Shattered Masks

Shattered masks
By Eline

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Suzaku listened to Schneizel’s announcement with growing horror. Even Lelouch had not been so dispassionate in the midst of their preparations for war. This was the potential slaughter of millions, possible billions of people. They had anticipated Schneizel’s use of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads . . . but the reality far outstripped even Lelouch’s predictions.

The announcement of their impending executions was just background noise. Suzaku ground his teeth as the guards collected them from the interrogation room to bring them to the holding cells. If they were separated, he could not keep on eye on Lelouch.

He looked over at Lelouch, who was dangling in the grasp of his captors like a sack of laundry. His constitution had never been very strong and Suzaku feared that whatever Schneizel had done to him had just made things worse.

Strange as the Damocles looked from the outside, it still had an area for detaining prisoners comprising of a series of small cells. Confirming Suzaku’s worse fears, the guards dumped Lelouch into one cell.

Twisting about, Suzaku resisted the guards attempts to drag him away. “He’s not well--let me stay with him! It’s not like we can get out of the res--”

“Damned Eleven!” The guard who had punched him swore. “Throw him into a cell and we can get out of here.”

“Suzaku . . . It’s all right.” Lelouch’s voice sounded low, but stable. The guards had automatically turned to look at the other prisoner. And only then did Suzaku realise that the guards in the detention area were not in full armour with helmets.

He had only a moment’s warning before Lelouch lifted his head and the Geass flared to life.

"I command you . . . Follow Kururugi Suzaku's orders!"

Suzaku's surprise at Lelouch's words was only superseded by the fact that he collapsed back right after that, blood flowing freely from his nose and mouth.

“Yes, My Lord!” The guards saluted, eyes going red, then blank as the Geass overrode their free will.

This was something Suzaku would never come to terms with--how Lelouch could use that awful power while knowing full well what it did to the victims. Shoving aside his reservations for the time being, Suzaku got the guards to free them from the restraining suits. Fortunately for him, it had not been his right arm that had been injured. His left arm, the one broken during the downing of the Lancelot, was fairly useless now. Ignoring the pain, he examined Lelouch for the possible cause of his collapse.

Lelouch was still breathing, but unconscious. That strange implant at the nape of his neck . . . Suzaku had a bad feeling about it, but he realised that Lelouch probably knew what would happen and had given the reins over to Suzaku.

You're supposed to be the brains of this operation . . . he thought even as the guards watched him blankly for further directions.

If I was Lelouch, I would be trying to blow this place up before it reaches the elevation required for firing the warheads.

But he was still Suzaku and he ordered the guards to take them to the place where Lelouch had received that implant. A soldier to the end, Suzaku was still more comfortable with a weapon in his hand and while the Damocles had a novel design for a warship, it was still a Britannian warship. That meant that every level had its own security stations and by taking over the station on this level, they could escape detection for just a little longer.

Level Seventeen contained the research area and one particular unnamed laboratory that did not have anything else in its descriptor except “Special research”. Leaving one of the guards at the security station they had taken over, Suzaku entered “Special research” with two other men, surprising the three scientists working in it.

“Special research” was a confusing cross between a hospital operating room and a cybernetics laboratory. The scientists appeared to be eccentric mavericks who would try anything once if it sounded interesting--Suzaku recognised the type from personal experience. Schneizel liked collecting them.

While the scientists were herded together, Suzaku laid Lelouch on a platform that looked like an operating table--the only bare surface available. Then came the most distasteful part of his plan. At gunpoint, the head scientist admitted to being the one who designed and inserted the implant with his two assistants--none of whom were really medical-level surgeons.

“The implant,” Suzaku said, gesturing to Lelouch’s neck. “Can it be safely removed?”

“It wasn’t meant to be removed--a lot of the components were surgically grafted in,” the scientist said. Realising from the look on Suzaku’s face that this was the Wrong Answer, he frantically back-pedalled. “B-but it can be dismantled first and extracted later! Please don’t kill me--I was only following orders!”

“Follow this one--dismantle the implant, render it non-functional without doing any more damage as quickly as possible.” Suzaku did not like making threats, much less to non-combatants, but there was no time left. “Do it now. Local anesthetics only. Try anything funny with the scalpels and you won’t have the use of your hands anymore.”

The scientists looked over at his terrified assistants and nodded hurriedly. They moved nervously to the operating platform and under Suzaku’s wary eye and the guns of the enthralled guards, started to pick up their tools.

Keeping his gun trained on the head scientist, Suzaku accessed the nearest terminal, wincing from the pain that shot through his broken arm as he used his left hand to type. Pulling up the schematic plan for the Damocles, he started to search. Level Seventeen . . . Lift Access to all Levels . . . Level Three . . . High-security Storage . . .

Then there was also Level Fifty, “Residential” with “Private Garden”. But that had not been part of the plan . . .

Under the glare of the lights mounted above the operating platform, the head scientist sweated profusely as he took apart the functional components of the implant and cut open the same area under the medulla for the second time in twenty-four hours. When they were done with the implant, the gory wound was sealed and sewn up.

Suzaku had the guards lock the scientists in a cleaning supplies closet at the back of the laboratory while he found an injector and used the rest of the local anesthetic. His left arm was going to be a distraction at this rate unless he fixed it.

While Suzaku let the anesthetic take effect, Lelouch struggled back to consciousness, obviously too stubborn to rest. He was not going to be pleased that Suzaku had taken the time to deal with the implant and was probably going to say something like Suzaku, you idiot, What are you doing?

Looking around in bewilderment and reaching up to touch the bandages at his neck, Lelouch finally focused on Suzaku. “Suzaku . . .? Suzaku, you idiot. What are you wasting time here for?” Close enough.

“Waiting for you to get up.” Suzaku holstered his gun and gestured to the guards. “Pick him up. Follow me.”

“You’ve found out where they’re stored?” Lelouch asked as he was half-carried out of the laboratory.

“Level Three. High-security storage area. It’s the only place large enough to store the number of warheads you predicted and it has a direct access hatch to the Launch Mechanism on Level One.” Suzaku headed for the lift. Surely their escape would have been discovered by now?

During the ride down to Level Three, Lelouch did not say anything, even if his eyes had flickered once to the buttons for the upper levels of the fortress. The mask was firmly in place. Suzaku was . . . not disappointed. Just grimly determined as they headed for--

Why are you still bleeding?

Lelouch saw Suzaku staring at him and clapped a hand over his nose. “It’s just a nose-bleed. The blood vessels in my sinuses are probably ruptured.”

Suzaku let him have that lie as they exited the lift. They left half the remaining guards at the lift to disable it and continued on to the “High-security storage area”.

Turning the corner, Suzaku caught sight of the sentries posted outside the hanger doors. Of course the warheads would warrant their own armed guards . . .

“Lelouch--don’t--”

But Lelouch had activated his Geass, his eyes glowing like demonic coals in the dimness of the corridor.

“Unauthorised personnel--”

“I command you . . . Guard this passage . . . Let no-one else but us pass,” Lelouch ordered, grimacing with the effort. He was obviously in pain.

The guards lowered their rifles and saluted woodenly.

“I needed to buy more time,” Lelouch said to Suzaku even as a fresh rivulet of blood started to flow. “The storage hanger . . .”

Suzaku support his weight as Lelouch staggered. But what good was time when you’re unconscious? he thought as he half-dragged Lelouch down the passageway to their intended target. Taking the pass cards from one guard, he tried them on the security lock until he found the one that worked.

The storage hanger behind the last door turned out to be a cavernous holding area around the side of a soccer field and about three storeys in height.

All along the walls, secure in their cradles, the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads gleamed with deadly potential. Lelouch’s initial estimate of the number of functional warheads had been correct. In Suzaku’s mind, even one F.L.E.I.J.A. would have one too many.

From the last two guards, Suzaku found out that only three key engineers had the passwords to release the warheads from their berths. And only two people had the access codes to arm F.L.E.I.J.A.--unsurprisingly, one of them was Schneizel.

Without the passwords and the code to arm them, he could not even utilise one of them to destroy the Damocles.

Suzaku was about to order the guards to hunt down the first technical staff they could find with a password when the far wall caved in. He tensed immediately, then recognised the horrible but distinctive pink armour of the Knightmare Frame forcing its way into the hanger from the ruined hull plating. A moment later, the alarms started to ring. Almost absentmindedly, Suzaku shot out the alarm amplifier in the corner. There was no need for secrecy now, just haste.

Ordering the last two guards out of the hanger, Suzaku propped Lelouch against the nearest wall as the cockpit of the Lancelot Requiem opened and C.C. swung down on the pilot’s line.

“How did you find this place so fast?” The colour of the Knightmare Frame not withstanding, C.C. had delivered the final piece. Lelouch’s plan could still be salvaged, if the device it carried worked.

“I always know where he is,” C.C. said, nodding at Lelouch. “And you two would have headed here anyway.”

"C.C.--he's lost too much blood . . . And parts of that implant Schneizel cooked up is still in him." Suzaku said, not bothering to mask the gory details. There was no time left. The guards Lelouch had Geassed would not be able to hold off the soldiers who would be on their way down to this level about now.

"I know. I felt it when he used the Geass--there was damage to the neural network," C.C. said, reaching out to turn Lelouch’s head, utterly unfazed by the blood. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

“I didn’t tell him. But I think he knew . . . he knew what he was doing.” And he did it anyway. The idiot. “He wants the plan to continue.”

"It’s done . . .” C.C. looked over at the Lancelot Requiem and the ovoid missile attached to its back. “I started the detonation sequence of the Archilles when I made it through the outer wall. We have ten minutes at the very most.”

The need to flee intensified again and Suzaku suppressed it, fighting against the compunction to live. So it had been done. The results of that hasty, patchwork plan would be known in the next few minutes.

Lloyd and his team had worked for three days straight to come up with that device. It had been a phenomenal task given the scant amount of sakuradite that they had to work with in that timeframe.

Lelouch had mockingly dubbed it the Achilles and as no-one had time to hold a debate about Greek mythology, the name had stuck. It had been planned as a small but powerful weapon meant to cripple the Damocles and take out all the warheads within. If Nina’s calculations were correct, as long as the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads remained unarmed and non-critical, the resulting blast should be contained within an eight to ten-kilometre radius. Give or take the explosive potential of Damocles itself.

The one problem with that plan had been to get the Archilles inside the fortress. There would have been no guarantee that all the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads would be taken out unless the Archilles was detonated within twenty metres of where they were stored. To that end, the Lancelot Requiem had been outfitted with a drill and laser-cutter. If all else failed, the plan had been to physically hack into the base of the fortress and set the Archilles off from inside. Not elegant. Probably a suicide mission for the pilot who would carry it out. But it had worked.

The Damocles was currently travelling over the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of kilometers away from any human settlements. C.C. had found the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads. Fate had finally smiled on Lelouch’s plan.

But for the one outstanding issue that hung in the air between them.

“Suzaku, take the Lancelot Requiem and leave the Archilles here,” C.C. said, moving to shoulder Lelouch’s weight.

“But what about--”

“You know what he really wants,” C.C. said gently, passing him the ignition key for the Knightmare Frame after she settled Lelouch’s limp body on the floor.

Yes, he knew what Lelouch's true wish was. But fulfilling it would mean abandoning their pact. Suzaku could see that C.C. knew this as well as she cradled Lelouch’s head on her lap. The Lancelot Requiem could not take all of three them on what was probably an insane rescue mission.

"You should hurry." In C.C.’s lap, Lelouch was stirring.

With the Geass tugging at him, Suzaku did not look back at the two figures behind him as he started up the Lancelot Requiem and released its precious cargo.

You were lying when you said it did not matter if Nunally was on Schneizel's side. You were lying to the very end. Same old Lelouch . . .

The controls under his hands were like familiar old companions as he piloted the Lancelot out of the gaping hole C.C. had made in the hanger wall. The central support axis of Damocles should be right outside if he had read the schematics correctly . . . Even better, the support axis turned out to be a hollow shaft right through the centre of the fortress.

Accelerating, Suzaku sped upwards to do what knights were supposed to do—rescue princesses from towers.

He would fulfill his mission. His last duty to his Emperor and friend.

I am his sword . . .

* * * * * * * * * * * *

. . . and I am his shield.

C.C. watched the Knightmare Frame depart, then looked over the squat shape of the Archilles sitting in the middle of the floor. There was probably less than five minutes left. She knew that Lelouch would not have spoken his heart’s desire to Suzaku because of the pact they had made.

But Lelouch had not counted on his knight knowing him all too well. And loving him enough to do what Lelouch had denied himself. Even at the cost of what he had been promised.

“You were always a bad liar,” C.C. said to Lelouch who had managed to open his eyes.

“C.C. . . .” he muttered. “The Archilles?”

“The Archilles is in place. Suzaku’s gone to get Nunally. So you can relax, your plan is working.” C.C. could give praise when it was warranted. Sly bastard. You knew I would be able find you in this floating death trap.

“I forgot to tell him to get the Geass cancelled by Jeremiah.” Lelouch tried to sit up, failed miserably and had to be supported by C.C.

“Stop moving, you’re injured.” Gentle as a mother tending to a child, C.C. held Lelouch on her lap. “Besides, Suzaku’s a big boy--he’ll figure it out for himself.”

If he gets out of here and out of the predicted blast radius in time with Nunally . . . C.C had more faith in Suzaku’s piloting capabilities than she let on. If Suzaku could not do it, it was probably a lost cause from the beginning.

“True . . . ” Lelouch grasped C.C.’s hand weakly. “Then . . . there’s still the promise I made to you.”

“Lelouch, I won’t hold you to that,” C.C. said.

Blinking up at her, Lelouch was almost cute when he was obviously confused. “But I’m the only one who can take your Code--”

“Yes . . . But you know something about immortality?” C.C. asked, acutely aware of the ebb and flow of his life lapping at her consciousness.

“What?” Lelouch was losing consciousness again. The effort he had expanded to use his Geass was taking its toll.

“It’s not for everyone.” C.C. laid a hand on Lelouch’s forehead even as his eyelids slipped closed. “Especially not for those who love others more than they care for themselves.

“You would be too soft-hearted to pass the Code on to anyone.”

Despite everything, C.C found herself smiling.

I don’t think the world could take an eternity of you, Lelouch.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

When the Damocles exploded over the Pacific Ocean at four thirty-six GMT, inhabitants as far as the People's Republic of French Polynesia could see the brilliant flare lighting up the horizon.

In the aftermath, there was very little left of the floating fortress to be retrieved. There were probably no survivors, the search and rescue teams concurred.

Probably.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The plot to porn ratio got a little skewed. Whoops.

Notes:
- Arthur was taken to safety by Cecile, yes . . . And Sayoko made it out.

- Schneizel was OOC in this fic. He has probably memorised the Evil Overlord List (http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html) and knows that it is foolish to ignore # 3, 4 and 6 on the List--namely: Don’t keep your half-brother alive, shooting is not too good for your enemies and don’t gloat over your enemies before killing them. He’s OOC because he’s the catalyst for porn. In-character Schneizel is too effective as a schemer--so good at it that he’s utterly blah.

P.S.: Arthur rocks and I’ll be in this corner, writing porn until the trainwreck ends. Why is this show so mean to female characters? Why?

P.P.S.: I wanted to end this after Schneizel finished with them and have the real downer ending. Then I thought the boys should go down fighting like shounen retards. Shounen retards with a plan. And C.C. in the hideous pink Knightmare Frame. Unholy Trinity OT3!