She had probably been kind of mean to Ougi. She’d been awfully demanding. But here she was, back out in the world. She was dressed rather unassumingly, moving through the group of people toward the Tokyo settlement center. She was with Miss Sayoko and a lot of the others. She had a tote bag slung across her body, containing tactical combat gear. This was a lot for her to take on so soon. And she still hadn’t healed completely. She was nervous, but she believed in the other people she was here with, and she knew what they were there to do.
She had insisted on going on the mission because she wanted to make sure there was another familiar face for Nunnally. Or Kallen. Whoever she found first. It would do a lot to make the former feel better about coming with them, she knew. Of course Nunnally would trust Miss Sayoko as well.
Things went smoothly. They went into the city center through the visitor’s entrance, and made like tourists. They were waiting on a phone call. Shirley felt better having a phone on her person again. She felt a bit more normal. She had felt a fleeting urge to call Milly or Rivalz, to let them know she was okay. But she couldn’t. That would ruin so much. “This is only for receiving Zero’s signal,” she’d been told when it was handed to her. As though the individual passing them out knew she might be tempted.
It was a long wait. Was Lulu okay? Did something go wrong with Suzaku? She hoped that everything had been okay. So she sat in the small coffee shop inside the building, there for the workers. She even had a coffee she was nursing, to maintain appearances. She hoped she only looked a normal amount of anxious. Not an amount of anxious that implied she was about to take up arms against her own country. She was fighting to protect the man that was, though indirectly, responsible for her father’s death. I found another man to marry, Daddy. She thought idly. She sniffed. She couldn’t think about that now. She had to stay focused.
She jumped when the phone rang. “Hello?”
“I’m ready when you are,” said the voice. It was the cue phrase for them to sneak off and change.
“Great! Thank you so much for the help! I’m really looking forward to it!” she replied brightly. She hoped her voice would carry well enough to reach the others. She allowed a fleeting glance to Sayoko, and they made eye contact. “See you soon!” she added and hung up.
She headed for a utility closet. A quick glance showed that no one was really paying any attention. She changed quickly. She was already wearing a tightly-bound sports bra under her clothes. She just hoped it would keep them out of the way. Pants, jacket, pockets already loaded with more ammunition clips and other supplies. Vest on top. She tied her hair up into a ponytail and stuffed it up under her hat. The final touch was a pair of sunglasses. She hoped that no one here would recognize her from the casualty reports from the incident at the train station.
The last thing she pulled out were the weapons. A semiautomatic rifle and a smaller pistol. Last was a knife with about an 8-inch blade. Just in case. She attached it to the belt. At that moment, the security alarm went off. The battle overhead had begun.
Truth be told, they had absolutely no idea where Nunnally or Kallen would be. But they had to get to them quickly. Nunnally would most likely be ushered away from the building, and Kallen stood a good chance at being killed if the situation looked desperate. All at once, the lights went out. Shirley switched the flashlight on her rifle on. She headed up. Holding the rifle did much to keep people out of her way. But then there was a guard. He reached for his sidearm. Her heart clenched. The next thing she knew there was smoke trailing on the ground and the guard was dead on the floor. She stared. What had she done? She’d never experienced that before. But no. She had to move on.
On her way up, this repeated several times. She couldn’t help but notice it happened every time she wasn’t able to dodge or immobilize guards. Was it because….? No, she had to stay focused. Soon, she found herself standing in front of a door that had been rather heavily guarded. She pushed through it.
It was a large, wide open room. There was a weird bridge with some tube in the middle. Kallen! And what the hell was she wearing? Whatever. “Yoho!~~ Kallen!” she said in her typically cheerful fashion.
Kallen couldn’t help but stare. “Sh-Shirley?!”
She removed the sunglasses and let her hair ponytail fall out of her hat. “Yup!”
Kallen looked her over. Dressed up in that gear, a gun in her hand? This was nothing like the Shirley she knew. “I thought you were dead!”
“Yeah, that’s how Zero planned it! But I’m really okay! And I’m busting you out of here! Stand back!” She took her rifle by the muzzle and swung the stock at the door. It cracked. She used her gloved hands to prise it open.
Kallen was smiling. “What’s going on?”
“We’re getting the Guren, then I’m going to find Nunnally. You’re going out to help Zero! The Knights of Rounds are ganging up on him.” She opened her bag with a flourish, and showed her the flight suit. “Now hurry up and change!”
Once Kallen was out of that horrible dress and into the flight suit, they were able to get to the Guren without any further trouble.
Suddenly, there was panic on the radio. “Pull out! All units, pull out!”
“What about Nunnally?”
“Sayoko’s group is almost there. They’ve got some weapon. The G-trains have been disabled. Get in a Knightmare and get out of there!”
Unfortunately, Kallen was long gone. So she climbed into a Knightmare and took off.
Again, she blacked out. She didn’t realize what was going on until she was desperately trying to keep the machine from being blown back by some high-velocity winds.
“Shirley! Shirley!” It was Sayoko’s voice. The communicator was on a private channel.
She scrambled to accept the call. “Yes, Miss Sayoko?” she started. Dully she could hear Lelouch’s frantic voice yelling at Toudou to continue looking for Nunnally.
“We couldn’t get Miss Nunnally out before the FLEIJA detonated. There’s no signs of her having left before either.”
She stared at Sayoko’s face on her console. “No way… Nana…”
“We thought it might be best if you tell Zero.”
Her stomach sank down into her shoes. “A-alright, Miss Sayoko. I-I’ll tell him.” She really couldn’t stop the tears. Her adrenaline was dropping and everything was washing over her at once. He whole body shook.
She slowly hit the buttons to open a private channel to Lelouch. “L-Lulu…” she whispered.
“Shirley! Did you find Nunnally?!”
She sobbed harder. “I-I’m sorry Lulu. We couldn’t get her out…” she was barely able to talk around the rock in her throat.
“I don’t want to hear that! I want to talk to Nunnally!”
She knew how much he loved her. She could see it in his smiles around her at club activities. And she could see it in the lengths he would go to to ensure a peaceful world for her. Her heart ached for him. “Lelouch… She’s dead.”
And then it all set off worse. Lelouch was frantic. He would not accept that Nunnally was dead. Shirley could only cry for a long time. “L-Lord Jeremiah…” she said, after opening a private channel to him.
“Yes, Shirley?” he replied, clearly focused on something else.
“I-I think Lelouch should go back to the Ikaruga. He’s not going to find Nunnally. He needs to calm down.”
“It’s true, then. That Lady Nunnally didn’t make it.”
“Yes, it’s true.”
“I’ll take care of him.”
“Thank you…” she said breathlessly. Get ahold of yourself, Shirley.
She supposed she would allow herself one moment of nostalgia. After making sure all of her comm channels were closed, she took a deep breath. She balled up her fists and pulled her elbows in to her waist. “GUUUUUUUTS!” she screamed. It was a pained yell, but it did help. Somehow. Her head was clear. She focused on escorting Jeremiah and the others with Zero’s Shinkiro in tow.
Part 4! Shirley on the mission!
She had insisted on going on the mission because she wanted to make sure there was another familiar face for Nunnally. Or Kallen. Whoever she found first. It would do a lot to make the former feel better about coming with them, she knew. Of course Nunnally would trust Miss Sayoko as well.
Things went smoothly. They went into the city center through the visitor’s entrance, and made like tourists. They were waiting on a phone call. Shirley felt better having a phone on her person again. She felt a bit more normal. She had felt a fleeting urge to call Milly or Rivalz, to let them know she was okay. But she couldn’t. That would ruin so much. “This is only for receiving Zero’s signal,” she’d been told when it was handed to her. As though the individual passing them out knew she might be tempted.
It was a long wait. Was Lulu okay? Did something go wrong with Suzaku? She hoped that everything had been okay. So she sat in the small coffee shop inside the building, there for the workers. She even had a coffee she was nursing, to maintain appearances. She hoped she only looked a normal amount of anxious. Not an amount of anxious that implied she was about to take up arms against her own country. She was fighting to protect the man that was, though indirectly, responsible for her father’s death. I found another man to marry, Daddy. She thought idly. She sniffed. She couldn’t think about that now. She had to stay focused.
She jumped when the phone rang. “Hello?”
“I’m ready when you are,” said the voice. It was the cue phrase for them to sneak off and change.
“Great! Thank you so much for the help! I’m really looking forward to it!” she replied brightly. She hoped her voice would carry well enough to reach the others. She allowed a fleeting glance to Sayoko, and they made eye contact. “See you soon!” she added and hung up.
She headed for a utility closet. A quick glance showed that no one was really paying any attention. She changed quickly. She was already wearing a tightly-bound sports bra under her clothes. She just hoped it would keep them out of the way. Pants, jacket, pockets already loaded with more ammunition clips and other supplies. Vest on top. She tied her hair up into a ponytail and stuffed it up under her hat. The final touch was a pair of sunglasses. She hoped that no one here would recognize her from the casualty reports from the incident at the train station.
The last thing she pulled out were the weapons. A semiautomatic rifle and a smaller pistol. Last was a knife with about an 8-inch blade. Just in case. She attached it to the belt. At that moment, the security alarm went off. The battle overhead had begun.
Truth be told, they had absolutely no idea where Nunnally or Kallen would be. But they had to get to them quickly. Nunnally would most likely be ushered away from the building, and Kallen stood a good chance at being killed if the situation looked desperate. All at once, the lights went out. Shirley switched the flashlight on her rifle on. She headed up. Holding the rifle did much to keep people out of her way. But then there was a guard. He reached for his sidearm. Her heart clenched. The next thing she knew there was smoke trailing on the ground and the guard was dead on the floor. She stared. What had she done? She’d never experienced that before. But no. She had to move on.
On her way up, this repeated several times. She couldn’t help but notice it happened every time she wasn’t able to dodge or immobilize guards. Was it because….? No, she had to stay focused. Soon, she found herself standing in front of a door that had been rather heavily guarded. She pushed through it.
It was a large, wide open room. There was a weird bridge with some tube in the middle. Kallen! And what the hell was she wearing? Whatever. “Yoho!~~ Kallen!” she said in her typically cheerful fashion.
Kallen couldn’t help but stare. “Sh-Shirley?!”
She removed the sunglasses and let her hair ponytail fall out of her hat. “Yup!”
Kallen looked her over. Dressed up in that gear, a gun in her hand? This was nothing like the Shirley she knew. “I thought you were dead!”
“Yeah, that’s how Zero planned it! But I’m really okay! And I’m busting you out of here! Stand back!” She took her rifle by the muzzle and swung the stock at the door. It cracked. She used her gloved hands to prise it open.
Kallen was smiling. “What’s going on?”
“We’re getting the Guren, then I’m going to find Nunnally. You’re going out to help Zero! The Knights of Rounds are ganging up on him.” She opened her bag with a flourish, and showed her the flight suit. “Now hurry up and change!”
Once Kallen was out of that horrible dress and into the flight suit, they were able to get to the Guren without any further trouble.
Suddenly, there was panic on the radio. “Pull out! All units, pull out!”
“What about Nunnally?”
“Sayoko’s group is almost there. They’ve got some weapon. The G-trains have been disabled. Get in a Knightmare and get out of there!”
Unfortunately, Kallen was long gone. So she climbed into a Knightmare and took off.
Again, she blacked out. She didn’t realize what was going on until she was desperately trying to keep the machine from being blown back by some high-velocity winds.
“Shirley! Shirley!” It was Sayoko’s voice. The communicator was on a private channel.
She scrambled to accept the call. “Yes, Miss Sayoko?” she started. Dully she could hear Lelouch’s frantic voice yelling at Toudou to continue looking for Nunnally.
“We couldn’t get Miss Nunnally out before the FLEIJA detonated. There’s no signs of her having left before either.”
She stared at Sayoko’s face on her console. “No way… Nana…”
“We thought it might be best if you tell Zero.”
Her stomach sank down into her shoes. “A-alright, Miss Sayoko. I-I’ll tell him.” She really couldn’t stop the tears. Her adrenaline was dropping and everything was washing over her at once. He whole body shook.
She slowly hit the buttons to open a private channel to Lelouch. “L-Lulu…” she whispered.
“Shirley! Did you find Nunnally?!”
She sobbed harder. “I-I’m sorry Lulu. We couldn’t get her out…” she was barely able to talk around the rock in her throat.
“I don’t want to hear that! I want to talk to Nunnally!”
She knew how much he loved her. She could see it in his smiles around her at club activities. And she could see it in the lengths he would go to to ensure a peaceful world for her. Her heart ached for him. “Lelouch… She’s dead.”
And then it all set off worse. Lelouch was frantic. He would not accept that Nunnally was dead. Shirley could only cry for a long time. “L-Lord Jeremiah…” she said, after opening a private channel to him.
“Yes, Shirley?” he replied, clearly focused on something else.
“I-I think Lelouch should go back to the Ikaruga. He’s not going to find Nunnally. He needs to calm down.”
“It’s true, then. That Lady Nunnally didn’t make it.”
“Yes, it’s true.”
“I’ll take care of him.”
“Thank you…” she said breathlessly. Get ahold of yourself, Shirley.
She supposed she would allow herself one moment of nostalgia. After making sure all of her comm channels were closed, she took a deep breath. She balled up her fists and pulled her elbows in to her waist. “GUUUUUUUTS!” she screamed. It was a pained yell, but it did help. Somehow. Her head was clear. She focused on escorting Jeremiah and the others with Zero’s Shinkiro in tow.