Stage 16, The Captive Nunnally
Lelouch remembers the past, when he, Suzaku and Nunnally are walking among the ruins and corpses of Japan and the Japanese. Suzaku is brought to tears at the sight of this, and Lelouch and Nunnally comfort him.
The next day, Suzaku runs up to Lelouch at school and they chat for a while. They're suddenly interrupted by Rivalz, who's complaining and whining about Milly's matchmaking session. Lelouch runs back to the clubhouse to tell Nunnally that Suzaku will be coming over (ignoring Rivalz's troubles).
Nunnally is in the clubhouse and hears the door open. She talks thinking it's Sayoko-san. Instead, Mao is at the door, clapping with a sadistic smile.
Meanwhile, Milly is having her matchmaking session, where she's dressed up in fancy clothes. The partner in the session happens to be Lloyd, who proposes marriage within the first few sentences.
Lelouch comes into the clubhouse; he calls for Nunnally but hears no reply. He walks in, and sees a picture of Nunnally tied to her wheelchair and gagged. He gets a phone call, from Nunnally, and tells him that she doesn't know where she is, the phone gets snatched, and Lelouch is greeted by Mao's voice. He tells him that he was careless, and tells Lelouch that he has 5 hours to find Nunnally, and he's not allowed to manipulate anyone using Geass. It's a game between Mao and Lelouch.
In the afternoon break, the student council (minus Lelouch, Shirley and Milly) are relaxing and gossiping about the missing three members. Lelouch runs in, puffing and distracted. He walks out into the stairway, and gets another call form Mao saying that the time-limit has been extended by an hour. Suzaku walk towards him, startled, Lelouch drops the picture of captive Nunnally. Suzaku sees the picture, and understands why Lelouch had been so distracted.
Meanwhile, Ohgi comes back to his apartment to Viletta for him. He asks if she's remembered anything, and she apologises since she can't remember.
Suzaku is walking with Lelouch, and Lelouch explains that somebody's abducted Nunnally, and he can't get the police involved as their identities may be revealed. Suzaku asks for his leads, and he replies only the picture and that the person is observing nearby. He just remembers that he heard water flowing in the background. Suzaku thinks about it for a while, and suggest the circulatory system, and installation underground.
They walk towards the lift leading underground, and Lelouch hacks into it the electronic lock, which takes him a few seconds. When the lift opens, they are hiding behind the lift walls, and Suzaku uses a mirror to see outside. A machine gun is linked to the observation camera. Suzaku states that the time lag for it is 0.05 seconds. Lelouch proposes to go back up, but before he can finish, Suzaku runs outside with his super speed, runs up the wall and kicks the camera off.
The two run inside and call Nunnally's name. Lelouch is about to run to help her, but Suzaku stops him, there's a massive bomb hovering over Nunnally's head. Mao calls again, telling Lelouch that he'll let Suzaku get involved since he came at his own discretion, and tells the two to do their best in a mocking manner. Suzaku tells Nunnally, that the two together will get rid of the bomb, so she shouldn't worry. Nunnally nods, reassured.
Mao is shown cackling, in what appears to be a church.
Suzaku and Lelouch analyse the bomb. A motion sensor bomb remains in constant movement and if any external force is applied to it, it'll explode with a radius of over 500m. Lelouch tells Suzaku that the way to dismantle it is to cut the line linked to the detonator, but to diffuse it while it's moving is incapable of a human being. Suzaku easily says that he'll do it, and tells Lelouch to use all the information in front of him, Suzaku is a soldier after all. Lelouch looks at him, thinking.
Sayoko is doing the grocery shopping, and gets a surprise phone call.
Mao is sitting in the church, as the thoughts of the students around him enter his head. He mutters to himself, annoyed at their carefree attitude. He suddenly hears Lelouch's thoughts. Lelouch walks into the church, and Mao applauds, noting that Lelouch doesn't have any weapons or strategies, and he can't make use of the Order of the Black Knights. Lelouch tells him that he doesn't need to explain himself, and asks if he has the last game prepared. Mao steps back, and reveals a chessboard.
In a building (I think it's the governor's home or something), Euphemia and Cornelia are relaxing and playing around on the roof top garden. Euphemia comments, that the place resembles Queen Marianne's imperial villa, and that it was done under Clovis's order. Cornelia replies that he liked the place, even though he was always arguing with Lelouch over there. She tells Euphemia, that they need to stabilize the area, the land where the lives of three of their siblings were taken.
Mao shows Lelouch how their chess game will work. He shows a scale, if too much weight is put on Mao's side, the bomb will detonate. If there's too much weight on Lelouch's side, the bomb will be dismantled. The two put the chess pieces they've taken from the opponent on their side of the scale.
Back underground, Suzaku has climbed to near the top of the ceiling, where the wires of the bomb are connected.
Mao's and Lelouch's chess game has started, and Lelouch is losing badly. Mao comments that he's not the type who can blank out his mind, and Lelouch is out of ideas. Lelouch is at the point where he begs for Nunnally's life. He admits he lost, and Mao laughs and claps in glee. Even so, Mao takes one of Lelouch's pieces and puts it on his scale- enough for it to detonate. Lelouch falls back in shock and anguish. Mao takes out his portable recording screen, expecting to see a blown up room, but instead, Nunnally is safe and sound.
The window crashes open, and Suzaku appears (why didn't he use the door??). Mao shoots at him, but Suzaku dodges and punches Mao. Suzaku had matched his speed with the swinging motion of the bomb, and tells Mao that Lelouch told him which line to cut and to come into the church when he heard screaming. Lelouch doesn't recall, but he realises he must have used Geass on himself to make him forget.
Mao struggles and Suzaku to stop, but Mao replies
Suzaku is shocked, as Mao reveals Suzaku's past. That Suzaku killed his own father seven years ago, who thought that the war would end if his father was stopped who adopted a do-or-die resistance. Suzaku tries to explain his story, but Mao cuts him off, saying that he's nothing but a murderer who should die. Mao mocks Suzaku, saying that he doesn't want to save other people, but just his own heart, hoping that he'll die in the process. This is why Suzaku always places himself on the verge of death. Suzaku drops to the floor in mental anguish.
Your kindness is there just for self-justification!
Lelouch shouts at Mao to shut up, using Geass at the same time. Mao becomes mute. Lelouch swings a punch at Mao and misses and Mao rushes outside. He sees C.C standing there, with a gun.
Mao smiles at the sight of C.C, she tells him to wait for her in the world of the dead as she raises a bullet to his head, ending his life.
Rating: 4/5
Comment: This was a really great episode, it showed how powerful Suzaku and Lelouch can be when the work together. Too bad they probably won't help out each other on the battlefield Kira Athrun style. The flashback scene where Nunnally, Lelouch and Suzaku are walking among corpses, that scene was really touching. And the part when C.C says goodbye to Mao before killing him, that was really sad too. And of course, SUZAKU KILLED HIS DAD, BA-DUM!!!! Alot of people already guessed that, but I didn't think it'd be true. Anyway, it was interesting to see Lelouch and Suzaku freak out so badly. "UGURAWAHAHRGGHHH" - emily
