Code Geass: Rise of Nothing_Chapter 3

A black-gloved hand played with a black king piece. Lady Ao was sitting alone on a deep purple Victorian armchair. Her form is in complete darkness as her single blue eye stares at the chess piece intensely. The bedroom she is in is dark and brooding almost as if it was in mourning. The curtains are closed letting in no light. The door opened revealing a young man with cropped purple hair.

“Uzza… Ucello? Are you in here?” He asked a little timidly.

“Kokabiel, its rude to go into a lady’s room without knocking.” Lady Ao said bluntly.

“Onoskelis! Oh I’m sorry.” The young man said softly. His expression sunk into sadness.  

“Never mind dear, sit.” Lady Ao or also Onoskelis motioned him to come closer. Kokabiel walked in timidly and sat on a purple armchair that sat opposite to Lady Ao. Between the two was a chessboard. “Will you play with me?”

“I’m not that good.” He said softly. “I barely remember how to play.”

“Then I will help you, Kokabiel.” She said in a friendly yet dark tone of voice.

“Please… call me Keenan. Having someone call me by a code name is still strange for me.” He looked down at his white pawns and picked one up. A mischievous glint appeared in Ao’s eye.

“Have you not quite adjusted to being in the Sanguinis Puri?” She asked. Keenan moved his white pawn forward one space.

“Um… no its just. I’m not like the others.” He said as Ao moved her own black pawn. “I don’t really care about the numbers or Britannian way. I’m here for a different reason.”

“So revenge?” Lady Ao asked bluntly. As she spoke Keenan flinched, his fingers brushing up against another pawn. He didn’t say anything as he moved the next pawn.

“Who are you avenging, Keenan?” She asked despite the silence. Not getting answers out of the shy boy Lady Ao looked away moving another black pawn.  A long sigh seemed to escape her hidden mouth.

“Weren’t you looking for that loud friend of yours?” She said in a more annoyed voice.

“Uzza… I have a bad feeling about him. Ever since that tip you gave us about the Empress’s location.” Keenan explained looking down at his pieces miserably. He moved a pawn forwards. “You’re men… they are collecting her now, aren’t they.”

“Correct, Uzza is with them right now.”

Keenan looked up at Lady Ao hysterically. “And you didn’t stop him?!”

“He insisted on coming. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She explained. “Uzza even agreed on being a distraction.”

“However…” She moved a black Knight across the board eliminating a white pawn. The black-gloved hand gently grasped the pawn lifting it into Keenan’s sight. “According to my predictions his survival rate is low. No not low. He is dead.”

She dropped the white pawn and it fell to the ground. All Keenan could imagine was his possibly dead friend serving as Lady Ao’s pawn. He stared at that white pawn in pure horror.

“How could you?” Keenan asked his voice low and rasped.

“How could I?” Ao questioned. “He would have come anyway if I had said no. I gave him a purpose. He would have died anyway, we all will in the end.”

Keenan trembled in both anger and fear of this woman. The woman who sat before him was like a demon creature looking down upon her prey. Using his friend like a plaything, a tool, a pawn. She lifted herself from the chair and glided towards him. Her black-gloved hands softly grabbed his chin. She leaned over to his ear.

“Come with me.” Lady Ao whispered. Keenan gasped frightened clutching on to the armchair with all of his strength. “Use that hatred to avenge him. Avenge both of them.”

Keenan closed his chestnut brown eyes and nodded. “Onoskelis… who are you?”

Lady Ao pulled back, her one blue eye looked into Keenan’s brown. “My name is…”

*
‘Someone is hurting Nunnally.’

That was the only thought that processed through Suzaku’s head after the silver Zero had left. The Japanese boy maneuvered the Knightmare like a puppet on strings. His heart is racing like a wild horse as he looked over to the far side of the school. The Knightmare bounded over to the young Empress. Holding the Empress captive are two men dressed in reverse Knight of Rounds uniforms. Both wore white and gold masks that were reminiscent of Zero’s. One of the men was pinning the Blonde guard on the ground while the other held Nunnally in his arms.

Nunnally was crying and screamed at the men to stop hurting the beaten guard. Suzaku had seen red the moment he saw Nunnally’s tears.

“Let her go!” Suzaku demanded.

“It seems our stay is not welcomed.” Said the man holding Nunnally; his voice was distorted and unrecognisable. The other just seem to nod in agreement while getting off the unconscious guard. There were only slight differences between the two men, the golden patterns on the masks differencing from each other. However other then those tiny details the two men are virtually identical.

“Hush you’re Highness, we are not going to hurt you, we are just taking you to a party.” The man said softly to Nunnally holding her like a princess. His voice is soft and smooth. The girl seem to become more terrified and pushed against the man’s chest struggling.

“If you have time for small talk with the ‘Guest’ then you can get away.” The other man said in a hard and jagged tone of voice. The man reached for something in his pocket and stared directly into Suzaku’s mask.

Suzaku practically punch the controls making the Knightmare attempt to grab the man. The reverse Knight dodged the hand and placed a black object onto it. It was the same device the silver Zero had given him. A pulse of blue light surrounded the Knightmare again paralyzing it. Suzaku couldn’t careless as he leapt from the open cockpit and ran at full speed at the kidnappers.

“Hmp, and I thought I had anger issues.” The man who formerly had the device said. He turns his head to the man holding Nunnally. “Go on a head to the truck, we are done here.”

“You’re not going anyway.” Suzaku screamed reaching out to Nunnally. His hand was slapped away by the other man. Suzaku was then kneed in the stomach and thrown to the ground.

Suzaku watched in pain filtered eyes as Nunnally is taken away screaming for Zero. ‘No! I promised I’d protect her! I promised!’ He reached out only for his hand to be stomped on. He flinched restraining a scream. One foot is on his hand while the other pressed into his back pinning him down like the guard.

“The man of miracles huh?” The white masked man questioned twisting his foot. Suzaku gasped in pain feeling the inside of his hand twist. The man chuckled standing over Zero. “What a load of-”

A loud crack was the only sound that came next. The fist of a furious red headed girl slammed into the man’s face. The white masked man was thrown off Zero completely taken aback by the surprise attack. The force of the punch had cracked the golden visor on his mask. Shards of the mirror like visor fell apart uncovering one green eye.

“Crazy b*tch.” He growled holding his injured face.

Kallen’s blue eyes burned with fury. Her right hand was covered in cuts from the punch. However she did not seem to care as she stood over Zero protectively.

“Stay away from him.” Kallen growled. Blue eyes and green were locked into place.

“Hmp, fine, I’m bored of him anyway.” The man sighed as his green eye closed. “My ride is here too, see you, b*tch.”

As he said that the truck from the front of the school drove between the man and Kallen. The window of the tinted truck slowly descended revealing the other man at the wheel.

“An invitation from our Lady.” The other masked man said throwing two cards out of the window. “You want her highness back you will compile.”

The more violent masked man hang off the side of the truck as it turned and drove out the school.  Leaving behind two black cards, a furious Kallen and a bruised and heartbroken Zero.

*

In small dark space of a Cockpit of sorts two men sat in silence. In the pilot seat is a man with red hair wearing a maroon skintight suit. An orange visor covered the man’s eyes like a pair of sunglasses. Blue hologram screens surrounded him acting as the only light source in the dark room. Towards the front of the irregular shaped cockpit the silver Zero sat cross-legged. In the masked man’s hands is a newspaper.

“What’s with that gloomy look?” The pilot asked in an upbeat voice. “You look like someone kicked a box of kittens.”

“Eh? Really?” The silver Zero said tilting his head.

“You can’t hide anything from me, Nana.” He said while maneuvering the black controls surrounding him. “What’s bothering you?”

“…I just feel bad about leaving Sousofu-sama.” The silver Zero admitted with his shoulders sinking.

“Ah, the trials of the golden hearted!” The pilot said in a dramatic voice.  The masked man seemed slightly annoyed at the behavoiur and threw the newspaper at the pilot.

“I’m serious.” He exclaimed. “You should have heard him when her Highness screamed. He sounded so scared.”

The pilot had picked up the newspaper and looked at the heading. ‘World Leaders Kidnapped! Mass hysteria!’ at the corner of the paper was the date, tomorrow.

“But it’s like you said, we can’t change time, number one rule. Even if we wanted to.” The pilot said throwing the newspaper back at the silver Zero. “Not if we want everything to go to plan.”

The Zero caught the paper and sighed. “You’re right. If we want a chance to arrest her then we need to do this.”

“Of course I’m right!” The pilot exclaimed cheekily. “Speaking of me being amazing we have arrived at our destination. Hold on for the landing.”

“You mean crash landing.” Silver Zero said smugly while standing up holding the side of the cockpit.

“A crash landing is still a landing, Mr Perfect.” The pilot shot back as the Knightmare descended. “So what was he like, Zero?”

“Can’t say…” He admitted. “We were only together for short time. And didn’t seem happy to see me too.”

The blue hologram screens flickered off leaving only one soft blue light left to illuminate the cockpit.

“Come on man. Give me something!” He exclaimed get up off his chair and walking towards the Silver Zero. The end of the cockpit opened up to the outside world, the opening of the cockpit being the jaw of fox Knightmare. “This is after all THE Zero!”

The pair was greeted to the sight of people and Knightmares currently busy. The silver Zero looked towards the broken remains of the Order. The large stone with a Geass symbol had his attention.

“Well… If I’d to say he was…” He trailed off, his thoughts drifted to desperate Suzaku. The silver Zero’s shoulders sank a little. “Young… he’s so young.”