Code Geass: Chronicles of Tartarus
Side Story Four:
Brassiere Battle
“Why me? Of all the times for Kallen to have to show up now was surely the worst. We had just taken down the Apollyon and returned to the Ikaruga when I realized that I wasn't wearing a mask to cover my face. Euphie, Suzaku, Enoch, and I had landed well ahead of the Yamato no Orochi, but still time was of the essence, and with Kallen's team only a few minutes behind us, I had to find a way to disguise myself. Unfortunately, it was Euphie who got an idea that really wasn't what I had in mind, but amazingly it worked." —Excerpt taken from Lelouch (after a hearty helping of rum-laden eggnog) telling the story of how he and the Red Dragon switched places just prior to the Battle of Gambier Island, dated November 25th, 2024 a.t.b. during Enoch's Christmas party.
"We're tracking the unknown airship now, Big-Z," Kallen told him with a snicker over the monitor of Lelouch's personal laptop computer as he and C.C. traveled via limousine from a meeting with the Russian leadership back to their hotel room. Captain Kozuki had taken to using the nickname Enoch had given Lelouch in order to show Lelouch that she wasn't still mad at him, but she wasn't exactly pleased with him either.
"Any idea what nation she belongs to?" he asked Kallen.
"That's just it, there's no record of her outside of Rakshata's suggestion that she may be the warship Kyoto, which was the sister ship of Ikaruga, that was assumed destroyed during Britannia's invasion of the Indochina region in 2018 a.t.b.," Kallen told him with a troubled look. "However, Rakshata cannot confirm the ship's identity unless we can get hold of her hull contract construction number somehow."
"Assuming it hasn't been effaced from the surface of the ship's hull," C.C. said as she joined the conversation.
"Captain Nagisa Chiba hasn't given us the order to sortie yet," Kallen paused for a moment as she said something to Gino then continued, "but I'm sure she will just as soon as you guys can get us permission to do so from the Russians."
"The Russian government shouldn't be too problematic," Zero told her confidently. "Once we convince them that it's in their best interests for us to capture this rogue aerial-battleship, they should be quite cooperative."
"Roger that," Kallen said with a smirk. "You do your magic on your end, Zero, and we'll sit tight and wait for the order to engage."
Lelouch smiled under his mask. It was almost like old times again, that feeling of when Kallen was on his side as his queen of the chessboard. "I'll be sure to relay the order as soon as I can secure permission from the Russians."
"Very good; Captain Kozuki out." Her image vanished from the screen.
"Well, I 'm glad to see the two of you getting along so well again," C.C. said with a warm smile.
"Why wouldn't we?" Lelouch asked. "It's not like I wanted to betray her, it just happened that way and she knows it."
"Still, she seems to have overcome her obsession with you," C.C. said with a shy smile.
Lelouch frowned under the Zero mask, but he didn't let his voice show it. "Well, you heard her at the party. She told everybody that she was done with childish, teenage dreams of a hero, and that she wanted a man in her life not a boy that turned out to be a big Zero."
"I think she was drunk when she said that," C.C. sniggered. "Besides, she needs to convince herself you're no longer a big deal in her life, or else it will hurt too much."
"Why are you so stuck on this?" Lelouch inquired.
C.C. blushed, "Because I feel guilty about it...who knows what could have happened if I never met you. Maybe you two would've gotten married or something?"
"Married?" Lelouch balked at the idea. "I don't think so, C2. I think that if I hadn't met you, then I'd probably be dead, and Kallen would certainly have been executed."
"Does that mean your meeting me was a good thing or a bad thing?" She had to know.
"It's obviously a good thing," he told her as he caressed her cheek. "Without you and the power you gave me I could never have changed the world. No matter what your reasons were to begin with, in the end you and I were inseparable, conspirators and accomplices in a grand scheme, just you and I against the tyranny of the world."
"But you left me behind with no intention of ever returning." C.C. looked down at the floor. "That really hurt me. I know you had your reasons, but..."
"It doesn't matter now," he said as he held her hand gently. "There's no need for me to run away anymore. I know that I have to face my fears and right the wrongs I've committed. Death doesn't wipe away the damage one does in this world. It only leaves your mistakes behind for those who are alive to deal with them. That was wrong of me. I think I realized that the most the last time I hid from Kallen."
"Do you mean on the Ikaruga?" C.C. inquired.
"Yes," he said softly.
"You never finished that story at the party," she giggled.
"I don't remember even starting it," he replied in a befuddled tone.
"Well, you passed out...so, you never got the chance," C.C. said with a wide grin.
"Enoch makes mean eggnog, doesn't he?" Zero joked with her.
“Yes, he does,” C.C. giggled. “Do you mind finishing that tale now? We’ve got some time before we get back to our hotel.”
“I suppose we’ve some time before I have to contact the Russian President.” Zero pushed the button on the back of his helmet and removed it.
“Should you do that?” she asked.
“What?” Lelouch smiled. “The divider is up, so the driver can’t see me, and the windows are all mirrored. Besides, I can’t hide under this mask forever.”
“No, I suppose not.” C.C. leaned in and kissed him.
“I thought you wanted me to tell you about how I became the Red Dragon for a day?” Lelouch asked as he kissed her back.
“I do.” She lay her head on his chest and snuggled up to him. “So start talk’n, Lulu.”
Lelouch lay his head on hers as he began his yarn. “Well, it began with us defeating the Apollyon and rushing back to the Ikaruga. Our Hakodeshim and Enoch’s Type-21Z had recovered quicker than the Yamato no Orochi from the titanic explosion of the giant, Greek machine. We raced back to the airship as quickly as we could manage for the express reason of beating Kallen’s team.”
Lelouch sighed, “Enoch had reasoned that if we made it back faster than the others, that we could avoid any unnecessary subterfuge.”
“He doesn’t like deception,” C.C. said. “That’s one of the things that makes Enoch so different. He really believes in honor and respect.”
“I know, and I learned just how strongly he felt about it during that incident. He started on me as soon as we landed, and he realized that there was no way we’d be able to get back to our private quarters fast enough, as the Yamato no Orochi were already starting their final approach to land.”
Lelouch tittered as he mimicked Enoch’s voice. “Make a choice right now, Lelouch, either man-up and face Kallen, or get your butt into the locker room so we can find a way to disguise you, was what he demanded of me as soon as I disembarked from the Samael. He wasn’t mad at me, that I could tell, but he seemed disappointed when I chose the locker room.”
“How come you didn’t man-up?” C.C. asked with a snicker.
“I couldn’t have a whole schism with Kallen weighing on my mind right before the final battle with the Olympians, or at least that was my reasoning for running away again. Maybe facing her at that moment would have been better than squaring off with my sister in the locker room.”
“Oh?” C.C. looked up at him. “What happened with Euphie?”
He gave her a gentle smile. “She did her duty as a big sister and put me in my place the way a big sister should when her little brother is acting like a twit.”
“Guess we need Euphie around more often,” she teased him with a mischievous smile.
“Anyway, they got me into the locker room as quickly as they could," Lelouch remarked with a grin. "Once inside, we rushed through the various lockers and Devicer suit bins that lined the walls of the room looking for anything we could find to cover my face."
That’s when things went awry...
* * *
"Suzaku, did you find anything?” Enoch asked him as Kururugi pulled down a duffle bag from one of the Devicer suit closets within the locker room. Within it was a helmet that had a heavily tinted visor. The head gear was of a type that was normally used for high-altitude missions in the Type-21R Reconnaissance variable KnightMare Frames used by the Black Knights.
“Just this.” Suzaku held up the helmet.
“That’ll do fine," Lelouch stated arrogantly as he snatched the helmet away from Suzaku. “There’s no time to lose. Kallen’s team has already landed.”
“Do you think Kallen is an idiot?” Enoch barked at him. “Captain Kozuki is well aware of what that helmet is used for. She’s not going to be fooled by you waltzing out of this room with it on. In fact, it is more likely to raise her suspicions even further.”
“I could just hide in here until she leaves the hangar,” Lelouch shot back.
“Oh, no,” Enoch sniggered, “I’m not going to let you lurk in the men’s locker just so you can get a peep at the male members of the Ikaruga’s Devicers.” He emphasized the word member with an obscene tone.
Euphemia gasped and playfully slapped Enoch on the shoulder. “He’s not like that and you know it, Enoch! Maybe we should try something else?”
“Like what?” Lelouch asked snidely.
“Maybe we should tie and gag you and stuff you in this duffle bag,” Suzaku retorted with a sinister grin as he held up the bag the helmet had been in.
“That’s not funny,” Lelouch glared at him.
“Well, we need to think of something quickly,” Euphemia demanded as Zero, Kaguya, and Lihua exited the elevator at the far end of the hangar. “The welcoming committee just arrived and is heading towards the deck officer.”
“C2 is here already?” Enoch inquired with surprise. “Guess she just can’t be away from you for a minute,” he snickered at Lelouch.
“I’ve got an idea,” Euphie said as she removed her helmet and started taking off her uniform. “Lelouch, strip off your clothes.”
Suzaku and Lelouch were speechless.
“Whoa, settle down there, gorgeous,” Enoch said as he put his hands up. “I’m not sure where you’re going with this, but it’s not looking like the right direction.”
“Do you men have any decency?” Euphie inquired with a stern look as she began to unclip her bra.
“Uh…” Lelouch grasped for words, “huh?”
Enoch grabbed him and Suzaku and pulled them around to face away from Euphie. “She wants us to turn around. I think I figured out where she’s going with this, so strip, Big-Z, and throw her your uniform.”
“But I can’t pass for the Red Dragon,” Lelouch protested as he took off his uniform and undressed down to his underpants. “I don’t resemble her body even remotely.”
“I dunno,” Suzaku tittered, “you do have a woman’s physique, though Euphie is certainly better looking.”
“You’re not helping,” Lelouch griped as he displayed his flat chest. “Really, Suzaku, do I look anything like my sister?”
“Put this on,” Euphemia said as her bra landed on Lelouch’s head.
Lelouch turned multiple shades of red as the sweet smell of her perfume hit his nostrils. “Wow.”
“Don’t drool all over it, you little pervert, just put the thing on!” Euphie barked at him as she donned his flight suit.
Suzaku blushed, “Better do as she says.”
“Yah,” Enoch smiled, “you wouldn’t want to have your older sister kick your butt again, would you? Besides, your buddy Suzaku here is turning green with envy, since I imagine even he hasn’t seen, let alone worn, her underwear.”
“What?” Suzaku blurted out with a nervous laugh. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll find out when you decide to pop the question to me and finally get the courage to marry me,” Euphemia said with a playful smirk at Suzaku as she walked over in front of them. “So,” she twirled around in front of Suzaku, “what do you think?”
“You’re the only person who can make that uniform look…look...” Suzaku stammered as he struggled for the word.
“I believe the word is sexy.” Enoch patted him on the shoulder.
“Thank you, Enoch.” She winked at him then turned to her brother who was struggling to get the bra on. “What’s the matter, little girl, is that bra the wrong size?”
“It won’t stay on,” he protested to her as he clipped the brassiere on then let it go. The bra fell off his flat chest down to his waist.
She giggled as she walked into the men’s lavatory. “Just hold on a minute, Lelouch. I know how to get that thing to stay on.” Euphie returned a moment later with two fresh rolls of toilet paper.
“What are you doing?” Lelouch cringed.
“Showing you a special technique women use on occasion,” she laughed as she stuffed her bra with one roll in each cup on Lelouch’s body, “although I’ve never seen a woman go to this extreme to get a bra to fit.”
“I’m not a woman,” Lelouch grumbled.
“You certainly could pass for one,” Enoch teased. “All you need is to let your hair grow long and add a little make-up.”
“Oh, gawd,” Suzaku chuckled at Lelouch, “I remember when Milly made you up for the cross-dresser’s ball.”
“Don’t remind me,” Lelouch grouched.
“What?” Euphie cocked her head slightly as she adjusted her bra on Lelouch to get the proper fit and position on his body. “Aw, I wish I could’ve seen that. I bet you were cute.”
“Creepily gorgeous is how Milly put it,” Suzaku snickered.
Lelouch wasn’t laughing. “It was one of her stupid school functions. Milly's school projects all centered on anything that involved sex.”
“Oh, stop being a big baby,” Euphie scolded him as she helped him into the Red Dragon uniform and zipped it up over the toilet roll-stuffed brassiere. “You don’t know how lucky you were, Lelouch. I wish I could have gone to Ashford.”
“Wow, he looks pretty good,” Suzaku complemented her. “Nice job, Euphie.”
“Thanks,” she said as she took a bow. “I’m available for parties, plays, and weddings.” She winked at Suzaku.
“I’m impressed,” Enoch smirked. “But what about your hair? Doesn’t it stick out the top back of the helmet like a tassel?”
“Ooh, I didn’t think of that,” she said as she cupped her chin with her hand and gave Lelouch a dumbfounded look.
Lelouch smiled wickedly, “Maybe we should just cut yours off, my dear sister?”
Euphemia raised an eyebrow at his jibe and retorted sarcastically, “Maybe we should cut something else and make you a girl for real.” She made a snipping motion with her fingers. “Snip! Then I’d have another little sister.”
“Euphie, don’t even joke about that,” Enoch recoiled.
“That would certainly cure his problem with Kallen,” Suzaku added with a horrified look.
Lelouch was not amused. “Are you guys finished yet?”
"Sorry, Lelouch." Euphie kissed him on the cheek. "We're just picking on you a bit; you're a man, you can take it, can't you?"
He smiled at her, "Yeah, well, it's just a bit much right now, that's all."
"I suppose you're right, Lelouch," Enoch nodded. "Let's get you a tassel for that helmet," he said as he fished through a mass of red parachute line in a trash bin. He cut one end of the line at the proper length with his pocket knife and spread the fibers out.
Lelouch ran the fibers through his fingers. "Well, it looks similar to hair, but if someone touches it, the gig is up."
"I know, Lelouch, but we're out of time," Enoch said as he heard Kaguya's voice getting closer to the locker room.
"Did you just agree with me?" Lelouch asked with a snicker.
Enoch grinned, "Wonders never cease."
"Indeed," Lelouch laughed, realizing how hard all of them were trying to help him. He knew they didn't approve of him deceiving Kallen, but they assisted him anyway. Their harsh jibes were not for the sake of being mean but for the purpose of teaching Lelouch the value of humility and friendship.
Euphemia put the Devicer helmet on as Suzaku and Enoch fitted the tassel to the back of the Red Dragon's helmet.
"I hope this works," Suzaku said woefully, "or else Kallen's gonna have all our heads."
"No kidding," Enoch sighed. "We're aiding and abetting here."
Euphie took Lelouch's hand in hers. "Good luck, little brother. I hope this feint works."
* * *
"Feint!" Lelouch blurted out in the back of the limousine as he realized the plight of their situation. His action startled C.C. as Lelouch hit the intercom button next to him. "Driver, stop the car immediately!"
"What is it?" C.C. asked him. She was unnerved by his sudden outburst.
"This is a setup," he said more to himself than to her as the limo came to a halt at the curb of the street.
C.C. sat up. "How can you be so sure?"
"They're trying to get our guard detail to follow that other airship," Lelouch answered as he flipped open his laptop and contacted Captain Chiba.
"Lelouch, your helmet!" C.C. said as she pushed it over his face.
"Thanks!" he grumbled as the lip scraped over his nose just as Chiba's face came on the screen.
"What is it, Zero?" Chiba asked, a bit surprised by him having to adjust his helmet. "Have the Russians cleared us to intercept the unknown airship?"
"No," Zero told her. "I need you to have a Type-21R do a flyby of my current position and check for enemy units."
"Wha? Enemy units?" Chiba was confused.
"Please, Captain, trust me on this one," he said politely.
"As you wish, Zero," she replied.
* * *
"Alice, we've got an enemy aircraft inbound," Sancia told her over the radio of the cockpit of her Vincent-Advanced, which rested in the shadow of a large water tower on the roof of a building along the path of Zero's motorcade.
"What type is it?" Alice inquired from inside the cockpit of her machine. Alice's mecha stood between two large warehouse buildings along the street that Lelouch's limo traveled on within the city of Leningrad.
"Looks like a recon Type-21, probably from the Ikaruga," Sancia told her with concern in her voice.
"You're in a tight spot, Alice," Lucretia told her from the bridge of the Intruder. "I advise against you, Sancia, and Dalque engaging in combat in the city. The terrain is too tight, and you don't have the units to conduct this operation without bringing down the whole Russian military on our heads."
"Whadda ya mean?" Dalque asked from her KnightMare Frame as it stood across from Alice's mecha on the opposite side of the street in an alley between two large buildings. "We can take these Russian dullards any day of the week."
"No, Dalque," Alice said. "Lucretia is correct, we don't want to expose ourselves for nothing. Sancia, can you confirm whether C2 is within the limo?"
"Absolutely," Sancia told her, "and Zero is with her as well."
Alice smiled, "Very well, let's withdraw for now. We can collect them later when they've let their guard back down."
"Ohhhh, but they're just down the road," Dalque whined. "We can get them now."
"No, Dalque," Alice scolded her, "we wait until we can capture both of them without exposing ourselves. We can't conduct a snatch-and-grab with a spy plane above us; our sensor jammers won't stop it from seeing us if we launch an attack."
"Very well, Alice," Dalque said as she slumped back in her Devicer seat with a pout. "Let's get back to the ship."
"Don't worry, Dalque," Alice said with a smile, "we know where both C2 and Zero are now, so we can bide our time for a little while before making our next move."
* * *
"The recon plane confirmed three unknown KMF's along the travel route of your motorcade, but they took off and disappeared into the Gulf of Finland," Nagisa told Zero on his laptop. "We lost them from there, as we couldn't track them underwater. Their sensor jammers are clearly top-of-the-line."
"Thank you, Captain," Zero nodded. "It would seem that either I or C2 was their intended target. Perhaps even both of us. The fact that they did not simply attack us indicates they may be trying to capture us. I think it might be prudent if we return to the Ikaruga as soon as the talks here in Russia are finished."
"Would you like me to send down a guard detail?" Nagisa asked.
"Yes," Zero said. "Send the Yamato no Orochi."
"Will do," Chiba replied before signing off.
"Why Kallen's group?" C.C. inquired, a bit shocked by his request for them.
"It's like I told you about in my brassiere battle with Euphie and the others; Enoch said that Kallen is no idiot and he's right. She isn't fooled by looks or the calmness of a situation. Her warrior instinct is keen and sharp. I'll need her close to us to flush out these would-be kidnappers."
C.C. didn't respond. She wondered if Lelouch's words were true or if this was one of his elaborate deceptions, one that involved having Kallen close to him again for some reason.
The green-haired witch laughed inwardly, After all these years, could I really be jealous of Kallen? She smiled to herself as Lelouch typed away fiercely on his laptop. He had shared a private memory with her, his dreaded battle with Euphie's brassiere, which was enough for her at the moment. Even if you do have feelings for her, my love, you would do well to remember my warning. Geass brings with it grave consequences. You and I have beat the odds and found each other, but I fear for Kallen if you try to bring her too close to you...for Geass is a curse that is not as forgiving as I am.
