AN: Hello. I have no idea how I got this idea. Other than the fact that I love Code Geass and I like writing more in R1. Eh, I liked it better when Kallen didn't know who Zero was.

Just to give you an idea, this takes place somewhere between Stages 19 and 20.

By the way, PXLight helped me write this chapter, so the awesome details are theirs.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass…blah blah…copyrights and stuff…blah…

A frigid breeze swarmed the area as the chill of the Siberian night managed to get to even the most prepared men and women. Dusk had passed hours ago and was now long gone, yet every single one of them remained. Everyone was tense and charged, vigilantly watching the area around each of their individual vantage points around their one target; a weapons factory within the boundaries of Siberia.

This task was the first of many missions outside of Area 11 that their leader, Zero, had intended on executing. About a couple of months ago, Deithard had managed to uncover several weapon hotspots that could serve as an advantage in the Black Knight's fight against the Holy Britannian Empire. After informing Zero of their locations and perfect opportunities to storm in and take these locations for their own, the masked revolutionary did not hesitate to set up a mission plan.

And so this is how many of the Black Knights found themselves surrounding a single large weapons factory in the middle of Siberian wilderness within the thick of night.

Kaname Ohgi, one of Zero's most trusted subordinates, eagerly waited in the cockpit of his Knightmare, a captured Sutherland that had been remodelled, repainted, and maintained ever since first obtaining it back in Shinjuku. He shivered slightly and watched the wispy white clouds of water vapour escape with his breath. There was some form of heating in the cockpit, but there was almost no insulation whatsoever. He was forced to rely on the thick warm leather jacket that went over his traditional Black Knights uniform, as well as his lucky beige sweater and other layers underneath.

The face of Kallen Kouzuki, the ace of the Black Knights as well as the pilot of the red Guren, suddenly popped up on the screen, contacting Ohgi either due to sheer boredom or in the middle of passing Ohgi as well as the others in the area a message. Ohgi flicked a switch in order to accept the call and enter the channel in order to communicate with the half-Japanese red-head.

"What do you need, Kallen?" Ohgi asked swiftly before his chattering teeth took a hold of him. His vocals chords were stiff and his voice came out rather coarsely. He did not care how pathetic he looked as he hid his hands within the recesses of his jacket's sleeves and shivered. Frankly, he did not want to look as though the bitter weather was getting to him, but he couldn't help it; Siberian climate was much more intense than anything he had ever experienced back in Area 11.

"Nothing really..." Kallen muttered, shoving her hands in her own pockets as well. Her face was pale aside from her fiery cheeks and blazing cerulean eyes. "I... accidentally hit the com switch. I didn't mean to call you, Ohgi. Sorry about that."

She was just about to end the call when Ohgi stuttered out, "No wait, Kallen!" When Kallen tensed up and looked at Ohgi through the screen strangely, Ohgi relaxed as Kallen retracted her finger and shoved her hand into the depths of her warm, insulated pockets once more. "I... Have you heard anything from Zero?" Ohgi had wanted to tell her that he was slightly lost and needed a conversation with anyone right now to try and distract himself from the frigid conditions, but he stopped himself before it came out.

Kallen shook her head dejectedly. "I'm sorry, Ohgi." she replied solemnly. "If I heard anything from Zero, I probably wouldn't be here sitting around waiting, right? And I would have told you right off the bat anyway." She sighed as she examined the information coming in from the Guren's factspheres once more. However, the data coming in revealed nothing suspicious or anything that required Kallen's immediate attention, so she shrugged before turning back to Ohgi who had just done the same thing. "He said that he would have contacted us hours ago, but I asked everyone on the mission thirty minutes ago and they all said that Zero failed to contact any of us."

"It's not like him to leave us hanging!" The face of Tamaki Shinichiro suddenly popped up on the screens of Ohgi and Kallen. They had forgotten that the two of them were talking on an open channel that was accessible to all members of the Black Knights; they were surprised by the sudden remark. "I mean, we should have been mobilized ages ago!" He suddenly looked around as though he were watched and leaned in closer to the screen as he whispered, "Maybe something happened to my best bud..."

"There's no way!" Ohgi protested a bit too loudly and nearly bit his tongue in regret. However, his message still got across leaving a bemused Kallen and an exhilarated Tamaki grinning widely.

"That's the spirit, Ohgi!" Tamaki cheered, laughing boldly. "No one can harm Zero! He's probably out buying us all burgers for the victory party after this, right?"

"Where do you think he would buy burgers in the Siberian wilderness anyway?" Kallen countered, a snarky look smothered all over her face. Her look frustrated Tamaki as the silent insult clearly did its job well.

"Well, then he's probably out buying buffalo... wings—I don't know!" An infuriated Tamaki leaned into the screen as though shoving his face into Kallen's. "If you're so smart, Kallen, then what do YOU think happened to the guy?"

As though on cue, a sound only message popped up in the middle of the com session that ended up attracting the attention of all Black Knight members. Only the Black Knights had access to this channel and there is only one person amongst all of the recruits that would use the sound only option; the one person who finds it mandatory to hide his face from the rest of the world.

Zero.

Along with the notification of an incoming message was the appearance of a small flashing light located within the warehouse they had all intended to infiltrate tonight in order to complete the mission; a beacon declaring the position of their target. How Zero managed to get the beacon in and make it back to his custom Knightmare, the Gawain, no one knew. However, they failed to question it as Zero's voice came up.

"You are all aware of the objective of tonight's mission. Infiltrate the factory, capture the workers there for interrogation and briefing, and obtain all weapons here for stock. Return to the meeting point ten miles away from here. I have placed explosives within the factory to cover our tracks from anyone who decides to investigate. No matter what, do not return when the factory explodes; it will be the indicator that the mission is terminated and everyone must return to base immediately."

"Zero, buddy!" Tamaki called out in a friendly tone, almost as though he had not been paying attention to the mission briefing at all. "Man, what took you so long? Did you get us all some food, 'cause I'm starving!"

Everyone was aware that Zero was capable of receiving Tamaki's idiotic communications and frankly, Zero made a noise of annoyance that indicated that he did in fact receive the message. However, the mission was more important that discussing Lelouch Lamperouge's definite lacking in physical skill, so masked leader ignored Tamaki and instead called out through the intercom a single word,

"GO!"

At once, a small swarm of Burais leapt from their positions and sped towards the building, their landspinners causing mounds of snow to fly up behind them in a fury. Only a small group had been assigned Knightmares; everyone else was waiting in the trucks that were prepared to load the cargo they were to obtain as a result of their imminent success of this mission. Even with such a small group, the number was a large extra safety precaution Zero took in case anything was to go wrong. After all, they were in a Russian country outside of their normal territory; who knew what could possibly happen as a result of their presence?

The seven Burais raised their built-in guns and aimed at the structure of the factory, making sure to avoid as many casualties as they could with their mediated rain of bullets. At the fire of guns, windows smashedand shattered. Dents and cracks of the metal and brick surfaces located inside and outside of the factory were created in an instant and it did not take long for screams and cries of horror to burst out from the panicked workers inside. "Террористы!" they cried out in Russian tongue. "Terrorists!"

Zero, who was watching on a nearby hill, then yelled,"KALLEN, NOW!"

The Guren had been on standby as the Burais around it zipped around the factory causing exterior damage, panic to the workers, and a halt on production. Now with Zero's cue, the red Knightmare zoomed past the other Knightmares and smashed through the factorywall using its Radiant Wave Surger. It fired a few aimless threatening shots to the ceiling causing the frightened workers to try and run away. However, a couple of Burais had managed to sneak in from the other side and captured the group the Guren had purposely repelled.

The remaining Knightmares followed the Guren in through the large hole in the wall, defending the red Knightmare as well as the other Black Knights who were only now exiting the loading trucks from the attack attempts from a few of the braver employees of this factory. These employees grabbed weapons right off the production line and were now using them against the Black Knights. Regrettably, because of their unruly resistance instead of the attack inducing immediate surrender, the Burais were forced to shoot them down, though tried to avoid shooting them fatally. Five of the Siberian men were killed as well as one Black Knight in a Burai who had incidentally been shot with an armour piercing missile one of the men managed to fire.

The Black Knights who had been hiding out in the trucks burst into the hole with their guns at ready. They were forced to conduct this mission on foot. They, while being evidentially guarded by Ohgi and his Sutherland, each grabbed as much equipment as they could and carried it to a truckoutside. Two other Knightmares went to hold the remaining workers who called for surrender hostage. Kallen, as well as the remaining Knightmares, finally went over to where Zero had snuck in the beacon to retrieve the large WMD hidden in the recesses of the factory while also assisting in the gathering of the other weapons as well.

It took about an hour for most of the weapons manufactured in the factory to be safely loaded within the trucks. As soon as the final pieces were finally in place and the trucks as well as the rest of Zero's men were able to head out to the meeting place ten miles away, Zero ordered the retreat of all Black Knights, declaring that they were all to leave the factory and meet up at the set location. He himself was to be left behind in order to erase the memories of the surviving Siberian workers and let them go safely and without harm as well as blow up the factory.

The retreat of the cargo came first. The Guren escorted the many trucks towards the meeting place, leaving the group of Burais as well as Zero in the factory. Zero instructed that a few of the Knightmares were to do a thorough inspection on the exterior surroundings in case anyone managed to escape. The remainder of the Knightmares were to stand guard by the hole in the wall, leaving Zero alone with the Siberian workers.

As soon as the Black Knights did just that, Zero's Knightmare's cockpit hatch opened to reveal the masked terrorist himself. The rebel leader then clambered onto a small cable that helped him down the height of his Knightmare. The brave Siberian workers chattered to themselves in Russian, every single one of them gazing in awe as Zero pressed his fingers against the plates of his helmet and pulled it off, revealing the perfect face of Lelouch Lamperouge.

Perfect, except for the stain of Geass in his one eye.

"Now..." he started, transitioning into Russian flawlessly. He was still unsure if a language barrier would affect the potency of his commands, though if he had the opportunity to avoid trying it out now, then he would take it. "Lelouch vi Britannia orders all of you... You will all forget everything that happened here tonight; you will forget ever working today in this factory, you will forget the Black Knights' raid, and most importantly, you will forget my identity. You will now go home and simply forget that all this ever happened."

A tug in his eye was felt as every single worker, who had all coincidentally been gazing into his eyes the moment the command had been declared, relaxed their stiff bodies as though entering a world of bliss that somehow came with the loss of memory. Lelouch smiled with grim satisfaction as his Geass did its work, the red rim rolling around each of the workers' irises. Content with his work, he placed the helmet back on his head and got back into his Knightmare in order to allow the workers to get out of this place before the Geass wore off.

Once inside, he shifted his cloak before contacting the Burais who had remained with him. He flipped on the com switch and after a few seconds, an indicator revealed that he now had direct contact with every single one of them. "The mission has been a success." Zero declared. "The rest of you, now proceed to the meeting point at the set location. We will now be returning to Area 11 and take stock of our new materials there."

A few of them felt the need to respond with, "hai". The Burais who had been checking to make sure that no one escaped headed out first. Fortunately for all of them, no one managed to escape, so Zero's job was made easier. The remaining Knightmares who had been guarding the opening Kallen's Guren made earlier waited for Zero and his Gawain to make it over so they could escape together.

The mission was on the verge of being called a complete success when it happened.
Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, camea huge explosion.

Every single Knightmare that had still been in the factory had been caught in that blast.
Including the one Zero was in.