Megatron, who abducted and replaced her to begin with. I had suspected he would try to use the Special Zone to his advantage… but I never could have foreseen something like that. None of us could have."
"But I… I should have… done something…" Lelouch continued to sob, "I knew that there would be people… and Cons… that wouldn't approve of her decision. Why didn't I bring her to the Ark?! At least she would have been safe?!"
"You did what you believed was the right choice. Lelouch, do you recall what we said to you when you learned of the passing of Shirley's father?"
Lelouch's sobs slowed down as he remembered what was said back then, "Somethings… are outside our control…"
"Exactly. Maybe if we had done things differently, the outcome would have been different as well. But we cannot allow our past mistakes to overcome us. Instead, we must learn from them and grow. You had no control over Megatron's actions, none of us did."
This seemed to calm down Lelouch slightly as he glanced up at the Autobot leader.
"I understand how you feel. You have every right to hate Megatron for what he did, just as I do now. His actions are unforgivable, as are that of Charles Zi Britannia. You can use that anger to drive you, and it can indeed become a sharp tool. However, you cannot allow that hatred to consume you. If you do, you will lose yourself, and all that will be left in your wake is more destruction."
"So… what can I do…?"
"Use your righteous anger, but also allow your devotion to justice to temper your rage. Become the symbol and ideal that you have inspired throughout all of Japan. Allow yourself to become the savior that they see you as; someone who can show the world, that even in the face of pure evil, you can still rise to face it and ultimately triumph. You can ignite the spark of courage and hope that is needed to ignite the necessary revolution to save this planet from the tyranny that has been destroying it for so long."
Lelouch looked up to Optimus Prime in awe, before he reminded himself just who it was that was helping him. This was always why he revered the Autobot leader and saw him as the father figure that he always wanted. "I… I can't do it alone… Optimus… will you help me? Please?"
Optimus need only smile as he kneeled closer to Lelouch's level. "Lelouch, I will always help you, whenever you need me. No matter what happens, I will never leave your side."
Lelouch's smile could not properly describe the gratefulness and joy he felt in his own heart upon hearing those words.
"Thank you."
"The evacuation of the Tokyo Settlement is well underway," one officer reported as Guilford, Darlton, and Nonette were in a conference room along with multiple military commanders, "It should be done within only a few hours."
"However, there are insurrections all over the area!" Another officer stated, "What happened at the Special Zone spread like wildfire! All the insurgent groups have joined the Black Knights and Autobot forces and are advancing closer to the Tokyo Settlement! With Kururugi having joined the Autobots and Black Knights, nearly every Honorary Britannian, and even multiple Britannians civilians have joined together!"
"How could they have organized such a force so fast?" a separate officer questioned, "It's already numbering within the tens of thousands, and it's only growing larger by the second!"
"We all know how good Zero and Prime are when it comes to strategy," Guilford stated, "They're probably utilizing their Groundbridge system to transport their forces closer to the settlement while coordinating with the leaders of the various uprisings."
"What is the extent of the damage?" Darlton asked.
"So far, it seems they've avoided all civilian targets," an officer answered. "Casualties are surprisingly minimal, and all have been military."
"In addition, it seems that while they are closing in around the settlement, they are not yet attacking," another officer said.
"They gave us twenty-four hours, and only fifteen have passed," Nonette reminded, "It seems they've kept their word."
Despite the professionalism she spoke, both Guilford and Darlton noticed an expression within the eyes of the Knight of Nine. Her eyes were ragged with some bags underneath, suggesting that she might have been crying for a few hours. But why she had cried, neither of them could understand. Was it because Euphemia and Cornelia were missing? Or was there another reason behind it?
"Any word from the Decepticons?" Nonette asked, "With something this massive, there's no way they haven't noticed."
"No word yet, Lady Enneagram," one officer answered.
"Keep an eye out and prepare for battle should something occur," Nonette instructed.
That took most people in the room by surprise, including Darlton and Guilford.
"Lady Enneagram, are you suggesting that we fight the Decepticons?" Guilford asked, "I understand why you feel they can't be trusted but with these insurrections…!"
"I'm not blind to what's happening!" she almost snapped at him but tried to speak professionally, "I just have a really bad feeling that the real enemy is already here."
Meanwhile, Gino sat in his private quarters within the royal palace, looking at a group photograph on his cellphone of the entire Student Council. He heard the door open and looked up to see Monica.
Monica walked in and kneeled in front of him, "I thought I'd find you in here. Bismarck and the others are looking for you."
"They don't need me for all this strategy and planning stuff," Gino said, not taking his eyes off his phone.
"We have less than nine hours till the Black Knights and Autobots arrive. We should be getting ready soon."
Gino looked at the picture and even Monica could see it from her angle as well, "Yeah…you think they're gonna be okay?"
"I'm sure they're fine. They've probably all been evacuated already. You know how effective Prince Schneizel said."
"Except Suzaku."
The Knight of Twelve winced at that.
"You heard how he went over to join the Bots and BKs, right? Well… you think maybe we're on the wrong side then? And we should have gone too? I mean, you saw what happened at the SAZ! I get we're soldiers and we gotta fight and all that… but those were innocent people back there! I don't care if they were 'Elevens'! Nobody deserves that !"
"You're right. Gino, you're right. That…. That was pure madness…"
"So, why are we still fighting them? Shouldn't we be helping even though we know it's wrong?!"
Before Monica could offer a response, another individual had walked into the room.
"We have sworn our loyalty to Charles Zi Britannia."
The pair looked to see Anya walking as she continued to look into her cell phone, "As soldiers of the Empire, we must do our duty. At least that's what Bismarck would say."
"Yeah that's what he would say, but what about you, Anya?" Gino asked, "What do you think about all that?"
"I do not know. Because I don't remember," Anya's response caused Monica and Gino to look at her in surprise, "My Knightmare's surveillance indicated I did battle with one of the Autobots, but I have no recollection of that. Everything has been blank ever since we received orders from the Emperor to destroy the Special Zone."
"Another one of your blackouts?" Monica asked, "Why then of all times?"
"I do not know," Anya answered, "I do not know anything. I never truly do."
The Ark
Multiple medical wards had been set up in the event a large portion of their human soldiers needed medical treatment, but at the moment, these wards served as places to treat all the survivors of the SAZ massacre that the Autobots and Black Knights were able to rescue. The Black Knights have been able to recruit medical staff to their cause, not just Japanese or Honorary Britannians, but even full-blooded Britannians who were professional doctors, at least those who were more open-minded and were willing to treat the so-called 'Elevens' when the more 'patriotic' doctors only choose to treat Britannians.
While there were many civilians with only minor injuries like scrapes and bruises, there were plenty that needed serious medical treatment for bullet wounds, internal bleeding, and other severe wounds. Thanks to the advancements in medical technology that the Autobots could provide, there would be no fatalities here, not on their watch.
In one of the wards was Mrs. Kozuki, who sat on her bed next to her daughter, clad in her full Black Knight uniform, having told her mother everything already, from her status as one of the elite troops in the Black Knights to even the Autobots' war against the Decepticons and how they are worse than Britannia ever could be. She even explained how Lelouch and Nunnally were really the presumed deceased prince and princess of Britannia, and that the former was really Zero.
Kallen looked at her mother, who hadn't said anything since she spoke and allowed her daughter to explain everything. But even after she was finished, her mother remained silent. Kallen honestly wondered if she had even been listening at all.
"Mom… are you still with me?" Kallen gently shook her mother on the shoulder.
"Yeah… I… I just don't know what to think," Mrs. Kozuki stuttered, "I mean… I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're fighting, given how much you hate Britannia… I just never thought you'd do it."
She looked at her daughter with an understandably worried expression, "This is exactly how I lost your brother Kallen… I… I never wanted…"
"I know. Believe me, I do. I'm so sorry I never told you… I just… I couldn't sit by and watch… while all this was happening. Zero… the Autobots… they gave me hope. They showed me that I can stand up and fight for what's right. And that we can change the world."
However, Kallen's resolve wavered slightly, "I never told you before because… I was worried you'd go back to Refrain. I didn't want you to…"
She felt a gentle touch on her cheek and was surprised to see her mother looking at her with a sad yet loving smile, "I… I think I understand. I know probably can't stop you but… let me just say that… I am so proud of you."
Never once, in a million years, did Kallen expect her mother to say that to her. She had expected her mother to break down and cry once she spilled the beans, but to hear her mother say she was proud of what she was doing… she honestly didn't have the words for that.
"You're my little girl. Of course, I'm going to be worried for you," Mrs. Kozuki began, "But… I know you, Kallen. I know how strong you are, how much you care about your friends, how much you want to help people… and how good of a person you are. You're just like your brother."
Tears of joy were forming in her eyes.
"Just promise me… I won't lose you too…"
Kallen wasted no time in wrapping her arms around her mother, who returned the gesture. "I promise."
After a few minutes, they parted as Kallen smiled and helped her mother to her feet, "Come on. There are some people I want you to meet."
She helped her mother out of the ward and into the large hallway, where the first people, or rather bots, that they saw were the Autobot duo Arcee and Cliffjumper. Though she had already seen them at the SAZ when they rescued her and that child, it was still a sight to behold.
"How'd she take it?" Arcee asked Kallen.
"A lot better than I thought," the redhead replied before turning to her mother, "Mom, meet Arcee and Cliffjumper, some of my closest friends."
"Nice to meet ya," Cliffjumper smiled as he kneeled closer, "You raised one hell of a kid."
At the same time, Shirley faced Suzaku in a separate hallway within the Ark as this particular conversation was something that they needed to get out of the way.
"So, you're a Black Knight, too," Suzaku said to his fellow Student Council member.
"Yeah," Shirley nodded.
"Does everyone else know?"
"Excluding Lulu, Nunnally, Kallen, and Rai; only you. But Milly figured it out and chose to keep quiet. Rivalz and Nina don't, and neither does Monica, Gino, or Anya."
"And how long have you been with them?"
"Shortly after my father died. And I know what you're gonna say next, Suzaku. 'Why would I join the same group responsible for his death?', right?"
"Yeah… I never once considered… they killed your father, Shirley!"
"It was an accident. Lulu and Optimus even tried to get Narita evacuated before the fighting started. They've always tried to avoid dragging innocent people into this."
"But still…" Suzaku looked like he was about to argue, but Shirley already had her response.
"We can't control everything. Nobody can. Not even Lelouch. And when he found out… he took it hard. You should have seen how upset he and Rai were, even Kallen was upset. But… it's not like they wanted to do it."
Though there was a part of him that understood that, there was still more that he wanted to talk about.
"So, how'd you figure out he's Zero?"
"By complete accident. I ended up caught in the middle of a big fight and… I saw Zero knocked out right in front of me. I took his gun and… I was almost ready to shoot him… to get revenge for my father."
That took Suzaku by surprise, though at the time he would have felt Zero deserved it, but to hear Shirley consider killing someone… it was almost impossible for him to believe.
"But… his mask fell off and… I saw his face… I saw Lelouch's face. After that… I didn't know what to think. I was just so confused and so angry… And… you remember that guy who kidnapped Nunnally at school? That guy who had her tied to a bomb?"
Suzaku was confused as to why she brought Mao up, but nodded, nonetheless, "Yes?"
"Well, I met him at Narita a little bit after I found out Lelouch's secret," Shirley revealed, much to Suzaku's surprise, "He knew Lelouch was Zero, too. He even knew about what happened to my dad and… he tried to convince me to kill Lelouch and not just him… he even wanted me to kill Nunnally."
That caused Suzaku to look in even further shock.
"He… tried to manipulate me. But instead… he ended up tying me up and using me to get to Lelouch. That…that guy tormented him. He wanted to make Lulu suffer. He was even going to kill me right in front of him. But Rai and Bumblebee saved us, they saved me . After that, they told me everything. It took a while, but I understood. When I learned why Lelouch was fighting, why the Kallen and Rai, and the Black Knights… knowing what they've all lost to Britannia… and what the Autobots all lost to the Decepticons… I… I couldn't just sit by anymore. I wanted to help them."
"You wanted to become a Black Knight yourself," Suzaku figured out, to which Shirley nodded in confirmation, "I'm surprised that they even let you in…"
"Lulu was dead-set against it at first," the former student quickly said, "And I don't blame him. But, I was able to convince him to let me in. And during that time, I've gotten to know all the Autobots, and most of the Black Knights here. They're not terrorists or monsters that the media have made them out to be… they're all good people… who just lost everything. Now they're fighting to take it back, and if I can help them, even just a little bit, that's enough for me."
"But Shirley, you're not a soldier…"
"Which is why I'm working in intelligence. I know I can't fight. Trust me, I've made more than my fair share of mistakes since joining, but I'm gonna give up. I won't give up on any of them, that includes you Suzaku. I know what happened to your dad, and I know you've made more mistakes yourself since then… but you're not a bad person. I know there's good in you, and so do Lulu, Optimus, and many others. They're all willing to give you a chance to make things right, and so am I. But will you give us a chance?"
Suzaku looked at Shirley in complete and total surprise. She was nothing like the schoolgirl he met at Ashford. She's become someone willing to stand up and voice her thoughts, even in the form of actions. She's even admitted she's made her fair share of mistakes but is willing to learn and push past them to make things better for everyone. For that reason, Suzaku chooses to trust her.
"I will," Suzaku nodded, causing Shirley to smile, "For a moment, I almost thought you wanted to join just because of your crush on him."
That caused Shirley's smile to fade as she gave him an irritated look, "Do I seem that shallow to you? You already know how I feel about Lulu, Suzaku, but that's got nothing to do with why I joined."
"I know that. I just wanted to make sure," Suzaku assured.
Shirley let out a small sigh as she let a smile form on her face again, "But… I am glad that you're finally here, Suzaku. Trust me, you're gonna like our side better."
Suzaku gave a small smile of his own, "I hope so."
Meanwhile, Bulkhead and Rai were together in an empty cargo hold as Rai sat on the catwalk that hung just above the large green Autobot.
"So, where's Wheeljack?" Rai asked.
"Jacky's got something going on with the higher-ups," Bulkhead answered, "Said something about using his 'expertise'. And Dreadwing's with him."
"Those two together, they'd make one hell of a bang," Rai attempted a joke, causing Bulkhead to chuckle, but the Wrecker saw through his young friend's demeanor.
"Rai, what's up?" Bulkhead asked, causing Rai's fake smile to face as a look of clear anger and rage formed.
"The SAZ… what happened back there it… it was just like back then!" Rai clenched his fists as Bulkhead had an understanding expression on his face, knowing what Rai was talking about, "The way Britannia… and the Cons… just walk all over people like that… not even caring that they're killing people… not just adults but kids… freaking babies! It makes me so mad!"
Rai stood up as he clenched the steel railing of the catwalk with his fists, "It reminds me too much of Charles and that monster of a brother of his! I want nothing more than to rip them to pieces! Is it so wrong I want to make them hurt?!"
"No, nothing wrong with that," Bulkhead told him, "You're angry and you got every right to be. But you can't lose yourself… if you do…"
"I know, I know…I run the risk of my Geass going out of control again."
The human Wrecker looked away with a guilty expression, his anger seemingly vanishing, "I'm a walking disaster, aren't I?"
"Something you and I got in common," Bulkhead said, getting Rai's attention, "Yeah, I got no Geass powers or anything like that… but look at me."
He gestured to his large body, "Sure, I'm good for smacking the scrap out of the Cons, but I don't exactly have a gentle touch. I could hurt someone if I'm not careful. I even let my temper get to me sometimes, and when that happens… I'm a runaway freight train. So, believe me, I get it."
Rai could tell that he meant it. True Bulkhead's issue was far simpler than his, but it did make Rai feel a little better that he wasn't alone, "It's not just that, though. It's…. it's Nonette."
"That Knight of Nine lady who used to work for your family?"
"Yeah… I…We… we were close… I considered her part of my family, and I had more than a few happy memories with her. Now I… I can tell she hasn't changed that much but… she's still with Britannia. I… I want her with us. I know it's selfish, but I want her back. Does that sound petty at all?"
"Not at all. You want your friend back. I want my friends back, too. Since Cybertron went dark, the Wreckers were scattered. I don't even know if they're still kicking. For all we know, Jacky and I might be the only ones left, not including you and the BKs who work with us."
"You think she might switch over and join us? I mean we got Suzaku and Dreadwing on our side now so…"
"I don't know. I don't know her. But you do. So, don't ask me, as yourself if you think that Nonette will switch over."
Rai took the moment to think as he recalled his memories of Nonette, not just those when she served as his knight, but his most recent ones of her. She was a soldier, a fighter, but one who had a strong moral code and refused to compromise it. She even refused to attack the people during the massacre at the SAZ, though he did regret threatening her the way he did back then, and wished he brought her to the Ark along with Suzaku and Dreadwing then and there. But, he had a feeling that she was still around nearby, and if she was the same as she was back then, then he knew she would make the right choice.
"I think she will," Rai said with a small smile.
"Well, there ya go. And when she does, I'd like to meet her."
Rai gave his partner, fellow Wrecker, and friend a genuine and grateful smile, "Thanks, Bulkhead."
At the same time, Ohgi had sat down in the room that he and Chigusa occupied, with the latter embracing him from behind as he seemed to still be struggling with all that had been happening these past few hours.
"I shouldn't be all that surprised…" Ohgi muttered, "I mean… I heard what Megatron is like… hell, I've even seen what he could do but… something like that…"
Ohgi's fists clenched as hate filled his eyes, "Walking all over the hopes of our people… like they don't even matter…"
"I am so sorry, Kaname," Chigusa tried to provide what support and comfort she could, "It's so horrible! What's even more horrible… if I didn't lose my memory… I might have gone along with something like that."
Most of Ohgi's hate vanished as he turned around to face Chigusa directly, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "Chigusa, whoever you might have been back then, it's is not the person you are now! You're a good, kind, and caring woman! One that I'm glad I got to know."
"But… what if who I am now… doesn't exist? What if… my memory returns and I… I turn back into…"
Her body began to shake at the mere thought of that, "I don't want to be that person anymore. I trust you, Kaname. I trust that you to do what you think is right, even when it comes to me but… I… I don't…"
A small smile formed on Ohgi's face, "Then don't be that person. Even if your memory does come back, I doubt it would change anything." Chigusa looked at him in surprise as he continued to smile.
"You know what you did in the past was wrong and you want to change, I know I've already said this, but the fact that you want to change shows how much you already have. So even if you do remember who you were, you got friends here who can help you, that includes me. I mean, Suzaku Kururugi of all people is now on our side and even a former Decepticon . If they can change… I know you can too."
Chigusa couldn't contain her tears as she wrapped her arms around Ohgi to bury her face into his chest. His smile never wavered as he returned the gesture. As he did, he couldn't help but recount his past experiences. Before even meeting Zero and the Autobots, he could never have imagined that he'd grow to care for a Britannian Pureblood like this. But given all that he's experienced up till this point, this shouldn't be that big of a shock. A part of him wished this moment could honestly last forever.
However…
" All Autobots and Black Knights, report to the Bridge immediately," Optimus' announced, his voice reaching every section of the Ark, including Ohgi's room.
With a bit of reluctance, Ohgi stood up and pulled away from Chigusa, "I have to go."
"Go ahead, I understand," Chigusa smiled, "Just promise me something."
"What is it?"
Chigusa gave a quick kiss on his lips, much to his surprise as his cheeks turned red before she pulled away with a smile, "Come back."
Ohgi's blush faded as he returned the smile, "I will."
Zero stood up on the catwalk that overlooked the bridge of the Ark, with Optimus Prime right by his side, and even Fixit was right next to Zero. Bumblebee, Ironhide, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Ratchet, and even Dreadwing stood across the floor and all the Black Knights they've recruited gathered below including Kallen, Ohgi, Tohdoh, Rai, Shirley, Kaguya, Diethard, Rakshata, Tamaki, Katase, Kaguya, the rest of Kyoto, the Four Holy Swords, and so many others that it looked like over a hundred people where gathered together. Even Suzaku Kururugi was present as he stood closest to Dreadwing. Shirley and Kaguya stuck close to him as well.
"We have less than six hours before the twenty-four-hour deadline is reached," Zero began as a massive radar map of the Tokyo Settlement appeared on the main screen/window behind him, Optimus, and Fixit, "The Settlement appears to have been thoroughly evacuated of all civilian personnel. However, the Britannian military appears to have assembled with virtually every resource they currently have. It would seem that all their military forces within the country are ready for battle."
"So much for surrendering quietly," Cliffjumper commented.
Suzaku said nothing but grimaced as he had a good idea of what was about to happen next. It was too late for regrets. He had made his bed, now it was time to lie in it.
"A little more than an hour ago, we were able to use the Groundbridge to assist Wheeljack and Dreadwing in planting bombs at several key points within the section blocks composing the outer perimeter of the Settlement," Optimus explained, "These blocks were originally intended to counter against earthquakes, but once the bombs detonate, the entire perimeter around the settlement will crumble."
"In addition to those bombs, Ratchet, Rakshata, and myself have designed a special electromagnetic pulse device which has also been placed within the Section Blocks," Fixit revealed as Rakshata gave her titular grin in confirmation, "Once this device detonates, it will shut down all communication within the Britannian military, though Knightmares will still be operational."
"With the outer perimeter destroyed, and their communications severed, the entire military will be thrown into a state of chaos and that is when we attack," Zero continued, "Optimus and I have already made contact with the leaders of all the insurrections that erupted since our announcement eighteen hours ago and they've agreed to this plan as well."
"Ironhide, Kaname Ohgi, and Suzaku Kururugi will lead a frontal assault of Black Knight forces and the insurgent groups directly into the settlement," Optimus directed, "They will be attacking the bulk of the Britannian military before they get a chance to regroup and counterattack. At the same time, Wheeljack, with his vessel, the Jackhammer, alongside Dreadwing will clear the skies of all aircraft."
"We've also isolated two important targets that must be neutralized simultaneously," the Black Knights' leader explained as the main screen behind him shifted to reveal images of a power station and what appeared to be a military depot, "Kallen Kozuki, Arcee, and Cliffjumper will attack the Settlement's main power station. Even with the EMP attack, so long as that station remains active, we run the risk of the Britannians re-establishing communications. That station must be destroyed."
"Understood," Arcee nodded as she, Cliffjumper, and Kallen made eye contact.
"Bulkhead and Rai will lead a strike force at the Settlement's military depot," the Autobots' leader instructed, "This will prevent the enemy from assembling reinforcements."
"Show them all why you're called the Wreckers," Zero stated.
"No problem," Rai smirked slightly, along with Bulkhead.
"Hell yeah! Let's do this!" Tamaki exclaimed as it was his group that would be helping Bulkhead and Rai in that attack.
Optimus gave final instructions as an image of the palace was brought to the main screen, "Finally, our main target, the Settlement's royal palace. This team will consist of myself, Zero, Bumblebee, Tohdoh, and the Four Holy Swords. The Swords and I will attack from the north side, while Zero, Bumblebee, and Tohdoh attack from the south side."
"We won't lie to any of you, this may well be the most dangerous battle we've ever waged," Zero warned, "All seven Knights of the Round are here in the Settlement, led by both Princess Cornelia and Prince Schneizel. There's also a strong possibility the Decepticons will be staging an attack of their own, so watch all your backs. We can and will be victorious! We may have all started as separate individuals, fighting for our own goals and agendas, but here and now, whether you're Japanese, Britannian, or some other nationality, Autobot or human, we all stand together now, as one! Today we will free the United States of Japan, and tomorrow, we will begin our crusade to liberate the Earth!"
With that declaration, all the Black Knights and even a few Autobots cheered and hollered in celebration. Suzaku, Tohdoh, Dreadwing, Ratchet, Arcee, and Ironhide were among those who chose to remain calm as everyone chanted the names "Zero" and "Optimus Prime".
Within the Ark's Knightmare bay, Rakshata and her team, along with Fixit, were making final adjustments to all the Knightmares present, including the Gawain, Guren, all the Gekkas, and even the recently acquired Lancelot. Rakshata herself stood casually in front of the white Knightmare as she observed its outer appearance.
"I'll give the Earl of Pudding credit. This is likely his greatest creation," Rakshata commented, "Of course, I'm going to have to make a few adjustments."
"In such a short time, we were able to reverse-engineer its shielding system and supply it to the Gawain," Fixit said, "If we had more time, we'd install similar features to all our Knightmares, perhaps even flight capabilities."
"Yes, but we are short on time," Rakshata replied, "Though I did notice you made a slight cosmetic change to its appearance."
"Considering Suzaku Kururugi is no longer affiliated with the Decepticons, I felt it was all right… bright… right!" Fixit glitched as Rakshata noticed the emblem of the Decepticons was no longer present on the Lancelot's shoulder, but rather the metallic emblem of the Autobot-Black Knight alliance.
Lelouch's room
The former prince himself sat in his quarters with Nunnally, C.C., and even Sayoko as he just got off a call from Optimus.
"Everything's set. Only four hours left…" Lelouch told them, "Honestly though, the waiting seems like the worst part."
"Lelouch, are you sure about this?" Nunnally asked, "I trust you and Optimus, but is all this fighting the right move?"
"It might be our only move," Lelouch commented, "The Decepticons have proven that they have no intention of making peace with us, as are most Britannians. We still gave them the option to surrender, and they can still choose to take it."
"And if they don't?" C.C. asked rhetorically, despite that even she knew that was probably going to happen.
"Then we fight," Lelouch stated firmly.
Nunnally gave a sad sigh. "I hate fighting but… if it's the only way…Then I trust you, Big Brother."
"Thank you, Nunnally," Lelouch was really glad he had his sister with him now.
His door opened and the group looked to see none other than Shirley enter.
"Excuse me," Shirley spoke up, "Sorry to just walk in without saying anything."
"It's fine. Do you need something, Shirley?" Lelouch asked.
"Yeah… Lulu, can I talk to you alone? Just for a little bit? Please?" she asked.
Though a bit surprised, Lelouch saw nothing wrong with it.
"Can you give us a moment?" he asked Nunnally, Sayoko, and C.C.
"Of course," Sayoko nodded as she pushed Nunnally's wheelchair outside with C.C. right behind them, leaving the two alone as the door closed.
"Lulu… I… you see…" Shirley tried to find the right words to say, but it seemed Lelouch himself had something to ask her.
"Shirley, I'm sorry if this sounds rude or anything, but are you sure you want to stay here?" Lelouch asked, causing her to look in surprise, "Your mother must be worried about you. If need be, we could…"
"I already texted her, saying that I was safe, and I was with you. Which isn't technically a lie. And I can just use a Groundbridge to go to her, she's already been evacuated so she should be safe now."
"That's good to hear. I'm sorry if I…"
"No, I get it. You were concerned about me and that is very sweet of you. To be honest, if someone told me that I would call you 'sweet' back in our freshman year, I'd say they were crazy."
Lelouch chuckled at her joke, "Yeah… I was… different back then."
"But… I kinda always liked that about you. I'm sorry if this sounds forward, but I need to tell you something. I…"
She tried to hide her blush as her arms began to fidget slightly, "Lulu, I've kinda… always had a…"
"A crush on me?" Lelouch finished for her, causing her to look at him with circular eyes, "To be honest, I kind of already figured that some time ago, and I probably should have said something sooner."
"Lelouch?"
"Shirley, listen…I'm flattered you like me that way. You're a kind and caring person, one of the best people I've met in my life. I'd even say you're one of my best friends. But… that's about all I see you as."
The brunette had something of a saddened expression, as did Lelouch. He felt a bit bad to reject her feelings like this, but he had to get it out in the open.
"Don't take it the wrong way," Lelouch continued, "I care about you a lot and I'm appreciative of all the support you've given me, whether it's as Black Knights or just in school. But… I just don't share those kinds of feelings that you have for me. It's no one's fault and you didn't do anything wrong, I just… don't feel the same way. I'm sorry."
"It's alright…"
He looked toward her and was completely stunned to see a smile on her face, though he could still see the sad expression in her eyes.
"To be honest, there was a small part of me that knew that was the case. Now I know for certain and it's all out in the open. Even if it hurts a bit."
"And I'm sorry for that," Lelouch said sincerely, "I never wanted to hurt you or try to lead you on…"
"I know you wouldn't. Back when we first met in our freshman year, and I saw you during that thing with the elderly couple and their car, I wanted to get to know you and see what goes on in your head. I got my wish. I got to see what kind of person you are, and it's someone that I think is truly amazing. You're far from perfect, but you're willing to do so much to help people, you want to change this world into a place where everyone can be happy and smile together, regardless of their differences. Despite every horrible thing that's happened to you, and all the bad guys that are trying to stop you, you refuse to give up. I am so glad I got to know you. Whether you call yourself Lelouch Lamperouge, Lelouch Vi Britannia, or even Zero, I'm happy that I get to be a part of your world."
"My world… is a very dangerous place…"
"I know and I don't care, I still want to be part of it, even if it's just as a friend."
Shirley put a hand on his shoulder, "Lelouch, no matter what happens, I'll always be by your side. Even if by some chance the whole world should somehow turn against you, I won't. I won't ever abandon you, not now, not ever."
Lelouch couldn't stop his smile from forming, or even tears from welling up in his eyes which he tried to wipe out. He was truly grateful to have such a good friend in Shirley. Even if he didn't share her romantic feelings, he regretted ever ignoring her, pushing her away, or even unintentionally causing her pain.
"And when you finally do find someone...someone who can make you happy, someone that you can truly love… You make sure they're the happiest person in the world. Alright, Lulu?"
"I will. And I'm sure you'll find someone as well. You deserve nothing but the best, Shirley."
They quickly wrapped their arms around each other in the form of a hug.
"And, there is one other thing you could do for me."
"What is it?" Shirley asked.
"Please stay with Nunnally, while everyone else is out there," Lelouch requested as they pulled away, "I trust C.C. and Sayoko. I'm certain even Kaguya will be happy to stay with her as well, I just…"
"It's okay. You don't have to explain it to me. I promise I'll stay with your sister. You just promise to come back to her, and the rest of us."
"I will," Lelouch vowed, "And thank you, Shirley."
The Nemesis – The Bridge
As Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Soundwave continued to work at the various stations on the bridge of the Decepticon warship, Megatron gazed out the window to get a clear view of the planet Earth. Right below him was the captive immortal boy known as V.V.
"It's going to be glorious, Victor," Megatron spoke to his former student-turned-traitor, "You know, you really should be grateful. Despite all the speeches of social Darwinism and Britannia's superiority, you and your brother utterly loathe your empire. Well now, it's all about to come crashing down."
"Pardon me if I don't break out in applause," V.V. said sarcastically, "You know Charles won't make it easy for you. I'm certain he has plans that not even I might be aware of."
"That's fine with me. I welcome a challenge."
"Lord Megatron," Starscream reported, "The last of our diagnosis is complete, and the Nemesis is fully operational. In addition, all onboard forces, be they Vehicon, Seeker, or even Insecticon, are ready for battle."
"Knock Out and Breakdown both called in," Skywarp reported as well, "They're in the Settlement, each with a squad of Vehicons to at least make it look like we're part of this fight."
Thundercracker also made his report, "In addition, Hardshell and his team have also made contact. They are stationed at Ashford Academy and have captured three humans whom Soundwave has confirmed to be part of the Student Council."
"Only three?" Starscream asked, "I had thought there were four, excluding those not in the Black Knights or Britannian military."
"Eh. Probably evacuated with everyone," the black Seeker shrugged, not giving it much thought.
"It does not matter. They will suffice," Megatron stated, "Tell Hardshell that no harm is to come to those children… yet. Keep them alive."
"Is that necessary?" V.V. asked, "You already have Euphemia and Cornelia as hostages. What do you need some of Lelouch's friends for?"
"I'd prefer to keep all my potential cards close to my chest," the Decepticon leader replied, "But when our plan succeeds and they have no further use, I could care less what happens."
"Shockwave has also reported that Orange is in the Settlement and need only wait for the command to be unleashed," the blue Seeker gave his final report.
"And Schneizel?" Megatron asked.
"Currently on the Avalon, waiting for the enemy to strike," Starscream replied.
The Avalon
The second prince of Britannia sat on his throne within his flying ship with several officers at their respective stations, as well as General Bartley by his side.
Night had fallen over the entire Settlement as he saw on the radar screen the massive enemy force that had halted its advance toward the Settlement. He looked at his watch to see that they only had one hour left.
Bartley conducted his report, "My Lord, everything is prepared. The entire perimeter of the settlement has been secured with long-ranged assault vehicles and aircraft. Our Sutherland infantry is on stand-by behind them. In addition, the Knights of Twelve and Six are at the helm and in command. The Knights of Nine and Four are at the military depot with a garrison of some of our finest troops. The Knights of Ten and Three, as well as the Valkyrie squadron, are all guarding the Settlement's power station. Finally, the Knight of One himself, as well as Sir Guilford and Sir Darlton are at the palace with Sir Waldstein's hand-picked soldiers at their disposal."
"Thank you, General Bartley," Schneizel nodded in acknowledgment, ' So, this is it. Whether we win or lose this battle is irrelevant. In the end, the world will change forever.'
"You do realize that we're essentially committing treason by doing this, right?" Lloyd asked casually as Cecile stepped out, wearing a yellow and black pilot suit.
"I don't care. I'm going to help Suzaku," Cecile stated firmly, "This is wrong, and I don't know if I can tolerate this anymore."
"Morality is something that one usually abandons when they try to join the Britannian military. At least that's how you non-sociopaths feel, right?"
Cecile rolled her eyes, knowing Lloyd's antics would never truly change, "You don't have to come with me, you know? You could stay here if you want."
"And be apart from my precious Lancelot? With Rakshata ready to tear it apart and undo all my hard work? I don't think so. So, I guess that means we're both traitors to Britannia. But hopefully, those Autobots will be less stingy with Cybertronian goodies than the Decepticons were."
This was it. This was the last few minutes before the twenty-four-hour deadline was up.
All the Black Knight forces, as well as their supporters from the insurrections, have surrounded the Settlement and need only wait for their leader's word to attack. The only Autobot who appeared to be present was Ironhide, who appeared to be at the front lines, along with Suzaku inside the Lancelot, and Ohgi in his own Burai; countless Knightmares, armored vehicles, and even armed infantry forces. There were even sets of modified Raiko cannons mixed in with all that.
Within the air, the Gawain hovered just above the Settlement, piloted by Lelouch himself with C.C. in the co-pilot seat below him. Next to the large black Knightmare was the Jackhammer, piloted by Wheeljack with Dreadwing in the passenger seat.
"Zero to Optimus," Lelouch made contact with his fellow commander, "All forces are on standby and need only wait for the word."
" Understood," Optimus contacted back from the Ark, "The teams we have assigned are all gathered at the Groundbridge and are ready to be deployed to their respective targets the minute the fighting begins."
"Alright. See you at the palace," Lelouch signed off as he looked at the sight of the heavily guarded Settlement that lay in front of him before looking at the clock on his console, 'Ten more minutes.'
Suddenly, Lelouch's cell phone began to vibrate, he took it out and looked at the recognizable caller ID.
'Suzaku?'
He nonetheless answered, "Yes?"
" Lelouch…" Suzaku began, "It's almost time."
"I know."
" Before all this starts… can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
" Is there anyone you could ever hate so much that you want to kill them?"
"I can think of at least five off the top of my head. And I can assume that the one at the top spot is also the one you want to kill, right? The same one who took Euphie and caused all of this?"
" I know now how most of the things he told me were lies, ways just to get inside my head. But there's one thing he said that still sticks with me, how violence is often necessary. I used to hate that sort of belief but now… now that's all I can think of… as I want nothing more than to drive my Knightmare's blade through his black spark. He used Euphie's face to start a massacre! He killed so many innocent people! And I helped him along that path!"
"And you have every right to hate him, just as much as I do, now. But you can't let that hate consume you. If you do, destruction is the only thing that you will find. Even when you were with the military, there were plenty of people who saw you as a hero, both Britannians and Japanese, and they need a hero now more than ever. So be a symbol for righteous justice."
He heard a small chuckle on the other line, "You know, back when we were kids, I never thought I'd hear you say something like that."
Lelouch smirked himself, "Yeah… Optimus rubbed off on me. You know, he's like a father to me."
" Kallen told me the same thing. And I'm glad to hear that, he's a better alternative than your biological father."
Lelouch gave a slight chuckle before he heard a small sob on the other line, "Lelouch I… I… I'm sorry."
"For what?"
" For a lot of things…"
Lelouch looked in sympathy as he listened to his friend, "I'm sorry for attacking you so many times… I'm sorry I joined the Decepticons… I'm sorry if I ever felt that you couldn't trust me… I'm sorry I yelled and hit you before… I… I'm sorry… I'm just sorry for everything…!"
"It's alright. We all make mistakes. But what's important is that we learn from them, and work to make ourselves better. Not just better soldiers, but better people. No matter what happens from this point forward Suzaku, you're still my friend."
There was no response at first, but Lelouch had a feeling that a smile had formed on his friend's face.
"Thank you… Lelouch. I… I know I probably have a long way to go before I can set things right but… I want you to know, that from now on, I'm one hundred percent on your side."
"I know you are. I'll see you when this is all over."
He hung up.
"Get a room, why don't you?" C.C. teased as she smirked up in Lelouch's direction, who only smirked back in response before looking at the clock to see that the timer had reached zero.
The Gawain's screen zoomed in as he saw the Avalon in the sky. Though it was still several miles away from him, it was almost as if Lelouch himself could see into the bridge of the floating ship, where his older half-brother was no doubt sitting. Once he saw the Britannian aircraft, Lelouch projected his voice through the Gawain's speakers so the enemy could hear him.
"Here me, Britannia! Your twenty-four-hour time limit is up! I can tell that you have at least evacuated your civilians, but that is not good enough! This will be your only chance: the Britannian government in this country must surrender unconditionally, and vow to leave the United States of Japan now and forever! Do this, and no blood shall be spilled. But if you resist, then you support the oppressive cause of Charles Zi Britannia and Megatron! And if that is the case, we will not hesitate to crush you! I await your reply."
"He dares….!? Just who does this coward think he is?!" Bartley exclaimed, "Does he truly believe this army of rabble and those metallic abominations can defeat us? We are the Holy Empire of Britannia! Our empire has stood for centuries! We will not let it fall to the ground!"
One officer reported to Schneizel, "Your Highness, the Avalon has a lock on Zero. What are your orders?"
Schneizel looked to the Avalon's main screen and saw that his ship had indeed locked onto the Gawain.
'Well Lelouch, let's make our last game together one to remember,' He thought to himself before solidifying his resolve, "Open fire."
A series of missiles shot from the Avalon's sides and flew across the sky, straight toward the hovering black Knightmare before appearing to make contact and explode, seemingly engulfing the Gawain in an inferno.
"Direct hit!" an officer exclaimed, "The Gawain is destroyed!"
"Wait," Schneizel halted any celebrations as the Avalon's screen zoomed in toward the smoke that began to clear, which revealed, much to the shock of everyone, that the Gawain had remained undamaged, evident by the familiar shield pattern that appeared in front of it.
"What?!" Bartley exclaimed in disbelief, "But… that's the Blaze Luminous shield system! The Gawain was never outfitted with that device and the Black Knights could not have built it themselves! They may have the Lancelot, but there is no way they could have replicated it in such a short time!"
An intrigued smile fell on Schneizel's face, 'Pulling out all the stops, are we?'
"So be it," Lelouch said with reluctant acceptance, "I gave you your chance."
He made contact with the Jackhammer that remained next to him, "Wheeljack, Dreadwing, let's kick this off… Wrecker style."
Wheeljack pulled out his trigger as Dreadwing did the same with his own. "Who would have thought I'd be doing this with a Con?" the Wrecker voiced the irony aloud.
"There's a first for everything, it would seem," the former Seeker replied. "On three?"
Wheeljack only smirked, "One…"
"...two..." Dreadwing put his finger on his trigger.
"...three!" they both said as they simultaneously pressed their respective triggers.
Multiple explosions erupted from the ground around the entire perimeter of the Tokyo Settlement as the various bombs designed and planted by Wheeljack and Dreadwing all exploded, destroying the support of all the Section Blocks before the entire perimeter began to collapse.
"WHAT?!" Bartley exclaimed as even Schneizel was caught off guard.
With the collapse of the Section Blocks, the ground became unstable as the entire area seemed to have been struck by a sudden Magnitude 10 earthquake. Bridges collapsed and broke apart, taking all the hundreds of armored tanks and vehicles down before entire buildings collapsed and toppled over with them, falling and crushing any aircraft that couldn't pull out of the way in time.
C.C. looked up to see the reluctant look on Lelouch's face, "You know, a part of me was somehow expecting you to laugh at this."
"Maybe in a different time, I probably would have," Lelouch replied as he watched the destruction unfold before him, "But, somewhere down the line from when I started this, destruction has lost its appeal to me. I understand however that sometimes destruction is necessary. And now, there is only one path that lies ahead for us: straight ahead."
Megatron gave an amused chuckle as he, Starscream, V.V., Soundwave, Thundercracker, and Skywarp watched the destruction of the Tokyo Settlement's outer perimeter unfold before them. Even the Starscream seemed amused.
"He certainly has a flair for the dramatics, doesn't he?" Starscream mused with a chuckle, "Now all eyes are set on Area 11, the whole world has directed its attention to this rebellion… completely ignorant of the true main event!"
"Indeed." Megatron smiled evilly as he saw the holographic image of the Earth project in front of him.
He placed his hand directly under the hologram as if saying that he held the Earth itself in the palm of his hand.
"We launch a full-scale assault on Pendragon immediately! And wipe the treacherous Charles Zi Britannia and his pathetic empire OFF THE FACE OF THE PLANET!" he declared before crushing the hologram in his hand.
Chapter 34: Fall of Britannia
Chapter Text
The entire perimeter of the Tokyo Settlement had completely crumbled , and all power had been shorted out in the whole city, even areas that hadn't been destroyed yet. Onboard the Avalon, Bartley and all the Britannian officers looked in clear shock ; even Schneizel in his command chair had been surprised.
"The Settlement has been breached…" Bartley stuttered, "How… how could they have…?!"
"Prince Schneizel, General Bartley, we've lost contact with all military units!" one officer reported.
"What?! Impossible!" Bartley exclaimed.
"We can't reach anybody ! Communications are down!"
' Not only do they breach the perimeter, allowing their forces to invade the Settlement, they even found a way to cut off all military communications simultaneously, making it all that more difficult for us to coordinate,' an impressed smile fell on Schneizel's face, 'Well played, Lelouch.'
"Pull the Avalon back," the Britannian prince ordered.
"But, my lord…!" Bartley attempted to protest.
"We can't get in contact with any of our units. Until we can re-establish communication, we should pull the Avalon back for safety. If we're shot down , our forces will be directionless. Even with the Knights of the Round on station, without tight coordination, the enemy still has the advantage. We have no choice but to fall back and find a way to restore communications."
"Understood," one officer said as even Bartley seemed to reluctantly accept, "We're pulling the Avalon back ."
Lelouch and C.C. saw from the screen of the Gawain that the Avalon was moving back.
"Good choice, Schneizel," Lelouch commented.
" You want us to go after him?" Wheeljack got in contact as the Jackhammer hovered next to the floating Gawain.
"Negative," Lelouch replied, "Communications might be down, but the skies are still infested with enemy units. Take them down now before they get organized!"
" Understood," Dreadwing acknowledged.
Lelouch and C.C. both watched as Dreadwing leaped down from the Jackhammer's open drawbridge on the bottom before he transformed into his jet mode and shot into the sky with the Jackhammer right behind him to begin clearing the skies.
"With those two, Britannia's air force won't stand a chance," Lelouch commented with a slight smirk, "It's about time Britannia meets its match."
"Don't get over-confident," C.C. advised him, "That's always been a problem for you, Lelouch. You might be a good strategist, but when you get cocky, you let your guard down."
"I know, I've learned that the hard way," the Black Knights' leader replied. "But now is the time to move and bring Britannia and the Decepticons to their knees."
He got in contact with the rest of his forces and relayed instructions, "All units move in now! Ironhide, Suzaku, Ohgi, lead the bulk of our forces straight through the Settlement! Demolish any Britannian or Decepticon forces you see!"
" Already on it!" Ironhide reported.
" Got it," Ohgi replied.
" I understand," Suzaku also relayed as the sounds of explosions and gunfire could already be heard from down below as Lelouch made contact with the Ark.
"Optimus, Ratchet, the battle has begun! Send our teams to their respective targets! C.C. and I already making a bee-line to the palace!"
" Very well. We'll see you there," Optimus replied.
" All teams are being deployed as we speak," Ratchet informed.
With nothing else needing to be said, Lelouch piloted the Gawain as it shot through the air at incredible speeds. Its destination: the royal palace of the Tokyo Settlement.
"What the hell was all that?!" Rivalz exclaimed as he, Milly, and Nina, along with their cat, Arthur, were being held in the Student Council building, specifically in the darkened ballroom.
Right outside was a group of Insecticons led by Hardshell, standing guard.
"Was that an earthquake?!" the schoolboy exclaimed, as a result of the massive tremor the whole settlement felt.
"I don't know," Milly muttered as Nina clung to her like a lifeline, Arthur rubbing his side along the frightened girl to try and comfort her as she shook like a leaf. Milly couldn't help but draw comparisons to when she, Shirley, Nina, and Rai were taken hostage by the JLF in the Hotel Jacking. Only this time, the people holding them hostage were literal monsters.
"Why is this happening….?" Nina shivered, her eyes shaking with terror, "Princess Euphemia is gone… monsters everywhere… why do we have to endure all this?!"
Rivalz looked with sympathy at the bespectacled girl while Milly stroked her back to provide what comfort she could.
"We'll find a way out of this, Nina. I promise."
However, despite that comfort, Milly did her best to hide the terror that was building deep inside her, 'Lelouch… please…'
Outside the building, Hardshell chuckled.
"Did you feel that, my brothers?" he asked the two Insecticons that accompanied him, "That is the sound of the old world crumbling… and the rise of our glorious empire!"
"All Raiko cannons, open fire!" Ohgi shouted as a line of massive guns fired their high-velocity shells, which broke apart into dozens of smaller projectiles that tore through an entire line of Britannian infantry units, including tanks and Sutherlands.
Out of the smoke, Ohgi led the charge of multiple Burai Knightmares that took advantage of the confusion to shoot down many more Britannian Knightmares, their magnesium rounds easily melting and destroying the enemy units with little issue.
Ironhide's vehicle mode also shot forward. Both his side doors opened as his Energon cannons popped out and he shot balls of explosive energy onto a line of Knightmares. From an aerial perspective, a long line of explosions could be seen as he cut through the ruined landscape of the destroyed perimeter like a hot knife through butter. The veteran Autobot then transformed and used the momentum he gained to deliver a powerful punch to obliterate one Sutherland as he appeared to be surrounded by seven Sutherlands.
However, Ironhide was more than prepared as he shot his arms out to blast his cannons and completely eradicate two Sutherlands before ducking under their fire to deliver an uppercut to the one in front of him to send it flying into the air before grabbing its foot and slamming it down onto the one next to him to crush it, before throwing it at another one to destroy both. He fired his cannons again to obliterate the remaining two. But suddenly, five more Sutherlands rolled onto the scene to shoot him down.
"Vile machine! Destroy it!" the lead soldier ordered as the Knightmares attempted to open fire on Ironhide, but the Lancelot suddenly appeared in front of Ironhide and quickly used its Blaze Luminous shield to block the gunshots.
"Kururugi!" one soldier exclaimed, "Of course, you would side with them, filthy traitor! Once an Eleven, always an Eleven!"
" I'm the traitor?!" Suzaku shouted in offense and anger, " You're the ones who would use Princess Euphemia's name to further your ends! You'd sully your princess to fulfill your need for bloodshed!"
"Bah! That traitor of a princess had nothing but pity for you filthy creatures," Another soldier dismissed, "I'm just glad to finally be rid of her ."
That hit Suzaku hard as he shot his Lancelot straight toward the group, the young soldier only seeing red as he drew his Knightmare's MVS.
"HOW DARE YOU!" he easily sliced one Sutherland in half before quickly slicing down another one next to him as the remaining three tried to pull back and shoot, only for the Lancelot to draw the VARIS and destroy all three in a single shot.
"Suzaku, cool your jets!" Ironhide told him firmly as he put a hand on Lancelot's shoulder, "You can't lose control in the middle of a fight like this! One slip-up could mean the difference between life and death!"
This seemed enough to calm Suzaku slightly, "I… I'm sorry…"
Ironhide gave a small sigh, "I don't blame you for being pissed off right now, but you need to keep a cool head. Don't react with your anger , channel it. Use it, or else it will end up using you."
"Alright… I understand…" Suzaku seemed to get it as he focused back on the battlefield.
"Come on, stay with me at all times, soldier," Ironhide instructed as he transformed back into his vehicle mode, "Don't go off on your own unless ordered to, you got it?"
"Yes, sir," Suzaku nodded as he followed in his Lancelot after Ironhide, the two soldiers driving deeper into the battlefield to help clear out the frontlines for their forces to push through.
The Settlement's power station seemed active as the electric lines all continued to buzz with electricity, yet the squadron of ten Britannian Knightmares guarding the station was unable to get in contact with anyone else outside their area.
"What's going on? I can't reach central command!"
"Could the enemy have done this?"
"I don't know, but we need to…"
Suddenly a Groundbridge portal opened up. Before any of the soldiers could react, the team consisting of Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Kallen all shot out; the two Autobots in their respective vehicle modes, and the young Black Knight in the Guren MK II.
Kallen was the first to attack as she used her Knightmare's knife to quickly cut down the Sutherland in front of her before reaching out to grab another one with her Radiant Wave Surger, which she was quick to activate, causing the entire Knightmare to explode.
Arcee shot through the enemy gunfire as she slid directly underneath one Sutherland before transforming and leaping up with her arm-blades to slice it in half. She landed on the ground and opened fire with both her Energon blasters to turn the nearest enemy Knightmare to flaming rubble before leaping over a third that tried to strike her with its stun-batons, landing on its shoulders, crushing its head in between her legs and snapping it off to disable it.
Cliffjumper swerved his vehicle mode to trip up two Sutherlands before transforming and shooting his Energon blasters at their heads to disable them before turning around as two more attempted to charge him, but he easily blocked and parried their weapon strikes before punching down one Sutherland and delivering a kick to knock the second one down, while easily disabling both with his Energon blasters. He gave a cocky grin as he shot behind him to blast off the head of the final Sutherland without even turning around to face it.
"Looks like we're at the power station," Kallen noted.
"What gave it away?" Cliffjumper joked, "The fact that it was guarded , or all the power lines surging with electricity?"
"Let's sweep out the rest of the area before we start demolishing it," Arcee suggested, "They probably got more guards here."
"Got it," Kallen nodded.
"Let's get this party started," Cliffjumper was already enthusiastic as the three moved deeper into the station.
At the same time, the military depot, which was filled with multiple armaments of the Britannian military, and guarded by a group of at least twenty Sutherlands, went from being deathly quiet to lively as a Groundbridge portal opened up, and the vehicle mode of Bulkhead shot out, followed by Rai in his Gekka Pre-Production, along with ten Burais, led by Tamaki in his own Burai. But these Burais were different from the standard ones. They seemed to be more weaponized, evident by the shoulder-mounted missile launchers on the black Knightmares.
"Alright Wreckers , time to let this place up!" Tamaki exclaimed as he and the other Burais shot their missiles out in multiple directions, already turning almost half the area of the depot into a blazing inferno as the missiles obliterated all the vehicles and buildings in sight and even half of the squadron of Sutherlands.
Bulkhead's vehicle mode and Rai's Gekka shot forward at the remaining ten Knightmares as the Sutherlands opened fire, which Rai retaliated with his Gekka's arm-cannon, taking down one Sutherland before moving in closer to cut down two more with his Gekka's katana and grabbing a third with his Radiant Wave Surger, causing it to explode less than a second later.
The green Autobot transformed as he brought down his mace onto one Sutherland to crush it before swinging it on his left to obliterate a second. He then reached out to grab the third Sutherland and spun it around like a makeshift weapon to knock down the remaining two before throwing the one in his hands away, sending it crashing into a small armory, which exploded shortly after.
"Bulkhead, this area is clear!" Rai reported as he, Tamaki , and their squad rolled up to him.
" Alright everyone, it's time to kick some Britannian tailpipe! Who's with me!?" Bulkhead shouted as he raised his fist, resulting in all the Black Knights cheering as they moved deeper into the depot to demolish everything in sight.
On the south side of the Settlement's palace, Bumblebee had already arrived along with Tohdoh in his own custom Gekka. They had expected the palace to be heavily guarded, and so it was, not just by multiple Gloucesters, but even turrets that were stationed along the building itself.
Bumblebee and Tohdoh didn't even have the chance to engage as the enemy fire was so intense, they had to take cover behind some debris, and even that wouldn't last long.
"We're pinned down! We can't get closer!" Tohdoh stated.
"[Be a lot easier to move in if we could get rid of those damn turrets!]" Bee cursed as he tried to return fire with his Energon blaster but was forced behind cover again.
"Allow me to grant you your wish!" a familiar voice sounded through the air as a series of massive red lasers shot down from the sky to carve through the lower area of the wall of the palace, causing the entire side to crumble and take down nearly all the turrets. The culprit was revealed to be none other than the Gawain and its Hadron cannons.
"It's Zero!" one Gloucester pilot exclaimed as he and his units were about to open fire, but his entire Knightmare was destroyed by a series of Energon shots as Bumblebee and Tohdoh charged forward at the Britannian soldiers.
Tohdoh shot through a line of seven Gloucesters, faster than any of them could anticipate, using his Gekka's sword to cut through all of them with ease . Meanwhile, Bumblebee shot and destroyed two Gloucesters as three more shot at him with their guns, but he leaped to deliver a kick and knock the central one down before sweeping his legs to knock down the other two, which he finished off with blasts to all three of their heads and disable them.
The remaining six Gloucesters attempted to shoot the Gawain as it landed, but its own Blaze Luminous Shield protected it from the gunfire. Once Lelouch had a target lock, he quickly raised the Gawain's arms to shoot six slashes harkens from its fingertips and decapitate all six Gloucesters at once .
"Flashy as ever, Lelouch," Tohdoh commented as he and Bumblebee regrouped.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Lelouch smirked before getting serious, "What's the situation?"
"[We got no idea what's in there, but I'm willing to bet it's not going to be easy,]" Bumblebee answered as they looked toward the south side of the palace that was already in ruins.
"Let's move," Lelouch ordered as Bumblebee transformed and drove alongside the Gawain and custom Gekka deeper into the heart of enemy territory.
At the same time, the north end of the palace was a warzone as twenty Gloucesters shot at the charging Optimus Prime in his vehicle mode, with the Four Holy Swords in their respective Gekkas right behind him. Once they got close enough to the enemy forces, they ended up splitting off: Chiba and Urabe went on the left flank, Asahina and Senba took the right flank, and Optimus shot down the middle.
On the left flank, Chiba cut down one Gloucester before swerving around the second to shoot it from behind with her Gekka's arm cannon as Urabe shot head-first into a group of three Gloucesters. He quickly got in the middle and spun his Gekka's sword around almost like a top to decapitate all three in a single motion. Meanwhile, on the right flank, Asahina kept Senba covered as he shot down one Gloucester, allowing Senba to move in and cut down two more.
The remaining twelve Gloucesters got together to block the path of the charging Autobot leader in his vehicle mode.
"All units, concentrate your fire on the Autobot! He shall not pass!" the head unit ordered as all twelve opened fire.
However, Optimus had already kicked into maximum overdrive as he shot forward to ram and smash the central three Gloucesters at once before transforming and opening fire with his Ion blasters on his right to take down four more in little effort. As the remaining five attempted to shoot him, he ran and drew his axe to swing and cut down two of them in one slice before jamming the back end of his axe's staff to knock down a third, which he disabled by stomping on its head. He pulled back his free hand to punch down one more Gloucester, before grabbing the last one by the head and lifting it in the air before crushing said head, disabling the Knightmare, and dropping it.
The Holy Swords couldn't help but look in awe at the Autobot leader.
"Damn… he's a real beast," Urabe smirked.
"I'd hate to say it, but he'd give Colonel Tohdoh a run for his money," Senba commented.
" Sure glad he's on our side," Asahina commented.
Chiba was the first to roll up to him in front of the palace, "Optimus, we're detecting multiple enemy signals in there. I don't have confirmation, but more than likely, the Knights of the Round are there."
"That is a possibility," Optimus acknowledged.
"We got your back, though," Urabe said as the remaining Holy Swords joined him, "No way any Knights or Cons are gonna stop us."
"I thank you all," Optimus nodded, "Be on guard."
With that, they proceed closer to the palace.
"Ratchet, all units have engaged with the enemy!" Fixit reported as he and the Autobot medic were on the bridge of the Ark, monitoring the battle from their respective consoles, "The Wreckers are demolishing the depot; Kallen, Arcee, and Cliffjumper are clearing out the power station; Suzaku, Ironhide, and Ohgi have already demolished twenty percent of the military force within the Settlement and are leading our forces with perceptiveness… receptiveness… effectiveness!"
"Excellent," Ratchet replied, "What about the teams at the palace or our aerial force?"
"Wheeljack and Dreadwing have already neutralized more than sixty-three percent of the Britannian air force. Optimus and the Holy Swords are proceeding to the north side of the palace, as are Zero, Bumblebee, and Tohdoh."
"Good. Keep monitoring for any Decepticon activity," Ratchet instructed, "We have to assume they'll attack at any moment as well."
As the two Autobots continued to monitor the battle, the group consisting of Nunnally, Shirley, Kaguya, Sayoko, and Chigusa sat in the living area of the bridge as they continued to watch and listen in suspense as well .
Nunnally wouldn't say it, but she was greatly worried, not just for Lelouch, Suzaku, or any of her other friends in the Black Knights and the Autobots. She was greatly worried for any people who might get caught up in this. But more than anything, she was especially worried for Euphemia, who they had yet to locate, as well as Cornelia and Schneizel, who were supposed to be in command of the Britannian military forces. Though they reported seeing the Avalon, Schnizel's ship, they had yet to hear anything regarding Cornelia, and that worried her greatly.
Sensing her worry, Sayoko put both her hands on Nunnally's shoulders as Kaguya also reached out to hold her left hand, and even Shirley did the same for Nunnally's right hand. All three of them gave her assuring smiles, despite being unable to see them. This was enough to comfort her as she smiled and silently put her faith in her brother and friends, trusting that they knew what they were doing.
In the skies above the Settlement, the Jackhammer soared through the air as it opened fire with Energon blasts to destroy every single Britannian helicopter and fighter jet that was in front of it. Wheeljack's craft was far faster than any human-made aircraft as it easily maneuvered past any kind of gunfire or missiles that were shot at it. A trio of fighter jets tried to ambush him from behind, but Wheeljack pulled back on his ship's controls, causing the Jackhammer to curve and flip upward before coming down behind the jets and opening fire to blast them down.
"Hooah!" Wheeljack hollered in triumph.
At the same time, Dreadwing fired his weaponry in his jet mode to shoot down two helicopters in front of him as a squad of four Britannian fighter jets gave him chase from behind and tried to shoot him down. But Dreadwing transformed and let himself fly backward to grab and land on the nearest fighter jet, where he drew his sword to cut it down before jumping, right as it exploded, and transforming back into his jet mode behind the remaining three and opening fire. He easily took down one, but the other two split off to avoid it. However, as the two regrouped and turned around to try and engage him, Dreadwing shot at an even greater speed past them, right in between the two fighter jets. It appeared nothing happened, save for two of Dreadwing's bombs appearing on their hauls, which exploded to engulf both of them in a blazing inferno.
"Most of the aerial forces have been obliterated ," Dreadwing stated as he flew in his jet mode alongside the Jackhammer.
"That seemed a little too easy," Wheeljack commented, sounding uncharacteristically serious, "I mean, Britannia ain't at the same level as the Cons, but… it feels like we're being set up for something."
"Yes, I… Look out!" Dreadwing exclaimed as he and the Jackhammer swerved to the left and right side respectively to avoid a massive purple laser that would have obliterated both of them.
Wheeljack struggled to straighten out his Jackhammer's flight path as that laser grazed him a little.
"What the scrap was that?!" he exclaimed as Dreadwing transformed and perched himself on the Jackhammer's roof.
"It came from below," Dreadwing narrowed his optics to the source of the laser, which came from a large hole down in the ruins of the Settlement's perimeter.
Out from the hole shot something very large , and very fast, which came to a stop in front of the Jackhammer.
"ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!" a familiar voice exclaimed as the object in question revealed itself.
It appeared almost as big as the Jackhammer itself. It appeared to be like an orange sphere with five large green spikes along its side. Two were on its upper sides, two on its lower sides, and one at the very bottom. There also appeared to be a human, or rather, a cyborg, hooked into it as his face was shown from the open cockpit.
"You… are you Autobots? Or Black Knights?" the cyborg questioned, sounding in a mixture of enthusiasm and insanity, "If you are, then it is such sweet fortune for me!"
"Who the heck is this guy?" Wheeljack questioned.
"I know that voice…" Dreadwing's optics widened in shock once he got a good look at him, "Jeremiah Gottwald! He was a Britannian Pureblood! But … he should have died at Narita…"
"Oh, you mean that Orange guy Bulkhead told me about?" Wheeljack asked.
The use of the O-word caused Jeremiah to gasp and shake before he clasped his hands together.
"I beseech you…! I'm begging you, please die! Die at the hands of the Siegfried!"
The green spikes along the sides of the machine called the Siegfried shot out slightly before they all curved and pointed toward each other, generating a surge of purple electricity before the bolts met in the center and began to converge together, preparing for an attack.
"Scrap! Clear out!" Wheeljack exclaimed as he pulled the Jackhammer away, while Dreadwing transformed again and flew away.
"NO ESCAPE!" Jeremiah shouted as another massive purple energy beam shot from the Siegfried, which the Jackhammer and Dreadwing were barely able to avoid.
A long line of explosions was shot to halt the path of Ironhide, the Lancelot, and a group of Burais as they faced a small army of Sutherlands blocked their path, being led by two certain Knightmares.
"I am sorry, but this is the end of the line," Anya said robotically from within the hovering Mordred with the Florence right by her side.
"Somehow, I knew we'd run into these guys," Ironhide commented as he readied himself for battle, though Suzaku seemed hesitant as he knew who these people were.
' Anya… Monica…' Suzaku thought with a conflicted look on his face; one that was shared by Monica as well, who seemed more than a little unsure of where she stood right now.
"Well, well, looky what we have here, folks," Luciano Bradley smirked sadistically within his Percival, which stood alongside the Tristan, piloted by Gino, and four pinkish unfamiliar Knightmares, which appeared to be prototypes, "Two little Autobots and a Black Knight trespassing on Britannian territory."
Arcee and Kallen glared as the former drew her arm-blades and the Guren loaded its Surger claw. Cliffjumper smirked, however.
"Who's ready to throw down?" the red Autobot challenged, "Cause I am!"
Explosions rocked the entire depot as Bulkhead, Rai in his blue Gekka, and their squadron of Wrecker Black Knights found themselves facing off against a group comprised of Dorethea in the Palamedes, Nonette in the Galeschin, and even Breakdown and Knock Out.
"Putting little humans in the Wreckers? Getting a little desperate, eh Bulk?" Breakdown mocked, causing the green Autobot to glare.
"Ah, scrap! Why can't we just blow this place up without any problems?" Tamaki complained.
"Because it wouldn't be as fun otherwise," Knock Out replied as he spun his electric prod and readied himself for a fight.
Rai however glanced at the Galeschin as he knew exactly who was piloting it.
'Nonette….' he thought to himself with a conflicted look on his face .
The Knight of Nine herself, however, did not appear conflicted. She knew what she had to do , and she would accomplish her goal, no matter who stood in her way.
Meanwhile, just outside the gates of the south end of the palace, the Gawain, Bumblebee, and black Gekka found themselves surrounded by many more Gloucesters, being led by the last two Glaston Knights as their Gloucesters appeared to have their built-in FLOAT systems, evident by the fact that their Knightmares were hovering in the air.
"Zero," Darlton began, "You and your alien companions have gone on with your rebellion long enough!"
"For the sake of Her Highness, you will meet your end here!" Guilford stated.
Lelouch and Tohdoh glared from their respective Knightmares as C.C. also readied herself. Bumblebee took a boxing stance and gestured for the enemy to come forward.
"Bring it," the scout played through his radio.
At the same time, Optimus Prime and the Four Holy Swords were already inside the palace itself, and as they expected, they faced not only a gathering of at least two dozen Gloucesters but even the hovering Galahad, piloted by the Knight of One himself.
"Optimus Prime, we meet again," Bismarck stated.
"Britannia's reign of terror over this country ends here, Bismarck," Optimus declared as he drew his axe.
"Does it?" Bismarck replied as the Galahad drew its massive sword and shot down at the Autobot leader with the two dozen Gloucesters shooting forward as well . As the Four Holy Swords rolled in their Gekkas to engage the enemy units, Optimus met the Galahad as they clashed their weapons together.
In stark contrast to the chaos currently occurring in the Tokyo Settlement, the capital city of Pendragon appeared in a state of calmness and order.
Within the royal palace, virtually every member of Britannian royalty and nobility had all been assembled in the throne room, just before the empty throne as they waited for his majesty to come and make his announcement.
"Don't you think it's rather odd that Father would make a national announcement?" Odysseus eu Britannia wondered aloud as he stood next to three of his half-sisters, "With everything that's happening in Area 11 right now?"
"I can only assume that he wants to assure the rest of our empire that he has the situation under control," Laila la Britannia assumed.
"Pardon me, but given this is Zero and those Autobots we're dealing with… I'd be lying to say if I wasn't nervous," Odysseus replied.
"You're nervous about everything, Odysseus. Grow a backbone, would you?" The much younger Carine no Britannia chastised.
"I agree," Beatrice Franks, the bespectacled former Knight of Two, also said, "All the Knights of the Round are currently in Area 11, not to mention Schneizel. Under his command, there is little doubt that insolent Zero and those foolish machines will meet their end."
"I can't help but wonder though why you aren't there as well, Ms. Franks. You are the former Knight of Two," Guinevere de Britannia pointed out.
"Someone has to stay in the capital to ensure its security," Beatrice replied.
"Kanon, you work closer with Schneizel than anyone. Do you truly believe he can defend Area 11?" Odysseus asked the earl who served the Second Prince.
"I'm quite certain Prince Schneizel knows what he is doing," Kanon answered. However, while he appeared calm on the surface, he was already aware of what Schneizel had planned and would ensure that it was a success. That is why he is here in Pendragon.
"Presenting his imperial majesty!" one guard announced as the current ruler of Britannia, Charles Zi Britannia stepped out from the side, walking towards his throne before sitting down.
"All hail Charles Zi Britannia! The ninety-eightth Emperor of Britannia!" Beatrice announced before everyone else joined in, "All hail Charles! All hail Charles! All hail Charles!"
However, Charles himself raised his hand to end the chanting as the entire throne room was rendered silent.
"This had better be good, Odysseus," Charles spoke with an impatient look on his face, "The current quarrel in Area 11 is not to be trifled with. Whatever this announcement is, it had better be worth my time."
This only caused Odysseus and everyone else to look in confusion, all save for Kanon who continued to look stoic if only to maintain a façade of innocence.
"But father… you were the one who told us to come here," the eldest of the Emperor's children said.
"What?" Charles questioned.
"That's correct," Guinevere also spoke, "You had called for an assembly of the entire royal family and all nobility within the homeland."
"It's true, I received that same summons from you as well, Your Majesty," Beatrice added.
"I made no such summons!" Charles stated, "Odysseus requested me to come here!"
"Father… I didn't request anything…" Odysseus himself sounded more than a little confused as all the assembled royalty and nobility whispered and murmured with each other, hoping that someone had an explanation. Charles himself was about to call for order when a guard suddenly ran in through the main doors.
"Your majesty! Your majesty!" the guard ran in as he had a panicked look on his face, "Something is approaching the capital!"
That got everyone's attention.
"What? What's approaching the capital?" Carine asked.
"I… I don't know bu t … it's something … unbelievably massive!" the guard stated.
"Get me a visual! Now!" Charles ordered the guards.
"Yes, Your Highness," both guards nodded as they each took out a remote of some kind .
Just above the main doors, a large screen had turned on to show the perimeter of the sky around Pendragon. On the screen, everyone could see a certain warship already making its way to the capital.
"What… what is that…?!" Laila exclaimed.
"It looks like… a floating aircraft….!" Odysseus stuttered.
"It's far bigger than the Avalon," Beatrice said with caution, "I've never seen anything like it before."
However, Charles knew exactly what it was as he stood up from his throne, 'The Nemesis!'
His fists clenched once he realized that he had essentially been tricked .
'Megatron!"
The massive Decepticon warship known as the Nemesis was already at the capital city, hovering about five miles away, the royal palace already within the sights of the Decepticon leader who stood at the top of his warship.
Megatron began to announce , "Long have we been in hiding, ruling from the shadows! Too long! The Britannian Empire has forgotten its place, believing its false power to be true might! All due to the treachery of Charles Zi Britannia! But that is about to change … no more disguises! No more mercy! The time has come to remind this world … who its true masters are!"
He turned around to look down at the deck where a small army of Decepticons had all been gathered . This army consisted of aerial Vehicons, Seeker Vehicons, who had a silver and black paint job as opposed to the typical purple, and even the massive Insecticons; all being led by the Seeker trio of Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp.
"DECEPTICONS! TRANSFORM AND RISE UP!" Megatron ordered as he raised his fists, followed by all the Decepticons present jeering and raising their fists as well .
"I'd thought he'd never ask!" Starscream shouted enthusiastically as he, Thundercracker, and Skywarp all transformed and shot up from the warship, followed by the small army of Decepticons, comprised of fighter jets, helicopters, and the Insecticons in their Hercules beetle forms, and all of them shot directly toward the capital.
"Come my armada! Attack! Attack! ATTACK!"
With that order, all the aerial units opened fire with a series of Energon blasts and/or missiles, already blowing away the outer perimeter of the city . It didn't even stop there as a large Groundbridge portal opened up, allowing a small army of ground-based Vehicons, in the forms of sportscars, or even the larger tank variety, to roll out and join in the attack. Most Vehicons already transformed and opened fire with their Energon blasters.
From within the palace, all nobility and royalty watched the chaos unfold in dead silence. Nobody had ever directly attacked Britannia's capital before, so the fact that an actual attack was taking place in front of them almost felt like they were watching people spontaneously turn into cows; it almost felt completely alien to them.
Charles, however, had a look of pure rage, not just for the attack, but for the lack of reactions from his subjects and gathered children.
"Are we blind?!" he exclaimed, getting their attention, "Deploy the Royal Guard and all available military! Move!"
With that, all nobility and even those among royalty attempted to organize and get in contact with the military forces stationed around Pendragon.
"Franks!" Charles exclaimed, getting the attention of the former Knight of Two.
"Yes, Your Highness?" she stood at attention.
"You will lead the Royal Guard in repelling this attack! Take the Vincent!" Charles ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" she bowed before leaving.
Once that was done , the Emperor made a beeline straight for the exit. The second he entered the hallway, a pair of masked and robed individuals from the Geass order quickly approached him.
"Your majesty…" one tried to get his attention.
"Be ready to assemble Pluton !" Charles ordered, not even listening to what they had to say, "The city's defenses and the Royal Guard can only hold them for so long! But once we unveil the full might of Pluton, we'll drive them back!"
"Your Highness…" the second one tried to speak.
"We need to get to the Thought Elevator immediately!" Charles continued.
"We can't!" the first one exclaimed, causing the emperor to look at him in surprise, "We can't access the Thought Elevator! It's been seized ! All the men guarding it are dead!"
"What?!"
Ravage pinned one masked man of the Geass Order to the ground as he bit down to rip his throat out. The Mini-Con jaguar stood up alongside Frenzy and Rumble as they observed their work. At least two dozen members of the Geass Order, all those assembled in Pendragon, laid ripped apart, sliced open, shot, or pulverized; leaving nothing more than a bloodstained mess on the ground.
Right behind the Mini-Con trio was Soundwave, who observed the Thought Elevator that lay underneath the royal palace. At the same time, the silent Decepticon had been jamming all forms of communication to prevent an SOS from being sent out to other Britannian areas, and even the Geass Order itself.
"We've also been unable to contact Pluton or anyone else in the order!" the second one stated to the shocked Emperor.
' How?! How is this possible?' the shocked Charles thought to himself , 'They knew where the Thought Elevator was?! Without it, I can't get to the Sword of Akasha and get in contact with Marianne! How ca n…! '
The emperor's eyes widened with dreadful realization as only one person could know about this, "Where is V.V.?!"
"We don't know! He hasn't made contact with us in weeks!"
' Big Brother… what did you do?!' Charles thought before he tried to steel himself as he clenched his fists, "So be it then. We stand our ground. Ready the Excalibur!"
That took the two men by shock, "But… Your Highness … it hasn't been tested. To use it in a real battle now…"
"Are you questioning my orders!?" Charles exclaimed in anger, which was enough to silence any further protests.
"N… No, your majesty! Right away!"
They ran down the hallway to prepare the weapon in question , leaving Charles alone as his whole body shook. One might think it was rage, and while there was indeed a great deal of anger boiling within him, a closer look into his eyes would reveal the fear that lingered there as well.
Several tanks, helicopters, and jets had already been deployed to try and push back against the Decepticon invasion force, but they were destroyed as quickly as they were deployed . All helicopters and fighter jets were shot down by the Seekers and other aerial units, while the ground armaments such as tanks were easily blown away by the ground-based Vehicons or torn apart by the Insecticons on the ground.
One Vehicon trooper stomped on a tank to crush and destroy it, "It's almost too easy."
However, he was quickly decapitated by a slash harken that shot out from a newly arrived gold and blue Knightmare: the RPI-212 Vincent.
The harken returned to the Knightmare as it drew a pair of dual-wielded MVS blades. It shot into a trio of Vehicons that shot at it, but the golden Knightmare maneuvered out of the way before getting in close to quickly slice off the arms and heads of the three Vehicons.
The Vincent would soon find itself facing Starscream, who had transformed from his vehicle mode to land in front of the golden Knightmare, followed by Skywarp and Thundercracker.
" Well now, what do we have here?" Starscream mused.
The pilot of the Vincent, Beatrice Franks, glared at the trio, "The Decepticons. I've heard how contemptible you were …. But to dare attack Pendrago n…t he very capital of Britannia itself?! Your arrogance knows no bounds!"
Thundercracker recognized the person in the cockpit, "I know that voice. Beatrice Franks, former Knight of Two, now a Britannian Duchess, Secretary to Britannia's Head Minister, and Special Duty General Inspector."
"That's a bit of a mouthful," Skywarp commented, "Can't you just say she's one of Britannia's higher-ups? That's so much easier."
"I am afraid, my dear Beatrice, that Britannia has outlived its usefulness," Starscream said with a sneer, "And to be quite frank, you've honestly had this coming for some time. Your nation's constant bickering and flaunting of your supposed superiority can only be tolerated so much."
Beatrice glared as she gripped the Vincent's controls hard, "You… how dare you….!? You have no idea what you are dealing with, DO YOU?!"
As she made her exclamation , over two hundred new Knightmares rolled out from trap-door-like entrances around the palace. They all appeared to be white Sutherlands and quickly mobilized behind the Vincent, with a hundred more white Sutherlands, each with their own Float Systems, assembled in the air. Even several large turrets popped up from all around the palace's walls and rooftop.
"This is the Royal Guard of the Britannian homeland!" Beatrice continued, "They live to serve our empire and we will defend our nation even from vile machines like you!"
However, rather than be intimidated, the Seeker trio laughed in amusement.
"Oh, that is just rich!" Skywarp chuckled.
"You think you can defeat ALL OF THIS?!" Thundercracker also laughed as he gestured to the army of Decepticons that had mobilized behind them.
All the Vehicons, and even the Seeker variety, along with the Insecticons , all transformed from their respective vehicle or insectoid forms and mobilized behind their commanders.
"I have waited so long for this moment," Starscream stated, "Your supposed holy empire… is about to meet a rather 'unholy' end."
Beatrice growled, "ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"
She led the charge of Britannian Knightmares, while the palace's turrets opened fire.
"DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!" Starscream ordered as he, Thundercracker, and Skywarp all transformed, along with several other Seeker Vehicons as all the remaining Decepticons on the ground ran forward and charged.
It wasn't even a full second before the armies met and engaged in an explosive and bloody conflict.
As the battle erupted all over Pendragon, Megatron flew down in his Cybertronian jet mode before transforming to land on the ground. Right as he landed, however, he was attacked by four white Sutherlands that attempted to shoot at him, but he looked more amused than anything.
"Cute," Megatron commented before obliterating them easily with his Fusion Cannon.
"Well, Megatron is here!" he announced dramatically and mockingly, purposely imitating Cornelia if only to ridicule her, "Is there no one who can challenge me?!"
The Decepticon leader turned around as he saw the metallic floorboards behind him begin to open up and something slowly arose from the elevated ground.
It was a Knightmare, one that stood as tall as Megatron himself. Its central chest and cockpit area were black, as opposed to its white arms and legs. It also carried a large sword in its right hand. It had golden shoulder plates, with a white head unit, red eyes, and golden spikes along its head in the shape of a crown. This was the personal Knightmare of Charles Zi Britannia: the IFX-V999 Excalibur.
"Charles," Megatron acknowledged, "That's quite the toy you have there."
"What is the meaning of this?!" Charles exclaimed, his voice sounding through the speakers of his massive Knightmare, "You dare to attack me?! To attack the head of the Holy Britannian Empire! You may have been my mentor in the past, but I am no longer a child and no longer your student! This is unacceptable and I will not stand for it! I will defeat you and wipe the Decepticons from the face of the Earth for their treachery! Evolution is on my side! On the side of Britannia as it always has been!"
Megatron chuckled as he slowly clapped his hands together, "Bravo. Excellent performance, Charles. But we both know that's all it was: a performance. It's always been a performance for you, nothing more."
The leader of all Decepticons stopped clapping as he narrowed his optics, "Everything you've said, not just to me, but your entire nation, your own family… everything about evolution being continuous, Britannia being the symbol of humanity's progress, how it's your right to subjugate this world… it's all a lie."
"You accuse me of dishonesty…"
"This is not an accusation , it's a fact. The truth is, despite your constant preaching of warfare, you desire a more peaceful world. That is why you, your brother, the immortal known as C.C., and your latest consort Marianne , have created Ragnarok. Correct?"
Charles couldn't contain his gasp, which caused Megatron to sneer as he continued.
"The four of you despised this world, believing it to be nothing but a pit of despair and destruction. However, rather than attempt to change this world with your power as the emperor, you feared humanity would go against you as you believe warfare is their nature, and you're not entirely wrong. So, while you fostered Britannia's Darwinist beliefs in the spotlight, you and your followers intended to use your power and knowledge over Geass to 'slay' your supposed gods and merge the collective consciousness of humanity into a singularity, supposedly allowing you and this world to ascend to a higher plane of existence and allowing you to finally achieve the 'gentler existence' you so desired. I can't say for certain if this would also affect Cybertronians, or we would simply be left behind in this form of existence, but either way, you and those you claim to care for would be free… or rather more specifically, you would be able to escape from me."
Megatron gave a slight chuckle.
"I'll give you credit for coming up with such a complex and underhanded scheme to deceive not only your nation but your own family. Speaking as your mentor, I'm rather proud. Or rather I would be if your desire wasn't so childish."
For the first time in his life, Charles had no idea what to say. Megatron had hit right on the ball, "How… how could you have learned all that…?"
"By chance, honestly. I had met a former contractor of C.C. who brought the existence of Geass to my attention. After that, it wasn't long before I began to believe you were hiding something from me. But ultimately, the reveal of Ragnarok came from your brother."
Charles's pupils shrunk at that, "What… what did you do to Victor…?"
" V.V. came to me . Your brother isn't as loyal to you as you believe. First, he was the one who killed your beloved Marianne out of a childish form of envy and deceived you for it. Then, he met me in person, trying to coerce me into joining him, believing his immortality made him invincible when it just further inflated his ego. However, I was somewhat surprised when I learned that you were aware of Lelouch's identity as Zero and yet made no attempt to stop him. Did some pesky form of fatherly love get in your way? Or did you fear the Autobots would learn of your precious Ragnarok and would destroy it? Probably the latter, correct?"
Charles said nothing in response as he glared hatefully at his former teacher.
"Well, as I said, I'm quite proud of how well you were able to deceive me. However, it also said deception that I cannot tolerate."
Megatron spoke in a serious tone , "You've crossed the line, Charles! I have no intent on giving you a second chance. I will tear down Britannia and seize your Geass Order and precious Ragnarok from you. And you will not live to see tomorrow!"
"You… do you honestly think I'm going to stand here and let you destroy the very dream that my brother and Marianne shared with me?! I will not let you wipe away everything we've built!"
He shot the Excalibur forward and swung his sword down toward Megatron, forcing the Decepticon leader to swerve to the side and avoid it as he drew his blade before charging at the Excalibur to clash metal against metal.
As they locked swords, the Excalibur lifted its left hand to shoot five slash harkens from its finger-tips point-blank at Megatron to knock him back before firing a set of familiar red beams from a pair of hadron cannons on its shoulders, which he could just barely avoid, leaving him open for the Excalibur to rush him and swing his sword at him, scratching his chest and even causing him to bleed Dark Energon. As the Excalibur moved in closer, he parried the sword with his blade before delivering a punch to its face to knock it back before delivering a powerful kick to send it flying and crashing into the side of the palace.
Megatron felt the cut on his chest. It was only a minor mesh wound; nothing worth worrying about. However, he looked rather intrigued as the Excalibur emerged from the smoke. He aimed his fusion cannon and opened fire, only for a powerful Blaze Luminous shield to appear in front of the large Knightmare and deflect the blasts.
"An interesting Knightmare," Megatron mused with a smirk, "Why do I have a feeling it was built with me in mind? Were you expecting this? You continue to impress me, my boy."
"I am not a boy!" Charles exclaimed, "I am no weakling! This is the Excalibur, constructed by the Geass Order! We spent years studying every technique you've mastered, finding ways to counter any attack you could conceive of ! Everything that was built from our Empire's best Knightmares was copied and improved for this single unit with one purpose in its existence : TO DESTROY YOU!"
"I'm touched, Charles," Megatron said in a feigned tone, almost mimicking someone who received a gift from a close friend, "To go all this way for me. An impressive weapon, certainly. But it's only a weapon. No matter how strong a weapon is, the true factor that determines victory is the weapon's user . I know you, Charles. You may be a competent and ruthless strategist, but you are no warrior. As for me…"
Megatron drew his blade once more , "I've honed my skills in the Pits of Kaon!"
Charles roared, as did Megatron as the Decepticon leader and Emperor of Britannia charged at each other once more to clash their blades together.
Japan – Tokyo Settlement – Royal Palace
Optimus Prime was sent crashing through a wall before rolling and landing on his feet, quickly drawing his Energon axe to block the sword strike from the Galahad that flew in after him. Their fight had already 'redecorated' much of the inside of the north end of the palace, with the Prime and Knight of One currently dueling in the empty throne room where Cornelia and Euphemia would normally sit.
" Optimus hang on! We're on our way!" Chiba contacted him as Optimus continued to lock his weapon against the Galahad's.
"Negative!" Optimus relayed as he delivered a headbutt to the Galahad and knocked it back before swinging his axe to send it crashing through the wall, "There are still multiple Britannian units within the palace! You must deal with them and aid Zero, Tohdoh, and Bumblebee should they need it. Waldstein wants me. This fight is mine alone."
" Understood," Chiba responded, leaving Optimus to deal with the Knight of One as his personal Knightmare rolled out of the dust to face the Last of the Primes again.
"I appreciate that," Bismarck commented with a smirk, "This how a duel should be; two warriors locked in a battle to the death. In this moment, nothing else matters. Nothing but your strength and will to survive."
Optimus narrowed his optics as Bismarck continued, "I may disagree with your convictions, Optimus Prime. But I have nothing but respect for your strength and power."
"And that is all Britannia recognizes, isn't it?" Optimus replied, "Physical strength and power, nothing more."
"It's how the world works. It doesn't matter if Britannian, Eleven, or even human or something else. Even wild animals obey this rule. Strength determines everything."
"Survival of the fittest. And that is why I oppose Britannia. Animals and other such creatures follow this rule of kill or be killed if only to survive themselves. However, sentient beings such as humans and Cybertronians have the knowledge and capacity to find other methods. Ways of coexisting. You know this, your emperor knows this, yet instead of using your power to help, you use it to destroy. It's not your nature, it's your choice . This is my choice: to use my power to protect and strengthen those who are weak. And if that means standing against the likes of you, your emperor, and Megatron, then so be it."
Bismarck smirked, "Well then, show me the capacity of your strength, your will to protect, and I will show you mine!"
The Galahad shot straight for Optimus, who charged forward to clash his axe against the Galahad's sword once more. However, Optimus held his axe with only his right hand before converting his left hand into a blade, which he used to strike at the Galahad, forcing Bismarck to pull it back and gain some distance before shooting a series of slash harkens from his Knightmare's right hand, which the Autobot leader rolled to avoid before converting his blade-arm into an Ion blaster and shooting at the Galahad. The Knight of One rolled his Knightmare out of the way of the energy blasts, using the Galahad's Blaze Luminous shield to protect himself from any stray blasts before gunning straight at Optimus, who quickly brought up his axe to block the thrusting sword strike, but Bismarck wasn't done yet. He drove his Knightmare further, pushing against Optimus through the wall and out of the throne room. He pushed Optimus further and further, crashing through wall after wall, until Optimus had enough and converted his left hand into an Ion blaster again and shot at the Galahad's legs, destroying the landspinner system before Optimus used the Galahad's momentum to flip it over himself and send it crashing through another wall.
The Ark
"Both the Zero Squad and the Wreckers have engaged with the enemy at the power station and military depot respectively," Fixit reported, "It seems the Knights of the Round and a few Decepticons are there. Though our main force continues to advance through the Settlement, Ironhide and Suzaku have come into contact with the Knights of Twelve and Six. Optimus, Zero and their teams are also engaged with the enemy. They all appear to be holding their own though. Wheeljack and Dreadwing however appear to be in combat with an unknown unit."
"So far so good, I'd say," Ratchet reported, "But only a few Decepticons? Nothing more?"
"It doesn't seem like it. At least not yet."
Meanwhile, Shirley, Nunnally, Kaguya, Sayoko, and Chigusa continued to watch and listen to the reports of the battle. The scene was so tense, that one could feel the anxiety they were all experiencing. Anything can happen from a fight like this.
However, that anxiety was broken when Shirley felt her cell phone vibrate.
"Hello?" she got up and answered her phone, before practically screaming "Milly? What is…? Wait... WHAT?!"
That drew the attention of the other girls and women, and even the two Autobots,
"Are you guys okay?! Alright… we'll send someone! Just hang on! Please!" she quickly hung up.
"Shirley, what's wrong?" Nunnally asked.
"Decepticons are Ashford!" Shirley exclaimed in alarm, "They've got Milly, Rivalz, and Nina!"
"What?!" Sayoko exclaimed as everyone else gasped in alarm.
Fixit was already on his console to get a radar image of the school, "She's right. I'm detecting three Decepticon signals at Ashford Academy!"
"Oh no…!" Nunnally gasped as Sayoko and Kaguya tried to comfort her.
"We have to get them out of there!" Shirley stated.
"Is there anything we can do?" Chigusa asked.
"I'll contact Zero and see if he can send someone," Ratchet was already at the controls.
"I'll also send a text to Monica," the schoolgirl was on her phone.
"The Knight of Twelve?" Kaguya questioned skeptically, "Is that a wise idea?"
"I know what you're thinking. She might be a Knight of the Round, but she's not a bad person!" Shirley quickly said, "If our friends are in danger, she'll help them!"
"Fine, do it," Ratchet told her as he accessed his communications.
Tokyo Settlement
As the Black Knights and all their forces were able to push back against the Britannian military, Ironhide and the Lancelot found themselves engaged with the Mordred and Florence respectively.
Ironhide rolled out of the way as the hovering Mordred fired a series of VARIS shots from its shoulder-mounted weapons, prompting Ironhide to return fire with his cannons. But, the heavily armored Knightmare was able to avoid these blasts as it shot higher into the air. Meanwhile, Suzaku clashed his Lancelot's MVS against that of the Florence in mid-air.
"Monica, are you fighting with Britannia right now?!" Suzaku exclaimed.
"I… I'm a Knight of the Round and I have a duty…" Monica tried to reply with a stutter as she sounded unsure herself.
"A duty to slaughter the innocent?!" Suzaku shouted in anger as the Lancelot delivered a kick to send the Florence crashing to the ground, "A duty to abandon Princess Euphemia after she only wanted to help?!"
Monica had no reply to give. A part of her agreed with everything Suzaku said. Why was she here? What was she even fighting for?
Her thoughts however came to a halt as she felt her phone vibrate, much to her confusion. Who would send her a text now of all times? She saw the sender and looked in surprise.
' Shirley?'
But she was even more shocked about what the text read.
"Decepticons at Ashford! Milly, Rivalz, and Nina in trouble! Please help them!"
' How could she know about the Decepticons?' Monica thought to herself before she noticed the incoming Lancelot, but quickly shot her Florence into the air.
"I have to go, Suzaku!" she exclaimed as she took to the skies and left the battlefield.
'I don't know what's going on… but my friends at that school are innocent,' she thought as her resolve became that of solid steel, 'And I will not let those monsters hurt them!'
"Wait!" Suzaku was about to fly after her, only for the Mordred to suddenly fly in and ram the Lancelot, causing it to fall and crash onto the ground as Ironhide quickly ran up to cover him. They both glanced up at the Mordred, completely unaware that inside, a red ring had formed in Anya's eyes as someone else took control.
"I won't let you get in Charles' way," Marianne stated as she resumed her fire on the pair.
Meanwhile, outside and within the innermost perimeter of the south end of the palace, Bumblebee and Tohdoh's Gekka stood back-to-back as several Gloucesters attempted to thrust them with their respective lances. Bumblebee activated his own Energon blasters to take down the front two before a third shot at Bee, though he was able to grab the lance; Tohdoh shot forward with his Gekka's katana to cut down two charging Gloucesters before speeding away to avoid Bumblebee hauling the lance of the one Gloucester he wrestled against before throwing the Knightmare itself into another.
At the same time, the Gawain was in the middle of an aerial battle against both Darlton and Guilford. Lelouch fired the hadron cannons to shoot them down, prompting both knights to fly and avoid it before opening fire with their guns at the Gawain, which was protected by the blaze luminous system.
Lelouch grunted in minor annoyance. He knew these two were veteran soldiers and he still had less experience with the Gawain, but that didn't make it any less irritating.
" Zero!" Ratchet got in contact with him as C.C. steered Gawain straight into the air with the two Britannian knights flying after him.
"We kinda got my hands full right now, Ratchet!" Lelouch stated.
" The Decepticons are at your school and have taken three of your classmates hostage!" Ratchet exclaimed, causing Lelouch to gasp in surprise.
"What?!"
This would have left him open for Guilford and Bismarck to charge him, but C.C. pulled on the controls the steer the Gawain out of the way just in time.
"Why… why them?" Lelouch thought to himself, still in shock, "To gain leverage over Suzaku?"
" I don't know, but they need your help now. We can't afford to send anyone else from our other teams or the front lines," Ratchet told him.
"Understood," Lelouch replied before contacting his friend, "Bumblebee! I need you at Ashford now! Milly and the others are in trouble! The Decepticons are there!"
Bumblebee had punched down one Gloucester when he got the alert.
"[Got it,]" he bleeped in confirmation before turning to Tohdoh, "[I gotta go!]"
"Then go! Zero and I can handle this!" Tohdoh told him as he sliced another Gloucester in half.
Bumblebee then ran and transformed into his vehicle mode to zoom away from the palace as fast as he could, which didn't go unnoticed by Guilford. "The Autobot is escaping!"
"He won't get far!" Darlton was about to fly after him with Guilford right behind, only for the Gawain to fly right into them and smash them off their flight path. Both knights tried to stabilize themselves but they found the Gawain blocking their way.
"You two better stay focused on the opponent in front of you," Lelouch glared as he fired all ten of the Gawain's slash harkens, forcing the two soldiers to avoid it.
The Ark
"Bumblebee is already on his way and should be at the school within ten minutes," Fixit already had a lock on his signal.
"Will he be okay all by himself?" Chigusa asked with concern.
"I wouldn't worry," Nunnally assured, "I know Bumblebee can help them."
"He won't be alone either," Shirley said, "I just got a reply from Monica, saying she was on the way."
"I'll be sure to take that into account when I see her," Ratchet said as he prepared to leave the bridge, much to their confusion, "Fixit, prepare a Groundbridge to Ashford. Once I leave, you're in charge."
Though surprised, he also understood, given the circumstances, "I understand."
"Ratchet?" Shirley asked.
"They may require a medic," Ratchet said as he was about to leave.
"Wait! Please take me with you!" Shirley pleaded, much to everyone's shock.
"Shirley!" Kaguya exclaimed in surprise.
"I'm not a fighter, but those are my friends there too! Please! Let me help! They need me!" the brunette pleaded.
Ratchet would have argued against it, but knowing how stubborn this girl was, he relented as he turned around and offered his hand to her.
"Of course, they do," he said with a small smile
Meanwhile, the entire sky lit up with explosions as Dreadwing's jet mode and the Jackhammer launched a series of missiles at the Siegfried. However, Jeremiah was able to control this massive machine, as his cybernetic body was hooked directly into its systems. He spun the Siegfried almost like a top, the spikes around it generating purple electricity to create a barrier that not only blocked the missiles but also shot itself toward the pair as they did their best to avoid it. Jeremiah halted the Siegfried as its spikes came together again to try and fire its massive purple beam, forcing the Jackhammer and Dreadwing to fly around and avoid the destructive beam as it carved through the clouds and any tall buildings as it pointed downward.
"Britannia could not have invented something this destructive," Dreadwing stated.
"Sounds like your buddies' handiwork," Wheeljack commented.
"This machine has a devastating offense and a near impenetrable defense. I can't see a way to bring it down," the ex-Decepticon said as they avoided another laser blast.
' At least not in the traditional sense,' Wheeljack smirked as an idea came to mind.
"Stay back, I got this!" he shot the Jackhammer forward, much to Dreadwing's confusion.
"Wheeljack, what are you doing?!"
"Hey! Orange-boy!" Wheeljack called to Jeremiah, getting his attention, "How about a game of chicken!?"
The Wrecker challenged by firing the Jackhammer's Energon blasts at the Siegfried.
The cybernetic Jeremiah had a maniacal smirk, "Yes… I accept your challenge!"
He shot the Siegfried directly at the Jackhammer in response, already spinning and turning on its defenses to avoid the Energon shots that the Jackhammer fired at it, but Wheeljack kept his ship gunning straight at him. Both flying vehicles got closer and closer, and Wheeljack knew he had to time it just right. When it looked like they were about to crash into each other, the Wrecker slammed on the ejection button to shoot himself out of the cockpit just as the Jackhammer crashed into the Siegfried.
Wheeljack was already in freefall as he saw both his ship and the smoking Siegfried falling to the ground before they both crashed. Fortunately, Wheeljack was saved by Dreadwing who flew his jet-mode directly under him, allowing the Wrecker to grab onto the Seeker's wings and halt his fall.
"I knew you Wreckers were reckless but that…!" Dreadwing had no idea what kind of response to give to that particular stunt, "That was insane!"
"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Wheeljack said as Dreadwing flew both of them toward the crash site.
It wasn't long before the pair had arrived at the smoking remains of the Jackhammer and what appeared to be the Siegfried within a small crumbled building. Wheeljack hopped onto the ground, enabling Dreadwing to transform into his Cybertronian form as the pair observed the destruction.
"Apologies for your ship," Dreadwing said.
"Eh, can probably haul it back and fix it up," Wheeljack shrugged before turning to see the half-buried and smoking Siegfried, causing him to smirk, "Guess this orange is all squished, eh?"
However, both the Wrecker and Seeker were caught off guard as the Siegfried began to move and shift, prompting them both to step back as they looked in awe to see that the Knightmare was transforming. When it was all done, a new large-sized machine had burst its way out of the rubble to fully real itself. It was about twice the size of the likes of Optimus and Megatron. Its lower spikes had transformed and merged with a pair of limbs that emerged out of the central sphere, taking the form of a pair of legs, while the upper spikes did the same with more machinery that emerged from the transformed upper area, now appearing to be massive arms. The remaining spike had popped out of its back to generate some purple electricity which seemed to power it as the central green head unit slowly rose from the top to flash a pair of red optics at the two Cybertronians.
"I won't be killed so easily!" Jeremiah exclaimed as he could control this machine as if he did his own body, lifting his arms, and simultaneously lifting the arms of the transformed Siegfried to try and bring them down on Wheeljack and Dreadwing, who leaped back to avoid the devastating impact.
Dreadwing narrowed his optics as he drew his cannon, "It seems our work is not done yet."
"Yeah, I can see that," Wheeljack replied as he drew his swords to face the massive machine, "Alright, let's dance!"
Power Station
Cliffjumper fired at two of the pink Vincents from the Valkyrie squadron, but they flew through the air to avoid the blasts as they each drew a pair of MVS blades and shot down towards Cliffjumper, forcing him to leap back and avoid the slashes. One Valkyrie tried to rush and slice at him, but Cliffjumper swerved to the side to grab the Knightmare's arm and flip it over himself. However, before he could act, he was forced to jump back as the second Valkyrie launched its dual slash harkens at him.
Arcee was in a similar situation, surrounded by the other two Valkyrie Vincents, using her arm-blades to block and parry their swords. She blocked the sword strike of one before sweeping her feet at its legs to knock it down and flipped over the second to try and shoot it, but the Vincent quickly swung its sword back at her, forcing her to block the strike with her arm-blades once more.
Meanwhile, the Percival and Guren rolled parallel to each other as Kallen shot her Knightmare's arm-mounted gun, while Luciano retaliated with a series of missiles from his own Knightmare's shield, acting on both offense and defense. However, while Kallen did her best to avoid the missiles, one hit the ground in front of her to send the Guren flying and sliding across the ground. It was then pinned down by the Percival to keep it from getting back up.
"Kallen!" Arcee was about to come in and help, but the two Valkyries she was fighting blocked her path and swung their blades at her, forcing Arcee to defend herself.
"Question, Eleven. What do people value most?" Luciano taunted.
"Go to hell you damn wannabe Con!" Kallen exclaimed in anger and defiance.
"Wrong answer!" Luciano stated, "Here's the right answer: their own lives."
The claws on the Percival's right arm spun together, taking the form of an energized drill, and were about to be brought down on Kallen when suddenly…
The Tristan had leaped to deliver a powerful kick to the Percival and send it crashing into a nearby building. This was a huge surprise, not just for Kallen, but the other two Autobots, as well as the four Valkyrie soldiers. However, Cliffjumper was quickly able to get over his surprise first as he grabbed one of the Vincents and slammed it into the second one to knock it down before throwing that very same one into the other two that were in front of Arcee and knocking all three down at once.
"Gino…" Kallen muttered.
"She said Kallen… as in Kallen Stadtfelt?" Gino asked as the Guren pulled itself up, right as Cliffjumper and Arcee ran to join their partner, the latter standing more protectively in front of the Guren as she aimed her Energon blaster at the Tristan.
The Guren's cockpit opened up as Kallen revealed herself to the Knight of Three, "It's Kallen Kozuki ."
Likewise, the Tristan's cockpit opened to reveal Gino as well, "Huh, so you're a Black Knight. I honestly had no idea."
"Why'd you help her?" Arcee questioned, "You're a Knight of the Round, one of Britannia's elite!"
"Maybe… after seeing what happened at the Special Zone I… I think I understand why you guys are fighting," Gino said with a somber face, "I… I can't be a part of that. I might be a Britannian but… I never wanted this."
"So, you wanna come over to our side?" Cliffjumper asked in a casual sort of tone, "Think you'll like it better."
Gino had a small smile, "Yeah… I think I will."
"Wow, this is a surprise."
The four turned to see the Percival already recovered with the four Valkyrie Vincents right behind it.
"I knew you were a softie, Weinberg. But this… this is pretty much treason."
"Oh, like you care about that stuff," Gino glared at the Knight of Ten, "The whole reason you even joined was to kill people."
"Hey, it's what makes a Britannian soldier," Luciano said calmly as he sat in his Knightmare.
"And it's why I'm quitting. Right now," Gino stated as he got back in the Tristan and stood alongside the Guren, Arcee, and Cliffjumper, "Think you guys could let me help out?"
"I don't see why not," Cliffjumper smirked, "Welcome aboard."
"We'll let you play along for now, but I got my eye on you just in case," Arcee said but still accepted, nonetheless.
"You join us, you're gonna have a lot to answer for with the rest of our friends. You know that, right?" Kallen told him.
"That's fine," Gino accepted, "Guess I owe you guys that much."
"Really?" Luciano questioned, "You're gonna betray your empire just like that?"
"Pretty much," Gino confirmed.
The only response that came from Luciano was a hardy laugh, one that caused Arcee, Kallen, and even Cliffjumper to look at him with disgusted and confused expressions.
"Finally! I've been sick of your bright and happy attitude since we met. Now I finally get to shut you up for good and be all legal about it since you're a traitor now! You hear that my Valkyries, let's kill them all!"
Luciano then shot his Percival forward as the Valkyrie squadron followed behind him. In response; the Guren, Tristan, as well as Arcee and Cliffjumper all charged directly at the enemy squadron.
Military Depot
Tamaki and his squadron opened fire with their Burais missiles forcing the enemy group to scatter, with Breakdown running along the side to avoid the explosions. However, while he was able to escape from the missile barrage, he wasn't able to escape from the charging Bulkhead who decked him across the face with his right mace and then delivered his left mace into Breakdown's chest, but Breakdown recovered to deliver a fierce headbutt to knock Bulkhead back before Breakdown fired a point-blank missile at him to send the green Wrecker flying into a burning building.
Several other Burais attempted to shoot at Knock Out in his vehicle more, who seemed quick enough to avoid the blasts as he gunned straight for one Burai before quickly transforming and thrusting his electric prod into the Burai's neck to short it out. However, another Burai drove itself toward him at high speeds, this one being piloted by none other than Tamaki. Knock Out couldn't avoid it as it clipped him across his chest to knock him down.
"Hey, Con! How's your paint job?" Tamaki smirked.
Knock Out gasped as he saw the massive scratch across his chest before he glared at Tamaki, "Oh…. You're gonna need more than a doctor when I'm through with you!"
He drew his buzz saw in one hand while wielding his prod in the other before charging at Tamaki.
At the same time, the Gekka Pre-Production clashed its katana against the sword of the Palamedes. Rai tried to reach out with his Radiant Wave Surger, but Dorothea was quick to slap it away before pulling back and opening fire with her Knightmare's arm-mounted gun, forcing Rai to swerve away with his blue Knightmare, but Dorothea had anticipated that as she shot at him at even faster speeds to deal a powerful kick that knocked Rai down. He tried to pull the Gekka up, but the Palamedes pointed its blade right at him.
"Kaizaren Von Britannia," Dorothea began, "His Majesty demands your presence!"
"That bastard can burn in hell for all I care!" Rai exclaimed, not even trying to hide his anger, "If I go there, it's only to kill him myself!"
"You have no right to say that to your father…." Dorothea glared.
"He is no father! He murdered my mother and sister! If Zero and Optimus don't kill him! I will!"
"You'll change your tone when I'm done with you. I'm taking you back to Pendragon one way or another, Kaizaren!"
She raised her blade and tried to bring it down to disable the Gekka, only for another sword to block it, causing Rai and Dorothea to look in shock.
"His name is Rai!" Nonette stated, having blocked the attack herself in the Galeschin before sweeping its feet to force Dorothea back before drawing its VARIS to shoot at her, but the Palamedes proved quick enough to avoid all the blasts.
"Nonette…" Rai stuttered as he tried to pull himself up, "I… why did you…?"
"I failed you once before," she replied, her tone showing how truly remorseful she was, "But never again. I'll stay and be by your side, even if it's alongside the Autobots and Black Knights."
That caused Rai to gasp as tears of joy were already flowing in his eyes before he smiled.
"Nonette… I… thank you."
Hearing those words almost caused Nonette to shed some tears of joy herself as she smiled.
"Nonette Enneagram, Knight of Nine!" Dorothea rolled up toward the duo, "This is an unforgivable act of betrayal! How dare you turn against your country! Your emperor!"
The former Knight of the Round glared at the Britannian Knightmare as she readied herself, "I never once swore my loyalty to Charles Zi Britannia, not truly. I swore my loyalty to this young man here and I will protect him with my life."
"You intend to face me yourself? Even though you've never defeated me before?" Dorethea questioned.
"No," Rai said as he rolled his Gekka right next to the Galeschin.
"We both will."
Milly quietly made her way toward the back entrance of the clubhouse, with Rivalz and Nina right behind him, along with Arthur walking just underneath them. Once she made it to the door, Milly quietly opened it to peek and see if the coast was clear, which it appeared to be. Now they only had to wait for help to arrive.
"Uh, Milly… are you sure somebody's gonna come and get us?" Rivalz asked, "I mean, even if they do… what are we gonna do about those giant robot monster things?"
"Let's let them handle it," Milly said in a small whisper, "Hopefully we can just give them the slip."
She quickly noticed two pairs of headlights that quickly turned off to reveal a familiar yellow and black-striped car driving up with an ambulance right next to it.
"Come on, our ride's here," she said as Rivalz picked up Arthur and the three students quickly ran outside.
The ambulance door opened to reveal Shirley as she stepped out, "I'm so glad you guys are okay."
While Milly was happy to see her friend, Nina and Rivalz could not contain their surprise.
"Shirley…?!" Rivalz was almost tempted to scream, but Milly quickly covered his mouth to not alert anyone.
"You're… you're a Black Knight… Shirley…?" Nina stuttered.
"Guys, I promise I'll explain later. We just need to…" Shirley however spotted something on the rooftop of the clubhouse, "Oh scrap… look out!"
Hardshell had leaped from the roof straight down towards the group, prompting Bumblebee and Ratchet to transform and quickly grab the four humans, along with the cat, and rush backward just as the Insecticon landed.
"Autobots," Hardshell acknowledged, "Put down the children and allow us to extinguish your sparks."
With that, the other two Insecticons flew over the Clubhouse in their giant insect forms before transforming and landing next to their leader.
"[Insecticons. It just had to be Insecticons,]" Bumblebee bleeped in annoyance as he and Ratchet set the kids, and cat, down behind them.
All of them, even Shirley, looked more than a little frightened at the sight of the Insecticons while Arthur just hissed at them.
"Shirley, take your friends and run! Now!" Ratchet told her.
"But what about you guys!?" she exclaimed with worry.
However, before anyone could make a move, two Knightmares suddenly appeared in the air. One was the Florence, and the other appeared to be a grey and orange Sutherland with its FLOAT system. Both shot their slash harkens at the trio of Insecticons, forcing them to scatter as the two Knightmares landed on the ground alongside the surprised Autobots.
"The Florence… It's Monica!" Shirley exclaimed with relief, the other Autobots also recognizing the Knight of Twelve's Knightmare.
Monica looked through her Knightmare's screens to see her friends were safe, to her relief but was quite surprised to see the attire Shirley was wearing, 'A Black Knight uniform?! Of course, that's how she knew about all this.'
"Autobots," a familiar voice spoke from the Sutherland as its cockpit opened to reveal the female pilot inside, "My name is Cecile Croomy. I'm a friend of Suzaku's and I'm here to help."
"As am I. I know that we probably have a lot to talk about, all of us…" Monica added, referring to Shirley who only looked away with partial shame, "But that can all wait. We must work together to destroy these monsters."
"[We're up against three Insecticons. We could use the help, Ratchet,]" Even Bumblebee thought it was a good idea to team up.
"Very well," Ratchet agreed as he drew his arm-blades before turning to the humans, "As I said, Shirley, take your friends and find a safe place to hide. If we don't make it, call for a Groundbridge and get yourself back to the Ark."
Though hesitant, Shirley knew that the Autobots and Monica could handle this, "Alright, go kick their skid plates!"
She turned to her friends, "Come on guys, let's go."
She led her friends away from the area as the two Autobots and two Britannian pilots stared down the three Insecticons.
"Well, this should be interesting," Hardshell mused sadistically, "Crush them!"
The other two Insecticons roared before they charged at the four allies, who charged at them as well.
Shirley had managed to help Milly, Rivalz, and Nina, along with Arthur, back into the clubhouse's main hall to find some cover.
"Why hello there."
They all looked in surprise to see a familiar scientist with a casual smile on his face, "Nice night for a revolution, don't you think?"
"Lloyd?!" Milly exclaimed.
"In the flesh," Lloyd replied before noticing Shirley, "Aha, you were one of Suzaku's classmates, right? And a Black Knight to boot. I honestly did not see that coming."
"You… you work with Suzaku," Shirley recognized him, "But what are you doing here?"
"Betraying my country," the scientist said bluntly, much to their surprise, not just at his response but how calmly and casually he said it, "See, with Suzaku now working with the Bots and BKs, Cecile decided to switch sides to help him, and I still want to be able to work with the Lancelot. And besides, maybe the Autobots won't be as stingy with their tech as the Decepticons were."
"Well… okay. But why did you come here ? As in, why did you come to the school?" Shirley asked.
"You here to rescue us?" Rivalz asked.
"Honestly had no idea you kids were even here, I'd thought you'd be evacuated," Lloyd answered, "No, we came here because there's a certain project that I didn't want the Decepticons to get their hands on. Isn't' that right Nin…"
However, he quickly noticed that a certain bespectacled girl was no longer with them, "Where is Nina?"
The three other students looked around in surprise to see their classmate was gone.
"What the… she was right here!" Rivalz exclaimed as he continued to hold Arthur.
"Nina! Where are you?!" Shirley called out to her.
It was then that Milly had remembered something. A little bit before the school festival, she remembered Nina talking about stopping by the science department for a 'present' that Lloyd would help make her. This caused her to look with worry as she glanced toward the scientist with a serious expression.
"Lloyd, what exactly did you come here for?"
Nina had managed to make her way to the basement of the clubhouse where not only the Ganymede was stored, but the one place she had been working on her little present that Lloyd had given her. She had already finished it for the most part, now she just had to re-tinker it a bit and hook it up to the old Knightmare.
' Those monsters… those Decepticons… they took Princess Euphemia?!' she questioned in her mind as the fear she had previously felt began to give way to anger and even hatred, 'They will pay for this! I'll show them! I'll show them all! Just wait, Princess Euphemia… I promise to avenge you!'
Within the innermost confines of the palace, Optimus had continued his duel against Bismarck, though it seemed he had the Knight of One on the defensive now.
The Autobot leader and the Knight of One crashed through the ceiling and fell into the lower levels of the palace, straight towards an empty bay where the Knightmares were normally stored. Optimus was on top of the Galahad as they fell, with Bismarck attempting to fly away with the FLOAT system, but Optimus had delivered a punch to its face to knock it off course and send it crashing into a wall as Optimus leaped off and fell to the ground, scoring a rough landing on his feet while the Galahad slid down.
However, Bismarck attempted to press the attack as he rolled at Optimus again with his Knightmare's sword Optimus drew his axe to block and parry the blade, swerving around to behind the Galahad and delivering an elbow to the back of its head to knock it down. Optimus raised his axe to try and bring it down, but Bismarck activated his damaged FLOAT system in time to skid across the floor and avoid the axe as it embedded itself into the ground. Bismarck then quickly pulled up the Galahad and tried to charge at Optimus again while the axe appeared stuck on the ground. However, Optimus was able to convert both his hands into ion blasters and began to charge a shot. Seeing what he was doing, Bismarck quickly activated the Galahad's Blaze Luminous shields, but when Optimus opened fire with a dual charged shot from his blasters and they hit the shield… the shield itself shattered, causing the device to short circuit, with the shockwave of the blast sending the Galahad crashing into a wall.
Bismarck had a look of concern on his face as he was already sweating, complete with a drop of blood coming from his mouth, 'At first, we were evenly matched, both at the Special Zone and when the fight began. But now… it's like he knows all my moves!'
Optimus quickly picked up his axe as Bismarck tried to steel himself.
'Did he study me before the battle? No… he's... he's been analyzing me during this whole fight!'
Optimus charged Bismarck again with his Energon axe and tried to swing it down onto the Galahad, but Bismarck activated the FLOAT system again to shoot into the air, but due to the damage the Knightmare sustained, it was more equivalent to a jump as he landed on the other side of the chamber.
'This warrior… he's even stronger than Marianne! No choice… I have to use it!'
"Optimus Prime! Without question, you are the greatest warrior I've ever had the honor of facing! But… defeat is not an option for me!" Bismarck said as the stitches in his left eyelid broke apart, allowing his eye to open and reveal the Geass emblem that appeared to be permanently active in his left eye, "I swear… by my title as the Knight of One… I will vanquish you!"
Optimus could sense that Bismarck had something planned. Perhaps a hidden weapon? Well whatever was the case, the leader of the Autobots stood firm as he held his axe in his right hand as his left converted into a blade.
"And I cannot allow myself to fall at your hands either, Bismarck Waldstein," Optimus declared, "We end this now!"
Bismarck smirked, in a mixture of excitement and even minor sadism, "Yes, I agree."
The entire capital of the Holy Britannian Empire appeared to be in a state of complete chaos. The military forces consisting of the Royal Guard, as well as any other garrisons or units, appeared on a severe losing streak against the Decepticon forces who not only had the Britannian forces out-numbered, but also severely out-gunned as well.
However, as any Insecticons, Seekers, or helicopter Vehicons attempted to fly and approach the royal palace, they were quickly shot down by the large turrets that were stationed all over the building.
"That's another one down!" one of the four turret operators exclaimed as he and his comrades were at the controls in a small control room.
"Target east point six degrees is down!" the second one reported.
"We can't keep this up! There are too many!" the third shouted.
"Stifle that fear! We are Britannia! We will defend the homeland to our very last!" the fourth one stated with determination, not noticing the door to the control room opening behind them.
"You did well to protect our empire."
All four turned around in surprise to see Kanon pointing a gun at them.
"But the time has come for Britannia to end."
He shot one of the men in the head, killing him instantly.
"Kanon!" another one exclaimed before he was also shot in the head, followed by the last two.
With all of them dead, Kanon quickly made his way to the console and typed the necessary commands to shut down all outer defenses. Once that was done, he pulled out a communication device and made contact with his associates.
"Thundercracker, Skywarp, the palace's outer defenses are down. The royal family and other nobles are still inside the throne room. Now would be a good time to move in."
"Roger that," Thundercracker acknowledged as he and Skywarp saw the turrets deactivate, "Move in!"
The blue Seeker and his partner transformed and flew directly at the palace, followed by a squadron of four Seeker Vehicons as well as two Insecticons. They opened fire with their respective Energon blasts to shoot their way into the palace.
All the members of royalty and nobility assembled within all screamed and cowered as the explosion outside rocked the entire throne room. They all looked in clear fear to see the giant forms of Thundercracker, Skywarp, the four Seekers, and the two even larger Insecticons casually walk in.
"Sorry Britannia, but you're done," Skywarp smirked, "Don't try anything unless you want to die."
Despite the clear fear all of them were feeling, especially Odysseus, Carine, and Laila, Guinevere attempted to stand up to them, "How dare you! Do you fools not realize who we are?!"
She was cut off as Skywarp shot an Energon blast at a group of royals next to her to disintegrate them instantly, causing her, and everyone else to scream. But that screaming came to a halt as all eight of the gathered Decepticons circled them to point their respective weapons at them.
"Yeah, we know who you are," Skywarp replied, "A bunch of humans that we can squash without even thinking about it."
"If you want to live, I highly advise you to cooperate with us," Thundercracker told them.
The Vincent hovered in the air as Beatrice used one of her swords to cut down on a helicopter Vehicon and watch it crash, but as she looked around, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The entire capital was on the verge of decimation. Most, if not all, of the Royal Guard had been completely decimated. Their Sutherlands were shot down by Vehicons, blown away by the tank variety, or ripped apart by the Insecticons; she even saw one Insecticon lift a white Sutherland in the air to rip it in half, causing the pilot to fall out and into the open mouth of the Insecticon for a gruesome and bloody end. All air forces had been all but obliterated as well, and she had even seen the Decepticons penetrate the palace, meaning the Royal Family and all assembled nobility were at their mercy.
"This can't be happening…" Beatrice muttered, "We… we can't lose... not like…"
She was suddenly cut off as something hit her from behind and exploded, causing what was left of the Vincent to fall and crash to the ground. The culprit was none other than Starscream, having shot her in the back from the ground with one of his missile-arms.
The Vincent was almost completely obliterated. Its limbs twisted and broken, its cockpit hissed, and barely opened as Beatrice, covered in blood, attempted to pull herself out, only for Starscream to stomp onto the cockpit and pin Beatrice underneath the rubble.
"No! Britannia… can't fall! You can't… do this…!" she muttered in fear, gazing up at the Decepticon second in command.
Starscream couldn't contain his wicked smirk, "We just did."
He aimed his remaining missile and fired, ending Beatrice Franks, the former Knight of Two, in literal explosive fashion.
Meanwhile, Megatron's battle against Charles' Excalibur Knightmare had made its way rather far from the Pendragon royal palace, but the building was still within their sights as the Excalibur rolled along the ground, with Megatron descending from the sky in his Cybertronian jet form, shooting at large Knightmare as it turned around and fired its dual Hadron cannons at him, forcing Megatron to do a barrel-roll and avoid the blasts before flying along the side and descending toward the ground. He then flew just above the ground and shot at the Excalibur at such speed, that Charles could just barely react in time to throw up the Blaze Luminous shield just as the Decepticon leader transformed and dealt a powerful punch, with all the added force from the gained momentum, to not only shatter the shield but even send the Excalibur flying and skidding across the ground.
Charles was able to pull the damaged Excalibur back up, taking quick note of the Blaze Luminous' systems shorting out, only to be brought back into the battle as Megatron had already rushed to deliver a punch to the Knightmare's face. He swung his Knightmare's sword toward Megatron, which he blocked with the blunt of his Fusion cannon weapon before slapping the Excalibur back. Getting desperate, he fired all ten of his finger-slash-harkens at his former master, but he was quick to draw his sword to slice and parry all of them before rushing at Charles again, forcing the Britannian Emperor on the defensive as he tried desperately to block and parry Megatron's relentless attacks.
Knowing he had less chance of succeeding in close-quarters combat, Charles put the reverse on the Excalibur's land-rover systems, rolling backward while also firing the Hadron cannons again, this time at the ground underneath Megatron, causing an explosion that knocked the Decepticon leader back.
' He's down…!' Charles thought in surprise before a triumphant smirk fell on his face, 'Now's the time to end him!'
He charged up the Hadron for another shot.
However, Megatron had already seen how the Hadron operates and got the timing of the charging and firing sequence down. Once he saw the cannons on the Excalibur's shoulders already glowing, Megatron quickly aimed and shot his fusion cannon, scoring a direct hit on the right Hadron cannon, resulting in a large explosion that sent the Excalibur flying and skidding across the ground.
When Charles attempted to pick the Excalibur back up, he had a chance to observe the damage. The entire right Hadron cannon, along with the Excalibur's right arm, and most of the right side, just outside the cockpit, had been completely obliterated, with its right leg damaged beyond repair. The left Hadron cannon was also offline, while the rest of the left side appeared functional, but internal system damages were critical.
"I told you, Charles…" Megatron began as he walked toward the Excalibur, which Charles desperately tried to pull up, "Your weapon is certainly powerful, but it contains one fatal flaw, the flaw that every weapon has."
Megatron already stood before the Excalibur, with Charles trying to throw out a punch with hits remaining hand, but the Decepticon leader caught it effortlessly.
"Its user. You are no warrior."
Megatron, drawing his blade, not only severed the entire left arm but both the left and heavily damaged right leg, before finally decapitating the Excalibur and letting the pieces fall to the ground as Megatron stood over it expectantly.
"Well? Don't tell me that's the best you can do, boy," Megatron told him, "I'm sure you have at least one weapon of last resort, don't you?"
He watched as the cockpit hissed open, Charles Zi Britannia pulling himself out as he tried to catch his breath.
"Well? What is it?" Megatron taunted.
Charles glared hatefully at Megatron before activating his Geass, the sigil forming in both his eyes, but Megatron had already closed his optics.
"Don't even bother trying to use your Geass," Megatron smirked, "That little candle flame you call power, is nothing compared to the vast sun that is my power !"
Megatron's optics opened, revealing they had not only changed from red to purple but also showing a dark, yet identical, emblem in both of them, much to the horror of Charles.
"YOU HAVE A GEASS?!" Charles exclaimed, but it was already too late.
Megatron had achieved direct eye contact with his Dark Geass.
Charles gasped as he found himself, not in the ruins of the Excalibur, nor did he appear to be even in Pendragon anymore. No, he found himself in what appeared to be a dead forest, all the trees around him lay barren, with no other signs of life at all.
"What is this?! Where am I!?"
The Emperor turned around at the sound of a familiar voice, seeing an individual he had known since his birth, "Lelouch!"
It appeared as if Lelouch Vi Britannia stood before him, clad in his Zero outfit, aside from the helmet.
"I'm leaving you, Charles. We are leaving."
"What are you talking about?" Charles questioned as he saw his son turn around and begin walking away, "Where are you going?!"
"Some place far away from you."
A new voice spoke out, one that was far younger and more feminine. He looked in surprise to see a familiar girl sitting in a wheelchair with her eyes closed as Lelouch walked toward her.
"Nunnally!"
"It's time to go, Nunnally," Lelouch offered his sister his hand. Shortly after, her eyes opened as she smiled and accepted the hand.
"Yes," Nunnally stood up fully out of her wheelchair, which vanished into thin air, "Our father is expecting us."
They turned around to walk away hand-in-hand.
"I'm standing right here you insolent fools!" Charles shouted.
"We're not speaking of you," Lelouch said as he and Nunnally continued to walk away, not even sparing him a glance, "Optimus Prime is more of a father to us than you ever were."
"He is so kind and gentle, unlike you," Nunnally spoke with contempt. "Goodbye Charles, we will not meet again."
They both walked into the dead forest before vanishing.
"Lelouch! Nunnally!" Charles exclaimed as he saw them disappear, "Don't you turn your back on me!"
"Why wouldn't they?"
A new voice spoke out, causing Charles to turn as he saw two more of his daughters glaring at him.
"You've been nothing but cruel to both of them."
"Cornelia! Euphemia!"
"You sent them to die and lied to us about their deaths," Euphemia spoke to him, "It's no wonder they've renounced you."
"It's a wonder why the two of us even bothered staying with you as well," Cornelia continued, "Well, nothing is stopping us from leaving right now."
"I believe the Autobots will be a better family to us. A family that we deserve, don't you agree, sister?" Euphemia asked Cornelia.
"Yes, I do. Let's not keep them waiting."
The two sisters walked deeper into the forest before vanishing.
"No! You will not walk away from me!" Charles shouted in anger.
"They have every right to do so."
The voice of Clovis La Britannia spoke as Clovis himself appeared behind Charles, "You would discard them without a moment's hesitation just as you did even me. My death was a stepping stone toward your precious progress, was it not?"
"That's all we've ever been to you, Charles."
Schneizel also appeared, alongside Odysseus, Guinevere, Marrybell, Rai, Erina, Carine, Laila, and many others.
"We've been expendable pawns for you, to be thrown away whenever you saw fit. So, it is time for us to finally take our leave."
"You left me, my mother, sister to all die," Rai glared as he stood with Erina, "I'm glad I renounced you and joined Lelouch!"
"You even dismissed my mother and sister's murders as well," Marrybell also spoke, "But we will not abide by your wishes anymore."
With that, all of them began to turn around and walk away.
"No! NO! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE! I'M YOUR FATHER! I CREATED YOU ALL! I OWN YOU! YOU ARE MINE! COME BACK!"
However, once he saw them all vanish, his anger soon vanished as well as he chuckled.
"What am I even doing? This is nothing more than an illusion," Charles began to laugh, "Is this the extent of your power, Megatron? To force-feed me illusions!? Most of them are already dead. Your tricks will not work on me!"
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder as a shaded figure appeared behind him.
"Who said this was an illusion of my making?"
The voice of Megatron spoke as the shaded figure revealed its glowing purple eyes, "This all came from you. From the innermost depths of your fears."
Charles attempted to turn around, only to be greeted with a fist to the face to knock him down onto the ground.
"Well come on, Charles Zi Britannia, ninety-eightth Emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia, stand up. Are you going to allow this to end so easily, boy?" the figure taunted in Megatron's voice as Charles glared up at him, "Your Geass allows you to alter memories, quite a useful power. However, mine works on a similar level. By making direct eye contact, I can look deep inside the soul of an individual to see their absolute worst fears and bring them out to the surface. I might be able to manipulate the fears a little bit and decide how the visions play out, but everything that happens stems from the fears that person feels, I have no control over that. Everything you've seen has all come from you."
The shadows began to clear away from the figure to reveal the body was not that of Megatron, but that of his biological father. Though the shadows still covered his face, save for the glowing purple eyes, Charles recognized the body of his father, causing his eyes to widen and pupils to shake.
"What's wrong, Charles?" the voice of Megatron continued to speak from the figure, "As I recall, you loved and respected your father for his ideals. So why would he be something you would fear ? Is it his ideals that you feared? Or is he a symbol of a moment in your life that you do not wish to ever look back upon?"
On cue, Charles's entire body changed. No longer was he the fully grown man he was today, but now he bore the appearance of his child-self, no older than seven or eight years old.
"Hello, little Charles," Megatron greeted in a taunting fashion, "I haven't seen that face in over fifty years."
"You wretched alien!" Charles exclaimed, his voice having changed to match his younger body as well, "What game is this?! What sort of tricks are you playing on me?!"
"You believe this is my game? No, this game is all yours . I'm just better at playing it, foolish child. Physical strength and mental prowess, each can take you far in life should you master one. But, one cannot truly accel if you don't master both. Do you remember? I told you that I was the Champion of the Pits of Kaon not only due to my savage might but also my cunning. I mastered both of them. You only managed to learn how to become keen, while you lacked physical power. That being said, did you believe your deception had even the slightest chance of succeeding? That your Geass could somehow make up for your lack of power? Not a very good listener, are you? It hardly matters. When everything is all set and done, everything you and your followers have worked on, everything you've ever built—the Geass Order, Ragnarok—it's nothing more than a childish squabble; the work of a frightened little boy too mad at the world, despite having the power to try and change it as Emperor. It's the nature of the battle. Until you defeat what cowers you, you cannot truly become who you are meant to be. But to do that, you must break the shackles that hold you down, just as I did, just as Optimus and even Lelouch did. We have all gone through that transformation, while you have not. From the very moment we've met, you've always been afraid, but what were you afraid of? Were you afraid of being weak? Were you afraid of dying? Or maybe you were afraid of being left alone? That is why you created your precious Ragnarok, and why you never mourned over the deaths of your children. You believed that by merging with the collective consciousness of humanity, you would be reunited with all those you claim to hold dear, so it didn't matter whether or not they resented you in this life. What a foolish and childish gesture. Don't make me laugh— you're the one playing games."
The shadow around the face of the figure began to clear to reveal it was the face of Megatron himself over the body of Charles' father as he smirked with pure malice.
"Look at you. You're the same as your brother," Megatron continued, "You might have aged physically, as opposed to him, but in your heart, you're both the same as when I met you. Just two weak, pathetic, spiteful, cowardly little children."
Charles glared at Megatron with as much hate as he could muster, "Well?! What are you waiting for?! You came here to kill me, right!? DO IT! FINISH ME!"
Megatron only looked more amused, "Oh, I will. But not quite yet. There is something I want you to see."
Charles gasped the purple rings around his eyes vanished and he was brought back to reality, still in his adult body and trapped in the destroyed remains of the Excalibur with Megatron looming over him.
"Oh, one other feature my Dark Geass provides me is whether or not I can decide to kill my victims," Megatron gave a brief explanation, "I could make their visions of terror so severe that their minds and bodies are unable to handle it and die. Or, I can just bring them out of the vision so they can live."
Charles glanced up at Megatron, who could only sneer as he saw the terror in his eyes.
"But before your sad life comes to an end, I'd thought you'd like to see this," Megatron gestured ahead, causing Charles to look with a gasp as he already saw the Nemesis warship hanging directly over Pendragon's royal palace.
A hatch opened up on the bottom haul of the Decepticon warship as a large rod-like device emerged, pointed downward to the already smoking and damaged palace. Within seconds, the weapon began to surge with intense red energy, preparing to fire its main weapon.
Just outside the palace, all the remaining members of the Britannian Royal Family and assembled nobility had been escorted out by Kanon, Thundercracker, and Skywarp as they rejoined Starscream and all the other gathered Decepticons to watch the weapon charging from a safe distance. All the Decepticons present smirked with anticipation while the Britannians, minus Kanon, looked in clear terror.
With the Nemesis' weapon fully charged, a pulsating sphere of red energy glowing from the tip, it fired down a massive beam of destructive energy that completely leveled and obliterated the entire palace in brilliant and fiery passion, causing all the assembled royals and nobles to look on with clear horror as everything they've built had all been wiped away in one single instant. Many Decepticons, including Starscream and Skywarp, were already laughing and jeering at this scene.
Charles looked with despair as he saw what little remains of the palace that he once called his home to be burnt away. One would think he'd be happy at something like that, given how much he detested his Empire, made evident by his work with the Geass Order and Ragnarok, but now was different. It wasn't the destruction of Pendragon that filled Charles with despair, it was the knowledge that everything he built with the Geass Order, including Ragnarok, was now lost to him and in the clutches of Megatron.
' No…. it's all gone… everything we've built… the dream that I and Marianne and my brother all shared…. How could this have happened…?'
He then heard a series of footsteps approaching, causing him to turn toward his left where he saw not only Soundwave but V.V. standing next to him, who could only look at his brother with regret.
"Big brother…" Charles muttered with a tone of devastating betrayal.
"Charles, let's both be honest. You would have done the same to me," V.V. said.
Megatron then loomed directly over Charles and aimed his Fusion cannon before firing a single shot. A single shot that turned the ninety-eighth Emperor of Britannia into nothing more than a charred corpse.
Soundwave did a quick scan to make sure that Charles was indeed deceased. The lack of heart rate, brainwave activity, or any other bodily functions all but confirmed it. He nodded to Megatron who only smirked before glancing down to V.V. and giving him a hard glare. With great reluctance, V.V. silently bowed to Megatron, all but cementing his submission to him. With that, Soundwave picked up V.V. in his hand just as Megatron transformed and flew into the sky with Soundwave doing the same and following his master.
The Decepticon leader and his most faithful servant flew towards the burning remains of the royal palace before transforming and landing on the tallest pile of rubble, allowing all the assembled Decepticons and Britannians to see not only them, but V.V. sitting on Soundwave's shoulder.
"Rejoice, my Decepticons!" Megatron announced, "Charles Zi Britannia is dead! The fruits of his labor, now ours! Pendragon is in ruins…"
He raised his fist high into the air to make his declaration known.
This resulted in cheers from all the Decepticons present, and even joyous animalistic calls from the Insecticons at their latest victory, while the royal and noble Britannians were all but emotionally crushed.
"It's… it's not over…" Carine muttered, trying to convince herself there was still hope, "Britannia has… other areas across the world… Marrybell… Schneizel… and even the Knights of the Round…"
"Don't matter anymore," Skywarp interrupted as the Seeker trio loomed over the Royal Family.
"With your emperor dead, Britannia has no real leader. It'll fall apart in no time," Thundercracker added.
"You hear that, my dear Britannians?" Starscream mocked, "United we stand… divided you fall."
"ALL HAIL MEGATRON!" one Decepticon shouted as he raised his fist, before every other Decepticon joined in, resulting in Megatron smiling his most malevolent smile yet.
"ALL HAIL MEGATRON! ALL HAIL MEGATRON! ALL HAIL MEGATRON! ALL HAIL MEGATRON! ALL HAIL MEGATRON!"
Chapter 35: Rise of the Decepticons
Chapter Text
Euphemia and Cornelia, still completely ensnared in webbing, watched in genuine horror as they saw their home being destroyed. Though they could also see from the screen next to it, the ongoing battle in Japan, in which they were each very concerned about specific individuals they care for, they were more shocked and mortified by the fate that befell the palace they once called their home.
Their stunned silence was interrupted by Airachnid's laugh as she continued to watch, not taking her eyes off the screen, "Now this is entertainment. Though honestly, I don't care much for what Megatron intends to do after this. I just like the idea of watching so many people burn. It's nothing personal to Britannia, I don't hate them the way the rest of your world does, I just like watching people squirm. And the best part…"
She glanced toward the two bound sisters, "Once it's all said and done, and all your friends and family in Tokyo are finished off as well, I get to do whatever I want to both of you."
She lulled in anticipation, "But for right now, let's save that for the end." She turned back toward the screen to continue watching the bloodshed as if she were watching her favorite television show.
Euphemia was already crying; crying at the fact that so many people died all just because she wanted to help them, to help Lelouch, Suzaku, Nunnally, and Optimus. Now look at what's happened?! First, her idea of the Special Zone turned into a literal bloodbath, with the one to start it being someone who bore her face. Now, the Decepticons have all but conquered Britannia, and while she had no love for her father, she was genuinely concerned about many of her half-siblings and some of the people in Britannia that she knew were innocent. And now, she was all but helpless as she had a sinking feeling in her heart that an even worse fate was in store for Lelouch, Suzaku, and everyone else she cared about in Japan.
Cornelia glanced at her younger sister as she continued to watch her sob. She couldn't even reach out to comfort her, or even speak in consolidation with her mouth covered by Airachnid's webs. Even though she did not always agree with Euphie, she still loved her sister and was all the more heartbroken at seeing her like this. Seeing Euphie in such a state, she couldn't help but recall when her little sister came to her before the Kyushu incident and practically begged her to stop all the fighting.
Maybe if she listened, none of this would be happening. She had always known that the Decepticons were untrustworthy, but she could never have expected this! What's even worse, Zero, the enemy she swore to capture and/or kill was her brother! Lelouch was Zero!
The more she thought about it, the more obvious it seemed. He and Nunnally were both exiled by their father just because they wanted to see justice for the death of their mother, her idol, Marianne. Then, they were sentenced to death by their father when Japan was invaded, and he didn't even take responsibility for it. It was no wonder why Lelouch did what he did.
His family betrayed him. She betrayed him.
Had she done it… had she actually captured and killed Zero… not only would she have killed her brother, whom she loved since he was born, but she would have utterly broken Nunnally's heart. And all she could do at this point was blame herself as all those she cared for...Euphemia, Lelouch, Nunnally, Nonette, Guilford, and Darlton, were now about to be wiped out by an even worse monster than she could ever consider her father to be.
' Oh God…' Cornelia thought to herself as tears were already streaming down her eyes, 'Lelouch… Nunnally … what have I done?!'
The teary-eyed Cornelia paid another glance at her sister.
'I'm sorry Euphie ! I'm so, so, sorry!' she thought as she openly sobbed.
Euphie looked toward her sister in a mixture of shock and sympathy. The only time she had ever seen Cornelia like this, was when they first heard of Lelouch and Nunnally's apparent deaths once Japan fell.
' Cornelia… what can I do…?' Euphie thought as she desperately prayed for a miracle, some way they could all escape this horror, 'What would Lelouch do? What would Suzaku or Optimus do?'
However, those thoughts also forced her to recall something, having been struck by an epiphany! She felt around her sides as best she could, being constricted the way she was. All she could do was pray Airachnid didn't take it when she was kidnapped.
She felt her right side, in her pocket, and could feel something. A square-like shape that she recognized: the phone that Lelouch gave her back on Kamine Island! She still had it!
Grabbing hold and pulling out of her pocket as gently as she could without dropping it, Euphie gave it a gentle yet firm push, hoping it was enough to break through Airachnid's webbing, while also being careful not to alert the spiderlike Decepticon. Sure enough, the phone was able to slip through the strands of webbing while Euphie kept hold to make sure she didn't drop it. Euphie gave a small muffle to Cornelia, hoping to get her attention. Once her older sister paid another teary glance toward her, Euphie quietly motioned her eyes down to her side, causing Cornelia to notice the phone she had on her.
Cornelia's eyes widened in surprise! Maybe there was still hope. She felt around her arm for the knife that she always had hidden in her. However, she didn't use it up until now because she knew that without a Knightmare, she couldn't do anything to protect her sister from Airachnid. But she can do something now!
Underneath the webbing, Cornelia was able to let her knife slide down into her hand and made sure to cut through a small hole in the webbing as quietly as she could, one enough that allowed her hand to move freely and reach out for the phone.
It was almost a close call, Euphie almost let the phone slip, but Cornelia was able to catch it. Thankfully, Airachnid was too distracted by the battle and slaughter on the screen, she didn't notice. Cornelia flipped the phone open, causing her eyes to widen once she saw only one contact number on it that read 'Lelouch.'
Did Euphie know Lelouch was Zero?! They were alone on Kamine Island… which also explains why she lied about it to her. She was worried about what would happen to their brother, and Cornelia didn't blame her. But now was not the time to worry about that. With a firm glance and nod to Euphie in understanding, Cornelia pressed the button to send a call to Lelouch and prayed that he was able to get it and send help as soon as possible.
Tokyo Settlement – Royal Palace
Darlton's Gloucester was grazed by the Gawain's Hadron cannon, which was enough to destroy the FLOAT System, causing it to tumble onto the roof of the palace, specifically the garden area, leaving Guilford alone as he fired his Gloucester's slash harkens at the Gawain, which blocked it once Zero activated the Blaze Luminous system, allowing Zero to quickly throw out the Gawain's right arm to shoot all five slash harkens at the enemy Knightmare, which could barely avoid it as Guilford's FLOAT System was skewered, forcing him to fall toward his fellow knight.
"They're both down," C.C. reported.
"Something's not right," Lelouch said, "Where's Cornelia? It's not like her to just sit out. She's always at the front lines."
"Maybe she's somewhere else on the battlefield," C.C. replied.
"Then why haven't we heard that from anyone else?" Lelouch questioned as a pit began to form in his stomach.
"You two!" he spoke through the speakers of his Knightmare, addressing the two Britannian Knights, "Where is Cornelia?!"
"What?" Guilford questioned in confusion.
"She's away from the battlefield," Zero continued, "That's rather unlike her, don't you think? Where is she?!"
"Why would you ask something like that when you were the one who captured her?!" Darlton exclaimed, much to Lelouch's shock.
"What are you talking about?!"
"Prince Schneizel had informed us that you have captured both Princess Cornelia and Princess Euphemia!" Guilford stated, "They were both taken shortly after the Special Zone turned into a massacre!"
Lelouch glanced down at C.C., who looked just as confused as he did.
'Why would Schneizel…?'
Lelouch then felt a vibration on his side and took out his cell phone in confusion only to look in shock as he saw the caller ID.
"Euphie…!"
His eyes widened once the pieces came into place.
'Did the Decepticons capture Cornelia too?! Of course, it makes sense!' he scowled as he contacted the Ark.
"Fixit! I need you to trace a signal for me!"
Back on the front lines, the Britannian military had almost been completely pushed back as Ohgi continued to lead the charge.
Meanwhile, Ironhide and Suzaku continued to duke it out with the hovering Mordred as it fired VARIS weapons at the pair, but Suzaku shot directly at the Mordred, lashing out with one of the Lancelot's MVS blades. The bulky Knightmare quickly brought up its Blaze Luminous shield to block the attack, before actually throwing out the right arm of the heavily armored Knightmare to knock the Lancelot back.
Ironhide tried to fire his Energon cannons at the large Knightmare, only for the Mordred to fly straight towards the veteran Autobot, prompting him to try and catch and halt the Knightmare's advance with his bare hands. Somehow, the Mordred was able to not only push Ironhide back but even shoot itself directly up to deck the Autobot before blasting at the ground with the VARIS weapons to knock him back.
"Something's not right," Suzaku stated as the Lancelot stood side-by-side with the recovering Ironhide, "This isn't how Anya fights! She's never this reckless!"
"Yeah… you might be right," Ironhide commented, 'Before, this kid would always fight from one spot, using long-distant weapons as opposed to direct combat. But now, it's like she's a completely different person.'
"Anya! It's Suzaku!" the former Britannian soldier turned Black Knight called to her, "What's happening to you?! Please just talk to me!"
From within the Mordred, the possessed Anya only smirked, 'Sorry Suzaku, but I've got nothing to say to you.'
The Marianne-possessed Anya was about to press the attack, only to be completely caught off guard by Wheeljack, who shot forward in his vehicle mode from an alleyway of two ruined buildings and up a makeshift ramp to ram into the Mordred, and sent it crashing across the ground before the white Wrecker transformed and landed right by the Lancelot and Ironhide.
"Wheeljack!" Ironhide exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't you supposed to be in the air with Dreadwing?!"
"We were until we ran into a bit of a speed bump!" Wheeljack replied.
"What do you mean, a 'speedbump'?" Suzaku asked in confusion.
"That!" Wheeljack shouted, pointing toward a building that began to collapse.
The massive humanoid Siegfried crashed through, struggling to pull off Dreadwing, who had his arms wrapped around the head unit. The Siegfried reached up, grabbed the former Seeker, and threw him into the air.
Fortunately, Dreadwing transformed into his jet mode and shot down to fire a pair of misses at the Siegfried, forcing it to cross its arms and take the blast right as Dreadwing transformed back and landed next to his three allies.
"What the scrap is that?!" Ironhide shouted as the smoke cleared to reveal that the Siegfried was only partially damaged.
"You… Autobots!" the crazed cyborg, Jeremiah, exclaimed.
But once his eyes set upon the Lancelot, it seemed a deranged smile fell on Jeremiah's face, "Suzaku Kururugi…?! Is that you?! What fortune!"
Suzaku's pupils shrunk, 'I know that voice…. Jeremiah?!"
That took Ironhide by surprise, "The head of the Purebloods!? But I thought Kallen killed him at Narita!"
"The Decepticons must have recovered his body and rebuilt him," Dreadwing assumed, "Britannia is not capable of this kind of technology!"
Suzaku only scowled at the thought of that. further enraged, 'He didn't even let Jeremiah rest in peace?! He did this to him?!'
"Heads up!" Wheeljack warned as the quartet could only barely avoid more VARIS blasts from the recovering Mordred.
But before they could counter-attack, they got a sudden transmission.
" Suzaku! This is Zero! I think we've found Euphemia's location!"
To say he was shocked was an understatement.
"What…?"
So much of a shock, that it left him open for the Siegfried to deliver a smack with the back of its right arm to send the Lancelot tumbling across the ground, only for it to be pelted and pushed back by the Energon blasts of Ironhide as Wheeljack leaped from behind to impale his swords into it from behind, causing Jeremiah to yell insanely as he attempted to shake the Autobot off.
"Suzaku, keep your mind on the battle!" Dreadwing told him as he pulled out his Energon cannon to shoot at the Mordred and keep it back, while the heavily armored Knightmare flew to try and avoid the blasts, while also using the Blaze Luminous for defense.
"But… Dreadwing you heard that right…? Euphie…" Suzaku stuttered as the Lancelot recovered.
"I heard, but we must stay focused!" Dreadwing stated, "Zero, are you certain of this?!"
" I am," Lelouch confirmed, "We've traced the location to Kamine Island, and Fixit has a Groundbridge prepared! We're sending the two of you to rescue her! I might also have reason to believe that Cornelia is with her!"
Ordinarily, Suzaku wouldn't hesitate to jump on the chance to rescue Euphemia, but he also remembered they were in the middle of a major battle with Ironhide and Wheeljack struggling to keep the advanced Siegfried and Mordred back.
"Suzaku, go!" Ironhide ordered him, almost as if he could read his thoughts, while also firing at the Siegfried that still had Wheeljack clinging to its back, "You too, Dreadwing!"
"But… what about you?" Suzaku asked with concern.
Ironhide only responded by transforming into his vehicle mode and gunning straight into the Siegfried's legs to trip it up, with Wheeljack using this to jump from the falling Siegfried's back and leap straight for the hovering Mordred and slam both his feet into it. Though Marianne was quick to try and bring up the Blaze Luminous system to shield herself, the impact was enough to send the Mordred crashing into a building.
"Yeah, I think we got this," Ironhide smirked in confidence and assurance toward Suzaku and Dreadwing.
"You two just rescue the damsels. The old timer and I got this," Wheeljack also said as he gave a salute with one of his swords.
"Very well, we'll leave you to it," Dreadwing said as he glanced at the Lancelot, with Suzaku having a serious expression.
' Euphie… I'm coming! I won't let you down again! I will save you!' Suzaku thought, "Lelouch, we're ready!"
A few seconds later, a Groundbridge portal opened up behind the pair, prompting the Lancelot and Dreadwing to make their way into the portal right before it closed, leaving Wheeljack and Ironhide alone to deal with the recovering Siegfried and Mordred.
"Think you can keep up, old timer?" Wheeljack cracked toward Ironhide.
"Just be sure you don't eat my dust, kid," Ironhide cracked back as they charged toward the enemy.
Ashford Academy
What was once a popular and peaceful school had turned into a battleground as Bumblebee was sent crashing into the empty girls' dorm, glancing up at the towering Insecticon over him.
"[Leave it to Megatron to send a bug to do his dirty work,]" Bumblebee glared at Hardshell as he stood back up.
Hardshell growled slightly, "You'd know a thing or two about dirty work yourself, scout."
"[Do I know you?]"
"I've heard all about you. And I promise that you'll lose more than just your voice box when I'm through with you."
"[Bring it, bug!]"
Bumblebee rolled out of the way of Hardshell's punch before firing his Energon blasters as he ran along Hardshell's side, but this only served to irritate him as he attempted to rush the Autobot scout.
At the same time, around another area of the school, Ratchet drove in his ambulance form with Cecile's Sutherland right beside him as a different Insecticon ran after them before leaping over the pair to halt their advance but Ratchet only pressed on the gas even further before transforming right at the Insecticon, using his momentum to ram into it and knock it down.
"Stay down!" Ratchet told it as he drew his blades, "I must perform surgery!"
However, the Insecticon easily slugged him to knock him off. It felt a small pain on its right side as Cecile used her Sutherland's rifle to shoot at it and get its attention, prompting the Insecticon to roar as it tried to rush her. This forced her to shoot her Sutherland into the air, but the Insecticon was quick to grab the custom Knightmare by the foot to slam it back down, shaking her inside before throwing the Knightmare at the recovering Ratchet, causing them to crash into a separate building.
Ratchet groaned as he tried to get up, but his optics widened at the sight of an electric generator that was only a few feet from his head, "What is that?"
"It's the school's backup generator," Cecile informed as her Sutherland, which was only barely functional, began to stand up, "If the Settlement were to somehow lose power, this would keep Ashford's power running."
Ratchet then got an idea as he glanced at the Insecticon they were facing, before glancing upward to see the Florence fighting the remaining Insecticon in aerial combat.
"Contact your Knight up there. I have a plan," Ratchet glanced back at the generator to give Cecile the hint.
Her eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed.
"Alright, I'm in," Cecile said as Ratchet rushed toward the Insecticon to get its attention and keep it distracted.
Meanwhile, in the air, the Florence flew and avoided the Energon blasts from the flying Insecticon that gave pursuit of her. Monica flipped the Florence higher into the air while shooting her slash harkens to try and trip up the Insecticon, but it flipped itself to avoid the impact as it tried to ram and impale her with its horn. She barely avoided the impact, only for the Florence's left arm to be severed.
"Damn it…" Monica muttered.
"Lady Krushevsky!" Cecile contacted her, "The campus' power generator is directly below you! Try to crash the enemy into it!"
"Copy!" Monica wasn't in the mood to question as she realized just how much of a threat these Insecticons were.
She locked her Knightmare onto said generator and shot directly at the flying Insecticon, who flew at her as well, firing Energon blasts, almost as if the two were playing a game of 'chicken'.
Once they were close enough, Monica lashed out the Florence's right arm, extending the MVS claws at the right second, to clip the Insecticon's wings and send it falling.
Just a few seconds before, Ratchet had been in his vehicle mode, acting as bait as the remaining Insecticon gave chase, crashing through any building or obstacle that lay in its way. The Autobot medic was gunning straight for the power generator as he saw the Insecticon Monica had knocked down tumbling straight for it.
Timing it just right, Ratchet skidded to a sudden halt as he swerved his vehicle mode to trip up the Insecticon chasing him and send it skidding across the ground right in front of the power generator just as the falling Insecticon crashed into it.
*BOOM!*
The explosion was enough to engulf both Insecticons, sending several broken pieces flying across the area as the Florence landed right beside the regrouping Sutherland piloted by Cecile and Ratchet.
"Hey… um, are you okay?" Monica asked Ratchet, upon seeing how out of breath he was. It did feel awkward asking that to someone who is of the enemy faction.
"I'm a medic, not a warrior," Ratchet said, "I can fight, but it's not exactly my comfort zone."
"Regardless, that was a good plan," Cecile said.
"Thanks, but we're not out of the woods yet."
Almost on cue, all three of them were sent tumbling with a crash by Bumblebee, who had been sent flying into them, forcing all four of them to skid and tumble over each other across the ground. They glanced up to see Hardshell approaching them as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.
"You may have vanquished two of my brothers, but let's see how you fare against the fiercest Insecticon!" Hardshell challenged as he went on the attack.
Meanwhile, inside the school, Milly had led Shirley, Rivalz, Lloyd, as well as Arthur, into the room where the Ganymede was being housed.
"Nina!" Milly called out as all four of them looked in shock to see her inside the Ganymede's cockpit with a large rod-like device attached to its chest by a series of clamps and wires.
"Nina!? What are you doing?!" Shirley exclaimed.
"Princess Euphemia… will be avenged…" Nina muttered with a dangerous look in her eyes.
"What the heck did you do to that Knightmare?!" Rivalz questioned.
"Nina…are you testing your theory?" Lloyd asked.
"I didn't have time to test it," Nina muttered.
"Lloyd, please tell me that's not what I think it is," Milly gulped.
"It's exactly what you think it is," Lloyd said in a dreadful tone, "It's a prototype nuclear reactor that I arranged to give to her. Seems like she's hooked it directly into the Ganymede."
"Nuclear…?" Rivalz's eyes widened in dread, "You gave her a freaking bomb?! Are you crazy!?"
"I didn't intend for it to be a bomb!" the Knightmare scientist replied, "But if it goes off, it'll destroy the entire city!"
Shirley gave an audible gasp as she knew that would kill everyone in the Settlement. All the Autobots and Black Knights, all their friends; Lelouch, Kallen, Rai, and Suzaku!
"Nina! Please! You can't do this!" Shirley exclaimed, trying to persuade her friend.
"You're a Black Knight! A terrorist!" the bespectacled girl screamed, almost like she was about to have a mental breakdown, "I thought you were my friend, Shirley!"
"I am! I'm sorry I never told you… any of you." ]
She paid a last glance toward Milly and Rivalz before turning back to Nina.
"But… I couldn't just sit on the sidelines anymore, not without knowing all the terrible things Britannia has done!"
"It's the Elevens who are terrible! They kidnapped us at the hotel! How can you forgive them for that?!"
"They're not all like that! Sure, there are bad people, but… have you ever considered why things are like that? It's because Britannia took their home from them! Growing up, we've been taught that Britannia is the greatest nation in history, and all our expansion and conquering is our way of showing the world our greatness. But that's nothing but a lie. The people of this world are terrified of Britannia! They don't see our greatness! They hate us! And we deserve it! We've ruined so many lives! The Black Knights and Autobots aren't the real monsters , Britannia is! Even Princess Euphemia saw that!"
Nina gasped once she heard Shirley say that name.
Realizing she had her attention, the brunette continued as she walked up a nearby ladder to speak on an equal level with Nina, "Why do you think she created the Special Zone? To help the people who have been suffering. Britannia may be horrible, but Euphemia isn't. All she wanted was to help, she didn't care they were Japanese, she saw them suffering and couldn't stand it anymore. She created the Zone for the reason I became a Black Knight: to help people."
"But… she's not… the Decepticons…"
"I know. They kidnapped her and replaced her with a machine to start a massacre. It was a horrible sight, and I can't even begin to imagine how the surviving people think of all that. You have every right to hate the Decepticons, even with how horrible Britannia is, they are even worse . But is this really what you think Euphemia would want? Nina, look inside yourself and ask 'Would Euphemia want everything to be destroyed? And for you to sacrifice yourself while doing it?'"
Nina hung onto every word and did as Shirley said. She thought back to that time when Euphemia brought her into her home and welcomed her with a smile. She was so kind and gentle, not like someone like Cornelia, who was a soldier.
"No… She wouldn't…" Nina muttered with a teary expression.
Shirley told her sincerely as she put a hand on her shoulder, "Then, let it go. You're a good person, Nina. Euphemia would not want you to throw all that away out of spite. For her sake, turn back while you still have a chance. And give me a chance… to be a better friend. Please."
Nina glanced at Shirley and saw the serious and pleading expressions in her eyes. She could tell that Shirley meant every single word she said.
And because of that, Nina powered down the Ganymede, causing everyone to sigh in relief.
"Thank God…" Milly muttered with relief as Shirley helped Nina down, who were greeted by Rivalz as he helped them as well.
"Well, now that all the happy speeches are out of the way, let's make like piñatas and beat it," Lloyd said casually.
Despite his tone, none of them could agree more as Shirley accessed her earpiece, "Bumblebee, Ratchet, everything's fine. We're ready to go." However, she was surprised to hear the sounds of battle on the other end, with Ratchet grunting in pain.
"Ratchet? Bee? What's going on? Are you guys okay?" she asked with concern.
" We're a little occupied at the moment…!" she heard Ratchet say before she heard a painful yell, followed by an Insecticon's roar, "You'll have to Groundbridge out of here yourselves! Just…!"
It was suddenly cut off, much to Shirley's shock.
"Hello?! Ratchet!" Shirley however, got no response, which only caused her to look in worry, much to the concern of her friends.
"Hey, what's happening?" Rivalz asked.
"They're in trouble!" Shirley stated, "I… I gotta help them!"
"You mean ' we gotta help them', right?" Milly told her, much to Shirley's shock, "If you think for one second that I'm going to let one of my best friends take on evil giant alien robots, then you got another thing coming."
"I'm in too!" Rivalz stepped up, "The Autobots saved us before, now it's our turn to return the favor!"
"If… if you say it's what Princess Euphemia would want… then I'll help too," Nina stuttered before standing firm as well.
"Considering that I'm officially a traitor, I'm in too," Lloyd said, still maintaining his casual demeanor.
"Guys I… I don't know if…" Shirley, despite being touched by her friends' support, was gravely concerned about them as well.
However, once she spotted the Ganymede and the built-in nuclear reactor, an idea came to her head.
"Hey, how big of an explosion would that make if it were to go off?"
"Well, I haven't exactly thought of that," Lloyd answered, "But, best guess, a maximum range of just under six kilometers in radius, why?"
Shirley then accessed her comms again, "Fixit, are you there?"
" I read you Shirley , what is it?" Fixit asked on the other end.
"What's the highest point we can reach with the Groundbridge?" she asked.
" What do you mean?" Fixit didn't quite seem to understand.
"I mean, how high in the sky can we make a Groundbridge portal?" Shirley clarified.
" Hmm, we've never actually tested that. But, it is reasonable to believe that the highest point above the planet's surface would be around 2,000 kilometers, at low orbit. Why do you ask?" Fixit responded.
That was all Shirley needed to hear as she turned back to her friends with a confident smile, "I've got an idea."
Royal Palace
Optimus swung his axe down toward the Galahad, his and Bismarck's duel continuing in the lower levels of the palace, specifically an empty Knightmare bay.
However, Bismarck steered the Galahad back before quickly shooting at Optimus, who attempted to roll out of the way, but the Galahad swung its MVS down toward Optimus to slice and trip him up. Optimus was quick to recover but was forced on the defensive as he attempted to block the incoming sword strike with his axe. The Galahad swung in a different area on Optimus' side to send him crashing onto the wall.
Optimus Prime got up and felt a bleeding gash along his left side, with Energon already leaking. It wasn't anything to worry about, but he was still concerned, 'Bismarck's fighting style has changed considerably. It's as if he can know my moves before I make them.'
"You look confused," Bismarck said with a grin, the Geass sigil in his left eye glowing brightly, "You're likely affiliated with C.C., so I can assume you're already aware of Geass?"
Optimus' optics widened in shock, "You possess a Geass as well?!"
Bismarck's grin grew wider, "Indeed. My ability allows me to see the future."
He rolled the Galahad straight for Optimus, who transformed and shot out of the way to avoid it. As he swerved around, Bismarck looked at the Autobot leader's intended path.
From Bismarck's point of view, it was almost the exact opposite of after-images as he the transparent form of his target, Optimus Prime, three seconds ahead of where the real one was going to be.
Optimus' truck mode kicked into maximum overdrive in an attempt to run Bismarck, hoping the sudden speed boost would catch him off guard. However, the Galahad jumped above Optimus just before he made contact, forcing the Prime to transform so he wouldn't crash into the wall.
' No normal human could have reacted that quickly,' Optimus thought, 'Which means, he can see into the future.'
"Only once before… I used this power when I battled Lady Marianne!" Bismarck revealed, "While I do respect your strength and tenacity Optimus Prime, I refuse to fall even to the likes of you!"
He shot the Galahad at Optimus, who attempted to swerve out of the way as he simultaneously brought his axe to his side in an attempt to parry the sword strike from the Galahad, though he blocked it, the force sent Optimus skidding back on his feet.
' C.C. would have told us about his Geass if she had known about it,' Optimus continued to think as he went on defense against Bismarck's attacks, 'Which means, his power likely came from V.V. But regardless, every Geass ability we have seen thus far has its limits. Lelouch's, Rai's, even Mao's , they've all had their weaknesses. His is no different. And I will find it.'
Military Depot
More explosions continued to rock the entire area as Tamaki and his squadron of heavily armed Burais opened fire with missiles and other heavy payloads around the area where their comrades duked it out with the terrible trio of Breakdown, Knock Out, and Dorothea.
Bulkhead slammed his mace against Breakdown's face. In retaliation, Breakdown struck Bulkhead with his hammer. The green Wrecker countered with a punch to Breakdown’s gut, who then head-butted him before firing his shoulder missile, sending him crashing into a ruined building.
Breakdown didn’t have time to celebrate, as a series of missiles from Tamaki and two other Wrecker units blasted him back.
Rai used his Gekka's katana to block the buzz-saw strike from Knock Out, their weapons creating sparks from the revolving parts grinding against each other, while Nonette guarded Rai's back in the Galeschin as she used her Knightmare's Blaze Luminous system to block the gunfire of Dorothea's Palamedes. Nonette responded with a slash harken, which Dorothea batted away with her Knightmare's sword before charging at her.
"Rai! Switch!" Nonette told him.
No time to argue, Rai turned his Gekka away from Knock Out, allowing the Galeschin to deliver a spinning kick, having taken a page from Suzaku's book, to knock the red Decepticon down while Rai shot out his Gekka's Surger Claw, activating it just as Dorothea brought her Knightmare's blade down, the sword melting and blowing up on impact and allowing Rai to swing his sword at her, but she pulled the Palamedes back. She was also forced on the defense as more Wrecker Burais opened fire with their rifles and missile silos, forcing her to pull back on her Knightmare, with Knock Out transforming and doing the same to outrun the explosions on his tail.
"Aw yeah! That's what you get for messing with the Wreckers!" Tamaki shouted.
" Tamaki!" Zero made contact, "I need you and your squadron back on the front lines! Ironhide and Wheeljack are in trouble and they need your help, now!"
"What?! Come on, we're winning here!" Tamaki complained, "Don't you got Kururugi and Dread-boy there, too?!"
" We've discovered Euphemia's location and they've gone to rescue her! We need you at the lines, now! That is an order!" Zero told him.
Tamaki grumbled as he knew his leader had a point, "Alright, send us a Groundbridge."
A portal soon opened up behind his Knightmare.
"Bulkhead, Rai, most of us gotta go!"
"We heard!" Bulkhead exclaimed as he ran to tackle Breakdown before pinning him down and bringing his massive fists down on him, "Get going! We got this!"
"Alright! Wrecker-squad, move out!" Tamaki ordered all the Burais as they drove into the portal before closing.
As Bulkhead tried to bring down both his fists onto Breakdown, the equally large Decepticon caught them before using his strength to throw Bulkhead over him and send him rolling across the ground, but the green Autobot quickly recovered as Rai's Gekka and Nonette's Galeschin covered him from both sides to glare at Breakdown, who was regrouped by Knock Out and Dorethea's Palamedes. All six of them glared at the opposing side before each of them yelled at the top of their lungs right before charging at full force.
Power Station
Arcee used her arm blades to block and parry the sword strikes from one Valkyrie Vincent. She then jumped over and landed a solid kick, knocking it down.
Immediately, she was put on defense again by the second Valkyrie Vincent. She used her right arm blade to block a sword thrust while converting her left hand into an Energon blaster. A direct hit to the head blasted it off, and she finished the Knightmare with an upward vertical slice, cutting it in half just before it exploded.
Kallen was caught between the remaining two Valkyrie Vincents. She used her Guren’s knife to hold back one sword while her Surger Claw blocked the other’s attack.
She took advantage of the situation by twisting the Guren’s legs and spinning her Knightmare around like a top. This maneuver sent both Vincents rolling across the ground.
Kallen then reached out and grabbed one of them by the head with her Surger Claw. Activating it, she sent a wave of radiation through the Knightmare, causing it to explode.
Luciano fired missiles from Percival's shield at Gino's Tristan as he flew into the air and around the building and power station ports so that the missiles impacted them instead of his own Knightmare before flying in with a strike of his sword.
"Nuh, uh, uh." Luciano teased as he thrust his Percival's drill into the ground to spit up some ruble and block the Tristan's path allowing him to try and thrust his drill in up close,
Gino attempted to block by crossing his Knightmare's blades, which resulted in them shattering before the force sent him skidding across the ground.
"Aww...poor little Gino," Luciano mocked, "You only got to where you are because of your standing. I might be ranked lower than you, but I'm still the Genius of Homicide and a far more capable warrior than you."
"Then how about I tag in!?"
Cliffjumper suddenly shot at the Percival in his vehicle mode, which Luciano attempted to destroy with his Knightmare's drill weapon, but Cliffjumper had already transformed and swerved around it to deal a punch to the Percival's side and send it crashing into a nearby wall.
"Thanks," Gino said as he stood his Tristan up.
"Don't mention it," Cliffjumper smiled back, "And call me Cliff."
"Well then tell me, 'Cliff'…"
They heard Luciano speak as they saw his Percival emerge from the dust and debris.
"Do you know the prime truth of the battlefield? Kill a man off the field and you're a criminal. But kill him on it, and you're a big hero."
Cliffjumper looked at the Percival with a frown, "So, the Vampire of Britannia wants to be a hero, huh? A true knight in shining armor, is that right?"
"No, not at all," Luciano replied without any hesitation, "War allows me to 'officially' take what people value most: their lives!"
"Well, at least you admit you're a murderous psychopath," Cliffjumper said, "So, you probably won't take it personally when I kick your ass."
"You mean, we kick his ass," Gino rolled by Cliff's side.
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Cliff agreed as they faced the Luciano's Percival.
"Well, then by all means," Luciano said with a sickening grin, and flew his Knightmare toward them, "Kick my murderous, psychopathic, bloodthirsty ass."
Kamine Island – Airachnid's Cave
"Ohhh looks like the finale's just about here," Airachnid watched in eagerness as she saw, from the screen showing the situation at Pendragon, the Nemesis hovering over the Pendragon royal palace, ready to blast it into oblivion.
Airachnid turned back to the two webbed-up princesses, "I hope you're watching, ladies, because this is where the real fun starts."
Upon seeing her looking in their direction, it was enough to startle Cornelia into dropping the phone that Euphemia gave her, cluttering on the ground and getting Airachnid's attention.
"Hmm, what's this?"
She went to inspect it, causing Euphie and Cornelia to panic.
"A phone…?" Airachnid's optics widened before a scowl formed on her face, "YOU CALLED FOR HELP!"
She hissed as she glared at the two princesses, with Euphie looking the most frightened, "Really wish you didn't do that. I could have taken my sweet time with you two. But I promise, I'm going to make it hurt. So, let's start with little Euphie here."
As Airachnid brought her claws closer to Euphemia, all she could do was muffle a scream in pure terror underneath the web-gag, with Cornelia doing the same in a mixture of yelling at Airachnid to stay away from her sister, while also begging to do her first. But Airachnid didn't seem to notice. She was ready to plunge her clawed finger right through Euphemia's head, when suddenly…
A Groundbridge portal had opened behind Airachnid, who couldn't react in time to the sudden arrival of the Lancelot that dealt a spinning kick to Airachnid's face and sent her crashing to the wall on the other side of the cave. She didn't even get time to recover as Dreadwing pressed his foot against her chest to pin her to the floor as he kept his cannon aimed directly at her face.
"Give me a reason," Dreadwing glared with as much hate as he could muster, "Just one!"
"Euphie!" Suzaku exclaimed as the Lancelot pulled both the ensnared Euphie and Cornelia from the suspended states before setting them gently down on the ground.
He quickly jumped out of the cockpit before rushing to pry the web off them both, despite the pain it caused as he pulled some of it off their skin, specifically their face area as it covered their mouths.
Once they were both free, Euphie wasted no time in wrapping her arms around Suzaku and pressing her lips against his as hard as she could, tears streaming from her eyes. Both Suzaku and Cornelia were completely stunned by this action until Euphie broke it off and cried as she buried her face into his chest.
"Suzaku…" she cried, "I was so scared….! I didn't want all this… I'm sorry…!"
Suzaku returned the embrace as tears formed in his eyes as well, "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was supposed to protect you, and I failed. Forgive me."
Dreadwing took his eyes off Airachnid, while still keeping her pinned, to look with sympathy and relief at the pair.
"I failed you as well, Euphie," Dreadwing apologized, "I hope you can forgive me."
"No… you saved me… saved us, " Euphie told them both as she tried to smile, tears still streaming down her face as she continued to hold Suzaku as he held her close as well, "Thank you… both of you…"
Cornelia, while beyond relieved that her sister was no longer in danger, only felt disappointment in herself. Not only was she helpless to save her sister, but their salvation came in the form of both Dreadwing and Suzaku, the latter she was heavily prejudiced against. But now, she was beginning to understand why Euphie trusted him, trusted both of them.
"Kuru… Suzaku," Cornelia spoke, getting everyone's attention, "And… you as well Dreadwing… you… you saved me, and my sister…"
She looked away slightly to try and hide the look of shame in her eyes, "Thank you."
Both Suzaku and Dreadwing looked at Cornelia with sympathetic expressions, "Euphie… I… I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you but I…"
She was interrupted as Euphie leaped at her older sister and hugged her with as much affection and emotion as she did Suzaku moments ago, "I love you, Cornelia! That won't ever change! I love you and I'm just glad you're okay!"
That was enough for the dam to beak with Cornelia as she hugged her sister back, "I love you too, Euphie! Please forgive me! I'm so sorry!"
This scene was enough to make Dreadwing and Suzaku smile as they glanced at each other with relief that they made it here on time.
However, the happy moment was brought to an end as Cornelia pulled away to wipe the tears from her eyes, "Suzaku, listen. I know that Lelouch is Zero."
That took both him and Dreadwing by surprise, and before they could even question it, Cornelia continued to speak.
"You need to get in contact with him and Prime right now! This whole thing was a setup!"
"Wha… what…?!" Suzaku stuttered.
"She's right," Euphie stood up, "Megatron isn't even in Japan! He's at the homeland… he's… oh no… Look!"
She pointed to the screen that both Suzaku and Dreadwing missed upon their arrival.
Neither of them could believe what they were seeing with their own eyes. Not only have the military forces around the Pendragon royal palace been effectively wiped out, but the Nemesis had already obliterated the entire palace itself, leaving nothing more than smoke and flames where it once stood.
"We're too late…" Euphie already fell on her knees in despair.
"What… what is this…?!" Dreadwing exclaimed.
"The massacre at the Special Zone, it was nothing more than a diversion!" Cornelia revealed, "Megatron purposely orchestrated it because he knew the Black Knights and Autobots would retaliate against it, creating a distraction to divert everyone's attention away from his true objective! With all the Knights of the Round in Area 11, it left the homeland completely vulnerable for Megatron to wipe out Pendragon! And… it seems he's already succeeded."
Suzaku and Dreadwing looked at the screen in pure horror before rage filled both their being, especially Suzaku as he pounded his fist into the ground.
"All this time… that's what he was planning!?" Suzaku yelled in fury, causing Euphie to look in startled, never having seen Suzaku like this, "All the people who died at the Zone… everyone who's dying now… it was just a distraction!? "
Dreadwing's pain-induced screams, suddenly got all their attention as they turned back in shock to see Dreadwing fall back, holding one hand over his lower ab area where Airachnid had stabbed him with her spider-legs as she pulled herself back up.
"You really should have killed me when you had the chance, Dreadwing," Airachnid taunted, "Looks like Suzaku's rubbed off on you."
Suzaku and Cornelia glared hatefully at her as they both stood protectively in front of the frightened Euphemia.
"And if I were you, I'd be less concerned about your friends, and more about yourselves, because none of you are leaving here alive."
As she said those words, she reached out with her telepathic connection, deeper underground and into the island, all the way down to the hive where the remainder of the Insecticons; those who weren't at Pendragon or Ashford anyway, remained in slumber in their pods. Until Airachnid had awakened them with her telepathic message.
"Arise, my armada… and attack!" Airachnid shouted.
Less than a second later, the entire cave began to shake as the first to emerge around the recovering Dreadwing and his three human compatriots were the smaller Insecticon Swarmers and Spitters.
"We must leave! Now!" Dreadwing exclaimed.
Suzaku quickly got back into the Lancelot, with Cornelia and Euphemia squeezing into the cockpit behind him right as it closed and powered back on. The Lancelot and Dreadwing both turned toward the exit and ran/shot their way out as fast as they could with Airachnid giving pursuit alongside a growing horde of Insecticon Swarmers, Spitters, and even Bruisers.
"Do not allow them to escape!" Airachnid ordered, "Leave their blood and Energon spilled across this island!"
Tokyo Settlement – Front Lines
"FOR THE GLORY OF MEGATRON!" Jeremiah shouted as the Siegfried brought its arms crashing down toward Ironhide.
Quick to react, Ironhide transformed and shot underneath the massive machine's legs, narrowly dodging the blow that shook the ground. Reverting to robot form, Ironhide opened fire on the Siegfried's back with his Energon cannons. The blasts seemed to cause some damage, irritating Jeremiah enough to turn the Siegfried around and charge. Ironhide ran backward, continuing to fire, doing his best to keep the metallic behemoth at bay.
At the same time, Wheeljack ran and swerved from left to right to avoid the Mordred's VARIS blasts before jumping up toward the broken ledge of a ruined building and leaped up from that to get to the roof faster than Marianne could react.
By the time she noticed, Wheeljack had shot himself straight down toward her, landing a solid punch into the Mordred's head and sending it crashing down toward the ground. Wheeljack landed right in front of it and quickly drew his swords again with the intent of slicing it apart, but Marianne quickly activated the FLOAT system on the Mordred and rammed it into Wheeljack to send him rolling across the ground before she took to the air.
' You Autobots are ruining everything we've worked so hard for!' Marianne practically screamed in her thoughts as a look of anger fell upon the possessed Anya's face, 'Even threatening to take my children from me! And for that, you will pay!'
Suddenly, the Mordred was shot from all sides by multiple Burai units, personally led by Ohgi.
"Open fire! Don't give her an inch!" Ohgi exclaimed as they continued to shoot, forcing Marianne to activate her Blaze Luminous systems to keep herself from being shot down, but the Mordred had already stained pretty significant damage.
At the same time, the Siegfried was pelted by multiple explosions all around its sides as the same heavily armed Wrecker-Burais from the military depot all rolled onto the scene.
"Eat hot missiles!" Tamaki shouted as he and another unit kept Ironhide covered.
"Ohgi, aren't you supposed to be on the front lines?!" Ironhide exclaimed as he got back up.
"The enemy forces have mostly been driven back! I came to provide back-up!" Ohgi stated as he and his unit had the Mordred thoroughly surrounded and kept the fire-up, practically emptying their guns to keep the Mordred in place.
Wheeljack looked and saw the Siegfried in the same kind of position as Tamaki and his group of Wrecker-Burais fired missiles all around the behemoth while moving around in a circular motion to keep it pinned. The white Wrecker soon got an idea.
"Hey old timer, let's switch things up!"
"Good call," Ironhide nodded as he and Wheeljack ran past each other to switch opponents.
As Ohgi and his squad continued to open fire on the Mordred from all sides, the Blaze-Luminous system was nearing its limit as Marianne couldn't even find the chance to move. This gave Ironhide the opportunity he needed to charge his Energon cannons to maximum power and fire. The two large Energon spheres came in practically in slow motion and scored a direct hit, creating an explosion that all but shattered the Mordred's shields and sent it crashing into a small building, which Ironhide fired at all around, causing it to collapse all over the Mordred, rendering it inoperable and preventing it from moving.
"No… no… no.. no!" Marianne exclaimed as she was unable to get the Mordred backup, "They can't do this!"
"She's down. Should we finish her off?" Ohgi asked.
"No," Ironhide said firmly, "She might be Knight of the Round, but she's still a kid. And we don't kill kids."
"Right," Ohgi nodded as they turned around to walk away from a furious Marianne.
Though Ironhide paid one more glance to the downed Mordred.
' But something is going on with her. Is this another Geass thing?' Ironhide wondered, 'I'll ask C.C. about it later. Right now, we got a battle to win.'
At the same time, Wheeljack began to climb up a tall building as he addressed Tamaki and his squad, "Hey! Fire at his legs, bring him down to his knees!"
"You got it!" Tamaki nodded, "You all heard the man, get this bastard down on his knees!"
He and every single Wrecker-Knightmare concentrated their firepower directly on the legs of the Siegfried. The resulting explosions from the barrage of missiles all but destroyed the lower leg areas, forcing the Siegfried down on its knees.
"YOU PESTS!" the cyborg Jeremiah exclaimed, just as Wheeljack made it to the top of the building, just above the Siegfried before leaping over it.
Jeremiah noticed Wheeljack falling toward him as he desperately tried to throw out his right arm, only for it to explode as Tamaki shot at it with another couple of missiles. Wheeljack flew out of the smoke and fire, blades crossed forward as he sliced passed the Siegfried's neck, landing behind it just as the head unit rolled off. The resulting shock caused Jeremiah to scream as he felt the sensation himself, due to the Knightmare being plugged into his nervous system before the entire Siegfried fell over, completely disabled.
"Nice going," Wheeljack smirked to Tamaki and his squad.
"You too," Tamaki nodded.
"No time to celebrate just yet," Ironhide stated as he, Ohgi, and the remaining Burais came in, "We keep pushing forward."
"Ironhide's right. This battle isn't over yet," Ohgi agreed.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Wheeljack's smirk only grew. "Time to wreck and rule!"
He and Ironhide both transformed as they drove alongside Ohgi and Tamaki's squadrons to get back up to the front lines and finish off this fight.
Ashford Academy
Bumblebee ran straight for Hardshell, firing his Energon blasters at him before coming in close to deliver multiple punches then striking him in the jaw with a cartwheel kick to send him realign toward Ratchet who sliced at his face with his blades, but Hardshell recovered quickly enough to grab Ratchet by his head and slam him into Bumblebee before throwing him away. Monica's Florence flew in from behind to slash at him with her MVS claw from her Knightmare's remaining arm, but when she tried to slash at him again, Hardshell caught the weapon before crushing the entire arm in his hand and delivering a powerful uppercut slash with his claws to slice apart the front-face of the Florence, forcing Monica to eject out of it to avoid getting sliced up herself.
Hardshell was pelted in the back by the ammunition from Cecile's Sutherland's rifle, prompting the Insecticon to turn around and rush her. As Cecile attempted to pull her Sutherland back, it proved too fast for his enormous size and quickly grabbed both the Sutherland's arms in his hands and held them up in a t-like formation as he glared into the Knightmare, causing Cecile to look in clear terror.
"You are no warrior," Hardshell scowled before he ripped the Knightmare apart. Thankfully, Cecile had already ejected in time to avoid getting torn apart.
Ratchet quickly rushed Hardshell and tried to strike his blowtorch into his side, which caused Hardshell to roar in pain. It irritated him even more as he grabbed Ratchet again before leaping high into the air to slam the Autobot medic hard onto the ground before kicking him even further away.
Bumblebee then tried to leap on top of him and shoot his Energon blasters into Hardshell's face, but the Insecticon reached back to grab Bee and pull him off before punching him in the gut so hard that it caused a small shockwave. Hardshell repeated the process twice before throwing Bumblebee to send him crashing into Ratchet, leaving the two Autobots beaten and barely able to move.
"Bumblebee…" Ratchet groaned as he tried to pull himself up, but failed, "I'm sorry…"
"[We're not out of this yet… Doc…]" Bee tried to say, but couldn't find the strength to pull himself up as Hardshell loomed closer, punching his fist into his palm for emphasis while growling in anticipation.
"Come on, get up!" Monica exclaimed as she and Cecile ran toward the two downed Autobots, "Transform, and let's get out of here!"
"Can't… too much damage…" Ratchet stuttered as he tried to roll over and back up, "Get… the children and leave…"
"But… we can't just leave you… we…" Cecile stuttered but gasped once they saw Hardshell was already over all four of them.
Cecile had honestly never been more terrified in her life as Monica tried to stand protectively in front of her, as well as the two downed Autobots, despite being quite terrified herself.
"Your lives will now belong to Lord Megatron!" Hardshell was ready to execute all four of them right then and there when suddenly…
A Groundbridge portal opened up on his right, a mere two feet away, much to the surprise of Hardshell, the two downed Autobots, and two Britannian women. But that wasn't the only surprise. Coming in from the far left side was the full-speed Ganymede, with the nuclear reactor still hooked on.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM, YOU MONSTER!" Shirley screamed in fury as she was in the pilot seat before pulling on the ejection lever to shoot her seat into the air just as the rigged Ganymede crashed into Hardshell, the impact sending them both into the Groundbridge portal, which closed shortly after.
"What…?!" Ratchet exclaimed as everyone else looked in surprise, "Shirley… what did…?!"
"Nina! Do it!" Shirley called out as her seat landed hard on the ground, shaking her up a bit.
That wasn't her concern at the moment as she saw Nina, Milly, Rivalz, Lloyd, as well as Arthur, all catch up to her, the trigger still in Nina's hand.
With a serious expression on her face, Nina pressed the button on the trigger.
A Groundbridge portal had opened up in Earth's orbit, several miles above the surface, with Hardshell, and the rigged Ganymede flying out of it and sent hurdling through the void of space. Hardshell tried to regain his senses, but as he saw what was hooked onto the empty Knightmare, he gave a shrill insect-like scream in horror just as the reactor detonated.
*BOOM!*
The nuclear explosion completely engulfed Hardshell. And even though the damage would have been devastating on land, the fact that it was damaged high enough in Earth's orbit was enough to ensure that no part of the Earth would be adversely affected, by either the blast or the resulting radiation.
"[Um… what just happened?]" Bumblebee bleeped in confusion as he and Ratchet attempted to pull themselves up.
"Lloyd, what was that?" Cecile asked as they all regrouped.
"Oh not much, just a prototype nuclear reactor rigged to a Knightmare for a makeshift bomb," Lloyd said casually, much to Cecile, Monica, Ratchet, and Bee's shock.
"Nuclear?!" Monica and Ratchet exclaimed simultaneously.
"Fixit?" Shirley made contact with the Ark, "Did it work?"
" Affirmative," the Mini-Con confirmed, "Both the Insecticon and the reactor had been successfully bridged into Earth's orbit, and the detonation had occurred. Thankfully, no other lifeforms should be charmed … alarmed … harmed!"
Shirley gave a slight giggle at Fixit's stuttering before sighing in relief.
"Thanks for your help, Fixit," she hung up as she turned to the rest of her friends, be they human or Autobot.
"You rigged a nuclear reactor to a Knightmare, and opened a Groundbridge to relocate it and Hardshell to another point where the detonation wouldn't harm anyone?" Ratchet asked, just making sure he got all that correct.
"Well, I had a little help," Shirley admitted.
"Our little scientist here was the one who rigged the reactor," Lloyd said as he ruffled Nina's hair almost like a proud dad, "The rest of the kids helped me to tinker the Ganymede to make sure it did the job. All and all, I'd call this a success, albeit a tad overkill."
"That's an understatement," Monica winced, "But… thank you."
She was caught by surprise when Shirley hugged her.
"I'm just glad we're all okay," Shirley said with relief.
"That makes two of us," Milly agreed in an equally relieved tone.
"Three," Rivalz said as he sat down on his rear, "I love action as much as the next guy, but that was a bit too much."
"[Not bad kids, not bad,]" Bumblebee bleeped with a sense of pride as he helped Ratchet to stand up.
Military Depot
Bulkhead and Breakdown charged at each other once more, their respective mace and hammer colliding in a violent clash that sent a shockwave rippling through the area.
Breakdown followed up with a brutal elbow to Bulkhead's face, then swung his hammer hard, knocking the Autobot down.
Bulkhead tried to recover, but Breakdown was already airborne, slamming his foot into Bulkhead's face and driving him hard into the ground.
"Bulkhead!" Rai exclaimed in shock, attempting to maneuver his Gekka to assist.
Before he could, the Palamedes slammed into him from the side, knocking Rai back. He quickly tried to draw his Knightmare's katana, but before he could react, Dorothea's Palamedes fired, destroying the weapon with a precise shot from its gun arm.
"You'd better worry about yourself, Kaizaren!" Dorothea glared, "I will bring you back to the Emperor if it's the last thing I do!"
She charged her Knightmare at him, forcing Rai on the defensive with his Gekka.
Nonette had attempted to drive her Galeschin out to assist him but her entire Knightmare suddenly short-circuited as Knock Out had suddenly jammed his electric prod into the back-waist-area of the Galeschin causing it to fall onto the ground.
"Did you forget who helped to upgrade your little Knightmare?" Knock Out teased, "All and all, it's pretty much a carbon copy of the Lancelot with a few minor differences, and I've spent quite a lot of time tinkering with that gracious work of art."
Nonette desperately tried to pull her Knightmare up, but it seemed all but inoperable as Knock Out loomed over it with his buzz-saw out and ready to kill, "I think it's time to peel back the layers."
"NO!" Rai exclaimed in shock, which was enough of a distraction for the Palamedes to knock down his Gekka and pin it to the ground, one foot on its chest, the other stomped hard on the Radiant Wave Surger, hard enough to render it inoperable.
"What did I just tell you?" Dorothea told him, "Watch closely as your so-called friends are wiped away. You shouldn't even mourn them. You're a Britannian prince! You belong to our Emperor, not to them!"
"No… No! NO! NO!" Rai practically screamed as he tried to get his Knightmare up, to no apparent avail as he could only watch as Breakdown kept Bulkhead pinned to the ground and relentlessly pummeled him, while Knock Out was already, slowly, cutting into the Galeschin's chest area just above the cockpit where Nonette was.
He couldn't believe it! Was Rai really about to lose them?! His partner and friend who had finally come back to help him?! He already lost his mother, sister, and his whole home before; just how much more was he going to lose?! No! He was not going to lose anything else! Britannia already took away everything from him before! It was not going to happen again!
Finding the resolve, the Geass sigil in both his eyes flared brightly as he let his adrenaline kick into overdrive.
Rai activated the Surger Claw, despite being damaged, it was still functional enough to begin overheating the leg of the Palamedes that kept it pinned, much to Dorothea's shock.
"What?!" this shock was enough for Rai to roar as he used his newfound strength, along with the weakening structure of the enemy Knightmare to rush his claw up like a slice and completely slice through the left half of the Palamedes, its left leg having been obliterated with its left arm completely severed.
Dorothea herself was still alive, as the claws themselves just barely grazed through her cockpit. The resulting force sent both halves flying in opposite directions.
Knock Out was caught off guard by this sudden action, leaving him open for Rai to rush him. The Gekka came in at full speed, decking Knock Out and sending him tumbling into the ruins of a depot before he finally came toward Breakdown who readied his hammer.
"You wanna go, kid?! Let's go!" Breakdown challenged as he got off Bulkhead and rushed toward the charging Gekka, both him and Rai roaring at the top of their lungs.
Activating the damaged Radiant Wave Surger again, this time at maximum level, and clenching his claws like a fist. Rai threw the Surger Claw out like a punch just as Breakdown thrust his hammer at the Gekka.
Both hits struck at the same time, with Rai's attack being only a second sooner, but that made all the difference. Right before Breakdown's hammer could even graze the Gekka, Rai's Clawed Surger attack had struck Breakdown's face, causing a powerful explosion that shook the entire depot as if it were just struck by a sudden earthquake.
The Gekka was sent flying and skidding across the ground from the force of the explosion. When it came to a stop, it was barely even functional as the arm that had the Radiant Wave Surger was completely gone, the rest of it looked ready to fall apart any second. When the smoke cleared, both Bulkhead and Nonette looked in clear shock to see the body of Breakdown, with his head and most of his upper shoulders, completely gone. The deceased Decepticon then fell on its knees before falling flat on the ground. Breakdown was dead.
With the enemy dealt with, Bulkhead got up on his feet as quick as he could as he ran, or rather limped, closer toward the Gekka, with Nonette pulling herself out of the Galeschin's cockpit as well.
"Rai!" Bulkhead exclaimed as he was the first one there and already began to use his strength to pry the wrecked Gekka open and pull out the unconscious pilot as he lowered him down into his palm to let Nonette assess his condition.
Nonette gasped once he saw the shape he was in; blood covered the right side of his face, his right arm appeared to be broken, with his right leg was fractured as well. She quickly felt his neck for a pulse, thankfully there was one, causing her to sigh in relief.
"He's okay… he'll be fine," she said, much to Bulkhead's relief.
"You take Wrecker-style to the extreme, you know that right kid?" Bulkhead joked to try and defuse the situation, which seemed to stir Rai back to consciousness as his eyes opened.
"Hey guys… I… you okay…?"
"Yeah, we're fine, both of us," Nonette assured as tears of joy were slowly forming in her eyes.
"Don't worry, we'll get you fixed up," Bulkhead also said with a smile of his own.
"I… I'll protect… you… and everyone…" Rai stuttered, "I won't lose… family again…"
This was enough for Bulkhead to give a sad smile, as he would have cried as well if he had tear ducts. But Nonette was already crying as she pulled the injured Rai into a welcoming and comforting embrace.
Power Station
Arcee and the Guren stood back-to-back as the two remaining Valkyrie Vincents charged, attempting to skewer them both. But the duo had anticipated this.
Arcee quickly positioned herself into the Guren's Surger Claw as Kallen launched her into the air. Arcee landed on one of the Vincents, while Kallen ducked beneath the sword strike of the second Vincent. Kallen then reached out with the Surger Claw, grabbing its foot and activating the Radiant Wave Surger. The leg, and soon the entire Knightmare, overloaded with radiation and exploded.
Meanwhile, Arcee used her arm blade to slice the FLOAT System of the final Vincent, sending it crashing into an electric generator. She leaped off just in time to watch it explode spectacularly.
However, the pair did not have time to celebrate as a series of missiles had impacted the upper wall of the building near them, causing a cluster of rubble to fall onto the pair and trap both the Guren and Arcee underneath.
"Congrats on dispensing the pawns, but can you handle the king?" Luciano mocked as he hovered over them in the Percival, quickly bringing up his shield to block the sword strike from the flying Tristan.
" I can!" Gino exclaimed as he swung the Tristan's blade at Luciano again, only for Luciano to strike with his drill and break apart the only remaining sword before thrusting again into the Knightmare's left shoulder, as well as that area of the FLOAT System, causing the Tristan to tumble to the ground.
Suddenly, the Percival was pulled toward the ground, courtesy of Cliffjumper who had leaped up to grab the Knightmare by the leg before falling back down to slam the Percival on the ground as he faced it himself.
"How about you fight someone more down to earth? Mano y mano?" Cliff challenged with a smirk as he rushed the Percival to deck it across the face before delivering a kick to its chest and another punch onto its crown, followed by a knee to its gut.
Luciano tried to flash the shield out and fire more missiles, but Cliffjumper pried the shield off the Knightmare's arm right as Luciano thrust his drill weapon again, which Cliff blocked using his newly acquired shield.
"Sorry, shield beats drill."
"But now I've got you right where I want you!" Luciano smirked as the top horn on the Percival's head pointed downward, before firing a secret slash harken—piercing right through Cliff's throat.
"Cliff!" Arcee exclaimed in shock, before desperately trying to pull herself out of the rubble with Kallen trying to do the same with her Guren.
' Come on! Damn you! Move!'
However, Kallen's thoughts were interrupted by a pain-induced scream and the sound of metal piercing metal as she and Arcee looked in horror to see Luciano's drill pierce through Cliffjumper's chest.
Luciano smirked in a sadistic fashion as he saw Energon leaking down from the wounds he inflicted on his enemy, "Now I finally know the color of your blood. Red's always been my personal favorite, but blue brings a certain amount of fresh air, don't you think?"
Cliffjumper tried to speak, but with his throat appearing pierced, it almost sounded like a pained gasp.
"Oh, what's the matter Mr. Chatterbox? Nothing to say?" Luciano laughed.
However, Cliffjumper glanced behind the Percival as he saw a small pit right behind it, with a still-working electric generator right at the bottom. This was enough for the red Autobot to smirk.
' Well, looks like this is it for me. I had a good run,' he thought to himself as he reached out with his arms to pull the Percival into a bear hug, driving the drill even deeper into him, but it was a movement that nobody saw coming, especially Luciano.
"What…?" he questioned as his smirk faded.
"Question…" Cliffjumper spoke in gasps, still maintaining his grin, "What does… the super cool… good looking… conversationist named Cliffjumper… value most? Answer… the lives of his friends… more than even his own…"
"Why are you still talking…?! Why can't you just shut up and die…?!" Luciano exclaimed in a crazed state.
"Too bad…" Cliff remarked, "Cause I'm gonna chat… your ears out… all the way to Hell…"
He then pushed himself and the Percival into the hole where the generator resided.
It all appeared to be in slow motion as Cliffjumper paid one final glance toward Arcee and Kallen, still inside her Guren. Even though he saw the horror-struck face on Arcee, he couldn't see Kallen's in the Knightmare, but he could tell it was probably the same thing. Despite that, he maintained a content smile on his face.
' Sorry, but it looks like it's my time. You're gonna have to carry the rest of the team without me. Tell the others I'm looking out for them. I have no regrets. I'll be sure to tell Tailgate and Naoto you guys said hi. This was the most fun I'd ever had.'
Right before he fell, Cliffjumper spoke the final four words to come from his mouth, as well as from the bottom of his spark.
"I love you guys."
With that, the Percival was the first to land into the generator, with Cliffjumper right on top of it. Electricity surged through the Knightmare and Autobot alike as an explosive chain reaction was triggered.
"No… I lost!?" Luciano exclaimed in disbelief and horror, "My life is taken…?! By a filthy Autobot !?"
The last thing the Vampire of Britannia would ever see, through the screen of his Knightmare, was the trolling face of the Autobot named Cliffjumper who bested him before the resulting explosion claimed both their lives.
"CLIFFJUMPER!" Arcee and Kallen both screamed at the same time as they saw the flames rise from the hole. Even Gino's pupils shrank as he looked in genuine shock as well.
Kallen immediately opened the cockpit of the Guren and ran out toward the hole, just as Arcee was able to squeeze herself out and try and catch up to her. She looked down into the pit, where she saw the burning remains of both the enemy Knightmare, as well as her friend. She even saw the deceased face of Cliffjumper, as he still carried a grin.
Kallen fell to her knees as tears were already flowing down her eyes. Her memory recalled the first time she met Cliffjumper and the other Autobots, and all the times they fought together. All the jokes, all the times that he genuinely comforted her and treated her with respect and compassion, the way he always had her back… now… he was gone. It was almost like losing Naoto all over again.
"Cliff…" she muttered before she felt a large but gentle touch on her back, and glanced upward to see it was Arcee, kneeling to her level as she had a devastated, yet sympathetic look in her eyes, indicating she was going through the same thing.
That was enough for Kallen to wrap her arms around one of Arcee's legs and cry her eyes out, prompting Arcee to press a little more, embracing Kallen as best as she could without crushing her as she did her best to comfort her, and the same time, mourning the loss of her partner as well.
Gino stepped out of the cockpit of his Tristan as he slowly walked toward the pair but stopped before he got too close. He may have known Cliffjumper on the battlefield as an enemy, but from the beginning, he could tell he was a decent guy. If they were on the same side, they could have easily become friends. Cliffjumper did not deserve to go out like this, but at least he died protecting those he cared for, and that was worth something.
Arcee noticed Gino and paid him a small glance, not necessarily a glare, but one that was still somewhat weary as she continued to comfort the sobbing Kallen.
"I'm sorry."
That was all he said, it was all he could say. But even so, Arcee could tell that he meant it, causing her to nod in acknowledgment.
The Ark
Fixit gasped as he saw one of the lights flicker out on the radar, "No… please don't… don't tell me…"
"Fixit?" Nunnally asked in concern as Sayoko wheeled her closer, with Kaguya and Chigusa right beside her, "Is something wrong?"
The orange Mini-Con had a somber look on his face, one that the other three recognized as it silently told them something bad had happened, "Cliffjumper's life signal… just went offline…"
"What does that mean?" Chigusa asked, though a part of her already had a good idea.
"He's gone… isn't he?" Kaguya asked.
"Yes," Fixit replied gravely.
Nunnally gasped once she heard that. She only met Cliffjumper a few times, the first being at the School Festival. She didn't know him on a personal level, but she knew he was one of the ones who looked out for both Kallen and Lelouch and was particularly close to Kallen. Knowing that someone dear to them was gone was enough for the disabled girl to start crying; prompting Sayoko to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, with Chigusa doing the same. Even Kaguya reached out to hold Nunnally's hand in her form of comfort as well.
Fixit looked toward the radar screen where the rest of their forces were doing battle and appeared to be on the cusp of victory.
'Rest well within the Well of Allsparks, Cliffjumper,' Fixit thought as his resolve became steeled, 'Your sacrifice will not be in vain. I promise.'
Royal Palace
A wall was broken apart on the outside as Optimus was sent rolling backward before flipping and skidding to a halt on his feet. The fight against Bismarck had taken them both back outside, specifically underneath a set of bridges and roadways that led directly into the palace, with the sewer systems just below them. Optimus didn't have time to assess much of the area as the Galahad rolled out in pursuit, forcing Optimus to transform and gain some distance as he couldn't attack with Bismarck's Geass still active.
"Don't you dare run from me!" Bismarck exclaimed as he chased the Prime, "This is a duel to the death! I won't allow you to dishonor it by retreating!"
But Optimus wasn't retreating, he was only using this time to try and assess his opponent's power, 'Bismarck's Geass allows him to see into the future, but how far into the future? It can't be too far, probably by only a few seconds , otherwise , he'd likely see multiple timelines unfolding on him at once, and I don't believe a Geass can be that powerful. But I don't know if I can determine his exact time limit. Instead, I'll use his ability against him.'
Optimus transformed back into his Cybertronian mode as he primed his Ion cannon, but rather than aim at the Galahad, he aimed straight up toward the bridges above him and opened fire.
'His Geass lets him see into the future; but what if he's unable to see at all?'
Rubble from the collapsing began to fall all around the Galahad, but the large Knightmare appeared to avoid all of them with relative ease.
"You are a fool, Optimus Prime!" Bismarck stated, "You think to overpower my Geass with multiple projectiles?"
He could see where every single piece of rubble was about to land and wasn't so much as scratched. However, this was exactly what Optimus wanted as he transformed into his vehicle mode again. With Bismarck's gaze briefly diverted from him, Optimus took advantage of this as he drove at high speeds all around the collapsing debris, adding to the growing dust cloud as he skidded rings around the Galahad, creating an even larger dust cloud that further obscured Bismarck's view.
When it was all done, all Bismarck could see was dust and smoke. Even with his Geass, he could only see the relative future of the dust clouds in front of him.
"Where are you?! Show yourself?!" Bismarck called out to his enemy.
Only for a large force to impact him from behind and send him rolling across the ground. But he didn't have time to get back up as the same force pulled him back up and punched the Galahad in the face to knock it flat on its back.
"Your Geass lets you see a short timeframe into the future," Optimus' voice echoed around the area as the Galahad was back up, "But it must be difficult when your future is full of smoke and mirrors."
Bismarck's eyes widened in horror as he realized what Optimus had done.
' He wasn't trying to crush me! He intended to create a smokescreen so I couldn't see!'
Optimus then appeared from behind as he brought down his axe to sever the Galahad's right arm, the arm that carried the massive sword in it, right as the dust cloud began to clear. Even though Bismarck could now see Optimus, it was already too late as Optimus swung his axe horizontally to slice the entire Galahad in half, just below the cockpit. The force knocked the severed halves of the Galahad down into a nearby pit, where the Knight of One fell into the sewer systems below.
"No….I lost… I failed you… Your Highness…!" Bismarck muttered in disbelief as he landed hard in the sewer steam, the contaminated water already beginning to flood the severed halves of his Knightmare.
Though Bismarck was still very much alive, he glanced up at Optimus in pure awe and disbelief.
' This is the power… of Optimus Prime…'
Optimus could easily finish off Bismarck if he wanted to, but he might serve better as a prisoner. If he was a contractor of V.V., he could have some vital information for them about the contractor, not to mention the Emperor as he was also the Knight of One.
"Optimus!"
He glanced up as he heard Tohdoh's voice and saw the custom Gekka owned by Tohdoh, along with those by the Four Holy Swords, all over the edge of the broken bridge, looking down toward Optimus, "All enemy forces around the palace have been neutralized. The palace is taken."
"Well done, Tohdoh. All of you," Optimus congratulated them.
"Oh please, it was no effort at all," Urabe smirked, "I'm just upset we missed your show."
"Don't get too confident," a new voice spoke up as they all looked further up to see the Gawain slowly descending from the air.
"Zero," Chiba acknowledged.
"Cornelia isn't here," Lelouch revealed, much to everyone's shock, even Optimus.
"What?" Senba questioned.
"Are you sure?" Asahina also asked.
"I'm sure," Lelouch said, a grave expression on his face, "In fact, her Knights are under the assumption that we have captured her."
"But we don't have her!" Asahina stated.
"I know, and that's what troubles me," Lelouch said as his eyes narrowed, "I think we're being set up."
Kamine Island
The Lancelot and Dreadwing backed up as they fired their respective VARIS and Energon cannon into the horde of Insecticons that swarmed the floor, walls, and ceiling of the entire tunnel; it seemed the equivalent of fighting back a raging river.
"Just how many of these things are there?!" Suzaku exclaimed as Cornelia and Euphie were still behind him in the Lancelot's cockpit.
Suddenly, the ground below them began to cave as a massive Insecticon Bruiser emerged from the ground, one that was equivalent in size to the likes of Hardshell, as it snapped its pincers around Dreadwing and the Lancelot, pulling them both underground.
Dreadwing quickly drew his sword and impaled it in the face while Suzaku fired the Lancelot's Slash Harkens, point-blank to sever its pincers and legs. Both attacks killed it as the ground caved even further, causing them all to fall deeper underground till they landed in a large chamber filled with Energon crystals.
"Where are we?" Euphie asked as the Lancelot and Dreadwing recovered.
"It's an Energon deposit," Dreadwing observed, "This must have been how the Insecticons have survived for so long."
Cornelia suddenly got an idea, actually drawing it from the skirmish at Port Yokosuka, "Dreadwing, what were to happen if all this Energon detonated at once?"
Dreadwing saw where she was going as he pulled out one of his trademark bombs, "There is enough Energon here that, should it explode, it will cause the entire cavern to collapse and likely crush Airachnid and her horde."
"Alright, let's do it," Suzaku said as he scanned the Lancelot to locate another tunnel, "It looks like this might lead us back to the surface."
"Then go," Dreadwing told him, "I will set the bomb."
"What? Dreadwing, what are you saying?" Euphie questioned in worry.
"No! I'm not leaving you here!" Suzaku exclaimed.
"You are not leaving me!" Dreadwing replied firmly, "I have to set the bomb, but once I do, I'll follow you out. Suzaku, rescuing and protecting Euphie and Cornelia is our mission and personal priority. You have to get them out of here before that wretch and her Insecticons come here. It won't be long before they find us. I'll be right behind you!"
"He's right," Cornelia told Suzaku and Euphie, much to their shock, "I don't like the idea either. But without any more Knightmares, the rest of us are a liability."
"Go. I won't be long," Dreadwing assured.
Suzaku wanted to stay with Dreadwing and make sure they all made it out, but at the same time, he knew his mission was to protect Euphie and Cornelia, and he had to see that threw. He knew Dreadwing could take care of himself.
"Alright. But don't take too long," Suzaku said as he turned the Lancelot around and gunned straight for a tunnel that began to curve upward that would lead him and his passengers to the surface.
Dreadwing quickly got to work as he set the bomb on an Energon crystal and linked it to his detonator. He was about to transform when he felt a sudden pain in his side that prevented him from transforming as he held the wound where Airachnid stabbed him.
"That wretch!" Dreadwing cursed, knowing that Airachnid probably stabbed him there to impair his T-Cog.
It was almost ironic that his T-Cog would fail him twice in the same location. He then began to hear the sound of the swarming Insecticons coming closer and closer. He looked at the bomb and detonator and knew he couldn't leave like this. If Airachnid got here, she would easily disable the bomb and follow them to the surface. With a reluctant sigh, Dreadwing knew what he had to do as he drew his Energon blaster one final time.
The Lancelot shot out of the hole and into the open surface of Kamine Island, the starry sky hanging above them.
"We made it!" Euphie exclaimed with relief.
"Dreadwing, are you there? We made it out!" Suzaku tried to make contact, but he got no response, much to his concern, as well as that of Cornelia and Euphie, "Dreadwing?"
" Suzaku, Euphie, Cornelia, listen to me," Dreadwing made contact as they heard the sound of Energon fire on the other line, "I've made many mistakes in my life, and I regret a great deal. Bu t… I do not regret meeting any of you."
"Dreadwing… what are you…?" Suzaku asked with worry.
" My T-Cog is damaged , I can't transform," Dreadwing revealed, much to the trio's shock, "And the Insecticons are already here. I can't allow them to escape. With a force like this under Megatron's control , who knows what he can do ?"
They heard him grunt in pain as well as the screeching sounds of the Insecticons.
"Hang on, I'm coming to help!" Suzaku stated.
" No! You must protect Euphie and Cornelia!" Dreadwing told him.
Suzaku grunted as he opened his cockpit, "Euphie, take your sister and go!"
"But Suzaku…!" Euphie tried to protest.
" You can't help me!" Dreadwing exclaimed.
"I am not leaving you!" Suzaku practically screamed.
" Please… just listen to me…all three of you…"
Dreadwing unloaded his Energon cannon, firing at every single Insecticon that crawled out of the hole and wall, guarding the bomb he placed on the Energon crystal behind him.
"Cornelia li Britannia, you and I may not have agreed on everything. But you are an honorable warrior, who cares deeply for your comrades as well as your family. I am proud to have fought beside you."
As he spoke, an Insecticon Bruiser emerged from the ground below him to clamp onto his cannon and crush it, forcing Dreadwing to discard it as he took up his blade to decapitate said Bruiser before engaging the growing number of Insecticons in close combat.
"Euphie… you are a kind soul… one who wishes for all people to lead happy lives, regardless of their differences." Dreadwing continued as he sliced at every Insecticon that came his way, with the Spitters already spitting acid-like projectiles on his body, but he pushed through as he sliced them down, "Continue to strive for the peaceful future you wish for, and don't ever let go of that kind heart you hold deep inside."
Dreadwing thrust his sword through four Insecticon Swarmers at once, but a strand of webbing was shot to knock the sword out of his hands and onto the ground. He glared at the smirking Airachnid as the Insecticons continued to swarm him, and he tried to fight them off with his bare hands.
"Suzaku Kururugi… You are my brother. You have your flaws, but I wouldn't trade you for any other," Dreadwing continued as the Insecticons began to overwhelm him and pin him to the ground, "You wish to atone for your past sins. Be sure that you do by living for the sake of those you care for. For your friends' sakes, for your loved ones' sakes. Don't abandon them, not now, not ever."
Airachnid smirked in victory, however, as she saw Dreadwing fall, she gasped in horror once she saw his bomb. She turned around and tried to climb back up the tunnel she came in as fast as she could.
"Thank you… all of you… for showing me… light…"
"No… Dreadwing…" Suzaku turned the Lancelot around desperately, despite the cockpit still being open with Cornelia and Euphie inside as well, "Dreadwing!"
He tried to get back down the tunnel, but it was already too late.
"Goodbye," Dreadwing muttered as his body was almost completely covered by the Insecticons, right as he pressed the detonator.
*BOOM!*
A massive blue explosion encompassed the whole cave, obliterating Dreadwing, and every Insecticon that had swarmed around him. Even the fleeing Airachnid was caught in the explosion as well.
The resulting shockwave had sent the Lancelot flying back quite a ways away as the entire ground began to cave in, crushing and burying any other Insecticon that was in the tunnels below.
Though the Lancelot landed hard on the ground away from the collapse zone, with Suzaku, Cornelia, and Euphie rolling across the ground out of the cockpit, they were all safe as they pulled themselves up to look down the large crater where they saw the smoke clear to reveal all kinds of rubble and boulders lay at the bottom. There was little doubt anyone could have survived that.
Though all three of them were safe, it was bittersweet as they all knew who they lost for this to happen.
"Dreadwing… no… not you… please no… NO!" Suzaku yelled as he fell on his knees, slamming his fists on the ground in frustration as tears flowed down his eyes.
He then suddenly felt an embrace from behind and could tell right away that it was Euphie, trying to comfort him as best she could, while also shedding tears as well to mourn the only Decepticon she truly considered a friend.
Cornelia was also in a state of shock as she tried to rub the tears from her eyes as well. Despite their disagreements, she had nothing but respect for Dreadwing. Not to mention he helped to save her life, as well as that of her sister. She would be forever grateful for that. But now was not the time to mourn.
"Euphie… Suzaku…" she got their attention, "I'm sorry… truly I am but… we need to contact Lelouch right now and tell him what Megatron is doing. I promise we will mourn Dreadwing later. But he gave us a chance. Let's not waste it."
Suzaku and Euphie both looked toward each other and despite both of them wanting the time to mourn their friend, they both knew that Cornelia was right.
"Okay… Suzaku…?" Euphie gestured to the Lancelot.
"Yeah… alright," Suzaku rubbed the tears out of his eyes as they made their way to the white Knightmare. But at the same time, as sadness set in, so too did rage and hatred as a dangerous look formed in his eyes.
' Megatron… I swear … that even if it's the last thing I d o… you will pay for this!'
The Lancelot stood upright as Suzaku sat back in the open cockpit, with Euphie and Cornelia right behind him as made contact with his friend.
"Lelouch? Lelouch, are you there?"
" Suzaku. I read you. Did you find Euphie?" Lelouch asked urgently on the other side of the line.
"I'm right here, Lelouch. I'm safe," Euphie revealed herself, "Cornelia's with me too."
They all heard the enormous sigh of relief through the comms, "Thank God. I'm so glad you're all okay."
"Not all of us," Suzaku reported gravely, "Dreadwing… he… he sacrificed himself to give us a chance to escape."
" I… Suzak u… I'm so sorry."
"Lelouch, please listen to me," Cornelia began, "This whole thing is a distraction! Megatron and the Decepticons are attacking Pendragon as we speak!"
" WHAT?!"
"It's true," Euphie confirmed, "We saw it all… the Special Zone… and the fight you're in right now… it's all just to sell the deception! Britannia is Megatron's true target!"
Even C.C. could not contain her surprise as she and Lelouch exchanged horrified glances.
But, while they were still in shock, the rooftop of the royal palace began to open as a massive satellite dish-like transmitter appeared and projected a massive hologram into the night sky.
This got the attention of not just Lelouch and C.C., but also Optimus Prime, Tohdoh, and the rest of the Four Holy Swords. Even Bismarck, who had escaped the destroyed Galahad, could see it as well. They all looked in genuine shock to see the massive and towering holographic form of the Decepticon leader himself. But it was not just them.
The hologram was so massive, that the entire Tokyo Settlement could see it; from all the Black Knights, Autobots, and surviving Britannians on the front lines including Ironhide, Ohgi, Tamaki, Wheeljack, and even Marianne, still possessing Anya, as she had pulled herself out from the Mordred. The hologram could even be seen from the Power Station by Arcee, Kallen, and Gino; and even at the military depot by Bulkhead, Nonette, and the recovering Rai, as well as Dorothea, who had emerged from the destroyed Palamedes, all of them could not contain their surprise as they saw this massive hologram. All except for Knock Out, who had just pulled himself up and remained hiding in cover with a smirk on his face.
--------------
Even at Ashford Academy, Bumblebee, Shirley, Ratchet, Monica, Cecile, Rivalz, Nina, Milly, who was holding Arthur in her arms, and Lloyd all saw it.
"Well, there's something you don't see every day," Lloyd commented.
"That… that's Megatron!" Shirley exclaimed in fright.
"What… in the name… of the Allspark is going on…?" Ratchet stuttered.
-------------
Megatron's voice bellowed through the hologram so that everyone could hear it.
" Attention humanity! I am Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, and the new master of planet Earth! You may all rejoice, for I have ended the life of the foolish and weak Charles Zi Britannia, and laid waste to the capital city of Pendragon!"
Another hologram was shown beside that of Megatron, one that showed the burning remains of the capital palace, much to the genuine shock of everyone present, be they human or Cybertronian.
" As of this moment, the Holy Empire of Britannia no longer exists! Everything that was owned and controlled by this pathetic excuse of a superpower now belongs to me. Every resource, every conquered nation, every single human under its care—be it man, woman, or child—all of it is now the property of the Decepticon cause! And this is only the beginning. Soon, all of Earth shall be assimilated into a new galactic order under my leadership!"
This message was not just shown in the Tokyo Settlement, but even on every single television, computer, and phone screen across the entire nation of Japan. Not just Japan, but all over the world; be they the other superpowers such as the EU or the Chinese Federation, but other smaller nations, be it Areas of Britannia or independent.
" No longer shall the humans of Earth be plagued by the burdens of freedom and choice. This may sound like a form of slavery, but I assure you. This is the beginning of a new and glorious era for your world. Your freedom and will to choose are the cause of all conflict on your planet, which has set the human race on a path of inevitable self-destruction!"
From the Chinese Federation, a small girl, who sat on a large throne, looked with shaky eyes and genuine terror. The only form of comfort she had was the gentle hand of a young man with long black hair as he glared at the image on the screen in front of them. While several robed men with make-up looked more intrigued than terrified.
" But I am here to save you. You will only have one burden to carry: my will. It is the only guidance you shall require as I lead your race to a prosperous future! All I ask in return is your complete and total submission."
From the E.U., a council of politics and generals watched the broadcast from a large screen of their own. Among them was a middle-aged man with greyish-green hair, a beard, and a mustache. Standing next to him was a young woman with long blonde hair and light purple eyes as she looked with worry and concern.
" The Holy Britannia Empire is already in the process of being completely uprooted! I shall tear it down to its foundation and leave nothing left! All those who dare to resist the will of my cause shall suffer the same fate, I assure you."
From the tributary empire that was known as Euro Britannia; a man with dark grey hair and a mustache sat on his throne to watch the broadcast with a hard glare, alongside four other men; one was a man with black hair and violet eyes, another was much younger with blonde hair and light blue eyes, the third was middle age with darker skin as well as brown hair and auburn eye color, and the final one was an elderly bald man with blue eyes and a long white beard.
" This is the dawn of a new age, an age far brighter than any golden age you could ever conceive of!"
It was also being watched by the remaining heads of Kyoto, including Diethard, in an unknown location; alongside a young man with dark blonde hair and green eyes, standing next to a masked man wearing a flamboyant white and black suit with a red mask.
The masked man and young man all glared along with Kirihara, while the rest of Kyoto looked in genuine shock and terror. Even Diethard felt something mixed in with the obvious psychopathic excitement… something he had never expected to feel before… fear.
" Welcome to the Platinum Age of the Decepticons! Embrace our new way of life, and reap its rewards! Or resist, and suffer the same fate as Britannia, and that of the Autobots and Black Knights."
Megatron's speech came to a halt as Fixit, Kaguya, Chigusa, and Sayoko could not contain the terror-filled expressions that filled their eyes. Even Nunnally was terrified out of her mind as her fragile body continued to shake.
' No…' the young girl thought and prayed as hard as she could, 'Please God no... don't let this happen… please no…!'
With that declaration, it would seem all the world came to a grinding halt; especially within the Tokyo Settlement where all the fighting came to an end. The entire warzone that had engulfed the city had been rendered so silent, that it was almost a ghost town. From the perspective of the Black Knights and the Autobots, they were on the cusp of total victory, only to find their hopes dashed as the Decepticons had achieved an even greater victory.
But that silence gave into even more dread as a massive object came descending from the clouds in the night sky. The enormous warship known as the Nemesis had arrived on the battlefield and was visible for everyone to see.
"What the heck is that?!" Rivalz practically screamed as he and all his classmates looked in clear fear, even Shirley, Monica, and Cecile were terrified.
"The Decepticon warship…" Ratchet muttered in fear as Bumblebee's optics shook.
"Well… this can't be good…" Lloyd commented.
"This can't be real… I refuse to believe it…!" Bartley exclaimed, almost as if he were having a panic attack, having seen Megatron's declaration on the screen of the Avalon's bridge, "Britannia could not have fallen! It's impossible, IMPOSSIBLE!"
"It's very possible because I helped to do it," Schneizel revealed casually, causing Bartley and the rest of the crew to turn around in clear shock.
"What…?" Bartley muttered.
"Don't act so surprised, General Bartley," Schneizel explained, "Britannia's end is long overdue. Our nation has incited violence, bringing the Earth to the brink of destruction. Under the rule of the Decepticons, a much more powerful force, humanity can be pacified."
"You… Your Highness... why would…?" the general looked in total devastation, which turned into surprise as a small Groundbridge portal opened up beside the white prince, and the panther-like Mini-Con Ravage stepped out to walk next to Schneizel.
"I would strongly suggest we cooperate peacefully with our new leader, lest we suffer a gruesome fate," Schneizel said calmly, almost contradicting the snarls and growls from Ravage as the crew, especially Bartley, looked in fear.
"We were set up!" Tohdoh exclaimed as he, the Holy Swords, Optimus Prime, and the Zero all regrouped outside the palace.
However, a Groundbridge portal opened up directly behind the Gawain, much to the shock of Lelouch and C.C. before the portal encompassed the large black Knightmare, just as the others turned around in shock.
"Lelouch!" Optimus tried to run in and pull him out, but right when he got there, the portal had already closed; taking the Gawain, with Lelouch and C.C. inside, to who-knows-where.
"NO!" Optimus exclaimed.
"Optimus, we have company!" Chiba shouted as multiple Seeker and other Aerial Vehicons, including flying Insecticons, all flew down from the Nemesis to not only engage the team at the Royal Palace but all the other Black Knight and Autobot forces throughout the Settlement.
"Attack my armada!" Starscream exclaimed as he led the charge once again, "Demolish every Autobot, Black Knight, and Britannian soldier in sight! DESTROY THEM ALL!"
Kamine Island
Suzaku continued to sit in the open cockpit of the Lancelot, along with Cornelia and Euphie as they also saw Megatron's declaration from the Lancelot's monitor, so they already knew what had happened. Even though they had already seen the palace at Pendragon fell from the monitors in Airachnid's lair, to hear the complete and total overthrow of Britannia from the words of someone like Megatron…
Saying it was a horror show for them would be a gross understatement.
"This… this is a nightmare…. It just has to be…" Euphie stuttered, not even trying to hide the terror in her voice.
Before anyone else could say anything, a Groundbridge portal suddenly opened up underneath the Lancelot, causing the white Knightmare to begin falling in.
Acting on instinct, and sensing the immediate danger, Suzaku quickly pushed Euphie and Cornelia out of the open cockpit as the Lancelot was already halfway through the portal.
Both princesses rolled on the ground as Euphie desperately tried to get up and help Suzaku.
"NO! SUZAKU!" Euphie screamed as Cornelia held her sister back to avoid getting pulled into the portal.
But it was too late. The Lancelot had already fallen in completely as the portal closed, leaving both Euphie and Cornelia stranded alone on the island.
Two Groundbridge portals opened as the Gawain and Lancelot emerged from their respective portals into a new environment.
"Suzaku!" Lelouch noticed his friend's Knightmare.
"Lelouch…!" Suzaku also noticed him.
"Where are Euphie and Cornelia?! Are they with you?!" Lelouch asked urgently.
"No… I pushed them out just before I was taken," Suzaku revealed as the Lancelot's cockpit closed. "Where are we?"
"Take a look around us," C.C. told the pair as she was already incredibly shocked by where they were. Lelouch and Suzaku both gasped once they got a good look as well.
They appeared to be in the middle of an empty battlefield, where the sight of a massacre had taken place; broken and torn Knightmares, tanks, and jets, with only a select few Vehicon bodies as well. Behind them by a few meters, was the burning remains of the royal palace. And all around them, was a small army of ground-based Vehicon troopers, surrounding them from all sides in the form of a large ring that was roughly five kilometers in diameter, along with Thundercracker and Skywarp.
"This… this is Pendragon…" Lelouch muttered, recognizing the place he once called his home before he, Suzaku, and C.C. saw an incoming aircraft flying down toward them before it transformed to reveal the Decepticon leader himself.
"Hello, boys." Megatron sneered.
"Megatron!" Suzaku exclaimed, gripping the controls of the Lancelot so hard his knuckles would turn white, as he glared with as much hate as he could muster.
Lelouch glared hard as well while C.C. looked with genuine concern.
"Like what I've done with the place?" Megatron asked almost casually, referring to the destroyed Britannian capital all around them, "I would have thought that you of all people would relish at the thought of Britannia being decapitated, Zero. Or should I say… Lelouch Vi Britannia ."
Nobody, not Lelouch, not Suzaku, not even C.C., could contain the frightened and startled gasps once they heard that.
"Or do you prefer your alias as 'Lelouch Lamperouge'?" Megatron continued, "Student at Ashford Academy, alongside your precious sister Nunally. This is merely a cover for your true identity as the Ashford family provided shelter for you after Japan's fall. How very touching."
Lelouch stuttered as his eyes began to shake, "You… how can you know… how can you possibly…"
"If you think I've only recently discovered your identity, you'd be wrong," Megatron revealed, "I've been wise to the activities of your double-life since the beginning, Lelouch. Just shortly after you and Optimus rescued Suzaku from his court-martial on the night of your debut. You and the Autobots gathered virtually all forms of resistance in Japan to build your Black Knights. At first, it may have been out of revenge towards your father for exiling you and your sister, but somewhere down the line, you changed, didn't you? It's no longer about revenge, but true justice. Or at least what Optimus taught you as to what justice is. It's no wonder you've come so far under his mentorship."
Lelouch couldn't believe it, even C.C. was in a state of total shock. The one thing he dreaded during his confrontations against Mao was that the mind-reader would tell the Decepticons who he was, but Megatron had already known about it long before he even knew Mao existed.
"You knew…?" Suzaku muttered before it turned into a hateful glare, "You knew?! And you didn't even tell me?! You didn't tell me Lelouch was Zero?! Even after I joined you?!"
"What would you have done if I did tell you, Suzaku? I'm sure you would say something like you would try to change his mind, correct? But we both know that's not truly the case. You would have killed him, and stolen Nunnally away from him out of spite as well."
"No!" Suzaku exclaimed, "I wouldn't…!"
"You only fool yourself, just as you've always done," the leader of all Decepticons interrupted him, "I've seen your mind, Suzaku. I know you even better than you know yourself. You're a killer. You always have been. Your so-called path of justice is nothing more than a self-intitled delusion you placed on yourself to ease your weakened conscience as you actively seek your death."
He chuckled in amusement, "How pathetic."
"He's a killer…" Lelouch muttered before it turned into a cry of outrage, " He's a killer?! You massacred the entire Special Zone! You destroyed your planet! Even killed your soldiers!"
"That's right…" Suzaku glared as the hate in him grew even more, "Dreadwing… someone who was loyal to you beyond reproach… someone who valued honor above all else… just died! He sacrificed his life to stop Airachnid! A murderer that you brought into your ranks!"
"That's all in the past," Megatron brushed off, "The Special Zone, Cybertron, even Dreadwing, all in the past."
"The past…" Suzaku could not believe what he just heard.
"You killed your father, did you not?" Megatron told Suzaku, "Just as Lelouch killed his half-brother. Though unlike you, Lelouch and myself choose not to dwell on the past, don't we Lelouch?"
He asked the young revolutionary, whose glare continued to harden, "We learn from the past, even from our mistakes, and we use them to further our objectives."
"I am nothing like you…" Lelouch sheathed as C.C. continued to look at him with concern, while also remaining silent.
"Maybe you're right," Megatron admitted, "I had at first seen a bit of myself in you, Lelouch. But the truth is, there are only some minor similarities between us, aren't there? If anything, I see more of myself in Suzaku."
He looked to the Lancelot, with Suzaku himself inside, looking ready to snap Megatron's neck at a moment's notice.
"We both hated the past of our worlds and sought to change it however we desired. And we've both killed to get to that point, didn't we? The only real difference is that I don't run from my mistakes, nor do I delude myself on foolish ideals of heroism. I know full well what I have done in the past, what I am doing now in the present, and what I intend to do in the future."
Both young men were more than ready to attack as they continued to listen to Megatron's monologue.
"The truth is boys, despite your shortcomings, Lelouch's constant interference with his rebellion, and Suzaku's delusions, I've allowed you both to carry on this way because I took a certain delight in watching your so-called friendship fall apart and you become the most hated of enemies. I honestly have a feeling that even without me, this would have inevitably been your future. Are you so certain it's wise to bring Suzaku into your ranks after knowing his past, Lelouch? He killed his father, so nobody is off-limits. What's to stop him from killing any of your friends? Such as that girl in your school, Shirley Fenette? Or even Optimus? Or even Nunnally?"
He finished that last part with a smirk.
"He would have taken everything from you. By bringing him into your fold, you've only brought his blade that much closer to your own throat."
"Like how you've taken everything from Optimus after you betrayed him!?" Lelouch yelled at the top of his lungs, "You killed millions, maybe even billions of innocent lives! Not just on Earth, but on Cybertron too!"
"Nothing that happens between me and Lelouch is any of your concern!" Suzaku screamed in hate at Megatron, "YOUR VERY EXISTENCE IS A MISTAKE! YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE SCUM OF THE UNIVERSE! AND YOU MUST BE PURGED!"
Megatron however wasn't remotely intimidated. If anything, he was excited, evident by his laugh.
"Well then, my black and white knights, by all means..." Megatron drew his blade, "Come and face the dragon at your door."
Both Lelouch and Suzaku yelled as loud as they could as they charged their Knightmares against their mutual enemy.
"MEGATRON!" they both screamed as they attacked.
Lelouch was the first to attack, firing the Gawain's Hadron Cannons, which Megatron avoided by rolling to the side. Suzaku was next as the Lancelot drew both its MVS blades and tried to bring them down on Megatron, who blocked the swords with his blade before throwing his arm out to knock Suzaku back right as Megatron dealt a powerful kick to the Lancelot to send it rolling across the ground.
The Gawain fired all ten of its finger Slash Harkens at Megatron, but he sliced through all of them with his blade as he charged the Gawain, which attempted to fly into the air, but Megatron had already leaped to grab the Gawain by its legs and pull it down to where Megatron dealt a powerful punch to knock it hard onto the ground.
Right as Megatron landed, Suzaku attempted to strike from behind, but the Decepticon leader saw this coming as he thrust his right elbow back into the Lancelot to knock it back before grabbing it by the head and throwing it over himself onto the Gawain, sending them both skidding across the ground; all three pilots inside grunting hard as they came to a halt.
Lelouch, Suzaku, and C.C. all saw the smirking face of Megatron as he made the hand gesture to 'come here', indicating he was just warming up. That smirk was enough to send both Lelouch and Suzaku into an even greater spiral of anger as they pulled their Knightmares up to charge again.
Tokyo Settlement
With the arrival of the Nemesis and deployment of the Decepticon armada being led by Starscream. Simply put, the rebellion had descended into near-complete chaos, with all hell breaking loose. The massive warship hung directly over the palace as Optimus, Tohdoh, and the Four Holy Swords held back a group of Vehicons.
Optimus used his Ion blasters to shoot down any flying Vehicons that attempted to come in too close. Any that he missed, transformed to attack the group directly and were quickly engaged by Tohdoh and his men. The Vehicons were certainly tougher than the average Britannian pilot, but the Miracle Worker of Itsukushima and his top soldiers had plenty of experience fighting the Decepticons. So, when they moved in for close-quarters combat with their swords, the Vehicons were quickly cut down.
"Optimus to all teams! What is your status?!" Optimus made contact with the rest of his forces.
" We're getting seriously hammered here!" Ohgi exclaimed, "A few Britannians are trying to push back against the Cons, but we're outnumbered!"
" [A few more Cons showed up at the school, too!]" Bumblebee reported, "[We got some kids here and we're pinned down!]"
" Cons at my tailpipe! Rai's in bad shape and his Knightmare is toast!" Bulkhead stated.
" We're cornered here, too!" Arcee reported as well, "We can't hold out!"
"Optimus, we have to retreat!" Tohdoh exclaimed as he sliced one Vehicon in half vertically with his Gekka's katana.
"You're right," Optimus accepted gravely as he swung his axe to cut down three charging Vehicons, "Fixit, prepare multiple Groundbridge extractions immediately! And find Lelouch's location!"
" I'm already on it!" Fixit reported, "And it's not just Lelouch! It seems Suzaku has taken as well… and it looks like they're both in Pendragon!"
Optimus could only look in dread as he knew what that meant. But, right now, all he can do is make sure to get as many of their comrades back to the Ark as soon as possible. As much as he hated to admit it, Lelouch and Suzaku could wait. All he could do was pray they hold out long enough.
"Send a Groundbridge to Suzaku's last known, location!" Optimus told Fixit as he fired with his Ion blaster into the air to shoot down four more jet Vehicons, "Euphemia and Cornelia may still be there!"
" Understood," Fixit reported.
"Heads up! More incoming!" Chiba warned as all six of them looked up to see a large swarm of Insecticons flying down their way.
Optimus, Tohdoh, and the Holy Swords each fired with their respective guns to try and shoot them down. Though they took down the front-most couple, it didn't even seem to slow them down. That is until more gunfire came down toward the descending Insecticons from the side.
The Autobot leader and his allies looked in surprise to see two damaged, but still functional, Gloucesters falling from the side of the royal palace. One fired its Slash Harken into the side of one Insecticon, pulling itself closer to the large insect-like robot before the Gloucester plunged its spear into its side and used the Insecticon to lower its descent toward the ground. The second Gloucester dug its landspinner system into the wall before thrusting itself outward to land on the ground as both of them came to a halt right by the side of Optimus and the five Black Knights.
"Traitorous Decepticons!" Darlton exclaimed.
"Cornelia's honor guard," Asahina recognized them.
"What are you doing here?!" Senba questioned the pair.
"We're not here to join you if that's what you're thinking," Guilford told all of them, "But right now, the Decepticons are the main threat. Anything else can wait."
"Very well," Optimus seemed to accept this, as did Tohdoh and the others as they all found themselves facing a large group of Insecticons, alongside a few more Vehicons.
"Attack!" Tohdoh exclaimed as they all charged at their mutual enemy.
"ALL RAIKOS! FIRE!" Ironhide exclaimed as all their Raiko cannons fired straight into the air, the shrapnel weapons taking out multiple Jet and Helicopter Vehicons while several more landed on the ground to engage in close-quarters combat with the Black Knights and surviving Britannian soldiers.
Though the Black Knights' magnesium ammunition was able to kill off more than a few Vehicon troopers, many proved quicker than anticipated as they ran and opened fire with their Energon blasters, already killing several Black Knights as well. Even the Britannian Knightmares were all but useless in direct combat as the Vehicons punched and tore them apart, or even shot them at point-blank close range.
Wheeljack leaped into a group of four Vehicons to quickly cut them down with his swords as Tamaki and a group of Wrecker Burais laid some covering fire with their missiles, which were assisted by the Raiko Cannons as they fired again into the army of Vehicons on the ground, taking down quite a handful of them.
Starscream and a squadron of Seeker Vehicons flew in the air to observe the battle.
"All Seekers, concentrate your firepower on their heavy artillery!" Starscream ordered as he, and his squadron, let loose a volley of missiles, which all scored direct hits on all the Raiko cannons, resulting in their explosive destruction.
"We just lost the Raikos!" Ironhide exclaimed.
"Ironhide, the Groundbridge is open!" Ohgi reported as a large Groundbridge portal opened up behind his Burai before he made contact with the rest of his forces, "All Black Knights, we're pulling back! Full retreat!"
Not needing to be told twice, every single Black Knight Burai and other form of resistance made a beeline straight for the Groundbridge portal, whether by vehicle or even on foot.
"Wheeljack, Wrecker-units, you're all with me! Cover the retreat!" Ironhide ordered as he, alongside Ohgi, regrouped with Wheeljack and Tamaki's squadron to form a thin line that separated the Decepticon forces from their retreating allies.
All of them opened fire and practically emptied their ammunition as they pressed against the seemingly endless horde of Decepticons.
Bumblebee hid behind the clubhouse, peeking over the other side to return fire on a squad of Vehicons. He shot down one, but the remaining seven returned fire. Though Bee was safe behind the clubhouse, alongside Ratchet, along with Shirley, Lloyd, Rivalz, Milly, Nina, Cecile, Monica, and even Arthur, the building was already on the verge of collapse.
"Guys! We got a Groundbridge!" Shirley shouted as she pointed to the swirling portal in front of them.
"Everyone in the portal! Now!" Ratchet exclaimed as he limped toward the portal, still greatly injured from his fight, but was still able to make it inside, followed by all the humans and their cat as Bumblebee kept them covered.
Once the scout was sure they all made it inside, he ran into the Groundbridge himself before it closed.
Arcee held Kallen close to her person with one hand while hiding behind a building for cover. She shot out from the other side and got two headshots in, only to find cover again as the Vehicons returned fire.
"Arcee! Heads up!" Kallen warned as a trio of Vehicons flew over the building in helicopter form before they transformed and landed.
Fortunately, salvation came in the form of Gino with his Tristan as he rolled straight into them, shot his Slash Harkens to decapitate one Vehicon, and swung the cables out to knock down the remaining two, allowing Arcee to finish them off with surprise headshots.
A Groundbridge portal then suddenly opened up on their right.
"That's our ride!" Arcee stated before she turned to the Tristan, "Let's go!"
"No, you guys go! I'll hold them off!" Gino stated.
"Are you freaking crazy?!" Kallen exclaimed, "These guys will crush you and your Knightmare like tuna!"
"Sorry, but this is just my thing," Gino said as he smirked, "I'll see if I can gather any surviving Britannians and mount some kind of resistance. That way it'll make things easier for your guys."
"Don't be a hero, you freaking idiot!" Arcee shouted.
"You just worry about your friends," Gino told them, "Don't worry about me. Oh, and Kallen… if you see any of our friends from school, tell them I said hi."
He then shot his Tristan around the building to engage the Decepticons alone, "Come and get me, you bastards!"
"That moron," Kallen muttered in frustration and worry.
"Kallen, we gotta go," Arcee told her.
She may not have been Gino's biggest fan, but even she didn't like the idea of leaving him behind like this. But regardless, they had to retreat and regroup with their friends.
"Yeah… I get it," Kallen said with reluctance. She wouldn't exactly call Gino her friend either, but he was at least a decent guy. All she could do was silently wish him luck as Arcee carried her into the Groundbridge portal before it closed.
Bulkhead drove in his Vehicle mode, swerving to avoid the Energon blasts of the tank Vehicons in their Vehicle modes. Nonette held the injured Rai close to her as she desperately tried to maintain a firm grip on the seat to avoid flying across the truck.
"Not that I'm complaining! But I think I might get carsick right now, and Rai's in bad shape!" Nonette stated.
"Sorry! Can't do much when you're avoiding tank fire!" Bulkhead replied before a Groundbridge portal opened in front of them, "There's our exit! Hang on!"
He gunned straight for the portal and was able to make it just in time to avoid another tank shot that would have obliterated the ground below him.
Knock Out walked up in front of the transforming tank Vehicons as he looked in minor disappointment, "Looks like they got away."
A smirk then appeared on his face.
"Well, it doesn't matter. There's nowhere else left to run since we're now in control," he chuckled before laughing alongside the Vehicons, "Sayonara, Britannia! May you rust in peace!"
However, none of them seemed to notice that Dorothea was hiding behind some rubble near the exit of the depot with a hateful scowl on her face. She almost couldn't believe it! Britannia has fallen?! Their emperor, dead?! That's impossible! Whatever the case, the Decepticons would pay for this! She'll regroup with Bismarck and anyone else here in Area 11 and stage a counterattack! She silently vowed that the Decepticons would rue the day they dared to mock Britannia!
Meanwhile, on Kamine Island, Euphie looked as if she were about to have a panic attack. All she could do was blame herself for everything that happened: the SAZ that turned into a massacre, which led to this rebellion, which was nothing more than a distraction for Megatron to take over Britannia, which he succeeded in doing. And now, he was probably attacking the Settlement, where Lelouch and everyone else were. Not to mention Suzaku's been taken to God-knows-where.
How could all this have happened?! Honestly, the only thing that kept her from probably losing it was that she was also in Cornelia's arms, who tried to comfort her younger sister as best she could.
Suddenly, much to the shock of the two sisters, a Groundbridge portal opened up right behind them. Quickly rushing out of the portal was Sayoko as she quickly kneeled to address the pair.
"Come with me if you want to live!" she told them, "Nunnally is waiting for both of you!"
That caught both of them by surprise. But Cornelia was the first to get serious as she helped up her younger sister and they followed Sayoko into the Groundbridge, which closed behind them.
A few seconds after the portal closed, however, a metallic hand shot out of the ground as Airachnid began to pull herself back to the surface. However, she was probably in the worst shape she'd ever been in as she could only crawl on the ground. Due to being too close to Dreadwing's bomb, her right arm, along with all her right spider legs, was completely blown off, along with the right side of her face, which was now missing an optic.
Though Dreadwing himself was dead, it did not quench the hate she felt inside. So, she would then direct that hate to someone else she viewed as equally guilty and added his name to her list alongside Kallen and Arcee.
"Kururugi… I vow… I will have your head…!" Airachnid muttered in agony, "But not before I make you watch… as I butcher everyone you love!"
Back on the front lines, despite the best efforts of Ohgi, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Tamaki, and all their Wrecker units, already half of the Black Knights and rebel forces have been wiped out. Though several had fortunately escaped through the Groundbridge that they desperately covered, they were unable to save everybody. Even the surviving Britannians had been wiped out by the Decepticon forces; even a few Wrecker Burais were destroyed.
"That's it! That's everyone!" Ohgi stated as the last of their surviving comrades made it into the portal.
"Fall back! Fall back now!" Ironhide ordered as he, Ohgi, Tamaki, and Wheeljack were the last ones to enter the portal.
But not before Wheeljack turned back around to lob one final grenade to blow up a group of seven Vehicons before he ran inside himself right as the portal closed.
Starscream descended toward the ground as he transformed to observe the wreckage across the battlefield alongside his army.
"So, a few escaped. Let them run," Starscream sneered, before finishing with an evil chortle, "They've already lost more than half their forces! This world is ours now! And nobody can stop us!"
Finally, the only remaining team in the Settlement was Optimus' team, consisting of Tohdoh, the four Holy Swords, and the unexpected assistance of Guilford and Darlton.
Optimus brought down his axe to slice through the face and chest of one Insecticon and kill it before firing his Ion blaster with a charged shot to shoot a hole through the second. Two attempted to come at Optimus from behind, but Tohdoh swerved in with his custom Gekka to quickly slice and decapitate one Insecticon. As he tried to impale the second, it caught the Gekka's sword in its claws before dealing a powerful punch that knocked the Gekka down, creating a large dent in its chest. Fortunately, Optimus had already turned around to punch down the Insecticon and bring his axe down upon it to finish it off.
Urabe and Asahina rolled around one Insecticon as they fired their guns at its legs to bring it down to its knees, allowing them to draw their Gekkas' blades and bring them down onto its head to kill it. But they didn't have time to celebrate as three more landed in front to engage them.
However, Senba and Chiba shot their Gekkas forward and held their katanas out as they slid and sliced past the middle Insecticon, cutting it in half, before they regrouped with their teammates to engage the growing number of enemies that continued to wear them down.
Darlton roared as he shot his Gloucester's slash harkens and rifle at one Insecticon. It all concentrated on its head to obliterate it and bring it down. A second one appeared in front of him and grabbed the jousting-lance that Darlton attempted to thrust at it and then grabbed onto the Knightmare with its other claw to pin it to the ground as the Insecticon raised its claw.
"I have failed you… Princess Cornelia…" Darlton said in reluctant acceptance as the Insecticon brought its claw down to crush the entire Knightmare, killing Darlton in the process.
"Sir Darlton!" Guilford exclaimed at seeing the death of his comrade and friend as he shot everything, he had the Insecticon that killed him and was able to end its life in the process.
A Groundbridge portal suddenly opened up in the area, close toward Optimus as he cut down another Insecticon with his axe.
"All units, fall back!" Optimus ordered Urabe, Senba, Chiba, Asahina, and finally Tohdoh to enter the portal. Optimus turned around to see Guilford still engaging the Insecticons.
"Go! I'll cover you!" Guilford exclaimed as he unloaded his rifle on the charging horde.
"You will not survive! Come with us!" Optimus almost pleaded.
"No! This is my duty!" Guilford stated firmly, "I have a responsibility, just as you probably have one yourself, Optimus Prime. But, if you manage to rescue Princess Cornelia, or even Princess Euphemia, tell them I'm sorry I couldn't protect them. As a soldier of Britannia, I will fight to the last!"
He made one final charge into the horde of monstrous aliens.
Optimus gave a nod of respect and acknowledgment, "Good luck, soldier."
The Autobot commander then turned around to enter the portal, leaving Guilford alone as it closed.
Guilford lunged his lance into the face of one Insecticon, impaling and killing it. He turned around to fire his Slash Harkens into the chest of one approaching from behind, but that only irritated it as it gave an uppercut slice with its claws to knock the Gloucester back before firing an Energon blast at its legs to obliterate the Gloucester's lower half and send the rest of it skidding across the ground.
Inside the cockpit, Guilford's vision had grown fuzzy, with a bleeding gash across his forehead, his glasses broken as well. He glanced with what little time of consciousness he had to see he was surrounded.
' Princess… Cornelia… forgive me… I failed you…' he thought before he finally lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, within the sewer system beneath the battlefield that was once the Tokyo Settlement, Bismarck tried to make his way even deeper to avoid detection by the Decepticons.
He already heard Megatron's declaration, and something in his gut told him that Megatron's report of the death of Charles Zi Britannia was likely true. It seemed Britannia had met its end, despite him wanting to scream that it was not true.
As the Knight of One made it out of a small tunnel and into a more open area of the sewers, a light suddenly flashed on him as he looked in surprise to see a working Sutherland standing over him.
"Bismarck, come with me," a certain young girl said to him.
Though Bismarck could see the body of Anya Alstreim, he also recognized the tone of her voice and saw the red rings of Geass in her eyes and knew immediately who it was.
"Lady Marianne…." Bismarck acknowledged, relieved to regroup with her.
The Sutherland lowered itself, allowing him to step inside before it drove deeper into the sewers, "I'm pleased you made it. What's the plan?"
"I got a signal from Dorothea, as well as her location," Marianne informed, "Even Gino survived. We'll regroup and try to make contact with the Pacific Fleet and anyone else who's willing to help and launch an attack of our own."
"Understood."
A pained scowl formed on the face of the possessed Anya as Marianne cried tears of grief and frustration through the younger girl's body.
'Megatron… you took my Charles away from me… now you're going to take away the dream we worked so hard for?! No! You will not do this to us! I swear… if it's the last thing I do… I will make you suffer a fate worse than death! Count on it!'
Thundercracker, Skywarp, and all the Vehicons watched and even cheered as they continued to witness their leader fight and beat down the Gawain and the Lancelot. Even V.V. watched from underneath Skywarp. Though he wasn't cheering for Megatron, he'd be lying to say he wasn't upset at the thought of Lelouch getting hurt. He could also sense that C.C. was with him as well, and once Megatron gets a hold of her, he was certain he could convince the Decepticon leader to allow him the opportunity to torture her for walking out on him and Charles. Given she's immortal, he was certain Megatron wouldn't mind.
Suzaku fired his VARIS at Megatron, but he deflected each bolt with his blade, the blasts exploding on impact from the ground as they were deflected while he ran closer toward the Lancelot. Once Megatron was close enough he decked a powerful punch to the Lancelot's face to send it tumbling to the ground, but Megatron wasn't done yet as he picked up the white Knightmare by its leg and flipped it over him to smack it hard on the ground.
Megatron then leaped back to avoid the Hadron blasts from the Gawain as it charged down toward him at full speed and locked hands with him. However, Megatron stood his ground as he pressed harder, giving both Lelouch and C.C. much difficulty in pushing him back.
"How did you put it, Lelouch? The only ones who should kill, are those prepared to be killed?" Megatron recalled in a sadistic fashion.
The former gladiator used his raw strength to rip off the Gawain's entire left robotic arm and wielded it like a makeshift club. He swung the arm at the Gawain as C.C. frantically activated its Blaze Luminous shield. But the system was already damaged, and the shield shattered under the impact.
Megatron followed up with a barrage of powerful punches, each blow crushing the Gawain's outer armor. He then drew his blade and slashed down vertically as Lelouch tried to pull the Knightmare away. The strike sliced open the head and cockpit, revealing both Lelouch's and C.C.'s faces to Megatron.
Without hesitation, Megatron delivered a brutal uppercut, sending the Gawain flying through the air before it came crashing down.
"Megatron!" Suzaku called from behind as he leaped with the Lancelot high into the air and yelled as he tried to bring both his MVS blades down onto him.
Megatron timed it perfectly that as he was about to land, he clapped both blades in between his hands and halted Suzaku's attack.
"So now you decide to kill," Megatron remarked, "Such skill, and now… such hatred and ferocity. Under my guidance, you could have easily been the most feared human on this planet, possibly beyond. A true harbinger of death. You do not know what you threw away."
"The only thing I intend to throw away is your life!" Suzaku exclaimed as he tried to press further, but Megatron was already on the attack he snapped his hands to snap both MVS swords in half before he picked up the Lancelot and held it high above his head.
"I think not," Megatron said simply before he brought the Lancelot down hard onto his raised knee, almost breaking it entirely in half before throwing the damaged Knightmare toward the downed Gawain.
As Megatron loomed closer toward them, the evil smile visible on his face, Lelouch couldn't help but shake in his seat as fear swept through his body.
'His strength and speed are beyond anything I can anticipate… and his strategies are just as savage as his blows! He orchestrated the massacre at the Special Zone and the ensuing rebellion to not only decapitate Britannia but also tire us out and leave us vulnerable. Optimus and the others tried to tell me… but now that I've seen it myself… this being… this… this monster… is unstoppable!'
Even C.C. looked in dread as Megatron stomped his foot on the damaged Gawain to pin it down as he gazed his sinister eyes on the immortal girl and her contractor.
"No… don't touch them…!" Suzaku stuttered as he desperately tried to pull himself out of the Lancelot, though he was greatly injured himself.
"Ah, the immortal C.C., we meet at last," Megatron sneered as C.C. gasped slightly, "Tell me, my dear, and you as well Lelouch…"
His optics turned from red to purple as a darkened version of a familiar sigil appeared in his eyes.
"What is it you fear most?"
Neither of them could believe what they just saw.
"He has a Geass?!" Lelouch and C.C. exclaimed simultaneously just as the sigil made its way into both their eyes, causing a dark purple ring to form in both of them.
When C.C. opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself completely naked as she was tied to a stake before she was set on fire; while also being shot by guns and arrows from all directions, with multiple swords raining down on her from above, causing her to scream in agony.
It all then faded as C.C. found herself bound completely in her straight jacket, which kept her in a ball-like formation. Even her mouth was covered as she was almost completely encompassed in a metallic ball with the Geass emblem on its surface.
' No!' C.C. screamed in her mind as she couldn't even talk, 'Don't leave me here! Don't leave me in this hell all alone! Please!'
She begged as tears flowed down her eyes as the sphere was just about to close and seal her away in darkness.
'Someone! Lelouch! Optimus! HELP ME!' she screamed before she was completely sealed away.
Lelouch gasped as he found himself surrounded by a fire that encompassed virtually everyone he saw.
"What…?! Where am I!? C.C.?! Suzaku?!"
He heard his name being called all around him by multiple familiar voices. The flames began to clear away slightly, causing him to gasp at what he saw. He saw not only Kallen, Suzaku, Rai, and C.C, but even Ohgi, Tohdoh, Kaguya, and Tamaki, as well as Shirley, Milly, Rivalz, Sayoko, and even Euphie, and Cornelia, they were all tied to crosses around them.
"Lelouch… help us…" Shirley muttered.
Several shadows were cast over Lelouch, causing his pupils to look in dread as he saw several hooked chains that held the decapitated heads of every Autobot he knew: Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Wheeljack, Ironhide, Ratchet, Fixit, and even Optimus himself.
"No…" Lelouch muttered as the flames expanded to encompass all his friends and left not even ash, while at the same time, the Autobots' heads rusted away before turning into dust and were blown away by the flames, "No! This… this isn't supposed to…!"
However, when Lelouch glanced down, he saw something that made his heart stop completely. It was Nunnally! She lay across the ground, in a puddle of blood, just barely breathing.
"Nunnally!" Lelouch cried as he picked her up and desperately tried to shake her awake, "Nunnally! Please! Not you too!"
"Le… Lelouch…" he heard her voice as he glanced down with shaky eyes at her barely living form, "You… you ate… a thousand needles…"
Those were her last words before her body was engulfed in flames, leaving only a charred skeleton in his arms.
At this point, all Lelouch could do was scream in agonizing terror and dread.
Lelouch and C.C.'s screams caught Suzaku's attention as he made his way from the ruined Lancelot and into the Gawain's cockpit. He gasped once he saw C.C. fall back, appearing to be unconscious, but in reality, her heart had stopped. As for Lelouch, he screamed as if he was in the middle of a night terror he couldn't wake up from.
"Lelouch!" Suzaku tried to shake him awake, "Snap out of it! Lelouch!"
However, he wasn't able to, as Lelouch continued to fidget in place, groaning, yelling, and even screaming endlessly.
C.C. gasped as her immortality kicked in to bring her back to life. But she didn't have time to collect her thoughts as she heard Lelouch's screams, turning around to see the state he was in.
"No… how… how is this possible…?" C.C. muttered, "How can a Geass…?"
"That, my dear immortal, is my power," Megatron revealed as she and Suzaku turned around to gaze up at the tower Megatron, "My Dark Geass of Absolute Terror!"
" Dark… Geass…?" C.C. voiced in shock, while Suzaku only looked confused.
"Courtesy of the Blood of Unicron which flows through my veins. The dark substance, combined with the Geass power extracted from Mao's body, gave birth to this power. And I didn't even need to form a contract with anyone. A Geass so powerful, it can affect humans, Cybertronians, and even immortals such as yourself and V.V. My power, unlike any you've probably seen, allows me to look inside the soul of any individual and bring out their innermost fears. I can then send them into a vision of my own making, not too different from that of a nightmare. I can also determine how much of a strain my power puts on my victims' minds. It could range from a simple fright, one they could easily wake out of it, or even a night terror so bad, that their minds and body are unable to handle it, and they die."
That caused C.C. to gasp, 'A Geass.. that can directly… kill someone…?'
"I can also choose to bring someone out of a vision, no matter how terrible it is. But Lelouch has earned something very special. I've subjected him to an unending nightmare that will continue to grow in strength until his mind succumbs to pure insanity, and still keep going until his mind and body give out. A slow and agonizing death is all that awaits him now. And all he'll ever see is his greatest fears unfolding in front of him."
"Monster…" C.C. muttered in fright, "You're… you're a monster…! A demon! You're… You're the Devil incarnate!"
Megatron only looked in amusement, "Foolish girl. You only realize that now ?"
C.C. could not contain the crippling fear she now felt for the Decepticon leader.
"But don't worry, my dear. While death awaits your precious contractor, life awaits you. Or rather, a life as my weapon."
He then glanced at Suzaku who looked in a mixture of hate, fear, and confusion, "You, Suzaku, aren't even worth wasting my power on. Instead, I shall give you the death you've so longed for."
The Decepticon leader brought out his blade again and raised it high with the intent of finishing the fight...
However, a Groundbridge portal suddenly opened in front of him as Optimus Prime rushed out to deck Megatron across the face and sent him skidding on his feet across the ground. Optimus didn't even give Megatron a chance to recover as he dealt yet another punch and kept attacking.
Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Ironhide all came out as well as they addressed their human compatriots.
"Are you guys okay?" Bulkhead asked.
"What… what are you? What happened in the Settlement?" Suzaku questioned.
"No time to explain! We need to go!" Ironhide stated.
They all heard Lelouch's screams and looked in shock at the state he was in.
"[What in the Allspark happened to Lelouch?!]" Bumblebee questioned.
"Just get us out of here! NOW!" C.C. screamed in a panic.
"Incoming!" Wheeljack alerted as the Autobots all turned around to see Thundercracker, Skywarp, and multiple Vehicons running onto the scene and opening fire at them with the Energon blasters.
The Autobots returned fire with their own as they covered Bumblebee, who picked up Lelouch, Suzaku, and C.C. in his arms.
Optimus threw another punch at Megatron, but the Decepticon warlord was able to catch not only that punch but the other one that Optimus threw. Megatron looked at his old enemy with a sadistic smile.
"Ah, Optimus… I've been wanting to use this on you for some time, and low and behold, you come to me," Megatron sneered as his Dark Geass manifested in his optics again, much to the surprise of Optimus.
"A Geass?!"
" Show me your terror, Optimus Prime!"
Megatron's Dark Geass sigil flew directly into Optimus' optics as they turned from blue to purple.
When Optimus opened his optics, he looked around to find he was no longer on Earth, but on a desolate Cybertron, the ground covered with the rusted and lifeless husks of countless fallen Autobots.
"Cybertron…?"
" Optimus…"
He heard the ghostly wails of several of his fallen comrades.
"Why did you fail us? You promised to save our home… To save us… but now… we are all dead… and it's all your fault…"
Optimus fell to his knees as he held his head in despair, "No…! I… I didn't…!"
" You failed us! You failed us! You failed us! You failed us! You failed us! You failed us!"
A million ghostly voices filled his mind, repeating this over and over as Optimus desperately tried to block it out.
Back in reality, the Autobots did their best to hold back the Decepticon forces and keep the trio of human allies safe. But Arcee gasped as she saw Optimus fall to his knees in front of Megatron.
"Optimus!" Arcee transformed and tried to gun it straight for her leader.
"Arcee! Wait!" Ironhide tried to call out to her, but an explosion erupted in front of her as she skidded to a halt before transforming back to come face-to-face with Thundercracker and Skywarp.
Megatron laughed as he drew his blade again over his kneeling adversary.
"And so it ends, just as I envisioned! With your head as my trophy!"
He raised his blade, ready to end the lineage of the Primes once and for all.
However, Megatron failed to notice a bright glow coming from within Optimus' chest.
"I am sorry…" Optimus pleaded as he fell on his hands and knees, the ghosts of the millions of fallen Cybertronians circling him, "I have failed you… I failed everyone…"
" But are you willing to give up despite that failure?"
A new and familiar voice echoed from behind him. The source came from a bright light, the illumination appeared to blast away all the ghosts as Optimus turned around to see a white glowing figure of the Cybertronian that he knew most of his life.
"Alpha Trion…?"
" Optimus, do you remember what I told you before the war started?" Alpha Trion's spirit asked him, "What are the greatest virtues of a leader?"
"To protect all who serve and aid you," Optimus recalled, "To bear the burden and responsibility."
" Yes, but also equally important, is the willingness to not only accept your failures but the inevitability that some things remain outside our control. Cybertron's destruction was not your error. You did everything you could to save our home."
"But it wasn't enough. Megatron may have been the one to do the deed, but had I changed his mind sooner… had I stopped him from going down his path before the war started…"
" We cannot change the past. But we can learn from it. You do remember these lessons, don't you? How could you not, when you have passed them on to a student of your own."
"Lelouch…"
" Yes. Underneath the spite and anger, you saw both an injured soul as well as a longing for justice. You saw the best in that boy and look where that has led. You have instilled hope into the soul of one who has almost completely lost it, and in return, he has passed on that hope to all those around him; transforming their lives just as you have transformed the lives of those around you. Cybertron may be gone, but hope remains. Hope that this world, this universe, can be saved from the darkness."
Hearing the words of his mentor again, Optimus clenched his fists as a serious expression formed on his face.
"You're right. My work is not done… Our work is not done. We will defend this world!"
" Then go and keep fighting, Optimus. Till all are one." Alpha Trion said as his spirit faded away.
"Till all are one!" Optimus repeated as his chest plate opened to reveal the Matrix of Leadership, which began to shine a bright blue that illuminated the entire illusion and dispersed it.
Megatron brought his blade down, only for a pair of hands to reach up and clap it, halting it just before it made contact. Optimus Prime looked up with a hardened glare as the purple glow in his optics faded away.
"Megatron…!" Optimus stated as his faceplate closed, causing Megatron to look in clear shock before Optimus pulled back a fist, "…BEGONE!"
He decked Megatron across the face, before following with another punch.
C.C. gasped as she saw Optimus stand up and attack Megatron. She knew Megatron had used his Dark Geass on him, and yet… Optimus was able to stand back up and continue fighting. She couldn't believe it…! Before she knew it, tears of joy were already flowing down her face as she felt a sensation she never once felt before, or rather, something she never felt she'd ever feel again, not truly: hope.
' Impossible!' Megatron thought as Optimus continued to punch him across his body repeatedly, 'Impossible! How can he resist my Dark Geass?! Is this the power of the Matrix?! Or is it something else!?'
Optimus dealt the final blow with a powerful uppercut that sent Megatron soaring high into the air before crashing down onto the ground.
"Lord Megatron!" Thundercracker turned around in shock, along with Skywarp.
This gave Arcee an opening to sweep her feet and knock both of them down before making her way back to her friends and shooting down the remaining Vehicons that tried to attack them and the three defenseless humans they protected.
' No way… are you kidding me?!' V.V. thought in shock, 'Megatron's Dark Geass can affect even Code-bearers like me and C.C.! How can Optimus of all people resist it!? We've seen people resist the power of Geass through their own will… but nothing is stronger than what Megatron has! So how can… how can he…?!'
V.V.'s fists clenched as he gnashed his teeth while glaring at the Autobot leader, "Optimus Prime… what the hell are you?!"
"Optimus! We got the kids!" Ironhide called to his leader.
"Autobots, fall back!" Optimus ordered as one by one, they all ran into the Groundbridge portal, having dispensed with the last of the Vehicons that attacked them.
Bumblebee was first as he still carried Lelouch, C.C., and Suzaku; followed by Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Arcee, with Ironhide glancing back to wait for his leader.
Once Optimus caught up, Ironhide gave a smile and nod before he ran into the Groundbridge, followed by Optimus just as the portal closed.
"They escaped!" Thundercracker exclaimed.
"Who cares?" Skywarp dismissed, "We've pretty much wiped out more than half their forces in Area 11."
"But that still leaves us with almost half as many enemies; with Optimus and the Autobots still leading them!" Thundercracker argued, "We can't dismiss…!"
"Silence!"
They both heard Megatron's voice below as they both turned toward their master, who stood up to wipe the Dark Energon that dripped from his mouth. Though he was more than a little frustrated that Optimus was able to overcome the power of his Dark Geass; he did learn from his Cortical Psychic Patch from V.V. that an individual can resist the power of a Geass, depending on the power, if they have a strong enough will. And as much as he hated to admit it, Megatron knew Optimus' willpower was likely one of the strongest forces in the universe, rivaling his own.
But… it wasn't all that bad, evident by the evil smirk that fell on Megatron's face.
"Run Optimus… soon, there will be nowhere left for you to hide! You've lost your closest human ally! Lelouch is strong, but not nearly as strong as you! He will meet his end, and with the end of Zero… humanity's hope will come to a crashing end! Thundercracker, Skywarp!"
"Yes, Lord Megatron?" They both asked as they stood for duty.
"Rendezvous with Starscream in Area 11. See to it our grip there is as tight as ever," Megatron ordered them, "I will work with Soundwave about calling for additional forces, for this is merely the beginning! Britannia is lost! All its resources, including the Geass Order and Ragnarok, belong to me! Once we call our scattered brethren, we shall use the Earth as a foundation from which we shall build our empire that will span the entire universe! Victory is ours! Eh… ha… ha, ha, ha, ha… YES! MUH HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
Chapter 36: Till All Are One
Chapter Text
Nunnally was in the Groundbridge bay along with Kaguya and Chigusa as they watched the Black Knights, or what was left of them, return to the Ark after their substantial defeat. She didn't need to see to know just how depressing the atmosphere was for all of them, and she understood all too well. They all fought with everything they had to reclaim the home that Britannia had stolen from them, and the Decepticons came in and all but crushed that hope.
Ohgi, Tohdoh, and the Four Holy Swords had also arrived as they helped Ratchet and Fixit direct the most injured soldiers to the medical bay in the Ark to receive the necessary treatment. Ohgi helped lay the unconscious Inoue on a stretcher, her right leg missing, as she was wheeled off to the infirmary. Ohgi glanced towards Chigusa with an expression of disappointment and fear, something that she tried to give comfort in as she walked toward him and silently embraced him, which he was quick enough to return.
"Lady Nunnally," Sayoko approached from behind, "I've brought your sisters."
The disabled girl gave a surprised gasp as Kaguya and Sayoko escorted her around the corner where both Euphemia and Cornelia sat in depressing silence, the only comfort they shared was the fact that they were both safe with each other.
"Euphie? Cornelia?"
They heard a meek girl's voice call to them, causing them to turn around with a gasp as they saw their half-sister.
"Nunnally!" Euphie immediately ran toward her disabled sister and wrapped her arms around her, shedding even more tears than she already had; tears of both relief that they were safe, but also of grief that she
had lost one of her closest friends, and Suzaku was missing as well. Nunnally had a feeling Euphie went through a terrible ordeal, so she tried to comfort her sister as best she could.
Upon seeing Nunally, Cornelia was filled with mixed emotions. Like her younger sister, she was very relieved to see Nunnally safe and sound, but all those thoughts of regret she had over unknowingly trying to kill their brother, and the thought she had failed her, seemed to override any happiness she felt as all she could feel was guilt.
"Nu… Nunnally…" Cornelia stuttered as she slowly walked toward her as she briefly parted with Euphie, "I… I don't… what I…"
However, she was surprised as Nunnally reached out her hand to caress the side of Cornelia's face.
"It's okay, you're safe now. You and Euphie, that's all that matters," Nunnally assured with a smile.
That was it, that was all that was needed for the dam to break with Cornelia as she buried her face into Nunnally's chest and cried her eyes out.
"I'm sorry! I'm so, so, sorry! Forgive me!"
Nunnally didn't hesitate to embrace her crying half-sister as Euphie wrapped her arms around both of them as well.
Kaguya and Sayoko watched this as well. Though they both had mixed feelings regarding Cornelia, due to her past actions as their enemy, something told them that she wouldn't be a problem for them anymore.
And they weren't the only ones watching. Off on the side, Shirley, Milly, Nina, Rivalz, and even Monica all saw this as well, with Arthur slowly walking toward the three sisters to rub his side against all of them to provide some comfort as well.
"Princess Euphemia…!" Nina wanted to run over there and embrace her, but Shirley placed a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her that Euphie needed to be around her sisters right now. They could talk to her later. She seemed to understand but was glad that Euphemia was safe and sound.
"Wow… would have thought we'd see Viceroy Cornelia of all people break down like that," Milly commented.
"I'm still not over the fact that Nunnally and Lelouch are both royalty or that Lelouch is also Zero!" Rivalz stated, "Seriously, that's all just so crazy!"
"And… you knew about this Shirley?" Nina asked the brunette, "I mean, it makes sense for Milly since the Ashfords took them both in but…"
"Yeah, it's complicated," Shirley hadn't gone over the details of how exactly she found out quite yet, given what they've all experienced right now was stressful enough, "I'm sorry."
"I suppose it makes sense, though," Monica admitted, "Having your mother murdered, your sister blinded and crippled, and then being exiled only to be caught in the middle of a war that your nation started… Yeah, I'd be pretty mad about all that too."
The group heard a pained-induced grunt coming from around the area as they turned to see Kallen and Nonette helping Rai, his right arm and leg broken, to sit down.
"Rai… you need to get yourself looked at," Nonette told him, "Your arm and leg are broken!"
"The docs got their hands full right now…" Rai grunted, "I'm just glad I still have an arm and a leg."
"Kallen! Rai!"
They, and Nonette, turned to see Shirley quickly run up toward them.
"I'm glad you guys made it I…"
She gave a small gasp once she saw Nonette. Though Rai had already told her that the older woman was once his Knight, she also knew that Nonette was a Knight of the Round so it made her a little concerned.
"It's okay Shirley… she's on our side…" Rai assured.
"Really?" she asked in surprise.
"Yeah… helped Rai and the Wreckers out," Kallen said.
Shirley also noticed a look of sadness and devastation in Kallen's eyes, the same look she saw in her reflection once she learned of her own father's death back in Narita.
"Nonette!"
The Knight of Nine looked up in shock to see her comrade present as well, "Monica!"
She left Rai to quickly run up and address the Knight of Twelve, "You… you made it!"
"Yes, the details of me being here though are… kinda complicated," Monica said, "I'll explain later, but… have you seen… any of the others?"
"No," Nonette admitted, "Guess we're the only ones. But Kallen here did confirm that Bradley was killed."
She then noticed Cornelia and Euphie, who were still with Nunnally, alongside Sayoko and Kaguya. Seeing both of them alive and safe was a huge weight off Nonette's chest, and as much as she wanted to run over and hug them both, she decided to let them have their moment with Nunnally, whom she had already told about by Rai upon her arrival to the Ark.
"Well… if you wanna know at least about Gino…" Kallen spoke to the pair as she sat down next to Rai, "He stayed behind to buy Arcee and me time to get back here. I don't know if he survived though."
"Hope the guy's okay," Rivalz said.
"He is a Knight of the Round… so…" Nina put her thoughts in, though she sounded a little unsure.
Shirley, however, noticed something in Kallen's wording, "Wait… what about Cliffjumper? Wasn't he with you and Arcee?"
Hearing that name caused Kallen to stiffen as she glanced downward to sob, much to Shirley's surprise.
"Kallen?"
Rai put his only good arm on Kallen's shoulder to comfort her as he looked at the brunette with a saddened expression, "Cliff didn't make it, Shirley."
This caused Shirley to gasp in shock as she looked in total sympathy as Kallen cried into her hands, still clearly mourning over the loss of her partner and friend.
Shirley wasted no time in hugging Kallen as best she could, "I'm so sorry!"
Kallen returned the embrace as she continued to cry, with Rai patting her back as well. Milly, Rivalz, and Nina continued to look on, along with Monica and Nonette as they each had their sympathetic expressions as well.
"Keep it going!" Ratchet continued to direct the injured, "Anyone who's suffering from major trauma, please follow the line straight to medical! All equipment, including Knightmares, come secondary!"
"So, this is the Autobots' base I presume?"
The Autobot medic looked down to see a certain male scientist walk up with a casual expression.
"It's Ratchet, right?"
Though Ratchet did recognize Lloyd from the incident at Ashford, he still had no idea who he was, "And who are you?"
"Lloyd Asplund, creator of the Lancelot, and official traitor for the now destroyed Britannia, at your service," he gave a formal bow.
"Sorry…" Cecile walked up with an apologetic smile, "But he's… not exactly what you call… a normal person."
"Normality is underrated anyway," Lloyd brushed off.
"Oh, look who's here."
They and Ratchet turned to see Rakshata walking onto the scene, "I never expected to find you here, Asplund."
"But I'm not surprised to find you here, Rakshata," Lloyd acknowledged.
"It's only fair," Rakshata said with a casual grin, "You got a chance to play with aliens, now I am too."
"Well, they wouldn't let me get my hands on their juicier stuff…" Lloyd said with an irritated sigh.
"Oh, is that so?" Rakshata said with a trolling grin, "Because I've been given complete access to everything here."
"Saywha?" Lloyd questioned with a blank stare.
"Including two very special little toys," the Black Knights' scientist continued in a gloating sense, "One being a weaponized magnet, the other a weapon of immobilization. I have to say, Cybertronians have such amazing toys. Do you have any amazing toys to play with?"
Lloyd was rendered completely speechless as he couldn't find a proper argument, other than an eye twitch.
"I'll take that as a 'no', Earl of Pudding."
"Am I correct to assume there is some form of history with those two?" Ratchet asked Cecile.
"It's hardly worth mentioning," Cecile replied, "And when I think back on it now, it wasn't anything at all."
Meanwhile, Ohgi, Tamaki, and Tohdoh had helped to guide the last of the injured, along with the Four Holy Swords.
"That appears to be everyone," Ohgi said before he glanced down. "Except for…"
"We'll leave Lelouch and Suzaku to the Autobots," Tohdoh told him before addressing his soldiers, "Now, you four get some rest as well."
"Colonel, we're fine," Chiba told him, "There's no need…"
"You're dismissed," Tohdoh spoke with authority, "Take this time to rest your minds. If there's anything, I'll contact you."
"Yes sir," Asahina, Urabe, and Senba all said as they walked away, leaving only Chiba as she looked down before she nodded to her colonel to join the others.
"Tamaki, you doing okay?" Ohgi asked his comrade.
"Yeah… sure," Tamaki began, "I mean, we just lost more than half our army, Japan is being 'remolded' by the Cons, our leader is MIA, and the Bots are in the dragon's den right now, and pretty much all our hopes and dreams have been shattered, but otherwise… swell!"
"Complaining isn't going to change what happened," Tohdoh said firmly, "All we can do is wait for Optimus and the others to return before we make our move. Then we can…"
"They're back!" Fixit announced as he activated a Groundbridge portal, "The Autobots are returning, and they've retrieved Zero, Suzaku, and even C.C.!"
This got the attention of everyone present. Ratchet, Lloyd, Rakshata, Cecile, Ohgi, Tamaki, Tohdoh, and even Chigusa on the side; as well as Nunnally, Cornelia, Euphemia, Kaguya, Sayoko, Shirley, Kallen, Rai, Rivalz, Nina, Milly, Monica, and Nonette all looked toward the swirling portal as one-by-one, all the Autobots stepped out.
Arcee, Wheeljack, and Ironhide were the first to walk out, followed by Bulkhead and Bumblebee with Optimus in the back as the portal closed.
However, Bumblebee also had passengers on him, with C.C. and Suzaku on his shoulders, and in his arms, still groaning and screaming in pain…
"Lulu?!" Shirley exclaimed at hearing his distressed cries, with everyone else looking in shock, even Nunnally gasped at what she was hearing from her unresponsive brother.
"No!" Rai tried to stand up, but would have fallen over had Kallen not caught him.
"What happened?!" Ratchet asked urgently.
"[Megatron!]" Bumblebee scowled.
"Get him into the med bay!" Ratchet ordered.
"No, we need to get him into your laboratory! Now!" C.C. exclaimed.
"What!? But why would…?!"
"JUST DO IT!" C.C. yelled in an uncharacteristic tone of urgency and anger, something that caught Ratchet off guard.
But the medic quickly got over it as he quickly led the other Autobots through the Ark's hallways, with all the humans following. Sayoko took Nunnally's wheelchair while Kallen and Nonette helped Rai to his feet and they followed as well.
Lelouch was placed on a table as C.C. and Suzaku worked to strap him down as he continued to shift his body, thrashing his arms out while still stuck in his 'nightmare-coma-like state', as one could describe it.
"What's… what's happening to him?" Bulkhead asked with concern, "It's like he's having some kind of nightmare!"
"That's because he is," C.C. confirmed as Ratchet scanned Lelouch's body with Fixit looking at the readings on his hand-held device.
"Injuries appear to be minor," Ratchet reported, "But his brainwaves are in a chaotic state! His heart rate rising to dangerous levels!"
"His body's been exposed to Energon!" Fixit stated, "Wait… no… scratch that! It's Dark Energon!"
That caught the other Autobots off guard, save for Optimus.
"There's a Dark Energon anomaly coming from his brain, it appears to be the source of his state!"
"His brain!?" Ironhide exclaimed, "How the hell is that possible?!"
"Because Megatron has a Geass!" C.C. revealed.
The reactions of the other Autobots could not be described with mere words.
"What…?!" Arcee questioned.
"Buckethead's got that power now too?!" Wheeljack also questioned.
"He does," Optimus confirmed, "I saw it myself."
"What… what are you all talking about?" Suzaku questioned.
"Long story short, it's a special power that Lelouch and a few others have. We'll go into the details later," C.C. said as she was at Lelouch's head, where she placed both her hands on the sides of his temples.
"Hold on… what are you doing?" Ratchet questioned.
"I'm going to try and break him out of whatever Megatron has him under!" C.C. answered as the Geass emblem on her forehead began to glow its titular red color.
"Have you done something like this before?" Optimus asked.
"Yes, now please be quiet! I have to concentrate!" C.C. stated as she focused as hard as she could, closing her eyes as she tried to project her powers onto Lelouch.
C.C.'s eyes opened, and she found herself falling into what appeared to be a tunnel, one that glowed with a dark purple color. She looked around to find distorted images of all Lelouch's memories, all in a chaotic mess as purple-energy surges stretched up and down the tunnel.
As she fell, however, she could feel an opposite force pushing back at her, which she attempted to push back against herself, trying to force herself deeper into Lelouch's consciousness.
"Lelouch!" she tried to call him, "Please, you have to listen to me! Whatever you're seeing, it isn't real! You have to overcome this!"
However, the force pushed her back even harder, but as she listened more closely, she could hear the echoing sounds of a familiar laughter.
As she looked around, she gasped as she saw the images of Lelouch's memories burn away and change to reveal the face of Megatron. Hundreds of the Decepticon leader's faces all appeared throughout the tunnel as they continued to laugh, echoing through Lelouch's consciousness as well as his soul.
"So… loud…!" she exclaimed as she covered her ears, "What is this power?!"
With another push from this invisible force, she gasped as a new image appeared in Lelouch's mind.
This image was also that of a face, but it wasn't Megatron's, or anyone else she recognized. It appeared to be a face made entirely out of stone with long curved horns at the top and soul-piercing purple eyes.
She couldn't do it! She couldn't go any deeper as this very same force pushed her back.
The emblem on C.C.'s forehead changed from red to dark purple as she was forced out of Lelouch's mind and back to her own body with a scream, much to the Autobots' and Suzaku's surprise as the later caught her when she fell backward.
"[Cera!]" Bumblebee exclaimed as the other Autobots came around her.
"What happened?!" Suzaku also exclaimed.
"It's… it's too strong…!" C.C. muttered as she looked with shaky and terror-filled eyes, "I… I can't break it…!"
"Just what did Megatron do to him?!" Bulkhead questioned, "What kind of Geass does he have?!"
"Alright, how about we start with how the hell Megatron even has a Geass?!" Arcee also questioned.
"What are all of you talking about?!" Suzaku shouted, having enough of being kept in the dark, "What even is a Geass?!"
"Suzaku…" Optimus tried to calm him down, but he wouldn't have it.
"No! Lelouch is my friend! I have a right to know what is happening to him! Please!" Suzaku pleaded with the last part, which was enough for the Autobots to look toward him with concern and understanding.
C.C. even glanced toward Optimus as she gave a nod.
"Geass is a power that a select few humans, including Lelouch, all possess," the Autobot leader explained, "It is not a power that one is born with, but rather one that is given. This girl, who goes by the name C.C., possesses the ability to grant Geass to others. She gave one to Lelouch in Shinjuku."
That would explain why C.C. was always with Zero, or rather Lelouch when they were on opposite sides.
"So… how does Megatron have something like this?" Suzaku asked.
"I didn't give it to him if that's what you're wondering," C.C. stated before explaining what she knew to the Autobots, "And I don't think it was V.V. either. Megatron even said he didn't have to form a contract to get this power."
"How is that possible?" Ratchet questioned.
"Yes… you said that only when someone agrees to your contracts, they can get a Geass ability," Fixit added.
"I'm not sure… but Megatron did mention something called 'the Blood of Unicron'," C.C. revealed.
"Dark Energon!" Ironhide stated before it turned into a grunt of frustration, "Of course! He'd find a way to use that voodoo garbage!"
"Dark Energon… as in the same substance that destroyed your home?" Suzaku asked.
"Yep," Bulkhead confirmed with a nod.
"Mao…" Arcee's optics widened in realization, "Remember the last time we saw him? After that mess at Ashford, he returned to the Cons and we haven't seen him since! But I think we can all guess what happened after that."
Suzaku's thoughts shivered at the mention of that name. He remembered Mao from when he not only kidnapped Nunnally but also knew about him killing his father. So, this Mao had a Geass too?! It would explain why Lelouch was so scared at the time, other than Nunnally being in danger.
"In all likelihood, Megatron had subjected Mao to his experiments," Optimus theorized, "He must have used what he learned and combined it with Dark Energon to somehow grant him his new ability."
"Okay, but what exactly is this ability of his?" Wheeljack asked.
"He calls it his Dark Geass of Absolute Terror," C.C. began, "It's unlike anything I've seen before. He's able to use this power to look deep into someone's soul to not only learn that person's worst fears but also manifest them in the form of mental images dissimilar to night terrors. It's powerful enough to affect humans, Cybertronians, or even Code-bearers like me."
That last part took them by surprise.
"I thought you said Geass doesn't work on you!" Arcee stated.
"Guessing that Dark Energon stuff must have made it strong enough so it can affect me," the Code-bearer assumed.
"So, Lelouch has been subjected to this 'Dark Geass' and is experiencing nightmares," Ratchet deduced as they all looked at him as he continued to groan and scream, struggling in his restraints, his eyes scrunched closed, refusing to open.
"But, when a human experiences a nightmare, don't they wake up from it almost exquisitely… appropriately… immediately!" Fixit glitched.
"Not with what Megatron did," C.C. revealed, "He said that he placed Lelouch in something I can only describe as a perpetual nightmare trance. It won't stop until his mind is completely consumed, and he falls into insanity, and even then, it won't stop… until his heart gives out."
"What...?"
The Autobots, along with C.C. and Suzaku turned in shock to see that all their human companions, consisting of Kallen, Rai, Ohgi, Tamaki, Tohdoh, Shirley, Kaguya, Rakshata, and Sayoko, all from the Black Knights; along with Chigusa, Euphemia, Cornelia, Nonette, Monica, Lloyd, and Cecile from Britannia; and even Rivalz, Milly, and Nina from Ashford.
But the one who had spoken out, who looked in a mixture of shock and fear, was Nunnally.
"It's… it's not true… is it?" Nunnally begged, not finding the words to finish, "Is… Lelouch… going to…"
"Nunnally…" Optimus wasn't sure how to respond to her either.
"If it's not stopped… then… yes," C.C. confirmed with reluctance, "He will die."
Everyone had their reactions to this revelation.
Shirley gasped in terror, along with Kallen, Kaguya, Rai, and Sayoko, with Milly, Rivalz, and even Nina appearing as if they had just been told that someone dear to them was dying.
Ohgi's eyes shook, as even Tamaki's fists clenched.
Tohdoh's face carried not only worry for Lelouch but anger, specifically toward the being who put him in this state.
Nonette, Monica, Chigusa, and Cecile had saddened expressions on their faces, almost as if they were already accepting the outcome, though Chigusa paid a glance towards Ohgi as she looked at him with sympathy.
Rakshata and even Lloyd, though not as emotional as everyone else, had expressions of disappointment on their faces.
Euphemia covered her mouth as tears were already forming in her eyes. First, the disaster of the SAZ followed the fall of Pendragon, then the loss of Dreadwing… now this?! Was she going to lose Lelouch all over again?!
Cornelia had already fallen on her knees in despair.
But nothing could describe what Nunnally was feeling right now. She loved Lelouch above all else and even admitted to him that she would never want to live in a world if he weren't in it. So, hearing that there was a very real possibility of him dying all but shattered her.
"No… please no… it's… it's not true…!" Nunnally cried, "Please! Lelouch! Answer me!"
She almost fell out of her wheelchair, had Sayoko not caught her, "Lelouch! Big Brother! PLEASE!"
"There… there's gotta be something!" Kallen wondered, "We… we can't just let this happen! We gotta do something!"
"Maybe… if we get him to a doctor or…" Ohgi suggested.
"There is no doctor in existence that will be able to comprehend what's afflicting him," Ratchet said, "And even if there was, Lelouch is running out of time."
"What about my Geass?!" Rai suggested urgently. "If I use my Geass to force him awake, it could…"
"Rai, you already used your Geass on Lelouch, before. Remember? That whole mess with Mao?" Bulkhead reminded him, causing Rai to look down in frustration while Suzaku, Nonette, and the rest of his friends looked in surprise. Rai has a Geass as well?!
"What… what if you gave one of us a Geass?" Shirley offered, "Maybe it can…!"
"That's a one-in-a-billion chance of success!" C.C. stated, "I have no control over what kind of Geass you'd get, and there's no guarantee any kind of Geass I give can overpower what Megatron did to Lelouch!"
"So, what… we… we do nothing?!" Milly exclaimed.
"I'm not sure there's anything we can do," Ironhide said in reluctance.
That was the equivalent of being hit with a bullet for pretty much everyone, human or Autobot.
"That damn bastard!" Tamaki shouted in anger as he kicked the wall to try and vent his anger.
Even Cornelia clenched her fists as she remained on her knees, anger mixing in with sadness and devastation. Anger towards Megatron for what he did to her brother, as well as everything else he'd done, but anger towards herself at being so helpless.
Even a burning fire flashed in Tohdoh's eyes.
Euphemia was already sobbing, with tears in Shirley's eyes as well.
Suzaku appeared to be having it worse than most of them. He was supposed to be Lelouch's friend, but he allowed all this to happen! He wanted to blame Megatron with every fiber of his being, as Megatron knew that Lelouch was Zero the entire time but kept it secret from everyone, even him. However, the truth was that he could only blame himself for this. Lelouch wanted Suzaku to help him, but he turned him down, and even attacked him; all for his self-fed delusions of peace and heroism.
Bumblebee did everything he could to keep himself from acting out as he glanced at Lelouch, who appeared to be in an even worse state than five minutes ago. He was Lelouch's guardian! He was supposed to protect him! But he didn't! He wasn't anywhere near him when this happened! All the scout could do was hang his head in failure.
"Well, looks like we got ourselves quite a funeral…" Lloyd said causally, only for Kallen to punch him in the face, breaking his glasses as he was knocked down.
"SHUT UP!" Kallen tearfully screamed as she was about to beat him down even more, only for Ohgi and Milly to try and hold her back.
"Kallen! Take it easy!" Ohgi tried to tell her.
"Take it easy?! TAKE IT EASY!?" Kallen screamed, "Megatron massacred countless people to stage a rebellion—using us to take out Britannia—then came in and wiped out half our army… our friends… and now our leader… the very same man who showed us we don't have to be helpless anymore… is about to die!? And you expect me to CALM DOWN?!"
"Kallen!" Arcee quickly came over to her partner and kneeled to her level, putting her arm on Kallen's side as she looked at her with a stern glare.
"You don't think I don't know what it's like to see someone you care about… harmed?" Arcee asked, her stern look wavering slightly, "We both know… but lashing out won't help Lelouch right now. You have to keep your emotions in check."
"But I… I can't I…" Kallen stuttered as tears flowed down her face as she cried, the loss of Cliffjumper still obviously affecting her, and now the possible loss of Lelouch almost being too much for her to bear. Arcee brought her partner closer as she tried to comfort her as best she could.
It was in that moment, that Nunnally could feel the despair that everyone was feeling right now. Every individual around her, be they Britannian, Japanese, or even Cybertronian, many of which were on opposite sides even; they were all in the same boat. They all lost everything; their homes, their friends, their families, and even hope itself almost felt completely lost. That and her brother suffering a fate worse than death right now…. It was too much for her. And she knew that there was one who was responsible for all of that.
' How can anyone do something this horrible… this… this cruel…?' Nunnally thought with tears flowing down her eyes as well, 'Megatron… why would you… how can… how can you… do this….?'
However, in this atmosphere of despair, C.C. glanced towards Optimus Prime, perhaps because she was hopping, he could provide some form of wisdom or even comfort. All she saw in his optics was anger and grief, much like everyone else in this room. She had a feeling that he probably had it worse than anyone else here, even more so than Suzaku, Kallen, Bumblebee, or even Nunnally. Not only was Optimus actively trying to help Lelouch in deterring him away from a path of darkness, but Lelouch had viewed Optimus as a father figure, and one look in the optics of the Leader of the Autobots told C.C. that the feelings were mutual with him.
But…. It was in that moment, that C.C. was struck with an epiphany.
"Maybe… we can do something…"
That caught everyone's attention.
"Optimus…. Megatron also attacked you with his Dark Geass! I saw it!" she stated, catching everyone by surprise, "But you were able to overcome it!"
"Optimus, is this true?" Ratchet asked.
"Yes," Optimus confirmed, "Megatron did attempt to use his ability on me."
"Wait, how could Optimus…? I thought a Geass power was absolute, hence the name of the power," Bulkhead said.
"It's a rare occurrence," C.C. began to explain, "And it also depends on what kind of Geass power is being used. But, there have been individuals in the past that have been able to overcome the effects of a Geass if they possess a strong enough willpower."
"Well, if we're talking willpower, Optimus has got it in spades," Ironhide stated with something of a smirk.
"But it was not just me," Optimus said, much to everyone's, even C.C.'s, confusion, "It was also with the aid of the Matrix of Leadership."
That got Euphemia's attention.
"The… the what?" Ohgi asked.
"A vessel of pure energy, the collective wisdom of the Primes," Ratchet explained.
"Perhaps you could explain it from a more scientific standpoint?" Rakshata requested.
"The Matrix of Leadership is a tool that allows the user access to the collective wisdom of the past Primes," Fixit explained, "Many of the originals all lent a portion of their sparks to supply the Matrix with power. It even carries the spark of our life-giver, Primus himself."
"Well, I'm not exactly an expert with all this mystic wisdom stuff," Lloyd began, "But, am I correct to assume this Matrix is a computer that allows one to understand the past experiences of these older Primes?"
"That is one way of looking at it, I suppose," Ratchet said.
"You… Optimus, you mentioned the Matrix to me and Lelouch on Kamine Island," Euphemia recalled as she seemed to be getting what C.C. was getting at, "And if Dark Energon is… the essence of Unicron… and the Matrix has the power of Primus and the original Primes…"
"It may have the power to purge Lelouch of the Dark Geass!" Optimus finished, having caught on to himself.
That seemed to bring hope to everyone as most of the people and Bots all looked at each other with smiles.
"So, what the hell are we waiting for?!" Tamaki questioned elatedly, "Let's find this Matrix thing and put it on the guy!"
"First off, we don't have to find it," Ironhide said, "Optimus already has the Matrix inside him."
"That's wonderful!" Shirley exclaimed with a wide smile.
"Second, Optimus can't just give the Matrix," Ironhide continued, much to everyone's surprise.
"What?! But you said…!" Kallen tried to say.
"Even if Optimus wanted to give the Matrix to someone else, he doesn't get to choose who he gives it to!" Ironhide clarified, "The Matrix makes the choice, not Optimus."
"How… how is… something like that even possible?" Suzaku wondered.
"Don't worry about any of that, Optimus doesn't have the give up the Matrix to do this," C.C. said.
"[What do you mean?]" Bumblebee asked.
"If I make physical contact with both Optimus and Lelouch, maybe I can channel the power from the Matrix and into Lelouch, purging the dark energies that are consuming his mind," C.C. theorized, "But… I've never done anything like this before, so I… I don't know if…"
"Cera, please!"
She heard Nunnally beg as tears were still flowing down her face.
"If it can help Lelouch… please… I… it has to work! It just has to! Please!"
C.C. saw the girl's pleading expression, and that almost seemed enough to solidify her resolve. However, it wasn't quite enough, until after she glanced up at Optimus who looked down on her with a determined expression of his own.
"When lives are in danger, preparation comes secondary to swift action, determination, and will," Optimus told the immortal, "If you believe that using the Matrix in this manner can save Lelouch, then do it. Please."
Please. Optimus had just said 'please' to C.C. As if, underneath the determination, he was almost begging C.C. to do this, to use the Matrix to save Lelouch. The fact that someone like him would speak to her in this manner, only further strengthened her resolve as she closed her eyes briefly and opened them to reveal a strong source of willpower deep inside, as if a fire had just ignited in her heart.
"Alright," C.C. nodded, "But… before we do this… we might need Nunnally's help as well."
Everyone looked toward C.C. and Nunnally in surprise, but none were more surprised than Nunnally herself as C.C. addressed her directly.
"Lelouch's mind is stuck in a perpetual nightmare. I feel that if one is to pull him out of such a state, we need a voice that can truly reach him. Optimus has more than touched Lelouch's soul by this point, but you are the center of his life. I've sensed it in him. With mine and Optimus' power, and your voice, I have no doubt we'll reach your brother's soul."
Everyone looked toward Nunnally with their unique expressions. For Nunnally herself, despite her body being physically weak, her resolve was strong. If she can do anything to save the brother she loves so dearly, she will.
"Let's do it," Nunnally nodded.
"For this to work, we need to be alone," C.C. said to everyone else, "I've never done anything like this before, so no distractions."
Ironhide seemed to understand.
"Out. Everyone out, now," he said firmly as everyone, Autobot and human, all turned around and began to walk out of the laboratory.
"So, we're all just gonna sit by and do nothing?" Ohgi asked.
"You heard the immortal," Bulkhead said, "They got this."
"In the meantime, I'll be free to answer any questions many of you may have, because I've noticed most of you here all looked confused as to what we are talking about," Fixit offered.
"I didn't even understand more than half what you guys were talking about," Rivalz said, completely proving Fixit's point.
"Yeah, you kinda lost me too at this Unicorn thing," Nonette said, "What does a magic horse have to do with this?"
"Not Unicorn, Unicron, " Euphemia corrected as they all walked outside, "Optimus already told me about all this."
"Well, guess it's time for a Cybertronian history lesson," Wheeljack said.
Sayoko had to help wheel Nunnally closer toward Lelouch, where C.C. and Optimus were already gathered, the latter kneeling closer to their level. She put a firm hand on the girl's shoulder, silently telling her that Sayoko had faith in Nunnally. Something Nunnally understood as she smiled and put her hand over Sayoko's in return before they parted, and she joined the others.
Suzaku was the last to walk outside. A part of him wanted to stay and help as well, still blaming himself for Lelouch being in this state. But, he also knew that there wasn't anything he could do. So, he paid one final glance toward Optimus and C.C. as they both nodded in assurance toward him. Suzaku nodded back before he left the lab, leaving them all alone.
Lelouch's condition seemed to be reaching its breaking point as he struggled against the restraints even harder, his screams becoming louder as his body shifted and fidgeted.
Nunnally reached out to grab her brother's hand, hoping to be of some comfort to him. Once she touched him, however, she could already feel just how much internal pain he was in. Hearing his cries and screams was almost heartbreaking enough, but feeling his pain was something else entirely.
"Give me your hand, Nunnally," C.C. requested as Nunnally reached her hand out, and C.C. caught it in her left hand before reaching out with her ring to place her fingers over Lelouch's forehead, "Optimus…"
The last of the Primes understood as he opened his chest plate, revealing the Matrix of Leadership inside, while also gently rubbing the tips of his fingers on C.C.'s back to make physical contact as well.
The light of the Matrix shined over all of them as C.C. began to channel her power, reaching out to both Nunnally and Optimus before diverting all of that directly into Lelouch. Her hair began to wave as the Geass emblem on her head began to glow once again, briefly glowing red before changing to a bright blue, almost white, color.
Lelouch was on his knees, the skeleton of his sister lying down in front of him as the flames began to close in around him, having changed from their typical orange to a dark purple.
"This is my fault…" Lelouch muttered, his eyes had lost their color as it seemed he was ready to give up on his own life, "…the Black Knights are all but fallen… my friends are dead… Nunnally… I failed them… if I hadn't become Zero…. None of this would have happened… I'm a monster… I don't deserve to live…"
He closed his eyes as the flames were closing in around him, threatening to consume him completely, "I guess this is it for me…"
Suddenly, a bright white light shined down from the sky to help clear away many of the dark flames around him. Though they were still surrounding him, they gave him some space as he weakly looked up toward the source of the light to see C.C., Optimus Prime, and Nunnally slowly descend toward him. Optimus appeared to be of equal size as that of a human, and Nunnally was no longer in her wheelchair with her eyes open.
"What… what are all of you….?" Lelouch said, his eyes still void of light and color, "Why are you here?"
"We're here to save you, big brother!" Nunnally told him.
"Why….? Why save a monster like him…?" He said as his voice slowly began to fill with emotion, but it wasn't too noticeable at first.
"You are not a monster, Lelouch," Optimus said, "Megatron's victory was not your failure. He manipulated all of us from the start. You did the best you could."
A little bit of color returned to Lelouch's eyes as emotions slowly began to fill him, but these emotions were that of regret and even anger.
"The best I could…?" Lelouch stuttered, "I… I doomed the world to destruction…! I waged war against an unbeatable force… Britannia has fallen and the rest of Earth is next…! Megatron he… I… this is exactly what he wanted! And I gave it to him!"
He clenched his head in frustration, "It's my fault! All of it is my fault!"
"No, it isn't," C.C. said as all three of them floated around his body in the form of bright specters, surrounded by a bright white light that began to clear away the dark flames.
"Lelouch, please listen to us," C.C. began as she was the first to address him, "You still have a contract you must fulfill with me. At first, I didn't think all that much about you, other than you were just another one of my contractors, much like with Mao and all those who came before. But, as I got to know you, the more I wanted to believe in you. You gave me a purpose, gave me a reason to want to live in this life. Don't throw yours away because of what someone else tried to force on you!"
"Cera…" Lelouch muttered as his eyes became their lively purple again, and other human emotions returned to him as well.
"Lelouch, I have told you before, that when we first met, I did see someone who carried much anger inside," Optimus began, "But I have seen goodness in you as well. A will to stand and fight for what's right, to protect those you care for. You have made many mistakes, yes. But you have learned from them, and you have saved the lives of many others, not just your friends, but countless innocent people. You gave those people hope, and now, it is our turn to offer that hope to you."
"Optimus…" Lelouch's eyes were already beginning to water as he heard the words of someone, he considered his true father reach him.
Finally, Nunnally hovered right in front of him, almost like an angel, as she smiled lovingly at him, gazing down with her beautiful lavender eyes, "Lelouch, you mean the whole world to me. Seeing you like this almost breaks my heart, but you are not a monster. You are not a bad person. You're a good person, whom a lot of people tried to hurt and kick down, but you never gave up. You were always by my side, looking out for me. I told you that I wouldn't want to live in this world without you, and I mean it. I love you so much that I can't stand it! So please don't go away! Come back to me, to us! We're not the only ones who miss you!"
Lelouch's eyes widened as he thought back to everyone he had met and forged a bond with.
...Bumblebee, an Autobot he truly considered to be a friend; all the other Autobots that he admired and respected as true warriors who protected the weak, which is why he admired them above all else and tried to model himself after their example...
...Ohgi, Tohdoh, Kaguya, Tamaki, Kirahara, and the other Black Knights, whom he trusted enough to reveal his identity and past, and they in turn, extended their trust toward him as well.
...Rai, his brother, whom he always looked out for, even before he learned of their relationship.
...Euphie, his sister, whom he had always loved, even after his exile; he trusted her, and she was a gentle soul, too pure for this cruel world.
...Cornelia, his older half-sister, whom he once resented, but later learned that she still loved him, and had wanted to patch things up with her and reestablish their bond.
...all of his friends at Ashford from Milly, Rivalz, Nina, Sayoko, and even Shirley, whom he truly considered a friend, even if he didn't like her romantically as she did for him, but he still cared for her a great deal.
...above all else, there was Suzaku, his first friend outside the Royal Family. Though they became enemies on the battlefield, Lelouch had vowed that he would help Suzaku overcome his past much like how the Autobots helped him to overcome his darkness; and now they were on the same side again.
...Kallen, another Black Knight, and classmate, but not only one of his best soldiers, but also a good friend; he understood her reason for fighting, having also lost someone he loved to Britannia much like her; perhaps she was something more to him than he originally thought; he gave her hope, and she gave it to him as well; and he was not about to let her down.
...C.C., also known as Cera, was someone who had suffered most of her life, even more so than him; but now she had become a valued partner and someone trustworthy, and he would do everything he could to help her overcome her pain.
...Nunnally, his beloved sister, whom he vowed to make this world a better place for her to live in, and while he will accomplish this goal, he had one other promise to keep; to never leave her side, and he never will.
...finally, Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, his mentor, his friend, and overall, father figure. From the moment they met, Lelouch had admired Optimus for his strength, loyalty, courage, and honor; he was everything that he wanted to be, and everything that he wished for this world. He saw underneath Lelouch's many issues for not only the good person he was, but the wounded soul as well; and had done everything to help free him from the darkness inside. Optimus Prime transformed Lelouch in more ways than one and he was not about to disappoint him.
"That's right… I'm not alone…!" Lelouch muttered as he slowly began to stand up, the dark flames finally dissipating, "I have people… friends… family… who are waiting for me….!"
He leaped from the ground and hovered closer toward the light, reaching out his hand to Optimus, Cera, and Nunnally, who all reached out to him as well, "I'm not going to give up! I'll never give up! I'll keep fighting, and I won't stop till this world is a better place! FOR EVERYONE!"
He grabbed onto Nunnally's hand first as Optimus and Cera reached around him, engulfing all of them in a bright white light.
Lelouch's eyes began to flicker open, the purple ring that was within them had finally vanished. His vision was blurry at first, but as he began to pull himself up, he looked around to see Cera and Optimus around him, the latter kneeling with the former sitting at the side of the table he was previously strapped to, both smiling toward him.
He heard some sniffles on his right and glanced in that direction to see something that he couldn't believe. It was Nunnally, but something was different than before, something about her had changed for the first time in seven years…
Her eyes were open! For the first time in seven years, Lelouch was staring into the deep and beautiful lavender eyes of his beloved younger sister that he never thought he'd see again. She smiled upon seeing him as tears of joy flowed down her face like a waterfall.
"Nunnally…" Lelouch couldn't believe it. Before he knew it, she had leaped from her chair to wrap her arms around her brother and bury her face into his chest.
"You came back! You came back, big brother!" Nunnally cried.
Lelouch then began to cry as well as he wrapped his arms around his sobbing sister. Tears of joy, frustration, guilt, and so many other emotions all began to pour out at once. "Nunnally! Your eyes…!" He cried.
"I love you, Lelouch!" she continued to sob with him.
"I love you too!"
As the two siblings continued to share this moment, Cera couldn't help but shed tears of pure happiness as well as she glanced up at Optimus, who smiled and nodded as well, truly happy for both of them, as well as their success.
It took a while; but the Autobots had explained to the group consisting of Kallen, Suzaku, Shirley, Ohgi, Rai, Tamaki, Tohdoh, Rakshata, Kaguya, Sayoko, Chigusa, Cornelia, Euphemia, Rivalz, Nina, Milly, Lloyd, Cecile, Nonette, and Monica everything regarding the origins of the Cybertronian race; the battle between Primus and Unicron, and the creation of the Thirteen original Primes, as well as the concept of Dark Energon and its properties. They also had to discuss what they knew about Geass, for those who didn't already know, which led to them explaining the power that both Lelouch and Rai had. Rai also had to explain his status as a half-breed Britannian prince, which came as a huge shock for his classmates, and Cornelia in particular, which led to their discussion about V.V. and even about Clovis' experimentations with C.C., which was the very reason he attached the Shinjuku ghetto in the first place.
Many questions were asked, but overall, they all seemed to get the gist of everything, despite it seeming rather overwhelming for many of them.
"Well… I honestly have no idea what to say right now," Lloyd commented.
"That's a first," Cecile joked, trying to provide some levity, which did seem to work for some. But it was clear, that most were still anxious while they waited for Optimus, C.C., and Nunnally to finish their work.
But they wouldn't have to wait for very long as they heard the loud footsteps of Optimus Prime round the corner, with C.C. right behind him. Nunnally was wheeled out, though one would think they were surprised at seeing her eyes open; none could be prepared for who was in her wheelchair.
Lelouch's eyes still carried some kind of guilt as he looked at all of them, but there was a smile on his face. "Hello… everyone…"
"LULU!" Shirley screamed as she was the first to run up and hug him, already crying. Euphemia and Kaguya were right behind her as well. Lelouch was more than happy to embrace all three of them while everyone else was beyond relieved at seeing him up on his feet again; among the most relieved appeared to be Suzaku, Kallen, Rai, Bumblebee, and even Bulkhead. Even Tohdoh, Rakshata, Ironhide, Arcee, Wheeljack, and Ratchet had smiles of their own.
"Welcome back, Lelouch," Euphie said as she and Shirley parted from him.
"Thanks… I'm glad to be back," Lelouch said as he stepped a bit away and allowed both young women to see Nunnally.
"Nunna… your eyes…" Shirley clasped her hands over her mouth at seeing Nunnally's eyes wide open.
"I'm so glad I get finally to see you Shirley, and Euphie… I've missed seeing your face…" Nunnally was crying once again.
"I've missed you too, Nunnally!" Euphie wrapped her arms around her sister as Nunnally hugged her back. This was enough for many people around them to shed tears of their own.
"Your sister has the most beautiful eyes, Lelouch," Kaguya told him, "I look forward to seeing more of them."
"Please do look after her for me," Lelouch said to Kaguya as he ruffled her hair slightly.
Lelouch then glanced towards his Autobot partner with a smile, "Hey Bee… good to see you."
"[You too, partner,]" Bumblebee kneeled to offer his giant metal fist for a fist-bump, which Lelouch returned.
However, his smile faded as he glanced at Suzaku and Kallen, both appeared glad to see him as well, but he knew they were suffering a great deal as well.
"Suzaku… Kallen… I… I heard about Cliffjumper and Dreadwing…" he said as their smiles faded, "I'm very sorry."
Kallen wasted no time in running toward Lelouch and hugging him, which he returned without a second thought. Both in relief for him coming back, and still in mourning over her loss.
Lelouch looked up toward Arcee as well, "Let be sure we avenge him, see to it his sacrifice wasn't in vain. Alright?"
Arcee nodded with a serious, yet appreciative, expression, "Yeah… you got it… Zero."
"Welcome back Lelouch," Tohdoh smiled and nodded.
"Thank you Tohdoh," Lelouch nodded before turning to his deputy commander, "Ohgi… good to see you as well."
"Yeah, you too," Ohgi nodded.
"Come here, pal!" Tamaki pulled Lelouch into a headlock as he gave him a noogie, "How's it feel to come back from the dead, huh?!"
Lelouch chuckled slightly but pushed Tamaki away, "I wasn't dead, thank you. But it feels nice."
He then turned toward his classmates as a wave of guilt washed over him, "Milly… Rivalz… Nina… I… I didn't mean to bring you guys into this… I'm sorry."
"Dude, what are you apologizing for? It wasn't your fault," Rivalz told him.
"We're just glad you're alright Lelouch. You had us worried," Milly said.
"I know… and I'm sorry," Lelouch nodded.
He looked towards Nina as she didn't say anything but a look in her eyes told her that she was glad to see him as well.
He then turned to his half-brother, "Rai, you doing alright?"
"A broken arm and a messed-up leg, but otherwise, dandy," Rai joked, "Oh, and don't worry about Breakdown anymore."
"Yeah, thanks to your bro here, Breakdown's pushing up lugnuts," Bulkhead stated.
"One less Con to worry about. Bonified Wrecker right here," Wheeljack congratulated.
"That's good to hear," Lelouch nodded.
"Welcome back, my lord," Sayoko bowed, "I'm so happy for you and Nunnally."
"Me too," Lelouch gave a brief hug to his maid/guardian, who was happy to return it as well.
Once they parted, Lelouch looked toward his elder half-sister, "Hello, Cornelia."
Cornelia slowly walked toward her brother, much like everyone else, she was overflown with all kinds of emotions, among them was happiness and regret, "Lelouch I… I…"
Without warning, she pulled her brother into an embrace of her own, already crying, "I'm so very sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't protect your mother, or Nunnally, or you back then! I'm sorry I tried to hurt you! I'm sorry for everything! I'm just so… so… so… sorry!"
She cried as Lelouch comforted her, while deep inside, he was beyond happy at this as well, finally having the chance to mend the bond with his older sister, "I know I don't deserve it… but please… let me stay with you, and I won't ever leave you again!"
"That's fine with me. I wouldn't have it any other way," Lelouch told her sincerely.
"Well, this is certainly quite a spectacle," Lloyd walked up casually, "At first, everyone was gearing up for a funeral, but it's now a 'welcome back' party. Literally since pretty much everyone has said those same two words."
"And you must be Lloyd Asplund, the creator of the Lancelot?" Lelouch assumed.
"Guilty, tried, and convicted," Lloyd confirmed, "Though Cecile here insists she helped a little."
"Well, in that case, thanks for looking out for Suzaku," Lelouch told them before addressing the two present Knights of the Round, "Monica, Enneagram, you as well. And thank you for helping Rai, Enneagram. As well as looking out for Euphie and Cornelia."
"Of course," Monica nodded.
"Yeah, no problem," Nonette smiled.
However, his smile was quick to fade as he glanced up at Ironhide, "Give it to me straight, Ironhide. How much of a loss did we have?"
With that, all celebrations ended as the Autobot veteran gave a grim answer, "More than half our forces. We lost our heavy artillery, and almost all those who did make it back are inured, ranging from minor injuries, to missing whole limbs."
Lelouch grimaced at the thought of that before turning to the Autobot leader, "Optimus, you know Megatron better than anyone else here. What do you think would be his next move?"
"In all likelihood, Megatron's current objective will be to completely eradicate what's left of Britannia," Optimus answered, "Contrarily, while Britannia itself may be in disarray at the moment, I do see them trying to regroup and fight back against the Decepticons. In response, Megatron will likely attempt to make contact with other Decepticons scattered across the galaxy, intending to use his full force to make this world into a foundation for his new galactic order under his rule."
"I see…" Lelouch said.
"Listen up, all of you," he addressed everyone, human and Black Knight, "I'm going to keep fighting, and without a doubt, the Autobots will as well. But, with everything that's happening now and what's going to happen in the future… to say it won't be pretty will be a gross understatement. The Decepticons at their fullest will be an even worse enemy than Britannia ever was. The world will likely fall into chaos for a time… people are going to die, and I don't know how many we can save. So, if any of you want out… just tell me now. I won't hold anything against you."
"You're kidding, right?" Tamaki questioned, "You're giving us an out after all that's happened?! No way in Hell!"
"That's right, Lelouch!" Kaguya also said with a firm expression, "You expect us to turn tail and run, knowing the world's gonna be torn apart?! That's not going to happen!"
"I told you I would fight beside you Lelouch, even against these Decepticons," Tohdoh stated, "I have no intention of backing down now."
"If I leave, you won't have any proper Knightmares to work with," Rakshata said, "And I won't be able to work more with Cybertronian technology. I think I'll be staying here too."
"Yeah, I'm staying too," Ohgi stepped up, "Lelouch, you came to us when we had nothing, and look at what we've built for that! We've built an entire army from nothing before, we can do it again!"
He turned to face everyone else, Autobot and human, "I for one am not gonna sit by and watch as Megatron conquers, ruins, and kills countless lives! If I die here, fighting for a cause like this, it's about a good cause to die for. I know I probably won't be the only one. So, the question is, how do you check out? Do you want it on your feet, or your goddamn knees, begging?! Even before I became a Black Knight, I never begged! I didn't beg to Britannia and I sure as hell am not gonna beg to Megatron! He wants our submission?! Well, I say fuck him! Let's fight that monster!"
Pretty much everyone looked toward Ohgi in surprise. Hard to believe a short time ago, he was an indecisive and inexperienced individual when it came to fighting. Now he was a hardened warrior, willing to fight and even die for a cause he knew to be righteous. Chigusa looked at him in amazement before she smiled with a small blush.
"Not bad, deputy commander," Ironhide said with a smile as Ohgi looked toward him with a confident grin.
"Well, looks like you got your answer," Kallen said to Lelouch with a smile, "And I'm staying, too. Where are you gonna be without your best pilot?"
"Best pilots , you mean," Rai stood up, despite his broken leg, "We're brothers, aren't we? And brothers look out for each other."
Lelouch smiled at all his Black Knights, beyond happy at their support, "Thank you, all of you."
"I'm in too," Suzaku stepped forward, "I know I've got a long way to go… but at least now… I know I'm on the right side."
He looked around at the other Black Knights as well as the Autobots, "I don't expect any of you to forgive my actions overnight. All I ask… to all of you… is that you please give me a chance to make up for everything I've done."
"I'll see to it that you get that chance," Lelouch offered his hand to his friend, "I'm glad you're finally here, Suzaku."
Suzaku smiled back as he accepted the hand, "Me too."
"Please, let me help too," Euphie walked forward, "I know… I'm not a warrior… and the Special Zone… it was my fault… please… let me join you, Lelouch. I want to fight and protect this world."
"So do I," Cornelia also stepped up, "Much like Suzaku, I've got a lot to make up for, to everyone here… and my family. But… I want to. I want to change and fight for what's right. Please."
"Wherever Rai and these two go, so do I!" Nonette stepped up as well.
"As do I," Monica also made a stand, "Consider this my resignation from the Knights of the Round."
"May as well join in on the fun," Lloyd walked forward, "Considering the two of us are traitors and all."
"What he means is, we would be honored if you would consider accepting us into your ranks," Cecile said humbly.
Lelouch maintained his smile as he glanced up at Optimus, who nodded in approval.
"We will need all the help we can get," Optimus said, "Euphemia li Britannia, Cornelia li Britannia, Nonette Enneagram, Monica Krushevsky, Lloyd Asplund, Cecile Croomy; welcome to the Black Knights."
"We sure about this?" Tamaki whispered to Wheeljack, "I get they're tough and all but… most of them did try to kill us."
"Hey, you heard the Prime, we need the help," Wheeljack replied, "Plus, we had a few former Cons even join the Wreckers, so this ain't new to us."
"We're in too!" Milly stepped up alongside Rivalz and even Nina, "No way we're sticking to the sidelines in all this."
"We might not be expert scientists or ace Knightmare pilots, well Nina might be the first one, but I'm sure we can at least contribute somehow," Rivalz also said.
"Yes… I… I'd like a chance to stand here too," Nina stuttered at first before finishing with a firm resolve, 'I'll not only have a chance to fight against the Decepticons, but maybe I can get the chance to understand why Princess Euphemia would also fight for these people.'
She paid a glance to Euphie, who smiled with a nod of her own.
Lelouch wasn't quite sure about this. Though he was glad that his friends would be close to his side, he didn't like the idea of them getting caught in the middle of a fight against the Decepticons.
"At least this way, they'll stay here where they'll be safe," Shirley told Lelouch, "And… with the way the world is now, here might be the safest place on Earth."
"Good point," Lelouch admitted before turning back to his classmates, "Alright, you guys are in."
"Alright!" Rivalz cheered with a fist bump.
"In a non-combative function which we will determine later!" Ratchet made that clear, almost like a stern parent.
"That's fine," Milly accepted.
This, of course, caused Lelouch, Nunnally, Rai, Kallen, Suzaku, and even Monica a great deal of happiness knowing their friends and classmates were not only safe but now contributing to their cause.
"I'll join too," Chigusa stood up, "It's the least I could do… to make up for my past."
"Alright, sounds good to us," Ohgi nodded with a smile, causing Chigusa to blush slightly as she played with her hair.
"Very well. Let's get to work," Lelouch got everyone's attention, "First, let's access what we currently have at our disposal. Kaguya, where's the rest of Kyoto?"
"They, along with Katase and Diethard, are currently with Peace Mark," Kaguya answered.
"So, we are still in contact with them?" Optimus asked.
"Yes," Kaguya nodded.
"Good," Optimus replied, "Let us organize a meeting with Peace Mark's leadership as soon as possible. We'll not only need their connections and resources, but we may need to talk about a permanent joining between our two organizations."
"That's a good idea," Lelouch nodded, "Fixit, what about our informant in the Chinese Federation?"
"Li Xingke is on standby and is currently awaiting instructions from us," Fixit answered.
"Alright, let's get him on the horn as well," Lelouch instructed, "We've lost a great deal, so we're going to need to find a way to recruit more manpower."
"What about Bot power?" Bulkhead asked, "No offense to you guys, but Bots got more experience dealing with Cons and we could use the extra help."
"We've been trying to make contact with other Autobots through the Ark's systems for months, but came up empty, aside from Wheeljack who flew in by coincidence," Arcee said.
"And the Jackhammer's trashed, so I can't fly out and get reinforcements either," Wheeljack added.
"Yes, that does seem like a problem," Tohdoh agreed.
"Um… excuse me, I have an idea," Nina nervously raised her hand, getting everyone's attention, "You… you said the Decepticons would try to call for additional forces, right? Well, since they use the same kind of technology you do, maybe we… you know… could hack into their communications and use their broadcasts to get a longer range?"
Ratchet seemed to follow her train of thought, "If we were able to get into their communications and slip in a special Autobot frequency… we could piggyback off the Decepticons' signal and make contact with our scattered forces!"
Ratchet exclaimed in jubilation before he gave a triumphant laugh, "Nina Einstein, you are a genius!"
This caused Nina to look in surprise before a blushing smile formed on her face.
"Alright, everyone listen very carefully," Lelouch got everyone's attention again, "This might sound harsh, but for the moment, I think our best move should be to let Britannia and the Decepticons fight it out. The way we are now if Megatron discovers us, he can easily wipe us all out. From here on, we're going to be working quietly, from within the shadows. We'll rebuild our fighting force, stronger than ever, and we won't make a move till we're ready. I know, that while we wait, people are going to die. But there isn't anything we can do about that without risk of exposure. The best option we have is to build ourselves back up so that when we're ready to go to war, we'll have a chance to win it."
"Lelouch is correct," Optimus agreed, "While I said before preparation comes secondary to swift action, determination, and will. But at the same time, we cannot so recklessly charge into battle if our enemies hold a clear advantage. So, until we are ready, we will take our time, until the opportunity to strike comes."
"That makes sense," Cornelia nodded with everyone, some more reluctantly as they didn't like the idea of not helping people who were probably going to die. But at the same time, they knew Lelouch and Optimus were right. They can't afford to act recklessly.
Nunnally, though feeling the same as everyone else, knew she could trust Optimus and her brother. So she reached out to grab his hand, getting his attention as Lelouch looked into her lavender eyes once more, seeing a look of determination deep inside.
"We'll follow your lead. I trust you… both of you," she looked toward both Lelouch and Optimus.
Lelouch nodded as he clenched his sister's hand more firmly, "We've got a lot of work ahead of us, so let's get started."
As the Black Knights and Autobots began to discuss what their next move should be, C.C. glanced up at the Autobot leader as an idea came to mind, believing she may have found a way to tip the scales of power in their favor, if only a little bit. But at this point, they needed every advantage they could get.
After the discussion came to an end; C.C. and Optimus met alone in an empty cargo bay, the immortal requesting to speak with the Prime alone.
"C.C., is something wrong?" Optimus asked.
"Well… no, nothing wrong per se," C.C. began before she sighed, "Optimus… I don't doubt you or Lelouch… I agree that we need to take the time to build our forces but… Megatron's Dark Geass… it's unlike anything I've seen before. We can't let him roam freely with a power like that."
"Do you have a means to take this power from him?" Optimus asked again.
"No," C.C. shook her head, "Once a Geass is given, it can't be removed. I don't know how exactly this Dark Geass of his works, but if I can't even lift the effects off someone affected by it, it's unlikely I'll be able to remove the power entirely."
"What do you suggest?" Optimus continued to ask.
"A way to level the playing field between you and Megatron," C.C. revealed, "Optimus Prime… let us form a contract!"
To say Optimus was surprised was an understatement, "You wish to grant me a Geass?"
"Yes," C.C. confirmed, "I know, it's asking a lot. Like I've said many times before, I have no control over what kind of Geass you'll have, and every type has its fair share of limits, not including the risk of Geass overwhelming its host, which we've all learned from what happened with Mao and Rai… but you were able to overcome Megatron's Dark Geass with not only the power of the Matrix of Leadership but your own will. Out of everyone I've met in my immortal life, none have ever had a will that's as strong as yours, Optimus Prime."
Optimus said nothing but continued to listen to every word that C.C. had told him.
"Megatron's power…" she shivered, "It is… pure evil… I've experienced its power… and we both saw what happened to Lelouch. Not just the power itself, but to have someone like… like him … just looking into your soul… into your fears…. I've been shot, stabbed, burnt alive, blown up, and died in so many ways that would drive lesser people mad… but I never once felt so violated than with what Megatron did to me… and what happened to Lelouch was even worse. I would never wish something like that on anybody . Megatron's Geass didn't just come from the Dark Energon. It came from his twisted desires. Geass always manifests itself based on the user's deepest wishes, reflecting their inner self. The fact that it manifested in Megatron as something that takes advantage of his victims' terrors and fears… pretty much says it all. But you…. Optimus… you've transformed the lives of everyone around you… including me. I know this is a lot to ask, but if we formed a contract, maybe even through the Matrix itself, it'll give you a power that'll equal Megatron's, even surpass it. So… please… Optimus!"
She bowed her head, "Let me do this for you! Let me give you the power to fight this demon!"
When she looked up, she was surprised to see Optimus kneeling closer to her level with a gentle smile on his face.
"Cera, I would be honored to receive such a gift from you."
That took her by surprise. A part of her had hoped and expected that he'd say yes, but to actually hear him say it, with a smile on his face, and even call it a gift no-less…
"I am aware of the risks involved, but you are correct," Optimus began, "Megatron's new power is grossly disturbing, and he will likely use it in his quest to conquer and reshape not only Earth but other worlds as well. And that is one abusive power that we absolutely cannot allow. If you believe that forming a contract with me, even though the Matrix, can help to stop him… then I will accept this power, risks and all. I trust you, Cera."
Cera looked up to Optimus with an emotional smile. He trusted her! She almost couldn't believe he said that! Once more… she felt a great deal of hope building in her chest. And she had hoped she could get used to that feeling.
"Very well. Let's do it," Cera nodded as Optimus opened his chest plate to expose the Matrix of Leadership to her.
He held out his hand, allowing Cera to step on as he slowly raised her closer to the Matrix, allowing her to reach out and touch it. Once she made contact, she began to channel her power directly into it, and by extension, Optimus' spark. Once that connection was established, Cera gasped her Geass emblem, once again, began to glow a blueish-white color.
Cera gasped as she found herself in a completely new location. She no longer appeared to be in the Ark, but it almost seemed as though she was standing on a long cloud that stretched on for miles in all directions with no end in sight. The sky was dark but lit up with so many stars, that it was almost like she was in space.
"Optimus?" Cera looked around, only to appear that she was all alone, "Hello? Optimus! Where am I?!"
"In a place of sacred solitude, young one."
Cera then felt an enormous presence approach her, but as it got closer, she began to feel multiple presence all around her. Four to be specific. Once they appeared before her, she gave an audible gasp as they carried a presence among them that felt powerful and heavy, but also kind and gentle.
One, in the middle, was a towering white metallic being, with bright whiteish blue eyes; similar to Optimus, he carried with him an air of strength and virtue, but also one of compassion. The one on his left was female, with a light-silverish-pink metallic skin, and glowing pink eyes; her aura seemed that of understanding and experience. The one on the far right was male, with a primarily reddish-magenta color, white glowing eyes, as well as what appeared to be a white metallic beard on his face, while also wearing a dark purple cape; he carried an aura of wisdom. The final presence, coming from behind her, was much smaller, but by no standards, weaker; he was male, and around the same size as Cera as he bore a cyan-green metallic skin with blue eyes; the aura that came from him was that of intelligence and boundless energy.
"Hello there," the middle white one addressed the immortal girl, "You must be Cera, or do you prefer C.C.?"
"Who… who are you?" she asked in a state of amazement.
"Really?" the short one asked almost with a deadpan expression, "And here I thought you seeing us through the Matrix would be a dead giveaway."
The female gave a slight stink-eye toward the little one. "Do not be so indifferent with her. The poor girl's been through such turmoil, the least we can do is be courteous."
The little one rolled his eyes in response while the red one with the cape and beard chuckled. "I apologize for the antics of my siblings. Allow us to properly introduce ourselves. I am Alpha Trion."
"I am Solus," the female was introduced, "And the little rude one is Micronus."
"Hello," Micronus nodded, extending some form of civil greeting.
"And I am Prima," the white one in the middle introduced as well, "I'm certain that you can figure the rest out."
It didn't take long for Cera to find out who these individuals were as she looked in amazement and awe, "You're… you're… the past Primes… Optimus' predecessors…!"
"Not just any, little one. We're the originals," Micronus revealed.
"The original…" Cera fell to her knees, "I… I don't know what to say…"
She immediately bowed down to them, "I am truly humbled to be in your presence."
"Rise, child," Solus encouraged, allowing Cera to stand up, albeit shakily, still slightly overwhelmed by their presence.
"What… what is this place? Are we… inside the Matrix?" Cera asked.
"Yes and no," Alpha Trion explained, "The Matrix of Leadership carries a portion of the sparks of each of the original Primes, along with Primus himself. Though our bodies are long since dead, our 'spirits', if you will, live on through the Matrix. As such, we dwell in a realm that exists outside the normal confines of space and time, offering our wisdom and experience to those who bear the Matrix, in this case, to Optimus. This is the Realm of the Primes"
Cera looked in awe before she noticed something, "I'm sorry to ask this but… Optimus said that the originals consisted of thirteen Primes, but I only see four…"
"Oh, the others are here too," Micronous answered, "They just didn't want to meet with you. And… there is also…"
Solus gave a slight cough to stop the original Mini-Con from finishing his sentence, "There is another Prime that had forced us to remove his spark from the Matrix for… important reasons… but that is unimportant at the moment."
Cera was certainly surprised at that and could sense a heavy air the mention of this… other Prime they mentioned… especially from Solus, but she chose not to dwell on it as she allowed the Primes to speak.
"Our brethren, for a lack of a better term, were not too pleased to feel your presence enter the Realm of the Primes or channel your power through the Matrix," Prima continued, "A few even wanted to destroy you, but we sense you mean no harm, so we came here to talk."
"I'm sorry… I never meant to 'violate' your sacred realm or anything… I just…" Cera stuttered.
"You wish to give Optimus your power," Solus finished, "The power of what you call a Geass."
"Yes…" Cera confirmed, "If… you know about that, then you must know the reason why I want to give him that power."
"We are aware of that," Micronus replied, "You think that the power you'll give Optimus will counter the power Megatron wields."
"His Dark Geass is unnatural," Cera said, "We can't let him wield that power! He has to be stopped!"
"Young one, listen carefully," Alpha Trion told her, "There is a reason why Megatron's ability is so dangerous, and how he was able to gain such a power without forming what you call a 'contract' with someone like you."
"What is it?" Cera asked.
"The power you call Geass...we believe it to have originated from Unicron," Prima revealed.
Cera's eyes widened in shock as she almost felt her heart stop at that.
"Yes, we did expect that sort of reaction," Micronus observed.
"I… I had no idea I… I promise that I never knew…!" Cera stuttered, still not over this, "I don't intend to damage the Matrix or hurt Optimus I…"
"It's alright. You don't have to apologize," Solus assured as she kneeled closer to Cera, causing her to back up slightly.
But as Cera looked closer into Solus' eyes, she could almost see a gentle and understanding expression, almost identical to one that a mother would use when consoling her child, "We didn't expect you to know something like that."
"Is this the reason the other Primes were so angry?" Cera asked.
"Yes," Solus confirmed, "But we know you harbor no ill intent, which is why we are speaking now."
Cera muttered in slight realization, "That probably explains it...why Megatron got that power, without forming a contract with a Code-bearer. Dark Energon is the origin of Geass."
"That is our theory, but we have no definitive proof," Alpha Trion said, "Geass could be descended from Unicron, yes. However, that does not make it evil."
Cera looked in further surprise as Prima spoke next, "While Unicron is evil incarnate, as is his blood, power itself is neither good nor evil. It is the intent of the user that makes it so."
"That being the case, despite your power possibly being connected to Unicron, it is still possible to offer a contract to Optimus and grant him a Geass," Solus revealed, "And we can use our power, as well as that of the other Primes, to 'filter' it, so to speak. We can purge the corruptive elements so that the power won't overwhelm his mind."
"But much like with yourself, we will have no control over what kind of power he gets, or how strong it will be," Alpha Trion revealed, "That is based on Optimus' innermost desires."
"That's fine," Cera said, "It if means helping him, then I'll do whatever it takes."
"Hold on," Micronus stopped her, "There's just one thing we need to know from you. Whenever you give a Geass to an individual, you always define them as 'contracts. By definition, a contract is a binding agreement by two or more individuals that mutually benefit them. Those that get your power are benefited by said power, but how do you benefit from it?"
She didn't quite expect to ask this, "I… benefit by helping Optimus. If we stop Megatron…"
"No, that's not what I asked you," Micronus interrupted, "Let me clarify. What was it you wanted from your previous 'contractors'? Like that boy that Optimus seems so fond of. You offered him power, but what does he do for you in return? What is it you truly want from giving these powers? Is it the same thing you want from Optimus? Depending on your answer, the other Primes won't allow you to form a contract with him."
Cera didn't know what to say at first. This was honestly the first time she ever really thought about this. But as she looked back on it, on all the other contracts she formed in the past, she also thought back to all the times she's 'died'. Every painful method that was used to kill her, as well as all the physical and emotional pain that she endured while living for so long… the more she thought about it, the more she realized that back then… all she wanted… was for it to end.
"I've wanted to die," Cera finally answered as the four Primes listened carefully, "Or at the very least, get rid of this damn immortality. Sure, it might come in handy at times, but it's all a nightmare. I've died so many times that I've honestly lost count. I've seen people come and go, I've tried to form friendships and bonds with people… only to watch them fade away. I couldn't take it anymore… and if I couldn't die… I just gave up. That was what I wanted. To end the pain, above all else."
The Primes each had serious expressions on their faces, but Cera wasn't done yet.
"But now it's different. What I said before was true… I do desire to help Optimus because I want to stop Megatron. But… deep inside… I… I just wanted to stay with him and everyone else… ever since I met them… Lelouch… Optimus… the other Autobots and Black Knights… and their friends… something inside me changed. I just want to stay with them, I think I'm starting to feel connections with them, real connections again."
Tears were already forming in her eyes, "I don't want to lose any of that. Megatron will destroy everything if he's not stopped. I don't want to go back to hell… where I'm all alone, unchanged, with everything else changing and vanishing all around me. Please… I know it might be childish, maybe even selfish… but please! I am begging you!"
Cera kneeled and bowed her head to the Primes as she cried, "Just let me stay with them! That's all I ask! I'll do anything and everything you want! Just don't make me leave!"
"Very well."
She slowly looked up to see each of them: Prima, Solus, Alpha Trion, and even Micronus looking down at her with smiles.
"We'll allow it," Prima nodded.
Cera almost couldn't believe it, "Really…?"
"Yes," Solus confirmed, "We'll allow you to form this contract with Optimus and grant him a Geass."
"And even use our power to purify it of its corruptive influence," Alpha Trion added.
Cera's tears continued to flow, but not from sorrow or sadness, but from joy, "Thank you…"
"However…" Micronus teased with a smirk, "We expect something in return. Think of it as a 'contract' of our own. We'll let you give Optimus a Geass, and even purify it for you. But in return, you must do everything in your power to help him. To not only stop Megatron, but the dark power that he wields. If left unchecked, Megatron's actions could send all of existence on a one-way path to total annihilation."
"So, will you accept this contract, Cera?" Prima asked as other large individuals all began to surround her.
Each was of their unique size and shape, some more intimidating than the others. One even bore large wings, one had green tentacles, and another seemed to carry an aura of manipulation for some unknown reason. She could only assume that these were all the other Primes as a total of eleven figures surrounded her.
"Will you devote yourself to the cause of freedom and justice that Optimus and his allies fight for?"
With a sense of determination and fierce willpower flowing through her, Cera stood up on her own two feet with a steeled resolve.
"Yes!" she declared, unintentionally quoting her most recent contractor, "I hereby accept the terms of your contract!"
"Then let's begin," Prima said as all the Primes that circled her began to glow, along with Cera's body.
The Geass emblem on her forehead glowed a bright white light as she was surrounded by the Primes' ring of light before it shined in all directions.
"Till all are one!" all the Primes said in unison.
Cera gasped as she was brought back to reality, stumbling on the floor of the Ark's cargo bay as she looked toward Optimus with an expression of awe.
"I… I saw them… the Primes…!" she stuttered and exclaimed in a tone identical to that of an excited child talking to their parents, "All of them! I… I never felt a presence so strong… Optimus… did it…"
However, she stopped once she saw Optimus' smiling face. That very same smile told her that he already knew everything that happened. Once she got a good look in his optics, and she could see the emblem of a Geass within both of them. But it wasn't red like her previous contractors, it was a pure white, which matched perfectly with the blue glow in his eyes.
"Till all are one," Optimus said, his smile still present. One that Cera returned with a smile of her own.
"Till all are one."
From Earth, the Decepticon warship known as the Nemesis had broadcasted a message that was reaching its way to the farthest corners of the galaxy, to the other Decepticons that remained in hiding, scavenging for Energon to survive. This message they would receive was a call to arms from their leader, one that they could not ignore.
" Fellow Decepticons, take head! Your leader, Megatron lives and calls to you! Though we remained dispersed and scattered throughout the cosmos, our home of Cybertron forever lost to us, we are all still Decepticons, united by a common purpose. I have found a new world, rich with Energon, a world from which we shall use as our foundation to build a new galactic order! The time has come to put aside our differences, and act as one under my undisputed leadership! Only then can we take this galaxy and return our race to its rightful glory! Working together, we can raise our glorious empire once more… and crush all who stand in our way! All Hail Megatron!"
However, unbeknownst to Megatron, or any other Decepticon that may be listening, on Earth or scattered in space, there was a hidden message carried along with the Decepticons' call to arms. One that was hidden carefully by a special code that only Autobots could identify. It would reach many other Autobots taking refuge in space, even those that were on the Ark during the Exodus but were lost and scattered when the ship was pulled into the unstable wormhole once they left Cybertron.
" This is Optimus Prime, to all surviving Autobots who hear this message, I ask you to join me in a remote corner of the galaxy, on a small planet rich with Energon. However, this world has also become a target of Decepticon conquest, who have already begun to usurp this world and its inhabitants. Our team is small but strong, and we have been joined by the inhabitants of this planet who have chosen to take a stand alongside us to defend their home: true warriors, if not in body, then in spirit. I know we have all lost many comrades and friends, even our home. Though Cybertron may be lost, hope remains. Join us at these coordinates, so that we may finally put an end to the Decepticons' ambitions of conquest and destruction. Safe journeys. Till all are one."
THE END
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