CHAPTER 24:

DISQUIET

Meeting Rakshata Chawla for the first time was…interesting, in the cursed sense of the term. Knowing she was Lloyd Asplund's biggest rival, and had her own eccentricities, hadn't prepared Harry and Kallen for meeting the Indian scientist. She was the one behind the Radiant Wave Surger device, as well as the Guren and the other Knightmares the Phoenix Knights were being outfitted with. Harry got the distinct impression that the buxom and blonde Indian wanted to either bed him or vivisect him. The former was flattering, but he knew Kallen would promptly neuter him (to say nothing about their respective ages), and the latter was all kinds of nope.

However, the new pilotsuits for the Knightmares were interesting. He couldn't help but admire Kallen's figure in what looked like figure-hugging red lycra (though it was actually a thicker material), and he knew she was checking him out. Apparently, these pilotsuits had some safety mechanisms to help protect their pilots during battle. Harry just wondered if Rakshata was a pervert who wanted to see some hot bodies in skintight material (not that all of the Phoenix Knights had a figure suited to such apparel, sadly).

Then again, it had been a time for all kinds of meetings. Of all people, Ohgi and Nu ran into each other near Ashford Academy. After a tense moment, the two, surprisingly, hit it off, and once Harry and Kallen learned of their relationship, they decided to ensure that Nu and Ohgi knew who they really were. Nu was surprised that the former Japanese schoolteacher was one of the key members of the Phoenix Knights, and Ohgi, in his own turn, was surprised that Nu was formerly of the Blood Purists.

Diethard Ried had also joined the Phoenix Knights at long last, but it was made clear that they didn't trust the Britannian that much. Both Harry and Lelouch made an effort to keep their masks on around him. He was, as they suspected, an opportunistic vulture. Then again, he seemed better than Rita Skeeter, in that he had some small semblance of loyalty, as long as they provided the stories he hungered for.

However, things began to escalate in earnest with one particular day…

There was no doubt about it: Lelouch was a Bond villain in the making. Why else would he obtain a submarine at such short notice, and one large enough to fit most of the Phoenix Knights rather comfortably? One of these days, Harry was going to order a fluffy white cat for the Britannian teenager to stroke. He probably needed a pet to help with his stress levels anyway. And given Suzaku's notorious inability to get along with cats (he was fine with them, but the reverse wasn't true), well, maybe Lelouch could sic said cat on Suzaku in an emergency.

Harry leafed through a file he had been given by Lelouch, frowning. They were in a small office in the submarine. "Not much info on Shikine or Kamine. Shikine is used as a covert airstrip for Britannian forces. Kamine, however, according to what Gottwald dug up, was annexed by Clovis some time ago. Uninhabited, but having ruins that seem to be not originating from any known Japanese or Ainu or any other preceding culture. He hasn't been able to find out more, given the strangely high amount of security around it, but it's telling that there's any at all, let alone so much."

"Indeed," Lelouch said. "We'll be investigating Kamine ourselves at a later date. Especially after I found that photo you're about to come across. I think you'll find it intriguing."

Harry's frown deepened as he did so. There was a strange mural with an elaborate carving on it. And he saw a familiar shape, doing a brief double-take, Kallen doing the same as she peered over his shoulder. "That's like the bird-like symbol that appeared in your eyes when I saw you use Geass for the first time."

"More than that," CC said. She then swept up her hair, and on her forehead, the same winged symbol faded into view. "Geass and Codes have been around for many thousands of years. How far, I don't know, but I would hazard that they are as old as civilisation, if not much, much older. Many a civilisation of yore was brought to its knees by Geass. I see that dimly through what I see through the World of C."

"You said that the World of C is…well, a world of thought, didn't you?" Kallen asked. "The collective unconsciousness of all humanity?"

"Indeed. It can be accessed physically, albeit with difficulty. What exists within the World of C, the World of Consciousness, for want of a better name, is the closest thing this world has to God. Even I have little understanding of what entity or entities reside there, and perhaps I am better off not knowing."

After a moment, Lelouch seemed to put something together, his eyes widening in horror. "…Whatever my father and VV plans…it's something to do with the World of C, am I correct?"

CC, after a moment, nodded. "Indeed. Access the noosphere of a world, the collective minds of all that reside on it, and you have access to a very potent weapon. You could do anything to the minds of humanity…provided you found the way to manipulate the World of C."

"Mass-brainwashing…or perhaps he could just kill any dissidents from afar," Kallen muttered, her own expression horrified, as well as angry. "But he hasn't found a way to do it yet, or else he hasn't created a way of doing so yet. Otherwise, he would have done it by now."

"…That is serious Orwellian bullshit right there," Harry said flatly.

"…I think your friend Hermione brought that up. She said something about Big Brother when she saw a poster with the Emperor on it," Lelouch said. "George Orwell or someone like that. If you find a way to get back to your world, I've given Hermione a list of literature for her to obtain for me that she has mentioned."

"She'll probably dump a whole truckload of books on you, Lelouch," Harry said flatly. "Just saying. She considers a huge textbook 'light reading'."

Lelouch chuckled at that. "That being said, that only means we should redouble our efforts to stymie whatever VV or the Emperor have planned. On another note, we're first working out the final organisational structure of the Phoenix Knights, as well as the contingencies in case I am hors de combat. Ohgi will be my second in command in all non-military matters, at least on paper. In truth, I expect you two to help him if you are still present, especially given the lack of confidence he has as a leader. He'll need your support. The Chief of Military Affairs will be Tohdoh. I expect you to defer to him on matters of strategy and tactics if something should happen to me. What he lacks in my initiative and boldness, he makes up for in experience. Kallen, you will be the leader of the Zero Squad, while Harry, you will be the sole member of the Extranormal Operations, unless CC wishes to contribute in that regard. Because of your relationship with Kallen, you'll be pretty much on permanent attachment to Zero Squad. In addition, you two, along with Tohdoh, Jeremiah, Sayoko, and the willing within Ohgi's group, will be part of my Nunnally contingency. If my identity as Zero is compromised in any way, or if Nunnally is in any danger otherwise, I charge you with ensuring her safety, particularly during operations where I am needed during the latter scenario."

"We would do it anyway," Kallen said. "Aside from working out how we're organised, what's next on the agenda?"

"We're heading to Shikine Island. Euphemia is going there more or less incognito to meet with someone, away from the settlement, and from Cornelia's eyes. Jeremiah has dug up some interesting information as to who it seems to be: my brother Schneizel. What he is doing there, and why Euphie is meeting him, I don't know, as I doubt it is related to Kamine, at least where Euphie is concerned. However, this will be a chance to capture the Lancelot, or destroy it. Suzaku may be a brilliant pilot, but if we remove the Lancelot from play, it'll buy us some time before he can gain a Knightmare equal to or stronger than it. In addition, I believe Rakshata will be delighted to be able to take apart the Earl of Pudding's favourite toy if we manage to capture it."

"You're not going to try and intercept Schneizel?" Harry asked. "Didn't Clovis say he had something to do with shifting your mother's body?"

"Yes, but given that Cornelia has given me one of the better leads, I'm not sure what further information Schneizel can give me, and as both the Prime Minister of Britannia and the second in line to the throne, his security detail will be considerably greater, thus making things far more difficult if I intend to capture him. In addition, killing him will only serve to redouble the Empire's punitive actions towards Japan. In any case, I intend to take or destroy the Lancelot before Schneizel arrives."

"In other words, asset denial," Kallen said.

"Yes."

The redheaded pilot nodded in affirmation. "Got it. And Suzaku?"

"He dies only if necessary, and in battle. I will not condone cold-blooded assassination, not like Ried or Rakshata suggested."

"…Ried tried to sell me on the idea, Lelouch," Kallen admitted. "I understand his reasoning, but I'm abiding by your decision for now, especially if he could be our in with Euphemia. But if I need to, to save your life or anyone else's, I'm killing him, got it?"

Lelouch nodded mutely, clearly not liking it, but accepting it all the same. He could not refute Kallen's logic, and conserving the lives of his own people came first. Harry just hoped that it wouldn't cause further trouble.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Harry asked.

"Raskhata has developed a device known as the Gefjun Disturber. Basically, it shuts down all Sakuradite-based technology within its field of effect. In other words, it can paralyse a Knightmare Frame," Lelouch said.

"Meaning it could very easily backfire if any of your own units are in the field," CC mused. "In addition, Sakuradite is a terrestrial form of exotic matter. Anything that interacts with it in new ways could trigger unusual effects. Large quantities, when subjected to a large enough explosion, amplify that explosion in unusual ways. You saw that happen when you dealt with Katase. If this is an untested piece of technology, I'd be cautious. Especially if something else interacts with it. While I don't know much about what Schneizel and his people have been researching, what I had heard before my confinement was interesting. Flight systems for Knightmares and large-scale airships. A form of directed energy weapon that uses particle beams. The sort of things that are sure to either ensure Britannia's dominance over the world, or else spark a new arms race between the three main superpowers of the world."

"…A directed energy weapon that uses a particle beam?" Lelouch asked in horror.

"I believe the specific term used was a Hadron Cannon," CC said.

"What's a hadron?" Harry asked.

"Hadrons are the basic subatomic particles like neutrons and protons," Lelouch explained. "An electron is a smaller class of subatomic particle known as a lepton. Hadrons are generally made of quarks."

"Okay, I don't really need the subatomic physics lecture. The short version is, your brother may well have created some sort of death ray or something, am I right in my guess?" Kallen asked.

"Essentially, yes. The power requirements are enormous, even more so than a Knightmare Frame, so it'd be more plausible to put it onto a massive vehicle with a lot of energy to spare," Lelouch said. "It'd be basically heavy artillery. Pump enough power into something like that, and it'd go through an army of Knightmares like a hot knife through butter."

"…Okay, Lelouch? You're not the only Bond villain in the family," Harry snarked. "Okay, we knew that from the xenophobic tyrant sperm donor who wants to rule the world, but you also have someone who commissions huge bloody death rays. It's either that, or your father is the Galactic Emperor, and your brother is Darth Vader or Moff Tarkin."

The three others present looked askance at him, before Kallen muttered, "This must be that Star Wars thing he told me about. More movies we'll need to bring back from his homeworld."

"That one, I can see people enjoying more than the Bond films," Harry said. "Seriously, there has to be a way to use Sakuradite to create a lightsaber." On CC and Lelouch's looks, he said, "Imagine a sword, but with a beam of light or plasma a few feet long for a blade."

"That sounds impractical and dangerous, but undoubtedly stylish," CC remarked. "Still…going back to Schneizel…why would Euphemia be seeing him behind Cornelia's back? Even if you don't know why she is doing this, it's a very pertinent question to ask. My opinion is that she may be going behind Cornelia's back for something that Schneizel can provide. He is, after all, effectively the second in command of Britannia, and while his powers are not as unlimited as Charles', well, it does mean that Euphemia may very well be up to something that needs the political influence Schneizel has to implement."

"And if Schneizel is amenable to it, it means something that can further his ambitions," Lelouch concluded with a scowl. "Cornelia was bad enough, but to have Euphemia acting as Schneizel's puppet? I was hoping not to have Schneizel make any plays yet. I'd hoped his duties as Prime Minister would prevent him for now. Damnation, I hadn't considered this. I was so distracted by the thought of asset denial that I forgot to consider the implications properly. Then again…" He looked at the folders. "CC…what are the odds that he is also here to investigate Kamine Island and the ruins there?"

"While I cannot say for sure that he is, it's possible. While Schneizel, to my knowledge, has no links to VV or his machinations, he's obviously smart enough to start putting the pieces together," CC said, the green-haired immortal frowning in thought. "He may be investigating of his own accord to find out what your father is up to."

"In other words, we have too many questions, and not enough answers," Kallen said. "Let's hope our little sojourn here is worth it." She then grimaced. "I bloody jinxed it, didn't I?"

The nods she got from the others present told her all she needed to know…

CHAPTER 24 ANNOTATIONS:

Yeah, Kallen, you jinxed it.

Sorry about the wait. Admittedly, this is partly due to my interest in Code Geass waning somewhat. I also intended to have the Kamine Island stuff later in the chapter, but I got so caught up in Harry, Kallen, Lelouch and CC discussing the situation, well, it turned out like this. Then again, I am at my best with character interaction. Keep in mind, it may be some time before the next chapter.

No numbered annotations this time.