Episode 2 Summary - Operation Independent Japan

The Britannia forces are moving in on Babel Tower in an attempt to wipe out the remaining Black Knight terrorists. As the troops infiltrate the tower, Kallen and the others were doing their best to bide some time for Lelouch to learn the tower's structure and come up with a plan.

Kallen thinks back to the time of Suzaku and Lelouch's showdown. Naturally, Lelouch's shot had missed the agile Suzaku while Suzaku on the other hand managed to disarm and lock him to the ground. Kallen tries to help but runs off when Suzaku reminds her of the reality that was before her. Zero was Lelouch, a Britannian who Suzaku claims to have used her and all Japanese.

The past events were also coming back to Lelouch now who was looking over the log book the baron had. After being defeated on the island, he was brought before the Emperor by Suzaku who made sure he didn't have a chance to use his Geass. The Emperor greets his son, the former prince in the royal family who was going to the 17th inheritor.

As a reward for capturing Lelouch, Suzaku requests that he is allowed to join Britannia's most powerful 12 member team, "The Knights of the Round". Suzaku still believed he could change the current state the world was in from within Britannia and was prepared to abandon his and Lelouch's friendship to do it. The Emperor grants him his wish after hearing what Suzaku just said to Lelouch. As for Lelouch himself, there was still some use in him.

The Emperor orders Suzaku to forces Lelouch to face him as he gets up and approaches them. To Lelouch's surprise, he too had the power of the Geass. His hatred grew even stronger when he hears his father was going to turn him into a normal person by making him forget about his mother Marianne, his identity as Zero and also his own younger sister Nunnally. Lelouch screams as the Emperor rewrites his memory of the past.

Returning to the present, Lelouch glances over his shoulder suspiciously at C.C. but she denies having passed on the power over to his father. Lelouch goes onto ask where Nunnally was and their maid Sayoko had gone. C.C. replies there hadn't been enough Black Knights remaining to look for her while Sayoko had managed to escape to the Chinese Federation together with Diethard. She assures her Sayoko didn't know about his identity thus, didn't know how important she was to him. Moving on, Lelouch decides they will have to find out who gave his father the power and also Nunnally's whereabouts. Then he realises he never had a younger brother and begins to wonder who Rollo was.

Before that, they had to deal with their situation in the Babel Tower. Lelouch now understood Babel Tower's structure but they needed the access code to make use of the Knightmare Frame the baron had left behind. Just then, they are spotted by another Britannian soldier. C.C. quickly drops out of view while Lelouch manages to trick the soldier into getting off his Knightmare Frame. The fact he could do that helped Lelouch confirm his identity as Zero was still unknown to the rest of the Britannians. He could still carry out his plan.

Using his Geass, he gets the soldier to hand over his machine and the access code for it. C.C. reminds him he has to be looking directly at the victim's eyes when using the Geass. Lelouch retorts he doesn't want a lecture from an immortal witch.

Meanwhile at the embassy, Governor Carares was receiving reports about how the terrorists were not yet suppressed. He offers to go himself since he wasn't exactly on the good side of the Chinese Federation representatives anyway. He was also looking forward to a game of hunting down human prey.
By now, Lelouch was quickly taking control of the situation at Babel Tower as he gave out effective orders to his small number of subordinates. Urabe still hadn't fully accepted their leader was really a young student but knew he had the skills to achieve their goal. The rest of the Black Knights were also growing stronger in faith, believing they can win with Zero back on their side. There was just one more person who he hadn't fully gained the trust of yet and that was Kallen.

At the same time, Suzaku was by the Emperor's side who explained there was a certain someone lurking in Area Eleven but was unsure if it was C.C. that they were after. Suzaku was the first of the Knights of the Round members to enter the place that even the rest of the imperial family didn't know about. The Emperor wanted to show him because only he knew about Zero's true identity and the power of Geass. Walking through the heavy fog, they soon arrive at a temple-like place that the Emperor claimed to be a weapon to destroy the Gods, known as "The Sword of Akasha".

Lelouch was now standing before Kallen calmly as she held a gun pointed at him. She didn't like the fact that she had been fooled all this time and had yet come to terms that Zero was really one of her classmates. She was also unsure about the power Geass that Lelouch possessed, thinking she was being controlled. However, Lelouch steps towards her unafraid. Both of them knew that she had really already chosen to continue to follow Zero.

Kallen lowers her gun but stresses that she was only obeying Zero and not Lelouch. She only wants to believe in Zero even if it meant she had to become a slave. Lelouch understands and reminds her of what she was dressed in. Looking at herself briefly, Kallen tries to cover herself up calling Lelouch a pervert. Lelouch laughs thinking she would never have said that if it was Zero before her.

During this time, Governor Carares had already called in mass reinforcements just to show off the might of Britannia to the Chinese Federation. On the other hand, Lelouch remained calm, confident he could still win as he covered up Kallen with his coat. He knew Governor Careres and understood it was going to be impossible to escape. However, he assures Kallen that their side will win.

Governor Carares had stationed himself outside the only escape route the Black Knights had and was sure all they had to do now was force them out. He gives order to broadcast the public execution of the terrorists.

Lelouch had already predicted what enemy was thinking and was already thinking ahead. After all the bombs were set up, they will use Diethard's equipment to take over the broadcasting network. There was still ten minutes to go before C.C. and the others finish deploying the bombs.

Suddenly, distress calls come in reporting that a single Britannia Knightmare Frame was still active within the tower and was approaching Lelouch's position with surprising speed. Immediately, Urabe and Kallen rushes to Lelouch's aid ready to protect him from whatever was approaching. Urabe urges Lelouch to get away, thinking the Black Knights were trying to win by building up faith but Lelouch corrects him, saying that they'll need more than that using others as fodder isn't going to defeat Britannia.

The Britannia Knightmare Frame was now spotted again at the cargo lift but, disappears almost as quickly as it appeared before the Black Knights' eyes. Lelouch was now panicking as he tries to get an update from C.C. He did not want another person to defeat his plans just like Suzaku did. However, C.C. wasn't too concerned when Kallen and Urabe were already there to protect Lelouch.

As soon as the call was over, the enemy had burst through nearby. Kallen and Urabe rushes forward but yet again the Britannia Knightmare Frame disappears before them, damaging the arms of both their machines. Merging the dual swords together, he charges towards Lelouch but Urabe makes it just in time to knock Lelouch away.

Urabe was ready to sacrifice himself against this new powerful enemy that was before them. Even though Zero was a student, Urabe now truly believed there was hope for the Japanese as long as Zero survived after hearing how Lelouch didn't want to treat anyone as fodder. With that, Urabe apologises to Lakshata for what he was about to do. He strikes himself and manages to wound the enemy in the process before exploding.

Unfortunately, the enemy had managed to escape the blast with its instantaneous movement. Kallen rushes over to help Lelouch as she too decides it was time to make up her mind. Just then C.C. reports preparations were over. Hearing that, Lelouch presses the switch letting Urabe know his sacrifice wasn't going to be for nothing. Both he and Kallen's Knightmare Frames fall through the floor leaving the enemy behind.

Babel Tower was now collapsing, taking the most of the Britannia units both airborne and on ground with it while the Black Knights escaped to safety further underground. Lelouch had predicted Governor Carares would be waiting for them outside the only escape route and by blasting the tower like this, it also meant he will be crushed.

The Britannia forces were now panicking with their Govenor gone. It was then that Gilbert walks in to temporarily take command, asking for the troops cooperation in the name of Cornelia. Just as he was giving out orders to commence a rescue operation, Zero appears on their screens.

In another place, Diethard recognised his own "Line Omega" system being used and that could only mean one thing. The real Zero was back.

Announcing his return to the Japanese, Zero says that he is sad to learn that war and discrimination brought about by the strong continued to take place around the world, bringing about with it tragedies. The world hasn't changed one bit. It is the reason why he had to be resurrected. As long as the strong misused their powers amongst the weak, he will continue to fight just as he did now and as an example, he has brought divine punishment upon Governor Careres.

Zero announces his plan to and create an independent Japan once again, dubbing it the "United States of Japan" and the Chinese Embassy will be the first place to become part of it. He will welcome anyone no matter what race or beliefs they have. There is just one go and that was to achieve justice.

Britannia had now managed to track the broadcasting signal and it was coming from the Chinese Embassy. Gilbert figures out they must have reached there through the Babel Tower that had collapsed all the way towards the building but, how did he manage to get his way through the Chinese forces?

The Knights of the Round were also watching. When Suzaku is asked if Zero was really dead, he insists he is and that the one on TV was a fake. However, real or not it was a crime to break into the Chinese Embassy.

Kallen was surprised at how Zero managed to take down Careres and create an escape route. Xingkue had his suspicions about Zero but because it was a direct order from his superior, he decides to leave the room to make sure no one interferes.

Outside, the Britannia forces retreat because they didn't dare tread into the grounds of the Chinese Embassy but, the Britannian Knightmare Frame that was after Zero arrives moments afterwards. Xingkue asks if the pilot was a friend of Zero but as he leaves the cockpit, he doesn't answer. Xingkue says he doesn't like riddles but neither did Rollo who was now standing before the Chinese troops. With the sign of the Geass glowing in his right eye, he reveals that he is here to kill Zero.

Next episode, "The Captive Academy".

Thoughts

Good good. They've cleared up a number of mysteries that the first episode didn't. I had suspected Rollo was appointed to watch over Lelouch and it seems to be the case here. The Knightmare Frame pilots just get younger don't they? I wonder what he'll use his Geass for on Xingkue? Will be interesting with Lelouch controlling the Chinese Embassy while Rollo controls Xingkue.

The show remains dramatic as ever and Lelouch's actions never fail to impress. How is he going to gather the power to face the Emperor and Suzaku? How will he deal with this false younger brother?