Code Geass: Kallen of the Revolution

[Corwin]

<--->

"If you're busy, we can take it," offers Kallen, glancing at Jean.

"Take it?" Melanie asks, glancing at Kallen curiously. "Ah, yes. This is Summers from Preventative Care. Listen, we've got some sort of glitch here."

Jean looks stoic to Kallen's eyes. If there were an identifiable emotion in her at that time, it would be mild curiousity.

"The call, I meant. Never mind," replies Kallen, shrugging, and waiting for the results of the call.

"Right. Right." Melanie is nodding as she listens. "I see. Thanks, guys."

She hangs up, and her pleasant demeanor changes as she grabs Kallen's hands. "This is bad!"

"What is bad?" replies Kallen, sounding slightly strained.

"They weren't following protocol!" Melanie whispers harshly. "Something must've gone wrong. We have to get out of here, and quickly!"

Kallen grits her teeth. It can't have been Inoue, she should be gatecrashing the security room around about now. Which means someone else is playing a game.

"You go on out. I'll let people know what's going on," says Kallen. "Security's probably been compromised, so just get clear."

"What people?" Melanie asks, looking around the empty lab. "Maybe you don't understand, but the person who answered me said... he said he was new...."

She trails off, looking at Kallen in apprehension.

"What exactly did he say?" asks Kallen, frowning. "It's not a containment fault we're talking about, is it?"

The question snaps Melanie out of her slight daze. "He said it was a routine lockdown for testing purposes." She shakes her head empathically. "That would never happen!"

Jean nods, off to the side. "Bullshit reason. An outsider might give or receive it, but there's nothing routine about across-the-board security measures."

Gritting her teeth, Kallen reaches for her phone. "Hold on a second," she says, heading for the door and starting to call Inoue.

"This is a bad time," Inoue says, picking up after two rings. Kallen picks up on a hum behind her, usually assosiated with heavily-ventilated electronics.

"All the entrances have been locked out. I can't get in until you get the security people to unlock them. It sounds as though they've already been compromised," replies Kallen.

"Ah, no," Inoue responds, sounding harried. "That would be us. Give us a couple minutes."

The door into the corridor opens, Melanie leaving the lab through it.

With a quick glance to make sure nobody else is around, Kallen grabs Melaine by the neck with one arm and across the face with the other, putting her into a sleeper hold and making it impossible for her to cry out. She promptly drags her back into the lab, kicking the door shut behind her, and chokes the scientist until she's knocked out.

Melanie flails in Kallen's arms, but the shock of being grasped and Kallen's training make all the difference, allowing the redhead to subdue the older scientist.

"Nice," Jean deadpans, arms crossed over her chest.

The door to the lab swings shut.

Kallen lugs the scientist into a corner of the room and drops her behind a console, before turning back to Jean. "The others should open this up in a couple minutes. Try again then," she says. shaking off her wrist.

"Something went wrong?" Jean asks, not seeming too concerned over the fate of her fellow researcher.

"Yeah. Not sure if some security person locked things down, or the others did by accident," replies Kallen, edgily. "There's no alarms going off, so we can wait and see for a bit."

"Or there's a silent alarm and things are pretty bad," Jean says helpfully. "For what it's worth, I don't think that would be the case. It's far more likely your team was too lax, or the security personnel was on the ball. At the same time, there couldn't have been enough time to do much, not with the plan we have developed."

"Wouldn't they have a panic button, at the least?"

"No panic button is ever truly absolute," Jean responds, "since it could always be hit by accident. And people being who they are, they often leave the passcodes for overriding it within reach. No one truly wants to consider a violent hostile takeover out of the blue, but being fired for locking down the facility without the means to undo it has to occupy their minds at least once in a while."

"Ruins the point of it all, really," mutters Kallen, wandering to Melanie's console to see what she was doing before she was interrupted.

"Not that I'm complaining."

"I suppose," Jean agrees. "Are you any different? If I were to search your room, would it be impossible for me to discover the password to your personal computer?"

Kallen guesses it involves simulations of some sort. One is close to finishing.

"My computer and a high-security facility are two very different things!"

"Yes, they have the expectation of security and privacy, here," Jean agrees sarcastically. "While you how many maids?"

"I never use the thing anyway. If important things were on it, I'd use it more often and wouldn't need to write my code down," replies Kallen.

Jean smirks. The simulation finds this time to end, displaying a graph. A prompt requires user input, though for the life of her Kallen isn't certain which values to feed into the parameters displayed.

Kallen's phone rings as she contemplates the screen.

"I'm here," answers Kallen, having no idea what's going on and stepping away from the screen.

"It's some sort of security measure," Inoue tells her from the other side of the line. "Seems like they run the IDs of anyone coming in, and ours got flagged. Long story short, we took over so quickly the goons over here didn't even have chance to act upon it, but being this effective ended up working against us, since we have no idea how to deactivate this without merely causing more trouble for us all." Her voice turns accusing as she points out, "Your Britannian friend didn't tell us about this feature."

"Everything else was detailed- dammit. One moment," replies Kallen, turning to Jean. "Why didn't you tell us that our IDs would be flagged on entry? It's triggered the lockdown and we can't undo it as is."

"Didn't know," Jean responds simply, frowning. She's irritated, though she manages to keep it out of her voice, perhaps due to the curtness of her reply.

"I wouldn't say we can't undo it," Inoue interjects. "Actually, things might work out well enough, but we'll need to deviate from the plan. This lockdown affects more than our destination; as long as we play it up as a routine systems check or something equally full of technobabble, we might keep the personnel here divided while we breach through the outer shell of that observation deck in force."

"If we can seal off the areas we won't be going through and keep our escape route clear, then we won't run into any trouble while we go to work, right?"

"We can't seal off everything, since that would be pretty obvious, not to mention require our intervention. But many of the key sections are already in lockdown, and one of us could stay here while you work on that outer shell and Tamaki goes to direct traffic from the spots still accessable."

There is a muffled exclamation Kallen can't make out.

"Alright. I'll get to work now. Should only take me a few minutes," responds Kallen, digging in her bag for her equipment and heading for the containment entrance.

Kallen had practiced placing the substance, although nothing quite feels the same when she has to do it for real. Jean vacates the premises altogether, ostensively to be on the lookout, and then Kallen is ready to execute her plan.

The charges were already partitioned out. Affixing three of them to various joints of the door, Kallen sets the fuses for only a few seconds, before backing a safe distance away and averting her gaze- the stuff isn't so much loud as bright, as she recalls.

It is not a true explosion, Kallen remembers, although her goals are achieved just as well as the thermite reacts, burning a rough oval shape through the door. A simple kick would displace the metal in its center, now, allowing one to proceed.

Bashing it down is child's play to Kallen, and she slips through the improptu entrance, leaving the sterile, but clean lab for the more bleak-seeming observation deck.

She has to repeat this one more time in the small, claustrophobic booth serving as a decontainment unit. It smells of burnt metal, but Kallen endures, and another flash later she stands on the observation deck looking in. No one else is in attendance.

Of course, this doesn't take her close enough to get the real work done. Sparing only a few moments to glance around the confines, Kallen starts towards the central containment's entry point, wondering if the code is still the same, or if she'll have to force this door, too.

One thing is clear to Kallen; she can't force this door, not if she wants to have any thermite left for the containment unit itself. She's already stretching thin a supply that was supposed to be more than enough for two such jobs.

Then there's nothing for it but to try the code she used last time. Of course, she could try breaking the glass between her and the chamber if it comes down to that.

Two things happen as Kallen enters the code Lucille provided to her previously. The door unlocks with a hiss, and her phone rings.

"This is going to be a bad time very soon," notes Kallen, when she picks up.

"Three minutes," Inoue informs her, voice tight. "Some crap about a timed notice going out to all project heads. Nothing we can do about it short of crashing the entire system, and we can't crash the entire system."

"Understood. I'll meet you back at the van afterwards," replies Kallen, starting towards the central chamber.

"We're going after the other objective, abort if you can't get anywhere in time," Inoue says, before the call disconnects.

Dropping her phone back in her pocket, Kallen advances on the unit, ready to start placing her explosives.

"Are you there, Lucille?" she speaks to the otherwise-solid sphere. "Do you know I'm here?"

There is no discernable reaction. Kallen's head feels unusually light while in this chamber.

"Must be kept dormant when tests aren't being run," murmurs Kallen, rapidly affixing her remaining explosives the stress points on the equipment. She practiced this already, she drilled it in while staring at the blueprints. As long as Jean's hypothesis is correct...

As long as Lucille is a being that can regenerate from anything, there should be no problem, a small voice in the back of Kallen's mind whispers.

The flash heralds a breach of the containment module. Red liquid pours out, leaving Kallen standing ankle-deep in the stuff. It makes her want to heave.

Her nice white scientist pants are getting all stained, Kallen notes, trying not to choke or vomit- dammit, she's seen worse! She saw plenty of awful things, seven years ago! She can handle this.

Something floats out of the unit, brushing against the lower edge of the hole Kallen's thermite burnt through it. The distinct smell of sizzling flesh fills the thin air.

Or maybe she can't. Thinking of seven years ago might have been a mistake; it calls up some of Kallen's worst memories; some of people dying in front of her. Some of corpses, brought about by burns and bullets and shrapnel.

It's hard to reaffirm that she's doing the right thing, but her resolve hangs on by a thread. She slowly tries to approach the hole she's made, even as she starts to heavily cough.

Kallen makes waves as she struggles to reach the unit, and the body rocks along with them, giving her a better look for a brief instant. It is Lucille, and she is lying face down in the dark liquid.

It takes more effort than she cares to admit to try and do something as simple as turn the body around with shaking fingers, and she tries to pull the girl's head above the water. Kallen stares at the results of her handiwork, legs locked in place despite the urgency.

Her stomache is burnt badly, requiring urgent medical attention. Lucille's legs scrape against the hole's lower edges, trailing smoke, but Kallen doesn't pay much attention to that. It is taking all of her willpower to remain firm in the face of all the blood.

It's blood, her conscious mind realizes. Kallen is standing ankle-deep in blood, her sleeves splattered with it from her efforts of dragging Lucille out the rest of the way. Blood surrounds her from every direction.

There's so much. It's like the baths at Ashford. Slightly warm, a bit steamy. More clingy than water, though. "Just like a bath," Kallen murmurs, closing her eyes to her surroundings. She can ignore the sight that way, but the smell still permeates. "Goddamit, Shirley. You have to faint like this. Aren't you supposed to be on the swim team?"

There is no response, nor would she expect one. Closing the eyes helps some, although the smell remains. The blood continues to cling to Kallen's exposed limbs, almost eating away at her, and no amount of self-persuasion changes the skin-crawling sensation for the better.

If she doesn't get out of that place, and fast, Kallen's mind might not hold.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

The room is not that big, Kallen reminds herself. There's only around five or six steps between her and the observation deck, which will be sterile, cold, and clean. Was clean.

Biles rises in her throat, and she can taste it spilling over, but she refuses to let it go any further before she finishes staggering out this red sea.

Dragging Lucille outside, Kallen stumbles, her head feeling light.

The hallucinogens, Kallen suddenly realises. Did they get released? Is the light-headedness just the depressants inside the containment?

It's difficult to concentrate, and once she pulls Lucille clear of the security door and the onslaught of fluid, she turns away and starts puking her guts out.

Everything is tinted with red, but Kallen can't focus. Lucille is lying motionless behind her, and she can feel her there, Kallen realizes before that thought as well is swept away.

Not again, she can't falter in here! Spitting the last of the bile away, Kallen bites down hard her her lip.

Blood. It's in the air itself, permeating it. As Kallen's teeth pierce her lower lip, it mixes in with hers--

Kallen's cheek stings, a sudden clarity instilled in her. As she comes to her senses, Kallen sees that the emergency red lights have kicked in, and the door to the containment unit had been sealed off. Jean is standing there facing her, once Kallen's eyes focus enough to see the doctor, hand raising to slap her again.

Kallen's hand grabs Jean by the wrist and squeezes for a second before she realises who's in front of her. She glances over her shoulder an instant later to see if Lucille is still there.

Lucille is still lying on the floor, probably where Kallen dropped her. And she's still dead.

"Back to your senses," Jean says matter-of-factly, nodding. "Good. You were in torpor."

"Torpor? How long?" asks Kallen, shaking away the last of her mugginess. First thing first.

"We're behind schedule," Jean informs her. Kallen notices that Jean is wearing a backpack. "By two whole minutes, if not more. I've never expected such a scenario, so I'm not even sure how the higher ups would respond. If it's that fool Asprius, he's predictable, but if not...."

"How long'd she take to get better? We have to start running now," responds Kallen, kneeling next to Lucille's body to try and pick it up.

"Beats me," Jean says. "Minutes we don't have, at a guess." She heads into the lab, stepping through the openings Kallen had created earlier.

Kallen grits her teeth, and reaches out to try and pick up Lucille again, before heading to the doors at a light jog. If they hurry, they should still make it to the van before security teams get all over them. If.

Getting Lucille through the holes is time-consuming, but Kallen succeeds in the task admirably. Jean is already waiting by the lab's entrance, looking outside. "No one's here so far," she tells Kallen.

"Alright. Alright. Carpark. We need to go there. Do you have a car? Doesn't matter, any will do," mutters Kallen. "I'd take point, but I bet you don't wanna carry her."

Jean gives the blood-covered corpse in Kallen's arms a dark look, and swiftly turns around, leading them through the complex. The red lights are flashing everywhere, but there is strangely no movement until they reach the exit.

"All vehicles would be in a separate building," Jean informs Kallen without looking back. "And we can't really bluff our way through. The brute force approach it is."

"Tell me when," replies Kallen, not really able to drag Lucille around and shoot straight at the same time.

"When," Jean says, and Kallen is unable to tell whether the doctor is being sarcastic or not. But then, Jean had already punched a sequence of numbers on the numpad, not even bothering with her card key, and the doors open an inch with a hiss. Jean pushes on them to open farther, and then grabs and pulls the rightmost one to make an acceptable exit; it doesn't seem to exert her much.

She slips outside, and so could Kallen, if she stepped sideways through with her charge.

Kallen slips after the doctor, glancing briefly through the door before pulling Lucille along with her.

The way to the garage seems clear, judging by Jean who is already halfway there. The gate to the facility had been lowered, Kallen tells. It's eerily quiet.

There hasn't been any opposition yet. It niggles at Kallen; if they were that late, surely alerts would have been raised and security is already en-route. As she starts out with Lucille, she keeps an eye out for places where someone could be in hiding, uncomfortably aware of how little she could do on reaction should someone pop out.

Jean disappears into the garage, a single-story building by the looks of it. Kallen had never had cause of visiting it, and it is separate from the main complex.

Glancing over her shoulder at the roof, Kallen continues after Jean.

Nothing. There is not a soul in sight.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Jean's voice sounds as Kallen makes it all the way to the garage entrance. The scientist sounds slightly incredulous. "I am double-crossing the Foundation, of course!"

Dashing into the entrance after Jean, Kallen briefly adjusts her hat to make sure it's hiding her hair and glances at the conversation. She doesn't stop moving, though, heading towards the nearest suitable seeming-car- speed is important, but it must also be big enough!

A glorified valet is blocking Jean's way. Kallen is not used to them carrying weapons, however, and her movement catches his eye. The man startles, but then the gun begins to align on Kallen's form.

Kallen freezes on the spot, and stares at the man. The torrents of blood, so fresh in her mind- the loss of control, the fear, the need to *get out*. A second is all it will take to give the valet a taste.

His hand, already shaking, seems to convulse. He glances at the gun in it dumbly, before an almost blissful expression overcomes him.

Jean barely manages to turn her head away so that the valet's brains splash against her left cheek and not her face.

Snapping out of her reverie leads to a new horrifying sight. It's all Kallen can do to wipe it off her face before Jean can look at her. If she can't rely on her willpower, stupid pride could come in close.

People aren't the same, she reasons. That's why she could keep walking and he killed himself. He just had no reason to live. Is that it?

"Get his- get the keys off him," she instructs Jean. "Quicker than hotwiring."

Jean nods silently, and kneels down to frisk the corpse. She retrieves a set of keys, and presses a button on the keyholder. An alarm beeps once, before being turned off. It is the third car to Kallen's right, a beaten up Volkswagen beetle.

"Is there not something better?" mutters Kallen, glancing at the other nearby cars and starting to haul Lucille toward the beetle in any case.

The other cars are available for hotwiring. Jean makes her way to the beetle, getting into the driver's seat.

It'd take too long. Kallen isn't the best at that, and if she can save a minute now, they might lose all pursuit to begin with. She lugs Lucille into the back seat of the beetle, before getting in the passenger side herself, and pulling out her phone.

Jean uses her lab coat to make herself as presentable as she could under the circumstances, tossing the garment back atop Lucille once she is done with it. She starts the engine, glancing at Kallen for confirmation.

"One sec," mutters Kallen, briefly trying to call Inoue.

Inoue doesn't pick up after several rings.

Nothing for it. "Let's go," orders Kallen. "My side to the gate."

Jean depresses the gas pedal at that.

As the car makes its way to the gate, a guard comes out, holding an automatic weapon at it in no ambiguous terms. There is no warning to surrender, although the act of aiming could be considered such.

"Get a bit closer and slow down," murmurs Kallen, hoping that being a bit closer will give her a good vantage point. Summoning fearful memories to mind is a bit easier, and she tries to make this guard break and run, if not repeat the act of the last.

Kallen isn't certain she is successful as the car slows down by the gate, but then the guard seems to panic and shoot wildly! A shot sends a spiderweb of cracks through the windshield, and another takes out the sideway mirror on Kallen's side!

Some people are different from others, indeed.

At least his aim is shot! From behind the dash, Kallen bashes at the windscreen with her own gun a bit to break away the glass, and returns fire!

Kallen's aim is true, and the guard crumbles.

Jean stiffens suddenly.

As the moment drags on, no more guards come out of the shack serving as their security post.

"I'll go open the gate," mutters Kallen, glancing briefly at Jean.

Jean doesn't respond, sitting very still.

Freezing herself, Kallen turns her head to Lucille.

Lucille hasn't moved, and Jean's blood-splattered lab coat is draped over her head.

Kallen reaches over to pull back the coat, and briefly reaches to touch Lucille's hand.

A pulse, it's hard to compare it to electricity but nothing else comes even that close, surges up Kallen's hand.

Contact. The word is voiced in her head, although not by Lucille. That fact becomes clear, when she says Kallen's name in her mind.

"Can you hear me?" Kallen thinks/says/feels. "We're getting out of here. That woman is an ally, now. Trust me."

Kallen gets a flash of insight. Two men are at the guard post just ahead. One of them is on the phone, while the other is holding an automatic weapon much like the first guard. They both seem frozen in time.

If she's trusting Kallen, then surely Kallen can trust this. It's from her, isn't it, this near-instinctual revelation, but it makes her path clear.

Stepping out the car, she starts ducking towards the guard station, pistol in hand.

An afterimage of the guard post remains even after Kallen breaks direct contact with Lucille. If she wanted to, Kallen feels, she could look inside, disregarding walls and any other solid or opaque obstacles along the way.

She tries to expand her senses in that way when she reaches the door, focusing on the last place she recalls those two guards. Even if they're not still frozen, if she can kick in the door and fire in one motion, there's no way they could get her before she got them. Not if she knows exactly where they are.

Hell, she could even just shoot through the walls.

It's there, that image that she was shown -- granted? The guards don't react to Kallen's presence, and the door is left ajar, which makes it easy to kick in.

Kallen shoves it open and glances around the room for the gate switch, taking the time to disarm the guards as she does so.

As soon as Kallen touches the guard, the afterimage slips away. He blinks owlishly, lowering his eyes impossibly slowly to Kallen's hands on his weapon.

Wrenching it away from his fingertips with a twist, Kallen smashes the butt of the weapon across his face on the return!

A crunch is her reward as the man's nose breaks, splashing blood around. It is instict more than anything that gets Kallen to turn towards the remaining guard. He only holds a pistol, but she knows there is no way to stop him from firing it at least once, and he is at point blank range.

Kallen pulls the trigger on her appropriated weapon, sending a spray of bullets arcing across the guardpost towards the man as she twists around!

The guard jerks back, his face a ruined mess. His finger twitches again on the trigger, and the roof acquires a hole.

The mechanism to raise the gate is easily found, and it appears undamaged.

Kallen doesn't pay him a second glance as she reaches to trigger the mechanism, and then returns to the car.

The gate has risen by the time Kallen has made it back to the car. She's trailing bloody footprints, and has been for a while; it is only now that she truly comprehends this.

Jean is slumped in the driver's seat, her head pressed against the top of the wheel.

Biting her lip, Kallen heads for the driver's seat entrance, and briefly check's Jean's pulse.

She's alive. As Kallen thinks that, an echo in her mind repeats the words.

That's a relief, she muses. Not much of one, but still. If slapping Jean on the cheek to wake her up is ineffectual, she has to manhandle her around before she can take the car to check out where the van was.

As Kallen moves the unconscious doctor over, she finds the task more difficult than hauling Lucille around. She even finds herself short of breath near the end.

Running around like this is getting tiring. Fatigue. The show must go on, and Kallen gets in the driver's seat and starts taking the car about.

It takes only a slight drive. The service entrance is riddled with holes. There is no sign of the van, though there's a small pool of blood on the ground where the van was parked.

There must have been a firefight. It looks like they got away, albeit shot at. Kallen starts taking the car out as well, intending on heading back to Shinjuku. Setting the phone to loudspeaker, she dials Ohgi's number as she drives.

Kallen gets out of the compound, although driving with a cracked windshield proves to be a chore, especially as she lacks proper training.

Ohgi picks up after the fourth ring. "Yes?" he asks, his voice sounding a bit strange to Kallen.

"I've gotten out," replies Kallen, wondering how her voice sounds, as well. "Do you know about the others?"

It sounds surprisingly cold and professional to Kallen's ears.

There is a lengthy silence. "Kallen?" Ohgi asks at last. "I thought we'd lost you."

"I got held up. Something in the containment lab, hallucinogens, gas, you know," replies Kallen, not quite sure how she'll put everything to them when they get back. "But I'm, um, okay now."

Limits. Lucille breathes the word into Kallen's mind, and then there is a gasp.

It is as if a veil had been removed from Kallen's conscious thoughts. Things feel sharper. So does pain. Ohgi is saying something, but it is suddenly difficult to focus on parsing his words.

The car swerves slightly as Kallen falters. "What was that?" she says, trying to work out where her pain is coming from. She wasn't shot, was she?

Kallen's chest hurts. She's never experienced pain this sharp before.

"Kallen?" Ohgi sounds worried as he calls her name.

There are no other cars along this road, but to get to the ghetto she would certainly pass quite a few, and a checkpoint as well.

"I'm... I'm not okay. Ohgi? Where are you?" asks Kallen, swerving the car to a stop to the side.

"Covering Tamaki," Ohgi responds. "About to, anyway. He's going to pass through in a few. What's wrong, Kallen? Is it the gas?"

Kallen looks down at her chest.

There is a blood stain.

Kallen starts to swoon, putting a hand over her shirt. "I.. ah. I've been shot," she replies, stupefied.

"Where exactly are you?" he asks, his demeanor changing. Ohgi sounds professional, now, and a detached part of Kallen's mind muses how unlike him that is. "I'll divert Yoshitaka to you."

"About a mile out from the main gate," replies Kallen, her voice starting to slur. "Straight down the road. In a beetle."

"Hold on," Ohgi tells her. He says more, but Kallen once again tunes him out, leaning back in the driver's seat. Breathing is easier if she just lets go, Kallen finds.

She should try and stay conscious until help arrives, Kallen realises. Just in case. She tries to lean back in the chair, and turns off the engine, one hand resting gingerly on her chest.

Kallen catches sight of herself in the rearview mirror as she desperately tries to stay awake. Red circles have replaced her irises, though the red is faded, almost washed out. The full weight of what is happening hits her; she had been shot in the chest. It's serious. Her continued existence has been placed in doubt.

She's dying. Would die, would definitely die if she was on her own. Why did she ever think she was invincible? She had this weapon, something that could really change the flow of history, and she's going to die after getting shot by a guard on her own payroll.

It'd be funny, if it was happening to someone else.

Kallen manages to hold on long enough to see a car drive towards her, but then the last of her strength leaves her, and all that remains is the darkness. Her last conscious thought is that it's true; breathing really is easier when she lets go.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

Kallen finds herself drifting in and out of consciousness. During a particularly lucid period, she senses more than sees another person by her side, but far too quickly even that sensation is swallowed by the overwhelming darkness.

And then, there is light. Kallen is lying on a bed. The room she is in is small, only a bed and a chair to it, set with its back to the sole window. That is the source of the light, serving to illuminate a figure seated there patiently with a golden halo.

"Welcome back," Lucille says. Her voice is almost gentle, but the way she pronounces things is off, as if she had not spoken for a great while and almost forgot how to pronounce the words.

Kallen turns her head a little, rolling against the side of the pillow. She peers silently at Lucille, taking a few moments to remember to breathe, to see where she is and who she's talking to.

Breathing is a tad more difficult than she remembers, but there is no pain.

"I am affecting you right now," Lucille says reassuringly. "You would not feel discomfort from your wound."

Kallen resists the urge to clutch at her chest and feel her wound; there's no sense making a bad thing worse.

"Are you alright?" she asks, rather pointlessly.

"I've fully recovered from my death," Lucille responds rather bluntly.

"Sorry. It was the fastest way," mumbles Kallen. How badly was she shot, she wonders. Will she get better?

If Lucille is privy to those worries, she doesn't show it.

"I hoped to establish physical contact as you arrived, but I suppose it couldn't be helped," she allows. "What matter is that I am now free. And, as promised, I will follow you."

There is an emphasis on the promise, as if the word means more than the dictionary definition would imply.

"My ally," replies Kallen, pulling herself up in bed a little. "You already know what I want?"

Lucille merely stares at Kallen in response.

"If nothing else, it's obvious by my company," she murmurs. "I won't be going anywhere for a while, though. How.. how bad is it?"

"Penetrating chest trauma," Lucille recites. "Your chances of dying were low, no higher than ten percent at the most. One of your ribs stopped the bullet at the cost of breaking, and in turn lacerated the lungs. Surgery to stitch the wound and drain blood from the cavity was required." She pauses, perhaps for effect. "I do not believe there is any expectation of scarring or other complications. You should make a full recovery in time."

Kallen is quiet for a few moments, and then speaks up again. "I thought I was going to die. In such a stupid way. It was almost funny."

"I would not have been amused," Lucille notes. "As it is, your treatment plan is spread out across five weeks. You would be wise to heed it."

"I see. If that's all, then I guess I'm lucky. Do you know about the others?"

"I know enough," Lucille responds. "The amusing man is just fine aside from a minor scratch over his left brow."

"And Inoue?"

"I mean, the woman?"

"She might lose the leg," Lucille answers bluntly. "There was considerable blood loss, but it is not expected to be detrimental to her long-term recovery prospects. Several of your allies covering their retreat were wounded in the firefight, but there were no fatalities."

"Ah." It could've been worse, Kallen thinks, her eyes retreating to the ceiling. At least none of them died.

"Do you know when I can start going up and about again? I have to... go home. I can't be gone for too long, or someone might start looking for me," murmurs Kallen, not really having anticipated merely getting wounded as opposed to either killed or healthy.

"There is no need to worry about that," Lucille informs Kallen. "It appears we are in luck. The Akihabara Tragedy has overwhelmed all Britannian medical and communication systems. It is not unusual for you to have been out of touch with your home for several days."

"The Akihabara Tragedy? What happened?"

"The Britannian government accused Eleven terrorists of using chemical weapons in the commercial district of Akihabara in the Tokyo settlement," Lucille responds. "That is a lie, of course. Those were biological weapons. The mortality rate is quite phenomenal, although a prompt quarantine combined with administering the proper counter-agent helped stop it from spreading onwards."

One of their pre-planned retreat routes was adjacent to Akiharaba, Kallen remembers.

"They used the nerve gas in Akihabara?" sputters Kallen, in dismay. "To cover the escape, I'm guessing? How many people were affected?"

"It wasn't a nerve gas," Lucille corrects her dispassionately. "The correct term would be 'plague'."

"Does it really make a difference?"

"Pestilence also works."

Kallen slumps back in the bed, somewhat distraught. "Casualties, how many casualties?"

"Unlike with a nerve agent, the capacity for infecting others after the initial exposion would surely cause millions of them," Lucille tells her. "There is no effective way to immunize dozens of millions of people even if enough of the counter-agent existed for that. Those caught in Akihabara during the weapon's release are already dead whether they keep on breathing for now or not."

"I... understand," murmurs Kallen. "What do you think of that, Lucille?"

"I have neither developed nor used the weapon," Lucille responds after a moment's reflection. "I don't believe I can be held accountable."

"What do you think it says about a person who is willing to cause such an incident?" presses Kallen. "This happened as a result of my actions, whether planned or not. I.. this isn't how I wanted things to go."

"There exist several paths towards your goals," Lucille voices. "This is but one of them, but included amongst them all the same."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You can use this."

"How can I possibly use the deaths of hundreds- thousands of civilians?!" blurts out Kallen, closing her eyes. "Their deaths... I caused... no. Not their deaths, but.. the ones that will live?"

"Millions," Lucille corrects her. "And I'm saying that because someone will. You can count on that. Those people have already died, and nothing you do can change that. If you insist on taking responsibility for those deaths, why do you intend on letting them go to waste?"

"I've... I've killed millions of people," murmurs Kallen, staring at her hands.

"Yes. You have." Lucille sounds resigned, standing up. The light obscures her features, making her seem much like the angels of myth with her long emerald hair moving behind her with the motion. "I will leave you now. When you need me again, I will be there."

"I..."

Kallen puts her hands over her eyes, scrunching up her face. Use that? She wants to vanish, as if she never existed. Shuddering, she lets her arms flop to the side, and stares at the sunny window outside. What has she done?

The door closes behind Lucille, and Kallen is left alone. Her chest constricts painfully, but the scene outside her window does not change, remaining deceptively innocent.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

"Morning," a familiar voice greets Kallen as she awakens. Inoue's voice. She sounds weak.

"Hi," comes the groggy reply, as Kallen's eyes being to blearily open.

It is early in the morning, she can tell that much. Inoue is seated by her bedside in a wheelchair. It's not just the voice; she seems pale as well.

Kallen looks Inoue up and down, and she slowly props herself up on the bed. "Inoue. How are-" Stopping herself, she tries to focus on the woman's face. "What's up?"

Inoue still seems to have both legs, though one is heavily bandaged. "You heard?" she asks, not elaborating.

"Yeah. Lucille's been filling me in," replies Kallen, clasping her hands in front of her. "Things got fucked up."

Inoue nods. "I won't dress it up as something it's not. We secured the nerve gas with time to spare, but I found another project listed in the system. Since we were going for broke anyhow, Tamaki and I went after it." She pauses. "We contacted you, time was getting pretty damn close. There was no answer, and we thought of going to get you."

She snorts, but there is no amusement in the gesture. "It may sound more heroic than it was. We didn't get far; time was up, and the security response was overwhelming. I stupidly got shot during the escape. We made it to Ohgi, and his team covered us well. Too well, it seems. What we didn't count on was the army joining in once we were on the brink of a successful escape." The pause this time is longer. "You know the rest. I passed out somewhere at the point our situation went to hell. Then, I woke up to... this."

"I.. got messed around with in the containment chamber. Passed out. Jean had to wake me up, and... well, I got shot opening the gate. And then made it about a mile before realising it'd even happened. Then..."

Kallen turns back to the window. "I didn't know they were working on toxins like that. I should've been more thorough."

"Everything is paralyzed," Inoue says. "On our side. On theirs. Oh, the media has all sorts of fiery rhetoric, but it's obvious the occupational government is in disarray. No one knows how to react... to something like that."

"Of course. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Plague as a weapon, with this kind of mortality- it's just unheard of," replies Kallen, dismally. "How are we supposed to proceed? The media blames us, and it's not exactly wrong- our own people can't approve..."

"Of the Japanese casualty figures?" Inoue suggests dourly. "No one wants to be a stepping stone towards some vision many doubt as it is."

"Who actually pushed the button?"

"Not my place to say," Inoue responds tightly. "Want to blame someone, blame me. I was in charge after Ohgi bailed."

"Kouzuki! Inoue! You've got to hear this!" Yoshitaka bursts into the room, holding a small radio. "--once again bring you the outrageous statement made by the terrorists!" a woman's voice says. It sounds incredulous, but as the message is played all thoughts of the announcer flee Kallen's mind.

"The occupation army suffered a terrible setback that day in Akihabara, where we took their might and turned it against them!" a female voice announces, and it sounds impossibly young, perhaps around Kallen's age. "This victory did not come without its price. It was not us, however, who chose to position a military regiment in the middle of what they termed a civillian area! Those of you with Elevens relatives -- those trecherous Japanese who sold their name and history to submit to the Britannian occupiers -- to you I say, such is the price of treason! To the free people of Japan, may your spirit grow strong with this blow against our mortal enemy!"

"There you have it," the announcer's voice returns, sounding shaky. "The terrorist calling herself the Black Queen, taking responsibility for unforgivable crimes against countless Britannians callously murdered in the Tokyo settlement three days ago. Prince Clovis announced--"

Yoshitaka twists the volume dial, lowering it past the easily audible. "Every channel was broadcasting that message just minutes ago. Radio, tv, you name it." He sounds incredulous, much like the anchor woman.

"That is- they are condoning it?" blurts out Kallen, sounding amazed. "That's madness! They'll just drive every last 'eleven's'-" she spits out the name- "opinion firmly towards the Britannians! If they wanted to ensure a resistance could never succeed, they've taken the right step!"

"Except those who will be too scared to have anything to do with them," Inoue interjects sourly. "You've met her, right?" she directs to Yoshitaka. "Did she seem as loopy as she sounds?"

He shakes his head, the question seemingly snapping him out of his shocked stupor. "Charismatic, yes. Suicidal? Something's not right here."

"You know her?"

"Who is she?"

"That meeting, in the Saitama ghetto," Inoue tells her. "Remember? She's their new cell leader."

"No, because nobody felt like it was worth telling me," shoots back Kallen, rather sourly.

"We'll run every goddamn detail by you next time, princess," Inoue snaps bitterly. "Not right? Whatever. Did we manage to contact the cell?"

Yoshitaka shakes his head. "Not yet. They must be getting overcome with all sorts of contacts. Why would they bother with taking our call first?"

"Does it matter? We can't support them now that they've come out and taken the credit for this."

"It's more complicated than that, Kallen," Yoshitaka tells her. "We're an offshot of the Japanese Liberation Front, and so are they. It's not up to us...." He trails off. "Maybe that's why? It's actually a challenge to the JLF?"

"Did you meet them at their HQ? We could just... go there, if so."

"To Kyoto?"

"Not the JLF, this Black Queen. What's her real name, anyway?"

"Beats me," Yoshitaka says. "Going to Saitama right now is pretty dangerous. It would be easier to wait until tensions cool off a bit. The army's got a hairtrigger right now."

Kallen feels a familiar, comforting presence just beyond the door.

"Stuff is going down right now. Can we really afford to sit around?" argues Kallen, before having a strangled look as she sees Inoue.

"Sorry. Look, the other cells are going to make up their own minds soon enough. The longer we wait, the more might decide they might as well go out with a bang and join up with her. Can we at least get in contact with them?"

"Like I said, we're trying!" Yoshitaka exclaims. "This is pointless." He drops the radio at the foot of the bed, stepping outside.

Lucille enters in his stead, closing the door behind her. Now that Kallen can get a better look at her, she sees that Lucille is dressed in a plain shirt and pants combination of dark colors, leaning towards the brown.

"Great," mutters Kallen. "I guess you were right," she adds, as Lucille walks in.

"That comes as a surprise to you?" Lucille notes calmly. Before Kallen could respond, she adds, "I can get you there."

"Great. When can we leave?"

"Can you even move so soon?" Inoue asks Kallen.

"Probably not without messing myself up even more," replies Kallen, with a wince.

"It would be a risk," Lucille voices, and Inoue nods. "Sounds like it."

"They've already taken a position we need to stand against, so there's not much reason to go there just to talk," mutters Kallen. "We should take steps to disassociate ourselves."

"The only way to do that on our own would be to distance ourselves from the JLF," Lucille notes. It gets another nod from Inoue. "Yes, that makes sense. We would be a joke if we denounced it while remaining affiliated with Saitama."

"How do you think the JLF will react?"

"That depends on Toudou, doesn't it?" Inoue asks. "The man of miracles. Even as the leadership is thrown into disarray, Toudou will make the right choice for Japan."

"He doesn't seem the type to approve. I'm guessing we won't find out either way for a while."

"It might be just as well," Lucille muses, gaining Inoue's attention.

"What do you mean?" the blue-haired woman asks, and Lucille tilts her head to look back at both Inoue and Kallen. "Responding at this time, as tempers and emotions are at an all-time high, can only serve several reasons. We could counter-claim this... credit, I suppose." She says the word with audible distaste. "We could also denounce the act, of course, but then what? If we offered to lay down our arms, effectively surrendering, enough goodwill and, perhaps, a pardon could be gathered. The other option would be a clear vision that runs counter to both official Britannian and Saitama intentions, but can we truly present one at this point? If we had one that other groups and citizens on both sides alike could embrace whole-heartedly, I suspect we would have gone ahead with it publicly already." She spreads her arms in a gesture of helplessness. "It is unfortunate, but outside those three options any sympathy we offer will be perceived as crocodile tears, and rightly so."

"Is our vision really that difficult to understand? We want a Japan, ruled by the Japanese, without all this stratification and primogentiure bullshit that Britannia brings with it. Where everyone can be treated as an equal. We don't want a Japan where those who don't toe the party line get threatened with death and exile, which is the only thing I see their policy leading to."

"Good luck convincing the ruling class to give all that up," Inoue mutters. Lucille remains silent.

"What ruling class?"

"People like your father," Lucille says bluntly. "Until enough of them agree to your vision, I fear it would not become reality."

"Leave that to me," replies Kallen. "I'll make them see the errors of their ways."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

Two days pass without any change in Kallen's status, though Lucille assures her that she is getting better. The emerald-haired woman also seems to restrict visitors to Kallen; the other possibility is that her fellow resistance members are shying away from going to meet her. Inoue is the exception, though she seems somber and uncomfortable during her visits.

The news are filled with hysteria, not all of it originating from the Britannians. Prince Clovis, however, comes off as indecisive, increasingly distancing himself from the public eye.

A visitor appears on the fourth day since Kallen had woken up. Though she had seen her only a few times, Sayoko has a certain presence that makes her hard to forget. "Is this a good time?" she asks, standing at the doorway to Kallen's room wearing a tattered brown overcoat.

"Sayoko-san? Anytime is a good time for you," replies Kallen, with a pained grin. "They're not letting me out for a week, so if I don't get visitors, all I have to do is stare at the ceiling."

"So it seems," Sayoko allows. "Would this mean that you would be in a position to travel within a day or two, then?"

"Yeah... do you mean outside of Tokyo, or is this a local trip?"

"Only a local one," Sayoko responds. "Mistress Ashford would like to see you at your earliest convenience, if your earliest convenience is after the memorial ceremony scheduled for the day after tomorrow at Ashford Academy."

She bows politely.

"Would she terribly mind if I surprised her?"

Sayoko does not quite smile. "Depends on the surprise."

"No more than she does me."

Sayoko bows, not responding to that.

"Is there anything you would like me to tell Mistress Ashford when I return?" she asks, straightening up.

"Let her know that I'll be there to see her. And that when it comes to chess, I hate playing as black," replies Kallen, letting her head rest back on her pillow.

"I believe black is quite taken," Sayoko responds, making her way outside.

An hour later, Inoue shows up for her daily visit. She brings food -- some real food, and not the nutritional mix Lucille insists on treating Kallen with. Placing the tray on the bed by Kallen, Inoue wheels herself over to the window, pushing it open.

"It is another nice day outside," she says, almost as if suppressing a sigh.

"Whereas the inside is stormy and tempestuous?" replies Kallen, eagerly starting to scoff down the food laid out for her.

It is Beef Stroganoff made with shiitake musrhooms, and a side of rice. The taste does not disappoint.

"Something like that," Inoue agrees, and this time, the sigh is audible.

Wiping her lip after a hasty spoonful, Kallen starts angling to sit a bit straighter in bread, and gazes towards the window. "What are they thinking in there? I'm guessing there hasn't been any contact yet...."

"Not with us," Inoue says, shaking her head. "But even though Kyoto sent delegates, there's still no official reaction from the JLF. What are they thinking?!"

"Yoshitaka said it was a challenge. Maybe it's working," notes Kallen. "When was the last time you remember the JLF really taking a stand on something? They're probably still arguing over whether to support or disavow the group."

"Maybe they're wondering if it was an empty threat," Inoue voices. "The Brits sure are."

"D'ya think they'd believe us if we told them what actually happened?"

"I don't think it's a problem of believing," Inoue responds with a grimace. "Would the Brits believe us? Sure! It's what comes after that's the real issue, because the truth doesn't change what happened."

The clink of cutlery is the only sound from Kallen's bed for a minute or two, and she soon sets down her fork. "So. I wanted to ask. If you were unquestionably in charge of things, here, how would you have things proceed?"

"In charge of what?" Inoue asks. "The operation? Already tried that. Our little outfit? There's not a hell of a lot we can do unless we can suddenly secure funding, intelligence and hardware outside the JLF framework. The JLF? Yeah, that'd be different. I sure won't jerk the guys below around like that for days."

Inoue grows silent afterwards. She recovers in record time, chatting about news from the ghetto and sharing light anecdotes, but Kallen doesn't need to cross eyes with the older woman to feel the weight of the responsibility she carries with her.

Days continue to pass. Kallen feels strong enough to get out of bed and move about her room. It is during one of those exercizes that Lucille walks in, carrying folded up black clothing in her arms.

"Hey. I plan to leave today, and go back into the settlement. There's someone I need to see," says Kallen, sitting down on the bed as Lucille enters. "Are those for me?"

"Yes. That woman delivered them to you," Lucille responds, laying the black dress out on the bed.

She places a matching pair of shoes and a purse nearby.

"Mourning apparel," murmurs Kallen, lifting up the dress and pressing it against her to check out the fitting. "She thinks of everything. I guess I'll skip checking in at home and go straight there."

"There are no pressing matters at your home," Lucille affirms with a brief nod. "You can handle getting dressed, I presume?"

"-wait, you've checked?" asks Kallen, looking up in surprise.

"I checked."

"How?" asks Kallen, a little more snippish than she should be. The prospect of having a virtual stranger checking out her life, ally though she might be, is still oddly distressing.

"I walked, then I took a train, then I walked some more."

"And you just... looked?"

"I made sure you weren't missed." Lucille frowns. "Is that not to your liking?"

"Nooooo, just, I mean. If you're going to do something like that, can you... tell me?"

"I can."

"Alright. I'll get changed, and then... no, we should talk," replies Kallen, resisting the temptation to keep putting it off. "About this Geass. I mean, it's incredible, like magic. I guess you'd know all about that. Why couldn't you use it to free yourself earlier? It's.. mind control, isn't it?"

"There is that element," Lucille agrees. "But it could also be blocked under certain conditions."

"Will we need to worry about them? The Holy Grail people are still in one piece, and, well, they might try something."

The left corner of Lucille's mouth raises in a smirk. "Worrying is always prudent, but between the two of us, we should make a sufficient team."

"Yeah, and forewarned is forearmed. If there's something that could stop my Geass..."

"The only ways I know of to counter a Geass are either stationary, or other Geass users," Lucille responds, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I can handle the latter, and you rescued me from the former. It really is that simple, I'm afraid."

"Right. Other Geass users... it never even occured to me. There obviously can't be many," she notes, starting to pull off her top to get changed. "Do you know any others?"

"None that should've survived till the present day," Lucille tells Kallen without inflection in her voice. "Really, this is an aspect of your power that you should not worry overmuch about. I am, after all, the strongest Code bearer."

"I'll take your word. So, what aspects should I concern myself with? I think I have it sorted. Fairly long range. Eye contact, and a memory of feeling." Kallen pauses. "It doesn't even have to be mine."

"You can best express what you have gone through yourself, unless you have a vivid imagination, which just happens to break all the rules," Lucille agrees. "I'm not sure there's anything related to Geass you should concern yourself with. My gift is perfect."

"Only how to use it best, I guess," mutters Kallen, slipping on the dress. "So. How do I look?"

"Like you're going to a funeral."

"Perfect," she responds, picking up the purse. "Will you stay here while I'm gone?"

Lucille shrugs. "I can. Do you want me to?"

"Please. I'll probably go home afterwards, but I'll stay in touch," replies Kallen, starting to head for the door, before stopping nearby. "Where's Jean?"

Lucille smiles, and the expression is terribly menacing, Kallen notes.

"Contained."

Kallen shivers, but turns to look at Lucille with an empty expression. "Take me to her."

Lucille seems excited, but merely nods and steps out of the door, gesturing for Kallen to follow.

It is a short walk. Kallen heads after Lucille down the corridor. The latter stops at a door at the end, and withdraws a key from her pocket, tinkering with the lock for precious seconds. She pushes the door open afterwards, and Kallen is greeted with a familiar sight -- a replica of the containment unit, albeit smaller in size. Unlike the one she rescued Lucille from, this one doesn't have the blood.

Jean's naked form is floating within, eyes open and unseeing.

As she slowly walks towards the containment unit, Kallen twists her head towards Lucy with a grimace, and she taps at the glass view.

"Excellent work. You've contained the deadly threat of a rogue doctor, recently converted to the cause. Well done."

"I do surprise myself sometimes," Lucille says proudly.

Kallen spots movement in the tank out of the corner of her eye.

Her eyes are inevitably drawn towards it, if only for a moment. "How did you build this thing? And conceal it?" she asks, sounding disgusted.

"I didn't, actually," Lucille says, and Kallen sees what she means without an elaboration. While seeming a replica at first glance, there are notable differences once she is close by. "I just found the largest jar I could."

Kallen can't spot a thing, though as soon as her eyes drift away from the tank she catches another sign of movement.

"What were you thinking?!" snaps Kallen, whirling back to Lucille. "I already geassed her! Revenge is fine, but I gave her a conscience. I made her regret it. Anything further was pointless. She's no use dead or worse."

"I have to thank you for that," Lucille says, and that sinister smile of hers makes another appearance. "Without your help, this wouldn't have made for nearly as perfect a punishment."

"Get her out of there this instant!" retorts Kallen, all but shouting.

"Then my suffering means nothing to you?" Lucille asks, the smile disappearing as her lips form a flat line. "I cannot accept 'she's better now' as an excuse and let her go unpunished."

"The point of punishment is instruction, not self-satisfaction. And this-" Kallen taps the side of her head- "Can get the job done that much faster. If it's atonement you want, then you got that when she helped break you out."

"The point of punishment is also self-satisfaction," Lucille argues, "though at the center of the issue is the factor of deterrent. It is key that those who would dare to attempt such a thing towards me would know well of the consequences that await them, and no one has been deterred by a slap on the wrist before."

"And who exactly will know of what happened to her? Did you plan to mail the jar back to the Foundation?"

"I'll do even better by freeing her. Eventually."

"I can't let you go through with this. This Geass is a two-way street," interjects Kallen. "If I force someone to conform to my ideals, then I have to live up to them myself. If there's nothing to fear from the Foundation... then I see no purpose in tormenting her to cow them. If it bothers you, go and strike at their head."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

"While I wouldn't say that the Foundation is no longer a source of worry entirely," Lucille says carefully, "we have different priorities. The message I need to send extends far beyond your lifetime."

"Isn't secrecy your best defence? I'm sure many would wager their lives if immortality is on the line. What's fifty, a hundred years to forever?" Kallen glances at Jean with no small degree of pity. "For every man who is dissuaded, another will look at this and see injustice, or a challenge."

"My response must be disproportional," Lucille argues. "I already chose a proxy instead of their entire employee pool. You would pity her, just because you forced a bit of conscience down her throat? What was she going to do with that newfound conscience of hers, then? Turn herself in to the authorities and confess to all her crimes?"

Kallen's ill humour is evident in her cackling at that remark. "The authorities? The police and government here are full of greedy fools who serve nobles, those who feel entitled to the edge of their sight. Here I was, hoping she could put her talents to work against them."

Pointing at the jar, she advances towards the door.

"If you want to make a statement, do it to someone else. I've already punished her. When I Geass someone, it might as well be transforming them into another person entirely. Anything more is pointless."

"If you insist on freeing that person," Lucille warns Kallen, "I would consider it an irreconcilable difference in our approach to life."

"What exactly are you saying you'll do?" replies Kallen, her voice rising.

"It is regrettable," Lucille says, her own voice steady, "but I could not follow a person I disagree with so fundamentally on matter relating to my future safety and well-being. Our contract was formed to rescue me, but that would not truly happen until and unless those responsible have been shown to suffer horribly as a result. If you persist in creating this split between us, then I would take my leave of you until such a time you decided to atone for your mistake."

"You and I don't use the same meaning of 'rescue'," replies Kallen, all but spitting. "I guess we won't be seeing each other again."

"I doubt that very much," Lucille says rather honestly. Something brushes past Kallen's cheek, and suddenly, there is movement behind her.

Kallen twists her head, a venemous retort at the tip of her tounge.

Jean is flailing desperately in the tank!

Kallen's eyes lock onto Jean's for a moment, before she starts scanning the room, looking for a means of opening or breaking the thing!

A folding chair set against the wall on the right might do the trick, as could the metal pipes thrown carelessly further down the room.

'When you realize your mistake, call my name,' Lucille's voice sounds in Kallen's head. 'If your repentance is sincere, I will come to your side.'

Then, something feels different, and it takes Kallen a moment to realize that something is indeed gone. It is Lucille's presence, which she had started taking for granted without even noticing it consciously.

It's replaced by a brief flurry of adredaline, one which Kallen uses to grab one of the metal pipes and swing it against the jar with all the strength she can muster!

The glass cracks from the blow, nasty aftershocks traveling up Kallen's arms. Her breath seizes, but another burst of adrenaline allows her to proceed!

One more should do it! She leans back, before whirling forward a second time~!

The container shatters! The liquid rushing out smells foul, and for an instant Kallen is certain she would be lost in the memories of a similar rescue, but the wrongness she assosiated with that time is not present now.

Still flailing, Jean begins to flow out with the water. She will land on the jagged glass below, Kallen thinks.

Kallen lunges for the onrushing liquid, no-doubt letting it ruin her new dress as she tries to catch Jean before she gets sliced up.

The dress wasn't going to escape this unscathed as is. Jean lands in Kallen's arms, flailing still.

Kallen pulls the older woman away from the glass and wet, eventually putting together that folding chair and trying to set her down on it. "You're out now. It's alright, now," she mumbles, feeling that it really, really isn't.

Shivering, Jean attempts to respond, frightened eyes glancing at Kallen, but instead she throws up all over the floor as soon as she opens her mouth.

Kallen avoids meeting Jeans' gaze, having little desire to acidentally get a glimpse of just what the woman feels right now. Instead, she glances around, hoping that the room has a forgotten blanket or something she can use.

A piece of dirty tarp is the best Kallen could do under the circumstances, unless she wishes to go back to her room for that blanket.

She will, soon enough, as quickly as she can, but not until she's managed to calm Jean down to the point where she can speak. "I'm going to go get a blanket and some clothes," she explains, kneeling in front of the distraught woman. "Then I'll get you into a bed."

Jean had finished expelling the liquid in her lungs, but every time she tries to speak, turning her head towards the sound of Kallen's voice, her body is wracked by dry heaves.

"Sshh. Don't try and speak just yet. I'll just be a minute," responds Kallen, quickly heading out the room and hoping to return with something to clean Jean up with and keep her warm and decent.

Kallen's pajamas would be tight on Jean in some places, but should fit. Other than that, her room has a blanket, and the bed covers if Kallen wishes to use those to dry Jean up.

Kallen grabs her pajamas and blanket, but spends a minute or two hunting down a bathroom to steal a towel from before returning to Jean.

Kallen is in luck, finding one on her second try. It's not a large body towel, but it would do.

Jean's shivering has worsened by the time Kallen returns.

Wordlessly, Kallen wraps the towel around Jean and starts to dry her off, before offering to help her into the clothes and lead her to the bed.

After accomplishing the task of putting Jean into her bed, clean and clothed, Kallen runs into Ohgi as she leaves her room once more. He looks startled, taking in the sight of the redhead in her dripping black mourning dress.

"We need to talk about something," says Kallen, heedless of her situation. "Come in here a second."

"Ah--" Ohgi coughs into his fist, and nods, following Kallen into the room allotted to her. "Are you alright? You look...."

He trails off as soon as his gaze falls on the woman lying in Kallen's bed, his eyes widening. "What is Patient Zero doing there?" Ohgi asks haltingly.

"Patient Zero- I see," replies Kallen. "So Lucille fooled all of you while I was out. I kept wondering, but never asked." Bitterly, she closes the door and turns back to Ohgi. "Ohgi, meet Dr. Balsam, the turncoat."

"I know who she is!" Ohgi hisses, keeping his voice low. He gestures at the bed. "That's the crazy doctor Bal-something-or-other that injected herself with all sorts of crap and ended up in containment. What does Lucille have anything to do with it?"

"Oh, come on! This was revenge!" replies Kallen. "Lucille wanted her to feel trapped, like she did! Any excuse would've done."

"Lucille's loyalty is not in doubt," Ohgi says sternly. "You shouldn't accuse her like that, Kallen."

"D'ya think I'd accuse her after breaking her out unless I had a good goddamned reason?"

Ohgi looks pained.

"Did she inject herself? Or were you just told about that later?" asks Kallen, walking over and peering out the window. "I don't care, she needs proper rest, not to float in a fucking jar for a few months."

"Inject herself?" Ohgi asks, sounding confused.

"With.. all sorts of crap? Like you said? Did you see her do it?" asks Kallen, through gritted teeth.

A light goes up in Ohgi's eyes. "You told us that when we were formulating the plan," he says, Kallen hearing a note of disbelief in his voice. "Did you... forget?"

"That.. is.. not what I said," replies Kallen, pressing a hand against her face. "Lucille was Patient Zero. Dr. Balsam was my contact within the group that helped us break her out. Evidently, that was not enough to win her back into Lucille's good graces."

Ohgi is looking at Kallen worriedly

"Lucille had been with us from the start, Kallen," he tells her slowly.

The silence drags on for a few moments, as Kallen bites her lip. "You're serious? She actually made you believe that?" she asks, staring at Ohgi. "How long has she been with us, exactly? When did we first meet her?"

"Na--" Ohgi swallows, and his gaze softens. "Naoto introduced her to you, when you first followed him to that warehouse we were using at the time. She was always so distant and cold, but he would laugh and call it businesslike. She really should have been the one to take over instead of me when he...."

"That- is- a- lie!" Kallen all but screams, lifting her head up to stare Ohgi in the eye. "I'm sorry. I don't know any other way to prove it to you but this. But she's fucked with your mind, and I guess you need stitches to fix a deep cut."

A series of images flash through her mind. That first time she snuck out, so long ago- there was no Lucille there. A more recent memory, when they were going over the plan to free the same. And how could it be complete without a memory of dragging Lucille through the lab after Balsam, all bloody and worn?

Ohgi stumbles, catching himself on the doorframe. Surprise, rapidly translating into shock. The sensation overtakes Kallen.

Kallen mirrors his actions, stumbling against the window. She drags her eyes away from his, settling on the wall nearby. "I'm sorry," she repeats, unable to quite squash her guilt.

She hears the door open.

"Don't go!" she calls, twisting her head back to the door, but thinking that it's probably already too late.

Ohgi is stumbling through the doorway, but he pauses at Kallen's cry, looking back at her. He seems terribly lost.

"Can you stay a while and- well, hear me out?" she replies, regaining her faculties and trying to steady her voice.

Ohgi nods, and Kallen realizes, looking at him, that he isn't trusting himself to speak.

It takes her a little while, but Kallen outlines the beginning of her voyage into the unknown; in loose detail, she tells Ohgi of the geass that Lucille granted her to free her with, the way she was held and used by the scientists of Holy Grail.

"I didn't tell you," she admits, glancing at the window. "Because how can anyone trust speaking to a person who can alter their thoughts at whim? I just- I never wanted to use it on my allies."

"I can't tell you this doesn't change anything," Ohgi says heavily, massaging his forehead. "I'm sorry, Kallen, I just can't. Don't take this the wrong way, but I need time to think. This... I still remember...." He shakes his head. "But that was a lie. What else is a lie? Why did I even get into the resistance?"

"I believe that Lucille changed minds only to ensure nobody thought her presence was unusual," replies Kallen, with a touch of sadness. "I haven't done a thing. Everything else... I don't think it would be fake."

"It's... Kallen...." Ohgi chuckles, though the sound lacks mirth. "You have no idea how much I want to trust you right now." He pauses. "And you really have no idea how much I trust Lucille, who started this cell with Naoto and me."

He snorts. "The good psychic girl wants me to trust her and believe her about the evil psychic girl, who is the only one who ever tampered with my mind. Until I can make sense of it on my own, I think I'll be... I'll just be home, Kallen."

"I understand," replies Kallen. "Well. Things will happen no matter what." She walks over to Jean's bed, putting a hand on the woman's forehead. "I guess everyone else thinks she's horribly contaigous, huh."

"That... was just a precaution," Ohgi says with a sigh. "It seemed prudent, in case she could cause another Akihabara, but on her own. If you're sure she's safe like that, I'll talk to the others."

"Thanks." Now it's Kallen who starts heading for the door. "I.. have to go see someone. I'll be back to check on her later." She stops just at the threshold. "I don't think Lucille will be around anymore. So it's gonna be up to me to use this. Working both within and outside Britannia? We talked about that. Well, I can do it. Just watch me."

Without further ado, she starts heading out of the building.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[12:55] "Welcome home, Miss Stadtfeld," Hisui's quiet voice greets Kallen, as the latter returns home in her bedraggled mourning dress. The maid is standing by the front gates, hands gathered in front of her, head bowed lightly.
[12:57] "Hello, Hisui. I'm glad to be back," replies Kallen, without very much feeling. She steps towards the maid and stops when she reaches her, peering at the home she hasn't seen for odds on a week. "How are things here?"
[12:58] "There is still no change in Mistress Cleopatra's condition," Hisui reports.
[13:01] "Can you indulge me for a moment, Hisui, and remind me what that condition is?" queries Kallen, starting inside the house.
[13:03] "Of course, Miss," Hisui agrees without even the slightest pause, following Kallen inside. "Upon receiving news that you were missing after the terrorist attack, Mistress Cleopatra had fallen ill. The doctors don't know yet when she will recover."
[13:05] She actually cared! Kallen stifles an ugly, disbelieving chuckle, and considers one or two more likely explanations. "I see. Is she resting at home?"
[13:06] "That is correct, Miss."
[13:12] "Alright. I'm already late, but I'm going to get cleaned up quickly and go out. I'll see her just before I leave," replies Kallen, starting to head for the bathroom. "Can you find something to substitute for this, Hisui? I don't think it can be saved, unfortunately."
[13:13] "I will do what I can, Miss," Hisui promises, still following.
[13:17] Hisui seems intent on helping Kallen with her shower, although she folds when Kallen would have none of that. Feeling human again after a relaxing soak, Kallen finds a fluffy bathrobe and a change of clothes set aside for her. The new dress is of dark blue, although it is plain enough to work in a pinch for the occasion Kallen has in mind.
[13:26] Before rushing out to school to see Milly, Kallen stops by Cleo's room. For the sake of deceny, she decides, she should visit the woman, and knocks on the door before letting herself inside.
[13:27] Kallen lets herself inside, there being no answer from within the room. Cleopatra lies on her bed, eyes staring at the ceiling. She doesn't react overtly to Kallen's presence.
[13:35] Kallen walks briskly towards Cleo's bed, and peers down at the woman. "Hey," she greets, not sure she has much else to say.
[13:36] Cleopatra's eyes follow Kallen's movements, the redhead notices as she comes closer.
[13:44] Kallen can't resist peering into Cleo's eyes to see if the woman is merely tracking movement, or actually feeling something at this point.
[13:45] Anger, fear and anything in between. The depth of the emotion makes Kallen stumble.
[13:48] Directed at her, huh. Kallen briefly toys with the thought of rearranging Cleo's mind. Maybe she should. Isn't Lucille responsible for this? Then anything else is probably a step up. She's sure Cleo wouldn't collapse if she vanished, so that can be the only explanation.
[13:49] Maybe she'll recover on her own. Kallen doesn't know, and, when she really thinks about it, she finds it very hard to care. Setting it aside for now, she departs, deciding to not bother here any longer and head over to Ashford.
[13:51] "Are you leaving again, Miss?" Hisui asks Kallen. The maid has been waiting for her in the main hall, it seems.
[13:52] "Yes, I've got to see someone, but I should be back today," replies Kallen. "There weren't any messages for me, right?"
[13:55] "No messages, no," Hisui says, visibly hesitating. "But Miss Fenette has been looking for you all week. She even visited twice, but would only say she would try again later."
[13:56] "Shirley did... Alright. I'll call her. What was she told?" asks Kallen, pulling out her mobile.
[13:58] "That you were personally directing Stadtfeld resources to help those caught in the attack," Hisui responds, sounding a bit worried. "Was that to be a secret, Miss?"
[14:02] Kallen doesn't quite answer that, pausing as she reaches the door. "Can I see a newspaper?" she asks, frowning for a moment.
[14:05] "Right away, Miss," Hisui says, disappearing into the kitchen. She returns with a daily moments later. "Would this do?"
[14:05] The front page comes as close as Kallen had ever seen a Britannian newspaper to slamming Prince Clovis for his continued inaction. Death tolls and human interest stories litter the next five pages.
[14:16] Kallen scans the stories briefly, searching for any mention of her family. Perhaps one of the interest stories revolves around the help she supposedly arranged? Who knows just how far Lucy went? Kallen would agree with this, at least.
[14:19] There are a few possibilities; Kallen had never gotten much into her father's business, but a few of the corporations involved in the relief effort sound like something in Stanley Stadtfeld's portfolio. The Stadtfeld Group itself is not mentioned, however, perhaps to distance it from any fallout should the decision to intervene end up being looked upon unfavorably.
[14:24] Kallen makes a note to contact those companies as soon as she returns, and meet with the organisers again to reverse that opinion. For now, she hands the paper back to Hisui. "Officially, not yet, but telling Shirley is alright," she replies. "I'm heading off, now."
[14:26] "Have a safe journey," Hisui says, bowing as Kallen departs.
[14:32] The school is deserted by the looks of it. Kallen is not obstructed as she makes her way inside. After traveling through the grounds for several minutes, she is slowly becoming convinced of that fact, when she sees movement in the student council building. A second look confirms that it is Nunnally, seating by an open window on the second story of the building.
[14:37] "Hi, Nana-chan!" calls Kallen, starting to head towards the large entrance to the 'council building' (isn't it more a ballroom?)
[14:39] Given that it is under Milly's control, that might well be the same thing.
[14:39] "Ah!" Nunnally exclaims, turning towards the sound of Kallen's voice. "Kallen-san?"
[14:40] "Yo! Is Milly around?"
[14:41] "Milly-san...." Nunnally trails off, biting on her lower lip. "I don't-- can you come in, Kallen-san?"
[14:42] "Uh, sure," she replies, obliging.
[14:46] Nunnally is alone, seated in on a comfortable-looking armchair. Her wheelchair is set against the wall a few feet away, folded up. She clearly had help getting there.
[14:46] "Milly-san is leaving," Nunnally tells Kallen once the latter had made it over to her. "Umm. Would you like to have a seat? Or... or something to drink?" There is a glass with what seems to be lemonade on a small table by Nunnally; it doesn't seem to have been touched.
[14:47] "I'm fine, thanks," replies Kallen, leaning against the wall with folded arms. "Leaving? Where too?"
[14:49] "The mainland, from what I, umm, overheard." Nunnally looks abashed. "People often forget I'm even here and talk around me...."
[14:52] "Huh. She wanted to speak to me earlier, so that's why I was looking," replies Kallen, sounding a little surprised. "Jealous?"
[14:54] "Jealous?" Nunnally echoes Kallen.
[14:55] "Well, a trip to the mainland could be fun," replies Kallen, stopping herself before saying that she wouldn't know. "Whatever for, though?"
[14:57] Nunnally looks worried all of a sudden. "To visit some old friends. I didn't know Milly still had-- I mean, that any were left after--" She seems to be getting more flustered with each attempt to explain.
[15:00] "Oh! Oh. I get what you're saying," replies Kallen, glancing away. "Well, even so, some ties just don't die easy, right?"
[15:01] "That's what I'm worried about," Nunnally mutters, almost too quietly to be overheard.
[15:02] "Why worry? Milly's pretty sassy, she can sure talk the talk and walk the walk. I pity whoever decides to scorn her, frankly."
[15:04] Nunnally reaches for her lemonade, almost knocking the glass over before she has it securely in her hand, and drinks from it. Her hand shakes slightly.
[15:05] "Uh- are you okay with this, Nana-chan?" asks Kallen, biting her lip. "Are you going to be okay?"
[15:07] "Of course!"
[15:07] It is a blatant lie, and Nunnally seems to realize that as well, her head dropping.
[15:09] "How long was she planning on going for?" asks Kallen, finally taking a seat next to Nunnally.
[15:12] "It sounds like a last minute decision," Nunnally says quietly. "But Milly seemed more and more worried recently. Especially since...."
[15:15] Kallen remains silent, crossing her fingers over her lap.
[15:16] "I'm not stupid," Nunnally continues in that same quiet tone of voice. "I know I'm troubling everyone. I always have been. But what can I do? I can't... I can't even move from here on my own."
[15:41] "I.. geez, Nana-chan. I don't know what you can do. What do you want to do?" asks Kallen, wringing her hands.
[15:44] "I--" Nunnally's breath catches. "I want to walk! And to see! And I want to see my brother, and my big sister, and Milly! And I want my mother back! I want to stop being such a burden! I want to be useful to somebody!" She gestures with her arms, and lemonade spills over the floor. "I want... I want to do more than just exist, Kallen!"
[16:26] It isn't right, and Kallen doesn't feel like she should be guilty, but for a moment, she wonders if Nunnally could've been healed by Lucille's blood. Silence hangs in the air after Nunnally's outburst, before an odd question comes to mind. Before Kallen can rethink it, she asks it- "What if you could trade places?"
[16:28] Nunnally doesn't respond right away, breathing heavily in an attempt to calm herself down. "Trade places?" she asks at last, not sounding like she understands.
[16:30] "If someone else could be blind, confined instead of you. Someone you don't know and would never meet," murmurs Kallen. "Would you do it?"
[16:33] "That's not fair," Nunnally whispers, brushing her arm across her eyes.
[16:44] "If someone decided to do that for you- would you hate them?" asks Kallen, her voice rising.
[16:47] Nunnally doesn't respond. Her shoulders shake lightly. She mumbles something, this time too quietly for Kallen to hear.
[16:52] Kallen stares into a nearby window. Her own reflection looks back, with an unbelievable grimace- it looks almost cruel. "Sorry. That was uncalled for."
[16:53] Nunnally does not respond. Kallen's reflection seems to be staring at her accusingly, and she is not alone. Kallen spots Milly standing by the door, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed before her chest.
[16:57] Kallen slowly stands up, and turns towards Milly. She meets the blondes gaze for a moment, before closing her eyes and stepping forward. "Hey, Milly. You wanted to talk?"
[17:00] "That's right," Milly says. She pushes off the doorframe, the blonde hair surrounding her face dancing at the movement. "If you would step into my office?" She gestures outside.
[17:04] Kallen shrugs, and wordlessly steps out of the suddenly-stifling lounge.
[17:06] Milly leads the way down the stairs towards the ballroom Kallen is quite familiar with. The two pass Sayoko on the stairs; she bows to Milly, before proceeding upwards.
[17:06] "I suppose it's not really my office, but it would do," the blonde says once they are at their destination. "I don't have much time, I'm afraid, so I hope you don't mind."
[17:08] "I'm sorry I couldn't make it earlier," replies Kallen, speaking quietly and hoping Milly does the same. "Nana-chan told me you were going to the mainland."
[17:10] "Shirley was looking for you," Milly says, waving off Kallen's excuse. "We can get into that later." She keeps her voice reasonably low; Kallen doubts anyone upstairs would hear them. "Yes, I'm going to the mainland. Pendragon, to be exact. You and Sayoko are the only ones I can count on to remain here and keep Nunnally safe until I'm back."
[17:13] "I'm going to be busy," replies Kallen, honestly. "I'll be running back and forth a lot. I can't be around her all the time. How long will you be gone for?"
[17:15] "Until I've accomplished what I'm setting out to do," Milly says just as honestly. "I can't guarantee I'll return. I don't need to add anything here, do I?"
[17:17] "What're your leads?"
[17:18] "Leads? All I have is one goal, to ensure the continued safety of Nunnally by any means necessary."
[17:22] "What are you planning? If you get in trouble, I could help you!"
[17:26] Milly pauses, and she looks at Kallen, as if evaluating her. "I don't think you can. But... once, during a better time, there was a girl who loved Nunnally very much. If there is anyone who could shield her, it's her. If she hasn't changed since that time, if I can get her to see me... a lot of ifs."
[17:30] Kallen turns her head for a moment. "Let's not put all our eggs in one basket," she insists, and her face darkens. "If I can trace the spies here, we wouldn't need outside help. If I call you and tell you it's resolved, I want you to come back."
[17:33] "Sayoko will be able to get in touch with me," Milly says, inclining her head. "But even if matters are resolved here, Area 11 may no longer be safe for Nunnally. A repeat of the attack on Akihabara... the inevitable reprisals from the Crown... any of those would endanger her, and there's not a thing I would be able to do about it.
[17:33] But... just because I can't leave Area 11 doesn't mean Nunnally has to stay here."
[17:35] "True. This place will be a warzone." Kallen shrugs. "I swear I'll protect her as long as she's here. I could move into the dorms, if necessary. I might not be around much-" she grimaces- "-but I'll be closer for some of the time."
[17:38] "That's all I ask," Milly agrees, nodding once more. "You know, if I don't make it back? I haven't known you long, but it's been fun all the same." She gives Kallen one of her famous, cocky smiles.
[17:44] "It really was. I'm kinda glad you like secrets," replies Kallen, managing a small smile. "And stop talking like you're gonna die. It doesn't suit you. Who'll run the school while you're away?"

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

Milly snorts in amusement. "Rivalz has been left in charge, believe it or not. He promised to be very dependable."

Kallen rolls her eyes. "I see. You'd think we didn't have a year ahead of us," she notes, stretching her fingers for a moment.

"Look, there's one other thing. If Brit intelligence is already onto Nunnally, then there's a possibility we'll be in a position where I have to choose to either spirit her away or let them take her. In a situation like that, the easiest way to keep her hidden and protected would be using resources through the resistance forces."

"If this unfortunate event takes place, Sayoko knows what to do," Milly agrees. "Hopefully, it won't."

"Is she to be my contact into the much-vaunted Ashford Information Agency?"

"Into everything." Milly doesn't even seem to think about her answer.

"Understood. Well, I've got to run. When you come back to Tokyo, don't be surprised if a few things have changed," replies Kallen with a smirk. "Be seeing you!"

Milly does not respond beyond a quirk of her lips. As Kallen glances back, leaving the premises, she sees that the blonde student council president is watching her depart, wearing her famous confident pose, hands placed on her hips, head tilted just so.

Heading back to the exterior of Ashford Academy, Kallen flags a taxi to take her to the Fenette residence, penning a quick note to Shirley over the phone to let her know she's coming.

About ten minutes after the mail is sent, almost as the cab is about to reach Shirley's house, she gets a hurried, 'Okay, I'll delay for a few,' response from Shirley. She didn't sign the mail as she often tends to do, a little quirk of hers.

It's not unusual for Shirley to be in a rush, but recent events are preparing Kallen's mind to wander in strange directions from the smallest stimuli. Hopping out the cab before it's even completely stopped and leaving a few notes on the dash, Kallen heads for Shirley's door and rings the bell.

The door opens on the second ring, Shirley adjusting her hair just beyond it. She smiles as she sees Kallen, but Kallen finds it hard to focus on the other girl's face, her attention consumed by the Britannian military uniform Shirley is wearing.

"I'm happy that you could make it after all," Shirley tells Kallen, sounding quite genuine. "I understand how busy you must be at this time, but I really didn't want to leave without saying goodbye properly. It's selfish, but I'm glad you're here to see me off, Kallen."

The reflexive grimace shows that Kallen isn't at all pleased at the prospect, though the context in which Shirley will parse her expression is still in doubt.

"You're going... now?" she manages, as if their conversation of weeks ago is entirely forgotten.

Shirley looks sad. She seems to contemplate something, before opening the door wider and stepping aside. "I can... I think I can delay by fifteen minutes. Won't you come in?"

"Yeah, sure," replies Kallen. "Did you decide now because of Akihabara?" she queries, regaining her composure and heading for the lounge.

Shirley ducks her head. She closes the door as Kallen steps inside, following the redhead.

"I can't just pretend it's alright, Kallen," she says, the sad look staying on. "I wanted to help all these people, but what could a schoolgirl do? And the most they would let me do is... is give blood for Britannians who were hurt. But that's not enough! And there were so many sick Elevens...." Shirley's posture becomes firmer. "So I signed up. I probably won't, you know, to pilot a Knightmare you need to be a noble, but that's okay!" Even though she seems more confident, she rambles on. "I'm on leave, actually. Milly asked me to come to the ceremony. I have to return to basic training. Umm. I don't know if I'll work with Dad when that's over, but whatever I do, I hope I'll be able to help others. No. I know I'll be able to do it."

"I'm sorry I missed it, but I got caught up. So are you still angling to get into logistics?" asks Kallen, sounding oddly neutral. "I mean, you can't really help many elevens from behind the controls of a Knightmare, so that's probably for the best."

Shirley nods emphatically. "It's probably for the best, but if I could-- anything is fine, because you can turn what you have into what you want it to be. Kallen, you're the one who showed me that! You're so admirable... even though your father fell ill and you have to run the company, you balance that and school, and even find a way to make a difference!" Shirley smiles tentatively at her. "I had doubts after signing up, because it's really scary, but when I thought about how you were working towards a better world, without even seeking recognition for all the good you're doing, it gave me strength to stay the course."

"Without seeking recognition? It's not a matter of modesty, you know. It'll go badly for me if the press takes an interest," replies Kallen, not sounding as frustrated as she could. "Half-breed and all that. I'm not that inspirational, and... I don't know how to put this, Shirley," she continues, her voice slowing down.

Shirley puts a hand on Kallen's shoulder, looking at her with concern. "Don't call yourself that. It's not true."

"I beg your pardon?" asks Kallen, pressing her hands on the table.

"You were born to two parents who loved each other," Shirley responds, that same tentative smile making an appearance again. "That's all there is to it, isn't there?"

Kallen snorts. "My dad isn't capable of love. The only reason he had to take me in was to prevent a scandal later- no, this isn't about me, it's about you! Shirley, it's great that you want to help the Japanese, but you're joining an organisation that's been oppressing them for the past six years! Remember the slogan? "People are not equal!" The military enforces that principle! Your goal is a contradiction..."

"I can't change what I am," Shirley tells Kallen. "I am Britannian. If Britannians are to be ruled by that slogan, then it would always apply to me, whatever I did. But... but even if it's true, so what? I know I'm not the same as the nobles or the Numbers. Does it mean I just give up? Even someone like me has to have a way to help! And I'll find it, Kallen! I will, without fail!"

"The statement is only truth because the military makes it so," insists Kallen. "The military and the royals and the other nobles- of course they want to enforce their superiority. I want that to change, Shirley! Britannians, numbers, whoever- we shouldn't just accept that and make the best of it. If we do that, then areas 18 and 19 probably aren't that far away."

"This might not be the best choice," Shirley admits, some of her enthusiasm leaving her. She embraces the redhead suddenly. "It's the best one I can make right now without feeling like a hypocrite. Please understand, Kallen."

"I'm worried about you," replies Kallen, leaning back to look up at Shirley's face. "Most people in the military are out for status, a shot at nobility, or even just the thrill. It's not a benevolent organisation, and you have to follow orders virtually unquestioningly. Even unconscientous ones- and for a common soldier, there's no way to argue if your commander is, say... a duke."

Kallen shakes her head. "Look, um. Setting that aside. If you want to help the elevens, then curbing the excesses of the army is probably just as effective as sneaking aid parcels through the cracks. If you hear about anything you feel is wrong, or oppressive, then.. please, tell me. With our positions, there are things we can both hear and do that the other can't."

"I'm glad." Shirley's smile becomes a bit teary. "Thank you, Kallen. Let's work together towards that better world!"

"You can't look like that at basic," chides Kallen, turning around to set her hands on Shirley's shoulders. "The drill sergeants will rip you apart, girl!"

Shirley wipes at her eyes with a hand, though her smile stays on throughout. "I'll do my best."

A car horn sounds from the street, and she darts a look at the door. "I ordered a cab before you came," she explains, returning her eyes to Kallen's face. "I guess this is goodbye for real, until I'm done with training." She leans over to kiss Kallen on the cheek lightly. "Good bye. I really liked having a best friend for a change."

"I've had too many farewells today," notes Kallen, shaking her head. "Stay safe out there, Shirley."

The horn sounds again, and Shirley disengages from Kallen's loose embrace, picking up a small backpack. If it weren't for Kallen's intrinsic hatred of Britannian military, Shirley would look like the ideal model for a recruiting poster.

There is another smile directed her way, and then Shirley runs outside, letting the door slam behind her. It takes several moments for Kallen to realize that she had been left alone in Shirley's house.

Awkward. Suddenly feeling like an intruder, Kallen quietly heads for the door herself, giving the house one last glimpse before stepping outside and reaching for her phone to call her own taxi.

Shirley didn't really understand what the redhead meant. Were the question of 'should the status quo be changed' be put to the ruling parties she spoke of, the answer would be along the lines of 'over my dead body', a condition that Kallen had little issue with fulfilling. Still, it wasn't as if Shirley was planning to be a real soldier so much as a desk jockey. Analytically, it's the best place for her to gather information and a safe place that's likely to be out the line of fire. When Kallen looks at it this way, it's a little bit easier to calm down.

<--->