Story: Tainted Cube: Nothing and Zero

 So here's this! I'll be setting up a discussion thread shortly for Ranma, so let's see if you can get any ideas spinning.


 ===

The Holy Britannian Empire. An interesting description for a government that does not officially believe in the supernatural. Holy as used in this instance implies the strict belief that they are ordained by God to rule all that they shall. Holy implies a higher power has given them authority. But in truth? They did not believe in a higher power, by and large. They believed in a perversion of evolutionary theory. They believed in so-called social Darwinism: Those that are strong enough should be permitted to take what they like. If you lose in anything, it is because you are too weak. The idea that conflict and competition promotes growth taken to its most logical extreme, ignoring the simple fact that this can carry you only so far before cooperation is absolutely necessary. Regardless of how strong a single person may be, they can only do so much alone.

Irrespective of the failings of their philosophy, it has permitted them the opportunity to advance tremendously in various scientific endeavours. Knightmare frames have given them sufficient power to seize control of the entire world, and even when the rest of the world started to develop frames of their own they had enough of a headstart that it didn’t really matter at all. They were constantly leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else, and it was only so long before they’d have complete dominance over the planet.

Then all of a sudden Sachiel shows up and reminds them all that even if you’re the biggest dog in the yard there’s always a possibility that something else will outgrow you in an unexpected way. Such is the nature of evolution. Certainly, it had been put down. But it had gotten attention. The kind of attention one might think would be given towards Prince Clovis’ demise, but to be quite frank Charles was not the kind of Emperor or father who gave the slightest damn about his children. If they died? They died. They were too weak to protect themselves. Revenge would not even pass his thoughts. The only thing he would do is give a speech to repeat his philosophy to the masses. Nothing more than that.

On the other hand… A rampaging monster appearing in the middle of a Britannian-controlled Area that swept aside their most advanced Knightmare frames without seeming to try, and was ultimately overcome by working with an external force… Well. That rather <i>did</i> get his full and immediate attention. For which reason he was engaged in a conference call extending all the way to Area Eleven, with a different face on each of three screens. Upon one was his son Schneizel, on another Margrave Jeremiah and on the last the scientist within Area Eleven leading that portion of the investigation.

“Unfortunately, it appears that the sample analysis has been inconclusive,” the scientist said. “A remarkable pity. I was eagerly anticipating the data, but it appears that analysis of its genetic structure has yielded no understandable results. The creature remains a mystery in spite of our best efforts to comprehend it.”

“If you will forgive my hypothesis,” Gottwald said. “I believe it was an artificially grown specimen. Perhaps intended to behave as a counter to our Knightmare frames.”

“An interesting conjecture,” Schneizel remarked. “However, as your scientist points out, we cannot know for certain. It might be more productive if you were to investigate these other two that fought alongside your new Lancelot model.”

The scientist’s smile widened, doubtless finding some tremendous amusement in Schneizel's suggestion. “But of course,” he said. “This is where I must admit to being truly baffled. If I may show a recording of the battle?” Charles gave a curt nod, and the scientist’s face was replaced with an image of the strange creature towering over a young woman dressed in gleaming white garments. “If it would not be too much trouble, could you please describe the young woman in the centre of the picture?”

“A young woman dressed like a white king from a chess set,” Schnezel said. “Which makes the design of the black Knightmare frame all the more interesting. A chess motif, perhaps?”

“I fail to see the relevance,” Charles said. “Proceed to the point immediately.”

“I can make the point with a simple question,” the scientist replied. The image magnified over the girl dressed as the white king. “Please, indulge me this: Describe her hair.”

It was a nonsensical question. Anyone could see it as plain as day! It spilled down her back full of life and radiance! It was - It was - He frowned. Charles’ vision flickered over towards his son, and then towards Gottwald. He could see it in their expressions without either needing to say a thing. Neither of them could conjure the words. None of the three of them could describe something so simple, so helpful in narrowing down the identity of this peculiar girl.

Geass. It was the only explanation. The simple truth of the matter was that nothing else made the remotest hint of sense. Somehow this girl had acquired a powerful effect that was either the Power of Kings or very similar to it, and it was capable of masking her appearance even through photographs.

That alone made her even more dangerous than first realised.

“This is a particularly potent mental effect that lingers in all images taken of her,” the scientist noted. “Fascinating, isn’t it?”

Yes, it rather was. Internally Charles knew he had little choice now but to contact his brother. Permit the Geass Cult to investigate the matter. But so far as these three were concerned -

“I understand that Cornelia has almost concluded her latest campaign! I shall send her and Euphemia to Area Eleven with instructions to investigate on my behalf once she has finished. Gottwald! You are to investigate Clovis’ death. Resolve this issue quickly to free Cornelia from distractions so that she can focus on this string of mysteries instead of petty revenge. Send all currently known information regarding this issue to the address about to appear on your screen. Whatever mongrel dares challenge our authority must be found and put down before it spreads the sickness of equality!”

“All hail Britannia,” the other three said, and without any further ceremony Charles ended that call there and then. Let them do their own little dance. He had other things to take care of right now.

<hr>
The assistant’s life was never done, not really. Pity poor Cecile for having to work for someone like Lloyd. The man got rather wrapped up in his work, and only really cared remotely about the science part of it. You want your typical mad scientist archtype? Lloyd’s your man! Unfortunately real world science did tend to involve a lot of paperwork. It wasn’t just tests and experiments. And it was those other things that Lloyd never particularly cared for.

As an example, Cecile had spent a large portion of the morning organising paperwork, coalescing all information regarding the scientific portion of the investigation into the so-called “Angel in Shinjuku” incident so that it could be shared with scientists in the Homeland. Then once she was done with that, she had been the one to conduct the physical examination of Suzaku Kururugi to ensure there were no lasting physical effects from the battle.

Okay, so that last one hadn’t been such a terrible event. But that didn’t mean she should be letting her thoughts linger on it like this; in fact, all she wanted to do now that she was back home was relax with this nice hot cup of coffee and -

“Well, ’ello there!” said a talking stuffed bear jumping onto the side of her couch. “Never thought I’d find you like this! I’m Nemo, pleased ta meet you!”

Cecile stared very long and hard at the bear, then shifted that same gaze down to the mug of coffee from which she’d just taken a sip. In her mind’s eye she saw Lloyd’s face and imagined him slipping something into her water supply. A hallucinogen of some sort, obviously. Probably best to check the plumbing from top to bottom, especially if it just took a sip to make her see talking stuffed bears.

It is perhaps a telling thing that while this is a fairly common joke response to seeing something bizarre, not only was Cecile deadly serious… but she’d been the subject of this sort of experiment by Lloyd in the past. He really had absolutely no scruples whatsoever regarding test subjects for his experiments. None.

“Hey, are you gonna just stare at the cup all night, or are ya gonna listen to what I gotta tell you?” the hallucination insisted, even tugging on her arm. Tactile hallucinations, even? The consistency was certainly interesting as well. At least the walls weren’t melting or anything like that.

“Go away,” she firmly said. “You don’t exist, and since I’m quite aware of that all I need to do is will you away.”

“Oh great, you’re one of those,” the bear said. “Listen, just do me one small favour and I’m gone! Got it? You just gotta say White Pawn, and I’ll be gone!”

Cecile frowned. What a strange request, but then again who was she to try and reason her way around something that plainly didn’t exist in the first place? “No,” she said. “I’m not listening to you. There’s absolutely no way you’re going to get me to say that. In fact, I’m not even going to acknowledge your presence from now on, so there’s no point in convincing me to try to say that!”

“Try to say what?”

“White Pawn.”

Great. She’d been tricked by an aspect of her own imagi-… Uh oh. This was a rather terrible sign. Her skin was glowing this eerie white, and it almost looked like her clothing was dissolving off her body. Weirder still was this growing feeling of - “Ooh” Almost sort of like - “Ah! Ah!” a building, growing pressure deep inside her that was begging for release and - “What’s ha-happening to me?!”

“Nothing much,” the hallucination said. “Just the energies filling you all the way up. You’ll be good in a sec.”

Without warning she was. She simply was. It felt nice, like floating on a cloud while every inch of your body was gently tickled with feathers. Cecile rose to her feet, still feeling groggy but somehow feeling perfectly balanced at the same time. Her gaze drifted downwards and she blinked in dumb amazement.

“What am I even wearing?!” she cried, spinning around to look at herself all the better. “What sort of skirt is this? A mini-hoop skirt? What is this around my chest? Some sort of corset?”

“To answer your questions in order: The White Pawn’s uniform, a mini-hoop skirt, yes, a corset, yes.”

This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real! And yet, all the evidence of her senses insisted it was so. She focused her attention on other things in the room one at a time. The door didn’t spontaneously transform into a watermelon. The floor didn’t drip upwards. The ceiling was not replaced by a dragon reading poetry. In point of fact they all stayed rather mundane. The only things in the room that were remotely strange were the talking bear and her new inexplicable apparel.

“I guess now you’d be more ready to listen to me talk about Fenrir and the Angels and everything?”

… Could it be? Could this actually be real? Cecile sat back down on the couch and stared at the intruding bear with renewed interest. Assuming this was real… Assuming she wasn’t just dreaming or hallucinating or whatever, she could easily just give everything over to Lloyd and from there -

“First up, I gotta tell you!” the bear said. “I know you work for that scientist guy, but you gotta keep this quiet. See, there’s a buncha folk in Britannia working for Fenrir without even knowing it, and if they get wind of who you guys are it’ll all go tits up. Excuse my French. Promise not to say anything?”

“First tell me who Fenrir is, then we’ll see what I do about it,” Cecile replied.

<hr>
The day after tomorrow. That would be the proper beginning of everything. The day that his supposedly normal life would disappear behind a mask. But for the time being?

“I think it was Mrs Peacock in the Dining Room with the Candlestick.”

He would enjoy what little time he had left before his world would turn upside down. He would spend that time with his dear sweet and innocent sister, to remind himself of what he was fighting for. Because he could so easily see it coming. The terrible things he would have to do in days to come. Would he take another life so coldly as he took Clovis’? Would he have the strength to endure the nightmares yet to come?

Nunnally’s smiling face told him that yes. Yes, he would. In spite of himself, and in spite of the fact that she would hate him for it if she ever found out, he could do it. All for her. All to bring about a better world. For her. For everyone. Everyone except himself.

“Are you feeling alright, Nunnally?” Lelouch asked. “You seem a little distracted this evening.”

“Eh?” she said, seeming surprised. “I do? In what way?”

To begin with, the uncharacteristic way she was fidgeting. Little twitches in her hands and arms, unconsciously rubbing her legs underneath the table. A particularly strange twitch, given that she didn’t have any feeling in them…

“You seem a little flushed for some reason,” he said quite honestly, though the rest of her body language was screaming <i>something</i> was <i>very</i> much up. “Are you feeling unwell? Nunnally, I know you enjoy our games night but if you’re not feeling up to it -”

“Oh, no, that’s not it at all!” she insisted, eagerly waving her hands through the air with a faint (adorable) blush on her cheeks. “I’m feeling quite alright, really! Actually, I feel kind of good right now!”

Lelouch sighed. Just like her to put on a brave front so nobody else would worry about her. He strode around the table and ruffled the girl’s hair with a faint chuckle. “I see,” he said. “Well, if there was something the matter I’d be more likely to worry about you if you keep it bottled up inside than if you would tell me what it was.”

All of a sudden the air around the room completely stiffened, and both siblings were completely unaware of the strange glaze in the other’s eyes. “You’re quite right, brother,” Nunnally slurred. “I’m not feeling very good right now. I think it’s time for me to go to bed.”

“Alright,” Lelouch slurred back. “While you rest I will do some homework. Please don’t disturb either of us, Sayako.”

Lelouch was barely even aware of the walk to his room, or of closing the door behind him. All he did know was that something deep inside him felt very strange, very good and if he didn’t do something right this second he was going to - Going to…

And then Tsukune’s desire took full hold over Lelouch’s body and mind. For even with his ability to convince anyone of anything he wanted, Tsukune still felt completely useless in combat. For this reason and this reason alone Lelouch’s mind went completely empty, and then when it was filled with nothing at all it began to be filled with… zero.

<hr>
Dammit, what was the matter with her? Kallen could hardly even walk down the street back home without her mind taking a wander down some frankly filthy avenues, and it was becoming an ever-increasing distraction second by second! In particular her mind kept travelling back to that one boy from school. Typical Britannian brat. Just a little bit arrogant, a lot pretentious and completely full of himself. Probably treat her like dirt the second he found out she was half ‘Eleven’ and wouldn’t even be interested in another quick shag in the -

Ah! No! No, no, no! She did not <i>want</i> to have sex with him again, no matter how amazing it was and no matter how satisfied she was when she staggered out after they were done. Her fist flew out and crashed into a nearby wall, and Kallen had to wince a little. She was strong, but a wall was a wall and a human fist was still a human fist. If nothing else the pain served as a neat distraction from -

“Well, well, what do we have here?” a voice said from a nearby alley. “Are you lost, Eleven?”

Kallen peered around the corner and felt her blood begin to boil. Two Britannian police officers, cornering a very thin-looking Japanese woman carrying a bag. They roughly grabbed it away from her, tossing her back against the wall without the remotest bit of care in the world.

“Well now, what do we have here?” one of the officers said. “This looks far too expensive and nice for a lousy Eleven to have! I bet you’ve been doing a little window shopping in this neighborhood, haven’t you?”

“P-please, no! I didn’t do anything! Those are -”

“Stolen goods!” one of the cops interrupted. “Just admit it now, and it’ll go all the easier for you! Or maybe you’d rather it if we roughed you up a bit?”

Kallen’s mind went back to that battle against the Angel. People working together against a common threat. How easily they tossed it away when the threat was gone. How easily the bullies showed their true colours once again. Before, she could hardly risk doing something about this in person: They would remember her face and rain down hell upon her and her family.

Except that right now Kallen was about as frustrated as she’d ever been in her entire life for reasons she didn’t particularly care for. If she couldn’t fuck Lelouch, then she could fuck subtlety
instead.

“Black Queen transform!” she whispered, feeling the shadows themselves bend to her very command. A regal dress formed all around her, clinging unashamedly to her curves and filling her with power. Hers was the night to command. Before her beauty and strength, all would bend their knee! Striking in all manners from the eternal darkness, she was the Black Queen!

“If you boys want someone to rough up, give me a try!” she yelled, rounding the corner with the ferocity of a charging rhino. The two policemen blinked in surprise, and one of them even reached for his radio. Not today. Kallen was beside him in the blink of an eye, driving her knee into his sternum. He folded like an accordion. His friend had the presence of mind to pull out a gun, only for Kallen to spin kick him into a completely unconscious state of mind. Only now did she turn her attention to the terrified Eleven. She stared the trembling girl in the eyes and asked, “Are you alright?”

The girl nodded. The Black Queen returned her bag, and the girl very nearly jumped right out of her skin before running down the street in abject terror. It was difficult to blame her. As for those two, they were slowly recovering. The perfect time to teach them a few lessons.

“So, you like to pick on innocent Elevens for no good reason?” the Black Queen yelled. “Your job is to protect the public interest! Not discriminate against and intimidate them!”

“You should take your own advice!” a new voice called, a woman the Black Queen did not recognise. She dropped the police officers and let them scurry away so that she could take in the figure she was looking at. “To assault the police in such a manner is quite an appalling manner of behaviour! I am the White Pawn! Forever advancing forward and leading the charge of light!”

The White Pawn, was it? She looked completely ridiculous! And kind of hot, but that may just be the hormones screaming at her. Regardless! The Black Queen smirked to herself. “Just a pawn to face a queen? You’re a little outmatched, aren’t you?”

“You should not underestimate the White Pawn!” said another new voice, and the Black Queen’s gaze turned up towards a nearby rooftop. She knew this figure on sight! The White King! “Nor should you abuse your powers outside of battles with Angels! The more we transform, the more attention we draw to ourselves from outside sources!”

“That may well be,” the Black Queen said. “But you do realise that if I defeat you here and now Black will become strong enough to overthrow the Angels without needing your help?”

“Then what would you do? Allow Black to rule the world? How is that any better for anyone?!”

“Anything would be better than Britannia!” the Black Queen roared, and she could already feel the frame begin to form over her entire body. Let us see how well a pawn and a king match up to a queen! As expected, the White King instantly moved out of danger so that her attempt to mow the enemy leader down immediately failed. But her attention was more towards the pawn. What could she do? The Black Queen snorted in derision as the White Pawn took a single step forward! What was this? Two terribly slow opponents? Completely lacking agility or firepower? This would be trivial!

“There’s no escape,” she yelled as her frame flew up into the air. How was it you won a game of chess? Pin down the king so that escape was impossible! Yes, this seemed like the proper course of action to take! Let her weave left and right! Let her use that power to avoid danger all she wanted! It was easy to discern the pattern and limitations, easy to use those to push her back and back and back into a corner! Soon enough there would be no escape!

“Checkmate,” the Black Queen said. “Nowhere left to dodge!”

“I quite agree,” the White King replied. A puzzling statement. What could she have possibly meant by -

“Pawn transformation!” a voice cried out just behind her. “Form of: Castle!”

Something hit her in the back, and it hit <b>hard</b>. How hard? Enough that it forced her out of the frame form and bouncing off the wall in front of her before landing her in a crumpled heap at the White King’s feet. The girl put a foot on the Black Queen’s chest and looked down at her with such pity in her eyes.

“Please,” she said. “You must learn what it is to have restraint. It is pointless for us to fight one another!”

“A most astute point, White King! Though it pains my heart to hear you say it!”

A man wearing a half mask stepped out of the shadows with a cape flowing after him like it was made of the very stuff of darkness itself. The Black Queen fell in lust at first sight. This commanding presence, the charisma she could almost see as a palpable object! It was everywhere!

“I apologise for my Queen,” he said with a slight bow. “Please, if you would permit, I would prefer to educate her for her wrongdoing.”

The White King removed her foot, though the Pawn did not for a single second drop her guard. The masked man extended a hand that the Black Queen readily took, and the next thing she knew they were fading into the blackness together. Side by side.

“You may call me Zero, m’lady!” the masked man said, leaning in for a kiss that she made no effort to resist. “I can see that the power of Black is overwhelming your senses. With your permission, I would like to return you to your normal state of mind.”

“Normal state of mind… What are you talking about?”

“Are you not aware?” Zero asked. So close. So tantalisingly close. “How strange. I would have thought you would be aware that this arcane power is being channelled through your body, and that the only way this can be safely performed has the unfortunate side effect of supercharging your libido. My purpose is to give you and your team the sexual gratification required to permit you and your allies to focus on the battle. If left unattended too long, you shall begin to behave based on instinct instead of reason!”

“Does this also affect White?” she asked. Those two didn’t seem as though they were out of sorts, so far as she could see.

“Yes,” Zero replied. “But it will have different kinds of effects on their behaviour. You favour justice, but they favour order. They shall have their own gratifier, but I do not know if they have even met him yet.

“However! It is up to you! I can return you to the streets, or we could engage in a long, thorough and satisfying roll in the hay. What say you?”

She didn’t say anything. Instead the Black Queen simply stepped back and reached behind her neck to undo a single enchanted clasp that she alone could undo. Her black dress slid to the floor, leaving a stunning, naked Kallen ready for the night of her life.
<hr>
The next morning rolled by and Nunnally pulled herself into a seated position on her bed. It had been an interesting night. She had a new ally. The White Pawn. She was such a nice lady, very pretty and smart too! Nunnally giggled at the thought of making a new friend out of this, then stopped and frowned. Something felt a little strange for some reason. Something felt -

“Are… Are my breasts a little bigger today?” she wondered aloud, carefully reaching up to check. Oh! Yes, they most certainly were! Rather sensitive as well! This was all quite new to her: When would she have had the opportunity to feel arousal before any of this? Never. One of the lesser consequences of that terrible day. Still, for her breasts to swell up so much so quickly…

There wasn’t much else for it. She would have to contend with the day as it came to her. In the meantime, it would be best if she checked out the news in case last night’s event caught some unwanted attention.

“It is our tragic duty to inform you all that Prince Clovis has been found dead,” the television declared. Nunnally gasped in horror. Who could have done such a terrible thing? “The man suspected as the murderer has already been arrested. According to this report, he is an honorary Britannian known as -”

<hr>
Cecile could barely believe the news. Suzaku Kururugi, arrested for Prince Clovis’ murder? Impossible. His location was known at the time the death occurred! But the truly aggravating part of it all was Lloyd. She should be used to him being uncaring of what happened to the people around him, but shouldn’t he at least be disturbed that the perfect pilot for his pet project had been arrested for something he plainly did not do?!

“The purebloods have the military at the moment,” Lloyd shrugged. “And besides which, my hands are rather tied with the investigation of these Angels and that mystery girl dressed like a White King. Oh, how I’d love to get my hands on her to investigate her inner workings!”

Yes. The mystery girl dressed as the White King. Wasn’t that a story to tell! It insulted her sensibilities as a scientist to accept the possibility of the supernatural, but nor could she fully deny the evidence of her own sense either. Clearly there was an advanced technology being employed that she did not yet understand, but she would in time come to comprehend it.

Preferably without putting herself or that sweet, innocent girl under Lloyd’s knife.

Cecile idly scratched at her chest, and tried not to shudder. On top of everything else, it seemed as though she’d need to find some new clothing if this turned out to be a persistent development. Honestly. It felt like she could feel the attention of most of the men around turned towards her, and it frankly wasn’t too surprising that they would pay her a little extra attention today.

If only she could use her power as a pawn to protect Suzaku from this injustice. If only she could stand up to them, scream down the halls about his innocence and then drag him off somewhere nice and quiet to - Now stop that, Cecile! That was quite inappropriate thinking! Suzaku himself seemed to have some faith in the justice system finding him innocent. Therefore, so should she. What else could she possibly hope to accomplish?
<hr>
Lelouch was not the kind of person that found himself so easily distracted by a pretty face, but lately for reasons beyond his comprehension he simply could not help but turn to take in the various glorious sights and sounds from all around him. For example: He had never particularly paid much attention to the fact that Ashford Academy’s girl uniform featured a rather very short skirt, but now he found himself increasingly obsessing over the fact. Perhaps it was his new power. Perhaps it was his dalliance with Kallen the other day. Perhaps that would also explain the peculiarly erotic dreams he’d been having where she would pin him to a bed and fuck him for hours at a time.

However! This was not the time for such matters! Tonight he had an important meeting to attend, which would direct the course of this world’s future. Tonight he would transform a group of terrorists into heroes by showing them the folly of their strategies, and then he would lead them into a brighter tomorrow.

For now he was waiting in a train for them to arrive. Kallen, a girl he was becoming far more fascinated by than he particularly liked, and two of her male friends. One looked like a bit of an overconfident idiot, the other seemed much more intelligent but with much less confidence. So be it.

“Was it you?” Kallen demanded. “Was it you on the phone in Shinjuku? Answer me!”

Behind his mask, Lelouch broke into a wide grin. “What do you think?” he said. “Do you enjoy the sights to our left and right? Do you appreciate the difference between those allowed to flourish in the light, and those forced to live in the darkness?”

“Come on,” the idiot said. “There’s no way it was this guy! Let’s get out of here before something crazy happens.”

“A little late for that!” Lelouch forcefully shouted. “A monster appears out of the ether and rampages through a Japanese ghetto, and no one in the media wants to admit to it! Do you believe the same would be said if it happened within a Britannian settlement? No! Of course not!”

“If you’re trying to make us understand the difference, we understand it all too well! That is why we resist them!”

Lelouch wanted to laugh at that childish line of thinking. “Resist? You call what you do resistance? It is a show of gnats biting at the ankles of a giant. Britannia will not fall to terrorism. All you will accomplish is to galvanise the people against you, permit them the excuse to turn you into villains where you should be heroes. You can kill a person. You can conquer a nation. What you face is neither. It is a philosophy. You must fight back! Fight for justice!”

“That’s easy to say from behind a mask,” Kallen said, but Lelouch noticed she bit her lip and shuddered a little even as she spoke. A little turned on, were we? How amusing! “Lose the mask, and then we’ll talk some more!”

What must they see as they look at him? A masked mystery, with a cloak draped enigmatically behind him. The very definition of a puzzle. He could be almost anyone behind this mask, and he’d even taken the precaution of a voice changer to keep the mystery alive all the more. As for what he should call himself… Well, the name had come to him in a dream. “Very well! I shall show you. Not my face, but my power! The power of Zero shall yield a miracle!”

<hr>
In a peculiar turn of events, it seemed as though Sayoko was left alone once again to attend to her duties. Both siblings seemed extremely preoccupied of late, Lelouch rather obviously having found himself a girlfriend he was sneaking out to spend time with and Nunnally - the poor girl - clearly coming down with something. The maid just had to sigh wearily. How long had she been looking after the pair of them now?

She stopped for a fraction of a moment when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Someone else was in the room with her, lurking in the shadows rather expertly. With practised ease she returned to her duties without a second thought, accurately tracking the path the intruder took around the room. An expert at stealth. But no match for her. She bided her time. She waited for the moment it was closest.

And then she spun around and pinned it against the wall with an eye to interrogate it.

“A… stuffed bear?” she said aloud, releasing it to the ground. A replacement technique, perhaps? Apparently not, as the creature grasped its throat and rubbed it as if in pain.

“Gee, lady, you didn’t have to be so rough!” it complained. “Name’s Omen, and I’ve gotta tell you something really important. Got it?”

<hr>
They may call it a trial, but it was a farce. Guilty before proven innocent. The Kururugi boy stood no chance of acquittal. Any and all evidence pointing to anything but a guilty verdict was swept aside like so much broken dreams. It almost made Diethard want to weep. Not for the injustice. But for the sake of narrative. A corrupt little circus, where the true story is buried so deep nobody could ever see it.

Call himself a reporter? Hah! He was just as corrupt as anyone else. The one thing he needed above everything else was -

“Diethard!” a voice called over his headset. “I think there’s some activity to the east! Something’s coming right towards the parade!”

Someone was so foolish as to attack the parade? This should be quite the spectacle! Jeremiah had taken so many security precautions, the possibility that they could succeed was next to zero. He searched behind him to the east to try and determine the supposed intruder, attempting to determine who it was.

Only to realise he’d been asking the wrong question. Not who. What.

It was as tall as a Knightmare frame, but was otherwise entirely dissimilar. It looked like an upright black squid with two tentacles dangling along the ground on either side. He centred his camera upon the creature as it lumbered towards the parade, tossing aside Knightmare frames like ragdolls with its tentacles.

“Evacuate the area!” the Margrave ordered. “We must find a way to stop this creature in its tracks! Immediately! But we cannot permit it to harm any of these loyal civilians!”

There was a hint of irony to it. These civilians had been selected for their loyalty, to better ensure all present jeered and booed the one that killed their beloved Prince Clovis. Now? Now they were panicked. Fleeing like mindless sheep that had heard the approach of a wolf. Even his own helicopter was banking away -

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he yelled. “Get back there! We can’t miss this!”

“But sir-”

“No buts! Get back there or I will toss you out myself!”

A story like this could not be missed no matter the risk to himself! No matter what, he had to see this unfold! Down beneath him a tragedy looked set to unfold. In their desperation to escape this monster from beyond their worst nightmares, it seemed everyone had cast aside their reason. They were just as likely to crush one another to death as the monster was to catch up with them.

Except… New figures appeared among the crowd, directing the flow. Not soldiers, at least not all of them. Certainly not civilians either. They were wearing helmets to mask their features, and a strange dark uniform that he’d never seen before.

“All of you! Look this way!” a voice cried out, demanding attention by the scruff of the neck. Even Diethard had to admit he felt compelled to obey such a voice! He beheld a figure standing tall and proud atop what looked like Clovis’ personal car. The head turned towards the audience, and it appeared as though the side of the mask slid aside, though it was rather difficult to tell from this high angle. “It would be to my favour if you maintained an orderly exit where possible! Get to it!”

A collective sigh rose up, and to Diethard’s amazement they were all filing out one by one, with speed but not panic. Incredible! How had he - Who was this person that could so easily command an audience?

“Suzaku Kururugi!” the man called, seemingly uncaring of the monster descending upon the street with the inevitability of death itself. “I had come here to rescue you today from an unjust accusation. It appears I shall have to put that off for a little while.”

“Who are you?!” Jeremiah yelled, not hesitating to pull his gun upon the masked man. “Are you responsible for that monster?”

“I am Zero!” the masked man declared. “And the only thing I have to do with that Angel is that I shall be its end!”

Out of the corner of Diethard’s eye, he could see a tentacle flying towards his helicopter. No! Not like this! Not after something so interesting had emerged out of nowhere! For him to fall like this would be too terrible for words -

But at the last moment, a jet black figure interposed itself between the tentacle and the helicopter, plucking it out of the air and holding on firm and fast. “Despicable!” a strong female voice said from what he suddenly realised was an entirely new model of Knightmare frame the likes of which he’d never even dreamed of before. “To attack innocents in such a cowardly manner! I am the Black Queen! I strike from the shadows in all directions! Feel my power!”

The creature - hadn’t Zero called it an Angel - whipped out its other tentacle towards this Black Queen, and it too was caught. A mistake, it seemed, as this action completed an electrical circuit that sent the mech reeling.

“Reckless as ever!” said another new voice, a young girl in a gleaming white suit with a rather adorable crown perched atop her head. “I am the White King, and my gentle rule shall guide us to the light!”

She was not alone on the rooftop for long. Another woman in white appeared next to her in a rather ridiculous skirt, and even though neither of them were wearing a mask Diethard suddenly realised that the only traits he could even recognise about their faces was that they were strikingly beautiful. How very peculiar!

“I am the White Pawn!” the newest arrival declared. “Forever advancing forward and leading the charge of light! On this day, Angel of Fenrir, you shall fall!”

“You have acquired a new friend,” Zero observed. “How wonderful! Jeremiah! If you wish to defeat that creature you would do well to coordinate with these three! Your bullets and explosives are clearly having no effect! Follow my instructions and we can overcome this adversary!”

“Be quiet! I will not listen to a man hiding behind a mask! Britannian might shall be sufficient to prevail! Nothing further is required!”

The side of the mask dropped again, and Zero said, “Then I suppose you would not mind me telling them all about Orange, would you, Jeremiah?”

“What would you have me do?” Jeremiah said with a peculiar grin on his face. Unbelievable! How had he so easily persuaded someone as stubborn as Jeremiah with a mere glance? Who was this Zero? Why choose a name like that for himself? What did he want? Did he really believe he could defeat this monster?

“This is all one big performance to him. Amazing! Simply amazing! Then let us show this performance to the whole world!”

<hr>
Lelouch was growing steadily more frustrated with this monster with each passing moment. Through a creative use of its tentacles and personalised forcefield, it was effortlessly repelling all attempts to get close enough. The considerable firepower of the Black Queen was blocked by its forcefield, and any attempt by the White King to make her own approach was prevented by the tentacles. What could they do in the face of such a creature? The White Pawn wasn’t much use either: She had been powering up some form of attack, but had been forced to cancel it each time. A pawn, was she? What sort of power could she bring to the battlefield?

But he had no further time to ponder such thoughts when a new presence arrived on the scene. Lelouch quirked an eyebrow beneath his mask. Another Black piece, it seemed! With a strange, sexualised plate armour that perfectly accentuated a rather fascinating figure, and left him feeling quite drawn towards her. She leaped erratically through the air and easily dodged around the tentacles.

“I am the Black Knight!” she yelled. “Through chivalry and grace, I destroy my enemies!”

A knight? How fortunate! The perfect piece through which to strike! “So be it!” he yelled. “Black Queen! Protect the White Pawn! As for the White Pawn, become a Queen yourself and help us put an end to this! Victory is at hand!“

It all tumbled together around him. The Black Knight’s seemingly erratic movements danced around all attempts to attack, even if her thrown assaults bounced harmlessly off the field. That was fine. So long as she caused enough of a distraction to enact his plan. Between the three of them, combined with what little remained of the Britannian military present, they would buy the time needed to bring this monster to its knees!

The eerie glow signified that it was time: The Pawn was about to advance towards becoming a Queen! A Knightmare frame appeared all around her, almost seeming as though it was made of the heart of the sun. Too bright to look upon. Almost blinding!

“I cannot maintain this for long,” the White Pawn said with ragged breath. “Incredible! To create matter out of energy. It defies all scientific principles I’ve learned!”

“Now, Black Knight! Launch your own attack! Take the White King close enough to cancel the field!”

She needed little prompting, bringing the White King around to the rear of the beast. The field dropped moments later, and artillery rained down upon the creature like rain in a thunderstorm. It let out a terrible scream, and attempted to use its tentacles to shield itself from the death unleashed by the Black Queen from above.

Only to fall prey to the thrust of a spear from the White Pawn that struck its chest at the same moment her Knightmare frame began to dissolve away into her normal form. The Angel toppled forward, and the Black Knight yanked the White Pawn from its path immediately. To the amazement of all present Zero stood a scant foot away from the very top of the Angel’s head when it hit the pavement.

“Checkmate,” Lelouch… No… Zero said to those still watching in awe. Was that camera still recording? He turned up towards it. “Know this, Britannia: I am Zero, and I alone am the one who has slain Prince Clovis.”

He felt the presence of a Knightmare frame loom up behind him, and found himself staring down the barrel of a very big gun. “Then I suggest you surrender immediately! Huh? Where did he -?”

Strange. It was as though he had blinked and wound up completely elsewhere! The doing of the Black Knight, perhaps? No. Something else. Something lingering at the back of his mind that he would have to contend with at a later time. He looked all around for Kururugi, only to find him gone.

“Zero, we have Kururugi!” said a voice in the communicator built into his helmet. “Man, that was completely crazy! When you were talking about a miracle -”

He blinked again, and found himself standing right behind Tamaki and an irate, still-bound Kururugi. Very curious indeed! But he would not let it be said that he ever failed to take advantage of such a bizarre event! He noticed Kallen drift in from the exit and Tamaki jump clear out of his skin.

“Gah! How the hell did you - Don’t do that!”

It was a matter of brute force to remove the electro-shock collar attached to Suzaku’s neck. After all, the two of them needed to talk with one another about a great many things. “So. Now you see what Britannia is truly like. Rotten to the core. Unwilling to permit their people to know of the true horrors lurking behind the scenes. Join me, Kururugi! Together we shall topple the Angels! Together we shall topple Britannia!”

“Is it true? Are you really the one that killed Prince Clovis?”

“This is war. Why wouldn't I kill an enemy commander?”

“How were you planning on rescuing me if that Angel hadn’t appeared? Or was it really your doing after all?”

“A simple bluff: I would have used the supposed gas container stolen by the resistance and filled it with harmless smoke. Neither Jeremiah or anyone else would be able to guess that there was anything but nerve gas within. They would have had no other choice but to let us go with you. The result would have been no lives lost, and I am confident it would have worked perfectly if not for the arrival of the Angel. A fact far outside my own control.”

“The result. That’s all that matters to you, isn’t it? Any ends gained through contemptible means aren’t worth anything.”

And then he started walking away with his head held up high. “What do you think you are doing? Where are you going?”

“To my court martial. Rules are rules, and if I don’t go they will crack down on Elevens and honorary Britannians. If I don’t attend, the results will be disastrous. I would rather die to save them than change the world through disgusting means.”

<hr>
That night, Lelouch had a most peculiar dream. He was in a dark room with a velvet soft double bed, upon which lay two very attractive women. One had bright red hair while the other had very neat dark brown hair. The two of them were lying there, completely naked and staring at him with steamy bedroom eyes that were more commanding than his Geass could ever hope to be.

“I may never get used to this,” the red-haired beauty said. “But I suppose it’s a fun way to relax.”

“It seems a rather unusual means of replenishing strength,” the brown-haired woman said. “Even so, my Queen has made a convincing argument.”

“Even my tongue can attack from anywhere,” the red-haired woman said, proving her point with a kiss that threatened to suck the breath right from his body. “Though I have to say, my Knight is quite capable of slipping by defenses unnoticed.”

But of course it was only a dream. Nothing more than that. Nothing more at all.
<hr>
He was a free man. The voice of the judge and the prosecutor still lingered in his ears. “In light of new evidence, we see no reason to proceeds with conviction. Suzaku Kururugi, the charges of treason are dropped.”

Just like that. The system worked. At the last possible moment, he was released from accusations of a crime he had not committed. He had been willing to die to protect those that would have been made victims in his stead, but it turned out that was not necessary. He was the kind of man that thought of others above his own life. He was -

He was feeling very strange all of a sudden. Light headed and weak. Now that he was away from everything else, now that he was safe and free and unobserved, he simply collapsed completely upon his bed and another man lifted his head in response.

This was not Suzaku Kururugi’s room, but then again nor was this a man by that name. It was someone else entirely. A different man. A new man. With two women standing at the foot of his bed, staring down at him with ravenous expressions in their eyes.

“Who are you?” the one he recognised as the White King whispered. “Why do I feel so strange?”

“I… am Beacon. I shall be your light when your soul feels heavy. Come to me, my King! Come to me, my Pawn! Give me the opportunity to relieve you of some of your burden!”

Both of their faces alit with a small amount of relief upon hearing his words, and both of them crawled upon the bed with him. Beacon. It was a peculiar name for one such as him, but he would bear it with pride. Even if his other self could never be permitted to be aware of it. This was his duty, and he would gladly accept it even at his own expense.

Because that was just the sort of person he was, when it came down to it.