Here's the next chapter. Anyway, I don't own Code Geass or any of the characters just the OC.
34. Assassin From The Past
It was a few days after Milly's graduation event at Ashford Academy and right now, Lelouch, Logan, and Rolo were inside the OSI underground base. Lelouch and Logan were looking at the monitor and looking over the current situation of the Chinese Federation after the Black Knights began conquering didn't nations that were rebelling after the High Eunuchs were eliminated.
"So, the Jiangmen path has fallen?" Lelouch noticed on the monitor. "We've also taken over the air force facility in Macau. We should send Asahina and Hong Gu to defend Chennai. And why don't we assign Minase and Sugiyama to take charge of municipal affairs there?"
"Well, looks like things are going smoothly," Rolo said while writing in a book.
"Our so-called foes are just local military factions that won't join us," Lelouch replied with confidence. "But they deploy forces without talking to each other."
"Not just that, without a real cause or motive to fight for, our enemies have no real fortitude in their ranks," Logan added.
"Not to mention that we've already got ahold of the Empress. The one leader who could unify all those factions." Rolo finished, smiling.
"Exactly," Lelouch said before heading for the door.
"You're off?" Rolo asked.
"I'm going to Ikebukuro." Lelouch sad before stopping and turning back. "Oh right, before I forget, how's the progress on the other matter?"
Logan smiled and held up a flash drive. "Already finished, Diethard sent it over just yesterday. We can start the operation whenever we want now."
Lelouch looked pleased. "Excellent, we'll begin immediately as soon as I return."
"We'll catch you later then," Rolo said as Lelouch walked out the door.
Tokyo Settlement Train
A little while later, Shirley is on the train herself, with her memories restored yet also with her previous memories.
"Lulu is involved with the Black Knights. And coach Villetta was a soldier. And Kallen was one of the Black Knights. Then what about Nina? And the prez? And Logan? And Rivalz? And Rolo? Is our school the weirdest place on earth?" Shirley thought, trying to wrap her head around all this new information. She then looks out the window and sees a large screen with Nunnally's image on it. "Why is Nunnally now the Viceroy? What are the lies and what is the truth?"
Ikebukuro Train Station
Meanwhile, Lelouch arrived at Ikebukuro and made his way to the train station and uses Geass on two soldiers to make him do his bidding while he is there, as he needs to test out some specialized train cars.
Lelouch now stands in front of a train on the tracks and looked over it. "Very well. For the first stage, this would be fine."
"All right, then we'll continue with the same procedure." One of the soldiers said, under the control of Geass.
Somewhere else, Shirley was walking around the train station by herself while looking around.
"Shirley!" A voice called her.
Shirley sees Suzaku walking up to her wearing the disguise he wore when he met Euphie, but Shirley nearly runs away when they run into each other.
"Wait. It's just me." Suzaku removes his sunglasses to reassure her. Shirley calms down. "So what's wrong? Why did you want me to come here?"
Shirley looked down and seemed hesitant to speak.
"Shirley!" Another voice called her.
Both Shirley and Suzaku looked to see Lelouch arrive in front of them.
"Lelouch?" Suzaku said, not expecting him.
"Hmm?" Lelouch had the same expression. "Suzaku?"
OSI Underground Base
Back at Ashford, Villetta walked into the underground base and saw Logan and Rolo were still there but noticed Lelouch wasn't.
"Where's Lelouch?" Villetta asked. "On a date?"
"At the moment he's out testing the G cars," Rolo answered her.
"But he should be back before long," Logan said.
"How convenient," Villetta said, getting their attention. "I'd like to know, why are you keeping me around? I thought you going to keep using me while I'm useful, but you haven't made me do much as of late, I would have you'd of disposed of me by this point."
"I'm afraid you've come to the wrong conclusion," Rolo told her. "The reason we brought you over to use was because you can of use to us, but not in the manner you're thinking."
"The fact that you know about Geass and that you can assist in more delicate affairs is why we keep you around, but we don't plan to have you work with us at gun-point, but rather to show you it's in your better interest to be on our side."
"What do you mean by that?" Villetta asked.
"By staying with Britannia, you remain a faceless piece in the Empires ambitions, but stay with us and not only do you get to keep your status and rank but if things go well you'll be able to reunite with Kaname Ohgi," Logan told her.
Villetta became flustered. "Don't be absurd, I have no reason to be concerned about that."
Logan looked at her amused. "Remember my Geass, it's pointless to lie in my presence."
At that moment, an alarm is signalled. They all look at the monitor to see as a soldier speaks through the communicator.
"B7 to control. Suspicious male sighted near the chapel. B5 and B9 have moved in to apprehend him." B7 reported.
Ashford Campus
On the campus grounds near the chapel, Jeremiah stood in front of two Geassed subordinates that were pointing their guns at him, but before they could fire, Jeremiah swiftly dashed passed them and knocked the two of them unconscious.
"Look what happens simply by asking where Lelouch was," Jeremiah noted.
OSI Underground Base
Back inside the base, they see the video fed on the monitor and are able to see Jeremiah walking around Ashford. When Villetta sees his face, she had a cold sweat.
"Lord Jeremiah! But how…?" Villetta asked in shock.
"Target is moving toward the clubhouse. B2 and B8 have been eliminated as well." B7 reported.
Rolo stood up from his chair. "So he's finally arrived." He noted, unconcerned.
"That's right." Logan nodded with the same expression. "I guess we should go and greet him."
Rolo went to the communicator and spoke. "Sound a school-wide alarm! Gets students out of the vicinity of the target." He ordered.
Logan went for the door. "Let's go."
Ashford Campus
"Attention all students and personnel. This is an emergency announcement. Do not come near the clubhouse area. A suspicious person has been sighted there. I repeat…"
As the announcement went off throughout the school grounds, Jeremiah made his way towards the clubhouse and stood a few feet away from the front entrance. Standing outside the front entrance are Logan, Rolo and Sayoko. Jeremiah looks as though he was expecting their appearance.
"It's been a while hasn't it, Jeremiah Gottwald?" Logan casually greeted him.
"I had a feeling you'd be the ones to greet me," Jeremiah replied with a serious smile.
Geass Order
Meanwhile, at the Geass Order headquarters in the Chinese Federation, Bartley, Cornelia and Darlton were walking through the large city-like area as Bartley was leading them to the thought elevator at the end. They say they're going to kill God.
"They say they're going to kill God," Bartley informed them.
"God?" Cornelia repeated confused.
"I thought they were speaking metaphorically. But now, at the very least these people believe what they're saying." Bartley said.
"That's ridiculous," Darlton said.
"Indeed, to believe in God. There's no such being." Cornelia said in agreement.
"That's right." To their surprise, V.V appeared behind them and joined the conversation. "No winged goddesses, or long-bearded old men in white gowns in kingdoms in the clouds. No. Not that sort of God—"
However, before he could go on, Cornelia threw a dagger at V.V which pierced through his forehead and made his body fall like a corpse.
Bartley was shocked by this action. "Princess Cornelia!"
"Who knows what type of Geass he controls." Cornelia justified her actions. "You must never let your guard down even for a child."
"Yes, that's correct." To their shock of all three of them, V.V stood back up, removed the dagger from his skull and spoke as if nothing had happened. "Cornelia, you do live up to your reputation, don't you? As your uncle, I'm very proud of you."
"My what?" Cornelia asked, more shocked by the fact that he was alive than anything else.
Darlton pulled out a gun and aimed it at him. "What the hell are you?"
V.V simply smiled as blood trickled down his face. "We made a solemn vow. If there was ever a God that made men fight each other we kill him and his divine rule."
Area 11 Government Bureau
Meanwhile, in Area 11, Nunnally has placed Kallen in a new room with a cinder glass prison cell in the centre of it and had Kallen locked inside the cell. But also outfitted her with a chair and a comfortable yellow dress out of sympathy for her old friend. Nunnally's wheelchair was in front of the cell door so that the two of them could talk.
"I never would have guessed. I mean that you were a royal Princess, Nunnally." Kallen said amazed.
"Forgive me for hiding things from you." Nunnally apologized.
"Same for me," Kallen replied.
"It's so nostalgic talking about Ashford Academy," Nunnally said pleased. "They told me I wasn't to see Milly and others. So Suzaku is the only one I've been able to talk to. They also said my Brother has vanished. No one knows where he is."
"Tell me, what's sort of Brother was Lelouch for you?" Kallen asked with a smile.
"Huh?" Nunnally replied.
"I used to have a Brother, too. So that's why I ask." Kallen elaborated.
"I'm happy just to have someone to talk to about Lelouch," Nunnally admitted.
Ikebukuro
Back in Ikebukuro, Shirley was currently walking with both Lelouch and Suzaku beside her.
"What do I do?" Shirley thought concerned. "I called Suzaku out here. But what should I say to him? Especially with Lulu here."
"Shirley, what kind of game are you playing? And why would you feel the need to call Suzaku out here?" Lelouch thought in wonder.
"I came here because Shirley said she needed to ask me something, but she hasn't said a word yet and she seems so concerned, why?" Suzaku thought in confusion.
"I have to tell Suzaku. He needs to know that Lelouch might be working with Zero." Shirley thought urgently.
Soon the three of them came to a stop when they arrived at a boundary line and in front of them was a view of the line between the settlement and the ghettos.
"This is the boundary line right here," Lelouch said.
"The demarcation between the settlement and ghettos. We have to erase it." Suzaku said in a serious tone.
Shirley gasped when she heard him say that and started to think.
"Hold it. What if these two are accomplices? To turn Area 11 back into Japan?" Shirley speculated in her mind. "That's it! They've been friends since way back! And Suzaku was Euphemia's Knight before she joined Zero!"
Shirley then turns back and looks at the two of them, she then becomes afraid which startles Lelouch and Suzaku.
"What's the matter. Something wrong?" Lelouch asked approaching her.
Shirley becomes even more afraid screams. "No!"
Shirley then ran away towards the boundary line which shocked Lelouch and Suzaku.
"Shirley!" Lelouch shouted in concern.
Shirley scampers on top of the ledge, now horrified for her safety, the two of them run towards her.
"Stay away from me!" Shirley yelled in fear.
They both stopped a few steps away from her and Lelouch called out her name. "Shirley!"
"You're both liars! You two are nothing but apparent fakes!" Shirley accused while still backing away. "I won't—Aaaahhh!"
Suddenly Shirley slips and falls off the ledge. However, before she can fall very far, Lelouch jumped off as well and grabbed her by the arm, Suzaku who was still on the ledge held onto Lelouch's leg to keep them both from falling.
Shirley looks down and looked scared at how high she was then she looked up and became shocked that Lelouch was holding her up.
"No!" Shirley screamed, frantically trying to break loose. "Let me go! Let me go!"
"Stop it!" Lelouch yelled, silencing her. "I can't lose you! I don't wanna lose you or anyone else in my life. Not one more person. Please. Shirley!" Lelouch told her with a sincere look she had never seen before on him, as he struggled with all his might to hold on. After that, Shirley calmed down and reached out to grab his arm with both of her hands, seeing that Lelouch looked up. "Suzaku!"
Suzaku nodded and with a mighty pull, Suzaku used all of his strength to pull the two of them back up to the ledge and to safety.
Now the three of them were just quietly sitting on the ground after what just happened, Lelouch and Suzaku were trying to catch their breath while Shirley was just thinking.
"Hey, you've done this once before, haven't you?" Shirley brought up. "You know that time back at school when you tried to catch Arthur?"
They both thought back and quietly remember the time Shirley was talking about.
"Yeah, you're right," Suzaku said.
"I guess you're right, Shirley. We have done this before." Lelouch agreed and they both smiled.
"And Suzaku was always the one who pulls you back up," Shirley added, smiling too.
"If Lelouch'd been the one on top both of us would've fallen." Suzaku joked.
"You exercise nut. If you're gonna brag, you should've saved us before we fell." Lelouch retorted.
"That's ridiculous." Suzaku laughed. "Are you forgetting I'm by myself here? I only could've done that if Logan was here too."
"That's right, Logan's always been there, for both of you." Shirley noticed.
"Yeah, but he's been there more for Lelouch than anyone else," Suzaku said, still smiling.
"Yes," Lelouch said looking up at the sky. "For as long as I can remember, he's always been there, right beside me."
Shirley took notice of those words and a thought suddenly came to her. "The two of them? Always beside him? Wait, could it be possible, Logan and Lelou are…."
She came out her thought when a sudden ringing filled the air and they all took notice to it. Lelouch reached it his pocket and saw that he had a call.
"Oh, excuse me." Lelouch stood up and answered this phone.
Lelouch put some distance between himself and the other two as he picked up the phone.
"Lelouch, are you still Ikebukuro?" Logan asked on the other line.
"I am, is there something wrong?" Lelouch asked him.
"It's Jeremiah, he's heading toward you right now," Logan informed him.
Lelouch looked surprised by this information. "Wait, Jeremiah is alive?"
"That's right. Me and Rolo are heading for the train station, try to order contact with him until we get there and don't call for reinforcements from the Black Knights no matter what." Logan advised him before hanging up.
"What's up? Is something wrong?" Suzaku asked, approaching him.
Lelouch frowned. "No, nothing of great concern."
Suzaku could tell from his expression that Lelouch was worried about something. "Has something happened? If so then…" Suzaku thought with concern. But then, Shirley came up behind him and slapped him on the head. "Ow!"
"Suzaku, stop that. My problem comes first, doesn't it?" Shirley reminded him.
Suzaku rubbed his head. "Right."
"Oh yeah. That's right. You two were waiting for each other here, weren't you?" Lelouch asked while putting away his phone.
"What's the matter. Are you jealous?" Shirley joked, before smiling at him. "Thank so much, Lulu."
"Can't you at least tell me what it is you want to talk about?" Suzaku asked.
"I'll tell you in a minute," Shirley told him as she grabbed him by the arm and drags him away. "C'mon! Let's go, Suzaku."
"You don't have to drag me, you know?" Suzaku told her as they left.
Lelouch watched them go with a serious expression. "This area is about to become a battlefield. And I can think of no safer place for Shirley than to be with Suzaku."
Train Station Lower Floors
Inside the station, Jeremiah walking around when two security guards under the control of Lelouch's Geass stand in front of him.
"Jeremiah Gottwald?" One of the guards asked.
"Yes, I am," Jeremiah confirmed.
After that, they both immediately take out guns and shot at Jeremiah, but the bullets simply bounce off of him. Though all the civilians nearby take notice and become shocked.
"The guy's bulletproof!" One of the guards said shocked.
"I understand. You under the influence of Geass." Jeremiah said.
He then activated his Geass-canceller which hit the two security guards and cancelled out the Geass that was controlling them. Now free from Lelouch's control they both just looked confused at what was happening. But before they could do anything, Jeremiah punches them both, knocking them out and making the civilians erupt into a panic and scaring them away. On a nearby balcony, Lelouch watches what happened and analyzes the situation.
"Not only does Geass have no effect on him, but he also has the power to cancel it as well." Lelouch thought.
Lelouch then pushes a button which activates several smoke devices and creates a smoke-screen that covers the entire area of the building, this causes the public to flee in terror while Jeremiah looks up and sees Lelouch on the balcony above him.
Lelouch smiled devilishly at him. "Right. Come and get me, Orange."
Outside The Train Station
Meanwhile, Shirley and Suzaku were outside and Shirley stopped so that they could talk.
"So what's this important thing you need to talk to me about?" Suzaku asked.
"Um, well I'm… well, I'm in love with Lulu." Shirley finally confessed which surprised Suzaku. "But I just can't seem to tell him that. You know him better than almost anyone so I figured you could help me."
Suzaku smiled and thought back. "This also happened once before, remember?" He asked which surprised Shirley. "A year ago when I first came to Ashford and we were alone in the Student Council room, you told me about the day you fell in love with Lelouch."
Shirley's eyes widened. "You're right, we have done this before."
"Back then, I offered to tell him for you, but you said no," Suzaku said, nostalgic.
"Well, it was just too sudden back then, but now…" Shirley looked down for a moment. "I want him to know how I feel."
"Then why did you call me here?" Suzaku asked curiously. "I don't mind helping, but I not really the best at these types of situations."
Shirley smiled. "It's because I feel more comfortable around you now, compared to before." Suzaku looked surprised by her words. Shirley continued. "Before you used to be rougher like you always had a chip on your shoulder, but now you seem happier, especially around Lulu and Logan."
"Am I?" Suzaku asked as if he never thought about it.
"Yeah, the three of you were always so close together, but you feel closer now. Did something happen between you guys?" Shirley asked in wonder.
Suzaku looked up. "I owe them." He confessed. "Before, I was always so confused and don't know what I should do, but they helped me figure out what t was I truly wanted and where it is that I belong." He said fondly.
"I think I get it," Shirley admitted which got his attention. "Lately I've been confused as well, and I always didn't understand what was going on around me. But know I know what I want to do." She then looked assured. "I want to forgive him. In fact, I think I already chose to forgive him a long time ago."
Suzaku looked at her with concern. "Shirley… What are you…"
Before they can go any further, they here an explosion and turn around. Suzaku and Shirley see the smoke from the smokes bombs coming out of the entrance of the station as well as a horde of fleeing civilians rushing out.
Two security guards go towards the smoke.
"Did you call the fire department?" One of the guards asked.
"In situations like this doesn't the army respond first?" The other guard asked unsurely.
At that point, Suzaku rushes in and stands before both of the guards while taking out his Knight badge.
"Sir Suzaku Kururugi. I'm the Knight of Seven." Suzaku informed them.
Both the security guards gasp before they salute to him. "My Lord!"
"This might be an act of terrorism. So from here on, I'm taking command of all the perimeter police and fire fighting units." Suzaku commanded them.
"Right. Understood, My Lord." Both the guards respond in unison.
"And I want you to protect that young woman right over there," Suzaku ordered them, referring to Shirley.
Station Roof
On the roof of the train station, a helicopter landed on the landing post and Logan along with Rolo exited from it, heading for the inside of the station.
"We need to hurry. Hopefully, we'll be on time." Logan said as they head for the entrance.
"Lelouch, just hang on," Rolo said.
Outside The Train Station
Meanwhile, outside the station, both the police and the fire department arrived on the scene and were surrounding the building trying to restore order to the situation. Shirley was still standing there and trying to call Lelouch on her phone but didn't get any response.
"Lulu…" Shirley thought, worried.
One of the security guards approached her. "Please get into the vehicle, miss. It's the Knight of Seven's orders." He requested of her.
But Shirley simply closed her phone and after coming to a decision, she runs off and heads for the station.
"Miss! Come back here!" The guard called out.
But Shirley didn't listen and kept running towards the station. "Hold on, Lulu. Don't worry. I won't leave you alone!" She proclaimed with determination.
Train Station Upper Floors
Back inside the train station, Jeremiah was still chasing after Lelouch, using his mechanical eye he was able to track Lelouch through the smoke and see that he was climbing up more stairs. Knowing that he slowly walked after him.
Train Station Lower Floors
On the first floor of the station, Shirley had made her way back inside the building and was walking around, trying to find Lelouch.
"Lulu, where can you be?" Shirley wondered.
She then sees two unconscious security guards laying on the ground in front of her and becomes afraid. "He must be fighting." She then approaches one of them and picks up his fallen gun. "Lulu's fighting… On his own."
Train Station Railway
Now at the station's railway with a train already docked and empty, Lelouch comes to a standstill and faces Jeremiah who has finally caught up to him.
"A mechanical body. And you've got Geass canceller. Your vengefulness is truly top-notch, Orange boy." Lelouch commented.
"There's no vengefulness. It's sheer loyalty." Jeremiah corrected.
"How I hate to hear that. What could the Emperor have possibly done to deserve such loyalty?" Lelouch angrily questioned as he took out a button.
"Wait!" Before Lelouch could push the button, Jeremiah stopped and rushed his hands. "I am no longer your enemy."
"Wha…?" Lelouch looked completely thrown off but didn't let his guard down. "What are you talking about.
Jeremiah kept his hands up and then went on one knee to kneel before him.
"What are you doing?" Lelouch asked.
Jeremiah's only answer was this. "Prince Lelouch." Lelouch was shocked as his eyes went wide as Jeremiah continued. "You are Lelouch Vi Britannia, the son of Lady Marianne aren't you?"
Lelouch was shocked and didn't know how to respond to this sudden turn of events. "I am, but how did you know that?"
Train Station Upper Floors
As Shirley reached the upper floors of the station, Logan and Rolo also reached that point and they three all came to a stop when they spotted each other.
"Logan! Rolo!" Shirley exclaimed surprised.
"Shirley, you're here?" Rolo asked.
"I thought everyone evacuated, why are you still inside? And…" Logan then noticed Shirley was carrying a gun. "Why do you have a gun?"
Shirley looked at him with a serious expression. "Answer me, Logan. Are you Soul?"
Both Logan and Rolo's eyes widened with shock and disbelieve at what Shirley had just asked. Shocked at wondering why Shirley would even ask that and disbelief at wondering how she could have possibly come to that conclusion.
Shirley continued. "Answer me, I know you're Soul and I also know that Lulu is Zero."
"Shirley, What are you saying?" Rolo asked, still shaken. "What made ask all this?"
Shirley looked down. "You aren't denying it…" She then looks straight at them. "Then it's true, isn't it?"
"That's…" Logan started.
Before he could go on, Shirley spoke. "Then you're on Luluu's side, right? Right?" She asked without waiting for an answer. "Please! Let me join you! I want Lelou to be saved, too! I can help you protect him!" Shirley desperately asked of them. "I wanna bring all the happiness back into Lelou's life! Then maybe he could be together with his sister, Nunna!"
Upon saying that name, they become shocked again because they both knew what that meant.
"Shirley? You remember Nunnally?" Logan asked her, surprised.
Shirley nodded. "Yes."
"Then your memories have been restored?" Rolo asked, also surprised.
"They have," Shirley replied.
"Just stop!" Logan raised his arms. "This is all too sudden, Shirley, I need you to start from the beginning."
Shirley calmed down a bit and then spoke. "It was just the other day, I was walking and everything was normal, then all of a sudden all these memories kept flooding back into my mind and I didn't know what was going on." She explained. "Then someone I'd never met before came up to me and asked if I was one of Lulu's friends and told me to not go sniffing around now that my memories were back or else I might be killed."
"It must have been Jeremiah." Rolo figured, whispering to Logan.
"Then she must have been in the range of his Geass Canceller at some point." Logan deduced, whispering as well.
"But I, I couldn't just act like everything was normal. I remembered coach Villetta, she used to be a soldier and she came up to me one time, she told me that Lulu might have been involved with the Black Knights." Shirley told them.
"Villetta?" Logan asked, not aware of this. "She actually told you that?"
"Yeah, when I remembered that I became so confused, so I wanted to talk to Suzaku about it, but I also ended up running into Lulu as well," Shirley said. "But I think he already, no, I'm sure of it."
"But what made you think that Lelouch was Zero?" Logan asked, still confused. "Or that I'm Soul?"
"It was something they said, you two are always together and also at each others side, just like Zero and Soul." Shirley began. "And not just that, a year ago after Zero disappeared, you left around the same time, Logan. And when Zero came back, you also did shortly after, I also noticed Lulu was acting slightly different after Zero came back." She explained to them. "But I was entirely sure until I saw your reactions after I asked. Logan, you are Soul and Lulu is Zero, and Rolo, you must have known too so you're also with the Black Knights."
They both stayed silent for a moment and then, Logan sighed. "Unbelievable, were you always this smart? If so, then I really underestimated you."
"Big Brother?" Rolo looked at him, surprised.
"It's fine, Rolo. There's no point in denying it at this point." Logan assured him. "But let me ask you something, Shirley." He then activates his Geass. "Even though you know all of this, you still asked to join us. why?"
Shirley placed a hand over her heart before she answered. "Because I love Lulu."
Logan's eyes widened a bit.
"Ever since my memories came back, I have been feeling so very afraid. A teacher who wasn't a teacher. Friends, you don't have memories to share. Everyone who was just lying. It's that as though the whole world was spying on me. That's the world he's been fighting against, isn't it?" Shirley asked, before putting on a smile. "So that's why I… Why I wanted to be someone who would at least be truthful to him."
Rolo turned to Logan. "Is she…?"
"Yes." Logan turned off his Geass. "She's telling the truth, this is truly how she feels."
"That's why I want to join you," Shirley went on. "I want to be there for Lulu."
"Shirley… I believe." Logan told her.
Shirley looked relieved. "Then…"
"But." He went on. "The final decision isn't one we can make without consulting Lelouch. I want you to wait here, we'll tell Lelouch about this and he'll give you your answer, will you accept that?"
"Okay, I'll wait for Lulu." Shirley relented.
Logan then turned to Rolo. "Let's go."
"Right." Rolo nodded.
The two of them then made their way to the stairs and climbed up them.
Train Station Railway
Back on the railway, Lelouch stood before Jeremiah, shocked at what he was hearing. Jeremiah spoke while kneeling. "I learned the truth shortly after I was taken in by V.V, he told me you were the son of Lady Marianne and that he was using the OSI's surveillance to spy on you in case you ever awakened, at that point I was to be sent as an assassin after you."
"But if you didn't come here to kill me then what are you trying to do?" Lelouch asked, still unsure.
"I don't serve V.V, I follow only one. It's Lady Marianne. Whom I loved and respected!" Jeremiah proclaimed with pride. "But I failed to carry through with that loyalty. I just wasn't able to protect her!"
"Then, all this time you were…?" Lelouch asked
"I'm resolved to see my loyalty through!" Jeremiah said, looking up at him. "Master Lelouch… Everything became clear after I found out who you were. You became Zero for the sake of Lady Marianne, didn't you? And so I wish to follow you as well, Your Majesty."
Lelouch just looked at him, wondering what to do. "I don't understand, is he telling the truth or?"
"He's telling the truth."
A voice spoke and Lelouch turned to see Logan and Rolo arrive behind him.
"Logan?" Lelouch asked.
"Lelouch, everything Jeremiah has told you is the honest truth," Logan assured him.
"But, how do you know that?" Lelouch asked.
"Because he told us himself," Rolo admitted, surprising him. "As you already know, six months ago we broke into a research facility belonging to the Geass Order, that's where we found the prototype Geass Canceller that we used to restore your sealed memories, on that day we meet Jeremiah."
Lelouch's eyes widened. "You did?"
"It's true, I was taken there for fine-tuning and to complete my cybernetic enhancements," Jeremiah vouched. "It was after I learned about your identity. When I heard that someone had broken in, I went to see who it was and that was when I saw them. At that point, I confessed everything to them and told them I wanted to offer my loyalty to you."
"He didn't have a Geass Canceller at that point so I could tell he wasn't lying, so we told him we'd let him to all this to you after you got your memories back." Logan finished. "We're just fortunate V.V never found out and still installed him with a perfected Geass Canceller."
"But if you knew al this, why didn't you ever tell me?" Lelouch questioned him.
"Because Jeremiah asked us not to, he wanted to be the one to tell you all this," Logan told him. "Rolo and I just needed to make sure we were present when he did, that's why I told you not to call reinforcements."
"Then, it is true…" Lelouch realized, looking back at Jeremiah.
Jeremiah continued to kneel. "Your wish is my command, My Lord." He swore to him. "Ask and it shall be done."
Lelouch now understanding the situation, walked up to him. "Jeremiah Gottwald, listen. Your steadfast loyalty is still desperately needed here. Isn't that right?" Lelouch asked him.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Jeremiah responded.
"Then for this day forth, I want you to join me in my battle," Lelouch commanded him. "Help me reclaim my Sister Nunnally and uncover my Mother's killer."
Jeremiah looked up at him with a loyal smile. "It will be my honour to serve you."
Lelouch nodded and turned back to the others. "Alright, let's head back."
"Before that, there's one more thing you need to know," Logan told him.
"Hmm?" Lelouch raised a brow.
Train Station Upper Floors
After being told that Shirley was waiting for him, Lelouch went back into the station to meet her and before long he approached her.
"Lulu…" Shirley spoke with a sullen look on her face.
"Shirley…" Lelouch spoke with the same expression.
"Lulu, please tell me the truth… Are you Zero?" Shirley asked him.
"I am," Lelouch answered her.
"…I'm so glad," Shirley said.
"What?" Lelouch said surprised.
Lelouch was surprised to see Shirley with a smile on her face.
"I'm so glad that you told me the truth," Shirley said happily. "That you were honest with me."
"Shirley, in that case, please tell me the truth," Lelouch requested. "When did you truly figure out that I was Zero."
"Well…" Shirley started. "I always had a feeling."
"A feeling?" Lelouch repeated surprised.
"I never had any real proof, but I always thought you were connected somehow, you started to change ever since Zero first appeared. But I never would have imagined you were Zero, it wasn't until recently that the idea came to my head." Shirley admitted. "Ever since my memories came back, it was always in the back of my mind, but I still wasn't sure."
"But then, how did you…?" Lelouch wondered.
"I wasn't sure until I asked Logan about it," Shirley told him with a smile. "I asked because I wanted to see how he would react, that was when I had my answer."
Lelouch smiled a little. "I see, she got him with the same trick Euphie got me with." He thought.
"There's still a lot I don't get though, why did I lose my memories in the first place?" Shirley asked. "And why did they just come back? How come Rivalz and the Prez lost their memories as well? Why is Nunna the Viceroy? I have so many questions."
"Shirley, I know this is a lot to take in and I'm sorry, but there are some things I can't tell you right now." Lelouch apologized. "I want to, but not at this moment."
"I understand, but at least tell me this." Shirley looked straight at him. "You want to be with Nunna again, don't you?"
Lelouch looked taken aback by her words but answered. "I do."
"Then let me join you!" Shirley requested, stepping forward.
"Shirey, do you truly understand what you're saying?" Lelouch asked, trying to reason with her. "If you do this, you'll be an enemy of Britannia, your homeland. You might never be able to go back to Ashford or your parents or your friends."
"But the same can be said for you guys!" Shirley pointed out.
That stopped Lelouch as Shirley went on.
"Ever since my memories came back I've felt so confused, but now I understand, I understand the kind of world you've been apart of and how hard it is to live in it, but despite that, you still had people there for you that you knew you could trust, like Kallen and Suzaku and Rolo and Logan, I want to be there for you as well Lulu," Shirley told him honestly. "I can't just do nothing now that I know, so let me help you even if it's just in a small way."
"But why?" Lelouch asked, shocked by all that she was asking. "Why would you want to go so far just to help me?"
Instead of answering him, Shirley stood there for a few seconds and then walked up to him to close the distance between them. When she was right in front of him, Shirley leaned forward and planted her lips on his. They kissed in silence as the only sound was the sound of her heart racing as she placed her hands on his shoulders to embrace him. Afterwards, she leaned back and smiled at him as she spoke.
"Lulu, I love you," Shirley confessed. "Even after knowing about all this, I simply couldn't hate you. Even though I forgot everything, I still fell in love with you. Even though my memories were tampered with, I kept falling in love with you all over again. That's why I always want to be beside you and I want to keep loving you, no matter where it ends up taking me."
Lelouch just listened to her heartfelt confession, taking it all in and processing all this. He looked into her eyes and spoke.
"I can't talk you out of this, can I?" Lelouch asked.
"No chance." Shirley happily replied.
"Shirley, if you truly want to, if this is what you desire…" Lelouch said.
"It is," Shirley said as she held Lelouch's hands.
"Then okay…" Lelouch relented. "We'll go over some things then."
Shirley looked at him relieved. "Oh thank you, Lulu."
With that, they remained in each others' arms for a little bit longer, locked in a warm embrace with each other as their bond had grown into a genuine bond that bonded the two of them.
OSI Underground Base
A little while after the events at Ikebukuro, Lelouch, Logan, Rolo and Sayoko were now in the underground base after returning to Ashford. They were currently discussing what took place today.
"I made the decision to bring Shirley into our organization." Lelouch began. "I trust that no one has any complaints?"
"None," Rolo said.
"On the contrary, now that Shirley knows about us, it'll be safer to keep her close by," Logan pointed out. "On another note, the Geass Order."
"That's right, now that Jeremiah has joined us, we now have the location of the Geass Order's hideout," Lelouch said.
"Now we can go there ourselves." Rolo pointed out. "If we can take out the Order and V.V we'll be a step ahead of the Emperor."
"That's why we should begin as soon as possible," Lelouch said. "First we need to go back to the Ikaruga and get our Knightmares, along with the Zero Squad and the Soul Squad."
"And what about Miss Shirley?" Sayoko asked. "Will you be bringing her to the Ikaruga as well?"
"She's one of us now, I have every reason to bring her with us," Lelouch said. "But we have something we need to do before anything else."
After saying that, Lelouch headed for the door and the others followed after him.
Area 11 Government Bureau
The four of them were currently inside a truck that was driving towards the Government Bureau and while Sayoko was driving, Lelouch, Logan and Rolo were typing stuff down on laptops.
"She's in a state-of-the-art maximum-security cell dedicated to holding special inmates," Sayoko informed them. "It runs on an auto-lock computer system and requires a passcode to open."
"But for us, opening it is a simple process," Logan said confidently. "With the data from the G1 that Rolo and Sayoko stole back at Narita a while back, we were able to hack into the Government Bureau's main system, it took some time but Diethard was able to use it to create a new data code that will let us rewrite that system."
"Is there any chance that the security system or the mainframe will detect any of our interference?" Lelouch asked calmly.
"None whatsoever," Rolo answered him. "We already sent a powerful virus into the mainframe to act as a decoy, that along with the commotion at Ikebukuro has made them extremely busy in trying to clear things up."
Logan put up a blueprint of the Government Bureau's interior on his screen.
"These are the security cameras' blind spots and the guards' patrol routes," Logan informed them. "While the plan is underway, looping footage will play on all the security cameras and all the doors towards the route to her cell will be unlocked."
As he explained all this, the trunk drove into a parking bay inside the Government Bureau and the four of them walked out of the truck. Now making their way through the building and towards their destination. While going there, as he said, all the doors that were in front of them automatically opened and even when they walked by a security camera, no alarm went off.
"With the system rewritten, our presence here is completely unseen," Logan said.
"It's almost like we've become ghosts." Rolo noticed.
"But this will only last for 30 minutes," Logan informed him. "After that, everything goes back to normal."
"That's plenty of time," Lelouch said with a smirk. "After all, we're simply walking in and out."
Before long that walked through one last door and entered the room they planned to at last. The room that Kallen was placed in by Nunnally.
When call saw them enter, with Lelouch leading the pack, her expression was a mixture of happiness, relief and expectancy.
"Lelouch." Kallen happily said his name. "I knew you'd be here."
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Kallen," Lelouch said in front of her cell.
"I'm not upset," Kallen said as she stood up.
Sayoko entered the passcode into the keypad and the cell door opened automatically.
"Let's go, Kallen," Logan told her. "Everyone's waiting for you."
Government Bureau Security Room
Later, inside the security room, two guards were looking at the footage on the surveillance cameras that were placed over Kallen's cell.
"This woman," One of the guards spoke. "I get she's an Ace Pilot for the Black Knights, but doesn't it seem like special treatment to give her a private cell?"
"Well, apparently it was by order of the Viceroy." The other guard told him.
Suddenly the video feed started to lose feedback and the turned into static for a moment which got their attention. When the screen cleared up, to their shock and disbelief the camera showed the cell door was open and Kallen was no longer inside.
"She's gone?!" One of the guards said shocked.
"She escaped?!" The other guard said flabbergasted.
Area 11 Government Bureau
Meanwhile, as everyone inside the Government Bureau was in an uproar after seeing that Kallen was no longer in her cell. Lelouch, Logan, Rolo, Kallen and Sayoko were back inside the truck they arrived in and were already a fair distance from the building as they were driving away.
"The time is now," Lelouch said with a look of victory. "Our counterattack has already begun."
And that's the chapter. And here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for. I changed things up with Jeremiah because I felt like this way made more sense, if V.V wanted to use him as an assassin than I figured Jeremiah would first want to know who Lelouch is and why he became Zero and with that knowledge he'd bide his time until he could meet and join him. I made Rolo and Logan know as well so that things could be put into place.
And for breaking out Kallen, I told you she was going to be freed earlier than in the canon, this was how. For those who don't remember, during the battle at Narita, Rolo and Sayoko snuck into the G-1 and stole some data from it. The reason I did that was because I planned on having Kallen freed from prison since back then and this was what that data was for. They didn't steal back the Guren yet, but it'll happen.
And finally and most importantly; Shirley. That's right, Shirley lives. I never intended on killing Shirley, but I was wondering what to do with her, then I decided to bring her into the Black Knights, even in the canon she said she wanted to join him to help Lelouch, so I decided to go ahead ad let her. And for her big moment with Lelouch at the end, I wanted there to still be a tearjerking moment, just a happy one instead of a sad one, tell me what you thought of it.
So see you next time, hope you enjoyed, if you liked the story leave a review, if you want more clicked the follow/favourite and as always people have an awesome day.