19 「Out Geassed」

「The Holy Britannian Empire Capital: Pendragon, Throne Room. 0800 August 31, 2017.」

The Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, sat in his throne, slumped back and staring forward. He had felt something was missing, and when he attempted to use his Geass. It was gone. He had no power, he was useless. How did this come to happen? That's when he paused, his brother was suppose to meet him here. Had he lied to him again.

Charles scrunched up his hands into fists, bashing one of them down on the Throne's arm. His eyes closed partially, glaring at the Knight of One who entered the throne room.

They were in the capital of Britannia, Pendragon. They were in the Royal Palace, completely set apart from the rest of the world. They were above everyone, everything. Just as the world had made man unequal, he needed to be on the top. The entire Britannian Royal family had to be one the top. Otherwise, how else would they fight as gods amongst men for the throne?

"What is this meaning of this?!" He bellowed as the Knight of One knelt to one knee to his Emperor. He said nothing however as it seemed not only had the Emperor lost his Geass, but so had the man who knelt before him.

He gazed over the man for a moment, "Open your eye..."

In that moment, he found that it was true. Those in his employ, those beneath him, had all lost their contract with V.V. It was as if someone else had taken over entirely and stripped them of their power.

How could they!? Why! How did this happen!? He knew his brother barely made public appearances, so who knew about him? Was it someone apart of his own Order? No, that didn't make sense either.

Unless, he turned his head up towards the ceiling and let out a quiet shudder of a sigh. "C.C..." He knew that the girl with lime colored hair and gold eyes had left them, having been disillusioned in their vision for a world without lies.

Though the vision itself was a lie in itself. He wanted all of mankind to become one, which meant he wanted everyone to die and become one with the singular consciousness. The Ragnarok Connection.

His plans were ultimately being ruined, he couldn't control the sword with the Geass. He couldn't control the world's consciousness to change the world without the Geass. His efforts had been complete sabotaged.

He definitely couldn't slay the gods at this point, he needed to find a way to get his Geass back. Or he had to get a hold of the Immortal Code of one of the two beings he knew had them. With his brother probably gone, his meant he needed to get a hold of C.C.

He knew her wish, she had made a contract with his wife. So he knew that his wife was still alive within Anya, one of the members in his Knights of the Round.

Just then the capital shook, explosions on the horizon. The Imperial Palace was heavily guarded, but the attacks, they weren't on the ground. Getting up from his throne, he calmly made his way to the massive doors.

"Your Majesty?" The Knight of One called out as he pursued paces behind his Emperor. As they made their way into a viewing area, they'd be watching Imperial manufactured warmachines bombing the exterior of the Palace and overall attacking and bombing the Capital.

Domestic Terrorism. He had been guilty of allowing his wife to be killed by his brother, to allow his own children to be exiled to keep his consistent image. "Scatter the Knightmares! You are hereby deployed, destroy the hostile forces incurring damage on our lands!" He extravagantly stepped to the side and swiped his arm out to gesture towards the flying Knightframes and Giga Fortresses attacking them.

"Scramble the Knights of Round present as you see fight!"

"Yes your Majesty!"

It was the Lord Wilbur Milville who was once the Head of Aerial Weapons Development, who lost his wife following a terrorist incident in the capital. He even failed to gain power by marrying into another family, but that also backfired when their heir perished in Area 11 three days ago.

He had virtually lost everything, his conglomerate was falling apart. Completely disillusioned he had ordered the like minded people within the Wings of Talleyrand, rebel fighters whom were against Imperial Law and Policy, to attack the capital.

It just so happened to be concurrent with the loss of the Emperor's Geass.

...

「Underground in the Taklamakan Desert in the Chinese Federation. 0800 August 31, 2017.」

Graham and Cera entered the Geass Directate City hidden beneath the Taklamakan Desert, however it wasn't through that of the Thought Elevator. As he had taken V.V.'s Immortality Code, it was clear he had inherited his extraordinary abilities as well.

Cera had her arms wrapped around Graham's arm, her head rested against his bicep, her golden eyes looking down at the former immortal who was on his knees. Staring up at the door, absently.

It was clear he was shocked at the fact that everything had been taken from him. On top of that, he was no longer immortal. He had no power, no perks. He was clearly alive too, he would age normally, he had to eat, he was susceptible to death and sickness. "How dare you!" He erupted like a tiny volcano as he broke out of his shocked status and onto his feet.

"How dare I?" Graham asked rhetorically as he tilted his head looking down at the child.

V.V. ran at the man who had stolen his everything, his immortality. His abilities. He didn't want to rot away, he wanted to live, to make a world without lies with his brother. Yet, that's when he came to a realization, with all his lies and misdeeds, he had destroyed his own plans.

Only a few strides away from Graham, he went to pull his submachine gun out from within his cloak. However just as he had it halfway out, but not readied to fire, he heard footsteps behind himself. He went to turn around and came to a stop, Graham was standing there. He turned his head and saw C.C. blocking the route to the thought elevator.

"You could have created a world without lies, if you hadn't been lying so much." The sound of a pistol's hammer being pulled back and clicking to place echoed in the room. The boy simply stared up at Graham.

"You knew our plans... Before I even got involved with Lelouch... You... Who are you?" VV glared at him defiantly. It was clear he would be an obstacle to the very end, despite how depowered he had become.

Even if he didn't have his power, he could access the Thought Elevator. He could escape, and he could warn his brother. However, he very much knew that his brother might execute him for the attempted murder of Marianne since he had lost his immortality.

The boy started to laugh childishly, as he continued glaring at him. He didn't bother looking at the gun which was in Graham's hand. He didn't bother going after it. He was cornered, there was no way C.C. would let him pass and there was no way he could run away without being at least grazed.

"On your knees," Graham stated in which caused the boy to stop laughing and fall to his knees without any resistance. A look of shock across his face, his eyes centered on the two eyes which bared the symbol of Geass. "There, there. Isn't that better?"

Graham moved his free hand and placed his hand on V.V.'s forehead, tilting his head back.

V.V. stared up at him with an ill-amused expression, clearly uncomfortable with what will happen next. He knew he wasn't going to be leaving her, at least, not alive. As he closed his eyes, he could hear the voices in the back of his mind. Thoughts that weren't originally his, overwriting the ones which were already there. Thoughts which governed his actions, ideologies. His biological data was being overwritten.

"I.."

The moment he went to speak, he felt the barrel of the gun shoved into his mouth, taking out several of his front teeth in the swift motion. He let out a muffled howl, but just as he did, Graham pulled the trigger, vaporizing his brainstem.

Graham let the body crumble to the floor as he wiped the blood which stained the barrel of the gun. He let out a light sigh, seeing the child-like adversary on the ground, dead and unmoving.

His phone vibrated, so he easily dismissed the weapon and let it drop to the ground. Taking the phone from his pocket, he pressed the center button and revealed the screen. It was from Marika Soresi, a student at a military academy in Area 11 and a soldier under Cornelia's command. He had gained her loyalty after the death of her brother via his Geass sometime between traveling from China to Kaminejima island.

Answering it and putting the phone to his ear, he listened but didn't say a word.

"I've escaped, it will take them a little while until they figure out I've deserted. The Knightmare frame, Kuroi Kitsune, that you said was hidden in the abandoned construction site is here. Where's the Key?"

The Kuroi Kitsune Knightmare frame was a nonhuman, fox shaped Knightmare, which stood on four legs and had the ability to transform for aerial combat. After it transformed, it was very much like a gunship, even more like a Giga Knight.

After a short pause of silence, he responded. "Marika Soresi, glad to hear you were able to escape service to the Britannian Empire. The activation PIN and key are located in the front right leg under the Burūsan emblem."

"Burusan...?" For a few moments she sounded as if she was standing there, dumbfounded before frantically looking. "Oh, Blue sun? Roger that." She said about a minute later after she noticed the blue circle on the leg of the black foxlike construct.

The sound of a compartment opening and closing could be heard over the phone. The unfolding and crinkling of paper followed by the girl whispering the activation PIN. "Your location is Kaminejima Island. Your deadline is twenty three hundred on September 4, 2017, then you will be granted your rendezvous point, only after you've acquired the packages."

Of course what he meant by packages was Lelouch, Kallen, Euphie and Suzaku. He knew because of the use of the Prince's weapon, the four of them would be sent to the island.

"Affirmative. Do you have..." He could hear the shifting of her legs as the academy uniform pant legs brushed against one another, "Any other orders?" Her voice sounded yearning, this wasn't his doing.

When he first met Marika he had actually caught her after she tripped and she almost immediately asked him on a date. She may have been a Britannian pure blood, but he didn't refuse.

He had used his Geass on her following the date, which was mainly going to a tea house for an hour. Apparently she enjoyed Japanese Tea Ceremonies and appeared to use matcha based skin products. Her favorite snack seemed to be avocado spread on crackers, something that he had often seen girls eating when they dieted.

Graham's geass was used to modify and change her thoughts on Britannia, as well as put pressure on the idea that Britannia had not only ravaged her family's reputation, but killed her brother and covered up his death as well by blaming the Black Knights.

"No more orders as of yet... I'll keep in touch. Destroy your phone, use only the communicator on board the Kitsune."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Of course."