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Kintsugi - Chapter 1: Awakening
🕑 Added 2021-05-29 11:01:10 +0000 UTC‘When did everything... start going so wrong?’ Lelouch panted, feeling his whole body aching as he ran through the subterranean tunnel but not daring to stop. Every new explosion that made the whole structure rattle just added more fuel to his panic, pushing the normally feeble student even harder.
He supposed the answer laid in his decision to actually help the drivers of the truck that lost control of the wheel and crashed into a deserted building, if only to set himself apart from the apathetic crowd that just stared and took pictures with their cellphones instead of, he doesn’t know, calling an ambulance? Then again, nowadays Lelouch was more or less used to having been born in a country where decent human beings were as rare as hen’s teeth.
How was he supposed to know said drivers were terrorists chased by the Britannian military after stealing a capsule of poison gas? Not to mention Suzaku: the two of them finally met after seven years, only for him to be killed because he refused the order to shoot Lelouch.
One more bloody crime Britannia will one day pay for, along all the innocent people being slaughtered like cattle in the city above.
The green-haired girl, the one that was locked inside the capsule instead of poison gas—and didn’t that say a lot about his so-called ‘brother’ on so many levels?— tripped on a piece of rubble and fell down on her side. Normally Lelouch would question why a full-body straitjacket had high heels and that it would be a nice gesture to free the girl’s arms, but right now he was beyond caring.
“Who the hell are you?!” the exiled prince shouted, finally slowing down and swaying to the side until his back met the wall. “All this commotion is your fault!”
He put a hand over his face, trying to drive away the images of Suzaku being shot in the back by the captain of Clovis’ Royal Guard. A fruitless effort, even if Lelouch was sure the bastard was going to kill Suzaku either way: it didn’t take a genius like him to realize no one but a select few were supposed to know about the girl. Both boys were dead from the beginning, Lelouch managing to escape only because of the truck exploding and creating an opening.
Another explosion shook the tunnel, followed by a few more in rapid succession. Lelouch clenched his teeth: it sounded like someone just grew trigger-happy. It would be just his rotten luck for the ceiling to crumble and bury him alive under tons of concrete. The raven-haired boy slammed a fist on the wall he was leaning on: he needed to get himself and the girl out of those tunnels and the ghetto before—
There was a loud cracking sound, followed by the unsettling feeling of the floor tilting downward under his feet.
...Surely the universe didn’t hate Lelouch that much, right?
There was another, even louder cracking sound. Lelouch lowered his hand and watched in horror as several fissures opened on the floor, starting in the center and spreading out like a spider’s web.
“Oh no, not again.” the girl muttered, sounding like a commuter who had a dog pissing on his pants for the second time in the same week. And where the fuck did that messed-up analogy came—
The floor opened up and swallowed both of them.
====
Lelouch groaned, feeling like all the bones in his body were broken. He hoped it was just an impression, because if it was true then the shards likely pierced his organs and he was about to die in a few minutes. Or his spine was broken and he was paralized from the neck down.
His left leg twitched, causing a fresh wave of agony. At least now he could rule out being paralized, feeling pain was better than feeling nothing at all. Pain meant he was still alive.
Very carefully he moved his head around, trying to understand where he was. The only light available came from a hole up above, but it was enough for him to see various piles of rubble, crates, cranes and a cylindrical structure that looked vaguely militaristic, if only because Britannia used a similar design.
Oh, and the green-haired girl slowly standing up on all fours next to him, can’t forget that. “So you can talk.” Lelouch mumbled, trying to very carefully push himself to a sitting position. His limbs responded to his commands and the pain was slowly diminishing, that was a good sign. “Also, again!?”
"Catacombs of Paris. Do not recommend it.” she answered with a gruff tone. Lelouch has never been to Paris but he remembered the section in the history book: something about the remains of more than six million people, what a nice-sounding place. “Particularly when your bastard father is carpet-bombing the city.”
‘When did Birtannia send a bombing raid to the capital of France? Oh right it was-wait a minute!’ Lelouch’s eyes widened. “You know who I am?! How?”
“...Merde.” the regret in her voice sounded genuine. “Oh well, cat’s out of the bag I guess.”
Now, Lelouch greatly valued his privacy. Especially because his real identity being discovered would put not only him but also Nunnally in danger. So of course, pain or not pain, his next move was to order the girl to tell him how she knew.
The words died in his throat when the girl shifted to the side, revealing a sharp piece of metal stabbed in her leg, and roughly pulled it out with just a weak grunt. From his position Lelouch had a clear sight of the hole left behind, the light strong enough for him to see the torn flesh and the blood dribbling out: it didn’t look crippling, but without a doubt it was the kind of injury that takes a lot to heal and leaves behind a scar.
So the boy could be excused for his shock when he saw the wound literally closing itself, leaving behind unblemished skin. His mind kicked into overdrive, considering any and all possibilities: from hallucinations caused by a concussion to new advances in Britannia medical science, which was one of its very few good points. Soon reaching the most likely conclusion. “That’s why they were experimenting on you, right? To discover how you heal so quickly and thoroughly.”
She hummed, a faint flash of approval in her eyes. “I’m functionally immortal, and before you consider it’s rude to ask a woman her age.” she smiled coquettishly.
That already told Lelouch all he wanted to know: that the green-haired woman was older than he and likely much older than was possible for a human being.
“Your fop of a brother wanted to know the secret beyond my ability, which I couldn’t have told him even if I wanted because I never understood the exact mechanisms myself.” she shrugged and sat on the ground. “So he locked me up and told his pet scientists to figure it out. They never managed it, though from eavesdropping I learned they made some kind of groundbreaking discovery in regard to cybernetics.”
“Clovis is not my brother.” Lelouch snarled, finally managing to join the girl on sitting on the ground. “My half-brother was a fop who liked to paint, not a mass-murderer who ordered the death of thousands of innocents!”
“...Fair.” she replied simply, as if subdued. She rested her chin on one hand and looked up at the hole from where light came from. “I wonder how deep we are?”
The sound of a muffled explosion reached their ears.
“I would say extremely deep.” the raven-haired boy answered, now feeling well enough to move. He reached inside one of the pockets in his pants and took out his cellphone—the bottom of which fell apart, revealing mangled circuits and a cracked screen. Likely the fall’s result. “Shit!”
“Still had to finish paying it?”
“Unless we find a path going up this is our only way out!” Lelouch thrusted the ruined phone towards her. “You, you... witch!”
Instead of grimacing at the insult, or being darkly amused, her response was a blank stare heavy with apathy. "If you really want to insult me, try to come up with something original that I haven't heard a thousand times before."
"Sorry to disappoint you, I'll be sure to study harder for the next test." Lelouch replied sarcastically, then he sighed in irritation. “I have some knowledge of electronics, so if I find the parts I can fix it... Anyway, do you have a name or should I keep calling you Witch?”
The green-haired girl shrugged and stood up. “Call me CC.” she answered while patting her clothes to take off the dust.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. “Just the initials? If that’s your wish...” having no desire to inquire further Lelouch also stood back up on his feet, though more slowly. “So, any idea where are we?”
“Not a clue. And quite frankly, after all these years that is a first for me.” CC sounded oddly pleased with that statement. Her eyes swept around the area. “That’s an helipad over there, are we on the roof of a building?”
He looked at the area and, indeed, there was a faded but still visible ‘H’ symbol inside a ring. Every nation used the same markings for a helipad, so it couldn’t be anything else. “The next question is: how did a whole building end up under a Japanese city? The Settlement was built above several former Tokyo districts without waiting to clear up the area so it would make sense for an old Japanese structure to still exist under it, but we’re in one of the ghettos. An old subway? Still possible, but...”
“Yes, it’s a mystery. And would you look at it, I love mysteries.” CC smiled and began to walk towards the cylindrical structure, all the while sashaying her hips.
Lelouch quickly followed along. “How did you free your arms anyway?”
“The sleeves got cut when I landed, I just finished the job.” she raised her arms, showing the jagged edges of the straitjacket’s sleeves.
He hummed in acknowledgment, his curiosity sated. When they reached the cylindrical structure they checked around it and found a door. “It’s card-locked, and the power’s out.” Lelouch pointed out.
CC pulled out a metal pipe from a pile of rubble. “Archimedes said: give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
“To you personally?” Lelouch grinned, and was rewarded with a pipe to his thigh. “Argh! Crazy witch!”
“Rude boy.” CC commented while jamming one end of the pipe in the thin opening between the door and the frame. “Now come here and give me a hand, a delicate and young girl like me obviously has no big muscles.”
“My vengeance will be legendary...” Lelouch promised under his breath.
It took a few attempts, but finally Lelouch and CC managed to wreak the door open enough for them to pass through. Once inside what met their eyes was a metal walkway with bare walls, a few odds and ends on the floor and bundles of different colored cables traveling along the ceiling. Another door to the left led to what was probably the structure’s main area, though there was no window to peer inside, and a set of stairs continued down into the rest of the facility.
Lelouch swept away the dust on one wall with his sleeve, revealing a logo: a white tower-like structure, similar to the rook chess piece, inside a black triangle pointed upwards. Under the tower were the words [RHODES ISLAND]. ”Rhodes Island... never heard of it. What about you, CC?”
She looked over his shoulders and nodded her head. “I have, though I’m not surprised you didn’t. Rhodes is a Greek island in the Mediterranean, and it’s mostly famous for having been the headquarters of the original Knights Hospitaller.”
“A Crusader order?”
“Technically yes, but in truth... not really. While they were knights, instead of wanting to retake Jerusalem they provided care for the sick, the poor and the injured.” she explained, a melancholic look suddenly falling on her features. “I met them only after they relocated to Malta, another island in the Mediterranean, but... They were some of the only humans I’ve ever known to be as good as they presented themselves.”
“Even to me.” Lelouch barely caught the following whisper, but decided to not comment on that. At the moment the needs of the living outweigh the memory of the dead, even good ones. He was sure the Hospitallers would understand.
“A-Anyways... what strikes me is that thanks to your father’s breath-taking regard for human history, as far as I’m aware I’m one of the few beings alive on this planet who should know about such a connection. Which begs the question...”
“The EU was never conquered by Britannia, and they’re not nearly as callous, so maybe...?” he tried to reason, though the explanation fell flat even to his own ears. Moving to the side he swiped the dust off a second, larger copy of the symbol. Revealing additional words written on the internal sides of the triangle. “May I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times. Part of the Hippocratic Oath. Could this Rhodes Island be an European pharmaceutical company? It would explain the connection.”
“Maybe.” She hummed, somehow looking pleased at the possibility. She tried the door, but found it sealed as well. “Thicker than the other too, there’s no forcing this open. Let’s try downstairs.”
====
It quickly became apparent the building was much bigger than either Lelouch or CC anticipated, with long and winding pathways that always led to a door or a fork in the road. Emergency lights turned up at their passage, revealing there was still power and allowing them to see, but it did nothing to help them orient themselves.
Not all doors were locked, but checking behind them only added more questions. For example, their most recent discovery appeared to be an armory full of melee weapons, complete with what appeared to be logistical documentation. Both of which only served to raise even more questions than answers.
“Blacksteel Worldwide, Penguin Logistics...” Lelouch read from some documents, inspecting what appeared to be the armory’s usage logs. “Again, never heard of them. They sound like companies, and this a partial list for the delivery of supplies, medical equipment and—” he blinked in disbelief. “Ingots of pure gold?”
“Wow. Look at this.” holding it with both hands CC raised a broadsword. It wasn’t an antiquity, but rather forged with modern techniques and materials. “There are also shields, spears, maces... This really brings me back.”
“The mystery thickens. Either the founders of Rhodes Island were history nuts with a small fortune to spare, or they weren’t just a pharmaceutical company.” Lelouch mused. It was starting to intrigue him too, and it was also a welcome distraction at the moment.
Looking at a rack of weapons he saw it was full of smaller weapons and staves with various designs, which he assumed were ceremonial in nature. Out of curiosity he picked up a knife: it was forged out of a single piece of metal, with no wrapping around the handle. The guard was shaped like a vertical hexagon with a hole in the middle. Lelouch assumed it was made to be thrown or held with special gloves, he wasn’t an expert so those were mere suppositions.
He put it back before taking a couple of more standard-looking knives, which also included a sheath, and sliding them inside his jacket. As a precaution, nothing more.
“Stealing from the dead is bad... It’s what I would say, except so far we haven’t found a single body.” despite her words CC was using a quarterstaff as a walking stick, a sight which quickly dispelled Lelouch’s budding shame. “Call it a hunch, but it feels like everyone left in a hurry.”
“You raise a good point. In the first place, how does a whole building end up underground? It’s doubtful it was built this way, the gap between the ceiling’s facility and the cavern’s precludes that. The most obvious possibilities are either an earthquake or a landslide, with the first being more likely since Japan is a notorious geologically unstable country.” Lelouch reasoned, cupping his chin in thought. “Perhaps once the building began to sink the residents hurried to escape?”
“If some were unable to do so and ended up trapped, then the next logical step was to find a way out. Falling that, waiting to be rescued.” CC continued with a dark tone. “Obviously the latter didn’t happen, but the survivors would have banded together and chose to wait in a safe area.”
“Gathering food, water and if they were lucky air-purifying machines in a single location.” he nodded. “I bet they chose one of the most reinforced areas, either on the lower floors or near the center.”
“Let’s go there, then. Before that, however, I want to check out the next room.”
They arrived in another armory, this one full of ranged weapons. Absolutely no guns or bullets, but plenty of bows, crossbows and arrows. “Now, those? Those are not weapons to hunt animals, those are weapons to kill humans.” with one hand she picked up a crossbow equipped with a rifle scope, and with the other an arrow. “Military-grade plastic for lightness, metal arrowheads and those strings look tough enough to choke a bull. These are body armor-piercing and up.”
“Definitely not a normal pharmaceutical company, then...” Lelouch rubbed his chin in thought. “A cheap alternative for small-scale urban combat and it would have allowed them to bypass gun control laws. It would suggest shady dealings in the background, or a preventive measure turned necessary because they made a lot of enemies in the process.”
He shrugged. “Alternatively, some sort of ‘proactive’ healthcare? Military medical teams usually have an armed escort, if Rhodes Island operated in war zones then they would have needed to provide protection for their members.”
“An unconventional solution, but with some luck also a successful one.” CC mused with an intrigued tone before her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Save... that the only real major war zones that popped up before Japan got hit were from Britannia, and word of medics with crossbow or melee weapons would have traveled fast. Which raises more questions than answers: how did these people, so advanced and armed, operate in a vacuum?”
“Unless they never put their resources to use, but with the maintenance and quality of those weapons that makes even less sense.” Lelouch reasoned. “We obviously lack critical data to fir our findings into the proper context.”
“True.” She held out the crossbow to Lelouch. “Want it?”
“No thanks: I have some practice with a gun, but I’m far from a sharpshooter. A weapon I have no experience with is more likely to be a hindrance than an asset.” he waved one hand in denial. “Knife fights are short and brutal affairs so I may as well rely on luck.”
“Alright.” she put the weapon back to its place and walked towards the exit. “Stab from below and aim at the chest, that’s the best way to deliver a killing blow.”
Lelouch didn’t even ask how she knew, he could guess. “Got it.”
====
The rest of the building soon revealed itself to be labyrinthian: almost all of the hallways were identical with the same dark steel interior, except for the empty signs and leftover materials scattered across the floors. The lights flickered on and off, leaving Lelouch and CC blind in the brief moments of darkness.
“Did they plan for a possible raid too?!” Lelouch slammed a fist on the wall. “At least they could have put up some bloody indications!”
CC rolled her eyes. “Getting angry is not going to resolve the problem, boy.”
“Does your healing factor shield you from carbon dioxide?”
That gave the green-haired girl pause. “...No, but it locks me in a cycle of suffocation and revival. Alright, point made: let’s hurry up.”
Lelouch looked back at her with pity, but quickly turned his head when she glared back. “Rather than hurrying it’s best we focus on memorizing the layout as much as possible, lest we end up going in circles. I already have a reasonable outline of it, I suspect the building as a whole was made to be highly modular. If my hunch is right we ought to find the bridge or a nexus soon.”
The exiled prince’s words proved to be correct: after reaching a crossroads of different hallways they followed the largest one and arrived inside what, without a doubt, was a command centre. A metal pathway led to a raised platform, upon which were dozens of workstations, screens, computers and cables. It was not the sharp order and efficiency of a military base: rather it brought to mind a computer nerd’s room that someone tried, and partially failed, to organize.
“It looks like the power output is higher here.” Lelouch commented while checking one of the computers. Unfamiliar labels, just like before, but they were similar enough to those back at Ashford that just maybe he could—
“O... O... O...”
“Huh?” He paused, looking back at his companion in confusion. “Did you say something?”
“No, that wasn’t—” CC’s denial was cut off when the screen in front of them abruptly flared to life, the rook-logo they’d seen throughout the facility branded upon it.
“Or-gan-IC pre-SEN-ces d-detected.” A synthetized, feminine voice suddenly blared out across the bridge. Weak and crackling at first, but with increasing strength and stability. “A-Activating emergency p-protocols.”
The previously dark lights suddenly began turning on one after the other, accompanied by the increasing humming sound of a power generator. After walking in dim light for so long the sudden illumination temporarily blinded both Lelouch and CC.
“I think we just activated an emergency system.” The green-haired girl commented, one arm covering her eyes.
“No shit.” Lelouch mumbled in annoyance. He waited until his eyes adjusted to the light, then cautiously opened his eyelids. All the screens were now on, each one displaying Rhodes’ logo and fragmented lines of codes.
However, the new source of light also revealed something previously hidden in the darkness: in the center of the bridge, hooked to a central column by several cables, were four pods. They looked similar to the medical pods used for delicate operations and patients in critical conditions by Britannia, though the glass panes were covered by a thin layer of frost.
“Initiating analysis on Cryogenic Treatment System...” The voice continued. “Degradations within acceptable parameters. Vital signs: uncompromised. No casualties or critical conditions detected among Rhodes Island personnel. Now initiating analysis on secondary systems...”
“...I think I finally know why we haven't heard so much as a trace of these people before." CC breathed to herself.
While Lelouch was still taking it all in, the green-haired girl walked up to the pods with a bold gait to her steps. “Is it because they're likely not from our world? Because frankly..."
She leaned over one pod and cleared off the frost from the glass. Seeing her smiling victoriously Lelouch moved close to look inside the pod, and saw a sleeping girl around his age, with long brown hair... and bunny-like ears sticking out from the top of her head.
“This, is a big clue."
“I saw several girls with animal ears at the mall yesterday."
CC stopped smiling and stared at Lelouch.
“It's a new trend among Britannians: a small medical operation, and you have ears or other animal features that look almost authentic."
"...Youngsters those days...” CC rubbed her brow. For the first time she sounded old and tired. “They're out of their fucking minds."
Lelouch raised his palms in a clear sign of surrender, though his lips were twitching. “In whatever defense there is for my country, they did pick it up from Japanese culture.”
“That nekomimi nonsense? Of all the fucking things!” She threw her arms in the air. “Now shut up and give me a hand: we’re unfreezing those people and finally get some answers.”
“Save that I have no idea how to do it safely.” Lelouch protested. “Unless you want to break open the pods, in which case I’ve read enough science-fiction to know that is a terrible idea.”
“That is... not necessary.” One of the screens hanging from the central columns began blinking. “Greetings. I am... the Primitive Rhodes Island Terminal Service, or PRTS for short. I can guide... you through the correct p-procedure.”
Both of them stared at the talking screen in disbelief. “You’re a self-aware AI.” Most modern Knightmares used Virtual Intelligences to aid the pilot, but they could be compared to especially smart animals: clever, and capable of complex actions, but they can’t take decisions by themselves or grow beyond their original programmings.
In short, what they were currently witnessing was something beyond Britannia’s—nay, the whole world’s current ability to produce.
A small part of Lelouch was still skeptical. The remaining was now convinced CC and he truly found something out of this world.
CC raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know being a living Turing Test was among your talents, boy.”
“It’s not. But it—she is talking with us, offering help related to an argument we just spoke about. I know how Britannian VIs work, and unless there’s a person somewhere listening to us and typing on a keyboard, that’s not something they can do.” Lelouch slowly explained. “Of course at the moment I’m only 78% sure PRTS is a true AI, but this is neither the place nor the time for tests. Thus I’m going to operate on the assumption she is a self-aware AI.”
“A logical decision. Thank you for placing your trust in m-me.” PRTS answered. “Query: M-May I know your identifications?”
“I’m Lelouch and she’s CC.” The boy answered. He gestured to the capsules. “Are they your creators? What are their names?”
“Answer to first question: that topic is...” The screen glitched. “Complicated. I cannot reveal anything more without Doctor Kal’tsit’s authorization. Answer to second question: they are the executives of Rhodes Island. Amiya, Doctor Kal'tsit, Closure and the Doctor. They are my commanders. My leaders. My friends. Please. Help them.”
====
“So... there’s really no way out.”
“The Catastrophe Messengers have looked at it from every which way, and they all say the same thing: in a word, no. For now, we’re safe in the eye of the storm’s cyclone... but soon enough the cyclone will collapse and the full force of the Catastrophe will bear down on us. And until then, the eye wall is keeping us fenced in. We’re trapped. And, at their most optimistic... we have a week until the storm kills us all.”
“Just one week?! Damn it all, what do we do?!”
“Things can’t end like this, not after all... not after we’ve come so far—!”
“...”
“...Doctor? You’ve been awfully quiet.”
“...I think I might have an idea.”
“Really?!”
“And... you’re probably not going to like it. Either of you.”
“I don’t like any of your ideas in general—”
“Doctor Kal’tsit!”
“—but given the present alternatives... what are you thinking?”
“The biggest threat is not the Catastrophe itself, Rhodes Island’s hull is strong enough to protect us from the worst of the devastation. Right, Kal’tsit?”
“That is... not inaccurate. It will certainly be tight, we’ll definitely have some breaches... but Rhodes Island is very secure solid, and if Chernobog can narrowly avoid getting scrapped, then so can we.”
“Indeed. But that still leaves the threat of the airborne Originium particles that will be released, and the masses of active originium besides. In order to shield our bodies and survive the required isolation, I propose everyone enter cryogenic sleep. This will allow us to survive until the Originium concentrations subside, and our branch facilities can manage to save us.”
“...It makes sense, except for one fact: there are over ten-thousand personnel on Rhodes Island, we don’t have time to make pods for each and every one.”
“Save that the pods have already been made.”
“What are you—?”
“Closure.”
“Yo, Doc! Er, non-Feline Doc, I mean. What’s up?”
“How feasible it would be to apply the cryogenic process to a whole room?”
“A whole room? Weeeeell, if the sedative and other necessary drugs are administered before the process, then I suppose any enclosed space will suffice. In theory at least, something like has never been tested, obviously.”
“Well, there is a first time for everything.”
“This... is definitely a crazy idea, but I can’t think of anything better or just slightly less worse.”
“One last thing. Given the sheer amount of raw Originium that’s due to come crashing down our heads... even if we take every precaution, and by some miracle we do manage to survive, there’s still no guarantee of our wellbeing. Literally anything could happen between us going into hibernation and waking up.”
“Considering how the alternative is guaranteed death? I say we take it. I vote aye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye! I’m too young and poor to die!”
“Doctor, I... if this is the last time we see each other—”
“Stop right there Amiya.”
“Doctor?”
“We will see each other again. No ifs and no buts. I’m sure everyone feels the same, so... believe it, Amiya. You, more than anyone else, need to believe it.”
“...Yes, Doctor! This isn’t a ‘goodbye’, this is a ‘see you later’.”
“Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll wake up from a white knight’s kiss Amiya. Just like in those Victorian romance novels!”
“M-Miss Closure!”
====
Amiya’s last memory was the cryogenic pod’s hatch closing, followed by a small prickling sensation in the back of her neck as the sedative was injected into her bloodstream. She didn’t get to feel her body being put under ice.
Now? Now she felt as if the ice was inside her. Amiya’s whole body felt terribly cold, the only reason she wasn’t shuddering was because of the sedative’s lingering effects. She took a deep breath—and coughed as the air touched tissues that haven’t been in use for who knows how long.
“Easy there.” Someone said with a soothing tone. Amiya felt hands gently lifting her upper body. “Take small breaths, don’t try to move just yet. Hey, are you sure they are going to be fine?”
“Affirmative. Data available confirm those are common symptoms of leaving cryogenic sleep.” A familiar voice replied. That was... PRTS? Yes, PRTS! That meant they have been rescued!
The Leader and public face of Rhodes Island slowly opened her eyes, trying to see the face of her savior. It was blurry at first, her eyes aching like freshly scabbed wounds, but eventually she could make out black hair, boyish and refined features that wouldn’t look out of place among Victorian nobles... and purple eyes so deep a person could get lost into them. Not even the eyes of Lava and Hibiscus were such a vivid purple, they almost resembled freshly cut amethysts.
He was definitely handsome.
“Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll wake up from a white knight’s kiss Amiya. Just like in those Victorian romance novels!”
Despite the intense cold Amiya felt blood rush up to her face. It wasn’t like that! It wasn—
Hatred. Colder than a shard of ice stabbing into her heart, hotter than lava coursing through her veins.
Grief. An ugly thing growing like cancer, sinking its claws into her flesh and gnawing at her bones. Swelling and swelling until the pressure is too much and she screams.
Hatred and grief. Grief and hatred. Forever intertwined. Grief grief grief why did mother has to die hatred hatred hatred how dare he do nothing how dare he dismiss her death hatred grief hatred grief hatred grief they took everything away from her hatred grief they will payhatredgrieftheywillpayHATREDGRIEFTHEYWILLALLPAYIWILLNOTSTOPUNTILEVERYTHINGISASHESANDMYHANDSAREAROUNDHISFUCKINGNEC—
A migraine of an intensity she never experienced before roared within her head, threatening to split open her skull. She hastily muted her emotional sensitivity, and it was like pulling out thorny vines wrapped around her body.
“Warning. Operator Amiya’s heart rate is suddenly rising. EEG readings suggest a panic attack.” PRTS warned.
“You’re safe! There’s no need to panic!” The purple-haired boy spoke in a hurry, trying to reassure her. “We aren’t here to hurt you, I swear it.”
Amiya heaved, trying to slow down her racing heart. While doing so she stared at the boy’s face, her eyes wide. “How...?” She gasped, unable to finish the phrase. Her face was pale, and cold sweat was forming all over her skin. ‘How do you have so much hatred inside you and still act so normal?’
Lelouch, luckily, mistook Amiya’s bewilderment as the natural response of someone suddenly finding themselves in an unfamiliar place among strangers. He looked up at the other pods, seeing that their occupants were already, if slowly, standing up. The sole male of the group was wearing a medical mask that completely concealed his features, while the remaining females... were those cat ears? Was there an end to today’s surprises?
“Two of you are medics, right? Can one of you come here and check on... Amiya, was it?” He asked, feeling the need to let the people with an actual degree doing their job. He studied medicine in the hope of finding a way to heal Nunnally, but he didn’t even qualify as a nurse.
“I’ll do it.” Upon hearing Amiya’s name the cat-eared woman shook off whatever numbness she was still feeling and quickly reached the bunny-eared girl’s pod. She held out her arms, a sharp glare silently commanding Lelouch to let her take care of Amiya.
The boy wasn’t cowed, having been both the sender and target of more intimidating glares, but quietly acquiesced to the woman’s silent demands.
Taking a few steps aside to let the feline doctor do her job Lelouch scanned the room: the second female, the one with long black hair and pointed ears, was still yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, while the man was by the window, staring straight at the wall of stone covering it and mumbling something under his breath. CC was also standing to the side, like Lelouch, seemingly content to watch the events unfold.
“Feeling better now?” Kal’tsit asked Amiya after she judged the bunny girl’s condition to not be critical.
“Y-Yes Doctor Kal’tsit. I’m feeling much better now.” Amiya smiled, now sitting on the pod’s edge. “Sorry for worrying you.”
The older woman stared silently at her for a few seconds before nodding. Then turned around to address their ‘saviors’. “Listen. While I’m grateful you helped PRTS waking us up, I need to know who you are, how did you enter and, most importantly, what were you doing here.”
“In order: I’m Lelouch and she’s CC.” The exiled prince gestured to his companion, the immortal woman smiling in a way that suggested she found the whole situation amusing. “We entered from a door on the roof we opened by force. And we’re here for two reasons: finding answers and parts to repair my phone.”
He showed the broken device.
“Because at the time it was our only option to get out of this trap we found ourselves in.”
“A trap? What are you talking about? And you! Stop dilly-dallying and—!” Kal’tsit turned towards the Doctor, but whatever harsh words she wanted to say died when she noticed the sight outside the window. “...What the hell?”
“Just listing off stone-types I learned from Earthspirit.” The Doctor hummed in a carefree manner. “Basically, I’m trying to figure out how deep we are.”
“The answer is: very.” CC added. “Not deep enough to break bones after the floor crumbled under our feet, but we were in an underground tunnel in the first place.”
“WHAT?!” The black-haired woman shouted, now suddenly very much awake. While Kal’tsit and Amiya were gaping like fishes she leaped at the closest console and began to type furiously. “Aaaah!! All viewports are covered in stone! The cameras too! PRTS, status report!”
“I must confirm the veracity of Miss CC’s words. Initial diagnostics show the entirety of Rhodes Island’s superstructure is buried at least twenty-five meters underground, with a small air gap above the roof.” The AI replied. “Significant external and internal damage detected. Energy output of Originium generators: low. Preservation systems: functional. 99.5% of Rhodes Island personnel and patients still under cryogenic sleep have been confirmed to be healthy and stable. It appears casualties originated from structural failures. At the moment relocation of the superstructure is deemed impossible.”
“25 meters underground?!” Closure was cradling her head, looking close to an hysterical attack. “How did this even happen? We should have been buried in raw Originium, not raw stone!”
“It’s actually mostly granite.”
“Not the time, Doc!”
“Did the ship sink after an earthquake? Why the covering then? Multiple ones?” Kal’tsit muttered under her breath, looking like she was struggling to hold herself under control. That control visibly shook as an idea struck, and she snapped her eyes towards Lelouch and CC with no small amount of desperation. “You! Where we are? Still in the border area between Ursus and Lungmen? Where are you from? You speak the language of Higashi but you sound and look Victorian—!"
“...This will come as a shock to you, and in all likelihood you will not believe our words. Hell, we still have troubles believing it ourselves.” CC sighed. She shared a glance at Lelouch, who gave a minute nod, before focusing back on Kal’tsit. “There is no easy way to say it, but... you’re far, far away from home. In fact, you’re in a completely different world.”
Before any of the four Terrans could reply the sound of an explosion came from above, the resulting vibrations disturbing the layer of dust present over most surfaces.
“What was that?” Amiya asked while looking up, her bunny ears stiff and straight. As if listening to something normal people couldn’t hear.
Lelouch momentarily stiffened at the reminder of the atrocity currently happening above their heads. It was immediately followed by a ludicrous idea forming within his mind, one that his experience as a gambler urged him to seize posthaste.
While normally he would stack the deck in his favor until victory was all but certain, he still liked the current odds. And who was he to not play the hot hand? “Oh, that’s the state-supported massacre being enacted overhead on the enslaved civilian populace.” he announced blithely, only barely burying the sheer vindictive glee he felt.
“The what?!” All four of the foreigners belted out and snapped their attention to the native pair, even the previously aloof Doctor sounding both alarmed... and thoroughly outraged.
Lelouch’s lips curved into a sinister, mirthless smile, while CC hid a cruel leer behind her sleeve as she watched him sign Britannia’s death sentence with impunity.
“Executives of Rhode Island.” Lelouch declared, eagerly regarding the tools of his vengeance. “Allow me to introduce you to the world you now live in.”
