HOME | DD

Description
Tokyo Mavericks control room, Ashford Academy. Lelouch took a deep breath and looked at Rolo, who had used his Geass to retrieve a gun from Lelouch's hand.

Lelouch: Alright... Were you sent to spy on me?
Rolo: Originally, yeah.
Lelouch: Who did you work for?
Rolo: The same guy that blew up Kamine.
Lelouch: Civility's source for Geass.
Rolo: As you clearly know, I'm not entirely related to you. Hell, I don't even know who my real parents are. But, because of this guy, I was raised to be an assassin. I've lost track of how many people I've killed, as a kid. Almost like how someone loses track of how many times they brush their teeth. That's the sort of thing left to the paranoid, the OCD and the schizophrenic.
Lelouch: I can only imagine.
Rolo: My other objective was to find C.C. Now that I know that I've been working with assholes, however...
Lelouch: You pulled a 180, and joined the Mavericks.
Rolo: Exactly. Villetta actually helped with that.
Lelouch: That's nifty.
Rolo: I know what you're gonna say about me, so spit it out. Get it over with.
Lelouch: What are you talking about?
Rolo: I know that I'm not your family, and you only have your sister.
Lelouch: No, I've got you, too. You're part of the Lamperouge family, now. That means you're not alone, anymore.
Rolo: Huh. (pauses) This doesn't include incredibly awkward moments, does it?
Lelouch: I sure as hell hope not. Otherwise...
Rolo: (shudders) Creepy. That is a creepy, creepy mindset. In certain circumstances that actually fit.
Lelouch: Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Rolo: Exactly! That's why those kinds of jokes aren't made, anymore.
Lelouch: There were...jokes, about that subject?
Rolo: Before...that, yes.
Lelouch: ...I think you lost me.
Rolo: Alistair didn't tell you? (takes a deep breath) Okay... You already know that Hawking took over America, all those years ago, and everybody started suffering, even worse. What isn't really...talked about...is the fact that... Oh, this is harder than I thought. First, I should say that homosexuality was...extinct? At least, for a while, anyway.
Lelouch: Wait, Hawking killed that many people?
Rolo: No, uh... Well, they died, but... See, when every one of them saw Hawking's broadcast...they feared that they were gonna be persecuted and hunted... And...they sorta...(gulps, then inhales)...offed themselves.
Lelouch: Oh... Wow... That... That's dark as shit. That's another thing going in the vault. And...it's gone.
Rolo: Oh, that was so hard. There is so much stress, I can't stop my heart from beating, so hard. I can still hear it.
Lelouch: I think you need a nap.
Rolo: Yeah, I... (collapses to the floor)
Lelouch: Or, on the floor.
Villetta: (walks into room) Hey, Rolo! We're about to head out- (notices Lelouch) Oh, shit!
Lelouch: Villetta, hold up!
Villetta: Okay... I'm not gonna hurt you...
Lelouch: You're a Maverick. That's a given.
Villetta: So...we're cool?
Lelouch: We've been cool, ever since Ohgi saved your ass.
Villetta: (sighs) That's good. Knocked out, from stress?
Lelouch: Yeah.

Villetta picked Rolo up and laid him on the sofa, then sat in one of the chairs.

Lelouch: So, you know I'm Zero?
Villetta: Yeah. I've been doing some undercover work, getting these guys to work for the Mavericks.
Lelouch: So, it's not public knowledge?
Villetta: Friends, only.
Lelouch: Good enough. So, this whole axis of evil is gonna gun for me and Alistair?
Villetta: Alistair, most definitely. Considering that three fourths of them despise him.
Lelouch: Oh. Right. And, we don't have the Mavericks, or the Black Knights. I'm so frustrated, I feel like I could explode!

Immediately, the ground shook as an explosion could be heard, from outside.

Lelouch: (pauses) Like, that's a good start.

Lelouch and Villetta rushed out of the control room, and ran out of the main building. They saw Sutherlands approaching Ashford, with green and gray color schemes, alongside the Confederate Enclave logo.

Lelouch: Oh, now the Enclave's got Knightmares. This day just keeps getting better, doesn't it?
Alistair: (runs out of building) Oh, I've been waiting for you assholes.

As soon as Alistair pulled out his phone and opened it, missiles fired from the roof of the main building, making contact with the Enclave Sutherlands and destroying them. Alistair, Lelouch and Villetta looked up to see U.S. Army Rangers, holding missile launchers, the leader looking familiar, to Alistair.

Ranger Christoph "Jericho" Pratt: (laughs) Now, that was a fine example of pyrotechnics! (gives middle finger to smoke) Suck it!
Alistair: Jericho?!
Ranger Jericho: Hey, Alistair! Good to see ya!
Alistair: Wha-?! What are you doing here?!
Ranger Jericho: Talk later, fight now! I see more of those pricks, on the horizon!

As more Enclave Sutherlands dashed through the smoke, the familiar sound of a VARIS weapon firing rang out, and sets of energy rounds impacted the Sutherlands, destroying them. The Nobunaga landed in front of the school, holding the VARIS shotgun in its left hand.

General Campbell Chase: Okay... This thing is pretty cool. Needs some adjustments to the armaments, but I'll manage.
Alistair: General Chase?!
General Chase: Good to see you, too, Alistair. We'll clean up the trash, while you meet up with your new guest.

The Nobunaga flew off and a repurposed Enclave VTOL slowly landed on the campus. The propellers stopped spinning, and a suited man exited the VTOL, approaching Alistair.

Seth: Never thought I'd see Japan, in my life. Good to see that it's pretty.
Lelouch: Oh...
Villetta: ...my...
Students and Teachers: (in unison) ...God...

Lelouch and Villetta turned around to see almost every student and teacher were outside, looking at Seth and Alistair.

Seth: Pretty cool school, too. Yeah, I could see you living here.
Alistair: (sighs) You came of your own volition, didn't you?
Seth: They're our enemies, too, Alistair. I'm not gonna let you fight these assholes, alone. Hey, that dude, with the purple eyes... Is that Lelouch?
Alistair: Uh, yeah.
Seth: (approaches Lelouch) Nice to meet you, at last, Lelouch Lamperouge. (extends hand) I'm Seth Kimball, the current President of the United States.
Lelouch: Uh... (shakes Seth's hand) Good to meet you.
Seth: Likewise. So, where's Nunnally?
Lelouch: We'll get into it, later.
Seth: Fair enough. I've got a speech to give out. To the auditorium! (runs off)
Lelouch: He, uh... He's unique, for the leader of a country.
Alistair: That's because he's the best kind of leader. The kind that used to be a gang leader, who helped people.
Lelouch: (pauses) Wait, what?!

30 minutes later, Ashford Academy auditorium. The students and faculty gathered in the auditorium to hear Seth's speech, as he approached the podium.

Seth: (clears throat) Good afternoon, Ashford Academy. Wow. So many people. This is good. You're probably wondering what the U.S. President is even doing here, in Japan. Well, that's simple. Because, Civility and the Enclave are trying to make a comeback, and they've allied themselves with Britannia. I'm here because I intend to protect this country's freedom, from some utopian douchebags that are trying to make life worse. I know what you're thinking. "How could the leader of a country shirk his duties, and fight battles, himself?" Right? That's also simple to answer. It's not about "duties". It's about basic human nature. People help each other. That's basic humanity. See, when I was younger, I was dirt poor. I never cared about being poor, and I was left behind, by my own parents. I was lucky enough to get by. One day, I saw a couple, getting mugged, and I tried to stop it. An 8-year-old, fighting a mugger. (chuckles) Who was I? Phoenix Wake? It was a losing battle, sure, but...somebody came by, and beat the shit out of that mugger. That one guy just so happened to be part of a gang that helped people, for a living. He became my role model. He was exactly who I wanted to be. So, I went through the rest of my life, gaining trust and influence, throughout an entire state. I essentially tore crime a new one, while breaking rules that weren't meant to exist. The one thing I never expected, in my life, was becoming President. When Daughtry showed up, at my doorstep, and named me his successor, should he be killed...I didn't even know what to say. I mean, we're talking about the guy who grew up with Cheryl and Phoenix Wake, Alistair's parents! The same guy that made the Democratic and Republican parties his bitches, and told them to get off of his lawn. (sighs) Shit, I'm sorry that this is dragging on. I'm not exactly a speech writer. What I'm getting at is... When it comes to assholes being assholes, I'm not gonna sit by and let them trample on everything we worked on, to fix, in this world. None of us are. So...we're here to help. We're going to help the Black Knights and the Tokyo Mavericks. We're going to ensure that Japan keeps its name! And, we're going to take Britannia down!

The audience was filled with cheers and applause, as Seth's speech ended.

Seth: Thank you. Sorry I gave you my life story. Still getting used to the speech thing.