Ok so here is the newest chapter for Knights of Honor. I really hope you enjoy it since I really put a lot of effort into not making it suck. Please review, it helps.
For those who also read Beneath the Peach Tree, next chap should be up shortly. One weak tops.
One last thing. This story is made immensely better by my Beta TheFinalArbiter Please go and check out hid stories, they are very well written and pretty good stuff. Leave him a review while you are at it.
With a groan, Shepard slowly regained consciousness. His arms ached and so did his legs. However, he didn't seem to feel the serious injuries that the blast had given him. What happened? Did he pass out? Did Garrus pick him up?
He tried moving an arm to his covered face only to find it restrained 'Guess it wasn't Garrus' he thought with a slightly cynical tone. Upon further inspection, he realized that his legs were also bound. 'Zero, then? No, Garrus would have taken action.'
His eyelids feeling heavy, he reluctantly opened his eyes. Fortunately, his visor kept the bright light in the room from blinding him. That being said, the light still caused him discomfort due to the amount of time they had been closed. The first thing he saw was a grey room, with numerous trinkets and computers against the walls, softly murmuring a steady hum.
'A scientist's lab? No, it's not that clean or sterile. Maybe an engineer's workshop?' he looked around, unsurprised to find himself bound by thick metal handcuffs to what seemed to be a specially made device to hold prisoners. If so, it would accomplish this function wonderfully, since he was hovering about two meters from the ground, his extremities stretched in a position resembling a five pointed star.
"EDI, how long was I out?" he spoke with a groggy voice.
"About three days." came the instant and calm response "Your wounds have healed, and the hardsuit is functional, though I recommend you avoid sustained fire."
Looking down, he noticed the deep diagonal gash Lancelot had left behind scarring his breastplate diagonally. "Fuck." He sighed, dejectedly dropping his head "Who repaired the suit?"
"A Britannian scientist and engineer." came the quick response.
"Can you hack into the system and free me?" he inquired, raising his head with reinvigorated strength, his objective already set.
The AI was silent for a moment "I'm afraid that is not possible. I assisted in the repairs, therefore revealing my presence to them. They have taken appropriate measures to prevent me from accessing the system."
"That so? Well then, there goes that plan out the goddamn window. What about Garrus? Have you contacted him?" He quickly moved on, hiding his frustration within a veil of professionalism.
"They are jamming our signal. Contacting him is currently impossible." came the denial.
Shepard gave a grunt of annoyance before calming himself. "Alright, I think I've got something." he stated. Shifting his muscles, he relaxed, before straining against his bonds with all he had. To his satisfaction, they budged ever so slightly. "Heh." he quietly chuckled.
"Shepard?" Asked the AI monotonously.
"This thing," he gestured with his head at the device trapping him, forgetting that the AI couldn't see his gestures "is made to hold normal people in place. However, I have so much shit inside me I can barely be considered normal anymore. Do you see where I'm going with this?"
Taking a deep breath, he once again struggled with all his might. After a few attempts, his efforts were rewarded with the clank of the clamps opening and releasing both his arms. He wasted no time in bending over to release his legs.
He was done in a few minutes, falling with a loud thump. The armored man swiftly got up and stretched, testing his newly free limbs. He was numb all over, but the feeling quickly subsided.
Turning his head and looking for an exit, a small smirk crossed his expression at the sight of the grey, most likely metal door. Too easy. With a carefree shrug, he proudly strutted towards the exit.
Far too easy.
An electric discharge suddenly coursed through his body, dropping him like a rock with a pained grunt. Nevertheless, the armored man's determination didn't falter as he withstood the powerful shock, trembling.
After a few moments, the pain subsided, leaving behind a creaky, smoking hunk of armor.
"What do you think, my assistant, is he down for the count!?" exclaimed a jovial voice through the previously hidden, wall-mounted speakers.
Before Cecile could respond, the still steaming armor stood up. It was obvious that the shock had taken his toll on him, as it creaked with every painstaking limp he took towards the exit.
"It seems not." she answered, in an almost timid fashion.
Shepard paid no mind to the conversation behind him. His heavy steps carried on forward even though he had deduced that they had installed some sort of device in his armor. Unfortunately for them, he was not the kind of man to desist in the face of impossibility. He was the thick headed sort of bastard who would punch a brick wall barehanded till it crumbled before him, even he ended up with broken, bloodied hands.
"Amazing, that was enough to knock out five grown men!" Lloyd commented with obvious glee "Cecile, be a dear and hit him again. Longer this time, if you please!"
With a buzz, the shock returned with the same blinding intensity. However, Shepard expected this one. Although the agony was still unbearable, the attack only succeed in bringing him to one knee. Slowly, painfully, he stood up again, walking forward through the crackling agony, his lip curled into a disgusted frown.
As quickly as the shock came, it suddenly stopped, making him gasp as he fell on a knee once again, the exhaustion clearly visible. He was heavily panting, and both his legs were trembling while his arms just hung loosely at his side. "Please…" Shepard decided to speak, the words coming between ragged breaths "This isn't nearly half as bad as boot camp." he growled out, the mocking laugh coming out as a series of coughs.
"Quite rebellious, aren't we?" came Lloyd's remark through the speaker "Cecile, hit him again."
"Should I keep at it for a longer time?" The assistant asked neutrally.
"Nope, just crank it up a notch!" The engineer replied with a carefree tone.
The shock came instantly after, bringing Shepard to both his knees and arms as he grunted in pain. Yet he still had fight left in him, for as soon as the electricity stopped flowing, he began to stand up again.
"Wonderful! Even now he still stands! What a magnificent specimen we have here!" The Earl of Pudding started with clear excitement. After a second, he seemed to calm down "Again." he ordered, grin evident in his voice.
Another shock, once again stronger than the one before. Smashing through his mind like a truck through a paper wall, it completely finished him off. He could no longer stand, even in his hands and knees. Struggling to sit up, another brief shock put him back down with a defeated groan, before finally falling silent.
"Damn…" he weakly whispered as he saw the grey haired scientist walked into the room. He was clearly fidgety and twitching nervously. No, not nervousness. Excitement.
With a whoop, the man started to laugh maniacally "Excellent! All of the experiments were a success and we even learned more about you." Lloyd started to proclaim with glee "It won't be long before we discover all of your secrets and trinkets and apply them to the Lancelot." he talked, the excitement barely kept at bay.
Suddenly turning around, his lab coat flying behind him, The Earl of Pudding extended his arms and roared into the cold metal ceiling "Splendid! It's as if the Gods themselves dropped a crate in front of me with a sign that read 'Make it better.'" He paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder "Not that I need anyone to tell me that."
Noticing Shepard's look, he smiled "Tenacious fellow, huh?" he commented, fearlessly kneeling for a closer look. "Cecile, hit him again and call Suzaku. Tell him I have some heavy lifting for him to do."
His world turned dark.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Lelouch was seated at his desk, numerous application forms for the Black Knights burying the surface texture. Due to the Knights' boost in popularity, reading through them had become a common occurrence. It filled Lelouch with a sense of satisfaction and pride.
Nevertheless, he didn't spend more than five minutes of his time in each dossier. Not the case of the one he was currently holding, though. "Diethard Reid." he read aloud, tasting the words. Apart from being Britannian, he brought a piece of important information with him.
"Well, it seems that my theory has been proven correct. Clearing the task at hand should be easier than expected." Lelouch announced with a triumphant tone. Flipping the pages of the dossier in his hands, he continued "According to this Diethard Reid, Cornelia is planning an attack on the JLF's Headquarters. However, she is going where I instructed Kusakabe to tell her, not to the real location."
"Oh?" came the uninterested response of Lelouch's pink haired knight, her scantily covered, shapely legs dangling off of the side of the sofa in Lelouch's study. The girl, as always, was living life to its fullest, sprawled across the couch like a sloth, fiddling with her phone. Smiling, Lelouch threw her the document, knowing that if she were truly disinterested, she would have stayed silent.
Letting out a sigh, she put her phone aside and crawled across the couch. Picking up the sheets of paper, she disinterestedly flipped through the contents. "This means the Geass is stronger than truth serum, right?" she asked quietly, her pink orbs piercing him.
"Indeed. It also means that Cornelia will be exactly where we want her." Lelouch stood up, grabbing his mask and a little grey box that was on the desktop. "I'll start making preparations." he concluded.
Setting the papers on the floor, Anya crawled into a more comfortable position and picked her phone up again, grunting in acknowledgement.
Lelouch hesitated at the door, mulling over something for a second "Also… the attack is scheduled one week from now, so I thought we could use a breather." he spoke awkwardly, yet with his personal brand of arrogant confidence.
She blinked, looking up at him suspiciously. Highly irregular. Highly out-of-character. "I don't need a break. I'm fine here with you."
"I didn't say you, I said we." he elaborated "There is a photography exposition in the Tokyo Settlement, It's about the different Areas in the Empire and I find it interesting. I was hoping we could go together."
She paused with her fiddling, looking up again, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Yes, highly irregular indeed. Still, what was this feeling bubbling up in her chest? Happiness? Anya concluded she was fine with it "Sure." she heard herself responding with an uncharacteristic smile. Lelouch, seeming to understand her confusion, coughed, shuffling uncomfortably.
"Good, I'll drop by to deliver the ticket later." Lelouch answered stiffly, before heading out. 'She seemed happy. That's good.' he reflected as he walked through the hall. Sadly, that line of thought was quickly buried as he moved on to more important things.
Hearing the door click shut, a blush came over her, followed by a small giggle 'A date?' she thought tentatively. Blush intensifying, she quickly buried her head in the phone before anyone could see her.
'Now, what to do about this?' Lelouch wondered, taking a red device out of the small box he had brought with him. It was the new Gurren MK2's key. 'Has Kyoto recognized us? No, they're testing us. Nothing is free, especially brand new Knightmare prototypes.'
Ever since it had arrived, the answer to the question of what to do with the Gurren had eluded him. The first, and obvious course of action was to offer it to Anya. However, she had vehemently refused with almost downright , she seemed to feel insulted at Lelouch for even considering to cast her precious Mordred away. It was jarring to Lelouch, but nonetheless, he had backed down, searching for alternatives.
He had fancied the idea of using the top of the line Knightmare himself for a while, before casting it off as foolish. It was a valuable piece of hardware that needed a pilot that could use it to its fullest potential. And that pilot was doubtlessly Kallen.
The Black Knights' ace, Kallen was probably the best pilot in the vigilante group, perhaps even better than Anya herself. Of course, he would never dare voice his thoughts, valuing his life far too much. The point was, that if Kallen had that Knightmare, he might be able to dispose of the white frame that kept appearing and foiling his plans.
He entered the cargo bay, finding several of the Black Knights enthusiastically talking about the newest recruits and the growing sprout the organization had experienced. Of course, most of them didn't stay at the hideout Milly had so graciously provided.
Only the core members, and oldest recruits remained in the underground bunker. Respectably, they were to only ones to use the rare frames, the Hamburgs. The newest recruits stayed at warehouses Zero had provided, or hideouts they previously used as independent resistance cells. They also used the several Burais Kyoto had funded the Black Knights with. It was quite the small army he was starting to have here.
Passing by them, he continued on, quietly smiling at Kallen's expression. She was looking up at the new red frame, her blue eyes shining in wonder and excitement. It gave him a momentary pause before he shook his head and continued, twirling the key in his hand.
Silently approaching her side, he stood still, joining her in gazing up at the war machine "A beauty, isn't it?" he spoke, startling her.
"Ah… Ze- I mean Sir… y-yes, it is." she quickly stuttered, caught off guard, before quickly regaining her composure and standing at attention
"At ease, Kallen, I only came to check on my Knights and our newest piece of equipment." His voice turned strangely gentle, yet remained authoritative "How is school? I trust your studies are going well?" he asked, seemingly out of the blue. Little did she know he had a hidden agenda.
"Eh…. What?" Kallen asked in confusion "What does that have to do with anything?" she asked incredulously, before quickly covering her mouth as she realized the boldness of her question.
The mask seemed to radiate amusement as it turned around to look up at the Gurren. "Although we need strength now, once we liberate Japan, educated, young people will be needed to keep the Japanese nation afloat. That's why your studies, as Britannian centric as they are, are of great importance."
The man behind the mask saw Kallen's eyes fill with amazement. He was gaining more and more of this girl's trust. Good, Kallen's unfaltering loyalty is something that would be extremely useful in the years to come.
Blushing with embarrassment, the redhead looked down, nodding.
"I see you have taken a liking to the Gurren." he observed, changing topics.
Kallen's previous embarrassment quickly disappeared as the conversation shifted towards her element "It's a beautiful machine, and I believe it would definitely do some damage. Not only that, but it's the first Japanese made Knightmare." She paused, smiling "It kind of fills me with pride…"
"Do you think the white Frame could be defeated with this?" he asked her quietly.
"I think it could. I saw their specs, and it's amazing. With the Gurren, I think you or M could beat that frame." Kallen spoke with utmost confidence.
"We won't." he paused, twirling the keys around his finger before suddenly throwing them at her "The Gurren is yours, Kallen." he concluded, and, turning on a heel, strode away.
Completely caught off guard, she fumbled with catching the keys before looking down in utter confusion "But, sir…" she complained "the Gurren's capabilities serve a better purpose protecting you!" Kallen argued, disbelief evident in her voice.
Looking over his shoulder as he walked away, he replied "I'm a commander, not a pilot. If we want to use the Gurren to its fullest, we need our ace piloting it."
"But what about M, she's your right hand and our senior, isn't the Gurren going to her?" Kallen questioned disbelievingly, running after him. Unknowingly, she started smiling.
Zero stopped walking away and turned to face her "She is my sword and shield, tasked to stay by my side, protect me and slay all those who stand in my way. You, in turn, are my spear, tasked to pierce my enemy's armor." He explained quietly. "Besides…" the reflective surface seemed to radiate amusement yet again "you couldn't pry the Mordred out of her cold dead hands."
Turning around once again, his cape fluttering majestically behind him, he walked away, leaving her confused, yet decidedly happy.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Cecile Croomy stood in the observation room overlooking their newest "specimen". It was quite fascinating for an engineer like her. The armor was made out of alloys completely unknown to any tests they've tried, and there seemed to be a multitude of interesting trinkets.
However, the most intriguing thing lay within the man himself…
"Water…"
The sudden voice brought her out of her thoughts. She looked towards the screen that rendered the image of the suspended man. He hung there, unmoving. However, a small microphone installed in the room caught him talking again.
"Please… some water." he pleaded hoarsely, voice seemingly devoid of any strength.
Considering her options, she tapped her fingers against the table. It was more than likely an escape attempt. Wandering into the room without care could, and probably would prove fatal. On the contrary, one of her biggest flaws was that she was simply unable to leave someone to suffer.
Hesitating slightly, she stood up. Coming to a decision, she picked up a bottle of water and a straw. 'He hasn't drunk anything in days.' the engineer reasoned, making her way towards the room. The man's eyes locked onto her as soon as the portcullis hissed open, tracking her every move.
Tensing up, she stopped dead in her tracks. A tense moment passed, with the man looking at her in silence. She could detect no hostility radiating from him, but you could never be too careful. With his head slumped down, hanging loosely, he looked rather vulnerable.
Taking it as a sign of surrender, she moved in closer, hearing a whispered word of gratitude from the hanging figure. Moving a chair closer, she tentatively sat next to it, as if expecting him to jump her at any minute.
With a plop, she opened a bottle and put in a straw, her eyes roving around the carapace and looking for an opening that could be used for insertion of liquid. Finding none, she resorted to simply asking "How?"
"There should be a clasp on the back of my head."
Gingerly reaching towards the back of his head, her fingers felt centimeter of the different plates covering his neck and the back of his head until she found an oddly shaped piece that resembled a lever. Pulling on it had no reaction
"Is this it?"
"Yes." came the hoarse reply.
She narrowed her eyes, starting to pull stronger. A slight grunt escaped her lips as she gave one final pull, the lever finally giving in with a small click. A hiss of pressurized air filled the chamber, the lower part of the helmet falling down with a heavy clunk, revealing his scarred chin and mouth.
The engineer brought the bottle with a straw close to his mouth where he weakly began drinking it. She watched in silence as the contents off the bottle slowly disappeared, it somehow helped to alleviate the guilt of keeping someone in such inhumane conditions.
"Name's Shepard." he slurred, the voice no longer hoarse.
"Cecile." she answered quietly, removing the bottle.
"I would shake your hand, but… well." He looked at the metal clasps that kept him in place. "You tightened the restraints."
Cecile backed off, rubbing the back of her neck "Well, Lloyd wanted to test how much the suit augmented your strength, so the clamps were set lower." She smiled awkwardly "Still, a normal person wouldn't have been able to do that."
He remained silent for a second, chewing his lip "And the shocks? Did you modify the suit in any way?"
"No, we just installed a high power stun gun. The professor was waiting to do the brunt of the research when you were awake so he could ask questions about the suit and other equipment you carry."
"Ah…" he replied, dropping his head and falling into silence once again.
After standing there for a few moments, not sure how to proceed, she decided to test her luck. "If I may, Lloyd is only interested in the suit, but I noticed something else when we did the x-rays." the gleam of scientific hunger started glowing bright within her eyes. "Cybernetics, to be exact. I couldn't help but theorize, and it looks that their primary function is not augmentation but-"
"Regulation" he interrupted "Yes, they are made for keeping me alive. The strength and resilience it gives me is a secondary effect."
She raised an eyebrow in wonder "Then that means-"
Before she could continue, the Earl of Pudding's voice resonated through the hallway "Suzaku! Control your girlfriend! If she sees something, she will report to her Sister!" His voice sounded almost panicked.
Moments later, Euphemia li Britannia burst in through the door, her hair windblown, and looking like she hadn't rested properly in a long time.
A small smirk formed on Shepard's lips, visible only to Cecile.
"Hi…"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Anya was finding it hard to concentrate.
She looked down on her homework. Her pen had been pressed there for quite a while without movement, forming a small pool of ink on the paper. Taking out another sheet of paper, she tried to finish her homework to no avail.
Why?
The answer was pretty simple. The photo exhibit with Lelouch.
Blushing again, she slowly, methodically brought her forehead above the desktop before banging it down several times. Anya would be lying to herself if she denied the small bundle of excitement that had taken hold of her. It meant that Lelouch cared; he was worried about her. It brought her immeasurable happiness.
Unable to stop a stupid smile from reaching her face, the girl quickly tried to suppress it, only to fail miserably. She covered her face with her hands in another attempt to calm down, only serving to make her more aware of it as her hands felt the slight curving in her features.
As a Knight, she felt it was wrong. It was taboo. Her Lord came first, the desires, happiness and feelings of a Knight were far from something that should cloud her judgment.
Frankly, Anya found it difficult to care.
With a crack, something in her mind changed. That wish of being a perfect Knight had suddenly disappeared. She wanted to be part of Lelouch's life, and not just as a simple guardian who watched over him from the outside.
A small, selfish wish was had been born, maybe long ago. A desire which trumped her duty in its selfishness. Anya wanted to be the source of Lelouch's happiness. But for that to happen, he needed to be kept safe - he needed someone to watch his back.
"Heh." she chuckled bitterly, the noise completely out of character. "I want to protect him because of my own selfish desires." she whispered "Not because of duty." Throwing her head back, she came to a realization "I've failed as a Knight. I've let my emotions decide the course of my action…"
"And I don't dislike it."
The pink haired girl raised her head, examining herself in the mirror. She was supposed to be both a sword and a shield, objects that needed no desires or wishes. Tools to serve her Lord. That was the code of a Knight. Could Lelouch think of her any other way?
The idea scared her.
A sudden knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Yes?" she called, turning her seat around.
"It's Lelouch, I brought you your ticket for the exhibit." came Lelouch's tired voice, managing to carry just a hint of arrogance.
"It's unlocked."
Swiftly entering, he wasted no time in striding to her desk, looking as if he was delivering important paperwork. "It's on Wednesday." he murmured, handing her the ticket "Make sure you don't lose it."
She nodded, opting not to reply. After a small pause, without bidding goodbye, Lelouch turned around to make his way out.
"Lelouch. I'm your sword and shield, right?" she suddenly heard herself saying, stopping him in his tracks.
Turning around, he raised an inquisitive eyebrow, frowning "Is there a particular reason for your question?" he said, clearly impatient to go back to his work.
"No. None at all." she replied, turning her head away from him to gaze at the scenery outside, feeling a bit hurt.
Noticing the dismissal, he brought a hand to his forehead with a sigh, mulling over something in his head.
A depressive silence filled the room, occasionally broken by a cry from one of the students on the grounds outside, doubtlessly abandoning their homework after being drawn out by the warm sunlight.
The floorboards creaked as he quietly strode over to her, gently placing a hand on top of her head and rubbing it around with affection "What's on your mind, Anya?"
Blinking in surprise, she nonetheless half-closed her eyes in pleasure as he moved her head around comfortingly, thinking about his question "It's… nothing. I've been having some doubts recently. It's not my place to ask."
Frowning, he paused, prompting her to peer at him with one eye. The way she looked up at him was delicate, almost vulnerable. The cogs in his head visibly shifted. Looking down at her again, he smirked "You are the one who has stood beside me from the beginning, and will remain there until the end."
She blinked, then looked down, her expression unreadable, making it clear to Lelouch that she wasn't entirely convinced by his words.
"Have no doubts, Anya; we will defeat Britannia. Together." he assured her once again, with a final, gentle pat, an eerie sense of emptiness filling Anya as he removed his hand. He turned around and quietly exited the room, leaving the pink haired girl in deep contemplation.
"I'm glad." she whispered, softly shaking her head before going back to her homework.
So yeah, finally getting some progression on the Anya/Lelouch relationship and next chap Shepard will meet Cornelia.
Again, this story is made a lot better by TheFinalArbiter, please go and check his stories out, they are pretty good, especially his new one "All Hail Britannia".
Please review, it helps.