Log;ongoing

[warconductor.livejournal.com]

When; At the end of the assault
Rating; PG-13
Characters; The Major warconductor and Lelouch vi Britannia lel0uch
Summary; The whole enterprise falls around the Major's ears. A great war machine reduced to rubble.

The leader of the rebellion wants to meet the man who could draw the City together. The leader of the rebellion, and perhaps none other so far, has figured out exactly how deep this rabbit hole goes.

Log;


It had been, thus far, a very interesting experience being one of the Major's "unfortunate" captives. He had intended to involve himself in the situation one way or another, to somehow use it to the Celestial Knights' advantage, but he had certainly not anticipated being so closely involved. Now that he was here, however, he supposed that there was some room for thankfulness : he had the power, hadn't he? He could bend this situation to become something of a reasonably advantageous tool. He had told Lockon a few days ago that he had an inkling of a plan, and as he sat on the cold metal floor of his small cell, that plan was fast becoming concrete.

As the deities themselves had no limbs to speak of, no hierarchies to destroy -- at least, not that could easily be vilified as they themselves could be -- he needed a third wheel to set his plans in motion. It was probably the closet he could get to sympathizing with the late Diethard, but at the very least, he knew that there was more genuine concern in himself for the better of the City's inhabitants than selfish desires for deeply pleasing, but unnecessary dramatics. It was true that he had his own reasons for going against the deities, but the deities, this city-- it was only a matter of time until someone like him actively rose against it.

And if the Celestial Knights could prove itself a better and more effective organization than something controlled by the deities...

Those thoughts were interrupted at the sound of the metal doors opening and, looking up, he regarded the two vampire henchmen with an unfazed look before checking his watch for the time; it was about ten past twelve. They were probably getting ready to take him to the feeding chambers. As they roughly forced him to stand, grunting incoherently as they did so, Lelouch studied this set of vampires. The ones that had abducted him and Yuuki had protective gear on themselves, making it nigh impossible to inflict them with the power of Geass, but these had no such gear on. Those otherworldly eyes were certainly laid bare, begging to be used.

Head hung, Lelouch purposely stumbled forward before they could escort him out of his cell. The accident allowed him to move his chained hands to his eyes, without arousing too much suspicion, and to remove a contact. That should be enough, he thought smugly. He had assumed there would be a short window of delay before they moved to force him back upwards, and he was right. Knowing that their attention would be on him, he quickly turned his body, enough to be within the vampire henchmen's line of sight, and briefly ordered, "Obey me."

The effects were instantaneous, and they grunted in what sounded like agreement and respect at once. Lelouch smiled, satisfied with the success of Geass before putting his contacts back on.

***

It was quite nice, as wars went. Not as epic or as crushing as he would have preferred under perfect conditions, but it was, at the end of the day, only the prelude.

That music which plays before the real show began.

He had sent his last men away to the safehouses, leaving himself alone in the room. Everything had to be set just so. The computers frying as the data self-destructed (safely backed up already, of course).

A table between his command chair and one brought for this purpose. Two glasses and a fine pinot noir. A chess set.

A Luger set on each side, completely loaded.

This was, in the end, the whole point, after all.

Comments

[warconductor.livejournal.com]

"Of course you do," the Major said. He glanced at his pocket watch. "Ah, excellent, with time to spare." He pulled the hammer back on his luger, still pointed at the ceiling. "And your first command, then?"

[lel0uch.livejournal.com]

Reasonably satisfied with the response he had received, though he was not without just the slightest doubt of the Geass's effectiveness, Lelouch rearranged his contacts and sat back more leisurely. He took a moment, quickly running over his plans.

"I will inform you in the future if there are any specific orders I wish for you to carry out, through a secured connection over the network, or through manual carriers. You will know when I wish to contact you--" He waved a hand to elaborate, "and as such, I won't be wasting our time on the matter. What matters now is--"

He stopped himself, and then smiled. He continued again, but this time with a clearer, more imposing tone. "Major, I would like you to act within the boundaries I will set for you. You will cause distortions for the sake of my rebellion, and make a reason... a reason for the people to wish for their freedom. True freedom, not one that exists under the whims of self-defined gods."

When he finished, he uncrossed his legs and quietly stood up from his seat. He carried the gun in one hand. "Do you understand?"

[warconductor.livejournal.com]

The Major's smile grew larger as he placed his watch in his pocket.

"Excellent! You did not disappoint, Herr vi Britannia. I shall create distortions, create disruptions, create strife for your rebellion. I shall give the people their reason to wish for freedom."

He gestured with the luger. "Indeed, when serving a superior officer, I do try to anticipate his needs. But now, we must set the scene, mustn't we?"

[lel0uch.livejournal.com]

The Geass forced its subjects to carry out the relayed order based on their own understandings, beliefs, knowledge, and basically every tiny nuance that made up the subject's persona. It bent wills with a force that was beyond human comprehension; and it was this very will that, Lelouch acknowledged, could undo him one day. But that was a problem for another day.

He lifted the weapon in his hand and aimed at the Major with a slight nod. "Yes," Lelouch said. "I appreciate your forethought, Major. In that case, I require you to shoot me first. It needs to be significant, but not fatal. Afterwards, I will shoot you as well. And, of course, you will allow me."

[warconductor.livejournal.com]

"I would hardly have given you the gun otherwise. I recommend the head, incidentally. The casing in the chest is extremely durable and the bullet would likely not penetrate."

He aimed the gun at Lelouch. "Now, we have two options. Either the leg, giving you a limp, or in the shoulder, requiring a sling. Either will give you a significant propaganda victory. Do you have a preference?"

[lel0uch.livejournal.com]

"The arm, if you would please," Lelouch answered without missing a beat; he would need to make it to safety, after all, and there was his physical abilities, or the lack of it thereof, to acknowledge.

[warconductor.livejournal.com]

The Major shifted his aim and squeezed the trigger at Lelouch's shoulder.

The noise was almost pathetic in comparison to the explosions and crescendos around them.

But it was enough. It served.

"My turn," the Major said, lowering his gun.

[lel0uch.livejournal.com]

Lelouch staggered to the ground, a hand automatically brought up to clutch at the open wound in a feeble attempt to keep the blood from flowing. He didn't cry out, but his lips suffered for his stubborn pride as he bit into them. And to think he had ordered Euphemia to the very same thing. It took almost a minute for Lelouch to regain his composure, and with sharp breaths he gradually controlled, he stood up once more; the dignified leader of the Rebellion.

And then, wordlessly, he fired the gun at the Major; it didn't miss.