It was a rare sight to find Lelouch rubbing his forehead in an attempt to mitigate a headache. Nonetheless, there he was. Suffering a headache or an approximation of it. The realisation he’d just had hit him rather hard and made him realise how damned much experimentation he was going to need to do. Quickly. Discretely. That last point was the real deal breaker given how hard - difficult - it would be to use some of these techniques effectively on anyone.
Yet he would need to. There was no way around this. He absolutely had to use every single technique in this book and the reason - oh but the reason - was a doozy. How best to illustrate the thought process of someone like Lelouch? Well...
Back when he first got his Geass power, he had made assumptions about it that were incorrect. He did not - nor had any way to - know anything at all about its limitations. Eye contact required. Only works on a given person once and once alone. These were things he was not told, but had to figure out for himself.
Now he had acquired a book containing no less than thirty three different techniques for inducing hypnosis. All of which hinged upon him having a dick so large it almost qualifies as a leg. One question had leaped into his mind unbidden. Why thirty three different techniques? The book was not particularly helpful in this matter. It merely described the various techniques, but that didn’t stop Lelouch from working it out. Each technique has its own vulnerabilities that the others cover in some manner or other. Which meant he had to familiarise himself with the inherent limitations of thirty three separate techniques and work out as quickly as possible what situation each was intended for if he was to have any hope of making any effective use of the contents of this book.
Right. Well, more than one test subject would be needed if this was to work. Preferably subjects he could geass into forgetting about the entire ordeal when it was all over and done with. For now, he would have to undo the changes to C.C. wake her up and -
And... That was where the headache had really begun to get noticeable. He flipped through the pages, reached the page for the transformative words, and read on.
Boobicus Maximus
Make them titties grow! One bust size per utterance, and every chick under your thrall in earshot gets a bit more in their funbags.
How to undo: Turn to page 53
He turned to page 53. It consisted of a single sentence.
Why would you want to?
Shit.
His phone chose that moment to vibrate as a reminder. He had a meeting with the Black Knights later on, which meant he didn’t have the time to deal with this right now. He flipped over to the appropriate page in the book after a moment’s thought and found what he was looking for.
Biggus Dickus
Your schlong not big enough? Say these words while holding the book yada yada, we know this bit, get to the part that matters...
How to undo: Turn to page 53.
That settled it. If Lelouch ever met the man that wrote this book, he would geass the bastard into saying the phrase over and over until he died.
All of which led to the present point, where he was nursing his headache while trying to work out how the hell he was going to fit into this costume. Or even move without raising a few eyebrows. This was not a meeting he could afford to miss - not that any was a meeting he could afford to miss - and he doubted that they’d show quite the same kind of loyalty required of them if he decided to show up with a tentpole stuck in his underwear.
And then there was C.C. to consider. He couldn’t leave her in a trance forever...Sooner or later she would snap out of it or - something! As annoying as the witch could be her assistance was too useful to his plans to discard her like this. Lelouch didn’t have much time to waste. He needed to act fast!
The contrast between outside and in was stark and almost beautiful. Outside, angular dark and menacing. A war machine, a massive tank, mobile death writ large. On the inside, comfort, light and security. This was the mobile base of the Black Knights, a manner of ensuring they could not be pinned down to any one location no matter what their movements that would serve as protection in case they ever were by foolish chance.
Kallen looked around and smiled. To think they would grow so much in so short a time! Where before they were little more than gnats biting at the heels of a giant, now they were developing into a force to be reckoned with.
It was all because of one man, one brilliant leader. Charismatic. Tactically brilliant. Resourceful, inspirational and a complete mystery. He may hide behind a mask, but he could inspire either trust, hope, fear or rage in anyone he met.
He was also late. Which was not like him at all.
“You don’t think something’s happened to him? I mean - “
“Give him a little more time,” Kallen responded. “He must have a life of his own behind that mask, otherwise why hide his face? Perhaps something unexpected came up, and -”
“A correct summation!” Zero declared, having somehow managed to appear in the middle of the room without anyone even noticing. “A recent development has altered my plans slightly, and created a brand new opportunity that we must seize immediately!”
It was amazing. All activity in the room ceased as Zero’s presence drew all attention unto himself as he stood there, larger than life. Though, odd thing, he was standing with his cloak closed off without making any of his usual exaggerated gesticulation.
“The first stage of any suitable conflict... Is information!” Zero declared. “For that reason, if we are to defend the weak from the strong, then we must have our eyes and ears readily available to perceive the strong! As it has been said in the past, forewarned is forearmed.”
“You mean, you’ve figured out a way to eavesdrop on Britannian nobles?” Kalen gasped. “But... How?”
“Lights, dim!” Zero commanded, and so it came to be as the lighting dimmed to a much lower level. Their masked leader spun around and pointed a remote control at a far off wall, causing it to fold out into a screen displaying a map of the city, drawing all attention towards the only source of light in the room. Zero slid out of the way in an effortless motion to stand next to the screen, once again facing the Black Knights with his cloak carefully closed off. Almost like he was hiding something aside from his face. Weird, and definitely needed enquiring about.
“This is the Gold Standard Britannian Spa!” he said, as a circle appeared around a particular area of the map. The map zoomed in rather quickly, showing the front of the building in question, before dividing into quadrants showing different perspectives of the same area. “It is a high class spa with the highest reputation in its industry, considered by critics of such matters as the greatest spa outside ‘the homeland’. This reputation leads many highly esteemed nobles to regularly attend it, to pamper themselves.”
“Hm... So, what are you planning? Taking hostages doesn’t seem your style!”
“Even if we were that kind of organisation,” Zero began, “I would not deem it as strategically viable as my true plan. If hostages were to be taken, Cornelia would almost certainly bomb the place to be rid of terrorists and hostages alike! No. It is better to try a different path. Remember, our goal is information!”
“You want to put spies around the building,” Kallen said. “Get people working for them, eavesdrop on conversations. A place like that is bound to perform background checks.”
“Indeed! That is why we must follow my plan. Then, we shall have complete control over this spa. From there, we shall acquire information from these nobles while they are at their most vulnerable, completely oblivious to the simple fact that they are being pumped for information.”
It was a quiet day at the Gold Standard Spa. But then again, it always was. It always would be. This was the nature of the building, the nature of his life, the nature of pampering itself. ‘Twas the most glorious of artforms reserved only for those truly deserving of it. The higher classes, the ones who had to contend with the stress of managing the lower classes. Oh, but those ungrateful poor! They did not understand the responsibility nor the difficulties that wealth inevitably brought.
James Harling the Third beckoned for his maid to peel and feed him another grape as he wept for the ignorance of such lowborn slobs. If only they had the capacity to learn their place, perhaps then the foolish terrorist action could be brought to a halt. Then fools like that masked man, what was his name again? Nothing? Oblivion?
“Zero to see you, master Harling,” his secretary announced with her usual flourish and bow. Yes, that was right. Zero! The fools name was -
“Zero!” he exclaimed as the man himself marched right into the room! The gall of the man! To walk into this very establishment, somehow make it past all of the guards and present himself in this room!
“A pleasure to meet you mister Harling,” Zero said in a mocking tone of voice. The sheer audacity! He’d suffer for this! “I do hope that I have not interfered with a hard day of lounging around while looking down on those with less wealth than yourself.”
“You filthy dog,” Harling laughed, in spite of himself. “I shall have the skin flayed from your bones for this insult!”
“As I was just telling your secretary just now,” Zero said, a portion of his mask sliding aside to reveal his left eye. Suddenly the entire world went a little bit wobbly, perhaps he shouldn’t have had that last glass of wine. “You will assist the Black Knights in any way I deem necessary.”
“Yes, yes of course. Whatever you need,” Harling said without hesitation or reservation. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel Zero’s smile under his mask.
“To begin with, you shall arrange a special day trip for the Ashford Academy student council, and will justify it as a publicity stunt when asked by anyone. Even myself or the Black Knights. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Good. Next, you will clear a path for the rest of the Knights to enter this room, so that we can... discuss more closely the nature of your assistance. When asked why you are helping us, imply blackmail.”
Harling gestured for his phone, and was granted it by his confused maid. “Initiate a fire drill immediately,” he said down the line. “Ah, and once the drill is completed I would like you to have some uniforms prepared, the sizes and number will be made known to you when they are needed.”
He hung up the line, and smiled at Zero. “I assume you would like to be able to leave unnoticed as well. The uniforms will provide that much at least. Have your friends enter from the west door in about five minutes, the corridors should be all clear by then...”
He did it. He pulled off another miracle. The entire building appeared to be clear of guards, they had a free route all the way into the office of the man that owned one of the most prestigious spas in the world. Kallen’s mind was reeling, it truly seemed as though nothing was beyond Zero’s reach. He really could do it. Everything he promised was possible.
“You are all to be measured for uniforms!” Zero declared. “This will make it much easier to move in and out of the spa. I will have my own arrangements made, but it should not be necessary for me to return. Unless our host makes it necessary.”
The owner wiped his fat forehead with a handkerchief that was probably worth more than the average salary of any Japanese these days. Blackmail. Of course. Zero seemed to have a knack for discovering people’s weak points, especially those that were supposedly powerful otherwise.
A secondary base of operations had presented itself. From here, they would be able to drain all the secrets right out of every stinking noble that came through these doors, and maybe even keep up this pattern. They'd have every last noble in Japan secretly working for them before anyone even knew what was happening.
- Lelouch returns home to find C.C. awake and aware of her changes.
- Lelouch returns home to find C.C. awake and unaware of her changes.
- Lelouch takes an opportunity to test out a few tricks from the book.
- Kallen asks Zero what he's hiding in his cape.
- Something else
Well done, well done. Taking control of the spa might as well have been an actual sequence from the series, as it's perfectly in line with Zero's canon operations.
ReplyDelete