Tokyo Settlement - November 16th, 1961 AD - 0025 Hours
The weather was rather pleasant for nearly half-past midnight; and while it had take two days on what had to be the
slowest rocket-propelled minisub in the world, Yuzuki was finally able to breath in the air of Japan with a deep inhale, "Ah~ Smells like oppression, poverty, and broken hopes." Looking around the somewhat dilapidated docks she had chosen for her stealthy incursion (high-speed underwater travel was unlikely to register as a sub regardless of noise) and easily picked out the Japanese living on what was likely a ghetto established on one of the old outer prefectures.
Shrugging, Yuzuki simply placed a hand on the submarine, and with a mental command the nanomaterial vessel flowed onto the cracked, grass-colonised concrete to begin reshaping into a more suitable land-based form and as it took shape, Yuzuki giggled as she stared at the iconic red vehicle before her, "I am such a nerd."
Slipping into the reclined seat of the motorcycle and flicking a switch, Yuzuki checked herself in a nearby mirror and in a rippling wave of silver, her IJN-styled uniform shifted into a fairly mundane set of biker leathers before revving the engine with an electric scream that caused nearby Japanese living in poverty to instinctively cower in their homes and camps before the motorcycle's tyres squealed in a burnout and Yuzuki aimed towards the Tokyo Settlement proper, mapping software and scanners working alongside images from a hacked satellite to deliver the best, fastest route into the Britannian-dominated city proper.
"Hmm, abandoned construction site, that should work." Yuzuki mused as she power-slid around a corner and sped down a street, expertly weaving around rubble that had likely been there from the Second Pacific War, "Fuck me, it's like I'm in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. Does Clovis even understand what kind of hotbed of terrorism and resistance he's sitting on?" Turning a corner and spotting the construction site, Yuzuki sighed, "And Cornelia is trying to conquer Muslims. Ugh, I don't envy the poor sod who gets the job there, they'll be up to their necks in car bombs and suicide bombers within days."
Scanning the half-finished building from the street and from space, Yuzuki was quickly able to spot the necessary materials to make a ramp, "Bingo. Thank you years of neglect, this will do nicely." Gunning the engine again, Yuzuki simply rammed the bike through the dilapidated chain-link gate; the gate in question had been left to rot and in the tropical weather and sea-breezes had rusted so badly that when the bike struck it the entire gate collapsed.
Skidding to a stop near some rusted steel beams, Yuzuki considered her options as she scanned the area, "Hmm, two choices. I can build a ramp and do a Full Throttle into the settlement, or I can access the completed underground parking garage to access the old metro and sewer tunnels...wow, those are some absurdedly spacious sewers. I can get that they'd be there for flood drainage but that's just nuts."
Shaking her head from thoughts of tunnels so big that a mobile base the size of a small house could fit in them, Yuzuki turned back to the abandoned construction materials, "Okay, ramp I think. No-one is going to expect a person to jump a motorcycle into the city." Stepping off the motorcycle, Yuzuki picked up a steel beam that was intact enough to hold the bike's weight and casually jumped up a storey to grab cables and other materials.
In the shadows, a group of teens watched the Japanese woman, and after some shoving and pushing one of them darted out of cover to approach the motorcycle while the owner was distracted with doing impossible things. Licking his lips, the teenager carefully reached out and touched the motorcycle, and then relaxed when nothing happened. Emboldened by his apparent success, the teenager carefully slipped into the seat and began trying to start the motor.
He certainly started something as with a dull whine and an actinic flash of blinding light, the teenager fell from the motorcycle bonelessly as the motocycle scanned the body and reported that while smoking and likely suffering 2nd-degree burns to his back and butt, the teenager was alive. Yuzuki simply acknowledged the report as she continued building the launch ramp, wondering if the others would be brave enough to try again or attempt to recover their fallen friend.
After a few minutes with only the sound of her shifting heavy loads and tying them in place with cables, the rest scurried out of hiding and grabbed their friend before one of them decided that maybe he would be luckier. The resulting whine and flash followed by Yuzuki receiving another report told a different story as the Mental Model checked her range projections.
"Okay, so without the boost, I can hit the wall. With the boost I should be able to land safely on the other side and then find a highway into Tokyo proper." As another flash lit up the street, Yuzuki sighed, "Okay, this is just getting stupid." Turning away from the partially-completed ramp, Yuzuki casually dropped to the ground and landed with a thud as she looked over at the teens.
Three of them were lying on the ground, smoking and badly burned, but alive. The rest were now starting wide-eyed at her as Yuzuki sighed, "Grab your friends, and then get lost. You aren't getting my bike."
They began to approach her, one of them drawing a knife while Yuzuki easily picked up that a couple had pistols, "Look nee-san, we just want to have a ride, that's all. Maybe you should hand over the keys and let us have our fun?" Yuzuki simply raised an eyebrow at the tanto and had a feeling that Youko wouldn't have even bothered talking for this long and simply broken an arm or two by now.
Thoughts on her twin's off-kilter but recovering psyche aside, Yuzuki sighed as she pulled her hands out of her pockets, "You don't want to do this boys, just walk away." She raised her hands in a non-violent gesture, "This doesn't have to turn into a fight."
"You're right. You may be some kinda sentai warrior or a ninja for all I care, but I bet bullets will still hurt you." One of them pulled out his pistol, a blocky-looking weapon that Yuzuki recognised as the anime's Britannian-issue pistol, "Now give us the bike, nee-san, unless you want to give us something else?"
First Britannians and now Japanese, were she and Youko always going to encounter perverts where-ever they went? Yuzuki rolled her and lowered her hands, "You want something from me? I can guess what you want. Well, you want it, I'll give it to you." As the group's eyes widened, Yuzuki surged ahead both on raw power and subtle manipulation of quantum physics to appear before the one with the gun.
*CRUNCH!* The gun, now crushed into a mangled paperweight, fell to the ground as the one who had been holding it clutched his broken hand with a scream before that was silenced and replaced with the cracking sound of broken bone as Yuzuki effortlessly swept her leg up in a text-book high kick. As a fourth unconscious body joined the comatose ones on the ground, Yuzuki turned to her aggressors, "Anyone else?"
Two more pulled out their pistols, and the knife-wielder charged with the clear intent to try and gut her. Yuzuki simply twirled.
*CRACK!*
And the tanto skidded across the dirt as the owner was sent flying by the roundhouse kick that had struck him square on the face hard enough to leave an impression of Yuzuki's boot on his cheek.
"Shit, shoot her!"
Yuzuki didn't even shift her body as with rather weak-sounding pops the pistols fired. A quick scan showed that the batteries powering the guns were of a lower grade than the ones in the pistols she had scanned during the raid on the Maria Fortuna. In fact, these were such weak batteries that Yuzuki wondered if throwing the guns would cause more damage since despite being 7mm rounds, the data from the impacts on her skin and clothing were more comparable to a .38-caliber round.
After both guns clicked empty, Yuzuki calmly forced out the bullets through her booted feet and stepped towards the pair, "Do you really want my bike this badly? Do you really want me this badly? One more chance boys, otherwise I'm putting you to sleep."
The two of them looked at each other, before dropping their guns and charging.
***
It was a bright and sunny day, perfect weather to go to the beach or simply enjoy the breeze coming in from the bay since it was a school day at Ashford Academy. However...
"Lelouch! Get back here!" Shirley Fenette was not about to try and enjoy the wonderful day as she ran towards the motorcycle waiting at the bottom of the steps leading to the Student Council clubhouse. And the object of her annoyance?
"Lelouch! You promised not to go out gambling!"
Lelouch Lamperouge calmly put on his helmet, "Whenever you're ready Rivalz."
"Right." Rivalz chuckled as he turned to the approaching girl, "We're not going out gambling, Shirley. We're just going out for a drive, do some manly bonding!"
"That's what you said last time!" Shirley shouted as Rivalz started the engine and took off before she slowed down and watched them depart, "Oooh! Lulu, you jerk!"
Meanwhile, the motorcycle and sidecar made their way along the highway towards Tokyo, "Better get ready to set aside a bakery run fund, Lelouch, Shirley sounded pretty mad." Looking down at the dark-haired teen as he read a book, Rivalz looked curious, "What are you reading this time?"
"The Art Of War, written by a Chinese philosopher before the rise of the Chinese Federation. Supposedly its advice can aid in a person's personal life as well as on the battlefield." He shrugged, "It's important to get foreign perspectives in order to polish your own, Rivalz."
"Yeah, sure, and I bet you're going to use that to figure out a way to calm down Shirley. Just don't forget the cake like last time, you know Milly likes to listen to Shirley's ideas, especially when it can involve you."
"One day, Milly will be married," Lelouch replied, "And I can only pray for the soul and sanity of the unlucky bastard she chooses."
"Hah, you got that ri-" A screaming engine interrupted the pair as another motorcycle drew up alongside them. Rivalz's jaw dropped and Lelouch felt his own eyebrow rise as he looked at the machine that was alongside them. And the rider.
It was a bright-red motorcycle, decorated with a few stickers that likely belonged to various automotive companies, but the design caught Lelouch's eye as he studied the reclined seat and the way the wheels seemed to spark and glow. And then he turned his attention to the rider.
It was a woman, and one that Lelouch knew that Rivalz would keep in his memories for the rest of his days and despite himself Lelouch had to admit that the woman's figure fit the motorcycle leathers she was wearing very well. A glance revealed a helmet-less head of short black hair before the woman's head turned and met their gazes with eyes covered by sunglasses.
There was a moment where those concealed eyes met Lelouch's and the teenage prince-in-exile suddenly felt as though he was being studied, before the woman smiled.
Giving a casual salute, the woman gunned the engine of her bike and screamed down the highway towards Tokyo, leaving the pair to simply stare after her.
"Lelouch, I kinda feel inadequate now." Rivalz stated morosely.
"You're not the only one." Lelouch replied as he concealed his clenched fist as memories poured back to him of a throne room and another judging stare.
One that found him wanting.
