Who is Zero?

Part 1

The man who killed Clovis

was

MYSELF!

Location: Unspecified

14 days, 10 hours since death of Clovis

Clovis was not the first prince of Britannia to be assassinated, far from it, Charles was a testament to that. Those early memories still scorn him, still, fill his heart with rage. The many nights of bloodshed, the images of his father and mother clawing their way to survival. This time was no different except that Charles has long since grown out of the feeling of fear of bloodshed, so when he had heard that his son was assassinated his only sign of the concern was a rise of an eyebrow. His only response was...

ʻWho? ʻ

Not out of a sense of loyalty of his blood and kin but out formality. He cares little about the suspect that they had in hand, he would die soon enough. That is the price for spilling blood after all.

However the second the masked man stepped behind the burning Britannian flag his reaction changed to curiosity. The man called Zero declared himself the slayer of the Prince, bragged about it in front of the whole world. He dared to challenge the authority of the Empire in front of the citizens and demanded them their pride and forced them to give up their prize. All the while spreading the seeds of discontent within their forces, splintering apart their pride and comradeship into blame and distrust. With only words, Intelligence and strategy, he had defeated a thousand-year-old empire.

And he did it all under 5 minutes.

But as the whole world would speculate in the coming days, as they theorized and guessed, who was this Knight? Who was this Zero? Champion of the elevens, who had slain Clovis Vi Britannia. Whose very identity was a mystery?

Charles had already known.

He always knew.

He was curious when Clovis died in Area 11. He guessed it when the murder revealed himself. It was confirmed when he entered a thought elevator.

When he heard his name, Charles almost felt something.

He almost felt relief.

But he had plans for the world. Plans that he could not be delayed not for him or anyone. Not even the death of his son would derail him in the slightest.

He could snuff Zeroʻs spark of rebellion right here and now. Let the whole world know his name and expose him as the fraud he is. Douse his spark before it could catch fire and burn the entire world down.

But he wonʻt.

Where is the fun in that?

If he is willing to play the part of the Mask, and hide behind his strategy and lies. He will drag him out into the light kicking and screaming either way. He still has to carry out the formality of revenge.

And he knows just the person to carry it out. Someone willing to match his riddles with answers.

Location: Area 11

21 day, 4 hours after the Death of Clovis

"Sloppy, Senile, Corrupt, " announced the third princess of the empire "Where is Zero? I want the enemy of the Empire caught! Get Zero!"

Five seconds in this area and already Cornelia had enough of it. Their demeanor after the assassination of their prince is so insulting it might as well be treasonous. She would charge them all right now if she could, but she did not have time to go to through finding replacements for them all when they had a murder on they had a murderer to catch.

The worthless bureaucrat staggered back. "Well ... you see your majesty" he stuttered looking around to his comrades who shared his expression but continue to do nothing.

"We have yet to discover Zeroʻs Identity, your Highness . . . however we are pursuing every possible..." he finally spat out.

Cornelia cocked back her gun, and the man almost let out a small shriek of fear,"... .angle"

"Cornelia!" Her sister argued. "Donʻt kill him!"

She did not like that request. Euphemia was never one about violence or discipline. But something has to be done, Cornelia has to something has to be done about this manʻs incompetence.

"I too would appreciate that to your majesty" called out another voice from the plane, Cornelia turned towards the other individual that the Emperor had sent to Area 11 besides herself. "I could use all the help I can get to do all this dirty work," she told her.

"I donʻt take orders from you" she countered told the middle-aged woman.

"Though you do take them from the Emperor" she retorted as she began walking down toward the airfield.

Cornelia scowled and raised her gun, no longer threatening to shoot the fellow. The Man nearly fell to the ground with relief he turned to himself to see his Savior. He grabbed the notes that he was carrying and begin to go over them some more.

"Yes . . . . um thank you..." the Britannian began going through the notes. "I am sorry who are you?".

Cornelia gritted her teeth. She knew it would be a surprise as it under wraps until the moment she came to shore. The Emperor didn't want to get everyone jumpy with her arrival.

"Lady Mareike McOrcquale," Cornelia told them "Commissioner of the Pendragon Police Department."

That very moment, Cornelia could feel the attention of dread that she had received from her threat to the Bureaucrat was now focused on the Commissioner. It is not surprising though, as Britanniaʻs enemies were afraid Cornelia, Mareike was feared by the Empireʻs corrupt. She is the most decorated detective in the history of the empire. With the most collar than any other detective across the homeland.

Unlike most noble member Mareike is not fond of formal wear during formal occasions such as these. She did not wear the standard cape or dress, the sign of a noble birth. Instead, she chose to wear an almost completely black attire with her signature black overcoat and her black fedora on her black hair. The only noticing is her glaring pearl eyes always scanning on the watch on everyone around analyzing them. Undoubting seeing who among her was a reliable pack mule, Cornelia mused.

"Thank you for that introduction Your majesty" she stated as she got off the plane. "Now I can I have someone show me to my command center, I have much to do"

"We do indeed" Cornelia corrected. She then gestured to her sister

She doesnʻt dislike the commissioner but she was the type of person that sat in the back and pull strings to solve her problems. Cornelia is a soldier who was always ready to jump in the front lines on any given notice. The two were naturally opposites and the two do but heads when it comes to dealing with this situation, however, that did not mean she did not respect the women. She rooted out the empireʻs leaches and like her, she has a low tolerance for nonsense. So she is willing to work with her to find her brotherʻs killer.

"My sister the Sub-Viceroy and her guards will escort you to it"

The commissioner did a simple head nod and walk toward Euphemia her head raised in the air scanning the skylines. Her sister greeted the women with a warm smile on her face, one that caught the old detective off guard. "So nice to meet you at last Mrs. McOrcquale," she told to the women as she grabbed her to shake it. McOrcualeʻs arm was limp during the shake and the face was still stunned, she clearly wasnʻt expecting the SubViceroy to have such a bubbly attitude. However, after a bit, she regained her stale face and gave Euphie a half smile and spoke.

"Thank you Sub-Viceroy . . . you are looking well for someone who has just fallen out the window"

"Wha . . . how did you?" she asked

"And having survived an explosion"

"Ah so you read the reports" Euphi looked down, She was in no doubt talking the skirmish that she had tried to intervene just a few hours ago. But what was this about a Window?

"What report?" McOrcquale asked not knowing what the Sub-Viceroy was referring to.

"Oh, I thought . . ."

Excuse me but..." the bureaucrat interrupted. Both Viceroyʻs and the commissioner trained their eyes. "Excuse my bluntness your highness, but could you explain your visit to Area 11 alongside Princess Cornelia". McOrcquale eyeʻs narrowed on the man causing his the flutter his words even more. "I mean not that we donʻt appreciate your company Madam it was just sudden that's all" The women continue to dig into the man's eyes, causing the man to sweat faster than when he was facing the gun.

"Simple," The detective told him, as she reached out to grab something in her coat pocket. She then took out something that made the entire platoon on the ground gasp in shock and sent a chill down all of their spines.

It was an imperial scepter. An item that was bestowed by the Emperor to someone who would act in his stead, practically making the person the Emperor. That kind of relic was only given to a chosen few."By the will of Empire, I am in charge of all the resources of this Area, as well as the power of the courts and itʻs police" she announced

Everyone stood still, no one dared to breathe. This brought a small smile on Cornelia's face; she loved watching the leeches squirm.

"But . . . why?" The spineless man asked. His face had turned white as a ghost. Wonder why was one of the smartest detectives in the history given the royal scepter and given power that of a Viceroy of an Area?

"Why?" She asked the man. He simply nodded unable to speak anymore. To which she simply offered a single word response

"Zero"

Location: Unknown

"My My, what an uproar you have caused," said the girl picking up another Magazine covering the recent events, talking about Corneliaʻs arrival as well as the arrival of the detective. "Not only have you invited one of the most capable commanders in Britannia forces to your playing but also one of their best minds to," she said placing the paper right across an empty pizza box, one of many. "Are you sure this is what you wanted?" She told her accomplice.

The man looked up from his computer staring at the green haired women he was now forced to live with. While she was not so overbearing as she was when she first came to live with him "Of course," he told her "As I told you the chaos was all a means to an end, like a moth to a flame."

"A flame?" she asked reaching for another slice. "You created Zero to ensure that she would come to look for you."

"Partly" The man leaned back in his chair. "Cornelia has always been one to look down on those who worked less than her, even now she is known for her low tolerance so when the man who has killed her brother just shows up and saves the man who was about to be wrongly executed for his crime, it exposes the empireʻs weakness."

"Ensuring that she will come to you? You have certainly have been arrogant."

Zero leaned back in the chair he was sitting in holding up his mask so close that his face could almost be maid out. "I have been challenging nobles and rulers of this land since I was a boy. There is nothing to fear."

"If you say so, but what about the detective?"

"hmmm?"

"The one they call McOrcquale, the one they sent out from Pendragon."

"Her?" He let out a small scoff, "She is a noble just a different title, no different from the others."

"If you say so," the girl told him before she heads back to eating her pizza. Zero, on the other hand, went back to thinking about his next attack against the empire. Now that Cornelia is going to be new Viceroy she would be in his vicinity, he will be able to strike a blow to the Empire easily. The next thing is tfind out how to get to her it, it is not a difficult task, but it is not an easy one. He will have to be patient for the time being, but he can afford to wait. Time was no longer his enemy, and soon he will have Britannia on its knees in as well as the answerʻs he so desperately wanted.

He glanced over at one of the Magazines and in it had a picture of the detective on it. He set down his mask back in its case and picked up the magazine. It had an image of the former detective. He glanced over the photo of the woman looking over her facial features. Her face always it seemed to be in a perpetual frown, wrinkles were already starting to form from her eyes. There was just something about this women that he bothered him; she seemed familiar. Perhaps he had seen her another lifetime ago before died. He looked through the article containing her accolades from her many arrests nothing about her personal life or history. Then the witch chimed in.

"She seems to be smarter than the average noble" holding another magazine while sitting to yet another empty pizza box.

"Perhaps, but it is of little importance. I have bested those kinds before and besides …"

He got up and took walked toward the window and stared out into the night, out into the place that was a prison. Now it will be his ascension back to the world stage.

"I hold the world in the palm of my hands now. What can one corrupt noble can do to stop me?"

AN: So yeah this is my story. It basically comes from an idea that I have if someone trying to figure out Zeroʻs identity. In the show Cornelia never really thought about 'Who is Zero?' just 'Kill Zero' so I thought it would be cool to have a detective element to the story. And Mareike McOrcquale will do just investigate the and try to figure out Zero identity. For that reason, I donʻt think I will ever straight out say that Lelouch is Zero in his part just to keep the whole mystery element alive.

That being said please give me a comment if you liked it. I always appreciate feed back and criticism (and I am always looking for beta readers). See you next time.

Next story: Code RWBY: Turn 2