Episode 13 Summary - An Assassin from the Past

With her old memories reawakened, Shirley continued to attend school at Ashford Academy. As she changes, her friends tease her asking her how she and Lelouch were doing. They were paired up in the Cupid's Day event after all. She blushes, saying the event was just a joke but Viletta assures her there's no need to be shy about it. Especially when Shirley shot her for Lelouch's sake.

A dark expression crosses Viletta's face as reveals how hard it's been for her to keep her true feelings hidden behind a mask. Frightened, Shirley runs out of the changing room along the hallway, seeing everyone with masks on. She finally sees Lelouch and calls out to him but then realises he was Zero, one who was responsible for her father's death. She screams and wakes up to find herself in her own bed.

On the other hand, Lelouch was getting an update in his hideout about the situation over in China. Both Xingke and Toudou were making progress successfully suppressing and uniting the other nations within the continent. He loads up a chart of all his followers that rated them in terms of Intelligence, Combat Ability, Charisma and Loyalty. After selecting Minase and Sugiyama to help out with the internal affairs, he decides to go out for a walk in Ikebukuro, promising Rollo he will have a look at his homework once he gets back.

Shirley was also out in the Ikebukuro area as she was coming to terms with her old memories. Everything before her seemed to be lie. Lelouch was Zero and Viletta was really a soldier yet, they were at Ashford Academy as if they were just normal citizens. Just as she begins to wonder whether her other friends were hiding something from her too, she sees Nunnally on a giant screen and is puzzled why she has become a governor. She could no longer tell what was real and what wasn't.

Soon, she arrives at a bridge. She had called Suzaku out to discuss matters with him. At first, she doesn't recognise the Suzaku and was even scared of seeing him with his grim expression and shades on but, he catches hold of her arm and reveals the familiar person she knew. However, just as she was about to talk, Lelouch happens to drop by.

Meanwhile, Cornelia was being led around the Geass Cult's facility as she learns the Emperor was planning to kill the gods. She thought the idea was ridiculous because she didn't believe there were really gods. As if in answer, V.V. appears and agrees with her. There really can't be gods who have wings on their backs or long beards. Before he could finish, Cornelia lands a dagger in his forehead, worried that she would have to face the Geass power again. To her surprise, V.V. gets up back up again blood streaming down his face, revealing that he had sworn to kill the gods who throws humans into chaos.

Back at Ashford Academy, Villetta was looking for Lelouch. Learning that he wasn't around, she takes the opportunity to ask why Rollo switch sides. Before he could answer, they receive an alert that an intruder had entered the premises and was getting through the guards. It was Jeremiah and he was looking for Lelouch. Sayoko goes out to greet him and a fight ensues between the two.

Sayoko had the upper hand in terms of speed but her attacks were useless against Jeremiah's mechanically modified body. Rollo arrives to support her and uses his Geass to freeze Jeremiah, telling her to put an end to him but, they didn't know he had a Geass Canceller. Freeing himself, Jeremiah slashes Sayoko and then locks Rollo to the ground. His suspicions that Rollo had switched sides were now confirmed. Just then, Villetta also appears and tells Jeremiah where Lelouch was, begging him to free her from Lelouch's control.

Jeremiah accepts and leaves for Ikebukuro. With him gone, Sayoko's wound was attended to while a furious Rollo demands to know if she planned on betraying his brother. She doesn't answer but tells them to head over to Ikebukuro too to help Lelouch.

At Ikebukuro, there was a very awkward silence between Shirley, Lelouch and Suzaku as they walked together along the border that separated the Britannian settlement and Area Eleven Ghetto. Lelouch was wondering what Shirley was up to calling Suzaku out, Shirley didn't know what to say to Suzaku and Suzaku just didn't trust Lelouch.

Shirley tries to gather up the courage to tell Suzaku that Lelouch was Zero so that she could avenge her father but then a thought struck her. What if they were working together? Suddenly, the nightmare she had came racing back to her. She backs off from them, quickly scrambling on top of a wall. Gripped by the fear both of them were just pretending to be nice, she slowly backs away even further and slips over the wall. Fortunately Lelouch grabs hold of her hand just in time while Suzaku had a hold of Lelouch's leg.

The three friends were dangling over the edge now but Shirley didn't want to be saved. She struggles trying to free herself from Lelouch's grasp but Lelouch persists, saying he didn't want to lose anything else. Hearing this, Lelouch looks into Lelouch's eyes again and nods, reaching up her other hand to get a firm hold. Suzaku pulls the two of them up and the three friends sit down breathless.

Shirley remembers the time something similar happened when they had tried to catch Arthur the cat back at Ashford Academy. For a moment, the friends think back to the happy times they had together but, it was then did Shirley realise Lelouch was now fighting alone as Zero. Their conversation is interrupted when Lelouch's phone rings.

Rollo was calling Lelouch to warn about Jeremiah and how his Geass didn't work on him. Lelouch hangs up and immediately, Suzaku's suspicions peak again. Fortunately, Shirley helps Lelouch out by dragging him away claiming she had something urgent to speak to him about. Lelouch didn't know she was helping but decided it was best she stayed with Suzaku when the fight with Jeremiah breaks out.

Jeremiah soon arrives at the scene but Lelouch was prepared. He orders two officers to attack him but they fail. From this he learns about Jeremiah's ability to cancel the effects of Geass and proceeds to releasing smoke around the buildings to scare the civilians away first. Jeremiah looks up and spots Lelouch but Lelouch showed know signs of fear. He beckons Jeremiah to get to him.

Meanwhile, Shirley had taken Suzaku some distance away. She tells him that she likes Lelouch then asks if Suzaku likes him too. Suzaku hesitates before saying that he used to like him. Now he just can't forgive him for what he's done. Hearing this, Shirley replies there is nothing that can't be forgiven and was sure Suzaku just didn't want to forgive Lelouch. She continues that she had already forgiven Lelouch sometime ago. Just as Suzaku realises what she meant, he notices the commotion breaking nearby and rushes over to take command, leaving Shirley in the protection of the guards.

However, having reached the conclusion that Lelouch was fighting alone, Shirley too rushes inside regardless of her own safety. She comes across the two guards knocked out by Jeremiah and picks up one of their guns as she continues making her way through the building. Along the way, she comes across Rollo and asks him the same question she had asked Suzaku.

A suspicious look cross Rollo's face as he answers that he did because Lelouch was his only brother. Shirley eases her finger of the gun's trigger and begs Rollo to let her join Lelouch in his fight. She wanted to help protect him and help bring back Nunnally too. At that very instant, the rage welled up in Rollo. He activates his Geass.

Jeremiah was now chasing Lelouch until they stop by the train Lelouch had been inspecting earlier. As Jeremiah closes in on Lelouch, a set of Gefjun Disturbers are activated almost freezing the Sakuradite embedded Jeremiah to the spot. Lelouch had been planning to use it to bring the city's transport system to a stand still but had still to test it. Now it had passed the test. With Jeremiah seemingly at his mercy, he demands to know where the Geass Cult was located and where V.V. was.

Lelouch doesn't get an answer. Instead, he is surprised to find Jeremiah could still move with a bit of struggle. As Jeremiah moves towards him, he demands to know why Lelouch was willing to turn against his own country. Recomposing himself, Lelouch answers that it was because he was Lelouch vi Britannia and his father had left his mother to die, causing his sister Nunnally to lose her sight and legs. He's even robbed them of their own future.

The answer satisfied Jeremiah as he had regretted he didn't manage to protect Marianne, Lelouch's mother as her bodyguard at the time. Even more that he couldn't protect her children either. Tears welled up in his eyes now as he tells Lelouch that his loyalty was not with V.V. but with Marianne. Seeing Jeremiah's reactions, Lelouch turns off the Disturbers and rushes over to help Jeremiah, insisting his duty was not yet over. Lelouch had a new ally now.

Making his way up the escalators, Lelouch reports back to let the others know Jeremiahs is on their side now. Suddenly he stops as he notices a figure lying the floor nearby. He rushes over, his face full of horror. There in front of him lay Shirley in a pool of blood. She was shot in the stomach but wasn't dead yet. Weakly, Shirley calls out Lelouch's name glad that she could speak to him one last time. Lelouch tries to ring the ambulance as he panicks but, Shirley stops him, holding his hand tightly.

Struggling she tells him how frightened she was when her memories were back. It felt like the whole world was lying to her but at the same time, she realised it was the same for Lelouch. That's why she wanted to be part of something that was real to him. Even though she knew he was responsible for her father's death during one of his operations, she still couldn't find herself disliking him. Even after he used his Geass to make her forget everything and even after having her memories manipulated by the Emperor, she fell in love with him again and again. For these reasons, she believes no matter how many times she is reborn, she will always be in love with Lelouch.

As her voice trails away, Lelouch desparately uses his Geass on her, ordering her not to die so that she could struggle long enough to get help but it was too late. With her last strength gone, Shirley's hand falls to the floor. Lelouch cries out with his face soaked in tears.

Next episode, "The Geass Hunt"

Thoughts

So we're now half way through the series presuming they're planning for around the twenty-six episode mark again. That was a quick three months.

Flow's "World End" was pretty average and the opening animation feels very badly tacked together. Their last single "Word of the Voice" was much better but again, this might grow on me. Ending song was just bad. Ali Project's other ending song "Yuukyou Seishunka" for the first season was better although I didn't like that enough to put it on my music player either.

Anyway, back to the story. It looks like Rollo ended up being the double-edged sword in this episode. Who knows what he'll do when he learns about Lelouch's true motives.

It was sad to see Shirley go after what she went through in the first season then again, when her memories awakened and seeing everything was a lie before her. Damn Rollo for killing Shirley. This will give Lelouch another reason for getting rid of him in the end. That was quite symbolic when the falling mask animation was shown just before Rollo went in for the kill, showing that there's another crazed side of him that can be triggered at any time.

On another note, I think "Masquerade" from the first season's OST is pretty much Shirley's theme song for me now. Every time something bad happens to her, I'm reminded of that song.

Also never knew Shirley's Seiyuu, Fumiko Orikasa played as Maiko's voice in Persona 3.

So, Jeremiah's ended up joining Lelouch in the end instead of killing him. It didn't really surprise me. Probably because of those bonus "Picture Dramas" that came with the season one DVDs which were a mix of fillers.

In Picture Drama 4.33 that came with volume five of the first season DVDs, Jeremiah had talked about the same regrets with Viletta. His first mission was to act as Marianne's bodyguard at the Aries Imperial Villa. However, the night before he had received an order to reduce the security there and as a result of that, Marianne was assassinated. Ever since then, he had been trying to redeem himself and work his way to the top to become the Knights of One.

The show still hasn't piqued my interests like the first season did so far. It's starting to feel a bit like a superhero show.