The Opening Battery

[veepofchess]

Characters: Lelouch vi Britannia, Fortitude Campus, and YOU
Format: I started as prose, but tag as you like
This log is: open
Location: Near the tower on Fortitude campus grounds. At about 6:30 a.m. Monday morning
Summary: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
Warnings: EXPLOSIOOOOOOOOONS

The process had begun shortly after he had gained his prefect status. Since now he had his own room, he had a bit more freedom to work in secret. So he set to work on a project that looked like something out of centuries gone past. Sure, it was highly dangerous, and the whole process could quite literally blow up in his face, but he had to be prepared. The power packed into the package (wrapped up in fabric like the Japanese would a lunchbox) would be quite enough to blow nearly any conventional door down, and severely damage even the thickest steel doors. If there was some collateral damage to the lowest level of his target, it would not be sufficient to weaken the structural integrity of the structure. But this, of course, was only a last resort.

He carried his parcel carefully by the knotted handle, and took an unoccupied route early in the morning. He set it gently in position, and walked up to the entrance of the tower. He pressed his ear against the door, not particularly expecting to hear anything. He tried all conventional means of opening the door, until he came to the hand-shaped imprints. He tried his own hand in the one that corresponded to his school and previously-assigned dorm. There was no effect on the door, but he felt a strange tingle in his hand. That was promising.

While what he was doing seemed excessively risky, he had calculated just how big a risk he was taking. Death was impermanent. Pain he could accept, either inflicted on himself or Suzaku. Even if the system decided to kill Suzaku, he would come back. He was quite sure the powers of this place had eliminated the Geass he had placed on the knight. Revocation of his prefect status was highly unlikely. There had been other things that placed him into that role. And sending him away would not complete the job that this system was in place to perform.

So it was a fairly safe, relatively speaking, prospect to do what he had done. He had stolen a network access card out of a computer and wired it in to the detonator of his device. All he needed was to send a message to it and it would go off.

He moved to a safe distance, and around the corner of the dorm building. There wasn’t a soul around. Almost everyone else was just waking up, or getting ready to start classes for the day. A few of the more ambitious might already be headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. But they were heading nowhere near this direction.

He punched in a series of numbers and hit Send. At almost the same moment, the device exploded loudly. It sent vibrations through the Fortitude campus. The sound surely woke up even the soundest sleepers at the Conquest campus. Spooked birds took flight in the forest within a few hundred yards of the explosion. A black cloud of smoke rose from the explosion site, a side-effect of the crude black powder mixture he had created.

Lelouch moved quickly, using his beret to cover his mouth and nose, to investigate what kind of damage it had done. Much to his dismay, all it had done was leave a black charred streak on the door and surrounding walls. There wasn’t even a scratch on the surface. He reached out and touched the surface, just to be sure. All he succeeded in doing was getting the black soot on his hand.

Comments

[veepofchess]

He seemed to consider that for a moment. He looked like he was about to bring up something he didn't particularly want to discuss. "Ma'am, I think I might have an idea of who is responsible. Do you recall the treatise that was posted on the dormitory entrances last week?"

[mamarosa]

Dolorosa looks confused, "I don't believe I recall what you are talking about. What was posted and how could it be connected to what happened?"

[veepofchess]

"There is a very dangerous terrorist, Zero. He comes from my world, from the Britannian Empire. Last week he posted a threat to the Exaclan system on the inside of all of the dormitory doors. I'm fairly certain I saw his cape going around the corner when I arrived here." He lowered his voice a bit. "I hope you'll forgive me for not giving chase. I am a prince of the empire he's trying to destroy back home, though I was exiled as a child. He's killed several of my half-siblings in the last couple of years. I do not intend to add my head to his pike."

[mamarosa]

She frowns, "Death means nothing here, but I understand your hesitation. Please tell me everything you know about this Zero person."

[veepofchess]

"In short, he considers himself an ally of justice, and an enemy of the powerful that prey upon the weak. He emerged from a recently conquered Area, and fights to liberate it and destroy the Empire. He uses many different strategies, from basic recruitment, to things like this," he gestured to the tower. "It's quite likely that this is only the beginning."

[mamarosa]

"We do not wish to harm you, or to keep you here against your will, but we do not have a choice in the matter. We are doing our jobs just as you are doing your job as a student, and now a Prefect. I wish I could tell him that we are not evil nor an enemy, no matter how cruel others may be."

[veepofchess]

He nodded. "Yes, I believe you have good intentions," he smiled slightly. "Thank you for looking over us."

[mamarosa]

With a serious note she turns to him, "Please tell me everything you know regarding Zero."

[veepofchess]

He appeared to be a bit taken aback. "He wears a cape and a mask... and he was trying to liberate the Elevens. That is, the Japanese, from the Britannian Empire. The Empire had ordered that they no longer be called Japanese, instead go by their Area number, just as they do with all of the other countries they had conquered.

"He was an ally for those who still wanted to fight for Japan. I expect he is continuing his battle here only now we are those he is attempting to liberate."

[mamarosa]

"There is nowhere to liberate them to, that is the problem. You cannot leave this island, it is impossible to swim there or follow the train tracks without receiving a penalty," she shakes her head, "He may end up hurting people."